Through Anne’s Eyes
Through my eyes, although a little small and squinty at times, I’m not comfortable to say that I’ve seen Malawi. However, I am comfortable to say that I have captured certain snapshots through my lens of Malawi through my experiences in Lilongwe and in Gulugufe Village and the Mwansambo region. So through my eyes, here’s what I’ve seen:
- Bicycles are the new pick up trucks. I have seen strapped to a bicycle: Queen size solid wood bed frame; Wife, baby and toddler riding the back of the bicycle while the Husband is riding it; a full sized goat riding the handle bars; 100kgs of maize and/or peanuts; 7 foot timber planks strapped across, taking people out; 20 chickens strapped by their legs upside down onto the handle bars with about 20 more on the back; and last but not least, my luggage, me, and my backpack wedged onto the back of a bicycle with the cyclist turning around every 5 km to let me know how heavy I am.
- Need a hand…or a head? Things I have seen carried on someone’s head: Basket of chickens; bale of second hand clothes; huge bundle of grass (about 3ft diameter and 7 ft long); bundles of firewood (I’m not talking about twigs, they’re tree trunks); 30L pail of water; bar of soap
- The women must be descendants of Wonder Woman. I swear, I don’t know how these women do it, but they manage to do it and it surprises me every time. They have a baby strapped to their backs (by baby, I mean child ranging from new born to 4 years) while pumping water from the borehole and then carrying a (insert item here) on their heads with a child on their back.
- KarateCHOPPPP! I’ve noticed a certain fondness for Asian Martial Arts movies.
- China has arrived. I learnt that about 40 years ago, China was invited to help develop Malawi by the then President and so came the rice, cabbage, turnips, clothing, but no chopsticks.
