August 5, 2004
This email [sic] would have been far more useful to you all (not to mention to us) had you received it earlier, but since David and I didn't learn many of these things until well into the trip, and then they didn't really "fit" with any of the other emails, you get to read about sundry details, now.
Right is wrong because with most of southern Africa having been colonized by the British, everyone drives on the left side of the road. If it were only that, it might not be so bad (for those of us who drive on the "correct" side), but it means the side doors on vans and minibuses are on the left side as well, which always threw me into a dither. Especially when rushing back for a bathroom stop, with the driver revving the engine and honking the horn. So panic inducing. Oh, and Mozambique as a former Portuguese colony should require driving on the right, but to fit in with all their neighbors (I'm assuming), they too, drive on the left.
The currency in Malawi is known as the Kwache. In Mozambique it's Metical (Meticas, is the plural) and in South Africa the currency is the Rand. While we were there, the Kwache traded at 110 to the dollar, it was 123,000 Meticas to the dollar and 6 Rand for a buck. Africa is indeed cheap, but not as cheap as I had thought, especially with all the National Park fees and other things aimed at tourists.
"Azungu" is probably the word we heard most often by non-English speakers. It means "white person" and is invariably screamed by small children loitering around their huts as you walk past. David found this particularly amusing, since the scream wasn't aimed at us, so much as it was to inform everyone around that there were white people in the area. The kids are cute, really, if you're in the mood, and if not, they can be a bit trying. Especially because they rush you and the bolder ones demand that you "Gimme 5 kwache." Although the amount asked for varies; one girl, on our walk to Liwonde NP, asked for 900 K, which we found hilarious. It's clearly just a phrase they've been taught, though whether in school or by older siblings is unclear. "Mazungu," by the way, is the plural form.
Chichewe is the most widely spoken language in Malawi thanks to Dr. Banda. Kumuzu Banda appointed himself President-for-Life shortly after Malawi's independence and only gave it up after a referendum in favor of multi-party elections passed in 1993. Banda belonged to the Chewe tribe and so had Chichewe declared an official language along with English. The later being especially helpful to us!
Christine, a friend, asked what houses are made of, and naturally the response is: it depends. The earth in Malawi seems to be largely composed of a red clay, which happens to be good for bricks, so lots of "huts" are made of bricks. If the owner has money, the bricks may be covered in plaster. If they have a lot of money the bricks are covered in a plaster-cement mix and then white washed. There were what I think of as traditional grass huts, but those seem to be on the way out. Almost all houses had long, dry grass as the roofing material, which makes me worry about fires, but is probably very practical.
So, there you go. We're still trying to sort out our pictures, so you may still be forced to look at them. In the meantime, enjoy August and envy us our access to Italian pizza, which we've missed.