a slice of life

Although the things I email or blog about really occur here in Malawi, there are often events I forget to mention which are important aspects of the culture, experience, and scenery of Malawi. One such example occurred during a training last week in Dedza. Parents like to say to their children, “there are starving children in Africa” when their kids don’t want to finish dinner. I found myself saying this to a friend at dinner that hadn’t finished their plate (not that we all aren’t guilty of this). After we cleared our plates, we stepped outside the dining hall to find several boys, barefoot, holding out plastic bags with a mix of leftovers from different patrons. There really are starving children in Africa. Although some of these children have learned the art of begging, others are sincerely looking for a meal that they wouldn’t get at home. I have sat at a restaurant near the Peace Corps office in Lilongwe and had children watch as we ate, waiting until we were finished and they could come clear our plates into their bags. Having been here 6 months already, this has just become a part of my reality. I want to make a more sincere effort to share with you the things that occur here which might be more painful to recount, but give a more accurate account of the problems as well as the triumphs that Malawians face tsiku ndi tsiku (day to day).