Strange and Interesting things in Malawi

Here is the section where I have some strange and interesting things about Malawi. The town next to the Acts III campus is always very busy and surprisingly very loud during the day as well as at night. During the day it is the sound of things being built with a hammer. There is a constant ting, ting, ting. I think they are making metal pots commonly found at any open air market. During the day you can also hear children playing and screaming. At night you can hear music playing along with the sound of people doing normal nightly duties. The town is packed so closely together and the homes are so small that everything they do is pretty much outside. The other distinct thing is the smells of Malawi. Some are good and some are not so good. Malawi doesn’t have much of a sanitation system, which is a guarantee for unusual smells. One smell that always seemed to be in the air was the smell of burning stuff. I call it stuff because it consists of garbage as well as weeds, old corn husks, and whatever else will burn. There is that constant smell of smoke in the air. The city of Blantyre is more commercial and industrial so the smell of smog from typical city life also filled the air. Despite the unusual smells Blantyre is a very beautiful city. There is a small mountain range that surrounds the city. They are very good post card material. The Acts III orphanage sits on a hill that gives a great view of the mountains. There is a gazebo at one corner of the campus that overlooks the mountains. The breeze also blows through very nicely. We spent a lot of time in that gazebo. It was great because you could see the pretty views, hear the hustle of village life next door, and relax to read or journal. One great thing I cannot forget to tell is our mode of transportation while in Blantyre. The common mode of affordable transportation in Blantyre is called the “mini bus”. It is basically an old school Toyota van with four rows of benches in it. They pack it as full as they can because they charge per person. One of Maribeth’s teacher’s husband has an extra beat up mini bus, which we used during our stay. His name is Vincent and he is the nicest guy. What is great about his van is that he would have to park on a hill so he could pop the clutch to start it each time. He would even turn off the engine while going downhill so he could coast and conserve fuel. Needless to say we all had good stories to tell after each time he took us somewhere. No worries though, God protected us the whole time. And Lord knows we were praying each time we climbed in.