Quick update from Lilongwe

While my grand entrance into the country didn’t exactly go as smoothly as one would have hoped, things since then have been going well!

I wrote this post a few days ago, but have had limited time online recently. I've been up to a fair bit since composing this, so hopefully I'll have a new post shortly!

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My first week in Lilongwe was been spent becoming familiarized with the city and starting work. Heather and I have moved hostels, and are now staying at St. Peter’s guesthouse, which is part of St. Peter’s Parish. I’m writing this entry on Sunday morning, so I hear the voices of the congregation singing hymns in the church 100 yards away.


Photo 1: St. Peter’s Guesthouse

In general, I have found people in Lilongwe to be less aggressive and more warm than they were in Lusaka. This difference is most clear to me when comparing my experiences in the 2 cities’ main markets.

In Lusaka’s central market, I would find myself feeling rather on edge. The market was an intense, crowded place. While most of the time all was well (I really did enjoy the market) at times we would attract hordes of men who would follow us around, wanting to talk. They were generally harmless. There is novelty associated with talking and interacting with “Muzungus” it seems, to a degree that is a bit alarming at first. It is hard to not take the attention the wrong way at first. Sometimes people would just want to shake our hands and say hello; other times, we’d be surrounded, and people would try to get to close for comfort. Heather luckily avoided getting a big ol’ kiss from a guy. Needless to say, it got pretty uncomfortable at times!

In Lilongwe’s central market, which is still a large (though smaller than Lusaka’s), bustling, crowded place, I haven’t encountered the same degree of forcefulness here. People run up to say hello, or call out from their stalls, but we’ve had none of the near mobs that would develop in Lusaka. Wandering the streets of the city, we are still frequently greeted and stopped to chat, but the people are far less aggressive about it.


Photo 2: The main market in Lilongwe

While I find Lilongwe to be a friendly, pleasant place that I feel completely comfortable wandering around in during the day, the evenings, however, are a whole other story. It is ill advisable to walk alone after dark, and it gets dark here early. I get off work at 5, and it starts to get dark in a hurry around 6pm. The minibuses stop running around that time, so once night falls your only option for transportation are taxis, which are expensive – as much or even more than back in Canada. A short taxi ride can easily eat up much of my daily living allowance of around $15 CDN. As a result, Heather and I have been at a bit of a loss as to what to do with ourselves during the evenings.

I have started work now at Total Landcare. I’ve only had a couple of days of actual work so far, so I’m still just getting myself familiarized with everything. I will be spending all of this week in training with people from TLC’s Tanzania office. After that, I’m going to be heading out for a village stay. In essence, I will be heading out to live in a rural village that TLC does work in. I will stay with a family, and during my time there will try to gain a greater understanding of the realities faced by the major beneficiaries of TLC’s programs. I look forward to the experience! After that time, I will be returning to Lilongwe to resume work at the head office.

Until next time! I shall post again soon!