Maggie Continued

Well I skipped lunch today as I have started to notice white rice for lunch and dinner was probably not so ideal!  It may have been ideal protein for my exercise following work but not something that was enhancing my body mass index!

Instead, today I headed to the market to buy some avocado, coconut cookies, and bananas!  When I returned to the guesthouse I had Maggie use the ingredients in conjunction with tonights dinner!  

I headed into the kitchen to construct a desert for dinner.  I had no idea what I was doing but just made it up as I was going along, pretending I knew what I was making!  I mashed the coconut cookies with some butter then mashed some bananas.  I don't know if it was "America's Next Great Restaurant" or my moms "Ina Garten" cook book, but I laid the cookies in a pan and placed the banana mixture on top!  I had Maggie heat the oven and place it inside.  I knew we were going to have a great dessert!

Before dinner I watched some tele with John and Ian and then headed to the kitchen to spend some time with Maggie and her husband.  We watched the banana desert as it cooked in the oven and when it was finally ready it was placed on the table to eat.  I had the first taste, and it was great!  It met my Malawi standards!

Following dinner and dessert, I headed back into the kitchen to spend more time with Maggie and Eric. They are the nicest, most sincere in the world.  This morning at work I remembered I had a rather large collection of pictures that I managed to sneak along with me in my backpack!  I brought the pictures out and showed Maggie and Eric!  They saw pictures of my prom, of my first day on the school bus in kindergarten, almost every christmas picture of myself and brothers, my best friends senior pictures, and my favorite family photo of me and my brothers with my mom and dad!

Maggie and Eric examined all of my 'snaps.'  They asked 'who is this' and 'what is that.'  They admired my beautiful family and my mother and fathers looks.  They enjoyed my prom pictures with Becca, Jen and Katie.  They pondered my bluefish and striper pictures caught off the coast of Nantucket Island.  They both elicited great understanding of the American culture and yearned to see and experience it!

I soon learned that Maggie was paid the same amount as the gate guard, the cook, the cleaner, and everyone else!  My heart cracked when I heard this.  All the money her and Eric were making from guest stays were going to his father.  


Maggie is 26 years old.  I said 'what' and she laughed.  I thought she was in her 40s!  I told Maggie her hair dew made her look like she was much older, so she said she would take out her extensions and go back to her normal cut!  Note: the women of Malawi have very short hair so extensions and fake hair are mere necessary.      

Well somehow I knew Maggie had a daughter!  Paolo and Daniella told me she did not live with her.  Maggie told me her daughter was four years old and Eric's father insisted that she live with him and his wife for the best eduction.  Maggie's sees her daughter every month if that!  Imagine you at four years old and you see your mom every month…crazy!

I then asked Maggie about her family.  Maggie told me her father and mother separated at a young age and her and her older sisters had to fend for themselves.  She said her father was a doctor in Lilongwe and her mother choose to stay in her village in Kasungu!  She further explained that she rarely sees her mother although she lives less than 10km away!  I decided we were going to change that!

I asked Maggie if her and I could go see her mother and she replied, 'I cannot see her on Sunday I have church!.'  I asked if I could tag along for the english mass and she said 'sure.'  She was not Catholic, but who cares, church is church!  I asked if her and I, following mass, could visit her mother's village, she laughed.  I asked why she was laughing and she explained she could not show up without notice and without nothing!  She further explained that should would have to bring chicken, tea, or sugar and she did not have enough money to pay for that.  Well I told Maggie we are going to go to church together on Sunday and then head to the market to buy a few things for her mom and pay a visit!  Maggie was so happy!  I soon learned Maggie had not seen her for more than two months!

Eric and Maggie asked if I could bring them to America.  Although I laughed, they were not kidding.  I think it would be such an experience for them both!

Climbing Mt. Kasungu tomorrow with Gerald! 

Look forward to amazing pictures!

Love Always

Jimmy

Miss You Mom

Well I found this picture on the camera I brought with me!

The image is of me and my mom on the day her and my dad dropped me off at Saint Joseph's for my first year at college.  Connor that will be you very soon!

Miss you guys!

Love

Jimmy

Maggie: My Second Mom

As you all know I am based in Kasungu where MicroLoan Foundations HQ is.  I have been staying at  the Kavaguti Lodge, a guesthouse that is about a 25 minute walk from work!  

The guesthouse is run by a young lady named Maggie.  Maggie and her husband, Eric, have been living there for years!  Eric's father built the house and he soon inherited it.  They used to rent the house but soon saw their house they spent years on becoming ruined in the hands of the tenants so they turned it into a lovely, warm, welcoming guesthouse.  They have five rooms, a dining room, family room, porch, laundry services, a vegetable garden, and stunning views of Mt. Kasungu!

Maggie
Malawi: The Warm Heart of Africa

They currently have three others they employ, the cook Able, the house cleaner Danielle, and the gate guard Samuel.  They all work tirelessly to make sure one has a great experience at the Kavanguti Lodge.  My experience has been great thus far.  They always say hi and make sure everything you need is at your finger tips!  

Last night I had finally received my permanent room for the remainder of my stay in Malawi so I was able to unpack and cease living out of my bags!  There has been so many people coming and going the past few weeks who were affiliated with MicroLoan that I had to give up my room a few nights.  Now, I am located on the other side of the guesthouse separate from the main house.  Its perfect!   I have a king size bed, my own tv, private bathroom, and amazing views of Mt. Kasungu!  I also have the outdoor space that separates my room from the kitchen so I get to see and talk to Maggie, Eric, and her other employees a lot.  I told Maggie and Able that I want them to teach me how to cook as I would be living in an apartment next year with my roommate Steve and will soon be on my own.  They laughed and said sure.  Maggie said, "can you teach me how to cook like an American."  I don't know what she meant, but I said, "well first thing is you need to get a can opener."  We laughed!  She was using a knife and hammering it into the tomato paste can as she had nothing else.  I told my mom and she is going to purchase one for her.  Thank god!  I am planning on having Linda Thomson, MicroLoan USA Executive Director bring this along with her on her visit in July!

My Official Room in Kavaguti Lodge

Well it was Elaine's last night and she was given the choice of dinner.  She had no preference besides a request for a cake.  Maggie made a peanut cake and then spread Nutella I had purchased in Lilongwe on it.  She had never tried it before until I brought it into the kitchen to show her and she loved it!  The cake was so good.  I had a slice this morning with breakfast!  

Elaine left this morning.  It was bitter sweet.  I woke up at 6AM to say goodbye!  The last individual who was somewhat around my age had returned for home.  Again she is the fashion design artist from the Ireland who did some consulting work for MicroLoan, working with our clients on knitting/sewing training.  She is headed to Kenya next week for another project she will be working on.  So exciting!

Elaine and Maggie!

Maggie and I had tea this morning and made omelets.  I was in heaven.  Fresh tomato, pepper, onion, garlic,  cheese, and the chills from AIMC Farm!  We sat down for awhile and I soon realized she is just like my mom!  I managed to get a picture with her which was really nice.  She laughed hysterically when I showed her!

Omelet Prep 

Maggie and I

Excited to see my relationship grow with Maggie!  

Back to work!

Jimmy

Malawian Delicacy

Cooked, salted or dried, field mice strung on sticks are sold as a popular delicacy in Malawi markets and roadside stalls.

On our way back from Lilongwe yesterday, the driver pulled over on the side of the road and got a snack.  Was not expecting the snack to be a mouse!

The mice are hunted in corn fields after the harvest when they have grown plump on a diet of grains, fruits, grass and the odd insect.  The most widely eaten species is known locally as Kapuku!

Young boys have to be quick as they chase the mice through the fields and catch them. But local villagers have also come up with an innovative trap.  One method involves digging holes and putting clay pots filled with water into them.  The mouth of the pot is smeared with fried corn husks. As some of the mice fight for the husks, they fall into the pot and drown.  Another way the locals catch mice is by igniting the brush to burn the mice out of their holes!  

Food for thought...

Malawi Universities Closed for the Past 100 Days

Thought this was quite interesting and wanted to share the information I have been collecting the past few weeks.

When I was at Club Zanzibar and met Winnie and Fiskan they both mentioned that they had been out of school for awhile because all the universities were closed.  I had a hard time understanding why this was so I inquired.  Due to their broken english and my inability to translate I had to ask Alfred and Gerald to explain why universities have been closed for more than 100 days across Malawi!

Gerlad explained that turmoil began to erupt after Inspector General of Police Peter Mukhito questioned professor Dr. Blessings Chinsinga who reportedly led a public policy class about crises like Malawi's persistent fuel shortages can lead to insurrections like those that have toppled the governments of Abiden Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

He then explained that lectures across the country walked out in protest, arguing their academic freedom had been compromised.  They demanded an apology from Mukhito and that similar incidents like this wound not happen in the future.  

Mukhito refused to apologize, insisting he was simply doing his job of ensuring national security.  Afred told me that the President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika, who is Chancellor of the University of Malawi and Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Police Service has backed Mukhito stating he should not apologize to "teachers who are teaching revolution."

Alfred and Gerald said that professors should be free to teach what they want.  They said that this has caused so much harm to a once seller system as many students continued to pay university fees in order to hold their spots while they had been out of school for more than three months.  

Well this past Saturday President Bingu wa Mutharika, in an address to the nation, apologized and said schools should be back in session after much scrutiny from the international community.  

After more than 100 days of universities across the country being closed we can look forward to my friends, Winnie and Fiskan, going back to school to finish their degree.

Spotted: Monsanto Seed Co.!

I am back in Kasungu!


I spotted Monsanto in the industrial park as I was leaving Lilongwe yesterday!


Not sure how I am going to go about getting in and getting information!  Ideas....