Some Malawi-isms

Now, why hadn't I thought of this??? We see them everywhere here. It's just a plastic pop bottle with holes poked in it and screwed on the end of a hose - voila! A sprinkler! We actually spent money on one before we saw these.

Elder Prete has been walking 3 mornings a week and I finally joined him the other day. As we were walking down the compound to the gate the guard walked up to meet us. We said good morning and the usual pleasantries and that we were going for a walk. He asked "Why? What's wrong with that car?" We tried to keep from laughing and Elder Prete just patted his belly. The guard said "ohhh" with a puzzled look on his face. They have no concept of why anyone would walk for fun or exercise.

Rush hour now has a whole new meaning to us. It happens at approximately the same times of day as at home but looks a whole lot different. Instead of dozens of people walking and cycling along the sides of the roads there are hundreds. The street markets are almost impassable. Now that fuel is available, the vehicle traffic is bad too.



Driving here is never relaxing. You are constantly dodging potholes, pedestrians, pets, bicycles, other vehicles and who knows what else. Night driving is especially dangerous. There are almost no street lights and there are still always bicycles and people on the road. We always try to make sure we are at least back to the city before dark.

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Trucks here are totally gutless! Even the slightest incline and they are down to a crawl. The streets and roads are narrow and seldom have much of a shoulder, so the regular traffic have to whip around them whenever there is a break in the oncoming traffic (or if you are a minibus, anytime you want). Don't get us started on minibuses!