Upon arrival in Lilongwe, we were greeted by in-country staff members who were very welcoming and able to answer our hundreds of enthusiastic questions. For many of us, this was our first time in Africa. During the short bus journey to our accommodation we all agreed that Lilongwe was not what we expected; for a capital city it is very sparse and spread out, yet sights from the bus window including colourful markets, goats and a lot of waving locals gave the area a comfortable, stress-free atmosphere.
After a look round our lodgings, we went to explore the market and were greeted by curious locals who were so excited to see ‘Azungus’ and keen to introduce themselves to each and every one of us. Be prepared for a lot of handshakes!
The first day of training consisted of introductions and as two groups of volunteers, national and UK, we were asked to share our first impressions of each other. Both groups felt that the others were shy and reserved and the Malawians went as far as saying that we looked scared! As UK volunteers, we were surprised at how westernised the national volunteers were; we all had the same phones and were dressed very similarly.
It was interesting to compare our first impressions of one another and it became evident that we had a lot in common - we were pleased to agree that we were not so different after all! Our next activity was to take part in a song that involved hugging and shaking hands, securing our new friendships.
Once acquainted, we had a cultural orientation on the brief history of Malawi and the many tribes and languages of the regions. We were also informed on traditional practices involving sex and relationships which were somewhat different to our own cultural norms. It was fascinating to gain a better understanding of Malawian culture in relation to the specific areas of our placement, adding to our eagerness to get started on our projects.
The orientation week also included Chichewa lessons. Although the classes were tough as we had so much to learn, it was an invaluable opportunity to practice with the national volunteers who enjoyed testing us when we least expected it! Our teacher Sai was brilliant and made sure that everyone was confident and keeping up with the fast pace by making the lessons entertaining and interactive.
We spent the evenings having long conversations comparing our respective cultures and discussing our common interests like music and films. We played games such as Duck Duck Goose and Frisbee, as well as some very energetic and competitive Malawian games. By the end of the week, we had become good friends and were sad to bid our farewells, but with our new found knowledge of the projects and basic language skills (almost) in place each team was eager to head to their destination.
After a long drive down to Blantyre through beautiful mountainous scenery we arrived in Mdeka, a small but vibrant town and were greeted with a very warm welcome by a small army of children that had gathered on the porch.
So far we have put our Chichewa lessons to good use as we are always showered with greetings and two very important questions; ‘can you dance?’ and ‘do you have a football?’ The children are curious and excited by Progressio’s return to the village and are usually waiting for us to play with them – they are keen to show us their way of life and have even shown us the technique for hand washing our clothes.
With an insight into rural Malawian culture and the impact Progressio has already had on the area, we are ready to begin life in Mdeka.
Blog by ICS volunteers in Malawi
