Flying sock and other missing items

It is amazing what things can go missing here. For starters I lost my precious daily facial cream with sunblock and Priscila lost another cream when our schools carpenter came to fix table in our room. In any other case we would have stood there, but as we were told that this is our local guy, we continued our work. Next morning (as we both use it in the morning only) we found these things missing. We tried to ask how to get it back, but to be honest, not much was done and we can say bye for our precious belongings

The next losses are a bit more funny as durng cafe evenings people tend to loose their shirts, but after the last one, also a pair of pants went missing... and after doing laundry, someone took someone elses's pants. So a bit problematic with so many people living together... I better won't mention all the plates and cups that continuously take a hike.

But to the best part so far- how I lost a sock. I did my laundry as usual and was hanging it to dry. I dropped a sock. A wet sock! Of course i wanted to pick it up immediately as it is quite dirty around, red sand everywhere. And it was not there. Probably the strong wind that day just took it and I never saw it again. Amazing. I went around the houses to see if it is somewhere, but it was nowhere. I was laughing so bad.... I can imagine a bird flying by one day wearing the sock on its head or when i go to mount Mulanje, i find it there.... Funny!

Art Market

I was in Blantyre for the first time on Friday and I just got a quick tour of possibilities and places I might need to know where they are. For example bus station and Country Office and Post Office. The other absolute necessities were a shopping centre and art market. These are somewhat opposites.. or well absolute opposites. The first one is little Europe in Africa and the other one is so Africa that when you finally get out of there, you're exhausted. I mean seriously dead-tired, but owner of several items, which you really didnt know before that you needed. The art market is on one sidewalk in town centre and most often the guys sell their own handicrafts. Beautiful and colourful, specially the paintings, but also the rest. Whenever an azungu (white person) is nearby, they start fighting for your attention to THEIR production, everyone claiming that they haven't had any business today and that they need to feed the family and they won't charge you azungu price, but a Malawian price. Yeah, right. So when a price for a painting starts from 3000 kwacha, which they swear to God is Malawian price, it is possible to get it for 800 in the end. But that requires a lot of energy. They seem to enjoy it though. I think they would be rather dissapointed if you agreed with the first price given. The problem is that as I'm new here, I can't answer to a question like.. what is your highest price for this or that.. How should I know.... but i'm learning slowly but surely. So before realizing, I was a happy owner of this and that and to be honest, i don't really regret. I promissed myself I won't go there for some time now and I succeeded on Sunday. I was in town again and of course art market is opened, but i walked around it, but it didn't help as I was caught by salespeople in all other streets. Heeeelp. I think i will make a sign: I will not by anything today! Lets see if it helps.
Yesterday i was in town with my room-mate Pricsilla and it was geat, we got some work done and then we walked back from Lunzu to here, about 8 km. Up and down, up and down. Beautiful. We saw the extremely fast sunset as it was just in front of us and were talking about many things, bought a papaya and tried to respond or not respond to all the people greeting us and shouting azungu-azungu-azungu... Yeah, from kids it is ok to hear, but from adults I would expect a bit of a different behaviour.. After all, the school here in the bush has existed for 5 years, so 5 years of Azungus passing by the small villages alongthe road... But still, it was nice and the road is so much nicer when you walk than when you use a car. So I try to get back to my walking rhythm and discover more small places.

Just a week

Sun, warm sun touching my face. It is so dry that the weakest wind blows red sand off the roads. Here and there are houses, some of red bricks, some from material i'm still not sure what it is. Fields on both sides of the dry sandy road are also dry, growing most often nothing. Everything is waiting for the rain, but there is still a couple of months to go until the lush green gets its chance to have power. The heat is not exhausting, it is nice and warm, early mornings are sometimes even cold. Cold enough to find something long-sleeved from my bag.
The sounds of Africa can make me sit in one place and listen for a long time. At night you can see the birds that make all the noise at dawn. Big birds flying restlessly here and there and while finding your way in darkness towards the little house... you better watch your head and as i was also advised to keep on moving.. FAST... when you hear something in the bushes... difficult with my curiosity. Then the singing, it is just amazing, that is something everybody can do and you can just listen and listen without getting bored. On my walk on Saturday i met Dominic, an old man from a nearby village, true Catholic as he introduced himself, he pointed his finger towards a mountain and asked.. can you hear it? And i could, it was singing with joy, it was full of life even though it seemd to be far. Since then I try to keep my ears even more opened.
With all the slow motion around i was surprised to see the small life on the ground moving extremely fast and i learned a lesson that danger can occur from the ground- luckily before happenings that could put me in danger, so in a way curiosity is good.
Sun sets early, too early for me, but it also brings even more peace in this peaceful countryside of Malawi. I aprecciate the possibility to be here and i will keep all my senses alert to see small changes from day to day in everything, including me.