Mount Mulanje

As I said before the first place I’ve been staying is at Mount Mulanje. The name of the place I’ve been staying at is Lukhula House.  I had previously thought that I would be working here or helping out around the place but it’s turned out to be more of a experience the culture and holiday.

One of the great things about staying here is that there are two Scottish gap year kids in addition to me.  Rachel and Owen have been teaching here in Malawi for two months and will stay in Malawi for 4 months and 6 months respectively. We get along REALLY well. They have been able to show me around give me someone to hang out. We’ve been able to become good friends as a result of it.

With them I’ve experience some of the real Malawi. We’ve gotten public transport to a local market, which consisted of a bike taxi and oversized pick-up truck. It was definitely dangerous but if I constantly think like that I won’t be able to experience and learn like I have.  With Owen I played a pick-up game of soccer with some local Malawi kids on a dirt field with no shoes. We also went cliff jumping at a waterfall up the river and swam in the lukhubula pools. It’s been nice to make friends and experience how the people here live.  I also schooled them in Monopoly twice. We also set a car on fire by mistake. But that’s a longer story for another time.

I also climbed Mount Mulanje and slept on top one night. I’ve done some tough hikes but this might be one of the hardest in recent memory. At times I had to use my hands and feet to climb up the trail. It was more or less a constant uphill climb for 6-7 miles. Once I got to the plateau on top it was really worth it. I made some friends with some Norwegians at the hut I stayed at as well. One of the most fantastic things about staying at the top is the stars. It was a pitch black night with an infinite amount of stars. The only downfall was that I couldn’t walk straight for three days.

I also ran into someone who grew up in summit and graduated from SHS in 2006. SMALL WORLD.  

Tomorrow I’ll be off to Zomba where I’ll be for a few days before I start to teach! Owen and Rachel made me really excited and nervous to teach! At first I was a little unsure if Malawi was the right place for me but I’ve realized it definitely is.

L to R (mike, rachel, owen, me)

 bike taxi

hut porch

sunset plateau

Africa. I’ve been in Africa one week and it has already changed my view of it completely. I realized I was kind of naïve on the subject of Africa.

I’m not afraid to admit I thought all of it was either a desert, like the sahara, or expanses of nothing with a few trees and animals. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I’m currently in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa, and the world. I realized how big of a difference between the summit bubble I had become accustomed to again as soon as I landed in the airport. First of all the immigration is a two guys in loose-fitting suites hand-writing visas. Then the baggage claim was small and ghetto. Which didn’t work considering there were three planes that arrived around the same time. Those three planes were about 75% of the daily traffic of the airport. You walked through the open air customs line to find yourself at the entrance of the airport. The entire place is about the size of a gymnasium.

While driving to our guesthouse we noticed long lines at the gas stations. It turns out there are gas shortages, so you park in a line and wait for up to 5 days until the gas or diesel truck arrives. Or you can buy it on the black market. But you have to be careful cause sometimes the gas is cut with paraffin.  

There are also rolling black-outs. I’m currently in Zomba and every night at 5 the power goes out for about 2 hours. BUT other than that I’ve enjoyed Malawi.

After getting over my initial paranoia about mosquitoes and being mugged I learned how nice the people are. Everyone will smile and wave if you wave. People introduce themselves regardless of the situation. The culture itself is just very friendly.

While in Malawi I’ll be doing a few things. First I’ll be helping out at Likbula house, which is a retreat center in the shadow of Mount Mulanje. After that I’ll help out a the Zomba Theological College. I might do a lecture of two, which caught me totally by surprise. Then I’ll go teach at Domasi Mission School. Finally, I’ll end up in Lilongwe doing youth ministries with the surrounding villages and schools. It’s exciting to know I’ll be constantly busy.

Along the way I’ll do a few fun things like climb mount Mulanje or go on a safari. The only real hurtle is the astronomically high cost of gas. But the president of Malawi died today so maybe the new president will be able to get things back in working order!

I didn’t proof read this so sorry about the bad grammar or spelling.

-Ben