Counting blessings and saying goodbyes

 Photo: Malawi village.


We have now been in Malawi for three years  - yes, it has gone fast, yes it has been seriously challenging and yes it is practice for living in the now, accepting what is, and being incredibly grateful to be an Australian and to know that we can return to one of the most efficient, sophisticated, egalitarian and nicest places to live on the planet ... and where people generally have a great sense of humour and can laugh at themselves and life.

Then again, maybe it is all that great food, great wine, great coffee and sunshine. But, since the job is open-ended we might have a bit more Africa work to do for some time yet. Perhaps when there is no 'light' at the end of the tunnel you find it easier to accept what is. I am not sure about that but it's a good theory.

What I do know is that living for so long in undeveloped or Third World countries makes one appreciate how good we have it, despite the flaws and the fact that many things could be better and that the veneer of civilization is flimsier than we think and our time is better spent working to preserve the best we have and seeking to improve what is, instead of whinging about what is wrong.

Counting blessings I think many of our ancestors would have called it and people who lived with greater poverty and injustice than Australians today could ever recognise. The same sort of poverty and injustice which still confronts most people in the world today, even some who live in countries which call themselves developed.

And you do need to develop a sense of humour. I had to get down a very large oil painting which had slipped in its frame during the hot months I was away.

I had planned to do it when I got back from Cape Town figuring I could buy the correct tape to do the job, thinking that the painting was a good one and had been framed properly ..... fall about laughing of course .... we got the back off and there was the painting, by a good South African artist, and framed in South Africa, held in place with a few scrappy bits of packing tape. I should have known. All that guilt for nothing. Clearly whoever did the job had never heard that putting the wrong tape on can damage the paper on which the painting is done. And who would care?

So I secured it with more packing tape figuring if it had lasted this long with the 'wrong' tape it would last a bit longer and could be done properly when it got back to Oz. Cutting corners is an art form in Africa and even in the 'most developed' part of it, SA!! It reminds me of the time when we were in India and there were stories, weeks apart, about 'cutting corners' on chilli powder - one was 70% flour and dye and the other 40% brick dust!!!!
 

 But some things are beyond humour. We had to let Limited go this week because there was evidence he had allowed people into the house while we were away, in collusion with one of the guards, and some things were missing, like my hair dryer, mobile phone, four plates from our dinner set, and three bottles of wine and quite a bit of whisky, tequila, cognac (ughhh) and other alcohol. Not to mention a condom wrapper found in one of the bedrooms. Sigh. At least someone was taking precautions which, with the HIV/Aids rate may have been the only sensible act on the day.

While there was no concrete evidence he was responsible for theft, the fact is he was responsible for the house and he had the key in his pocket and when the investigator got written statements from guards and gardener and others about what had happened, there was no choice, for it was a breach of trust.

There had been a party of sorts I am sure and perhaps more than one and no doubt it  was all fun and games in the Malawian way where both men and women think nothing of having lovers and often get into trouble because of it. This place is a veritable sex-fest but perhaps that is because life is short, often hard and often painful. Then again, you would think all the more reason to ensure that when you had a good life, you kept hold of it.

But, after four years, well, three and a half with no problems because it seems this happened in the past six months, it is just sad. It is sad because it is a betrayal of trust but mostly it is sad because this was such a good job - one of the highest paid of its kind in Malawi and it came with big Christmas and birthday bonuses, one tries to help, and accommodation with water and electricity supplied.

He will be lucky to get another job as good and while company policy had to be applied, it has been as lenient as possible and hopefully he will get another job. One could ask what on earth went on in his mind to risk so much, more so because he is the only one of his four surviving siblings with a job and his mother raises four orphaned grand-children? But it is often the way of it in Africa and a common story.

There is a mindset which is hard to understand for outsiders - then again, it is also possible that he thought he would be okay because he had paid for spells to protect him. Yes, it happens. And yes, they believe it. Although you can only shake your head at some of the stories like the guy who stole a television set and who had a spell from the witch-doctor to make himself invisible except of course, the television set was not invisible. And neither was he actually, but when the television was found in his house, that was the end of his job and he also had a good job, well paid and with a future.

But you need to become philosophical. In such situations you do the best you can and leave the rest to fate. One presumes that Andrew has taken note of the lesson, for he is still working for us, and while he knew that was happening and did not tell us - well they can't because it breaches tribal rules - he was not complicit enough to lose his job.

Sad, sad, sad but mostly for Limited although I had grown fond of him, and I think he of me as he was nearly in tears when he came to say goodbye after he resigned. Although I don't put too much credence in it. The reality of Africa is that we are muzungus and most Malawians resent us. I suspect they also think we are stupid or soft, and so do the most insane things themselves and lose their jobs in the doing.

Although sometimes you wonder if there is unconscious motivation so they can go back and sit outside their house in the village. He is 42 and that is an age many Malawians don't reach and if they do, don't live much past it.

But, moving on, we will replace him in time although not for the moment and Andrew is looking after both houses and working very hard, grateful I am sure, to have survived.

It is hard not to become jaundiced in this country where 'shitting in their own nest' as one could put it, seems a traditional pastime at the personal and the national. 

But back to counting blessings.

Death, disease, destiny and homeopathy.

Photo: Funeral of an Aids victim in Malawi.

There is no doubt that Death is a frequent visitor in Africa as it is in the Third World in general but somehow the impact of things like HIV/Aids is much greater here.

The disease is wiping out a generation, probably two generations,  leaving tens of thousands of orphans in the care of grandparents or the State. Malawi is no exception and there are around one and a half million Aids orphans in this country. as it stands too many are destined to die and too many are destined to be orphaned.

The stark truth is that HIV/Aids is de-populating Africa with tens of millions of people already dead across this huge continent. And it's impact is felt powerfully in the ranks of soldiers, decimating the military, which might be a good thing, but also in the ranks of teachers, once thought to be a primary resource for preventing HIV infection. In Botswana for example, 35-40% of secondary school teachers are infected with HIV and in 1999, 100,000 South African children lost their teachers to AIDS. I don't have figures for Malawi but it won't be better - it will be as bad or worse. The loss of teachers is probably the worst part of it, after the loss of parents, because education is crucial to this continent making progress. The future looks bleak.

After two and a half years here the deaths just keep stacking up, as do the infections. I have heard of dozens of deaths and countless dozens of infections, or possible infections given that most disease or symptoms are called malaria but often are not and my experience of Africa is that most people won't admit to HIV/Aids because of the stigma.

I cannot think of an individual I have met here who has not lost one, two, three or more family members from the disease. Word does get out and often it is easy enough to put two and two together. The dying can be slow and often is.

For a complex collection of reasons conventional medicine doesn't seem to get far. It is partly cost, partly corruption, partly inefficiency but half the time the drugs don't help much and in Malawi, the word is, more often than not they get fed to the chickens to boost growth. It's another reason why we don't eat the local chickens. But the fact that they end up being used in this way is a sign that the locals don't find them useful, or don't see them healing or helping as they are meant to.

Photo: Aids orphans in Malawi.



One could argue that the influence of native doctors, or traditional healers,  puts people off muzungu medicine but I don't believe that. Most people are more than happy to go to the clinic or hospital for treatment. They turn away if it doesn't work which is pretty much what happens in the world at large and which accounts for the massive turn toward Traditional Medicine in the modern world. People are not stupid whether they are educated or not, or rich or poor. If something can be seen to work then people will make use of it.

And, even more worrying, for the course of the AIDS epidemic, resistance to antiretroviral drugs is increasing in parts of Africa, according to a new study by the World Health Organization and University College London published in The Lancet.

Antiretroviral Drug Resistance Growing for Africa AIDS Cases

www.nytimes.com


This may well be because drugs used here are corrupted, out of date, or simply not administered properly - or it may just be the fact that in Africa, AIDS is more powerful and innovative than in other places. Whatever the reason it is not working which brings me to a new initiative from homeopaths,Homeopathy for health in Africa, www.homeopathyforhealthinafrica.org,a medical treatment which approaches disease by seeking to get the body and its immune system functioning properly so it can fight the disease, which is of course, how healthy bodies work all of the time.

There is no doubt that the immune responses of people here are compromised from the moment of conception because of inadequate nutrition and then later, malaria and continued inadequate nutrition. Homeopathy works at a physiological, psychological, emotional and spiritual level in ways which stimulate the body's natural protective and healing mechanisms. If the body is in balance then any disease and all disease can be resisted. Restoring balance at an 'energy' level - a word which drives those who oppose Homeopathy utterly insane, but I can think of no other to use - is the focus.

Photo: The pharmacy at the Royal Homeopathic Hospital in London.

In essence what we call energy is a force, a vibration and even scientists will use the word energy including at the sub-atomic level where they talk about potentiality which is energy, or the vibratory nature of this world. Everything in the universe moves and vibrates at one speed or another.

The scientific definition of energy is: the capacity of a physical system to perform work. Energy exists in several forms such as heat, kinetic or mechanical energy, light, potential energy, electrical, or other forms.So 'energy' in homeopathic terms is a remedy which triggers a 'vibration' or 'connection' which stimulates the body toward balance.

In essence the remedy, 'reminds' the body of it's own natural 'vibration' (which is why different people may need different remedies for the same disease or symptom) through targeting that which has thrown the body out of balance, hence triggering a process whereby the body returns to balance and therefore no longer has need of the symptom or the disease.

Given the fact that homeopathy as a healing methodology does no harm and the remedies cannot cause injury or death if you forget to take them, take too many, or take too few, it might be something suited to Africa given that it does not matter if the remedies are not administered or fed to chickens because they cannot hurt.

Homeopathy has become increasingly popular in India where it is the fastest-growing form of medicine and perhaps for similar reasons.  The homeopathic market is growing in India at a rate of 30% annually  It works and it can't really be abused or misused in the way that pharmaceuticals can.

Photo: An Indian government advertisement recommending homeopathic treatment for flu.  

As Dana Ullman, noted homeopath writes: 

Presently, there are over 100,000 homeopathic doctors and over 100 four- and five-year homeopathic medical colleges in (India). Considering how many more trained homeopaths there are in India compared with the U.S., perhaps one day India will send a Peace Corps team of homeopathic physicians to America. 


Homeopathy has achieved such respect that in 1987 the government established homeopathic drug detox clinics in six different police stations in New Delhi. A recent conference in India which described impressive results in the homeopathic treatment of drug addiction received accolades from India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the Finance Minister, and the Chief Justice.¹² In addition to the Indian government's support of homeopathic drug detox clinics, they have also supported various research projects and homeopathic hospitals and clinics.

Even Mother Teresa, who for many decades has served India's poorest citizens with medical care, has added homeopathic care to the services offered at her missions. Mother Teresa has a special interest in homeopathic medicine because of its effectiveness and low cost.

At present, four charitable homeopathic dispensaries are run under the guidance of the Mother's Missionaries of Charity. One of these dispensaries primarily provides homeopathic medicines to poor and sick children in Calcutta, while the other three provide homeopathic medicines to anyone who needs them. Considering the serious health problems that poor people in India experience, it is truly miraculous that homeopathic medicines are so effective as the primary method of treatment for many children and many adults.

Mother Teresa opened her first charitable homeopathic dispensary in Calcutta in 1950.

-http://www.homeopathic.com/Articles/Introduction_to_Homeopathy, /The_Present_Status_of_Homeopathy_Internation.html

Of course cost is a major factor  in any medical treatment, and economy is even more crucial in the Third World.

'Allopathic medicines cost more than homeopathic medicines. Due to the low cost, homeopathy is more affordable to most of India's population. Only allopathic and aryurveda medicines are more popular in India than homeopathy. 10% of India uses homeopathic remedies which makes India the #1 consumer of homeopathic medicine in the world.

India has done extensive research on homeopathic medicines. There are 40+ research institutions administering various clinical studies. Most of the research centres are publicly funded.

Homeopathic scientific research has been carried out by Dr. Prasanta Banerji & Dr. Pratip Banerji. They studied homeopathic medicine on brain cancer which was collabrated by University of Texas MD Anderson Center. The trials demonstrated that Ruta 6C and Cal Phos 3X aids in eliminating cancerous brain cells but does not damage normal brain cells.

Other type of cancers have been handle by these homeopathic physicians. The doctors have treated cancer successfully in 30 to 40% of the cases.'
http://www.ubscure.com/Art/9937/198/India-Embraces-Homeopathy.html

Homeopathy 'fits' nicely into India's own medical practice, Ayurveda, but Africans have their own home-grown medical treatments, many of which are effective and deserving of both respect and use. In the best of worlds, both here and in the developed world, making use of all healing methodologies makes sense and will, I believe, ultimately be the outcome everywhere. After all, what those who are ill or suffering want is to be healed and those who seek to heal want to provide that. If one thing does not work then try another....

All I know is given the suffering I have seen and continue to see around me that anything is worth a try. I happen to find Homeopathy to be very effective and have no doubt that it may well be able to help here. Some doctors and nurses may have their doubts or even voice opposition but  I suspect they will be few given that everyone wants to help and anything is worth a try.. The reality of Africa is that everything is 'needs based' and doctors and nurses here have a long history of working with traditional African medicine as well as homeopathy - they just don't make a fuss about it.


Some care is required in handling and administering homeopathic medicine but the remedies are far more durable in the circumstance and climate of Africa than many pharmaceuticals. The success of homeopathy in India is an indication of its suitability for Third World use.

Synchronicity and cosmic reminders

Photo: White-headed Black Chat.

In August of last year I wrote about a small blue and yellow bird which keeps banging on our lounge room window which, lined with a film of reflective sun protection, is in essence a mirror - trying to connect with what it believes is another bird but which is really itself.

At the time I said:
Synchronicities abound in life and more so when we become aware of them. There is a little bird, gloriously, shimmeringly blue, which bangs on our lounge-room window at various times of the day.

And now, as of this past week, we have another bird doing the same thing but this one is black and white and much larger.  The closest I have found to it is the White-headed Black Chat although I am not sure it is this bird. It looks like a version of our Australian magpie, akin to the size of the Piper Magpie.

The noise as it bangs against the glass and the image of itself, mistaken for something other, is much, much louder. It is three times the size of the small blue and yellow bird. Is the cosmos upping the ante on the message it is sending me? I am beginning to think the answer is yes.

Black and white are opposites and birds are believed to be symbolic of a link between heaven of earth; between the material and the spiritual; between ego and psyche.

Given that my ponderings of late have been around beliefs, rights and wrongs, blacks and whites, Self and other, this 'message' may well be a reminder that when I 'bang my head' against the 'mirror' which is my life, I am doing so because I see the image as 'other' when in fact it is me. This fits of course with the philosophy that we are all connected and what we do unto others we do to ourselves. It also fits with one of my favourite maxims: 'That which we condemn in others is that which we deny in ourselves.'

So given the pointlessness of the bird banging at the glass because it wants to connect with what it believes is another bird, the message for me perhaps is that 'banging away' at the 'glass' of division which I see as a separating barrier between myself and others in terms of belief, is just as pointless.

There are many aspects of my life at present where this is relevant. Just as the bird is mistaken in believing the image is 'other' so I am mistaken in believing in a similar image whether it be of individual or belief. I would not have thought I was like this but the cosmos is wonderfully frank and blunt when it speaks to us and this is the language of synchronicity, just as it is of dreams.

We talk about 'banging our head' when we are trying to be understood, to be heard, to bring about change and in essence that is what the bird is also trying to achieve. He or she wants to connect, to join with the image, which is perceived as other - it is in essence a reaching out but one which achieves nothing because there is no 'other' and the image is mere illusion.

The world is a magical place and never more so than when we see through the language of symbol and meaning. Jung said symbol was the lost language of the soul and given my almost desperate search for answers to current problems, well, perceived problems, and issues, in recent weeks, and given the lack of anything approximating an answer, perhaps this is it and my cosmic guides are saying;' turn away from the false image, the mirror reflection, the illusion that something is other and return to the certainty and the centre of Self.

The language of Soul has never been so precise, nor so beautiful.

NB: It is Sunday and the same bird is now flinging itself against my bedroom window which I can see from my desk when the door is open. There is no sun-protective film on this window, so no mirror reflection, but s/he kept at it for a while. Perhaps I did not heed the message well enough. And it does fit with an experience last night where I pondered who and what I was and wanted to be and then had a dream about being pregnant and giving birth which always reflects a birth of Self, particularly at my age.

And the meaning of the magpie in symbolic terms offers insight:



Quick List of symbolic traits of the magpie:

• opportunistic
• intellect
• perceptive
• flashy
• refined
• communicative
• social
• deceptive
• illusion
• expressive
• willful

The magpie's speech is symbolic of communication and creative expression. When we hear the magpie speak it is a message to us that we might need to listen to what is being spoken to us - listen with more attention. The chatter of the magpie is also a symbolic message that we may need to speak our minds more clearly....speak up, express our opinions, be creative with our spoken words.

The magpie's obsession with shiny things is symbolic of our tendency to chase after false ideas or perceptions. When the magpie comes into our lives it is often a reminder that we may have to re-evaluate our priorities. Are we chasing after unsuitable desires? Are we serving a false ideal? Are we putting materialism ahead of matters of the soul?

The magpie builds its home in the thickest "V" of trees. Forks or V's in nature are symbolic of gateways or paths into the spirit realm. In this fashion, the magpie asks us about our level of spiritual perception. Specifically, the magpie asks to keep an open mind in matters of the spirit. She also asks us where our spiritual foundation is and encourages us to open the gateways of higher (spiritual) vision.

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/magpie-symbolic-meanings.html

So the message is about communication but the way the magpie appears makes me think that when it comes to communication I am 'banging my head' against the glass - glass ceiling perhaps - because I mistake the 'image' for reality. I am also thinking that when I feel conflicted in discussions, or about things I have said, it is when I am talking to men. I find women can have differences of opinion more easily and discuss in robust terms and with passionate input without giving or taking offence, far more than men can.

What I am not sure about is whether the message is to say more and trust my own path to truth or to say less and leave the 'speaking out to others.' Perhaps it is time to ask the I Ching or the Tarot, or both.

The I Ching gave Hexagram 13 which is Fellowship with Men. (True fellowship is founded on fellowship with the Sage. Exclude the Sage and there can be no true or lasting fellowship.

The achievement of peace and harmony with one's fellows is the natural drive of the human heart.  We often receive this hexagram when some adjustment or change in attitude is needed. Either we need to make sure that what we require of others is correct, or we need to search out hidden reservations in our attitude which isolate us from the Sage. (The sage is the term used by the I Ching and refers to the spiritual, Higher Self, God, whatever works for the individual.)

By correcting our relationship with the Sage we correct all relationships. From A Guide to the I Ching, Carol K. Anthony.

The gist of this seems to be that problems occur when we go along with something which is incorrect and this takes me to the nub of my problem - I feel guilty about speaking out about what I believe is right and just when others do not agree. Despite the fact that the debate last night which triggered a dream about 'giving birth' and the bird at the window, was in regard to the extra-judicial murders carried out by the United States and supported by omission or commission by allies, including my country, Australia, I still felt guilty about taking a stand. Why on earth should I? Perhaps the Virgo in me.

As I said, and the discussion was with a male,  and he was the one who brought the topic up by saying he was glad Osama Bin Laden had been killed, when so-called developed nations establish a precedent which betrays the foundations of the civilized and democratic world, by carrying out, allowing, or supporting such things like assassination at will or whim, or torture for that matter, or arrests without charge .... then they put in peril the future of the modern world.

After all, if the US can charge someone like Osama Bin Laden with a crime and then just murder him without trial in a court of law, then anyone can murder anyone. If an Iraqi, or Afghan, or these days a Pakistani, assassinated George Bush or Barack Obama for their crimes then how would it be different? It wouldn't. Setting one 'bar' for yourself and another for the rest is not only unjust it is hypocritical. The United States may have great military power for the moment, and plenty of toadying allies, but that does not give it the right to murder people, no matter what they are 'said' to have done, when it takes their fancy.

When we betray principles of law and justice we betray all those who will follow us and mock the blood and suffering of those who fought so hard to bring it into being in the first place.

The message seems to be: Your responsibility is to God and God at work in you, and not to others. What matters is speaking the truth despite what anyone may think of you.

At least that is how I read it but there will be more pondering required I am sure.

The deadly rains in the Wet

 Photo: A village hospital ward in Malawi. This one looks very new and therefore very clean.

Limited has just come to tell me his sister has died. She has been in the local village hospital with spinal injuries since her house fell down in the recent torrential rains last week. He said she was in IC but I suspect in Malawi that means two packets of aspirin as opposed to the one in a general ward or something approximating.

The government runs the hospital system in Malawi and things tend to be basic at the best of times in Africa and never more so at present when there is a major foreign exchange problem. The services are free and probably better than nothing but given hygiene issues that may be debatable. Having said that, any major injury is unlikely to get the treatment required and doctors and nurses are few and far between at the rural hospitals. 

If any surgical equipment exists it is of the most basic kind and generally antiquated but there are no surgeons or staff to carry out even minor surgery so whatever exists cannot be put to any use.
 

The system is three-tiered and overall is designed to fill the needs of the top tier first, then to the second tier and finally to the rural hospitals on the third tier. The problem comes when there are only enough supplies for the top tier, and few for the other levels. When this happens the third tier receives no supplies at all. This can mean between supply shipments, a typical rural hospital may have nothing on its shelves, not even a band-aid or an aspirin. When its supplies run out the word spreads quickly and the village people stop coming to the hospitals.

 

But even at the top tier there are few doctors or nurses and most equipment is broken, in need of repair, that is if it exists in the first place. The country has less than 100 doctors and 3,000 nurses in total for just over 15million people. Nearly half of those who graduate will leave the country to work.

There are international aid schemes which seek to help but the eternal problem in all of Africa is corruption, incompetence and the inability of funds to not only reach the source of the problem but for enough to last to actually make a difference. It is in truth, thoroughly depressing. When you live in Africa long enough you do come to the conclusion that the only way change will ever come about, the only way lives will be improved, is when the people themselves find the will and the way to make it so. In the meantime the people keep dying.

Money from rich countries has trapped many African nations in a cycle of corruption, slower economic growth and poverty. Cutting off the flow would be far more beneficial, says Dambisa Moyo. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123758895999200083.html

One can only assume that the local hospital had at least aspirin and bandaids when Limited's sister was injured. She was a few years older than him with two children. Her husband died some years ago. Limited pretty much supports his whole family and this is his third or fourth sibling to die out of the seven. Life is hard in Africa. We will give him money to take the bus to his village for the funeral. He needs 10,000 Kwacha which is about $30.

The value of the Kwacha has halved in the past year so 12 months ago it would have cost around $15 to take a bus to his village and help with funeral expenses. In the same time food costs have doubled - and we think we have problems. Having spent quite a few years in India and more than a decade in various African countries I am a tad touchy when people living in the developed world whinge about how 'hard' life is and complain about the flaws in Western democracy. They really have no idea.

The Western world, the modern world, the democratic world with all its faults remains the best that humanity has ever achieved and provides the greatest amount of freedom, security and quality of life to the greatest number of people than has ever been known in history. Living here makes one increasingly aware of how thin is the veneer of civilization and how important it is that those who are blessed with life in the developed world should work as hard as they can to maintain what they have.

In this country the life expectancy is 53.5 years and that is mainly because Africa is corrupt, incompetent, inefficient and lacking in community consciousness where those who have power feel a responsibility to everyone in the country and are held to account. And yes, democracy is flawed, politicians can be incompetent, government can fail and there is corruption at some level in some developed nations but it is utterly trivial by comparison and the life that most live, particularly Australians, is something to which many living in developed nations would aspire and of which Africans can only dream.

  Limited's father is also dead and his mother cares for three or four orphan grandchildren and no doubt will have another two on her hands. It doesn't seem fair when life in general is so hard. Then again, if she had been quadriplegic or paraplegic and survived it would have been much worse. Death is often a blessing and never more so than in such places.

The good, the green and the grateful

It's a little odd being back in Lilongwe where apparently the fuel shortages have diminished greatly; the power supply is more regular and the water cuts appear to have stopped.

Not only that but the rains have come in abundance and the land is lush and green and the corn strong, healthy and growing taller by the day. Having said that the price of food is still much higher than it was a year ago but one needs to count blessings where they fall.

It was a bit bumpy coming in to land on the company jet because of rain clouds but not too bad. We could see lightning in the distance but all of that is part and parcel for Africa at this time of year. The other good thing about the jet is that it makes hauling our supplies up from Joburg so much easier. We wheel the trolley into Lanseria and hand it over and sit and wait in a very nice lounge until it is time to board. We are met on landing by people with trolleys who deliver it all to the waiting car. After years of lugging heavy suitcases off carousels and onto trolleys and into cars it makes it a joy. And unpacking is even better.

I brought in paints, canvases, embroidery needles and supplies, books of course, soaps, toiletries as well as nuts, dried fruit, coffee, tea - our favourite, Madura from Australia - Carrs water biscuits, organic honey, peanut butter and of course, Vegemite.

We brought back a couple of dozen bottles of wine - better than we can buy here and much cheaper. As well as a cooler bag of meat from Woolworths in Sandton - lamb mostly and pork which we cannot get here, or rather, would not eat if it appears and chicken which is far superior to what we find locally. Apparently they feed HIV drugs to chickens in Malawi to bulk them up - something I prefer not to ingest given that the drugs are probably out of date anyway.

Both Limited and Andrew have been sick with malaria and are looking a little thin. Not enough extra food handed out during the three months that I was away perhaps. I am conscious of the fact that they support an extended family and while they are paid well, it has to feed many mouths. I found soup and cake in the freezer on the first day and began the 'feed-up' immediately.

Malaria is a scourge here but it is also a 'term' used for illnesses related to HIV/Aids. Not that I think either of them have it but Limited has lost three siblings to the disease and it is a constant killer. Malawians are also prone to promiscuity in ways most of us might not imagine and that makes the spread of the disease so much worse.

'Playing around' is a way of life here and that goes for women as well as men. Well, I guess you need one of each to do it but what I meant was the women initiate as much as the men do. It's not just presidents, or rather, ex- presidents who take multiple lovers. What is interesting is that Malawians, like many Africans are also very religious - unfortunately in that American evangelical way - and no doubt they are chastised from the pulpit every Sunday for their 'sins of the flesh.' Not that it stops anyone. Then again, it probably never did.

Beyond that all looks as it should and the rains mean the heat, never great, but always a bit humid, has diminished and the days and nights are pleasant if damp. The avocado tree is fruitful although not so much as it was last year - but then trees and plants sensibly alternate abundance in the seasons, something which modern agriculture tries to avoid, I am sure at some cost.

Everything is so green, the dust washed from leaf and frond and all shining with wet freshness. In the distance I can hear thunder and the birds seem delighted with the rain, crilling and carolling and cheeping as they flit from branch to bush and back. There is something about the rains. A releasing and a reminder of how much we need water and of how it is the source of life.

And never more so than in Malawi which, while composed mainly of water in one of Africa's largest lakes, has suffered some terrible droughts in its history and remembers too well the deadly price of famine.

Everyone is grateful for the rains and in ways which we of the First World can only imagine. Although no doubt it remains in our cellular memory given that all of us, at one time, have lived as Africans still live.

Water soothes and calms and comforts, of that I have no doubt. Even being back and not having to deal with days of 'no water' reminds me of how much better life is when water flows at the turn of a tap.

My basil has burst forth in more abundance than I have managed in Australia - it loves the warmth and the wet. I shall have to find some recipes to make use of it which allow storage. Pesto I think has time limits even in the freezer and for the moment I am tossing it into soups and salads and shredding it on top of roasting chickens. I use the plural because we brought two back with us and since we are out in three weeks for Indaba in Cape Town, will be able to bring more back with us.

Photo: My basil outside the back door.


All in all a lot has been achieved while I was away. The new batteries were installed and moved to another small shed so Limited and Andrew have the laundry back. Limited has been busy putting up hooks to hang brooms and the like and also found a spare hook to hang the geranium in a basket which a friend gave me months ago and which has been sitting on the ground waiting to be elevated.

Photo: A very sodden back yard.

Photo: My geranium basket finally handing outside the front door after sitting on the ground for five months. 

The new geyser has gone in although not outside as requested but in the roof. It's not the safest place and I have not spoken to the plumber yet but I am sure he will have an excellent reason why he did not do what he said he would do.

There are some small jobs to chase up. The property managers need to replace the septic tank lids out the front - stolen for the third time. Open septics being something of a danger as well as a hygiene no-no. We also need the electrician to fix the security lights on the walls around the compound; the carpenter to replace a lock on the back door because Limited lost his key; the telephone company to fix the phone so it stops telling me I can't make calls because the bill has not been paid, when it has....


But all looks neat, tidy, scrubbed and Limited as always has filled the house with flowers, displayed in his own incredibly talented way. In any other world he would be a florist!

I finally have my Magimix back in action having bought a new bowl to replace the one which broke when Greg dropped it. We forgot to pack it last time but now it is restored and it works and I can't wait to use it. Even more so because we don't seem to be having the power cuts that we did and one can 'cook' with confidence... well, hopefully.

It's a good thing to never assume anything in Africa and never more so than with how things work. Make the best of the bit you are in is my motto. And for the moment, this bit seems to be working better than it has for a long time. Tomorrow however may be a different story. But for now, we have water, we have power, we have new batteries, we have diesel, we have good Australian and South African wine and good South African meat and salad and it doesn't get much better than that.

Photo: The dreaded petrol and diesel queues are back.

The good, the bad and the sadly predictable!

I wonder why the mantra 'all good things must come to an end,' resonates so readily in Africa! Probably because it is true.

After a brief respite it seems 'the honeymoon is over' and petrol queues are back; power supplies are the worst they have ever been in the more than two years we have been here; the value of the Kwacha is on steady slide and things are getting worse, not better.

While it seems pathetic to complain, and of course it is when one thinks about what life is like for the locals, things are made worse for us because not only are our batteries well and truly dead and we await the arrival of new ones, but the inverter has also burned out and now even if the batteries arrive, we are waiting for new parts for the inverter.

In the less than a week that we have been back we have had the geyser default yet again with no water from the hot tap and hot water from the cold tap, a discovery made only after I had a cold shower; the electricity supplies are truly shocking with cuts lasting up to eight hours and then long periods with only one phase; this meaning that because of how our system is wired up we have an air conditioner and a couple of lamps in the bedroom and that is it. It has been early nights, lots of candles and even more patience; welcome back to Africa.

We were in bed early the other night after losing power and asleep just after 7.30p.m. only to wake up at 12.45a.m. as the power came back on and all the lights and the television set in an instant. It was one of those nights because no sooner were we asleep than we began to be dive-bombed by mosquitoes. Were they inside the net or not? Lights, torch, hunting and we got one. Back to sleep. More buzzing, another hunt and another one and yes, inside the net! How did they get in? Back to sleep and another round of buzzing! ?We got the last one and passed out for another four hours which was needed.

The problem is that when we are away Limited doesn't bother about closing doors and probably opens windows as well so our house becomes mosquito haven! We don't use flyspray much because we avoid chemicals but this was a crisis and a serious application of Doom - yes that is its name - last night, behind curtains, under beds, seems to have seen the last of them gone. So small and yet so noisy. It seems counter-intuitive that nature makes them that way. If they were quiet they would live longer and eat heartily!

We went out yesterday and stocked up on briquettes for the Weber and gas canisters for the camping hotplate, as well as candles and matches and any foods we thought might be hard to get. I am sure such planning and innovation is good for brain function and we should be in fine synaptic shape because of Malawi!

Photo: The wet season approaches - maybe early.

And to add insult to injury the internet disappeared although we did get technicians to come and have a look pretty quickly and they were as surprised to discover that for some reason our system had disconnected itself and our 'server' no longer existed. Gremlins, witchcraft? Who knows. But our Zain dongles were working and they restored things to keep us going over the weekend and will be back tomorrow to finish the job.

Although in the way of things, the first technician who came seemed nonplussed when he informed us there was nothing wrong with our phone! That would be, we said, because we did not report a problem with our phone line but a problem with our internet. Three hours later and the right lot of technicians arrived.

When I ask myself where the time goes in Malawi I only have to run through the list of 'jobs' which appear, as if out of nowhere which keep me busy. The other crisis this week was when Water Board workers appeared to cut off our supply, because, they said, we had not paid our bill. We had of course and it was eventually sorted out but given that water supply has also become erratic it may not have made much of a difference. Just kidding. We added four big containers of water to our shopping list just in case.

However, another even more challenging crisis seems to be that there was no Malawi gin to be had on any supermarket shelves. Quelle Horreur! Luckily they had good supplies at the restaurant where we ate last night but we shall have to embark on a serious search for supplies and stock up accordingly. A shortage of water is one thing but a shortage of gin quite another.

But however challenging the week was for us it is nothing compared to what it was for Charles, one of our guards. He and the others have had very late payment from their employer which, in Africa, is disasterous given that they live from pay to pay. He went to the office to ask for his pay and found himself sacked, along with a dozen other unhappy workers.

Under Malawi law he has rights but I am not sure how far it will get him. I tried to reason with his boss but did not get far and we will try once more but have little hope of success. All we can do is give him a bit of money to help him until he finds another job. Hopefully he will, sooner, not later.

Photo: The abundance of nature - the avocado tree in blossom.

On the plus side  the avocado tree is in abundant blossom and we welcomed very old friends back to Lilongwe for another stint and found a new restaurant which is brilliant for Malawi and actually good for anywhere. Latitude 31 is around the corner and decorated in very funky, arty, slightly retro style which is strong on form and poor on function. The furniture looks good but the chairs are not comfortable and the tables are a bit small.

But the food is good with a young Irish chef in charge of the kitchen who fondly remembers nine months in Australia which included a couple of months in the Adelaide Hills. It is more than wonderful to have a halfway decent place to eat in town. Uncomfortable chairs aside.


I have about eight weeks here before heading back to Oz for a long stint over Christmas and New Year and I am sure it will fly. On the joblist is replacing the geyser, having the genset serviced and get it functioning properly - a colleague who came to stay said it is definitely not right if it collapses when we turn on a kettle and toaster at the same time; change over our internet service provider; get the plumber to replace one of the toilets; install new batteries and get the inverter fixed.

It might not seem like much but in the African way of things as one problem is resolved it results in the creation of two, three or more new ones! I remind myself that I can leave it all behind and many cannot! I think it is called counting blessings.

Banalities and Tragedies.

Limited came last night to say that one of the men from the staff quarters had been killed in a car accident so he and Andrew will be late today.

I could leave it all for them but I like tidy and so have done dishes, tidied bed, put on washing - none of which I mind. We were up early, at six, because we went to bed at 9.30 and I think I will be due for an early coffee. It is nice in a way to have the house to myself and to wander around sorting washing, doing dishes, tidying and cleaning. It reminds me of how much I like my life in Australia where when someone comes to clean, it is once a week or once a fortnight for a few hours as opposed to every day, most of the day.

Perhaps it is because I value my privacy, or because, growing up in a society which does not have servants, I do not find it as easy to share space. But, as we realised in India, the most valuable thing you can do in the Third World is give someone a job. Of course there are pluses and having the house kept clean and the washing and ironing done are big pluses - but there are also minuses. As with all things no doubt.


Life is so much harder for people here. You cannot help but be conscious of the fact that it is not just the death of the young man but the family will lose their home and his wife and children will be dependent on their family. The quarters here are provided by employers and so if you lose the job then you lose the house. They are really, by local standards, very well off because our guys get more than double the minimum wage plus the house and we pay for electricity and water so it must be a shock when that kind of life is lost. But perhaps they are used to it in ways we might not be.

But you cannot help but feel for them all the same. Our house is in a block of four, fenced and there are about ten, maybe twelve, of them in this street but three or four of them are not completed and have been sitting in that state for thirty years. The houses were built by the president who took over at independence,  Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and are actually well constructed - shades of the hangover from the Brits. They belong to the family estate and they have begun finishing the vacant ones.

Like all presidents and those who hold power in Africa, Banda was quick to take advantage of his position and to branch out into profitable areas for personal gain. Hence the row of houses which still provide income for his family.

In the middle of the group are the staff quarters and these are really nice houses - palaces by local standards - the area also fenced, with accommodation for the staff who work in the houses - I guess at present that means about thirty families.

Photo: Copper in cables is too tempting to resist in Malawi.
 
And when Limited did come back, in mid-afternoon, once the family had been set on their way to Blantyre,  I heard that the young man who died was not married. That in itself is a blessing for more lives could have been ruined by his death if he had a wife and children. He was in his early twenties and studying - another huge loss for the family because he would have earned a better wage than many can, should he have qualified. His sister is in intensive care and he had taken her breakfast, in that way of the Third World where facilities are poor and family need to ensure that family members are fed while in hospital. He was on his way back when he collided head-on with a truck. Or the truck collided with him. 'Bang,' said Limited, bringing his hands together.

They drive too fast and trucks are often overloaded in Africa so such accidents are common. It is yet another tragedy for his family because his sister is unwell and pregnant and she lost her husband last month through the disease which rages through the subcontinent and no doubt through her. Such litanies of woe are not unusual in Africa and perhaps people are more pragmatic about tragedy in general, but the grief remains enormous all the same.


Our problems pale into insignificance by comparison. It is a salutary reminder. It seems facile to say it, but, beyond that the weekend disappeared as it does with no power cuts which was truly spooky but the server went down because someone had cut the cable (to steal copper wire) in two places between here and Blantyre.

 Photo: Mango trees in blossom.

However, they got it back up within two hours which is pretty impressive by local standards. But copper theft remains a plague in Africa with nowhere safe from those who are looking to make easy money. The South Africans are thinking of designating copper as a precious metal which will make it illegal and therefore harder to sell. But I suspect ways will be found around even that. It is the tragic irony of life here that any attempt to improve the way things work is sabotaged by the demands of poverty and corruption.


But where you have poverty and no faith in government you will have theft and corruption. That is one 'law of the jungle' which is always at work.

There is a depressing note to Africa in that it always feels like three steps forward and four backward. We are out on leave in a few days and much in need of it. Down the 'wormhole' into Oz, which truly is a 'magical place' by comparison. Deprivation never breeds appreciation more than in the less developed world. One can only wish it were other. But, wishing does not make things work better and neither does it bring young, broken bodies back to life.

On a brighter note, the mango trees are in blossom and the bushes and trees in general are also in fertile hands. Because of it the birds are abundant and Malawi has some of the most beautiful birds in the world. And it is strawberry season and the young men walk with boxes piled high around the streets in the old part of town. I have already made a few jars of strawberry jam and have frozen some for when we get back. The strawberries, like the tomatoes, are unexpectedly good here. They line up with the other positives in this country like the local gin, tea, coffee, peanuts and locally baked bread. There are always positives it is just that on some days more than others, it is helpful to count them.

Photo: Malachite Kingfisher, Malawi.

In many ways it has been a productive week with the genset serviced; the jerrycans and the genset full of diesel and the batteries for our inverter ordered and due for delivery by the time we get back. And there have been no power cuts for two days. On the local scale it makes for a pretty good week - well, it does for some of us.