November 9
This weekend it was very hot. I know what you’re thinking; it was hot hot in Africa? No way! But this weekend was hot! It was so hot I never stopped sweating, 24 hrs of sweating is too much, too much for anyone. On Monday i was so uncomfortable, I felt like I was drowning in sweat all day. Drowning in your own sweat and suffocating in blistering heat, yep that just about describes my weekend and Monday. For the first time since I have been here I actually needed to rest mid day because the heat was just too much. I slept for a little over an hour during out 2 hour lunch break. I started my stretching and mid day exercises, but as soon as I started profusely sweating I had to stop. I washed off with some of my saved water and immediately starting sweating again. Tomorrow is going to be bad. I am going out with Chihiro and if it is as hot as it has been, it will be an insanely long day. I am excited to go though; Tuesday has become my favorite day of the week. I like getting away from the school and going out into the villages. Although, it bothers me the most when little kids come up to me and all they know how to say in English is “GIVE ME YOUR MONEY NOW”, I do actually like getting out and meeting the elderly people. These people might truly be the nicest people in the world. The beggars in Malawi are relentless, like they are all over Africa. The people who are uneducated and even some that are think that white people are going to give them something. Just yesterday as Lawrence was driving me back to Amalika an old man walked up to my window and demanded money. We were driving through a little market at Tunga and this little old man it tattered clothes walked up to my window and said give me 10, give me 20! I looked at him and shook my head and said no. Lawrence rolled the window down and hell yelled give me 50! Lawrence said something to him in Chechewa and he started to hit and kick the car. Right as Lawrence rolled the window up he spat on the window and continued to hit the side of the car. Now you must realize that giving this man even 100 kwacha would have been less than one dollar, but the amount of money is not the issue. The people here that beg, beg because people give money and food and land and aid all the time. They have become dependent on people’s charity. If the people stop expecting money and other charities from mzungu (whites) and stood up and worked for themselves, Malawi could become a very great and self sustained country.