First to Lumbadzi
Its Sunday, and our plan calls for Scott to go to meetings about the new international school planned for the Dedza District, and I will go back to work on a manuscript with the friend in the capital. We decide we will first go to church services at the Lumbadzi church since neither of us have been there in the past 3 or 4 years. It is sort of like “old home week” as we have the opportunity to see and talk with a number of people we haven’t seen in some time. It is necessary to leave quickly after services, as Scott needs to get to the meeting in town by 2 PM.
Then to Area 25
Coming into town we attempt to locate where Scott’s meeting is going to take place. Getting directions is often impossible as so many people ride buses instead of driving. This robs them of the ability to learn intersections, streets, and locations. One person just a week earlier had laughed at the way his fellow countrymen often give directions out in the bush country. “You turn at the third termite mound,” he laughingly said. “Or you go to the big tree on the left,” he added. I wasn’t sure I wanted to laugh, or cry, since I had experienced being given these kinds of directions, and gotten myself lost more than once by not counting the termite mounds correctly! What is wrong with someone who has trouble counting to three? Three termite mounds should be easy to see and count, don’t you think? Guess I’m just not accustomed to looking for termite mounds. When you think of it, it isn’t so strange. When I was growing up we used to tell people to turn at the gravel road that ran along the south side of the big red barn. Anyway we decide we will go back to the lodge and find the road map. That will solve the problem. Right? Wrong! There are only one or two versions of the Malawi road map, and I carry the one with the largest circulation. That would make me conclude I have the best one. However, when we look for the location by the “areas” of the city we discover this map does not show the area designations. One would think they would be in some sort of order, like Area 3 is next to Area 4, and Area 10 is just near Area 11. Well, that is not the case. They were numbered as the city grew, so Area 5 may be on one side the city, with Area 11 next to it. Area 6 may be way across town on the other side. Only if you have been there from the beginning, and known the way the city expanded, can you get any sense of the numbers of the different area locations. And to think, we have a note with the exact area where his meeting will be held. Well, if that is confusing to you, it was also confusing to several of the workers at the lodge where we are staying. Only one of them could help us. He knew the area we were looking for, but he was a little unsure of “which bridge” might be the one written on Scott’s notes. If it all sounds a little like “turn at the third termite mound” you have it right, except in this case we are going to the “bridge” along such and such a road in Area 25, and this guy thinks there is more than one bridge. Sounds easy doesn’t it? We head out for the destination, but about halfway, or at least the “halfway” we think it might lead us to the right bridge in Area 25, we get a phone call indicating the meeting has been moved to another part of town, and that other part is exactly behind us and a long way away. We backtrack, and start the plan again. I have some thoughts about all of this, but by and large I am able to smile and just simply conclude, “That’s Malawi.” It often takes me two weeks or more to drop into the cultural differences between Malawi and the U.S. when I arrive, and I must make note of the fact we have not yet reached that “two week” threshold on this trip. Well anyway, the new route takes us back to a point on the other side of where we started. Along the way we stop for a quick lunch, a very quick lunch, and Scott drops me for my meeting, and he heads on to his meeting. I watch him disappear and wonder with a bit of pain, if I will ever see him again. It just should not be this hard, do you think? In a city of about 700,000 people, it is becoming more and more of a problem finding our way around. But I guess if a Malawians comes to our city it is pretty depressing as well. Oak, Maple, Ash should more like trees than streets. 2nd Avenue can sure get tangled up in 2nd Street, if you are not careful. And Washington, Lincoln Avenue, Jefferson sound like a 3rd grade history lesson the American Presidents. How in the world can you match these names to locations? Then imagine going down the street and all at once you cross an intersection and the name changes. What is this all about? Guess Area 25 across from Area 3 isn’t too much different is it?
The rest of the day goes easy, compared with the map, location, streets, Area, part of the day. Late in the evening Scott picks me up, and we compare notes on the afternoon. Both of us feel we had a good day.