Cultural Differences

I have been exposed to many different cultures and lifestyles in the past 5 months. Malawi culture, obviously, but also Hindu and Muslim and a few others. Two nights ago we were asked by our coordinator here if we wanted to go to a Muslim wedding reception. We jumped at the chance. We've gone to Muslim's home for Eid earlier in the year so we are aware of huge parts of their culture but this was all new. We got dressed up in our nicest clothes we have here and headed off. The invitation told us to be there at 7:30 sharp. Like all of Africa and most Indian and Arab culture, time is a lose term. We were the first ones to arrive, people didn't start showing up until 8:30. Woman after woman walked through the door, dressed amazingly( it felt like we were at a fashion show) all in their beautiful Saris and dresses, we felt very under dressed. We all sat and waited some more. We waited a total of 2 hours until the bride and groom showed up. They were truly beautiful, dressed in rich colors and perfect fabrics. As soon as they sat down it became a feeding frenzy. Everyone dashed for the buffet tables and scooped up as much Indian food as they could. In typical Indian style there are no silverware so its all with the hands, it can get quite messy. After 20 minutes of consuming food we noticed the room had grown more empty. Apparently Muslim wedding receptions are all about the food. You sit and wait until the wedding party graces you with their presence and then the food is shoveled in and away you go. A true example of eat and run.

Adventures in Zambia- Merry Christmas

The past 8 days have been filled with many hours of driving and hours of exploration and adventures. Last Friday we loaded up a little Toyota Sprinter(Sputnik) and pulled out of Blantyre, heading for the Zambian border. We crossed through the Malawi countryside, through the Zambian jungle and cities, all to reach Livingstone. The home of the great Zambezi river and Victoria Falls. Here are a few stories and adventures we encountered that I wrote on the way.

Malawi- Zambia Border: Dec 17

We made it! Its official, we are now in Zambia. The border crossing was slightly confusing and frustrating but not as bad as we thought. We pulled into the Malawi gate and parked out little Sputnik car, at the gate. The officers kept telling us we needed a gate pass, but not how to get it. We were finally directed to the right office and began filling out the exit papers. Since we’ve been here for 5 months our tourist visas have expired and our temporary work visas have been in processing since October. We were given receipts and letters from the immigration office explaining that our TEP’s were processing, so we could leave the country. The immigration officer at the border was so ignorant and irritating. He kept telling us that we didn’t know what a receipt was and that we didn’t have the right papers to cross. He refused to call our immigration worker that gave us the papers and refused to read the letter that had his boss’ signature on it. I finally slide him my receipt and he accepted it for both of us. Such a joke!

Zambia-Victoria Falls: Dec 19

Today I accomplished something that many may dream about but never get a chance to do. We not only saw Victoria Falls, but swam at the edge of the several hundred foot drop. We pulled into the park and were met by beware of baboon signs and the thunder of the falls. The mist ripples through the trees. The fact that you’re are so close to all that natural power and wonder is amazing. Since its December the water level is decently low and clear. Even though the falls is not at its full potential it is still so majestically beautiful. I can’t even imagine David Livingstone’s thoughts and excitement when he found such an incredible piece of nature for the first time.

We hired a guide to take us to the top of the falls and to swim in Devil’s Pool. He showed us the different parts of the falls. The whole length of the falls is 1.7 km , 1 km is on the Zambian side and 700 m is in Zimbabwe. We hiked across the whole length on the Zambian side. We walked 200 meters on a 3 inch dam across the Zambezi River. We walked hand in hand crossing the Zambezi river right above the mighty falls. It was incredible. We finally reached Livingstone Island, in the middle of the falls. We reached the main falls and was told by our guide to just jump out in the river and let the current push us to the edge. Um wait, what? Let the current push us to the edge, doesn’t exactly sound like the safest plan. But like blundering tourists we followed our guide, jumping into Devil’s Pool. In fact the current was not very strong and we just slowly floated to the 3 foot thick cliff separating us from the 300 foot shortcut to the Indian ocean. Just another day in Africa. J

Zambia-Victoria Falls: Dec 20

Swim the Zambezi- P

Swim with crocodiles-P

Raft class 5 rapids- P

Didn’t flip while rafting the Zambezi- P

The last 12 hours have been a full time adrenaline rush. We woke up early and hopped on a safari truck from our hostel. We were joined by 3 other brave souls, out in the search of big holes, fast water, and surprisingly crocodiles. We met the rest of the people willing to risk their lives, and the crew who was willing to extract money from those that are crazy enough to risk their lives. After getting a run down of safety and other important information, we headed down to the “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (Victoria Falls) to hop on the Zambezi river and begin our adventure. Pathetically it took us 5 tries to paddle into the first rapid ( we had to enter half way through it) but we made it and the adrenaline continued for the next 8 hours and 30 km of river. The rafts with us each took turns flipping or dumping out passengers in various rapids, ours however conquered all. We did flip one person out, get stalled for a couple minutes in a hole, and flip completely vertical; but we never flipped. The great Zambezi, like most rivers in Africa, are known for crocodiles. This fact did not cross our minds until towards the end of the trip and we began seeing baby crocodiles resting in the sun. Of course where there are small crocodiles around there are bound to be big ones as well. Thankfully crocs do not like whitewater, so they stay clear of that, but they love the calm, warm water. Several times our experienced river guide told us to jump in and swim a smaller rapid (class 2-3), no hesitation I was in ready to be hit in the face with water and ride the waves. I didn’t think much about the fact that the river was home to crocodiles, until we reached the flat water. All of our eyes were peeled to the rocks and water lines, watching for splashes, we made slow movements and made sure our feet were up (not sure it would of made a difference). Thankfully no crocs were hungry today and we made it to the take out site. A gondola carried us 200 ft out of the canyon, on to live another day.