Sun, Oct 26, 2008

Here's a blog I created on Sun. Sorry it's late.

We had a terribly windy night last night and it was hard to sleep because of it. When the rainy season starts in Malawi, we have been told that that winds pick up and the first few times it rains, we have thunder and lightning, which we have had. After the first few rains, the wind, thunder and lightning subside. Good, maybe I can sleep then. It rained the other day when Esther and I were in town running some errands. Ray was at home and he said the rain on the tin roof of our house was magnified and he and Patrick (our night security) were trying to talk but had to wait until after the rain stopped because it was so loud.

This afternoon was the bridal shower for John & Blandina, who are getting married next Saturday. I did not have to speak on what it means to be a Christian wife, nor did I have to speak on health & hygiene. I got to welcome people and tell them the purpose of the shower. Wow, wedding showers are different in Malawi. In the US, we sit around and talk, maybe play a few games, open gifts and have so much food left over that we are eating it for a week. A wedding shower in Malawi is different. A program is created with an MC who keeps the shower moving. There are designated speakers who speak on health, communication, money management, etiquette & grooming and between each speaker is a time to honor the bride with money. You dance up to the area where the MC is and either the bride is holding the basket in which you place your money or the speaker who just spoke with holding the basket. It was quite difficult to figure out what was going on so Esther did a lot of interpreting for me. Ether was in charge of the program for the shower so she put me as the second speaker so I could see what was going on before it was my turn – I wish she would have put me last so I would really have been able to figure it out. When it was time for snacks, they came around and handed each person a small plastic bag with 3 items in it: a small piece of chicken, a very small donut shaped cookie and a flat, almost wonton like piece. We danced some more than the groom was brought into the shower, of course, being showered with money. The wedding is Saturday and from what I understand, it will be more dancing and more showering them with money but this time, we’ll know the MC as Joe as been asked to MC the wedding. He and his wife will be staying at our house so we’ll have our first real houseguests. It will be exciting.

Update from last week: Frederick and his wife, Rosemary, went to church with us. Also, the man up the road from Esther who wrote us a letter requesting either a bicycle or money went to church with us today also. Frederick and his wife said they will return to church with us again, but I am not so sure about the man from up the road. I just got the feeling he wasn’t crazy about all the kids but maybe I am wrong.