Riri Nyarwenda, The art of spelling and City of Stars Festival

"My name is Lili" i said when i introduced myself as soon as arrived in the country. " Oh Riri" Most of Malawian would reply. At the beginning patiently i tried to spell L I L I to them, and they would follow with R I R I. But after knowing that spelling was useless, and that soon after i was told that they always confused the letter "L" and "R" i just stoped correcting them. After 6 months being in country i already get used to hear people call me with RIRI instead of LILI. This art of spelling in Malawi sometimes make me and some other friends laugh our *ss off. For example with the word 'ELECTION" i always hear people said "ERECTION" :)...hilarious...

Anyways, it comes to my surprise that some of the leaders in the group of community where i am working gave me a local name. These 6 months i made a lot of field visit to the village and interact with them but nothing like this experience. It's all started when i took them to the knowledge exchange visit in Zomba about 900 km from Karonga. Spending a full week with them during the field visit to the sites of a climate change adaptation project in Lake Chilwa basin in Zomba helped us to know each other more. To be honest, leading 14 representatives from the community would never be easy especially when you have to ask somebody to translate what you are saying although there are couple of people who speak basic English who can ask me questions when they confuse. They seemed so happy  to have such an opportunity to travel and experience different life from what they have in Karonga. Especially when we visited one of the forest community in Mangochi, i could tell that they are amazed and felt important when we were welcomed with a lot of dancing and singing from the community. One leader looked at me in the eyes and say "Thank you for bringing us here", another lady came to me and just hug me with moistened eyes said something in the local language that i couldn't understand. Apparently, being welcomed with a lot of singing and dancing are something special for them which led to something special for me as soon as we were back to the hotel. Some of the leaders who can communicate simple english called me and said "Now your name is Mama Riri Nyarwenda" seems like they trust me enough to become part of them. I was moved for this is one of the highlight of my presence here in Malawi, they are accepting me.

The week is continuously better and better as i am taking my first 2 weeks vacation right after the workshop. It happened that the famous City of Stars Festival in Lilongwe were taken place. For the first time since i arrive i feel so free, two days in a row we were having fun, partying, dancing, eating, drinking, and  singing along with the bands (from reggae, to jazz, to Malawian music, to slum poetry, to sexy malawian dancing, ect ect ). It was best party in Malawi especially i was doing it with cool people, i am blessed.

The famous singer Lusius Banda on the background

Gardening and tree planting, i am having fun at least

"You should stay here for four years" said Mama Vannesa, one of my neighbors after telling her the use of herbs that i plant in my small garden. She said i can be their African doctor. I just smiled, i wished there are more that can hold me to stay for four years.
Slowly, i collect myself together after the last insanity. Simply because i want the remaining 5 months to pass peacefully, no grieve, no sorry, no other insanity (i hope). I spent the last 3 hours today working in the garden. Distributing cauliflower seedlings, preparing bedding for beans nursery, putting all herbs in one plot, i enjoyed it. Not just once, i screamed and shocked when i saw the small head of worm pop up from the earth when i scarified the soil. To be honest, i dont like them, but what can i say, they are best friend with my plants and have to see them all the time. Yikes...

Anyways, Karonga becomes warmer and warmer. I start seeing people sleep outside and seems they dont bother with mosquito while Malaria is the number one killer here in Africa. More people in the streets which sometimes irritating me, especially children who often following me asking for money, or simply want to bother me with chinness nose sounds. The more i tried to ask them to stop, the more fun it is for them and the more evil smile i saw in their face. But i learned the trick already, ignoring and giving them the very mean face will stop them.

It is so much different in the village though, children tend to behave like children that i know, shy, cute, and

Innocent.  The trip to the village the whole week last week encouraged me to give my best again. I am getting back my spirit. We distributed as much as 80.000 tree seeds in 10 different nurseries together with all necessary inputs that they need to work on their nursery. i enjoyed filling the polypack tubes with soil with them. we were having fun although sometimes i have no idea what they were talking about.  I promised myself to mobilize them planting those trees in the woodlot that they prepared before i am going home early next year. At least there is tangible work that i leave in this bitter sweet home.

Insanity episode

Life is a journey indeed. And it depends on myself on how to make the journey interesting. One hour ago, I was crying like hell on my existence, everything that I was in contact with brought me down until I couldn’t walk anymore, until I couldn’t breathe, until I couldn’t feel air in my lung, until I felt I am about to explode. I grabbed a pretty sharp and big scissor that I used to cut papers for my workshop.  Without hesitating, I grabbed a handful of my hairs and start cutting it. A handful after a handful after a handful...tears were running down, but I feel NOTHING in my heart. I start to get Goosebumps on my neck  and feel my own insanity. 30 cms hairs that I adore gone with no pain, SIMPLY no pain. I looked at my beautiful soulless hairs on the floor as if they were not part of me. I stared at them hoping they WOULD stare back at me and ask me WHY?? They are simply idle.  Like a psychopath I cut the remaining hairs, I was enjoying listening to every sound the scissors made…sraaaap..sraaaap, my ears were making love to the sound. I AM GOING MAD,  until no more hairs to cut. Small pieces are all over the room, EVERYWHERE.. like bugs and termites during summer time.  I closed my eyes, realizing that it was the furthest I can go…either to continue feeling miserable and low and useless and disgusting OR to face the world with new perspective and let HOPE grows as my new hairs grow and begin a new journey.