AwayInMalawi

Yes I know the title isn't very interesting. You'll live though. First things first, apparently this computer is german, because I got this error message from Gmail, proving that some people still have a sense of humor.

We can't provide service under the Gmail name in Germany; we're called Google Mail here instead.

If you're travelling in Germany, you can access your mail at http://mail.google.com.

Oh, and we'd like to link the URL above, but we're not allowed to do that either. Drat.

For general information about Google, please visit www.google.com or www.google.de.

Funny eh?

So I arrived today, had to wake myself up at 8, which was interesting...considering that it was 5 o'clock in my biological clock when I had to lay meself down to rest. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I came to the doves nest dinner area around 9, and it was actually past the dinner time, but they still served me! Nice people. This morning I came too late for breakfast but the lady insisted on giving me some yogurt to go. Vurry nice people. So after I worked out how to get them to bill Dr Manary, (I sure as hell didn't have 400+ rand, about 60$, well I had the 60$ but it was USD) we left and I got on my plane to Blantyre. Uneventful plane ride.

First thing that happened in Blantyre was the official inspecting my passport, after I said that I was staying for 3 months, mumbled something about "one month!" Yup. I'm getting that sorted out ASAP. Afterwards my driver, who is actually the guy running the chiponde plant, picked me out of the crowd! He didn't have a sign or anything, but just asked me, "are you Billy?" Apparently he has done this oodles of time and with just an age group he can guess who I am based of of my looks and the fact that I look like I am looking for a sign. Impressive eh?

The second thing that strikes me is the massive poverty here. Along the main road are tons of houses that you would picture seeing a homeless residing in in the states. I mean, quite a few have the body made of brick or clay, but windows are few and far between and the roofs are quite shoddy. Also, people walk everywhere, and the streets are thronged with them. And horns are used ALL THE TIME. He explained it to me as, you are supposed to use the horn, to warn the people that you are coming. If you hit someone without using the horn, they'd say something like, "Is your horn broken?" But If you hit ("or kill") someone but use it,they'd say, "At least he used is horn." Weiiiird. But I guess I'll get used to it.

So noone was at the house today, they were all going overnight to...let me see...Namandaje. Too far away to do in a day. Actually, they only figured out I was arriving today yesterday, they thought I was coming on Thursday! Wouldn't that have been interesting...but its all good because I got picked up in the end. Also, they sent back someone who wasn't essential to what they were doing in Namandje. He's roommate actually! He's pretty cool, about 25, another med student. When he got here he showed me around the three houses, lower house, middle house (m'ouse) and upper house. The lower is storage, upper is where the girls and the food are, go figure, and the mouse is for the males. We ate the food prepared by out housekeeper and chef. Lentils, a salad, and some rice. All very good I might add. Even the lentils were tasty! She, by the way, showed me around a little too, and gave me my keys and my cell phone.

SO anyway, thats probably a little much for one day. See you soon.