Wedding in Dedza

What an interesting weekend. Andy and I went to Dedza Boma to take part in a wedding celebration and to experience life through the eyes of a Peace Corps volunteer living in a village. All I can say is I have the utmost respect for Peace Corps in Africa! Now, most of you have heard me complain about how rough it was for me as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica (alluding to my time in Kingston and Montego Bay). Granted, even though I had my fair share of horrendous encounters at least my living conditions were tolerable. I was blown away by this quintessential Peace Corps assignment – living in a mud hut, no electricity, no water, sleeping on a mat on the floor (I can’t even imagine the critters that would try to find refuge inside the home), and the kitchen – a communal gathering with a hole in the dirt floor with a pile of stones to place your cooking pot.

The home itself smelled of fresh mud and hay (a new home)…and the rains have already brought leaks inside the house – and this is before the peak rainy season!

That said, one can only imagine the intense cultural exchanges while living in a village, interacting in another language, having to deal directly with the village chief. A part of me is envious of the authenticity of their assignments – learning the daily rituals of the Chewa people, sharing their happiness and sorrow.

We also had the pleasure of catching the tail end of a wedding – although the bride and groom truly looked miserable. And from what I’ve gathered, that’s typical of weddings!

The only drawback of our trip was the fact that our clutch went out half-way to Dedza (about an hour outside of town). We only had second gear – which made driving home a wee bit longer and somewhat intense as we had to drive through security checkpoints and through the center of town. At least we made it home in one piece, but the thought of having to replace my clutch in Lilongwe is somewhat overwhelming. Parts are impossible to obtain and incredibly expensive.

Ok…nothing else to report.

Much love,
Amy