Updates

Cromwell, my friend who had the stroke almost three months ago, is much improved although still far from where he was. Without the help of physical therapy, he has progressed from needing help to sit up to walking on his own. He has a significant limp and still cannot move his left arm but he has made dramatic progress, so there is hope. The biggest problem I believe is psychological, I have watched him wade through periods of depression as he struggles to adjust to his new disabilities and well as the reality that friends who were once abundant have now become quite scare. The entire series of events is unbelievable. I have a few pictures of him standing, which I will post later, and he asked me to extend his thanks to everyone who is keeping him in thoughts and prayers.

Mrs. Phiri is a powerhouse. I mentioned that she distributed maize flour to orphans a few weeks ago and she brought me pictures of kids carrying bags of maize on their head with expressions of absolute glee. Really, that just food could bring such happiness!? Recently, she bought bundles of clothes for the orphans with the money I gave her and I'm hoping to go out with her when they are distributed and take some pictures that I'll be able to post. A couple days ago I also learned that her in town she keeps her doors open for teens who want to come and talk and she teaches them about HIV. She's wonderful!!

As for the hospital, last week was a bit rough. Unfortunately I gained intimate knowledge of some institutional politics and experienced a cultural stumble, which just left me feeling a bit down. But, everyday things are getting better and the clinical staff assures me that all is well. At the moment there are nursing students in the ward so I'm having the opportunity of precepting them, which I really enjoy. I've also had a couple beautiful births recently, which always give me a high regardless of my general emotional state.

This past weekend I went to Blantyre again for Clement's cousin's wedding. We didn't actually attend the wedding. It seems like this is common in Malawi. Few people actually witness the religious ceremony but everyone who has ever met or is in anyway connected to the bride or groom shows up at the reception. I was told that you generally send out about 30 invitations and then prepared for hundreds. This weekend the dinner after the wedding on Friday was set up for 600 people. This is impressive in itself but even more so when you realize that there are no caterers or event planners. There is a wedding committee made up of representatives from the bride and grooms families who organize everything.

The bride's family took care the meal, which meant that the men rented the tables and chairs then set up the hall and the women cooked the food. I went to the house where food preparation was happening and helped, but mostly watched, cartoonish quantities of food cooking in pots large enough to accommodate several small children. Clement's mom's family is of Asian descent so there were tubs and tubs of samosas, curried meats and vegetables, and many entrees I had never previously tasted. By 9pm Friday the hall was full and people seemed generally happy with the enormous quantities of spicy food. Afterwards I slept in a car with Clement's sister while the men cleaned the hall and stacked tables and chairs well into the night.

The following evening the wedding reception, organized by the groom's family, brought the crowd together again. I have been to a couple of receptions here, usually they are held in an auditorium, the guests all sit in seats facing a stage where the bridal party sits at a table facing the crowd. As the guests enter the hall, they are given a program with the order and timing of speeches, cake cutting, snack serving, pelekanipelekani (which is when the bride holds a basket and all the guests dance up to her and through money in the basket), and other events. Often receptions last all day - literally 8am to 5pm. I have to admit that in general I much prefer the free flow American style of receptions. Thankfully this reception was just an evening affair. Guests sat at round tables, not in auditorium seating, and although there was a stage, the bride and groom's table was on the floor in the front of the hall. There was no printed program and the planned events lasted less than an hour but the music and dancing went on until 2am. Over all it was really nice. I had a great time dancing at the reception and I met more family members, including two more sisters, who were both welcoming, loving, and beautiful.