To market, to market

Sorry, patient friends. I meant to post this days ago, but got a little sidetracked. Pretend you're reading this last Thursday, ok? 

For my immediate family members, prepare yourselves for a little repetition.

Yesterday part of our orientation exercises included a two hour scavenger hunt of the Lilongwe open market. I should say string of a thousand markets. The stalls went on and on, across the road, behind buildings, through clusters of huts; if it hadn't been for my thoughtful and protective group members and guides, I would probably still be there, lost and wandering and taking it all in.

I wish I had the time to watch Blogger load some pictures so I could show you all. I will be telling you instead. Here goes.

We had to find the Lilongwe Red Box, which looked like a salesman with a bucketful of pirated movies, as well as the Toll [or Troll] bridge, which was a few thin logs attached with crooked planks spaced about 8 inches apart and swayed reassuringly with every step. We bought chitenge and learned how to use it as either a skirt or baby carrier. We also had to buy a chicken, which was selected, paid for, plopped in a recycled plastic bag, and given a hole for its head (it was alive, in case you didn't get that). I could have bought anything from artistically arranged piles of dried fish to unidentified phone batteries to Tupperware. I was so utterly fascinated.

Now. I cannot pretend this astounding place was picturesque. It wasn't. It was grimy and crowded and smelled, well, different from Garden State Plaza. I don't want to emphasize the dirtiness on the Internet, so suffice it to say that it was there. And it wasn't easy to stomach.

My favorite part could have been the chitenge market, which had tables laden with every printed design you could imagine. Florals, animals, solids, stripes, scanned photos of the Malawian president--anything could make it onto chitenge material. It was amazing.

Now, it is Sunday again.
As much as I appreciated the village church last week, it was wonderful to worship at an English church today, to hear the Word preached and sing in my own language. How thankful I am for God's provision of each place of worship!

Please pray for me as I begin school tomorrow. We have a school assembly, so I will only be meeting my homeroom students. All 6 of them. I cannot wait!