5 ways you’re getting cross-cultural experience on lockdown
It’s been 3 weeks since we came back to Scotland. While we’re looking forward to getting back to Malawi, we know that that’s uncertain for now. Maybe it’s longing to be outside in warmer weather, but I can’t help noticing some parallels between cross-cultural living and life on ‘lockdown’. So, with a mostly humorous tone, […]
Not quite home from home
I should start by saying that we have been wonderfully welcomed to Malawi. One of the reasons that this posting was so attractive was that it is in the northern city of Mzuzu. It’s big, but not too big. People get to know you, but not everyone knows you. It’s well served, but not too […]
Prayer Letter: February 2020
Malawi, like much of Africa, has a reputation for having a slower pace of life. However, that does not seem to marry with our experience as it feels like a few weeks since our last letter and it is actually over two months ago. While it is true there are many things that can’t be […]
A day in the life…
It might be easy to imagine me out ‘in the field’ (wherever that is), traveling in a 4×4 through the red-brown mud of rainy season and wearing a khaki utility vest (I have the vest, it has 14 pockets and 4 hooks – for what, I do not know). I do go out to visit […]
Prayer Letter: December 2019
Christmas carols in over 30ºC heat is a new experience for our family. This time last year I was headed home after spending 6 weeks here in Mzuzu, starting work and preparing for our big family move. Now Mzuzu is a second home to us. We have friends, colleagues, a local church, a house and […]
It’s time for men’s disempowerment projects
Through work overseas and life in general, it’s impossible not to notice the harsh and cruel realities that women face. The reality of violence – physical, sexual, verbal and psychological – is all too present in our world. Violence inflicted by men and left unchecked by the (generally) men with the power to change it. […]
Bibles, coffins and other requests
As sojourners in Malawi, we are getting used to requests for practical assistance. They are one of the most frequent examples of our differing cultures. Malawi has been our home for 9 months now and yet these requests remind us that we’re from elsewhere. When it comes to financial giving, our frugal Scottish heritage tells […]
Back to school
It’s that time again when Facebook is awash with pictures of children all set for a return to school. Oversized uniforms show parents’ optimism that their children will grow into them before the knees and elbows are full of holes. For us, there are a few weeks of holiday left before Eilidh returns to school. […]
Peace isn’t always peaceful
This blog comes from behind the locked gate of our office and is written with the tinge of tear gas in the air around. In the aftermath of the country’s recent elections there have been calls for peace in Malawi. While court is yet to decide on allegations of electoral fraud, today marches have been […]
Malawi goes to the polls
We’re just days away now from Malawi’s 6th tripartite elections. On Tuesday 21st May, Malawians will go to the polls to elect their next president, parliamentarians and local government councillors. Malawi is a very peaceful country and every expectation is that the elections will go ahead peacefully too. However, the days that follow are more […]