Monday June 8, Zomba (evening)

We started the morning right, introduced to 600 giggling girls at Providence's morning assembly. The principal uttered what is now one of my favorite sentences of all time, "let us all thank Father for the MASSIVE SOUND he brought on Saturday," in reference to his last-minute save of the disco. The research team then went on a long run which gave me the rare opportunity to be by myself, play some music, and make myself some breakfast. The opportunity to be on your own rhythms in your own space is rare and revitalizing here. It is tricky being with the group because it is near unbearable to listen in on business that doesn't concern me discussed over and over, but if I duck out, which I often do, I miss out on the genuine socializing when happens when the topic falls off the wagon. My nebulous position within or without the group aside, Katie and I departed for Zomba this morning, /we caught a mini-bus to Limbe and then hurried up and waited twi and a half hours for the mini-bus (that was "leaving right away") for the second part of or Journey to get around to going. Once we got rolling we made it quickly to Zomba, exchanging three hours for one, a fair trade for maniacs and people with no reason to be anywhere, between the two of us, we straddle both these categories. Zomba is a beautiful city in the shadow of a big green plateau bearing the same name. I successfully had my first shower in a long time. Like riding a bike. You never forget. Fargo and Raising Arizona have been playing on TV (our first TV the whole trip), which is a culture shock and-a-half. I also today saw "the Ass of God" or the sign for its abbreviated assembly. Despite the inconveniences and discomforts of travel here, I've been enjoying Malawi today. The two and a half hours turning down suckers, ice cream, and fried dough from the intrusive and hissing peddlers was a kind of fun that I don't regularly get to relish, irritating but harmless. A culture of pushing. Everything pushing. In lines -pushing, in mini-buses -pushing, in traffic -pushing. Pushing sweets, pushing rides, pushing air-time, pushing fruits, vegetables, meat, soda. When you're in the mood you can push back.