More from Malawi!

Hi again kids!

I am still having a great time and meeting new friends in Malawi!

Some of you want to know about the animals here.  Well, there are cats and dogs, like in Rock Hill, and even some goats.  There are also animals that we don't see in Rock Hill, like elephants, hippos, and zebras!!

Hippos are fun to look at - but don't get too close!  They can run very fast.  Hippos love the water- they were even named for it.  Hippopotamus means "water horse"!  They are very big- even when a baby hippo is born it can weigh 100 pounds!!

Some of you want to know more about how people live here.  I went on a drive today.  We stopped at lots of robots.  :)  Look out the front window with me!  What do you see that is different from Rock Hill?

I can see one thing different- the cars are driving on the other side of the road!  In the US, cars stay to the right.  In Malawi, cars stay to the left.  Can you tell your right from your left?  In Malawi it is very important to remember!

Can you think of any other place I have been where they drive on the left side of the road???

That's right!  London!  

I have been spending most of my time in a city called Lilongwe ("lill- LONG- way").  It is a city with buildings and houses- some of them look a lot like houses back in Rock Hill.  I am staying in a hotel, and it is just like some hotels in the USA.  But in the countryside, people might live in a very different type of house, like this:

These people might make their roof out of parts of plants.  I wonder how they do that- it is amazing!

Speaking of plants, I saw some good ones, like this coconut tree!

I saw so many wonderful things, but now it is time to come home!  I can't wait to get back to see all my friends in Rock Hill!

Here I am with a pretty Malawi sunset- See you soon!  Your friend, Flat Stanley

Muli Bwanji?

Hi friends!

Muli bwanji?  ("Moo-lee bwahn-gee") - That means "How are you?" in Chichewa.  I am having a great time in Malawi, and I am learning a few words of Chichewa from my new friends here!  English is the official language, but many people grow up speaking Chichewa at home.

I have been learning a lot about Malawi, and I am excited to answer some of your questions!  

Some of you asked questions about the food they eat here.  It is very good; some of it is different from what we might eat in the USA, and some is the same.  I love to try new things!

Here is a picture of some of the food I tried.  Do you see something you eat at home?

The first picture is chicken, rice, greens, and some sauce.  Do you recognize my drink?  I have been all over the world, and I always see Coke!  

The second picture is very traditional food.  There is beef in red sauce, pumpkin leaves with nut flour, and the white food that looks like mashed potatoes is called nsima ("nn-see-ma").  Nsima is made from white corn flour and water.  It is sort of like grits, but much thicker.  It doesn't feel wet like grits, and people use it to pick their other food and eat it, like we use chips to pick up dip or salsa!  Here is a picture of my friend, Dr. Kristie, eating the greens with nsima! Yummmm!

Someone else asked about the stores here.  There are lots of stores, just like at home.  Some of the stores look like ours, and some are different.  Here is a picture I took while riding through town:

There is a building with a hardware store across the street.  Do you go to the hardware store sometimes?  It has many of the same things, like hammers and nails.  But you can also see a different way to buy things.  The man sitting by the road is selling shoes!  Where do you buy your shoes?  Some people in Malawi buy shoes in stores, but some might buy their shoes outside.  

Can you find other things in the picture that are different from Rock Hill?  I see a lady wearing very colorful fabric in her dress.  Many of the ladies here wear beautiful colors.  You can also see a man carrying a cooler on his head.  Many people carry things on their heads here as they walk around; sometimes they don't even use their hands to balance- wow!  Here is another picture:

I went to some more stores, too!  I went to a grocery store- does this look like the USA?  How is it the same or different?

It looks a lot like our grocery stores, but you might see some differences.  Instead of labeling the aisles, they label them "blocks."  They have canned fruit, but they call it "tinned fruit."  

I also went to a bakery to get a treat!  Do you see things that you might like?  I had a cake and it was yummy!

I learned another fun word that you might like!  In Malawi, they call stoplights "robots."  They might tell you that you should stop when the robot is red!  I thought that was funny!

Well, more soon!  Have a fun day at school!

Your friend,

Flat Stanley