Balaka

 

 

Rob and I spent one day exploring Balaka District - the district south of Ntcheu - with Chet.  This is one of the districts asking for people to come train and encourage the Church and to help them evangelize.  We first walked up to the bus stop in Ntcheu, found a minibus going to Balaka, climbed on and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  That, to me, was the hardest part of minibus riding.  Not the crowdedness (there are at least 15 people crammed in), not having people sit on my lap nor the lack of any personal space.  Not the smell, not the dirt, nor the clucking chickens whose feathers fly around and around.  But the whole lack of time thing.  There is no set time of departure or arrival.  And once you get on a minibus you do not get off until your stop.  So, needless to say, we waited on the bus for quite awhile, until it got filled up, and then headed about an hour or hour and a half south. 

  The city center in Balaka District is much bigger than Ntcheu.  It is also much, much hotter!  Noticeably so.  The district has a strong Catholic influence, as well as a large, growing Islamic presence.  The bells ringing for the Muslim call to prayer were heard throughout Balaka.  We explored a few grocery/clothing stores, watched woodworkers cutting logs and making furniture, talked with policemen, bought a Bible and hymnal written in Chichewa, had lunch, walked the streets and had fun in the market.  Again, the market in Balaka is much bigger than the one in Ntcheu.  You can find almost anything there - clothes, food, parts for water heaters, fan belts and, of course, chitenges.  At one of the chitenge shops the woman selling them kept looking at me and smiling, big.  She looked so pleased and I hadn't bought anything... yet.  Chet visited with her and found out she was so happy that I was wearing a chitenge over my skirt.  Even though I was a foreigner and it was not my custom, I had embraced her culture and worn one.  And she was simply thrilled - and because of her, so was I!  It was great - we thanked each other and, yes, I did buy a chitenge... or two... or....