Monday, March 21, 2011

Spare Me a Towel

The sun rose warm on another beautiful day in Malawi. I pushed the mosquito net aside from my sleepy cocoon and wandered out to join Brett for coffee on the verandah. Joey heard our muted conversation and hurried over to serve us our breakfast. I felt like royalty as I sipped on my freshly squeezed orange juice served by our attentive minion.  Nothing in life was as sweet as this day and I savoured every moment of it.
My day continued in a tranquil vein, as I headed out to the beach to catch up in my journal. I laid my towel in the shade, aware that the day would get hot soon enough. The hope was for a lazy day of swimming, writing and nothing more strenuous than that. My time in Mwaya Beach was coming to a close and I wanted to soak in every nuance of it.
I laid my handful of possessions down and strode into the gentle waters that lapped at my skin.  I dove into the warm lake and popped up for air, only to strikeout for the distant shore.
Aw, who was I kidding though? After several strong strokes, I paused to tread water and look around. A wisp of wind touched stately palms on shore and I caught sight of the housekeeper wandering over to clean our hut. I rolled onto my back and lazily kicked my feet, as I traced cloud shapes in the Malawian sky. A bird flew overhead gliding towards shore.  Life was perfect in this moment and I wanted it to last forever. My sun-warmed  smile filled the universe and I was at peace.
Eventually my fingers began to pickle though and I made my way back to shore. I laid down on my towel and picked up my pen to capture life around me. I became engrossed in recounting my experiences at school the day before and only looked up when I noticed a man walking by me on the beach. I looked up with a smile in greeting.
“Jambo”, he said.  “Hello”
“Hello,” I replied. “Beautiful day today.”
I noticed the net thrown over his shoulder and asked him if he was going fishing. He looked confused, so I pointed to the stringy bundle on his back.
“No,” he said. “I work at the Matete post office. This is my towel.”
His towel was nothing more than a few threads loosely strung together. He then proceeded to ask me for my towel. While my heart lurched, I had to say no. It was my only towel and a possession that I would continue to have need of for the foreseeable future. While I could afford to go and purchase a new one, I was still on a tight budget.  Comparatively, I was rich in their eyes. Just by my presence there alone. Handing them anything and everything would do little good in the greater scheme of things though. In Mozambique, the widespread aid organizations that handed out alms only helped to create a beggar society. I loathed the thought of the friendly people of Malawi following in those same footsteps.
My visitor took his leave with a smile. He wandered off to enjoy a bath in the lake and I was left to contemplate the economics of wealth in a continent largely unfamiliar with it. Back home, I had clothes and towels aplenty. More than enough to spare and share. I knew that hand-outs took their toll in pride though. I offered my good-will and that was enough for the day. I prayed that the warm heart of Africa could keep its special nature, and perhaps one day be able to proudly have more wealth to share with its people. Today though, it shared what it was able and I was grateful for all that Malawi was.

7 comments:

  1. Katherine, you have such a special gift for using words to take us wherever you are; allowing us to experience every nuance. My senses are always right there with you!

    What a beautiful day this was.

    "Nothing in life was as sweet as this day and I savoured every moment of it."

    And it sounded like you did too!

    Thank you for sharing your amazing journey through Africa. I so enjoy these posts, my friend!

    Have a wonderful Monday....x

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  2. ah lovely continuation...you capture life so well...

    minion sounds like such an evil word...just a thought.

    got your em and will shoot you back after work...

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  3. @Ron: Oh Ron, would that I could go back there now. It was a brilliant place and I was lucky enough to have an experience that was heaven on earth for me there. It has to live in memory though, but its memory will forever be sweet.

    @Brian: I do agree about your feelings on minion to a point Brian, but the wiki definition (minion- "A minion is a follower devoted to serving his master relentlessly.") is so apt. Not that Joey would have served me to eternity, but he was quite serious in his servitude and I felt the humble master despite the small payments made. Plus Megamind and Despicable Me have been watched often enough at my house, that the term minion holds a quirky ideal in my head now. Perhaps I will change it when the book is published :)

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  4. What a lovely story, Katherine. I love how you write about Malawi's natural beauty while also addressing the abject poverty that plagues its natives. I enjoy your engaging voice and this post made me want to read more about the people of Malawi.

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  5. Katherine:

    I was lost in your story so captivating that for moment as I was reading - I was there, Ha Ha I even looked at my fingers to see if they were puckered up. The towel story was a difficult lesson to read, I say lesson for the way in which you handled the situation not like a novice - but as someone who understood the nuances of the culture and the situation. The word minion did stand out while I was reading but more so as odd, fitting more a different time period or era. However, it did not detract from this marvelous writing and wonderful story.
    Oh yes, when your book is published I would like a signed autograph copy.
    Joanny
    I hadn't been visiting for awhile I took a short blogging hiatus; real life beckoned with tons of work.

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  6. @Belinda: Oh thank you for your kind words Belinda. I fell in love with Malawi while I was there. The country is beautiful, but the people were amongst the friendliest, most genuine that I met while in Africa. Quite possibly that I have met anywhere. If you ever have a chance, I highly recommend a visit.

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  7. @Joanny: Darn real life stuff! I too find many new things on my plate that are competing with "my" time. It is hard to let go of this blogging world though, even when you step away for a bit.

    I thank you for your insight and must remark that life has probably helped me with some of these lessons since then. This experience came pretty closely from journal entries though. And before the book is in print, there will be a bit of editing to be done I suspect. :) All the insights and comments that I get will help me towards that polished vision.

    Hugs to you and I hope you are well Joanny.

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