Malawi Moods

On the odd day everybody becomes pessimistic. Then you see the poverty, the kids with extended bellies, the corruption and disorganisation in government, the incessant power cuts, the people who always want money from you for one thing or another, the so-called drivers on the roads who have bought their licences in a shop and endanger all the rest of us, the schools with no books, the bush fires and lack of understanding of the environment, the fact that everything takes forever to get done, the lack of blue cheese and decent red wine.

But 99 percent of days are good. Then you see the happy smiling faces that greet you everywhere you go, the people that take time to talk to each other and to greet strangers, the lack of stress, the beauty of flowers, birds, mountains and lakes, the kids jumping up and down with excitement when they wave to you as you drive past, the freedom to do anything you want in the world, the great weather, the bustling markets, the dancers in the villages who with their abilities could join any international circus, the wealth of projects and subjects to indulge in, from solar power to botany and oral literature.