Tuesday morning was mom and I’s last at the village. We woke up and had a classically amazing village breakfast with classically strong village coffee. And even though it’s been quite a few days since everyone has left, it’s still strange to be alone and not be enjoying jungle oats, toast, and coffee with the group. We got back to the hut we were sharing and packed up all of our things. Jes was planning on picking us up and hauling our things to her house where we would be staying for the next couple days. Mom and I both realized we have way too much stuff!! (but not enough clean clothes!) It’s nice being the CEO’s daughter because she’s made some incredible connections with some incredible people. The friends mom has made makes the post trip blues a little easier; there’s always someone willing to hang out and have an adventure with. Jes’s house is a dream because it has wifi, running water, television, and electricity all the time!! Crazy! After we put all of our suitcases away in the guest room, the three of us packed into the car. Off to town!
We wanted to go to the Chitenje Market for well, chitenje. It’s a culturally popular fabric that all women wear. They come in beautiful patterns and colors, so I was excited to see this market full of all different chitenjes. Town was BUSY. Tons of people everywhere. After finally finding the market amidst the chaos of Lilongwe, we parked the car and headed into what I can only describe as a market comprised of alleyways, crammed with hundreds of Malawians. We had to weave through this maze in order to find this specific chitenje spot. It’s always funny walking through a crowd here because the locals aren’t shy about staring or shouting greetings in Chichewa, almost testing us. mom is quick and good with Chichewa, so it’s funny to watch their surprised faces when she responds We eventually had to ask a shop owner where the chitenje market was and she, without hesitation, grabbed Jes’ hand and pulled us through the market. She stopped at a gap between the buildings and pointed. “In there?” we all asked. She nodded and we all laughed but obliged. The three of us squeezed through maybe a foot of space just hoping we wouldn’t get stuck!! We popped out and it was almost like magic; there we were in the chitenje market!! Again, lots of people shouting and flashes of colorful fabric amidst the dark brick walls. I’ve never seen so many beautiful fabrics in one place, all for about $2 a meter. Much cheaper than anywhere else in the city. We all were looking for fabric that would be made into clothes for us. we had an appointment with a tailor afterwards so we all had fashion on the brain. Jes gave mom and I the run down on the better quality chitenjes, and we reconvened after purchasing meters and meters of fabric. We got back to the car feeling accomplished and headed to the tailor. I asked for two pairs of shorts and a robe, and mom asked for two skirts to wear for WCIM speaking engagements. It ended up being much more complicated than that, but I’ll save you from all the details of another hour in the car buying for supplies for the tailor, weaving around all the mini buses, and taking in all the sights of a busy day in Lilongwe. We finally settled our tall order with the tailor and hoped we could get everything by Friday. All of this running around made us super hungry, and we needed lunch before heading to Adziwa for the rest of the afternoon. Jes needed some things at the grocery store, so mom and I got some essentials (soda, exotic lay’s chips, Oreos, and candy bars.) We were planning a girl’s night with Jes so no judging!! Jes wasn’t done shopping by the time we checked out, so we went looking for some lunch. There’s a new pizza shop in the same center as the grocery store which made me super happy. I haven’t had pizza in what feels like ages, and I was hungry. It took forever to get the pizza; I’m sure because it was busy and the kitchen part was open. We saw pizza after pizza steam out of the oven and put into boxes as our tummies grumbled. Mom and I talked while the pizzas were being made and decided we had too much of an eventful day to then walk all the way to Adziwa and back. we cancelled our visited but rescheduled for the next day. We finally got our pizza and ice cold cokes and ate like monsters on the way back to Jes’ house. By that time, it was around 2:00 p.m. We just hung around, took hot showers, put on clean clothes, and enjoyed the wifi!! Jes is an amazing chef, and mom has been telling me about this soup she makes for years now. She promised to make us soup for dinner, so she escaped into the kitchen for a while. Dinner time rolled around, and we sat on the ground with pillows and ate Jes’ famous soup. It was as good as mom said it was!! Hot broth, chicken, and lots of fresh veggies from her garden. We spent a long time talking and laughing together over the good food. Dessert is a requirement in the village and at Jes’ house, so we mixed up some fun strawberry and Nutella milkshakes and ended up spilling little sprinkles everywhere!! (just to take some good pictures) Yummy!! The long day definitely wore us out, but mom and I went to bed full and clean and happy. I’m so glad I had the chance to see a different part of Lilongwe and have another adventure with Jes and my mom. We planned to go to Adziwa in the morning so Mom could have a meeting with James and Tovia to tie up loose ends before we leave. Another exciting day in Malawi, another exciting one surely on it’s way.