'Muli bwanji!! (Hello!) I met someone from Malwai ("I am from lilongwe (capital) but yah i know blantyre pretty well too"-Mon, April 9th 2007). for the first time prior to UMM's Fall Semester in August. She was part of 10+ international students I rode along with to the Social Security office in Alexandria.
Her name is Monique, who had an opportunity to share her story going to school in "America" this past Thursday in the UMM Campus paper called the "University Register"...
"Life here in America is different
Monica Jeremiah,
Guest Writer
"
Coming from a third world country, I have experienced new cultural and personal issues. I have learned many things in the amount of time I have been here. I am from Malawi and this is a small country in the southern center of Africa. Malawi is a very quiet country compared to America.
There are not many people in the cities. Morris has been just like home because it is a small town with few people. I like it here. Even though I come from the cities, we do not have the simple fun things like vending machines everywhere. Fast food is not as fast as MacDonald's and Pizza Ranch. We do not have drive throughs and deliveries. I get excited about things like these things.
Moving from country to country, I have had to change the little cultural differences like greetings and addressing people. In my country I would never address an older person by their first name. These differences are always interesting to discover. Many people have been very nice to me.
The biggest shock has been the weather. Malawi is a very hot and dry country. The winter has been interesting since it is the first time I am seeing snow. I did not know what to really expect even though I was told that it would get really cold. I love the snow and I do not mind it at all.
Living alone has been a challenge but I have learnt a lot during the past few months I have been here. I have learnt that Americans are hard working people. Before I came here my dad told me that everything is so fast in America and that people always work hard. I have had to make major adjustments in social and academic areas. I think such a life will make me a better person after I graduate. I will have a great advantage over many people, not only because of the education I get but also for the hard working attitude I have grown accustomed to. People in my country do not work as hard as most Americans.
I am happy to have met many people of different cultures. I am glad I came to America because it is such a diversified country. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about different ways of life. Knowing others people makes me feel unique and proud of my culture and I think that it is very important to appreciate how other people live compared to how you live.
Living in America has opened so many doors in my life and some of which I never knew existed. I have done so much in the past few months and I know that I will be a changed person after four years. Everyday may seem overwhelming since I am constantly learning but I am loving every bit of it. It has so far been an intriguing experience away from home.
When I was looking for a college for my further education, I wanted a small community in which I could grow familiar to and be able to live comfortably. Morris has met every expectation I had for it. The people live as a community in which I am proud to be part of."
Government
Missions
Bibles
Cultural
The Gule Wamkulu
"UNESCO: Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - 2008
URL: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/RL/00054
Description: Gule Wamkulu was a secret cult, involving a ritual dance practiced among the Chewa in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. It was performed by members of the Nyau brotherhood, a secret society of initiated men.Within the Chewas traditional matrilineal society, where married men played a rather marginal role, the Nyau offered a means to establish a counterweight and solidarity among men of various villages. Nyau members still are responsible for the initiation of young men into adulthood, and for the performance of the Gule Wamkulu at the end of the initiation procedure, celebrating the young mens integration into adult society.
Gule Wamkulu is performed in the season following the July harvest, but it can also be seen at weddings, funerals, and the installation or the death of a chief. On these occasions, the Nyau dancers wear costumes and masks made of wood and straw, representing a great variety of characters, such as wild animals, spirits of the dead, slave traders as well as more recent figures such as the honda or the helicopter. Each of these figures plays a particular, often evil, character expressing a form of misbehavior, teaching the audience moral and social values. These figures perform dances with extraordinary energy, entertaining and scaring the audience as representatives of the world of the spirits and the dead.
Gule Wamkulu dates back to the great Chewa Empire of the seventeenth century. Despite the efforts of Christian missionaries to ban this practice, it managed to survive under British colonial rule by adopting some aspects of Christianity. As a consequence, Chewa men tend to be members of a Christian church as well as a Nyau society. However, Gule Wamkulu performances are gradually losing their original function and meaning by being reduced to entertainment for tourists and for political purpose.
Country(ies): Malawi; Mozambique; Zambia"
Government
Map
Miscellaneous
Music
Malawi Africa: Chichewa
" SOUNDS OF GLOBAL WORSHIP:
MALAWI AFRICA, CHICHEWA
Malawi is alive with worship as spiritual renewal has swept much of the country. A Heart Sounds team was privileged to accomplish a worship recording including 5 of the 7 national languages of Malawi.
This one features the Chichewa language from the more urban enviornment in the capitol city of Lilongwe.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCE VISIT THE WEBSITE OF HEART SOUNDS INTERNATIONAL AT . . .
www.heart-sounds.org
COPYRIGHT, HEART SOUNDS INTERNATIONAL, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Travel
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