Banja Langa ku Chisazima

Above is a picture of my home stay sister at our village appreciation ceremony in Chisazima.

Coming home to Chisazima from site visit in Chipoka was like coming home to a family that I have been a part of my entire life. Although I fell in love with my site while visiting over the last five days, I was ready to come back to Chisazima and spend these final weeks of training being surrounded by their unconditional love.

The iwes (a common word for children) welcomed me, “Kat, Kat, Kat,” until I acknowledged their presence, when they rushed to hold my hands. I had a whole chain of hand holding all to myself on my walk home from school today; all from children probably under the age of four. These tiny, dirty hands reaching for mine have given me yet another reason to be grateful for the relationships I have made over the last few months with the village of Chisazima. While they have also made me even more excited to build similar relationships with my site, the village of Ngwena, in Chipoka, and have that community also become a part of my ever so growing Malawian family.

These feelings of love that I felt on my return to the village also made clear to me how hard it is going to be for me to say a farewell on May 8th when I move away to live in Chipoka for the next two years. I have grown to be one of my Chisazima banja (family), and while living with them I have learned so much about Malawian culture, but also how to survive on my own in Africa. They each, individually, have truly taken me in as if I were blood. How gracious, giving, and openhearted they have been from the day I moved in on March 10th overwhelms me with pure happiness, as it is similar to how Jesus walked into my life. He, also, so graciously and selflessly gave His life for mine, someone He did not even know, and then He welcomed me into a relationship with Him. A relationship I now cherish so much, and could not imagine my life without. A personal relationship that brings joy to my life each and everyday, and is the reason I was willing to pack up my comfortable life in the United States to move to an unfamiliar place for two years to try and make a difference in someone’s life. And He reminds me why everyday. Today through my family, and the endless love they have shown me from day one. What Jesus did for others, you and me, on the cross is remarkably selfless and what my family has done for me here over these last 6 weeks, giving their lives to host a complete stranger is extremely similar in the terms of love.

The smiles of the village people and waves from the children as the Peace Corps Land Cruiser drove back into the village with a load full of azungus (white people). The non-cultural norm of hugging from my amayi and asisi when I walked into our home. The broken Chichewa conversations I had with my family telling them that I love Salima, and that the Lake was beautiful, but that I missed them kwambiri (so much). With all of these experiences I have no words to describe how meaningful they were to me. Instead, I only have the smile that is continually on my face because of the love given by this village.

My family in Chisazima shines bright with the love of Jesus. One of the members of the Peace Corps Staff told us today that a village headman told him that because of us, the 41 Peace Corps Trainees living in Chisazima, this village has been transformed. However, the village is not all that has been transformed. Everyday has been a blessing with these people, and everyday we as trainees (soon to be volunteers), have been impacted in indescribable ways because of this village. We are the ones who have truly been transformed, and my heart is forever grateful.

#peacecorps