Sientas

This Saturday I took a step further down my path towards autonomy and incorporation into Malawian life. I had ordered some carvings from the Kungoni Center for a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, which I am hoping to start at the parish.

There is a minibus that leaves Namwera around 2am for Lilongwe which would take me through Golomoti from whence I could take a motorbike taxi to the Mission arriving in time for 6am Mass. That was my plan, straightforward. A coworker helped me call the bus to arrange for pickup. My alarm went off at 1:40am, by 2am I was at my arranged pickup spot on the Church steps. I waited, and waited some more, until at 3:15, I went back to bed.

Since the Kungoni Center was expecting me, and I didn't want to reschedule, I decided to brave the Sienta taxis.

Sientas are the car of choice for the taxis that ply the roads of Malawi. They fit 11 people and a goat quite comfortably, assuming of course that you're not utilizing the seatbelts.

I made three transfers all very easily. I was really surprised and pleased by how smoothly it all was. No sooner would I step out of one then another would pull over and the driver would ask, "Where are you going, my sister?" If my next transfer point was on his way, he would say, "Get in." And I would pile in for the next leg. It was a beautiful drive.

At Kungoni, I was told the Father's were just sitting down to lunch and I was to join them (originally, it was to have been for breakfast). It was an international mix. The center is connected to Mya Mission run by the Missionaries of Africa or White Father's (called so because of the white burnoose that used to be their habit when founded in Algeirs). The father's at Mua are Irish, Indian, and Japanese. Fr. Brendan, the Irish priest, has been in Malawi for twenty years.

Upon learning that I was planning to return to Namwera that same day, the Father's suggested I spend the night at the guest house so as to avoid traveling after dark. As the trip had taken 5 hours, I thought it a good suggestion. I should be used to them by now, but the old fashioned keys prevalent in Malawi still make me smile.

I then enjoyed a delightful little walk along a small river and through a woods. The mission property remains beautifully forested and their appeared to be some tree planting projects in the works. I was impressed to learn that the Kungoni carvers policy is never to cut a tree for wood. They only use downed trees and stumps as they are committed to not contributing to deforestation. The selfie picture is just so you can appreciate how huge the leaves on the

Matik (teak) trees are. The mission lands remain forested, because they are gaurded 24/7.