Houston vs Malawi

As we move into the end of month four here in Malawi, we thought it would be fun to make some comparisons between here and Houston.  We have had a lot of questions regarding what it is like here, so this will be a fun way to communicate some of the differences.

IN HOUSTON... you say "Hi!" to people you pass and they say "Hi!" back
IN MALAWI... you say "How are you?" (Muli Bwanji?), they respond (Tili bwino), ask the same question, and then you both say "Thank you!"...  this must be done to each person in a group setting as well.

IN HOUSTON... when somebody says "Thank you!", you say "You're Welcome!"
IN MALAWI... when somebody says "Thank you!"(Zikomo!), you say "Thank you!" (Zikomo) right back.

IN HOUSTON... the wealthy people shop at the "specialty" grocery stores where they can buy expensive foods
IN MALAWI... the "wealthy" people shop at the 1 or 2 grocery stores that exist.  Everyone else shops at congregated street vendor locations.

IN HOUSTON... everyone gets excited to go to a farmers market for the fresh produce
IN MALAWI... every market is a farmers market.

IN HOUSTON... a stray dog is sometimes cute and can be picked up in order to find the owner
IN MALAWI... a stray dog is a life threatening encounter due to a
possible rabies infection.

 (Below are not rabid dogs)

IN HOUSTON... traffic is due to rush hour and accidents
IN MALAWI... traffic can be caused by cows, goats, random people walking, minibuses (public transport), or because there is only one single lane bridge to cross the river through town.

IN HOUSTON... when you go to the lake, you come back with a sunburn
IN MALAWI... when you go to the lake, you come back with a sunburn, and a possible parasitic infection

IN HOUSTON... kids are closely monitored and are often inside playing video games
IN MALAWI... the children run freely and play outside all afternoon

Love,

The Hodges'