Day's Diary

March 29 , 2007 ~ A Quiet Afternoon

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This past week has been very busy. In the last 10 days I have only been home two of them. The rest of the time I have been traveling overnight or for a major part of the day. We have just begun exams and I am ready for a break. I proctored (here they call it “invigilate,” a nice British term) two exams and was looking forward to an afternoon of grading exams and reading. I only had a few more exams to grade to be caught up, so reading was the great anticipation.

I headed straight home after the last exam finished at noon to prepare lunch and then relax. My first move was to the bedroom to change into comfortable clothes.  I had just taken my shoes off when someone knocked on the front door. I changed shoes and went to the door. One of my students was there with a book he was returning. I took the book, thanked him and headed back to the bedroom. I didn’t get to the doorway and there was another knock. It was one of my friendly vendors. He had apples for me to buy. We negotiated and I got two apples (which I didn’t really need or want, but…). I headed to the kitchen this time. I thought I could at least get some lunch. I had a pineapple that I wanted to prepare. I had just cut to top off the pineapple when there was another knock. Another vendor had another story. This time I resisted the sales pitch and declined to purchase. He left disappointed and I returned to the kitchen. Just as I was finishing the pineapple preparation the next knock came. This was getting to be ridiculous. This time it was student who had come with a message from Silas Ncozana. The electrician who was to work on my car would be by at 2 p.m. I thanked him and returned to preparing lunch.

If the fellow was coming at 2, that meant that I needed to go to the bank before then, so I quickly ate lunch and headed off to the bank and to do a bit of grocery shopping, since the cupboards were getting bare. The goal was to be back before 2 and I made it by 1:45. Not bad. Now I could finish the papers as I waited for the electrician. About 2:30 the phone rang and it was Silas saying that the fellow had been detained but he would be there sometime in the afternoon. That was not really a surprise, and I was planning on being home the rest of the day. About 2:45 there was a knock on the door. He was faster than I expected; it wasn’t him. It was one of my students who began by telling me that there was a man outside the gate who wanted to see me. Yes, yet another vendor.

This procession of vendors and students kept up all afternoon. The reasons for coming varied. One came to gather things from the truck that Margaret Ncozana had left there yesterday, and another to return notes from a colleague. One stopped to see how I was since I had not been in chapel the first two days of the week. One vendor came to give me a report on his little sisters’ school progress (I helped with library fees).

A total of three other vendors came with their individual stories. About 3:30 Mr. Mapandera, the maintenance man, stopped to check that the water problems were solved since we had had some heavy rains lately. Silas arrived about 4 with the electrician and two other fellows who were going to fix the locks on the back doors of the truck cab, which stick. They worked in the yard and then took the truck out so Silas could be certain that everything was in proper order. As the truck pulled out, the little boys of the neighborhood descended for a soccer game in the back yard with Hope, Ella’s son. There were eight of them running and playing with all their hearts. I’m good at blocking out noise, so I read in spite of them. Silas returned the truck with the report that all was well and Drew, the mechanic, would come tomorrow to service the engine. (All of this attention to the truck is the result of Silas driving it to Mulanje yesterday and realizing the things I have been telling him that needed attention.)

About 5:30 I began to prepare dinner and the procession at the door began again. There were three visitors in the next hour. I would no sooner get back to the stove than another knock would come. Just as I sat down to eat, Ella came in the back door to check on the kitchen and put some things in the fridge.

All tolled there were 5 vendors, 7 students, 8 children, 3 repairmen, Mr. Mapandera, Silas and Ella. That is not bad for a quiet afternoon. Right now it is pouring rain and I am rejoicing because I know that will guarantee no visitors tonight. It may be quiet, now. This is all part of living in a community. It would be so boring if I were left alone. Community is a good thing.