Day's Diary

May 8, 2007 ~ John and the Azungu

+ Click here to return to Journal Directory

John is seven years old. His father abandoned the family before he was born. He and his mother lived with his grandmother and his uncle in a small three room rented house without indoor plumbing or an indoor kitchen. Last year his uncle went to the theological college at the same time that his mother took sick. She died two months later, leaving him with his grandmother. At the end of the school term, his uncle returned and shortly married and brought his new auntie home. Then his uncle left again for school. A month later his grandmother became sick and she died two months later, leaving him with his new auntie, but at least he was in his own home. Then last Thursday, his auntie packed up all their belongings and his uncle loaded them into an azungu’s truck and they headed to Zomba with his uncle and the azungu (white person). He was fine with this until he realized that he and Auntie would be living with the azungu and Uncle would be staying somewhere else. He was one unhappy little boy. He speaks very little English and this azungu speaks very little Chichewa. From the back seat of the truck he quietly said in Chichewa, to whoever would listen, “I will stay with your azungu, but I won’t eat your azungu’s food.” He wanted some control over his rapidly changing world, where it seemed to him that all of the world was out of control. The azungu smiled. She understands more Chichewa than she is able to speak, and she understood the hurt and confusion in that claiming of control.

As the truck was unloaded, John found a chair in the large living room (the size of his old house), pulled his legs up and buried his face in his knees. That is where he stayed until his uncle told him it was time for bed and carried him into his “new room.” He turned his face to the wall and closed his eyes. He didn’t speak to anyone. Both his auntie and the azungu assured his uncle he would be fine. He just needed some time to adjust.

He was better in the morning because he stayed in his room until the azungu left the house. Then he came out and had toast and peanut butter. Toast was a new idea and the toaster was a fascination. Then the azungu came home and went into her study to work. He went to the living room, since it was the furthest room in the house from the study. The azungu printed out some of the pictures she had taken of the moving, including one of John, and left the pictures on the dining room table. John grabbed his picture and claimed it as HIS. About an hour later, he ventured to the study door and just looked in. Slowly he inched his way to the computer to see if there were more pictures. Then he spied the color ink pens. The azungu handed two of them to him, along with some blank paper. He claimed a corner of her desk and colored to his heart’s content, occasionally peeking at the computer to see if there were new pictures to be seen. He was negotiating space.

That evening was a relief for John since the azungu went out for dinner and Auntie cooked. He had Malawian food. He had kept his word – no azungu food. He was fast asleep before the azungu returned home. But in the morning she was up early and made Jungle Oats for everyone for breakfast (Malawian Rolled Oats). He had never had those before, but he was hungry and Auntie was eating them, so he took a spoonful. Then he got a bowl from the kitchen and helped himself. Once that bowl was empty, he went for more. But he never made eye contact with the azungu, even though she was directly across the table from him. When she went into her study, he followed, standing at a safe distance, but looking at the animals that came up on the computer screen. They were Malawian animals that he knew – zebra, giraffe, and elephants. This wasn’t too bad.

Then the unthinkable happened. Auntie left the house quietly. He looked for her but couldn’t find her. (She had gone to the funeral of a friend and would be gone for several hours.) The azungu offered paper and the pens again. That was fine for a while. The azungu printed some of the pictures from the computer and he had a great time watching them print. This was all new to him. But then the power went out and there was no more printing and no more computer. John went on the back porch and sat, watching some boys play in the back yard. One of them invited him to join them and he did for a while but when more boys came, he returned to the porch steps to watch. Since there was no electricity, the azungu was limited in what she could offer him for lunch. She produced a tuna salad sandwich with lettuce and tomato, which John promptly disassembled and ate the contents individually. He liked the soda. That was at least something he recognized. Finally the power came back on, but he was no longer interested in the computer or the pictures. He wasn’t interested in his new playmates, either. He went into his room and curled up on his bed.

Then he heard noise coming from the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of him and he came to the door and stood, watching. The azungu was mixing all sorts of things together, while she read from a book that was open on the table. John came closer to investigate the book. When the azungu finished mixing things, she offered him some of the mixture – peanut butter cookie dough.  He took it and cautiously tasted it. Then he put out his hand for more, which he was given. He pulled up the stool and perched himself where he could see what she was doing and be available for more dough, if it were offered, which it was. When she put the cookies in the oven, he went to look in and watch what was happening to them. He stayed there until they came out. When the first cookies came out of the oven, he watched and waited until he was offered one. He ate it slowly, then stuck out his hand for another. Then the azungu began to tease him by offering and then withdrawing the cookie, as he grabbed for it. They laughed together as he teased back by taking the bowl of dough. There were no words spoken, but this was more than a truce with the azungu. John was becoming comfortable with the azungu. When Auntie returned, John offered her cookies then went back to his seat on the stool in the kitchen with the azungu. Life was different in the azungu’s house, but it was sweet, too. That counts for something when your world is turned upside down.