The Last Supper(s)

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  Ntcheu, Malawi
Saturday, July 7, 2007

Sunday night was wonderful. I had come to miss the Chilopora's very much during our tour in Zambia.
 
Monday and Tuesday were our last two days in the clinic, our last days at Zabi's, and our last days in Ntcheu and Balaka.
 
Monday was busier than expected. We saw a total of 11 patients. One woman's case was quite puzzling.
 
The woman was 34 years old and had been pregnant for the past 5 months. She came into the clinic because her body had been swelling and she had been experiencing distension in her abdomen for the past 3 months. Also, spouts of breathlessness had been occurring recently.
 
The woman's abdomen was large and appeared swollen as if pregnant, but an examination deemed that there was no fetal heartbeat and no mammary development. Similarly, a fetal head could not be identified upon palpation of the lower abdomen. This was most peculiar.
 
Baffled by the findings, we turned to our mentor for an explanation. "In some instances women will experience what we call a pseudo-pregnancy," said Dr. C.
 
Pseudo-pregnancy? Apparently, on rare occasion, women can undergo chemical changes and the uterus will develop as if pregnant. CRAZY! The woman was referred to a larger hospital for ultrasound evaluations. How bizarre!
 
My Man-Bonding Experience with Dr. C:
 
At home, later that night, I was in the middle of fixing the kitchen cabinets when I heard a loud high-pitched squeal. Knowing that bats are very common both in and outside the house, I ignored the shriek and continued working. Sure enough a few seconds later a bat came crawling across the counter.
 
Staying calm and collected, I took a glass bowl and flipped it upside-down over the bat and trapped it. I had no idea what to do with this bat. Dr. and Mrs. C weren't home so I left it. 
 
Immediately after I finished the cabinets Dr. C returned home. He came in, I told him about the bat, and this was the conversation:
 
Phil: Hey Dr. C, I captured a bat intruder and I was thinking of naming it Jimmy.
Dr. C: Is that so?
(I took him to the trapped bat)
Dr. C: Ah. That's very good.
Phil: What should we do with it?
Dr. C: This bat had been caught trespassing. therefore, it deserves to die a sinner's death.
Phil: Uh... Okay...
Dr. C: How does a sinner die?
Phil: Well... I suppose a sinner burns...
Dr. C: Yes yes... that is correct. Bring the bat and follow me. (Are we really going to burn this bat? Or is he joking?)
 
I carefully slid the inverted glass bowl onto a flat tray and followed Dr. C with bat in hand. We proceeded outside to the fire pit.
 
Dr. C: You throw the bat onto the fire pit and I'll cover it with kerosene and throw a match on it.
Phil: Uh... Okay...? (At this point I know he's serious)
 
I shook the bowl/tray cage to disorient the bat and then tossed it into the pit. After dousing the bat with enough fuel to combust a forest, Dr. C struck a match and tossed it at the soaked bat. Flames immediately flew.
 
For about three minutes Dr. C and I stood there, in silence, as the bat was transformed from rare to well done. That's a man-bonding experience. It doesn't get much manlier that catching trespasser bats and setting them ablaze as punishment - IN AFRICA! (see the 3 D's of Manly Jobs) Ha-ha! It was an awkward and memorable experience to say the least.
 
The rest of the night paled into comparison to burning trespasser bats. Night came, sleep felt good, and the sun always rises.
 
Just as Monday, Tuesday passed equally fast. Tuesday was a gloomy day. It was dark, windy, and rather cool. The skies even spit on us periodically. Today we would say goodbye to Balaka.
 
Jimmy, the Chilopora's grandson who is our good friend, came up from Blantyre to surprise us and say goodbye. Jimmy is 18 and waiting entry to college. He came up on a minibus. Great surprise!
 
Around the same time Jimmy arrived, our friend Nigel came into town. We met Nigel in Zambia on Safari. The four of us enjoyed a wonderful 'final' lunch in Balaka at Zabi's Tasty Food.
 
Shortly thereafter, we said our farewells to Nigel and Jimmy and they departed. Aaron and I then made our way around Balaka to say our goodbyes. This included the following people:
Henry - The grocery store bagger
Patrick - The grocery store manager
Zabi - The wonderful owner of our lunch spot
Philip - Our waiter at Zabi's
Salos - One of the clinic maintenance workers
Ernest - One of the clinic maintenance workers
Matthews - One of the clinic maintenance workers
 
By the time our adieus had been said, it was time to close down the clinic and head back to Ntcheu for one last evening.
 
It was a somber yet joyous evening. Mrs. C prepared a delightful feast for our 'last supper.' It included nsima, rice, chicken, mincemeat, steak tips, CHAMBO, red beans, green beans, cabbage, and turnip leaves. I ate until I couldn't move.
 
Like usual, the table was cleared and Mrs. C brought out drinking yogurts and bananas. I force-fed myself her offerings, rolled away from the dinner table, and retreated to my room to begin packing.
 
While packing, Mr. C brought in a few items we were to take with us. Traditional nsima making spoons, twenty pounds of maize flour, and two wrapped gifts were given to both Aaron and I. The wrapped items looked like artwork and were roughly 1x2 feet. A lovely gesture and beautiful artwork I'm sure, but a suitcase packer's nightmare.
 
Fortunately we found a way to fit everything, and after packing, we returned to chat with the Chilopora's.
 
We spoke for a short amount of time and everyone retired. That was our last night with the Chilopora's. How sad.
 
The journey is still unfolding. More to come.

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