The Internet Center

Limbe, Malawi

The main mission for today is to get to the Internet Center. Sending email is not as easy as I thought it would be. AT&T does not have a contract in Malawi...a small detail they forgot to mention even though I specifically asked. In defense of Malawi, the country has come a long way. Last year some of the research team members from the U.S. could not use their ATM cards; this year we can.

I stayed at the headquarters compound most of the day. I worked with one of our research assistants Edgar (a Malawian) who is helping me scout traditional healers for interviews. This is not an easy task. In the U.S. appointments for interviews or focus groups are made weeks in advance. In Malawi, this does not happen. You make a phone call and if the person is available that day you can meet. If not, you can arrange to meet in the next day or two. The research recruitment process is a little more spontaneous in Malawi. The key to success here is to be “flexible”.

Malawi lies below the equator and during this time of year we experience about 12 hours of daylight. This is Malawi’s dry season, and so the mosquitoes are not too bad. I am taking my Malarone® (anti-malarial medicine) and sleeping under a mosquito net. The sun is up around 5:30 a.m. and the sun goes down by 6:00 p.m. It is easy to go to bed at 8:30 p.m., but I am wide awake at around 4:30 a.m., then I find it difficult to get up by 7:30 a.m. The mornings are cool and by 11:00 a.m. it can get quite warm. Once the sun sets, the temperature drops. Tonight is the coldest it’s been since I arrived. The winds are blowing strongly, and you can hear the sound of tree branches moving forcefully back and forth. The wind is good as it will blow the diesel and fire fumes away as well as, hopefully, a few mosquitoes. Tomorrow should be a beautiful day.