Some days, like today, I just can't seem to get in a decently complete personal journal entry so to the blog I go. Besides, it's probably past time for some Personal Details; everyone loves a little juice with their gossip. Side note, I'm becoming a cat lady - my momma & baby kitty are so cute! 
The past few weeks have been a huge rollercoaster because of Changes: new house, new neighbors, new school class schedule (masterminded/slaved on by me)... the list goes on. Since moving into a teachers' house, which was vacated by a guy who impregnated a Form 4 student at school, I've quickly become the butt of many jokes and gossip. And for all their proselytizing and modest clothing, Malawians love to talk dirty about others. As for me, it's been the constant in your face, relentless talk that's really been why my panties got in such a bunch, although I'm sure most of the anecdotes would be (and are) hilarious in the right frame of mind. Perhaps my house should have come stocked with a medicine cabinet full of Xanax. Can you hook me up, PC Washington? Side note #2, I've been reading about too many drug follies lately in Phila Lawyer's book.
So one of the most popular rumors recently is that I'm pregnant. The girls living across the road at the hostel are absolutely delighted and I only just put 2 and 2 together tonight their thought process on that one. They kept saying, along with my neighbors' kids including the infant, "adzadza! adzadza!" Looking up the verb kudzadza in my Chichewa dictionary (or from memory, which is how this self-professed Chich. language expert/Lazy Person usually does it), we find the following:
-dzadza to fill, to be full, to be filled with
Later on tonight, I heard some of the boys chatting outside repeating the same but adding stuff like "on top" and "her shirt" so I *finally*realized it's the power of the push up bra that's bewitching everyone. That and new shirts I keep inheriting from different-sized or slightly showier PCVs. Imagine, hundreds of people ardently discussing your breasts! I've enver been a busty lady compared to some but now I'm high-end goods for Malawian standards, it seems.
The other strange habit of Azungus contributing to the rumor is the fact that I eat at strange times; rather than clockwork at 530, 930, 12 and 530, its' more like whenever I want or feel like scrounging something up. Sometimes that means lighting a fire so it's not exactly natural/quick. I also eat whatever I want:some days it's Malawian style beans & nsima but other days it's muscle-milkified hot chocolate with PB&Homemade Jam. It could be I really am filling out on top due to the diet.. every current or former vegan knows it's easy to NOT be skinny but avoid eating animals. The reason all of this matters, diatribes aside, is that Malawians tend to assume that I Am Like Them and that eating other stuff at other tiems means I was still hungry after downing a few empty calorie patties of their goo. You know, like a pregnant lady still wants chips and pickles after a few plates of pasta.
The past few weeks have been a huge rollercoaster because of Changes: new house, new neighbors, new school class schedule (masterminded/slaved on by me)... the list goes on. Since moving into a teachers' house, which was vacated by a guy who impregnated a Form 4 student at school, I've quickly become the butt of many jokes and gossip. And for all their proselytizing and modest clothing, Malawians love to talk dirty about others. As for me, it's been the constant in your face, relentless talk that's really been why my panties got in such a bunch, although I'm sure most of the anecdotes would be (and are) hilarious in the right frame of mind. Perhaps my house should have come stocked with a medicine cabinet full of Xanax. Can you hook me up, PC Washington? Side note #2, I've been reading about too many drug follies lately in Phila Lawyer's book.
So one of the most popular rumors recently is that I'm pregnant. The girls living across the road at the hostel are absolutely delighted and I only just put 2 and 2 together tonight their thought process on that one. They kept saying, along with my neighbors' kids including the infant, "adzadza! adzadza!" Looking up the verb kudzadza in my Chichewa dictionary (or from memory, which is how this self-professed Chich. language expert/Lazy Person usually does it), we find the following:
-dzadza to fill, to be full, to be filled with
Later on tonight, I heard some of the boys chatting outside repeating the same but adding stuff like "on top" and "her shirt" so I *finally*realized it's the power of the push up bra that's bewitching everyone. That and new shirts I keep inheriting from different-sized or slightly showier PCVs. Imagine, hundreds of people ardently discussing your breasts! I've enver been a busty lady compared to some but now I'm high-end goods for Malawian standards, it seems.
The other strange habit of Azungus contributing to the rumor is the fact that I eat at strange times; rather than clockwork at 530, 930, 12 and 530, its' more like whenever I want or feel like scrounging something up. Sometimes that means lighting a fire so it's not exactly natural/quick. I also eat whatever I want:some days it's Malawian style beans & nsima but other days it's muscle-milkified hot chocolate with PB&Homemade Jam. It could be I really am filling out on top due to the diet.. every current or former vegan knows it's easy to NOT be skinny but avoid eating animals. The reason all of this matters, diatribes aside, is that Malawians tend to assume that I Am Like Them and that eating other stuff at other tiems means I was still hungry after downing a few empty calorie patties of their goo. You know, like a pregnant lady still wants chips and pickles after a few plates of pasta.
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