Malawi has three regions, north, central and south. In each region there are many different ethnic groups and tribes, and each tribe speaks a different language. Chichewa originates from the Chewa tribe in central Malawi, and it is the most commonly used language among Malawians. I know many co-workers in the lab who know up to three languages! The official language of Malawi is English, because Malawi was colonized by the British until 1964. English is still taught in schools. I communicate mainly in English, but I am trying to learn Chichewa.
The Malawian kwacha is the currency here, and $1 (in U.S. dollars) is worth roughly about 1750 kwacha. The bills come in all kinds of fun colors with beautiful designs on them.
One bottle of water costs between 500 to1000 kwacha, which is less than $1 in U.S. currency.
The best meal I had this week was eggplant parmesan with spaghetti noodles, which was made by our cook Naomi!
