The Introvert – May 20

There is no going to my room and closing the door after work. There’s no going for a walk after dinner. The first is cultural, the second is safety. But it means that I'm always with people, except during the hours of sleep. Walking down the main road to the market, I’m a low-time celebrity – every child is screaming “MZUNGU” and every tenth person asks “Muli bwanji?” (How are you?).

Coming from our individualistic society and big, impersonal Montreal, makes this Malawian, smalltown society a constant bombardment for anyone, regardless if introverted or extroverted. The family that I currently live with likes to play the radio and the tv at the same time and ALL morning and evening. At night, I hear the bars playing their reggae music on these giant horrible sound systems well into the night. Ntchisi, Malawi never seems to be quiet. My ear plugs are my only escape into silence... and running is my down time.

It's wearing me out a little, but I love it. The people are so unbelievably generous and friendly, that I'm happy to be around them all the time. This culture is constantly energising, with everyone greeting each other in the street, little kids running freely in big herds – definitely a bigger sense of communitythan I have ever experienced in Montreal . Plus this way I have no time to be home sick~

As I sit here and write, there is eight-year-old Delipha tapping the rhythm of the song from the radio on the head of two-year-old Bliate, who dances to the commercial on the television and screams “AUNTIE” – that’s me.