Early morning walks
I am so fortunate to have a group of ladies to walk with 3 times a week. Never mind that we have to leave our house in the dark at 5:30 in order to get back in time for work, school, etc. It is still something I look forward to every time.
This morning my walking partners decided to sleep so I got to walk by myself. I used to be a bit apprehensive about this, but now I feel very comfortable. As I was making my way home I wanted to share some of the sights, sounds and smells of my morning walks that have become so special and unique.
I leave my house in the early morning light. The sun is not yet up, but the sky is just becoming light. I let myself out of our gate as the night guards are always sleeping somewhere and are never awake in the morning to open the gate for me.
It's just dark enough that the Malawians that are out and about, blend in a bit to the darkness--so as I get closer to them on the road I will see men in uniforms heading to their security jobs, men on bikes riding home from their night duty, women with big bundles on their heads--most likely carrying things to market to sell that day. Even in the dark, there are a few men outside their gates, sweeping the dirt driveways and picking up the leaves around the outside wall. There is the smell of fires burning and of dust. Although this morning, it was a bit more wet as it had rained heavily the night before.
I enjoy walking in the early hours because there are very few cars on the road, and although there are people out, much fewer than later in the day when I fear for my life as I walk on the same roads because of the narrow roads and congestion.
As it gets lighter, the people I pass greet me. "Hello, madam". I feel very special being called 'Madam".
I usually walk the same route each day so I often see some of the same people. It's nice to greet the familiar faces and wish them a good day. One couple I look forward to seeing is this darling older Asian couple that always walks together. She walks with a cane and is very hunched over and almost shuffling--with beautifully silver-black hair. Her husband stands tall and walks beside her. And everytime we pass them they greet us with "God bless you".
As it gets lighter I start to see the Malawian children heading off to school. They wear their uniforms--most commonly a bright blue dress for the girls and a white shirt and shorts for the boys. They look so young walking along the road in small groups. I imagine some of them are only 5 or 6 years old, walking 1/2-1 mile to school each day.
As we live at the bottom of the hill, my walk takes me up the hill around the upper neighborhoods and the last part of the walk is heading downhill towards home. At the top of the hill I always have to pause and appreciate the view. Usually the sun has just come up, the clouds are often just losing their pink color and I can see the city center laid out in front of me. The minnarets of the Mosque stand up above the rest of the buildings and in the distance I can see the rocky "mountains" that lie just south of town. They are big rocks that jut out of the ground. It truly is beautiful in the quiet of the morning.
This morning my walking partners decided to sleep so I got to walk by myself. I used to be a bit apprehensive about this, but now I feel very comfortable. As I was making my way home I wanted to share some of the sights, sounds and smells of my morning walks that have become so special and unique.
I leave my house in the early morning light. The sun is not yet up, but the sky is just becoming light. I let myself out of our gate as the night guards are always sleeping somewhere and are never awake in the morning to open the gate for me.
It's just dark enough that the Malawians that are out and about, blend in a bit to the darkness--so as I get closer to them on the road I will see men in uniforms heading to their security jobs, men on bikes riding home from their night duty, women with big bundles on their heads--most likely carrying things to market to sell that day. Even in the dark, there are a few men outside their gates, sweeping the dirt driveways and picking up the leaves around the outside wall. There is the smell of fires burning and of dust. Although this morning, it was a bit more wet as it had rained heavily the night before.
I enjoy walking in the early hours because there are very few cars on the road, and although there are people out, much fewer than later in the day when I fear for my life as I walk on the same roads because of the narrow roads and congestion.
As it gets lighter, the people I pass greet me. "Hello, madam". I feel very special being called 'Madam".
I usually walk the same route each day so I often see some of the same people. It's nice to greet the familiar faces and wish them a good day. One couple I look forward to seeing is this darling older Asian couple that always walks together. She walks with a cane and is very hunched over and almost shuffling--with beautifully silver-black hair. Her husband stands tall and walks beside her. And everytime we pass them they greet us with "God bless you".
As it gets lighter I start to see the Malawian children heading off to school. They wear their uniforms--most commonly a bright blue dress for the girls and a white shirt and shorts for the boys. They look so young walking along the road in small groups. I imagine some of them are only 5 or 6 years old, walking 1/2-1 mile to school each day.
As we live at the bottom of the hill, my walk takes me up the hill around the upper neighborhoods and the last part of the walk is heading downhill towards home. At the top of the hill I always have to pause and appreciate the view. Usually the sun has just come up, the clouds are often just losing their pink color and I can see the city center laid out in front of me. The minnarets of the Mosque stand up above the rest of the buildings and in the distance I can see the rocky "mountains" that lie just south of town. They are big rocks that jut out of the ground. It truly is beautiful in the quiet of the morning.
posted by Mike and Heather Tacheny at
10:06 PM
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