Every last that we had in the village was so memorable.  Our last dance circle with the girls, our last supper, the last prayer we said before eating, the last game of cards we played, our last lunch, the last time I heard the children screaming, “JOANNA!” as I walked by, all of it is so vivid in my mind.

One of the things I am bringing home is the way Malawians treat their guests.  The Benesi’s, in particular did so with such grace and generosity.  They got to know us – our likes and dislikes, our interests, our sense of humor.  Living with them was always a special experience but in these last few days, perhaps more than at any other moment, I was most overwhelmed by their generous and positive spirits.

Our last lunch, for instance, consisted of the foods we grew to love the most – chickpeas cooked with tomatoes, okra, hard-boiled eggs (as Diana knew I only liked the white part of the egg), avocado and fresh cucumber grown in their garden.  And, of course, nsima.  Yes, I grew to actually like this bland food that Malawians eat with everything.  I even started to like the taste of it with nothing else.

ZOKOMA! (delicious)

A few hours later, we drove Diana to her sister Martha’s house in Likuni, a town not far from the village.  Mostly we wanted to meet Martha and her children who we had heard so much about.  And when we arrived, we sat down to a serving of our other favorite vegetable, boiled pumpkin.  They bent over backwards for us, always willing to introduce us to new recipes, new traditions and their own family customs.  Everyday Bertha would tell us when “our water is ready,” for our bucket baths, all of these gestures so telling of how comfortable they wanted us to feel.  And comfortable is what I felt.  Deena and I will be back for Diana’s wedding, and I’m not kidding.

Our dance circle of girls, made up of relatives and neighbors, gave us one last dance party, during which we danced, sang, and got in a yoga practice.  All over Mkongamira, children know the meaning of “namaste,” and were so tickled by the yoga poses I introduced.  I loved their openness and willingness to learn.  They shared and we shared and what we learned from each other was celebrated with love before we said goodbye.