Mr. Fixit? Ultimately, yes....

Lots of things are broken about Malawi. Lots of things are broken in Malawi. Lots of things are broken in our own house. In Malawi, the renter is responsible for the costs of most repairs within the rented house during the rental period. I know that we blogged about this before, but it is still annoying. It is made more annoying by the tools we have at our disposal: a small hammer, a Leatherman with a wrench tool, and a tiny saw.

So, for the last few months (MONTHS), our toilet has been broken. First, it ran all the time. We ignored it for a while, and then Jon "fixed it" by first buying a bunch of random toilet parts that did not fix the problem and then, second, by applying duct tape and lengthening the tube. The second, homemade, solution worked for a few weeks. Then, it started leaking water out of the handle.

We put a bucket underneath and ignored that for a while too. Then, Jon "fixed it" by first buying some other random toilet parts that did not fix the problem and then, second, by duct taping a chunk of Styrofoam to the float ball for some extra buoyancy. The second, homemade, solution (although unattractive and preventing us from putting on the toilet lid) worked for another few weeks. Then, it started to leak again. AGAIN.

So, we put the bucket back and ignored it for another while. We used a coat hanger to keep the float ball up and the leak reduced for another few weeks. But, then, Jon was headed home for a few weeks, and I really wanted it fixed - *fixed*. I thought we should call a plumber, but Jon still thought he could fix it himself. So, one last time, Jon went out and bought a whole new set of toilet parts, and returned, again, to try to fix the problem. This time, although none of the new parts worked, and the problem turned out to be other than what he thought, he fixed it!

So, after 3 months, the cost of a plumber's visit in toilet parts, and some MacGyver-like ingenuity, we are now on, fingers crossed, week 2 of no leaks. And, the lid is back on the toilet.

Thanks, Mr. Fixit!

What's in the yard? Cool bugs!

It's pretty hard to get good shots of insects. They are a most uncooperative subject. Still, here are 2 recent beauties that I managed to capture. I have no idea what they are, but they are amazing!

An ode to cupcakes

From the moment I can remember anything, I remember Shabbat dinner with my family – a Friday night ritual involving 3 minutes of prayers, 30 minutes of eating dinner, and what felt like an eternity waiting for the most important part of the evening: the Shabbat cupcake! “Shabbat cupcakes” are not just a type of cupcake, although their upside-down appearance, chocolate cake (unless you were unlucky enough to get vanilla ones) and gooey chocolate icing are delicious. They are more a vestige of my childhood, a link to the St. Louis Jewish community, a taste of home, and a warm feeling that I associate with my family.

Recently, Pratzel’s Bakery, the home of the Shabbat cupcake, closed. My mom broke the news to me like the death of an old friend. I am devastated. No more cranky bakery ladies. No more cherry strudel. No more bakery runs with my mom while home. No more cupcakes. Ever. Now, what will we serve at the wedding? In protest, I think that we will have carrots. Nothing can replace my beloved cupcakes.

Goodbye cupcakes. We had a good run while it lasted.

UPDATE: check out the outpouring of support from fellow Pratzel's fans! PLEASE, someone save my favorite bakery!

On demoralizing days… [caution: rated-PG13]

Yesterday, it was announced that 2 people in their 3rd week (of 3 weeks) of voluntary HIV testing and counseling (VCT) training were dismissed and sent back home - uncertified. They were community volunteers selected by a big NGO to be HIV testers in their communities and, therefore, needed to attend and pass the national VCT counselor course/exam. Turns out, that these married (not surprising) men were getting drunk every night and bringing prostitutes back to the hotel rooms where they were staying for training. They had been warned before, but they were dismissed on this 3rd offense for also getting the hotel guards drunk so that they could sneak past and get the prostitutes into their rooms. You know: nothing sets a behavioral example more than attending an HIV prevention course by day and sleeping with sex workers at night! At least if they were using condoms, there would be a positive silver lining on behavior change. No one checked these details.

Sometimes, I must admit, this place really gets under your skin. It’s not because I think that people in other places would not behave similarly. But, I do think that in the States we would have the decency to feel ashamed by it! Here, the 2 protested that these activities occurred on their time off! Luckily, that pathetic plea failed. Arghhhh.

Thank goodness it’s Friday.

Malawi is no Egypt

Malawians' first attempt at an Egyptian-style protest fizzled before it even began today. Check out the article here.

From what I gather from people whose offices look out over the march starting place, dozens of protesters were prevented from getting to the area by hundreds of policemen. No violence, but no march either. Of course, it is easiest to stop a march when you remove the leadership. So, first thing this morning, the leader of the protest was arrested by the police and held in custody. I believe that he has now been released.

Malawi does not have a history of revolution or uprising. Still, this is an interesting foray into activism for many folks around here. Although the march did not happen, it did get people talking about politics and leadership -- two things that are usually reserved for hushed conversations among close friends. We'll all just have to watch and wait to see what, if anything, happens. For now, I am still just waiting for gasoline...

Shameless self promotion...

For those of you (mom and dad) waiting on the edge of your seat for the publication of my 2nd dissertation paper, wait no more! "It’s not just who you are but where you live: An exploration of community influences on individual HIV status in rural Malawi" is finally available in print! It only took 18 arduous months from the initial submission date to acceptance at Social Science and Medicine, one of the most prestigious journals for international, interdisciplinary research (and I am not just saying so myself!).

For those of you still reading, here is the abstract:

Abstract

Approximately 1 million people are infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Malawi. Despite efforts aimed at changing individual risk behaviors, HIV prevalence continues to rise among rural populations. Both previous research and the Political Economy of Health framework suggest that community-based socio-economic factors and accessibility may influence HIV transmission; however, these community factors have received little empirical investigation. To fill this gap, this research uses data from a nationally representative probability sample of rural Malawians combined with small area estimates of community socio-economic and accessibility data in logistic regression models to: 1) reveal relationships between community factors and individual HIV status; 2) determine whether these relationships operate through individual HIV risk behaviors; and 3) explore whether these associations vary by gender. Community socio-economic factors include relative and absolute poverty; community accessibility factors include distance to roads, cities, and public health facilities. Individual HIV risk behaviors include reported condom use, sexually transmitted infections, multiple partnerships, and paid sex. Results show that higher community income inequality, community proximity to a major road, and community proximity to a public health clinic are associated with increased odds of HIV for women. For men, community proximity to a major road and community proximity to a public health clinic are associated with increased odds of HIV infection. These direct relationships between community factors and individual HIV status are not mediated by individual HIV risk behaviors. The Political Economy of Health frames the discussion. This study provides evidence for expanding HIV prevention efforts beyond individual risk behaviors to consideration of community factors that may drive the HIV epidemic in rural Malawi.

And, for those of you still interested (mom and dad), I would be happy to send you a watermarked copy for you to add to your beach (or bathroom) reading list.

Gas: sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't

No, not that type of gas. This time, it is the real thing, the important thing: petrol. Malawi has no gas now, and it has very little diesel. The lines for the gas stations, almost all of which are empty, wrap around the roundabouts, line the streets, and cause a traffic nightmare for the 7 remaining people who have fuel to get around. People are sleeping in their cars in queue, waking up to push their cars a few meters, grateful to receive the precious 10 liter rations of gas as if it were manna from heaven. These folks really are the lucky ones as they are actually already in line when the petrol trickles in. The social networks and SMS lines are busy is response: people sharing hints and news of where petrol is or where petrol is rumored to be. Many are out of gas just from searching the city with their last remaining liter.

Of course, fuel shortages clearly affect more than just individual mobility: there are shortages of goods and services as businesses and transportation companies also suffer. Everyone is unhappy. And gas costs a fortune here anyway: upwards of $7/gallon [we won’t be listening to our USA friends’ complaints of $3/gallon gas ever again!]. A planned march on Monday, Egypt style, is focused on the gas shortage and the links to the country’s lack of foreign exchange to pay the petrol dealers.

Personally, we are doing okay. Initially, Jon thought that I was exaggerating the frequency of the fuel shortages, but as this is the 4^th time the city has been dry in about 3 months, we now religiously adhere to the half tank rule [I try to fill up at ¾ tank!]. As we both heard rumors of this crisis last weekend, we both fueled up and each have more than ½ tank left to get through this latest mess. Still, with no fuel in sight, and no desire to spend 14 hours in the car in line for gas, we too are feeling the pinch. No weekend hiking trip for us; no trip to the beach; carpool only; strong preference for foot travel. Jon leaves on Monday, and although I am sad about that, there is one silver lining: having access to two cars with ½ tank gas, each, gives me a nice gas cushion to get around for another couple of weeks. Other folks, not so lucky.