My host father had been asking what my mother was like back in America. He was very excited to learn that she was in the air force as a weapons mechanic; this is a rather strange idea to Malawians because there are no women allowed in the military here. My host father was also in the military briefly, and he was very proud to tell me so.
Fast forward to later that day, I had been given an orange by Peace Corps to supplement my limited diet here in the village and I decided to share it with my host family. People here very rarely have access to oranges and they are very expensive. As I was cutting it up onto slices, I talked about how my mother likes to eat the peels. My host father listened very intently, then, just as he was about to bite into his slice, he said "Your mother is a warrior (because she was in the air force) and she eats peels. I am a warrior also, so I must eat the peel". Then with all of us watching and laughing, he choked down the sour peel with as strong a face as he could muster. My peel eating warrior of a host father everyone!
17 July 2019