Here's my fabulous balloon toss partner just before I dropped it and got soaked.
Some other encounters with irony this week:
Two pictures I took this week that speak volumes. I'll let you find you own irony in them.
"World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty."
http://www.worldvision.org/
http://www.worldvision.org/
A picture from Malawian court TV that I just don't know what to do with.................
And finally, the title of this blog entry. Whenever one travels in a developing country, no matter which country it is, the roadside vendors that approach your car at traffic lights, minibus at a roadside stop, or bus/train at a station are a common thread. In Malawi I've been offered some fantastic things such as fresh strawberries and roasted corn; some things I wanted no part of such as rats on a stick (perhaps more on this later); and some things that are just downright confusing such as a dog collar and one flip flop. The other day we were in the car and when we slowed, the familiar children, young men and women were their on the side of the road selling their wares in an attempt to eek out an existence. This time however, the lineup was just too perfect. One person asked "what are they selling?" to which I replied, " A pigeon........a puppy...........and a papaya." It's now become a running joke for our group that sends us rolling with laughter, but I can't help but spend time thinking about these lives that are dependent on selling their wares by the roadside. To be so desperate that you try to sell a dog collar or one flip flop or a struggling, flopping single pigeon. As each vehicle nears, hopes must raise, the possibility of money for survival flashes for a moment, only to be crushed as your fellow Malawians and the azungus who somehow got the long end of the lucky stick in life speed on by.
And finally, the title of this blog entry. Whenever one travels in a developing country, no matter which country it is, the roadside vendors that approach your car at traffic lights, minibus at a roadside stop, or bus/train at a station are a common thread. In Malawi I've been offered some fantastic things such as fresh strawberries and roasted corn; some things I wanted no part of such as rats on a stick (perhaps more on this later); and some things that are just downright confusing such as a dog collar and one flip flop. The other day we were in the car and when we slowed, the familiar children, young men and women were their on the side of the road selling their wares in an attempt to eek out an existence. This time however, the lineup was just too perfect. One person asked "what are they selling?" to which I replied, " A pigeon........a puppy...........and a papaya." It's now become a running joke for our group that sends us rolling with laughter, but I can't help but spend time thinking about these lives that are dependent on selling their wares by the roadside. To be so desperate that you try to sell a dog collar or one flip flop or a struggling, flopping single pigeon. As each vehicle nears, hopes must raise, the possibility of money for survival flashes for a moment, only to be crushed as your fellow Malawians and the azungus who somehow got the long end of the lucky stick in life speed on by.
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