introducing the new queen of comedy & i think skirts are used for sleeping

I will never be as funny as I am in Africa.

Seriously. 

it is going to be a rude awakening when I return home and realize that I am not, in fact, hilarious to anyone but myself and the occasional best friend (you know who you are) 

But here??

I am the QUEEN OF COMEDY. 

Literally everything I do is funny.

I look funny (my go-to and easiest-to-present joke), I talk funny (in English and especially Chichewa), I dress funny. 
Oh and clapping/cheering when we are playing sports? HILARIOUS. Almost as funny as the 1,000s of high fives I give a day.

I will never again be greeted with cheers and delightful laughter and pointing and general commotion based purely on my looks (actually that might not be true depending on how much I shower when I get back)
But I love it. 
like yeah, at first it makes you feel extraordinarily uncomfortable but then you remember that at least you aren't as awkward-looking as you were in middle school so really, how bad could it be?

so yeah, i decided that it is weirdly fun to be this bizarre alien.

And seriously, when else am I ever going to be this funny? 
(answer: never)

~some of my tougher to please audience members~

I am not the only comedian, though.

the other day I am minding my own business sitting in a circle of children friends playing a game and this woman comes up and starts YELLLING at us in Chichewa. 
Really loud. 
She starts pointing to her skirt and miming sleeping by putting her hands up to her head and then pointing to us and pointing to her skirt and lauuuugghing and I am feeling weirdly scolded and trying to tell her that I don’t understand but she just keeps trying to explain and then she takes her skirt off (but has something underneath don’t worry but still...wut?) and gets down in the dirt and pulls her skirt over head and just lays there. 
Then gets up and yells some more but also is laughing and pointing a lot so I just nervously giggle and am looking at all the kids to try and gauge their reaction except they seem completely unfazed  so I’m just like okay whatevs maybe this happens all the time.
And then she just walks away with a few more yells and points and guffaws and we resume our game.

~nooo big~

my interpretation of this experience:

woman: “white people! Where are your skirts?!?!"*
white people (aka Kylie and I): “ummmm…I’m sorry I am not sure what you are saying. Are we doing something wrong? We just didn’t want to flash anyone by cartwheeling in a skirt! But maybe that’s not what you are even saying. 
IDK. 
maybe if you say it louder I will understand!!!”

woman: “YOU NEED SKIRTS!!! We use skirts for everything, even sleeping! Here, let me demonstrate *sleeping escapade* You are wearing pants which is super funny.
white people: “yeah I still can’t understand you I am so sorry…also why are you laying in the dirt and what does this mean and where can I get one of those wraps so that I can sleep with it over my head too?”
woman: “hahahahaahah okay I’m done, see ya later”

Is this completely wrong? 
Yeah, most likely.
I will probably never know. I just hope I see her again when I am wearing a skirt to test my theory.

other notable events:
-going to Lilongwe (the capital city) this weekend
the hostels usually have hot water and feel like luxury suites and there are always lots of way cool people from all over the world to chat and play cards with

we ate like kings/queens at a delicious indian food restaurant and walked around to get our bearings a little bit.

Oh also I bought an avocado the size of a softball so I would say it was a successful weekend.

-going to church on Sunday 
we got to hear a beautiful message and sing hymns and talk about faith and love and during the good news moment we talked about diarrhea (i know that's not really funny but cmon it kinda is. not five years old, i swear) and it was exactly what I needed 
i am overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings i have in my life and feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to worship with such wonderful people

~first beautifully awkward group picture~ 

my life is golden and the blessings are real and i am thankful for the ones i can touch and the ones i can't and just all of it

coming attractions include some of my best/worst ideas and their consequences 

xo forevers

*while not uncommon to see women wearing pants in the city women in the rural areas usually wear skirts. we always change into pants when playing with the kids since a lot of it includes entertaining them with countless cartwheels so that is better than flashing everyone, right??