A little over 30 years ago, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Blantyre, Malawi, working as a Town Planner. I got assigned to Malawi, which is not in the jungle. I was placed in the industrial capital, Blantyre, a city of about 400,000.
I had two counterparts, Luka and Nkoma. Our office had their desks and mine, and I sat across from their two desks. It was a very plain, austere room. Mostly what we did was review plans and get stop orders to take down illegal developments.
One day, Nkoma didn’t come in to work until 9:30. He plopped down at his desk, sighed, and looked at me. He looked disgusted.
“What happened?” I asked.
“My roommate’s girlfriend’s uncle came to town, and it was party all night and I had to give up my bed and didn’t get any sleep.”
“Why did you have to give up your bed?” I asked, inferring that the roommate and girlfriend should have given up their bed.
“He’s an elder. It would have been rude if I hadn’t.”
The next day, Nkoma was late again. He looked demoralized.
“When’s he leaving?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Would you like to stay with me? I have an extra bedroom.”
“No, that would be rude to him.”
The next day, Nkoma was late again, and his expression….
“What?” I asked.
“They were partying all night, and when I got up, I find this guy passed out, and he had vomited all over my bed.”
I gasped. Luka responded, “Ah, yes. It’s a serious inconvenience when someone vomits in your bed.”
I looked from Luka to Nkoma. “A serious inconvenience?” I asked, incredulous. They both looked at me. Nkoma said,
“Yes. What would you say?”
Bummer was what came to mind…
The next day, Nkoma was on time, smiling.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I guess he realized that he had overstayed his welcome. He cleaned up and left.”
People were always asking me how I liked Malawi. I told them I was learning a lot. The most important thing I learned is the difference between a problem, an inconvenience, and a ‘serious inconvenience’.
Robyn Michaels
