My next trip was to Malawi. It’s one of my favorite countries but this time, I was just there to present our findings from our agriculture risk management work, so I just stayed in Lilongwe. But it was nice to see my colleagues and I had some good discussions with different institutions and organizations. Other than my presentations, I had a lot of work to finish by end-May so it was one of those weeks when my work day stretched from eight in the morning to past midnight. But I managed to pick up my favorite tea (Chombe) and have nsima (a maize dish like mamaliga, or like polenta but less watery, but made of white maize) before I got on the flight over to Central Asia.

Sobo soda – a favorite among Malawians! I think it’s grape but not sure… But lots of sugar!