Lilongwe - Post Report Question and Answers
Morale among expats:
Great--so long as you get out and meet new people. - Sep 2013
Generally really high. There are a lot of really friendly people here who genuinely like each other and are happy. There are a lot of things that can get you down about Malawi, because it's such a poor country, the houses are big but not without their problems, and it can be really frustrating to pay a lot of money for low quality food, and sometimes not even be able to find basics (like eggs). That being said, it's lovely weather, there is a lot to do, and this is a really great community to be part of, so those things usually outweigh the bad. However, while we have been here there have been severe fuel shortages which have resulted in very long fuel lines and people paying drivers to stand in line all day. This has resulted in very low morale. The embassy has its own fuel pumps, so we were not as affected, but the Embassy even had to close the fuel pumps several times as it could not get fuel either. - Sep 2012
Fairly good. It's a pretty easy place to live. - Sep 2009
During your first 1-2 years it is good. However, Malawi is surprisingly a rather difficult country to live in on many levels. There are many leftover remains from the Banda years, including jealousy and xenophobia. Capacity is extremely low, and there is sometimes a rather large sense of pride, which prohibits forward movement. Sometime during the third year, a real fatigue sets in, and then morale dips. That means it is time to leave and let a new group have a go at it. - Jul 2009
