Once a crack baby...

I don’t have that many nicknames. Lila, Lee and Hayls pretty much cover it I think.

Skylar, however, recently added to that short list by calling me her “little crack baby.” This affectionate (I think) moniker, is not a reference to any predilection for illegal substances nor is it a dig meant to suggest the presence of any developmental delays. Rather, “crack baby” refers to the annoying  tendency that my pants have of slipping down.

It is with equal parts humiliation and delight that I report that Malawi has caught up with Skyface. She will be overjoyed to know that I was called out on this unfortunate, er, trait. We stopped at a bustling market to pick up some mangos (I’m officially an addict) and Jackson, our driver told me that some guy who was walking behind me appreciatively called me “kukwefura” which apparently refers to the way that some guys like to wear their pants really low to imitiate rappers and the like. I’m sure the rest of what he said was lewd and not repeatable but the salient point was that he called me out.

Let me just take a moment, however, to defend my honor. Keep in mind that I was dressed like fundamentalist Mormon child bride: t shirt, braid and long skirt. I just needed a unibrow to complete the picture.

Still, however, it’s nice to know that this is a cross-cultural phenomeon that merits its own word in Malawi. Maybe there’s even a support group. Sigh. I'm going to have a mango to...er...drown? my sorrows. Here's looking at you, Sky.