Cash Economy

There is no such thing as a credit card in Malawi. Everything here operates in cash. Not only that, but there is no such thing as a $10 bill, or a $20 bill, or even a $5. The largest denomination bill is 500 kwacha, which is about $3.50. So when I pay my guards and housekeeper their salaries every month, I hand them a wad of cash. When I pay my internet bill, or the security alarm (3 months at a time), I fork over a wad of cash. Going to the ATM is like hitting the jackpot. You can't take out more than 20,000 kwacha at a time, which sounds like a lot, but is really only $142.50. So at the end of the month, when it is pay-day and bills are due, I have to hit the ATM like 3 times a day, 3 or 4 days in a row. Carrying around $500 in $3 dollar bills makes me feel like a gangster. The wad of cash is so big that it doesn't fit in my wallet, so I carry around rubberbands and folio clips to contain it in neat bundles. A recent grocery store run to stock up on beer (bought by the case - you have to bring back the empties to get new ones), cleaning products, and other sundries ran me 11,000 kwacha. It took me 6 minutes just to count out the cash. For some reason there is actually a denomination smaller than the lowly kwacha - 100 tambala makes 1 kwacha. Which is ridiculous, because even though there is a 1 kwacha coin, no one ever uses them, so why you would need tambala is beyond me. In fact, often in the grocery store, instead of getting your 3 kwacha in change, they give you a piece of candy. Only in Malawi :)