A glimpse of Africa from Malawi to Wimberley

Jordan Price, who moved to Woodcreek last month, wants you to know about Malawi.

He wants you to know that the small African nation has hundreds of species of birds, that the people are friendly and no matter where you go you’ll find someone who speaks English.

Jordan is the honorary consul for the southeast African nation of Malawi. It’s his (unpaid) duty to promote tourism to Malawi, tout its products and answer questions about the nation.

Malawi is a little known country. It’s poor. Taking into account the cost of living, per capita income and inflation rates, Malawi is the third poorest nation on earth, according to data compiled by the International Monetary Fund (only South Sudan and Burundi are worse off). But a few years ago, says Jordan, Malawi was at the bottom of the list, so things are improving — a little. Malawi has a high infant mortality rate and low life expectancy.

Around 19 million people live there. English is the official language. Agriculture is the main business. It’s a pro-Western democracy country that’s a little smaller than the state of Florida.

Despite Malawi’s problems, Jordan fell in love with the people and the landscape. Now he enthusiastically supports the country. When he sees a Malawian product — typically tea — on the shelves of a market, he’ll drop the storekeeper a thank-you note. He puts together tour groups for camera safaris and fields visa and passport questions from Malawian citizens in the United States, and from Americans wanting to know more about the country.

If you see a black BMW with a small green, red and black flag attached to the fender driving on Ranch Road 12, it’s likely Jordan behind the wheel. In truth, he only uses the flag for special occasions.

Peace Corps volunteer

Jordan’s days in Africa go back to 15 or so years when he was a Peace Corps volunteer in the small country of Lesotho. In 2009, he did a stint in Malawi. During his time there he helped build a hospital that was donated back to the government and designed a program that added teachers to the system and helped bring class sizes down from hundreds of students to 20 or 30.

He has always worked with nonprofits. When he moved back to the United States he got jobs with The Bryan Museum in Galveston and the Audubon Society in Austin.

While in Austin, Jordan and his wife Heather visited Wimberley and fell in love with the beauty of the Hill Country. Heather, who works for a company that manufacturers wheelchairs, needs access to a major airport. Wimberley was the perfect fit. “We were looking for a town that wasn’t extremely remote,” says Jordan. “Where in Texas can you live that’s this beautiful and within an hour from an airport?”

These days, Jordan is a consultant for nonprofits — when he’s not promoting Malawi.

He’s Malawi’s only honorary consul in the U.S. (although there are some in Europe). His work promoting Malawi caught the eye of the nation’s ambassador and Jordan was invited to stay at the Malawi residence in Maryland. His appointment was quickly approved by the Malawian government and less-quickly approved by the U.S. government. He carries a State Department ID card and has what they call “limited diplomatic immunity.” He can still get arrested or get a traffic ticket, he points out.

“Basically, I am a remote wing of the embassy,” Jordan explains. In a typical week he’ll get a couple calls from Malawians in the U.S., usually concerning visa or passport issues.

He clearly enjoys the part of the job that promotes Malawi. He tries to make the 24- hour flight back to Malawi twice annually. It’s a taxing trip that goes from Austin to London to Ethiopia to Malawi.

Changing economy

Jordan owns a small farm there where he experiments with different fruit trees. “Ninety-five percent of the trees die,” he points out.

The county’s economy used to be based on tobacco, but with a declining market in tobacco, the nation’s farmers are branching out to sugar, nuts, tea, and juices.

In fact, Jordan recently hosted a Malawian tea tasting event via video conferencing. More than 150 participants bought the tea on line, tuned in to the tasting and learned about the types of tea the country produces.

Jordan promotes tourism with gusto. Of course, when talking about African tourism, Malawi is not the first country that comes to mind.

“It’s a beautiful country,” says Jordan. “It’s extremely affordable. In Kenya or Tanzania, the same trip would cost thousands of dollars more. Plus, you can go almost anywhere in the country and you’ll find someone who speaks English. It’s an easy country to travel in.”

For small groups, Jordan will tailor a camera safari that will highlight the people, food and customs of Malawi as well as the hundreds of species of birds and mammals, including elephants, rhinos and hippos. It’s especially popular with artists and photographers, he says.

If you want to take part in Jordan’s virtual upcoming Malawi tea tasting go to: www.africantea.eventbrite. com. It’s scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13.

If you have a question about Malawi or group tours you can reach Jordan at: [email protected].