To Be Thankful

November 9, 2013

Here’s a brief synapses of what I have been doing this pass month. Besides tree nurseries and cook stove making , I have started Charcoal making at Chichere Farm using Ag waste products. Hopefully, the charcoal will generate income for the farm to help it become sustainable and not rely on outside sources for money. I also completed a Malaria Project at Home of Hope. This involved planting 300 Lemongrass plants, and purchasing 82 Mosquito Nets with funds from Raising Malawi. The Elephant Pump in Soko Village is still under construction…the NGO Pump Aid here is really the one who is slowing it up. It may be the thing that I snap over, as it should have been completed weeks ago and now they may not install the actual pump until January. I finally started my garden as well, it took me 6 hours to dig it and 2 more to fill it, and 2 hours to plant. I hired someone to build a fence around it as I tried to do it myself, trying to make a sunflower stalk fence was so frustrating that I went and looked up positions for teaching and started editing my resume. ha My neighbor kept telling me I couldn’t do all the digging in one day and that I would get sick…I told her yes I can! The next day she came to see if I was sick. No I was not, I was sore for maybe 3 days with 7 blisters on my hands from my hoe, but was I going to admit that to her…heck no! I am an American! A lot of Malawians pretty much wake up early to work and quit before it’s too hot. How are you to get any work done this way? I also started the Grassroots Soccer Program at Bua Primary school, I am excited to continue having fun with this! I also started going to church in the my boma at the Assemblies of God there since it is in English. It is great and the chief from Soko attends this church. When meeting him I could tell he was a Spirit filled man, by his presence, through his prayers (even though I can’t understand) them, through his overall joy he releases every time I see him. He really makes me feel like I am doing so much to help the people here which makes me so thankful. That being said…

As Thanksgiving is approaching I thought it’d be appropriate to write about things I am thankful for. Being here in Malawi really puts things into perspective on how thankful I really should be and things I have taken for granted back home.

*I am thankful for my family…even though when I get back home it may be 2 days before I am sick of them again, you only have one family and they are not going to be around forever. Also seeing so many orphans here makes me thankful that I still have my parents.

* I am thankful that I am placed in a house here with electricity, running water, toilet, and a shower. Many volunteers do not have these and most Malawians do not. Only one house has electricity in my main village I work with has electricity. The other things no homes have these in my villages. I will not be taking these things for granted again back home.

*I am thankful for access to good education. While some can argue that the education system is heading on a downward path in America. It is nowhere near how poor of a system it is here. Students may still be 18 and in Standard 8, or never even make it that far. Most drop out as well because they cannot afford secondary school. Pursuing higher education here is even more difficult.

* I am thankful I have never gone hungry and have access to clean water. In some areas of the country, children eat mud bricks and the only food they may get is porridge that may or may not be served at school, and water may be taken from an unprotected well or dirty stream.

*I am thankful for good roads and my own car back home. Now throw me in a mini bus with near 30 people and no seatbelts, which may hit near every pothole and hit 2 goats (who were baby making) on the way to town. I may never be a backseat driver again. I am visiting my friend in the North soon; I hear the roads are even worse…I know some of you have been in a car with me when I pretty much freak out or cry, let’s hope this does not happen. When I think about things like …’wow not many people wear glasses here, I need glasses/contacts to drive’, it freaks me out even more.

*I am thankful for a good health care system back home. Although it may cost you (maybe more with Obamacare), I do not think you would want the system they have here which is free. If you want a hospital that has no medication and the person who may be attending you is a drunk then come on over.

* I am thankful for the new friendships I have gained while being here. As well as the constant love and support I receive from friends and family from home through snail mail, email or Facebook. Thanks for the recent care package from the Twin Cities Phi Mu Alumnae Chapter full of toothbrushes, toothpaste and other dental products to help make the children’s smiles shine! I did a dental hygiene session with them earlier today!

* I am thankful that each day I can grow in my patience, learn more about the culture here, help my friends when needed and bring a smile to a child’s face.

* Finally I am thankful that I have only had one cockroach in my house….I’d be even more thankful if that was the case for spiders. I didn’t sleep in my bedroom one summer because of spider; I killed 3 rather large ones yesterday. This reminds me I need some more Doom.

These are some of the things I am thankful for and the list could go on. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving in a couple weeks. PS. I will eventually post pictures on this Blog for those of you without Facebook.