Welcome to "Through a Glass Darkly" - my blog about my service trip to Malawi, Africa.

I left Canada on December 30th for Blantyre, Malawi, AFRICA. I worked with Friends of Malawi Fellowship (FOMF), the organization headed by my aunt Phyllis Labrentz. I taught English language and literature, helping secondary high school students learn to read and write English well enough to pass the government exams.
During that time I was also kept busy teaching guitar, singing, and assisting my aunt.
I left Malawi on July 19th and returned to Canada on July 20th.

Friday, February 24, 2012

TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED

There are a LOT of things I probably won't take for granted for a long, long time, like:

-a bug-free home

-electricity that doesn't get turned off because of an impoverished  government

-water that I don't have to purify or boil before I drink.

-brewed, REAL coffee readily available on practically every corner. (however, they heat their milk here!)

-roads that aren't full of rocks, holes...and garbage

-trash receptacles for people to use

-riverbanks that aren't COVERED in garbage

-washers, dryers, and laundromats so women don't have to wash clothes in the river and lay things on the rocks to dry

-stoves--and kitchens--so that I don't have to cook over a fire outside like the majority of Malawians

-mosquitoes that make you itchy--but don't give you a potentially fatal illness

-government programs like EI, Welfare, and Pensions so that people don't starve to death, or so that people don't have to beg because they're missing limbs and can't get work

-free grade school education

-the familiar closeness of family and friends

And there's a LOT more that I plan to add to this list.
Maybe you can make your own list and share it with me.

5 comments:

  1. Izzy24 February 2012 at 20:23

    I give you 6 weeks. Hahah! Just joking! Poke poke! Love ya. Good list. *Hugs!*

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  2. Inez25 February 2012 at 06:35

    You mean, 6 more? Cuz it's been 8 already.

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  3. Inez25 February 2012 at 06:36

    What's your list, Izzy?

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  4. Anonymous6 March 2012 at 09:42

    Thank you for sharing this list. It sounds really hard were you are it makes me think about how easy things are where I live. I admire what you are doing their and am praying for you and those kids.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Inez6 March 2012 at 11:15

    So many things here are just...different. And I really, really don't want to ever forget that when I return to Canada. We are so blessed.

    ReplyDelete

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