First Impressions

So, I’ve been here just a day, and I’ve slept half of that, but much has been taken in that I must speak of. Upon arriving at the airport, we were greeted by plenty of friendly, helpful people that would be happy to help us with our luggage for a small fee of course. So, I’m thinking I’m in Calcutta again. I must state that most of my preexisting notions of what it would be like here are derived from stories I’ve heard, and from my only other overseas experience, in Calcutta, India.

Well, much like Calcutta, I have been privy to luxury I would not have expected. The main road from the airport in Blantyre to Zomba (where I am staying) was bumpy as advertised, but the paved roads in Zomba are actually quite good. Even amidst the bumps, I managed to doze off on the ride in, starting to catch up on all the sleep I didn’t get on the plane. I was amazed that we had been only gone about 30 hours (plus the 6 hour time difference), by the time we had arrived. Anyhow, we stopped in Blantyre to pick up some food, and I was greeted by a grocery store that looked much like the ones we have in Canada, and remarkably contained much of the same foods as well, albeit at prices that were roughly the same as in Canada. I’ve discovered that there is plenty available if you have the means to pay for it, but the gap between the haves and the have nots is very great. We will pass by gated, large brick homes, and then pass by a bunch of shacks, huts, etc. Anyhow, at least knowing that I can treat myself to a taste of home once in a while is a good thing (Snickers and Pringles are there, and Carlsberg is only $0.50 a bottle, but I think I’m going to give up drinking for the year.

So, then we arrived at my temporary home for orientation with my bosses, Paul and Helen Jones. These are great people, and I am relieved since a good boss is very important, but especially here as they will be mentors and advisors as well. They have a great home, which is connected to the office, and also includes a (slightly out of tune) piano. Looks like I won’t be without one, which is exciting. I also brought my guitar, so I can continue with lots of music. After some social time and a nice dinner of corn (which would kind of taste like our field corn in Canada) and a casserole, I laid down on the bed for a second after dinner which turned into 12 hours. It was great.

Getting up this morning, I had pancakes with real maple syrup from Canada, which was an unexpected treat, and one which I can duplicate, thanks to a certain friend that sent some syrup with me. Then we went to a church service that was entirely in Chichewa (the native language here) They had us stand up and say hello, and then the whole church came up and shook our hands, along with the other visitors to the church. We repeated the handshaking line after the service as well. As I noted the different handshakes, I recalled in training school an exercise we did to demonstrate handshakes from different cultures. Eye contact/no eye contact, one hand or two, one hand on the arm, grip, length of time, many of these things symbolize something, usually respect for elders et al. I expect that many things from training school will come back as time goes on. To all the EI trainees reading this, I want to say hi, and wish you well as you travel over here and settle in. Hope to hear from you guys and girls soon on this side of the world.

So, I just finished lunch, which consisted of heating up some leftover pizza in the microwave. Yes, you read that right. I don’t think my house is decked out with quite the same amenities, but it’s certainly handy to have these things available.

So many things have run through my head. I can see that even here, I have the chance to be lazy. I wonder how much interaction there is between the classes, and I wonder if the rich here even really understand how the poor are living. There is so much beyond my comfortable gated walls here, and I look forward to experiencing it over time. I need to remain God led and God focused in order to understand my mission here and how to make a difference to those around me. I need wisdom to perform the first accounting job that I have ever done. I thank all of you that have been praying for me and ask that you pray that I may continue to challenge myself and break down barriers at an appropriate pace, and don’t fall into the ease of comforts here, but rather use them to refresh myself when needed. I am also aware that part of the orientation I'm sure is to ease us into the changes here, and I am excited to hear that I will be spending a few days in the village so I will be able to see how others live.

Sorry this turned out so long. I don’t imagine I’ll always have this much to say. I guess I’ll go for now. Be well and safe.