Red Out Loud

Joanna and I went shopping yesterday for all things Malawi, from school supplies to hand sanitizing wipes and power bars, we are prepared. We spent the day with our moms, which felt like a whole journey in itself, but we survived and I think inevitably truly appreciated their assistance, or at least the use of their big, luxurious cars. I am starting to take note of every single small thing in my day that makes my life as easy as it is, from things as obvious as my phone, computer and television, to things as arbitrary as the toilet, the subway, plastic bags, light bulbs and garbage bins. It is amazing to me that 4 days from now I will be immersed in a culture where people experience their day to day in an entirely different way, but what I look forward to is seeing how they enjoy their lives, experience common emotions to those I experience, live similar emotional lives but in completely different circumstances. I can’t wait to see what it is like to relate to these children. I love children and I feel nervousness, as though I am about to start 7th grade at a new middle school, about whether I will be liked and whether Joanna and I can make a statement or a difference, while learning about a rich and deep culture. My honest intention was originally a spontaneous, impulsive one but this is now becoming a great goal of mine, to help create a sustainable, educational environment, for pre school age children who are essentially the foundation of the society to which they are members and can in the end inspire the greatest difference.

Ok, ok….I am also so darn curious about the home we will stay in, what it looks like, what the mattress is like, and what the heck it will be like to pee in a latrine. Lord, help us all.