I stood humbly in front of my students, fellow counselors and life long learners and all of my apprehension and nervous energy was replaced by a feeling that there was no other place for me to be. Being back in the classroom and teaching again was like putting on a pair of cozy sweat pants after a long cold day in your work clothes. It felt right like it was what I had been waiting for. One of my students, a thirty five year old woman from Congo, came into the room and sat down quietly. My eyes opened wide. I was not expecting to see her face for at least another few weeks. She had given birth to a healthy baby girl not 6 days earlier and here she was, sitting at the table, pen in her right hand and infant baby in her left hand. WOW! Nothing was going to stand in the way of her attending our first day of class together. Her eagerness and dedication to learn was so inspiring. My eyes couldn’t hide my happiness. Illumine had given me a brand new definition of dedication. If I work to the best of my ability, I can only hope to be in the same ballpark of her devotion and enthusiasm. I am determined to do so. My motivation is in front of me every day, asking questions, learning new concepts and thanking me graciously after each lesson. My students are so proud and even more amazing!
There has been various times during my return to Malawi that I have begun to notice changes in the way locals perceive the world around them. They are very small changes, but changes non-the-less. A while back I was speaking to a dear friend about the movement of an inchworm and despite their slow pace they still inch along, their progress undeniable. The same can be said about the transformation happening in Malawi. Painfully and sometimes torturously slow, but steady.
Just this morning I was riding my bike to work. Having a woman, much less a white woman, behind the handlebars of a bike is a rare and unusual sight here in Lilongwe. On the opposite side of the street a father was walking with his young daughter of about six years. At his side was their leashed dog and on his back, in a Western styled baby carrier, was his child. For visualization purposes I should mention that this family is white. I took notice of three Malawian men in front of me pointing at the family, laughing and shaking their heads in good spirits. I deduced from the scenario that they were 1: intrigued to see a white family walking down the street, not driving a car, and 2: perplexed to see a man carrying a baby on his back (A means of carrying babies only used by African woman). They saw me quickly approaching on my bike and we met each other’s gaze. I pointed to the family, whose foreign practices were being mocked then pointed to myself in a joking way and the bizarre sight I must have been. I threw my hands up in the air, “Crazy isn’t it?” They pointed back at me and then again at the family while shaking their heads and smiling. We all shared a good laugh about it. What is this crazy Malawian world coming to when white men are carrying babies on their backs and white woman are riding bikes to work. We inch forward.
The other day I was sitting in the back of a mini bus trying to protect the bag of a dozen or so tomatoes on my lap from getting smashed into a saucy oblivion. I was people watching and eying a particular old woman in the front of the mini bus. She was staring down a young man who had entered into the van wearing a professional style of headphone on his ears. She looked at him with an expression on her face that seemed to say, “Ahh, kids these days. What will they be up to next?” She shook her head while smiling at the same time almost in awe of the younger generation in Malawi. The youth now days are buying up mp3 players, checking facebook on their Smart Phones and joining the 21st century in technology. The older generation is taking notice.
This week in our community counseling course we have begun a module in computer learning. As an adult (well, at least according to my age) I have taken for granted the fact that I grew up in an age of computers where power point presentations, finding prized items on eBay and using the Internet has been second nature. With adult learners who have never had any exposure to computers I have quickly come to realize that it is not only a challenge to use a keyboard but also to locate the fine motor coordination to operate a mouse and double click on a link. According to our current level we may as well be painting Mandarin Chinese characters. Yesterday we attempted to open the World Wide Web and conduct our first Google search. That all began after I explained what the Internet was, what an address bar does, what a search engine is used for, what a website gives us and every other technical term that have been a part of my vocabulary since my childhood discovery of our first Apple II GS. Patience and a grip on the mouse that is not as stiff and rigid as a corpse makes things easier for us and in the mean time we laugh out loud often and inch along.
It is a revolution my friends and the revolution will not be televised. I am a part of something larger than myself. Something truly great.
Dome's Favorites: After exploring every possible way to watch my 49ers play football I discovered that 107.7 the Bone, my new all-time favorite radio station, based in the Bay Area streams live broadcast of all the 49er games. Without power cuts and the entire neighborhood online slowing down our connection speed I can listen to the games. When I heard the live feed come through and my roommate saw the look on my face she began to realize just how important American Football is to my life. I can't describe it enough but by seeing my face and hearing me yell at a computer she is catching on quickly. Thank you Cathy for faining interest in my, ahem, our team. Your support has been dually noted.
