Thursday Aug. 30

Today began just the same as every other day this week with an early morning wake up call from the annoying alarm on our pay-as-you-go phone. You know, one of those phones where the packaging they come in is worth more than the actual phone itself. Complements of China and the C.R.A.P. industry. Since adapting to the new time zone, getting up in the mornings has become a difficult choice to make.

“Oh how that extra bit of sleep would feel superb,” says my tired side.

“But there is a warm shower that awaits your presence,” replies my motivating conscious.

In an effort to make the decision, it seems the choice has already been made. Up it is, and stumbling across the room into the bathroom becomes the second wake up call.

As difficult as it appears, the revitalizing power of water energizes my bushed body and adequately prepares me for the long day ahead. Now into the fourth day of school, the short walk around three hundred yards is accomplished without even the slightest thought. Upon our early arrival we are greeted by an even earlier arrival from some of the students. Entertaining the children before school begins should be worth half a days wage in and of itself. Bouncing off the walls, the kids desperately need something to do. Luckily for me, I just happened to bring a small white board in which the kids begin to draw pictures of Trent and I. Yes, they made Trent look buffer and more handsome than me. Haha. But it’s a good thing they were only cartoons. Wouldn’t want the truth to be displayed publically in front of class this early on… Hehehehe ha… Ha.

The administering of class work juggled in time with grading becomes a full time job as I try to keep up with the students. Since their textbooks have not arrived yet, photocopying in advance with last years textbooks and workbooks has led to an increased stress level. An extra part of the job has now been added: Making sure there is sufficient amount of work for the students to keep busy with. Photocopying doesn’t simply require walking into the next room to copy a few pages. No, it involves a half-mile walk to a local business where I kindly instruct a local which pages to duplicate and how many copies are needed. As I lesson plan the days ahead and monitor the pages left in their packets, I begin to wonder how things would play out if I lacked the maturity to care? If I didn’t do the extra work to calculate how many pages I need to walk a half-mile for to have someone copy them for me? It seems, far to often, that difficult tasks are passed up or looked over in our society and left for someone else to take care of. That little difference between ordinary and extraordinary has become nonexistent. The little ‘extra’ required to make a task run smoothly has evolved into a personal choice instead of the normal thing to do.

In my mind, I applied this lesson to all areas of life. The ultimate goals would be to have the motivation to do everything required of me with sufficient energy and a happy attitude. I have tried to prevent even thinking about the idea of settling for something easier. Replacing it instead, with how fast and how well can I get the job done. Needless to say, as irritating as photocopying can be, it has been neither the worst job nor the most taxing. Just a thought.

The school day ends with an hour of swimming at the local Mt. Soche Hotel. The kids love the water and it entertains them to compete in who can do the best belly flop. For the record I have declined participating. Before long the kids are dismissed and the afternoon becomes an uncharted adventure for Trent and I. During a bickering battle with a taxi driver to take us to a local supermarket, we met the husband of the only Cardiologist in the country who is an Adventist and he offered to give us a lift. Besides stocking up on life’s basic essentials-bread, milk, pasta, and oatmeal we were able to get to know one of our neighbors and create a relationship that will continue to grow as the year progresses. It was a ‘Win Win’ afternoon.

The later half of the afternoon provided itself with time to visit one of the local orphanages. Open Arms as it is called, houses children from 0 to 6. Neglected abandoned and left for dead, the children are brought there either as orphans or by parents who lack the funds to care for them and are looked after by an excellent team comprised of local Malawian men and women as well as 5 or 6 volunteers from Germany, France, and the U.K. Talk about dedication. I don’t think I could see myself successfully baby sitting tottlers while also keeping my sanity. When twenty two-year olds all chip in in a mass ensemble of Beethoven’s Great Scream and Cry Symphony in Ears Ringing Major it is no joyous masterpiece. Ouchiwawa!

Trent and I spent an hour playing a pick up game of soccer with two of the older kids. I passed out stickers to some of the little ones and pushed others in a swing. The happiness displayed over an hour of attention and a few pieces of decorated sticky paper could not compare with much else in life. It was truly rewarding and I will definitely be returning in the near future.