Volcanoes in Iceland

I’ve been in Malawi for about 5 months. Since I arrived I have not received a single letter or package in country, with the exception of one Fedex box which was sent express. It’s a little depressing but not enough to be a significant bother. It is, however, quite upsetting when every other person in my class is getting letters and packages almost every week. For example, Wellesley gets loads of packages filled with candy, chocolates, and bits of America that we miss enormously. I feel like the one kid in school who nobody likes.

People have sent mail, or at least they claim to have, and maybe it’s just my awful luck in life. I heard rumors through the PCV wire, which sometimes works as well as a game of telephone, that a volcano erupted in Iceland, causing a major disruption in mail heading to Lilongwe. Why? No idea, but apparently many flight routes were disrupted. So, now that things are settled, mail has resumed and the Lilongwe Post Office is backed up with an overload of letters and packages, causing further delays in delivery. My mail could be crammed in a dark corner of the Lilongwe Post Office, hopefully, or it could be in Malaysia, Timbuktu, a black hole, the Bermuda Triangle, or even the Lost island, who knows. At this point I have abandoned all hope and look forward to no mail or tasting an American chocolate bar for 2 years. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

While I was stateside I had my words to say about America. I guess it’s always easy to complain about the place you live in when you are living there, and free to complain. This maybe a case of green grass or home sickness, but being in Malawi has made me realize how much I love America. Yes, it still has its problems, as any country does, but overall it’s a great place to live. The excess culture and media are bothersome, but you are free to pursue any life you wish and have the opportunity for that pursuit. All you need is hard work.

Malawi is wonderful, but the culture of obligation is stifling. My sister recently returned from volunteering in Haiti and was explaining how the people there are much nicer and helpful than in the US, which is generally true, because from my observations it seems the less you have the more giving you are.

In Malawi, and many other developing countries, people who have almost nothing are the most generous, and kind people, always offering what they have to visitors, complete strangers. Find me one person in the US that would do that for anyone. Different countries, different cultures, and I appreciate both for their positive attributes, now more than ever, there are good people in every country, and bad ones just the same.