The things we take for granted

Everyday, I realize at least one new thing we take for granted in the western world. All those things make our lives so much cozier, easier and certainly more efficient...but do they make us happier at the end of the day?

I’ve been warned before coming here about all that, but it really means nothing until you experience the absence of these convinient things. I’m talking about simple stuff: toilet paper; toilets, either attached to a building or at all; electricity; running water; fuel and transportation; internet connection, especially for work; access to education; access to a repair shop; non-corrupted government and authorities; opportunities and choice; diversity; health system; entertainment; money; credit and debit cards; real juice; cheese; pets without rabies; silence and time to reflect alone;  schedules; and so many other things.

I’ve been here for two weeks now and I can’t tell you how many times the power went out and that, even in Lilongwe (the capital). This means that the ATM machine won’t work, that you can recharge your electronic devices, you have no light, the restaurants can’t cook most of the stuff on the menu. I’ve heard that it often extends for a few days, so the food that needs to be refrigerated go bad, etc. I’m only talking about the power outage in the cities or town, but remember that most villages in periphery of the towns don’t have electricity at all.

Same for the water, the other day, I was in a small hostel in Lilongwe and all of a sudden, none of the taps were functionning. I realized soon enough that the entire neibourhood did not have any running water. It took a few days to fix the problem. Breakdowns like this happen all the time in Malawi, for different reasons. Once again, it is to be noted that there is no running water system, nor sewer system outside the cities and towns. Villages’ water is coming from a protected drilled borehole or a shallow well when they are lucky, otherwise, they get their water from an unprotected waterpoint such as a creek, a river or a puddle.

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On the other hand, here are the things that makes Malawi so special and that our western culture does not prioritize:

One thing I love and respect about the Malawian culture is how they make the best of the situation. Since they can’t be efficient because of logistic problems, they take the time and actually make a point of socializing and helping each other.

At the end of the day, there is one thing we rarely take for granted although this thing is what really matters here: the people around you, your community, your familly and friends. Even though they have close to nothing, they will go out of their way to help each other. They are caring, welcoming, genuienely friendly, smiling and I want to say happy. Think about it next time you pass a coworker or neighbour and you look down instead of smiling and greeting them.  I honestly think this strength is one of the most amazing force of Malawians. Even though they don’t have much and can’t dream big, they are more happy and way less depressed than the average north americain. There is a lot to learn from being more community oriented than individually oriented.

I can’t say if one world is better than the other as we all have our flaws, and the main difference are huge, but I know that a combination of both would be fantastic.