1st actual day of camp

after three days of orientation, today was our first day teaching about everything we learned. it was really overwhelming at first, but everything pretty much fell into place.

on our way to the school, i sat next to one of our translators, and had a pretty long talk about stuff. he's 21 right now, so we're the same age. i asked him questions mainly about malawian culture, school in malawi, etc. eventually, we started talking about religion in malawi. christianity is the main religion here, and it is pretty evident from the many churches that i've seen so far just traveling around. most of our translators attend church, and some are even in bible school.

as i was talking to my translator, i realize that i can't seem to escape the presence of God. i consider myself to be a pretty spritual person. i may not attend church as much as i used to in high school, but i still enjoy having deep thoughts about life, religion, and morality. my translator is very learned in religion in malawi, and seems to be a very big christian. he tells about churches in malawi, and how he doesnt understand how young christians don't enjoy attending church. i ask him how long people normally spend their sundays at church, and he responds that regardless of how long he is there, it doesn't seem like it is a long time because he is devoting and enjoying that one day completely to christ. i'm so taken aback by the amount of sincere passion that i've just witnessed and i feel like someone like me to respond to him with my lying eyes would just be wrong.

near the end of our discussion, he told me that one day, he wants to travel to the states and visit a church there. i had to hold my tongue back to stop myself from trying to convince him not to come. in many senses, when i see great people like him, i am ashamed of what i am, and the attitudes that most americans, or even korean-americans, have towards church. i only hope that the day he comes to the states to visit a church, he may visit one that makes him proud to be who he is.


so when we arrived, we were greeted by about 50-60 malawian kids who attend our school. they are so happy to see us and their smiles are so contagious. i think it was watching the excitement of the children during games that increased my confidence of speaking in front of them about such a risky subject.

during lunchtime, we bring nsima (pounded cornmeal that looks, but tastes nothing like, mashed potatoes) with some cabbage relish for the students to eat. i eat their food with them, just like them, with my hands, and they find it hilarious. i think that if you know how to make someone smile, then you need to go and volunteer.

after all the students got their food, we gave the remaining nsima and relish to the village kids who are waiting patiently outside the doors of the food room. we put the remaining nsima in two huge plates, and the remaining relish in two huge plates as well, and suddenly i see two circles being formed around one plate each of nsima and relish, as if they have been waiting for food their entire lives. immediately after, i witness what i can only describe as a life size edition of hungry hungry hippos. it is sad, watching kids who are bloated b/c they are malnutritioned as they stuff their faces with food without any concern for etiquitte. what is even more tragic is that america suffers from obesity, a term that these children do not understand, and will probably never will. america just has too much food. as i eat my nsima, i get kind of annoyed with eating, and am planning on throwing away the pbj that i packed earlier because i just don't want to eat it. i'm about to throw away food because i just don't want to eat it. when such a dichotomy between poverty and abundance exists, how can i say that i have something to teach these children? when all is said and done, will they see us as americans, or as volunteers?