{"id":1258,"date":"2015-10-03T14:42:28","date_gmt":"2015-10-03T13:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/kenilworth-and-district\/?p=1258"},"modified":"2015-10-03T14:42:28","modified_gmt":"2015-10-03T13:42:28","slug":"october-2015-so-what-did-i-learn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/kenilworth-and-district\/2015\/10\/03\/october-2015-so-what-did-i-learn\/","title":{"rendered":"October 2015 \u2013 So what did I learn?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not all doom and gloom in Malawi – just because it\u2019s different doesn\u2019t make it wrong.<\/p>\n

I overheard a medical student say that they should just drop in a ready-made hospital complete with equipment and that would solve everything – I couldn\u2019t disagree more.\u00a0\u00a0 The people I met have shown great ingenuity and inventiveness, coming up with pragmatic solutions that work in very trying circumstances using simple local resources.\u00a0\u00a0 Like all of us, they love people to take an interest and enjoying being praised for what they can do.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s up to us to encourage and support them to achieve more to meet their needs, not give them what we feel is best.<\/p>\n

Malawi is known as \u2018the warm heart of Africa\u2019 and it deserves its reputation.<\/p>\n

The people we met were endlessly kind and caring, whether we were lost in the maze of the hospital or on a dusty track in the middle of nowhere, they took time to help us and show us the way.\u00a0\u00a0 Before any business is conducted, the conversation starts with \u2018Muli Bwanji\u2019 \u2013 how are you?<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve a great sense of fun and humour \u2013<\/p>\n

The Malaria Joke courtesy of Miriam Simbota (tutor at Kamuzu College of Nursing)<\/p>\n

A mother mosquito sends her child out into the world, after many months the child returns.\u00a0\u00a0 \u2018How did you get on?\u2019 asks the mother.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2018It was great, I\u2019m so popular\u2019 says the child \u2018everywhere I went the people clapped me!\u2019<\/p>\n

Priscilla Matinga (SI Blantyre) told me that in certain parts of Malawi, mice are considered a delicacy and sold on kebab sticks by the side of the road.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (It\u2019s true; we saw them when driving back from Lake Malawi)\u00a0\u00a0 When I expressed doubts about this, her reply was that if it was given a French name then people would be happy to eat it \u2013 escargots for instance!<\/p>\n

I read an article extolling the merits of potholes as a safety measure that would slow traffic down and hence save lives.\u00a0\u00a0 Given the dire state of the roads where I live, I\u2019ll bear that positive attitude in mind.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an old Malawi saying \u2018If a thing is worth doing \u2013 it\u2019s worth doing slowly\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 Given some of the issues they face, it saves getting frustrated!<\/p>\n

So, my Sister Soroptimists, you don\u2019t have to embark on a Madventure to make a difference.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019re already doing amazing things in your Clubs and I look forward to meeting you at Conference.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ll be the one with a rucksack instead of a handbag \u2013 oh, and Dave \u2013 he says it\u2019s the only way he gets to see me these days!<\/p>\n

And yes, I would go back \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"Dave<\/a>
Dave enjoying the company of some very happy mums in the lovely new Kangaroo ward<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"They<\/a>
They knew I was coming! This is the nickname my daughters have for me!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not all doom and gloom in Malawi – just because it\u2019s different doesn\u2019t make…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":523,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sharons-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nOctober 2015 \u2013 So what did I learn? | News | Blog | Events | SI Kenilworth and District<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SI Kenilworth and District : Blog & News : October 2015 \u2013 So what did I learn? : Keep up to date with the latest news, articles and events from the Soroptimists of SI Kenilworth and District . 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