What Will I Miss

It is now July, and I am officially in my last month here in Malawi. Tickets have been purchased and arrangements have been made for our departure from Malawi back home to the United States. I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by. As I start to prepare to leave, I have been making a list of things that I am excited to get back home to, along with a list of things I am sad to be leaving here in Malawi. Here is a look at my thoughts as I begin to prepare my heart and mind for the transition.

Things I am looking forward to in the USA:

• Being together with my whole family
• Seeing and hanging out with my friends again
• Sharing my experiences, stories and pictures with anyone who will listen
• Meeting my friend Gabby’s new daughter Isabella, who’s birth I missed while here
• Driving on tarmac roads without people, chickens, bikes, and goats all over it
• Having power and water all the time
• A hot shower
• Being able to shop for any ingredient I need for a recipe
• Sleeping without a mosquito net
• Hamburgers

Things I will miss in Malawi:

• My students
• My Coworkers
• My Malawian friends
• Remus
• Eating Nsima
• Seeing a monkey out the window while I eat breakfast
• Amazing Mangos
• Fresh fruits and vegetables all year round
• Mulanje Pineapple
• Seeing the sun and moon rise over the mountain
• When the power is off and it is pitch black and the stars come out
• Hearing church choirs practicing nearby our house
• Everyone smiling and waving as we drive past
• Shopping at the markets
• Watching tea pickers
• Seeing people dance and sing during worship
• Helping the students with their work after classes finish for the day
• Rain storms in the afternoon
• Going on safari
• Pop in a glass bottle
• Cheering with Lauren when the power or water comes back on (and hearing the distant cheering of all the students at the same time)
• Hammocking while admiring the mountain and reading
• Walking on the dusty dirt roads around the tea fields
• Playing Frisbee with the students
• Sunsets
• Seeing the water coming off the mountain after a hard rain
• Sharing pictures of our life in America with our students and friends
• Playing with Emma on the porch and watching her grow
• The Warm Heart of Africa

I could continue this list for pages and pages, but I will stop there for today. I fell in love with Malawi 12 years ago when I first visited and every time I come back my love continues to deepen. It is a comfort to know that although I will be heading home soon, Malawi will never leave me. My time in Malawi has changed my heart, my mind and my soul for good.