Small moments

I now find myself in week three of the school year here.  We are settling into routines and the students are doing so well.  I am starting to see their personalities and am greatly enjoying getting to know each of them.  There are a few moments that I wanted to share with you as they put a smile on my face and so much love in my heart.  The first is when one of my students asked if I had ever eaten porridge with groundnuts.  This is what I made and wrote about in a previous post and so I enthusiastically responded that not only did I know what it was, but I also knew how to make it!  He was so surprised and even more excited when I showed him a picture of me cooking it.  I looked over a few minutes later and he was just sitting there with a big smile on his face.  I asked him why he was smiling and he responded, “I just love that you’ve made porridge.  I can’t stop smiling, it makes me so happy!”  Another day last week I let my hair air dry and so it was curly instead of straight.  I didn’t think anything of it until every student that walked in the door responded in total awe and shock.  All my Malawian students wanted to touch my hair to see what it felt like.  It’s moments like these that I’m reminded of our cultural differences and how much we can learn from one another.  I am also greatly enjoying how affectionate my students are.  I receive a hug from each student as they leave at the end of the day.  I had one the other day that gave me five hugs and said she was storing up for the weekend since she wouldn’t get to see me. There are many more, but these are just a few of the moments I am treasuring.  I hope they bring a smile to your face as they did to mine!