I just wanted to write about my experience driving a stick shift car today. We called it stick shifting. Basically when my roommate and I were finished driving it around campus it smelled gross and the Malawians who were doing construction were very confused. I felt like a rich snob when a Malawian girl asked why we couldn't drive. I told her it was because we only know how to drive an automatic. She said "oh, Americans" and walked off. The only car we have available to drive is a stick shift so we have to learn now.
I know its random and you might not think it has anything to do with Malawi and what I'm here for, but, to me it is just another thing that is different from what I'm used to. I've been taken out of my comfort zone in so many ways. I rely on comfort all the time to get me through every day. I like to eat my favorite foods, be with my family and friends, drive my car, go to my church, and just do what I know I can do. Well, all of this is changing and I am excited. I know it will stretch me. I'm hoping that since I have nothing familiar to lean on I'll lean on God. I like to depend on my own efforts to get me through but now I'm thrown into a new country, new job, new responsabilities, and new people and cannot rely on myself to get me through. Anyway, thats just my life lesson for the day.
Tomorrow I'll be visiting the Crisis Nursery located 2 minutes away from campus. Even though I'm crazy busy and not anywhere near to finishing my classroom, I want to get off campus and try to get involved in the city of Lilongwe.
God bless!
Thanks for your prayers! I appreciate them so much!!!
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Oh, Whit! So good to hear about your adventures! Praying for you! Keep the updates coming.... :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll kick butt in the stick shift learning. : )
ReplyDeleteI think you're the shifty one.
ReplyDeleteWhitney,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your blog. Keep posting. Your stick shift story makes me realize how fortunate for all the comforts we have here in the US. I'm sure you will experience numerous experiences of things we take for granted here everyday. Thanks for letting Jenny and I fell apart of your work there.
God Bless you.
Jim and Jenny Dreher
Your car story is sp funny I remember learning a shift in Canada and I parked the car on a country hill and came back to find it one block down the hill in a ditch ......but when you master it you can drive our suv next summer patrick loves stickshifts. good luck
ReplyDeleteLove Karen and Patrick