The other day I had a nice chat with a fellow PCV on how we both sometimes fantasize about taking a Malawian to America. It's fun to think about, because it'd be like one of those movies where a time traveler suddenly finds himself in the 21st century. Malawians know America is different (and idealize it as a heaven on Earth), but most of them don't even see American movies and can't imagine just how different it is. We talked about the various places we would want to take them--a mall, a movie theater, a high school, a library, a highway interchange, a gym, a museum, etc. And then we got very excited and animated over a conversation where we were basically just listing a bunch of stuff Americans have at home that Malawians don't. It went something like this:
Okay, imagine taking a village Malawian into a typical upper-middle class American home. Like I'm picturing my parents' house.
Oh man, they have NO IDEA how nice my house is.
Right off the bat you've got two stories; aesthetically pleasing decorations.
Sheetrock.
Furniture. Like actually nice furniture.
The flooring--maybe hardwood, carpet, tile.
The entertainment system. You've got a flat-screen TV.
With like 200 channels.
And surround sound!
You have light fixtures. A ceiling fan!
And books! Think how many books you have in your house.
Well my mom was and English teacher, so a lot. A lot of books. And there would be more, but she let kids take them from her classroom and donated a lot.
What about the kitchen?
Oh man, so many appliances!
Stove top, oven.
Refrigerator, everything IN the refrigerator. You got the toaster, blender, waffle iron. Counter space.
Stacks and stacks of plates.
And nice, matching, ceramic plates!
You've got the coffee machine, the dishwasher!
Think of the bathroom!
You got the sink, the toilet, the shower!
The mirror.
And you probably have 2 or 3 bathrooms. My parents have 3 bathrooms.
And you don't even have to go outside. What about the laundry room?
The washing machine!
And the dryer.
The bedrooms! They each have a TV.
And a closet full of clothes.
Oh my God, and the shoes. I have so many shoes.
I would be so embarrassed if a Malawian knew how many clothes I have.
Okay, then the backyard--maybe a nice lawn!
One of those ride-on lawn mowers! And tools in a tool shed. There's a special machine just for trimming the grass along the sidewalk!
Crazy! And a pool! My family has a pool just for their own personal use. Like a nice, in-ground pool. When I was at Mvuu Camp, the kids on field trips to the national park came to see the pool and take pictures with it because they'd never seen one before.
What about a nice grill?
We have a swing set and a trampoline! Yo, what about the cars?
Oh, the garage!
Like multiple cars. I don't even know anyone with a car in my village.
I'm so used to not having any of that stuff, it just seems absurd!
It's ridiculous. You know there's a reason the Peace Corps will pay for a couple sessions of therapy when we get home. I think readjustment is legit hard. I'm a little worried about it.
It's going to be expensive too.
I know, my electric bill here is like $2.50 a month.
My rent is like $12 a month!
That's crazy cheap.
Seriously, I could spend more on a coffee in New York than I spend on food in a week here.
...
Living in America, you hear the criticism about materialism and consumerism, but it takes a lot of time away to really see it. It's a little bit shocking.
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