Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Part 13 - A little bit of gratitude

09.06.2013
Hello, hello!

I hope this finds you well.

Solomons – A reminder of what’s important?
Today I write with a different focus. Since I last wrote, I have been feeling slightly guilty that I have given you a warped view of this country. Please permit to apologise…perhaps we can just put it down to a mixture of island fever, being overworked, and being apart from loved ones. 

I say this because Solomons has given much more than I give it credit for. For instance, what I love about the Solomons is that I am always reminded of the things in life that really truly important to me – family and values. The funny thing is that the humbling reminders usually happen just at the height of a complaint or protest. For instance, I was moaning to myself the other day about the fact that the buses weren’t turning up and I was going to be late for work. Then, I look round to see a woman balancing a huge box of agricultural goods on her head with a baby tied to the front of her, walking down the road that the bus route usually takes – my protest was soon muted.

Then, there was a time when after a few days of bad signal, my internet connection went down and I remember being frustrated because I wasn’t able to have my morning call with mama E-T or Lukasz on Skype. I went to work grumbling to myself about how unfair it was. That same morning, I attended a very early meeting, which started with a prayer reminding us to be thankful for our good health and the good health of our families and loved ones. Although praying happens at the majority of meetings, the prayer resonated with me more that day, as if someone was keeping me in check by sending me a reminder to be grateful.

Another recent example was when I was angry about a power cut that happened last week (seems to be a least twice a week at the moment), which meant that I couldn’t charge and hence, use my laptop that evening; therefore, unable to do any work or more importantly, watch movies. It was at this point that in the surrounding silence and darkness, I could hear lots of laughter outside of my house. I looked out of my window and saw my neighbour and his 5 children sitting in a circle on the floor of their house with three candles lit, playing memory games. I smiled to myself – Solomons did it again.

Necessity and luxury
In all of these instances, I find it quite apt to coin a phrase that I heard from my friend, Brooke – “first world problems in third world countries”. However, since hearing this phrase, I have pondered over its meaning a great deal and it has prompted me to think about necessities and luxury  – Are my requests really so first world? When is right to accept the status quo and when is it OK to expect more or want to improve things? Should I just accept the fact that I should be grateful to have running water (well, for majority of the time anyway) or is it OK to expect running hot water too? Is it wrong for me to get angry about the constant power outages when my housemaid who lives 5 minutes from my place lives by candlelight every night. When does the ownership of a fan in a tropical country stop being seen as a luxury and start becoming a necessity? Silly questions I suppose but it definitely got me thinking. 

Obviously, much of this depends on relative levels of income but there is also an absolute level that we can always refer to, references that are visible to me on a daily basis; basic levels of health, education, shelter, food and water, and clothing.

In the meantime, while I spend my time trying to work this all out, I always remember what my wonderful papa said to us all the time; always be grateful for what you have because there are others less fortunate than yourself. Solomon Islands, I thank you for reminding me of this.

Wishing you all a great day and looking forward to hearing from you.

Much love.

Kennton x








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