Back home in Malawi there is a popular saying which may be literally translated as “only heaven is far.” This is widely believed to have been put in place as a way of fostering encouragement so that one does not give up on something. It may, of course, be understood in line with a common, rather universal saying: “The sky is the limit.”
I reflected on the rationale behind this concept after spending over 22 hours in the belly of a bird, flying from my home to yours here in Canada. I was very tired sitting in the third plane that would be in the air for the next eight hours, finishing the distance of more than 13,000 kilometres to a foreign destination where my forefathers had never stepped throughout their lives—yet to them, only heaven was far.
Upon my arrival in Toronto I discovered that geographical distances separating us creates additional differences in many aspects. The first thing I noticed was the change of time. My wristwatch betrayed me so much that I almost threw it away, as it was six hours ahead of the Canadian time.
This made me realize that I was in a different time zone very far away from my home, Malawi. I was fully enveloped with amazement. However, I believe Andrew Faiz, who picked me up from the airport, thought it might be fatigue that had done its bigger part on me.
Another difference which quickly came to my notice was the cars driving on the right-hand side of the road, unlike in Malawi where we drive in the left lane. As we drove from the airport I kept thinking we were in the wrong lane; I also noticed that all cars had their steering wheels in the left hand-side. I wondered if all I will be seeing is opposites and opposites.
Before I could be allowed rest and settle in my apartment, I was taken to a nearby supermarket to buy some food items. I discovered that almost anything one may need was available here; in terms of stock, it was far ahead of the standards of supermarkets back home. When coming out of the shop I felt something was missing—there were no vendors outside the shops coaxing us to buy their merchandise as they do back home.
While I still want to agree with my ancestors that “only heaven is far,” I would add by saying that “Toronto and Malawi are far apart.” However, on the other hand, the distance separating the two countries has not proved to be a barrier to communication. Maybe that is what my great-great-grandparents foresaw.
