My family thinks I can't do anything....

.....and they are right. So my host family thinks I am really helpless. I can't cook, do laundry, or fetch water. I'm sure they are seriously concerned about my marriage prospects, because these are all essential skills here. 

Let me clarify: I CAN cook, do laundry, and get water. In the US. I can cook when I have a stove, microwave, and/or oven. Give me a charcoal stove and some matches, not so much. I can do laundry when I have a washing machine. Hand washing is much more time and labor intensive, and considering that my host siblings watch me do laundry with faces of unmistakable horror, I am not doing it properly. I can get water when it means grabbing a bottle from the fridge or turning on one of the 7 taps in my house (not including 3 bathtubs and 2 hoses). When getting water means walking up and down steep hills with a 20 liter Jerry can to find the nearest river, I suddenly have no clue how to get water. 

Living with a host family in Rwanda has really put this all in perspective. I am constantly feeling embarrassed by not being able to do the most basic of tasks, because my life in America does not require it. I can only imagine what they think of me, and Americans in general. They can't comprehend how I live, and I can't adequately explain it. Really when you think about it, life in the Western world is often not "real." The issues and concerns that take up our day to day lives are so insignificant it is laughable. We don't have to worry about satisfying our most basic needs, so they are forgotten and taken for granted. What is dangerous is that it is easy to forget that there are other people in this world (and America!) who still lack access to the basics: food, water, education, medicine, etc.

I can feel this turning into a rant, so I'm gonna stop now. Basically my thoughts are this: we as global citizens are responsible for each other. The world has made great strides to end poverty, but it is still a long way off. Everyone (including myself) needs to step back from the insignificant drama of day to day life and focus on the big picture. The world is a big and beautiful place, and we can all do our part to make it a little bit better.