At the Rose Cafe, guest speaker Ruth Magreta talked about her experiences growing up in Malawi and her current research interests to help the rural communities in Malawi. Her experiences were interesting to hear about and also helped to broaden my perspective on the world. She talked about growing up in a rural village in Malawi, and how even though they had no running water or electricity, they lived happily, because they didn’t know that these things existed at all. She also discussed the cultural differences between her town in Malawi and typical Western culture. She mentioned that most people were farmers and the typical, traditional familial roles in their culture. For example, as a woman, she was tasked with preparing food and taking care of the animals. 

In addition, she showed a genuine support for education and the importance of schooling, mentioning that the reason why she can now do research and come to the United States was due to her decision to remain in school and in an education system. Hearing about these differences in culture and ways of life helped me to understand more about the world and realize the many common things in my everyday life that I take for granted. It also demonstrated that some of the issues that I worry about, are not issues that others around the world worry about or consider. It really shows that there are so many different experiences that people have around the world and that we should make an effort to learn more about other people’s perspectives and lifestyles. This event helped me realize that we should take the time to appreciate our privileges and be more aware of the lifestyles around the world. I also hope that I will be able to apply my education to helping others around the world through problem solving and research, just as Ruth Magreta has been doing.