One morning (partly dedicated to Gregers)

While it is still dark, you put your running shoes on, go out of the door and feel that it is strangely cold outside... The sky is still dark, but probably sun is already shining in Madagascar, - you think, - it will just take a while for it to appear in our high altitude. Indeed, approaching the gates you can already see the sky changing its colours. At the gates you are cheerfully greeted by the guards with this exceptional sign of respect to everyone - bowing a little bit and holding hands together. You wave your hand and start to run. You run towards the sunrise, you watch the red sun disk appear over the horizon and grow bigger. Isn't it amazing? You run to greet the sun - there are no skyscrapers hiding it from you, there are no cars spreading their poisonous exhaust gas, there are no frowning people hurrying in their fancy suits towards their small four walls boxes they call offices. Nothing. Just you and the sun in front of you. And sometimes one or another villager, who as cheerfully and respectfully as the guards greets you.

Enjoying every breath of fresh air, suddenly your ears discover something beautiful. Of course, it is not the annoying beeping of hundreds of cars stuck in the morning traffic jam! Your ears discover there are so many birds around! They twitter between each other and fly from branch to branch joggling their long tails. Once again this place amazes you and invites to discover more.

While you are jogging leisurely, the sun is getting its way up very fast. You reach the highway meandering towards Zambia. Just at the edge of the road pigs are loudly digging the ground , women are flocking around the water pump, children start to stare at you with their big eyes and you can almost hear them whispering "azungu, azungu". It is a strange view, indeed, to see a white person here, in the middle of nowhere... You turn again to the smaller path which is still waiting to be discovered. This is all you need for the perfect start of the day - soft path of sand and small stones, fresh air of the morning, discovered singing of the birds (you would not hear them later in the day) and friendly greetings of the villagers. And there are more things to amaze you on your way, like a field of cotton with its white fluffy blossoms or an old thick baobab near what used to be a river.


The narrow path with its ups and downs leads back to the gates and just when you are going to finish your morning adventure there is a whistle... You are surprised to see students freeze - put their buckets of water on the ground and turn towards the particular spot... It is time to put up the flag of Mozambique. A magnificent moment! Dozen of people scattered around the yard of the school to give respect to the flag of their country while it is being hoisted. If you close your eyes you could hear one of the students singing the anthem with her sharp loud voice: "Moçambique nossa terra gloriosa, pedra a pedra construindo um novo dia..."

You wonder, why people say that civil society exists only in developed countries, yet people of these countries don't put up their flags with such a pride and respect every morning?


Could this morning be better?