Africa

Every time I try to think of what to say about my time I’ve spent in Africa, I’m at a loss for words. For the first time during the course of my travels, I have received that culture shock that makes traveling through the world remarkable. From landing on Zanzibar Island, everything around me seemed different but in the best way possible. I spent a couple of weeks in Tanzania and indulged in getting the worst sunburn of my life, laying on the most pristine beaches with the most azure water I’ve ever seen, and being blown away at the sight of the majestic animals I got to see on safari. After those couple of weeks, I spent the rest of my time in the Village of Kameme, Chitipa located in the northern district of Malawi – known as the “warm heart of Africa”. I spent my time doing volunteer work at the AIDS/HIV clinic and had the amazing opportunity of living the village life. We had no running water or electricity, almost everyday I would be awake at around 5:30am to the sounds of villagers, chickens, and goats ready to go pump water at the bore hole which was an experience of its own. The first day I was there, I couldn’t wait to pump my first bucket of water and bring it back home. Something that’s customary for the women to only do, I got laughs and stares from all the women and children around me. As I carried the bucket on my head, trying not to spill the water as I walked back to the house, I felt a genuine feeling of serenity. Everything moves really slow in the village and going from the hustle and bustle of the city in Europe, it was a bit unsettling to see how relaxed everybody seemed to be. But why? It was unsettling because I felt a feeling of envy towards seeing people who have barely anything but the clothes on their backs and thatched roofs above their heads so happy and content with their situation – irony at its greatest. Many times, we as human beings tend to look at external factors in order for ourselves to feel happy and content like buying something new or having the mindset that if I just had this one thing in my life, everything would be okay and if not, everything around you seems to fall apart. Being happy or being sad are choices you make when you’re faced with a situation. The perspective you choose to take on that specific situation is what will determine whether you’ll be affected positively, negatively, or otherwise. You learn the true meaning of how it is to be truly humble and grateful for what you have. You learn to live in the moment and enjoy the little things in life by living in the village. I never once heard a Malawian complain about his or her situation and instead, I was impressed with the strong sense of community the Malawian people had. I met some community leaders who have stepped up and voluntarily filled up roles in the community in order to help their village move forward and improve. It was gratifying to see how much they want to hear your opinion on projects they’re working on, whether its to proofread a grant proposal for funding or simply to brainstorm community needs. It was exciting to be a part of the process and tagging along with Izzi to see what she does day-to-day as a peace corps volunteer made the experience that more hands on. “The simple life” is what I coined my experience in Malawi as. The problematic world that I’m used to started to slowly dwindle away as the days went on from when I arrived, exposing how truly beautiful the world around us really is.

In the village, my diet consisted of beans, lentils, and rice most days. The limited produce sold at the village trading center was mostly onions, tomatoes, and soya (soy protein meat substitute). If you’re lucky enough, mustard greens to go along with the endless amounts of curry lentil stew we would cook on the fire almost every night (doused with a ton of Sriracha of course). At first I complained of the lack of variety but I had to come to the realization that it’s how people eat there and if I’ve learned anything from my travels thus far is that you need to start adapting and becoming gratified or else the lack of the modern world and it’s plethora of amenities will drive you crazy in the end. Going from being a tourist to becoming a local is key.

Aside from living the village life, I had the opportunity of meeting the many Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) that stay in Malawi. I can’t even begin to explain how nice it was to be surrounded by people who I can carry a conversation with in English. The whole game of playing charades to get your point across becomes exhausting and that’s mainly my fault for not trying hard enough to learn the different dialects spoken in such a small country. After my stint in Malawi, I flew down to Johannesburg, South Africa to spend time touring the much more developed world of Africa. There’s something about coming from the 7th poorest country in the world and suddenly being in a properly developed city with all the amenities you could imagine having back home in the U.S. It’s something to be thankful for when you’ve seen how hard things are to come by in Malawi. We have it so good back in the states and I can slowly see my perspective changing positively with how I see the world. From Johannesburg, I flew into Cape Town, South Africa to. The weather and vibe in Cape Town is something I continually describe to be most similar to California. I’ve been on the most amazing hikes of my life and have seen a city with so much history and culture. The bittersweet feeling of leaving such a beautiful continent that has changed me in some of the best ways possible is starting to set in but I know I’ll definitely be coming back someday.