Nine Awesome Things About Africa

1) We waste time with people, not with technology. And wasting time with your mates, or with little kids, or even with random strangers that want to talk to the white people, is infinitely more satisfying, more surprising, more delightful than any of the electronic alternatives. (Of course you can combine technology and people, and I’m a bigger fan than ever of watching Toy Story together on a sleepy Sunday morning, or messing around together on Sims 3 than ever before.

2) Normal people are normally friendly and welcoming. Hospitality is a simple but beautiful thing, and talking to strangers is not creepy here, it’s kind.

3) Something strange or exciting or new happens pretty much every day. It’s properly refreshing to stumble across something every day that lures us out of our routines, and our automatic self-obsession.

4) Things are basic and cheap. If you are willing to accept less than luxury – whether that’s little greasy African donuts out of a bucket, or sharing a dorm with some strangers – you can live very happily without wasting too much money on yourself. This leaves us free to be utterly delighted by a Twix, or a hot shower, and free to be generous. Both of which are a thousand times more fun than being ‘accustomed’ to a life of luxury.

5) We have a bunch of mates (the other volunteers) who love us, and who we love, and who could not care less about how recently we showered. Because we are all together doing exciting things in strange places, we have abandoned almost all social conventions, and we can confirm that they were all a waste of space. Loving people is more fun than judging them.

6) We talk about stuff that matters. A lot of us came out here to some extent looking for some answers to the big questions – or maybe just one big question – what’s the point of our lives? And because of this, we actually talk about that. We chat about how we feel, argue about what we believe, share what we’ve learnt. We have realised that things that matter are a lot more interesting than things that don’t.

7) We appreciate the world around us. I remember my mate Jenny getting excited as soon as we got off the plane, on the bus ride into Lilongwe, about “how GREEN everything is!” Being in a different place reminds us to look out of the window, and smile. If you want a sample of the ‘African experience’, brush your teeth outside under the stars tonight. Look around you. Listen. Take a few minutes. Or climb a tree. Or go for a walk somewhere that you love. Enjoy what is in front of you.

8) The circumstances demand creativity. Lara sewed a purse out of a tablecloth last night. And honestly I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her happier.

9) Finally, Jesus. You probably could guess by now that I can’t go a whole blog without mentioning the J-dawg. But honestly, out in a strange and challenging place, without all of the people I normally rely on – family, friends, Rachael – I have discovered so much more that Jesus really is my best friend. In a real-life, not a cliché, not wishful thinking kind of a way.