Adapting to the British ways.

So it’s been a week that I have been back in the UK after my 6 month stint in Malawi. I am slowly beginning to adapt to the British life once more – there is a lot of rain, a lot of moaning and a lot of excitement about a certain sporting event coming up soon!

Well I can’t say the journey back was uneventful… I opened up my suitcase once I got home to find all my SD cards had been stolen, meaning that I lost 3,000 photos. Still quite gutted about that, but at least I made it home safely, eh? Since being back I have had the same few questions asked over and over again: What was the best bit? Would you go back to Malawi? Would you become a teacher after your experience? Was it easy living the Malawian lifestyle? What do you miss most about Malawi?

What was the best bit?... Well this question is very difficult to answer; picking my best bit out of the past 6 months is very hard. Obviously I really loved my holiday to Zanzibar but I think my best bits are in Malawi. Arriving at Nkhata Bay in the first week on the top of a rice lorry is still up there in my memories! It was just a perfect way to arrive, so very Malawian and something I will remember for the rest of my life. Obviously there are so many other amazing moments that I can’t begin to list down.

Would I go back to Malawi? Yes. I will almost certainly go back to Malawi at some point in my life. Probably not in the next few years as very little will have changed but I would love to go back in a decade or two and go to my little village, see the pupils and see what has happened to the area. I think this could be quite difficult to take as I feel that very little will have changed – almost like stepping back to 2012.

Would I become a teacher? No. But I was never going to become a teacher; this was just a bit of fun. After teacher over there for 5 months I have a new respect for teachers across the world. It is a very hard and demanding job and unfortunately one that is not for me – I don’t think!

Was it easy living Malawian? At the start it was quite tricky, as I am sure Anthony will be able to back-up! But after a few months it became so simple. Living without electricity I really easy to adapt to and I didn’t miss the TV or a shower at all once adapted. The food was lovely, so amazing that I actually put on a stone in the time I was in Africa! And the people are just the best in the world to my mind.

What I miss most about Malawi? Well there is just so much to miss about the country. I think I miss the Lake quite a lot as swimming in it was a real pleasure. Being able to go down to the Lake every day and being able to swim in warm waters was a luxury (the English Channel or the Solent don’t quite match up!). Also the weather is something I will miss quite a lot… it was just so perfect all the time, being able to spend so much time outside instead of cooped up indoors all the time. And of course I will miss the friendliness of the place. When you walked down the street you would get everyone talking to you, wishing you a good day or smiling. When walking around the streets here all you see is misery on people’s faces – such a stark contrast.

One thing I have been thinking about a lot recently is just how happy the Malawians are. They live in poverty, with so little they should be happy about and yet they are always laughing, joking and having a good time. Then I look to the UK, we have everything in comparison and yet we are always moaning about the weather or the gasman being 10 minutes late. It really makes me think which culture is winning? Isn’t it better to be happy and poor than sad and rich? If there is one thing I will take from my experience in Malawi is to make the most of my life, try not to moan about the insignificant things and enjoy life.

Thank you for following my blog over the past 7 months. If there are any questions at all then please comment or email at d-a-v-i-d@hotmail.co.uk.

Over and out from Malawi 2012.