08/07/2012- 09/07/2012 England - Mozambique: My journey from one home to another…

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Mum and Dad left me at Heathrow Airport, Terminal 3. There weren’t too many tears, just excitement for the big adventure ahead! As I queued to check in my luggage, I was already looking forward to leaving the commotion of Heathrow for the calm of Vilanculos’ small airport.

The journey started with more stress than necessary, when my flight with Egypt Air was delayed, and we left London an hour and a half later than scheduled. I had a connecting flight in Cairo for Johannesburg, with only a few hours to spare. However, I calculated that as long as we arrived in Cairo by 10pm. I would make my 11pm. flight to Johannesburg, and contented myself with the fact that I was already experiencing ‘Africa time’!

My stress was also relieved by chatting to the young man sitting next to me on the plane- a lovely guy who is originally from Sudan and has been studying music production in England for 5 years. He was catching a connecting flight from Cairo to Sudan, to move back home for a year or two. He explained that he is hoping to use his experience of working in music in his home country, and establish a business. Our conversation reminded me how much I love to hear people’s stories and experiences when I am travelling. His drive and ambition, and his philosophy that ‘you have to make things happen for yourself’, was also further confirmation of why my ambition is to live and teach in Africa…

I made my connecting flight in Cairo with 20 minutes to spare, and arrived in Johannesburg in the early hours of Monday morning. Although exhausted and fed up of travelling on planes, I was immediately uplifted by the infectious warmth of the South Africans I encountered- It’s a very different experience compared to the nature of the airport staff at Heathrow! Although pleasant, they do not express the same joy as Africans, either in their job or towards their fellow compatriots!

After a few hours in Johannesburg I caught my flight to Vilanculos, and unexpectedly met up with Sonja (the project co-ordinator for the African Impact project in Vilanculos). She was returning from a visit to the project in St. Lucia, which I will join next week. It was lovely to see her and to hear more about the work I will be doing in St. Lucia! At the airport information desk I also met one of the English students I taught on the Vilanculos project two years ago; she recognised me instantly and greeted me like an old friend.

When I arrived in Vilanculos, it immediately felt like returning to my second home. On the drive from the airport I loved the familiar sight of children forming games with sticks and whatever they can find, and waving at the passing trucks; the local people walking to and from market; music blaring from stalls and men dancing in the road!

As I write this first blog entry this evening, I am in a circular hut (my bedroom for the week), with the beach right outside the door and the most amazing view of thousands of stars. The hot water tank for the showers is heated by a fire, and there are lizards everywhere! It feels so good to be back…

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