There is no hurry in Africa

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This was one of the first things a fellow volunteer told me. I have been serving as a Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) volunteer for a Community-Based Ecotourism Project in an isolated area in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe since October. And it didn’t take a long time to prove that it is, well, very true. I grew accustomed to delays and learned to take almost everything slow. If something needs to be done, wait for a good 5-7 days before it gets done. Call a meeting with the Community Members at 9 in the morning, and they start arriving at 1 in the afternoon. Absolutely everything takes its own sweet time.



The past months proved to be very challenging for me. I struggled with the situation I am in – absence of electricity, inaccessibility, and isolation from anything that has something to do with modern civilization. But I get a load full of natural landscape, interesting culture, and people’s genuine kindness and hospitality. Plus, being here taught me how to be more resourceful – to make do of what I have. That is why I never forget to remind myself to be thankful for being here. It is a struggle everyday, but I try to do things that would make me feel some normalcy, like having a cup of good coffee in the morning and taking hot showers before I go to bed.



With this kind of nostalgic and unspoiled beauty of Africa, I repeatedly tell myself… “There really is no hurry in Africa”.

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