Ten things I love about Malawi

10) No alarm clock. I wake up to the light of the sun just about every day, and I love waking up without having to turn off some loud beeping noise.

9) Casual day, every day – Most of you who know me well know that I hate wearing shirts and ties every day. I love showing up to the office in shorts and a t shirt.

8) A good work environment – Good co workers, a great boss, challenging and interesting work. One of the best jobs I’ve had since graduating. And long lunch breaks where I can watch TV at my boss’ house which is connected to the office

7) Work flexibility – Like today, where I decided to take the morning off so I could stay up last night to watch the Super Bowl. Or cutting out an hour early to get in a round of golf before dark, or to get in a game of squash before dinner.

6) The Malawi lifestyle – Some people can get frustrated by the slow pace here, but I tend to like the relaxed attitude. I know people seem to love the high wire of stress and busyness, but I actually prefer laid back and relaxed.

5) Weekends at the beach – it’s great to be able to go snorkeling with African cichlids, or just lay on the beach and relax, or retreat up the mountain for some peace an quiet, some amazing views, and some great sunsets. And smog free skies make for some pretty impressive star displays.

4) A nice break from technology – As much as I loved Toronto for the fact that it had every leisure or entertainment activity you could possibly want (except for the types of leisure you get camping or cottaging), it’s nice to get away from the saturation of technology. Though I miss movie theatres, I can still watch a movie, watch TV, use the internet at the office, so I have access to everything, but I’m not surrounded by it and dependent on it. I’ve rediscovered the joy of reading, and just relaxing and enjoying some music or some quiet.

3) Reviving stagnant cooking skills – When I lived downtown, I could walk to work in 5 minutes. In that 5 minute span, I passed 3 convenience stores, 3 pizza places, 2 thai places, 1 chinese place, 1 sushi place, 1 sub place, 1 falafel place, 2 pubs, and a crepe place. The odds of me making it home without grabbing something for lunch, dinner and probably a snack or two, were almost nil. Here, the takeout options are basically non existent, but I’m grateful for rediscovering the joys of cooking, and learning some new tricks, like making hamburgers and pizza from scratch. Mmmm….homemade pizza and hamburgers.

2) The weather – even though it must have rained like 8 inches today, and it will be humid tonight, I’ll take 4-5 days a week of sunny and warm during the rainy season over a Canadian winter any day. And it was sunny and warm every day for the first 3 months I was here. And I get to look forward to the upcoming “winter” here, where it cools down to a nice comfortable temperature and is golfing weather every day. I’m going to miss year round golf (though the courses could use some work) Hope you’re loving the winter over in Canada. Did the groundhog see his shadow? :)

1)Long car rides with the music on and the breeze coming through the window – these moments have been among my favourite in Malawi. I get to listen to some music, smell the fresh, cool air breezing through the window, and drive through the beautiful, ever changing scenery of Malawi, thinking “Wow! This is my life now. Getting to experience things I would have never imagined, in a place I would have never known about, meeting amazing people and learning more about myself and this earth.” Truly peaceful and great times, where I can reflect and thank God for this gift He has given me, and trying to soak it in.


If I could have friends and family here with me, I may never leave. As it is, I miss all of you like crazy, and look forward to seeing you again in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the sun.