Appleseed Travel Journal - Why I Love Waking Up in Africa
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Roger
Sometimes called the ‘dark’ continent, somehow steeped in
mystery, poverty, confusion, possibility, opportunity… but always filled
with richly alive people and alluring places.
I can’t really say why I love waking up in Africa.
There are all of the reasons NOT to love it: mosquitoes, mosquito nets, inconsistent electricity and hot water, roads that are pocked with potholes and then the dirt avenues that circumvent the potholed pavement. There are the cars that are prone to break down and that often carry no spare tire for the inevitable pothole-induced flat tire. There is the big city traffic that can, literally, take an hour to go one block, and there is the village life where children still look at us wild-eyed because they have seen so few white faces in their lifetime.
But there is a rhythm to Africa that emanates from its people and surroundings that is musical and special and that infects you if you let it. Karen Blixen, in Out of Africa, wrote, “When you have caught the rhythm of Africa, you find out that it is the same in all her music.”
The morning sounds always contain the loud cawing of the hadada bird which is brash yet somehow comforting. People greet one another warmly with smiles and handshakes and the everlasting greeting of “How was your night?” There is always time to talk about how life is going and how one is feeling.
The air is warm and sultry. Yet, there is much work going on quietly and without the urgency that often permeates life at home. There is a rhythm to life that allows for work to take place but also connection, relationship, and even idle, pleasurable chatter.
There is the excitement from people who have known us for only a short time who use hand and face gestures to let us know how glad they are to see us again.
There is a sense that life cannot be taken for granted so whatever blessings we have for this day, including life itself, is meant to be embraced and to be grateful for.
Perhaps, though, the greatest draw is the spiritual climate that comes from people who are naturally inclined toward faith in another world and who are open to the workings of the Kingdom of God around them. Somehow this opens the door for God to work in ways that seem natural in Africa though we would consider it out-of-the-ordinary back home. Simple faith, with a keen awareness of eternal things, makes for a people who are able to be spiritually rich when connected with the heart of the living God.
So, to sum up how I feel today, as I wake up in Africa one more time is to quote Karen Blixen again who said, “Here I am, where I ought to be.”
Photos of Africa selected from Brooks’ collection:
I can’t really say why I love waking up in Africa.
There are all of the reasons NOT to love it: mosquitoes, mosquito nets, inconsistent electricity and hot water, roads that are pocked with potholes and then the dirt avenues that circumvent the potholed pavement. There are the cars that are prone to break down and that often carry no spare tire for the inevitable pothole-induced flat tire. There is the big city traffic that can, literally, take an hour to go one block, and there is the village life where children still look at us wild-eyed because they have seen so few white faces in their lifetime.
But there is a rhythm to Africa that emanates from its people and surroundings that is musical and special and that infects you if you let it. Karen Blixen, in Out of Africa, wrote, “When you have caught the rhythm of Africa, you find out that it is the same in all her music.”
The morning sounds always contain the loud cawing of the hadada bird which is brash yet somehow comforting. People greet one another warmly with smiles and handshakes and the everlasting greeting of “How was your night?” There is always time to talk about how life is going and how one is feeling.
The air is warm and sultry. Yet, there is much work going on quietly and without the urgency that often permeates life at home. There is a rhythm to life that allows for work to take place but also connection, relationship, and even idle, pleasurable chatter.
There is the excitement from people who have known us for only a short time who use hand and face gestures to let us know how glad they are to see us again.
There is a sense that life cannot be taken for granted so whatever blessings we have for this day, including life itself, is meant to be embraced and to be grateful for.
Perhaps, though, the greatest draw is the spiritual climate that comes from people who are naturally inclined toward faith in another world and who are open to the workings of the Kingdom of God around them. Somehow this opens the door for God to work in ways that seem natural in Africa though we would consider it out-of-the-ordinary back home. Simple faith, with a keen awareness of eternal things, makes for a people who are able to be spiritually rich when connected with the heart of the living God.
So, to sum up how I feel today, as I wake up in Africa one more time is to quote Karen Blixen again who said, “Here I am, where I ought to be.”
Photos of Africa selected from Brooks’ collection:
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