My first impressions of Africa had more to do with the place, the people and the culture. But my second impressions went beyond that. They were the result of the questions i asked myself. Questions that arose as a result of the life i live out here. Questions that arose from my interactions with people and because of my job itself.
Its been two months since i came to Quelimane and these two months have definitely made me wiser. (I am not talking of white hair :-) ) When i first came to Africa, i was excited. A new place; new people; new culture. But this fascination slowly wore off as i got accustomed to the place. I settled into a routine. Life revolved around work and home. An occasional meting with an Indian family with whom i have made an acquaintance. A one off party. Trips to the market to make my purchases. Internet. Television. This is what life has been for the past two months.
And now i have begun to question this life. Fine, agreed i came here to work. But is this what i want?? Is this the combination of work & life i have been dreaming about? No way. I love my work. I love what i do because of the freedom and responsibility that i have. I have learnt a lot in the past 2 months and am sure this experience will be handy as i grow in my career. But i want to enjoy the journey as much as i enjoy the destination.
Imagine this - Its 6 pm and the roads are deserted. Very few people are walking on the road. An odd car passes you by. You get a feeling that curfew has been imposed in the town. You get home around 6 every evening and stay at home till you go to office the next. Going out of your house is not a comfortable feeling. There is a part of your mind thats scared every time you step out of the. You cannot just walk around the streets after work. You are advised to travel by car wherever you go. Socializing is nil. No friends around to have a cup of coffee.- So how does this sound??
On the materialistic front i have everything i could ask for as a bachelor. An independent house, a cook, a chafuer driven car, a dollar salary, my clothes get washed & ironed, my house get cleaned, etc etc. But is all this worth the description mentioned in the preceding paragraph? I still dont have a definate answer to this question, but i surely will have one pretty soon.
I would not want this to be taken as a cribbing exercise undertaken by me; but just as an outburst. If this place is in a certain situation today, there is a reason for it. Also, I would not want to generalize this situation for every place in Africa.
This, is not the end. Impressions change with time. And now i want to see what the future has in store for me.
Its been two months since i came to Quelimane and these two months have definitely made me wiser. (I am not talking of white hair :-) ) When i first came to Africa, i was excited. A new place; new people; new culture. But this fascination slowly wore off as i got accustomed to the place. I settled into a routine. Life revolved around work and home. An occasional meting with an Indian family with whom i have made an acquaintance. A one off party. Trips to the market to make my purchases. Internet. Television. This is what life has been for the past two months.
And now i have begun to question this life. Fine, agreed i came here to work. But is this what i want?? Is this the combination of work & life i have been dreaming about? No way. I love my work. I love what i do because of the freedom and responsibility that i have. I have learnt a lot in the past 2 months and am sure this experience will be handy as i grow in my career. But i want to enjoy the journey as much as i enjoy the destination.
Imagine this - Its 6 pm and the roads are deserted. Very few people are walking on the road. An odd car passes you by. You get a feeling that curfew has been imposed in the town. You get home around 6 every evening and stay at home till you go to office the next. Going out of your house is not a comfortable feeling. There is a part of your mind thats scared every time you step out of the. You cannot just walk around the streets after work. You are advised to travel by car wherever you go. Socializing is nil. No friends around to have a cup of coffee.- So how does this sound??
On the materialistic front i have everything i could ask for as a bachelor. An independent house, a cook, a chafuer driven car, a dollar salary, my clothes get washed & ironed, my house get cleaned, etc etc. But is all this worth the description mentioned in the preceding paragraph? I still dont have a definate answer to this question, but i surely will have one pretty soon.
I would not want this to be taken as a cribbing exercise undertaken by me; but just as an outburst. If this place is in a certain situation today, there is a reason for it. Also, I would not want to generalize this situation for every place in Africa.
This, is not the end. Impressions change with time. And now i want to see what the future has in store for me.
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