From the Start

If I am calculating this correctly, I have been in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea for approximately 36 hours now, and I have to say, everything about this place has me hooked <3 Much like my home, Guam, Malabo is characterized by intense humidity, amazing food, and a sense of love and warmth. The atmosphere is charged with energy, and every interaction that I've seen so far, whether it's the Equatoguineans slowly strolling through the streets or just brief conversations shared while purchasing groceries, feels so animated and lively. It's such a stark contrast to the detached and aloof atmosphere you see on the streets of Philadelphia. It's almost as if every person has their own individual bubble in Philly while EG has one gigantic bubble encompassing the city, where everyone is considered an insider.

With that said, it's been a most interesting day for me, filled with firsts such as grocery shopping and spending the day on the beach, bonding with the other students. Our driver, Miguel, took us to the supermarket first thing in the morning and to say I was overwhelmed would be a gross understatement. It wasn't necessarily the size of the market (comparable to a Payless on Guam and an express Target in the States) but moreso, the sheer amount of people there and the price of the food. It was difficult to navigate my way around the modest establishment with a basket in tow as I tried to make sure I didn't run over someone's foot or trip someone in the process. At one point, my basket even got tangled and lost for a hot second amidst the sea of people, as I tried to make my way into the dairy aisle. As for the prices, just WOW. To give you a good idea, I essentially purchased 4 giant filets of frozen fish for about $4.00, toast bread for about $1.50. and a bunch of African bananas (about 10 bananas) also for $1.50. As someone who loves food, this market was just heaven!

Once we finished shopping for food and essentials, we headed back to the house (about a 10 minute drive) to drop everything off. I used this time to really look at the scenery flying by. We passed by plazas decorated with tiled artwork and monuments of famous figures, and embassies of different countries, all built and designed to reflect their cultures accordingly. In every corner of the street, I felt like there was a story to be shared or a history lesson to be learned.

We dropped off our groceries, took a little break after that marathon of food shopping, and made our way to the beautiful waters of Malabo Sipopo Le Golf. It was an exceptionally radiant day, perfect for the beach. The beach was busy but not overwhelmingly packed with people, even though it was a Sunday. The clear bright blue waters matched the skies, at least before the rain hit and surrounding the beach were canopies of vividly green trees where you could hear an array of birds.

Along the shores, the other students and I marveled at the beautiful seashells and of course, went about collecting them for a good hour or two. We couldn't look more touristy or out-of-place even if we tried. Once the clouds carried the rain over to us, we retreated to the beach bar where chill island music and the sound of the waves filled our ears. The day ended with a blazing sunset, that I felt even gave Guam's sunsets a run for their money! After a couple of beers ( I promise, we're of legal age here!), we went home utterly exhausted but also very much happy with what an amazing day we'd had! Hopefully, there are many more beach days to come during our time here to look forward to! :)