Volunteering in Africa
Discover the transformative power of Volunteering in Africa through inspiring books like *Dear Exile* by Hilary Liftin. Explore biographies and memoirs that capture the real challenges, cultural immersion, and heartfelt rewards of giving back on the continent. Perfect reads for aspiring volunteers and armchair travelers alike.
Book
Dear Exile
by Hilary Liftin
A funny and moving story told through the letters of two women nurturing a friendship as they are separated by distance, experience, and time. Close friends and former college roommates, Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery promised to write when Kate's Peace Corps assignment took her to Africa. Over the course of a single year, they exchanged an offbeat and moving series of letters from rural Kenya to New York City and back again. Kate, an idealistic teacher, meets unexpected realities ranging from poisonous snakes and vengeful cows to more serious hazards: a lack of money for education; a student body in revolt. Hilary, braving the singles scene in Manhattan, confronts her own realities, from unworthy suitors to job anxiety and first apartment woes. Their correspondence tells--with humor, warmth, and vivid personal detail--the story of two young women navigating their twenties in very different ways, and of the very special friendships we are sometimes lucky enough to find.
