Johnny's Introduction

Hello! Muli Bwanji! Ça va! ¡Hola! Guten Tag! Confused by all these greetings? From left to right the languages are English, Chichewa, French, Spanish, and German. What do all of those languages have in common? Every single one of them I use daily. My use of English should be pretty obvious, since that’s my native language. Chichewa is the language spoken here in Malawi, so knowing the basics is pretty important. French, Spanish, and German are all languages I’m learning, and they all have some importance to me. Sadly, I’m only completely fluent in English, but my hope is that in time my knowledge of the rest will come. To back up a little my name is Jonathan Babcock, I’m 15, and I live in Malawi, Africa. For the past 6 years our family has been here as missionaries to the locals. Its a life full of crazy adventures, and the purpose of this blog is to share those adventures with you! We have a family of six people. Besides my parents, I have two younger sisters and an older brother, Chris, who is co-author of this blog. I was born in a small town in Ontario, Canada and I lived there until we came here to Malawi. A lot of people ask me what conveniences I miss most about living in Canada and the answer to that would probably be access to easily cooked meals and fast food. It can make life a lot simpler, but the good news is that cooking is one of my hobbies, so when I have time I’m often in the kitchen. A few of my other hobbies are traveling, reading, running, music, and spending time in the great outdoors! Travelling is something that I’ve done a lot of, having been to 21 countries on 4 different continents! Its certainly a big relief that I enjoy it. As for reading, I’m a chronic book addict. My favorite genres are Fantasy, Dystopian, and historical fiction. I love running! Partially just because of how healthy it is, partially because I enjoy testing my limits. My running partner is almost always Chris, and together we’ve gone pretty far, even completing a half marathon recently. Music is something I really enjoy as well. Sure, I’m no musician, but I love listening to Christian Contemporary Music, and little by little I am improving my guitar skills. My final big hobby is being outdoors. That can mean anything from sitting by a gentle stream to climbing a mountain, but I’ll still enjoy it. I’m often asked what my plans for the future are, and I really don’t know. Beyond high school my plans are a bit dim, but I do know this: I’ll follow wherever God leads me! I’m currently planning to do a gap year after high school and then proceed to university. Where will I go to university? Well, first I’ll have to pick which continent I want to study on, and that in itself will be a challenge. I’m thinking I’ll likely try to find a university somewhere in Canada, but like I’ve said: I really don’t know what the future holds! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and we look forward to seeing you here again! Goodbye. Tionana. Au revoir. Adios. Auf Wiedersehen.

Johnny Contemplating Life in Dubai

Chris' Introduction

Have you ever been chased down a bumpy dirt road by an angry bull elephant? Well, I have. Nice to meet you, I’m Chris Babcock! While my life certainly isn’t all elephants and adventures, I’ve had my share of both during my 17 years on earth - hence this blog.

Although born deep in the Canadian Shield (that means the cold part, for you Americans), I’ve lived in southern Africa for six years of my life. Traveling - one of my more exhausting interests - has become a part of my life, and I’m grateful that I get to share this crazy life with my family of 6 (including myself and Johnny). When not traveling, I’m usually busy working on home school (sometimes playing catch up because I was traveling!). I really enjoy studying history, politics, geography, and literature, both through my home school courses and through part-time enrollment in the Virtual Learning Centre, an online high school based out of Ontario. If I’m not doing school “work” or traveling, you would probably find me reading, writing, doing something active outdoors (airsoft, anyone?), or hanging with friends. I generally read between 50 and 80 books a year, from modern young adult fiction like the Hunger Games to old classics like Crime and Punishment - all of which fuel my love of words and my inspiration to write. I’ve currently written about 150,000 words of fiction, and am hoping to finish the rough draft of my second novel, I Am Aynebidding, very soon.

Living in Africa can be rough sometimes, but at the end of the day I’d definitely do it all over again. Life is full of blessings, and Jesus is worthy! I honestly have no idea where I will end up in this world as an adult, but I’m sure it’ll be a roller coaster ride that will probably involve more than just a 9-5 work day and a life in suburbia. Currently my plans for the future are hazy, although I plan on attending university in Canada, Germany, or possibly some third country, and studying International Issues or Political Science. I am often driven by the big picture - I enjoy taking a step back and analyzing what the political trends are, how attitudes are shifting, and how God is moving in our world. I could see myself being a journalist, diplomat, or missionary - it all depends on what I am called to do. My hope is that I can use my skills and talents to make our world a better place, and enjoy the ride in the process surrounded by friends and family.

Thanks for reading - more blog posts are on their way! I’m looking forward to meeting you - please feel free to comment or email us :)

Chris in Dubai