When VSO sent me to rural Africa in 1989, one of the recommended essentials was a subscription to the Guardian Weekly. I little knew that I would be away for over 20 years and the Guardian Weekly would be a lifeline.
My Zimbabwean school had no road, telephone, electricity or piped water supply. I was the only westerner and my nearest western neighbours were an hour’s bicycle ride away. I loved the Weekly, even though it was often several weeks out of date by the time it arrived. I especially loved the airmail paper version, which could be folded to a tiny square in my pocket for reading during the unpredictable and often long waits for a bus into the nearest town or queuing in the bank. It often elicited questions and was a great way to start a conversation.
When I moved to Kathmandu in 1996, the Weekly came too, and for my 14 years as VSO programme staff and then freelancer in education and maternal health I continued to look forward to its arrival. During the years of turmoil following the royal massacre and Maoist insurgency we were amused to find Nepal sometimes featured in the Guardian.
Now home in Somerset, I still value the Weekly’s balanced coverage of world news and cultural items, which don’t date even if I sometimes take a week or so to get around to reading it.
If you would like to appear in this space, send a brief note to guardian.weekly@theguardian.com
