People have many pre-conceived ideas about Africa, many of which are a long way from the truth. People also have many pre-conceived ideas about Voluntary Service Overseas and its volunteers. Many of these ideas are also wrong. Volunteers are skilled professionals looking to make a small difference in an unfair world. Volunteers discover many things, both about themselves and the world they inhabit. Some of these things are good and some are bad. Volunteers also meet many new people, about whom the same rules apply. One thing that every volunteer will tell you is that the experience changed their life. This is one such story, telling the tale of the ups and downs of one VSO volunteer during two years in one of the hottest places on Earth, Eritrea's Red Sea Coast.