Before going to Kenya I tried to read blogs, watch videos and talked to people who went on voluntary trips. The main thing that those people were trying to explain was that volunteering in a developing country is definitely an emotional roller coaster, but at the end of the day none of them regrets doing it. I also understand now that you can never be quite prepare yourself for the kind of experience that change your life, you just have to jump head first and hope for the best.
In order to describe my personal experience I have picked words which describe my 5 weeks in Kenya.
1. Humbling
For the first time I discovered what poverty really is. In Europe, we don't realise that we are so incredibly lucky to be born in families that can afford a roof, food, medicine.... Clearly we don't realise that many young Kenyans of our age would gladly take our spots and benefit from a paid education. We have so much and yet we are greedy, we complain about small things and don't appreciate how good our life is.
In Kenya, the people we met were happy, hopeful and grateful for the small things that they could afford. The people we met and worked with taught me the great lesson of always appreciating what I have. I hope in the future to be able to give back.
2. love/friendship
The most obvious was that the group got pretty close during the trip, despite the ups and downs of living together for 5 weeks. We also were very lucky to meet people who were helpful and nice to us.The greatest feeling during the trip was to develop friendship with the local people, out students and the kids of the village (Majengo). I will always cherish memories of playing with kids, singing with them, having "drawing classes"....
Without a doubt my best memory is when one of the little girls of the village fell asleep in my arms as I was rocking her and singing.
3. Culture
I'm so happy that we got to experience some of the Kenyan culture. For example through the food (my personal favorite is Ugali). We had the chance to visit different parts of Mombasa; from small villages, to beautiful beaches, to the old city center. We also had the opportunity to go to church in a small village, which was a great opportunity to understand the importance of faith in Kenya. Lastly, with the help of our students and friends, we all tried to learn some Swahili words such as "sawa" (ok) "habari gani" (how are you)
I also have to mention some less positive aspects:
4. Difficult/sad
It was extremely difficult to see the poverty and not being able to do a lot. Especially with the kids. While working at the feeding center playing with children of the village heartbreaking to see kids in ragged clothes, many of them were very skinny and had cuts on their feet from walking barefoot. The hope I had concerning this situation was that some people like the ones running the feeding center or Carol (who founded the St Joseph House of Hope school) work hard to improved the situation of the community (around Mtwapa and Majengo).
Secondly, I must adress that I was very shocked and disgust at the behavior of some westerners (often older men) who clearly come to Kenya for sexual tourism. The harsh reality of Kenya is that many girls of my age or even younger try to make it by prostituting themselves. I am not trying to judge those girls by any means, I completely understand their situation.
5. Uncomfortable/scary
I must admit that sometimes I didn't feel completely safe. Being a white female in kenya, you tend to attract a lot of attention. We were never in dangerous situation, but I know I wouldn't have wanted to go outside at night by myself or without one of the guys. I sometimes felt very uncomfortable with the way some men were looking at us, random men following us in the street or in the beach trying to talk with us.
I also remember that the other girls and I were quite upset that some of our students tried to flirt with us or get our numbers, which was very inappropriate in my opinion. I think that we were just the victims of the stereotypes of many westerners who come to Kenya to "have fun", and I understand that to some locals we represent money or a chance of a better future.
This experience was definitely "an adventure" and I know I will always remember it.
(written by Anne-Sophie)
(written by Anne-Sophie)
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