I set out on my volunteer trip to Kenya with the goal of improving my resume and seeing a country in a different way than just regular tourists. I have done a lot of traveling in the past, but nothing came close to my time in Kenya. I lived out in the middle of nowhere in a rural village, without electricity or running water. All food was cooked on firewood stoves and we would eat by sitting on the dirt floor. It was amazing how quickly this came to feel like home for me. I had never worked as a teacher, but I planned on volunteering at a local primary school. I was able to observe teachers and review students’ course work during the beginning of my trip. Then they wanted me to start teaching. To be honest, I was terrified. I had never been up in front of a class like that before, but to the students’ credit, they were extremely respectful and gave me the benefit of the doubt. I was completely entrusted with the classroom full of students. The first week was difficult as I fumbled my way through lesson plans and I worried that I was just wasting the students’ time. But by the second week, I was starting to fall into a routine. I was able to remember all of the students’ names and to actually deliver a few quality lectures. I even taught them some games, like capture the flag. By the third week, I realized that I wasn’t expected to save or fully-educate these students. I was just there to help out however I could. At this point I had become friends with many of the teachers and attached to many of the students. My fourth and final week came all too fast. I had really started to fall in love with the school and village, and I felt my lessons had vastly improved from two weeks earlier. Then I had to leave. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. But I think I will miss my host family the most. They had taken me in and shared what little they had with me as if I was family. After a couple of days of living with them, I soon forgot about the dirt floors and woodstove. I enjoyed becoming a part of the family dynamics. The youngest brother was very shy, but we got along great. The mother was, of course, incredible compassionate and caring, taking care of everything. The father wouldn’t let me do any work until I finally convinced him to show me how his farm operates. It was then I began to think about my own country and how I little I know about food production. And the two older brothers were always there to answer all of the questions I had about how Kenya operates. I learned so much in such a short amount of time, it was crazy. Eventually I was given the privilege of participating in the family chores, which I really enjoyed. This completely made me feel like I was a part of what was going on. By far the hardest part of the trip was getting to used to my host family’s religion. I’m not too religious, but we would go to church multiple times a week and pray before every meal. In the end it was okay though. I had the fortune of taking the boys to Mombasa one weekend. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but it ended up being huge. Most people from that area had never been to Nairobi, much less to the coast. I ended up having an amazing bonding time with my brothers. The mother told me they’ll always remember me because of that trip. Especially the part where we all waded into the ocean, which they had never seen, much less experienced. Leaving was incredibly painful, but now I know that I’ll always have a family in Kenya, no matter what. I hope to go back soon and definitely plan on staying for longer than a month. Thank you Global Crossroad
Sarah
Volunteer Kenya
No comments:
Post a Comment