Boda-boda drivers outside the "hotel" (which, confusingly, actually means restaurant) and butchery just down the road from my house. This is the primary form of in-town transportation - 10 shillings (12 cents) anywhere in town. I'm totally mastering the side-saddle ride in skirt - although I got a round of laughter yesterday when I sat facing the wrong direction. Woops.Today, while in line at the post office to collect a package (THANK YOU JOHN AND NANCY!) the girl behind me got my attention and asked where I was from. This is a pretty common question, but the ensuing conversation was not.
She told me that she now lives in Britain, and is back in Bungoma for a couple weeks visiting her mother and younger brother. She went to university in Nairobi and has been working with developmentally disabled children in London for eight years. Her plan is to stay a few more years until she has sufficient management training and finances to open a similar organization in western Kenya. There is a definite lack of resources for children with disabilities here, she explained, and that was something worth changing.
I was immediately impressed by her big achievements and goals, but equally appreciative of her discussion of Kenya in general. Kenyans so often seem confused by why I would leave the US to come here, without realizing that Kenya is giving so much more to me than I will ever be able to give back. (Which sounds ridiculously corny, I realize, but it's true. I'm giving 5-6 short months of small contributions in exchange for a perspective that will shape the rest of my life.) This girl didn't ask what I was doing or why I had come; instead, she made a comment about how hard it would be to leave Kenya and return to the lifestyle and winter weather of Minnesota.
She's right - I miss my family, sometimes our water/electricity/internet don't quite work, and I can't get good gum or beer - but Bungoma has beautiful hills, a relaxed pace of life, ultra-friendly people, and of course great weather. In the end it's not a sacrifice; it's a trade-off. Which is something I never thought about in those terms until my post office conversation - a realization instigated by a Londoner who can't wait to get back here.
She told me that she now lives in Britain, and is back in Bungoma for a couple weeks visiting her mother and younger brother. She went to university in Nairobi and has been working with developmentally disabled children in London for eight years. Her plan is to stay a few more years until she has sufficient management training and finances to open a similar organization in western Kenya. There is a definite lack of resources for children with disabilities here, she explained, and that was something worth changing.
I was immediately impressed by her big achievements and goals, but equally appreciative of her discussion of Kenya in general. Kenyans so often seem confused by why I would leave the US to come here, without realizing that Kenya is giving so much more to me than I will ever be able to give back. (Which sounds ridiculously corny, I realize, but it's true. I'm giving 5-6 short months of small contributions in exchange for a perspective that will shape the rest of my life.) This girl didn't ask what I was doing or why I had come; instead, she made a comment about how hard it would be to leave Kenya and return to the lifestyle and winter weather of Minnesota.
She's right - I miss my family, sometimes our water/electricity/internet don't quite work, and I can't get good gum or beer - but Bungoma has beautiful hills, a relaxed pace of life, ultra-friendly people, and of course great weather. In the end it's not a sacrifice; it's a trade-off. Which is something I never thought about in those terms until my post office conversation - a realization instigated by a Londoner who can't wait to get back here.
3 comments:
It's all a matter of perspective.
I'm glad you're gaining a lot in Kenya. We miss you, too, but it is fun and interesting to learn of your adventures. We are growing with you.
Thanks,
Mom
I enjoyed this a lot!!
Lullit
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