Marla Scott, a junior in biology, from Winterville.

“Don’t cry because it is over, smile because it happened.”One of the other students who participated in the Kenya Study Abroad program with me this year sent me an email with these words of wisdom in it.I feel that it directly applies to my experiences, and when I think of the time I spent in Kenya, a smile always comes to my face and a longing to someday return.The trip, which spanned twenty-four days and took us to many different cities, parks, and natural areas of Kenya, changed the way that I look at the world.In fact, upon my return I expected my home to be different, the people to be changed.It took me a while to realize that everything was exactly as it was before, and that it was my views that had been drastically altered.And each time someone asks me “How was Africa?” I feel a little helpless in knowing I can’t possibly justify the magnitude of my experience in a couple sentences.

From the moment we stepped off the airplane I was a giddy, wide-eyed, airplane creased explorer.All thoughts of being professional fled my mind with that first breathe of Kenyan air, and I think I can safely say that all of the people on the trip spent that first night saying “Wow, this is Kenyan dirt” or “Look, it’s an African tree”.I found as my trip went on that the novelty never wore off.The first day that we were in Nairobi we went to the park and fed the Sykes monkeys that were there.The other students and I were amused that here in America we would feed the squirrels or pigeons in the same way that we fed the monkeys there.It was our first real introduction to the differences in the wildlife that were there in Africa.It was also our first introduction to the tragedy that plagues many people there.One of the girls on the trip, Justine, took note of the fact that a small boy was following us, and whenever we would throw peanuts to the monkeys, he would pick the ones off the ground that the monkeys didn’t get and eat them.It moved her so much that she decided to change her topic of independent study and work with the street children such as the one we saw that first day.

I quickly found that I was just as interested in everyone else’s independent study as in my own, which improved my experience because we would share things with each other as we discovered them.Thus, I was able to learn about cattle, Kenyan runners, AIDS campaigns, architecture, and many types of native animals.We got started right away on our research by visiting the Nairobi museum.

Inside the museum I easily lost track of time looking at the different tools that the various tribes used, how these tribes lived their daily lives, and the rolls that women, men, young, and old played in society.I found it interesting that circumcision played such a pivotal role in many cultures.Certain everyday tools would only be proper for girls and boys to use before circumcision, and new tools would be acquired after circumcision, a separate tool would be used by widows versus those still married, etc.It became obvious as I walked past the displays that anyone who would call these people primitive or barbaric obviously didn’t take the time to examine the complex social structures of these peoples, or the methods and tools they had devised to blend with their environment.I saw how simple handmade things worked as well as manufactured items here in America.For example, I woke up one morning and went outside at the Milimani hotel in Nairobi and watched a man sweep the driveway with a broom that was made from a stick and a bunch of leaves for the bristles.The drive was spotless when he finished, and it was enlightening for me, because when I had first seen the broom I had mentally scoffed at it.It wasn’t a worse or better way of life, just different.

One big culture shock for me that I wasn’t expecting to encounter was the difference in the driving between Nairobi and the United States.The first few days I felt my life flash before my eyes every time I stepped out into the street.People drove very fast, and they squeezed their small cars or crammed matatus (local taxis) through spaces that we wouldn’t dream of taking our lumbering American SUVs.There was also the difference of driving on the left hand side of the road and using roundabouts instead of red lights.I was very thankful that I didn’t have to brave the urban wilderness as a driver.This feat was accomplished by our six guides who lent us more than just their mechanical skills.They were knowledgeable about all of the topics of which we enquired, plus they substantially elaborated on all of our questions.Our driver, John, was an expert on birds and it seemed that he could pinpoint the name and gender of any wing that dared to flap in our direction.I was startled by the diversity of the birds there - it was an aspect of Kenya that I had overlooked for the lions and zebras.

Much of what I saw of Kenya was from the window of those vans.While I wasn’t sightseeing, I often used our time in the vans to write in my diary.“Every moment seems filled with something new and incredible.Just riding in the vans is fascinating, watching Kenya slip by” -5/28/01.I feel like the vans were the classrooms that we all piled into at the beginning of the day, but instead of reciting formulas and equations we memorizedthe looks on people’s faces and the seemingly foreign conditions they lived in.If the purpose of the trip was to show me a new world, then I learned my lessons well.

We passed through several Maasai villages on our way to Ambaseli, and at the gates to the park we were bombarded by local women trying to sell their goods.“It was my first experience at bargaining, and I was so meek about it.” I wrote in my dairy.It was an exhilarating experience, and I grew to like bartering by the end of the trip because it was an excuse to get to interact with the local people.In what other circumstance can you stand and yell back and forth with a person for five minutes and then smile and shake hands?Not only were the venders willing to trade for money, they were also willing to swap us goods in exchange for our sunglasses, our shirts, even our magazines.I especially loved the experience because I know that the barter system was how trading has been done for centuries.It not only helped me understand commerce in Africa, but commerce in the way it has been in much of the world throughout history.Kenya seemed to have gracefully carried old customs into the present day.

I was amazed by how old and new seemed to coexist in such harmony in Kenya.We saw crowds of western-dressed people and then in the middle a man or woman in native Maasai attire.It was also common to see a mud hut right next to a modern looking house built out of cinder blocks or bricks.

The next day we left Nairobi and headed for Moi University.We stopped at a woodworking shop and saw how the local people carve the figures that are so desired as souvenirs in Kenya.We watched a man working on a carving and then toured the shop.We also stopped at the Equator where Dr. Thomson used the GPS tracker to verify our location.The actual equator was about fifteen meters away from where the sign was, we found out.We also stopped at a Tugen house and visited the couple that lived there.We were told that the man was around one hundred years old, but the couple didn’t know their exact age.Birthdays aren’t celebrated in the tribal cultures of Kenya, and only recently have people begun to keep track of the year they were born.The family was gracious enough to let us tour and take pictures of their home.They showed us the implements that they use for cooking and the beds that they sleep in.The house was a mud hut, and it was mellifluous to find that the couple that lived there knew all about modern conveniences and yet chose to live the way that they did.Other members of the family showed us how to grind millet and talked to us about their lives.It was our first real experience out of the city,so it sticks out in my mind as a very memorable look into the lives of the rural people.

The next day at Moi University we began our lectures that were presented by different professors regarding their various areas of interest.It was fascinating hearing the history that we had briefly covered in world history be explained in detail.1500-1850 marked the migration of tribes in Kenya.There are 42 different tribes in Kenya.The largest of these tribes is the Kikuyu which represent 20.8% of the population.The Luhya are the second largest tribe, representing 14.4% of the population.The Luo represent 12.4%, the Kalenjin represent 11.46%, and the Kamba are 11.42% of the population.The Portuguese were the first outsiders to penetrate Kenya, but they were soon followed by the Arabs and then the British.The British and the Germans had a scramble for territory in Africa between 1886 and 1890.As Britain experimented with its ruling powers 1895-1918 came to be known as the Pacification and Policy Experimentation period.1919 through 1945 was the consolidation period, 1945-1963 was a period of contradictions - and finally the British departure.Kenya received its independence in 1963 and established a democratic form of government.Kenyata was the first president.The Kenyata Era extended from 1963-1978.The current president, Moi, began his leadership in 1978.We had come to know Moi’s face very well throughout our travels thus far because his portrait had been in almost every store, restaurant, and public place we had been to.The purpose, we were told, was to help establish national unity over the loyalty to individual tribes.

While Kenya still holds its own unique identity, it is obvious that there has been much influence from the outside in the past two hundred years.We found it rather burdensome that we had to wear long skirts on the trip.The reason for this stretches back to colonial days when Europeans first came to Africa and called the indigenous peoples savages for not wearing much clothing.Now as times have progressed and European society is scantily clothed, many places in Africa still hold to the traditions that were forced on them during colonial times.Wearing tank tops is also considered improper.

Another affect of outside influence is that the majority of the business and wealth is held by Asians such as the Sikhs, Hindus, Bohoras, and Muslims.The difference between racial classes was demonstrated to us when we went to an upscale mall while we were in Nairobi.Out on the streets a majority of the people we saw were Africans.Inside the mall it was as if we had left Africa and found a place somewhere between India and Europe.The faces were all Caucasian or Indian.While this class rift in society does cause some strife, the general differences between Kenyans is expatiated in a respectful manner.Between the tribes there is a serious joking attitude, but no major conflicts similar to those occurring in other parts of Africa.Unfortunately some differences in Kenya are still discriminated against.Homosexuality in Kenya is illegal.The issues of sex are taken very seriously, and recently there have been advertising campaigns trying to fight the spread of AIDS and other diseases.

The main health problem in Kenya is infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, diarrhea in children, and tuberculosis.The spread of AIDS is one of the major concerns, and organizations such as UNAIDS (United Nations AIDS), WHO, NACC (National AIDS Control Council), NASCOP, and NSOs have been created to promote awareness and the benefits of safe sex.Out of the 8 million people who live in Kenya a crippling 2.1 million are infected with the deadly disease.There are 600-700 deaths per day due to AIDS there in the country.One fourth to one third of children born to mothers with HIV get AIDS.However, every child with an infected parent is affected by ultimately losing that parent or even being orphaned if both parents are infected.A word that is widely used throughout the country to help such situations is Harambee, which means let’s pull together and cooperate.Family is very important there, and since most people stay in the area in which they were born, an extended close knit family is common.I had the opportunity to take part in this family life when I spent two days with Joseph Lessiew and his family.Joseph was taking care of his son’s two children while we were there.He also lived with a servant named Josephine who was very sweet.It was a change to have a live-in servant; certainly something I would not have seen in America.Despite her position, she seemed like more of a mother than a servant, and the children hid from us behind her skirt when we first arrived.

The first day we walked over to Joseph’s mother’s house where there was a family get-together regarding negotiations on the upcoming marriage of one of the family members.Traditionally the two families meet and they investigate the lineage of the other family to see if it is proper that the two in question can be married.In some tribes the man’s family pays a bride price to the female’s family, and she comes to live with him, leaving everything she owns behind.Some of these customs have been lost in modern times, but there are places where they still exist.While we waited for the family to finish their discussions, Joseph’s nephew Kipto showed us around the farm.He had just recently returned from the United States where he had been attending school for two years.It was a welcome change to get to talk to someone who knew where we were coming from.He understood our sense of humor and sarcasm.It was also interesting hearing his perspective on being a Kenyan coming to America.We joked about how much he hated mayonnaise when he first got to the United States and how skeptical we were of the butter sandwiches in Kenya.We were invited back into the house where we spent the evening talking to the family. “...a man who spoke English pretty well sat down and engaged me in conversation for a couple hours.He wanted to know all about America.He was amazed that we have used clothing stores.He thought all Americans care about fashion and throw clothes away as soon as they go out of fashion.He thought we were all rich enough not to worry about it I guess.He seemed blown away by the fact that people buy used houses.It was very entertaining talking to him because he was so interested in everything I had to say and he had so many questions.The whole family was very happy that we were there, especially Joseph’s mother who kept shaking our hand.”-5/27/01.

The second day Joseph took us (there was one other student who was also staying with Joseph) to church with him.“Joseph is Catholic and I’ve never been to a Catholic service before.What a choice for a beginner.We walked into the church and immediately a chain effect of heads turned to look at us.We took a seat and Joseph’s mother sidles up and squeezes in next to us.I think she was very proud that her family was hosting us.I also think she enjoyed the attention.I expected something very conservative, so when the service started with an African song with drums and gourd shakers, and children dressed in African skirts dancing in unison up the aisles-I was overtaken.” -5/27/01.The entire service was in Swahili, but despite the language barrier, I enjoyed it very much.

The home stay was just one of the excursions we went on while we stayed at Moi University.We also took one afternoon to go see the six million year old hominid discovery.We were able to see the site of the future museum where the fossils will be displayed and view the site from the top of the hill.Some of the professors responsible for the digs were there to explain what we were seeing to us, and they had a fossil from the site that they passed around and let us hold.They were building the museum there close to the sight so as to keep the fossils and artifacts with the local people not only to help the community with the tourism it would bring, but also to give the experience of viewing the finds a more authentic quality.As I trudged up the hill that would take us back to the van I realized I was severely out of breathe.I was easily passed by an old woman carrying a container on her head and then by another woman carrying a child on her back.They seemed to glide upwards effortlessly while I struggled with the slope.It made me realize that the people that lived here did this hill probably several times a day because they had no car.As I continued back up the huge hill that would take us back to the vans I took note of the huts that were scattered to the side of the road.The exterior of one of the huts was decorated with the emblems of Nike, Adidas, and Reebok.It caught my attention because the location was so remote and I wondered how good of a runner the inhabitant of the hut was if even the old women here were in incredible shape.

On the van ride home I talked with one of our guides, Pius, about running.He used to be one of the fastest runners in the area, and had even earned recognition throughout the country.He discussed with me how important running was as a sport in Kenya, and how seriously it was taken.I also talked with two of the students on the trip that were doing their independent study on Kenyan runners.I learned that although your talent could take you far, there is also a lot of politics involved in the process of becoming a recognized runner.I even heard of situations where girls were asked to sleep with various people just to get shoes or the opportunity to run.It reminded me of young actresses in Hollywood who wanted to become stars.We visited several schools in Iten and they were taking the day off from classes to have games where the children competed in running events.

We did get to see some of the classes in session when we visited a primary school in Nairobi.School is often a privilege in Kenya, especially the upper levels of schooling.While teachers are provided by the state in public schools, the textbooks and materials must be bought by the parents of the children.Many parents can only afford to send their children through the first few levels of school.Perhaps it is because of this that the children we saw seemed very respectful toward the teachers and seemed interested in learning.I wrote the following in my dairy after visiting a school along the escarpment to hand out surveys for my independent study.“On one of the surveys one person even wrote ‘Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer your questions’.They are so sincere and honest.One of the girls insisted on carrying my things out when it was time to go.They were so eager to know how to succeed and they drank up every word that Dr. Thomson and I said.” -5/29/01.The classes are taught in English, so we took the opportunity to see how the lessons differ from those here in America.The class we sat in on was having a lesson on ethics, and on the importance of not accepting drugs such as Bhunja (marijuana).One big difference that I noted was that the teacher included religion in the lesson.Faith in God was included as one of the practices that leads to a good sense of morality.Children start to learn English at an early age in the school system, if not before they begin schooling.Many of the people we encountered could speak at least three languages.It is common for a child to begin talking in the native tongue of his or her tribe.Meanwhile the child is also taught Kiswahili, and in school the child is taught English.Kiswahili is used to bridge the gap between the various tribal languages.It was picked because it is a relatively easy language to learn with simple structures.Our guides would speak to each other in Kiswahili, and whenever conversation lulled between the students I found it fascinating just to listen to the drivers talking.

While the simplicity of Kiswahili makes it a good language for everyone to know as an intermediate, it also brings about the need for the support of a second language.Amidst the chatter of foreign words I would catch an English phrase or term.When I asked Rose about it she told me that they use English words when there is no name for something in Kiswahili.Most often the words that I would recognize in English were things that were part of western culture.Words such as “roundabout” and “fish and chips” were some of the terms that had no equivalent in Kiswahili.This was understandable since they were items that were introduced by European society.

One familiar sight that I saw everywhere was the logo of Coca-cola.All of the ducas (small cantina stores) we encountered offered coke products and most sported a sign with the familiar red and white logo.A coke could be purchased in a bottle for around twenty shillings.Once you were finished with your drink you were expected to return the bottle to the stand where you bought it from.If not, you were supposed to pay more for the purchase of the bottle.The bottles were one of the only items that I saw being recycled there.Aluminum cans were not used often, and thus were not recycled.The only place that I encountered aluminum cans being sold was in the grocery store.The big chain in Kenya is called Uchumi.We would often go to the Uchumi in Eldoret and stock up on local snacks such as Digestive tea cookies or bags of popcorn for fifteen shillings (about twenty cents).The grocery store was perhaps the place that reminded me most of home.Familiar products such as Pringles filled the shelves, although you would pay twice as much for an imported brand as for a local alternative.Then there was always the famous local beer called Tusker that became a favorite among many of the students on the trip.Tusker beer was widely available and relatively cheap.It was one of the few Kenyan industries that we saw advertisements for.

Lack of industry is just one of the reasons why finding employment in Kenya is so difficult.One of our guides, Bosco, expressed the opinion that one of the problems plaguing underdevelopment is that when people do acquire money they typically invest it in their lifestyle rather than starting businesses that would employ other people.One of the major industries for Kenya, tourism, has slacked off in the last fifty years with the departure of the British and with national issues such as a general decline in safety.Nairobi especially has become much more dangerous in the past two decades, although we found if you are smart about the way you carry yourself and your belongings then you can avoid trouble.The tourists we did come across were typically British or Australian.Most of these we encountered at the game parks.

The need to preserve the wildlife that Kenya is famous for is also a hindrance to development.Eighty five percent of the population in Kenya is rural.With the decline of pasturalism many farmers or those who tend livestock have raised fences that block the instinctive migration paths of various wild animals.These herds suffer especially in times of drought when they are blocked from looking for alternative water supplies.Organizations such as the Faculty of Forest Resources and Wildlife Management and the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya work to save the habitats of indigenous species and promote awareness by teaching conservation in schools.But the unfortunate truth is that when man clashes with nature, usually the needs of man take precedent over the preservation of nature.When I asked Bosco if farmers practiced soil conservation methods such as crop rotations, he told me no.He said that many farmers are too concerned with growing enough food to feed themselves and that they can’t afford to grow crops other than staples such as corn.

We saw the variety in agriculture mostly through the windows of the vans on our way to different places.We saw tea being grown when we passed through the Nandi Tea Estates on our way to Lake Victoria as well as miles of sugarcane fields. 

One cash crop that Kenya is famous for is roses.Upon our arrival at the Nairobi airport we were all welcomed and handed a fresh rose bud.But despite a few large company farmers who use modern techniques, most of the farming in Kenya is still done by the individual on a small scale.Corn and wheat were the crops that we saw most often dotting the landscape in small patches with goats and cows often wandering nearby.Very rarely were the goats or cows actually kept in pens.We also saw a lot of banana trees, and much to my delight I saw a woman in Eldoret who seemed to have leapt straight off a Chiquita banana sticker selling small sweet bananas from a basket that she carried on her head.

We spent several of our mornings in Eldoret while we waited for people to change money or get food from the Uchumi.This gave us the chance to talk to some of the local people such as the woman selling bananas.Some of the girls were talking to a group of young men while we were at one of the gas stations.A man asked one of the more heavyset students on our trip if she was an old woman because they claimed they had never seen a young person who was overweight.While we were skeptical of his supposed ignorance, we never did encounter any young Kenyans who were overweight.Typically their lifestyle doesn’t result in much obesity.The food that they eat is hardly ever fried, and they eat less than most Americans.Very few people own cars there, so everyone walks or rides a bicycle.There is also the fact that they still perform many of the chores that we have machines do for us here.But being fat was not repulsive to them.In fact, they found it attractive, and the more heavyset members on the trip were proposed to much more than the thinner ones, and they always seemed to receive more attention.

The rest of us never felt attention deprived, however.It seemed like everywhere we went we attracted stares that were mostly friendly and curious.Children would often run after the vans when they saw us, with their hands outstretched so that we would give them candy.Other times they would just follow us around, curiously.At one stop where the young children had never seen white people before, they would timidly approach us, then touch our arms and scream and run away.While usually our appearance was enough to draw attention, we also attracted publicity with our cultural differences.We decided to go to the bar while we were staying at Moi University.We became the gossip of campus because girls don’t go to bars in Kenya.It just isn’t done.We were welcomed, however.They quickly became accustomed to us strange Americans.Everywhere we went there were people willing to help us.Of one hike through a small patch of forest on the escarpment I wrote “...then these little boys appeared and showed us the Colobus.The one in front had a machete to hack at the jungle.Then they climbed up-way up into the tree to make monkey noises to call the Colobus so we could get a better look at them” -5/24/01.Sometimes they expected to be compensated for their efforts.But I got the general impression, especially from the children, that the local people wanted to show us new things and just wanted to spend time with us.They wanted to hear all about the world that we had come from.While hiking down the escarpment of the Kerio valley we encountered a couple huts that housed a family.One of the students was offered a goat if she would agree to stay with the family for a few days.While I was never offered livestock, I did get the names of many students who wanted pen pals from the United States.I was often overwhelmed by the general good-natured quality of the people.It seemed to be the same no matter what part of the country we were in.

Toward the end of the trip we diverged from the authentic local towns and stayed at tourist resorts.We spent two days at Masai Mara where we got to see spectacular views of a cheetah pursuing prey, lions mating, hundreds of zebras feeding, herds of elephants, and an exciting display of a pair of lions protecting a water buffalo they had killed from the nearby hyenas and jackals.It was a great chance to view wildlife, and there never seemed to be a shortage of it as we drove around the park.

Mombasa was one of the last destinations on our trip.For the first time in Kenya we encountered a climate that was as warm and humid as our own in Georgia.Because Mombasa was at sea level the intense rays of the equatorial sun finally had a chance to heat the thick air.We stayed at a hotel right on the beach, so most of my Mombasa experience was spent along the shore.I found it interesting that many people went swimming in their underwear.There was no lack of bathers and beachcombers that strolled up and down the white sand, which made it easy to forget that it was winter in Kenya while we were there.We did get a chance to see the town of Mombasa on the afternoon that we were leaving.

We strolled through the old Arab district of town where the buildings leaned over narrow streets that twisted slightly.Indian and African shop owners greeted us from doorways and beckoned for us to come and look at their jewelry or their cloth.We also got to see the historic Fort Jesus on our walk, however, time did not permit us to get to go inside and tour it.The vans drove us through tiny streets that were made even more narrow by the carts of fruit and vegetables that hugged the walls of the small shops.It felt like a scene out of a movie with the front bumper of the van slowly pushing through the swarms of people that filled the streets.There were people in Muslim dress, people in African dress, and people that wore western clothing and yet still seemed to retain some exoticness.“Then we tried to find some incense-wow what a hassle.They said the district we were in was so dangerous that they wouldn’t let us get out of the vans and we could barely open our windows to deal with the man who brought us the incense.It was quite an experience.We drove down alleys barely wide enough for the van, there were sections that seemed carpeted with fruit from the vendors and little shops were everywhere selling all kinds of things.I really did feel like I was in a bazaar” -6/5/01.

On the way back to the hotel we got stuck in traffic waiting on a parade to pass.I almost forgot the stress of having to get to the airport on time when I watched the groups of children marching with banners marked with Arabic lettering, or listened to the man with the megaphone singing what sounded like a call to worship.It was an atmosphere totally unique to anything I had previously experienced while in Africa.We arrived at the airport in time and made our way safely back to Nairobi.

The last few hours were a mix of emotions as I took a last look at the scenes of Nairobi, which, despite the time I spent there, had never grown old. Yet I was anxious to get home and tell everyone about all of the wonderful things that I had seen.I had my videotape to help me explain, the pictures I had taken with my camera-but had yet to see, and my dairy to help me remember dates and places.But even over a month later I have found that my clearest impressions of Africa are those images I have stored in my mind.They have yet to begin to even remotely fade.I still remember stories that I have yet to tell my family and friends that come spilling out of me from time to time.Every situation seems to stir a parallel memory from all of the things that we did and saw while we were in Africa.I feel like I never really entirely left, and I think I’d like to keep it that way.“We didn’t really say any formal goodbyes to our guides who had become our friends.It’s kind of good that way because it leaves our relationship with them open as if we were coming back soon.I’d like to think that I might” -6/6/01.