Kenya Study Abroad: Student experiences.

I am in Kenya! It seems weird to say that. This whole trip has kind of seemed like a fantasy or a dream up until now. I always have wanted to go to Africa, but didn't imagine doing it until later in life. The weather is lovely. It really feels like paradise. I hope we become accustomed to how things run around here. It would be nice to feel confident even though my appearance puts me blatantly out of place. (SE, MayMester, 2000).

For many people, Africa is a life-long dream. They've planned, and hoped, and struggled until one day they finally find themselves out on the open plains of the Serengeti. For me, it didn't quite happen like that. As long as I can remember, I have had an obsession with everything Italian. Spaghetti, fruity merlots, fragrant leather purses, sporty Vespa mo-peds - this is what I loved. So, this past March, I sat down in my cluttered dorm-room with intentions to plan my third trip to Rome and Naples. Something clearly went off-course - It is now early June and I am humming Toto's Africa rather than something by Dean Martin. How fortunate it is that I decided to venture forth into an entirely new continent. I now possess countless unique memories (and pictures) to carry with me and share. Also, I think I may have developed a new passion - Africa, a truly amazing and exotic place. (RK, 2001).

It is difficult to express in words what it feels like to travel to a different country, especially if that country is practically a different world altogether. The sights, smells, sounds and feelings can only be told of superficially, never fully. When the time comes to return home, there is some frustration involved in the adjustment to the everyday routine. When friends ask, "So how was Africa?" you can only reply with "awesome" or "wonderful", and these words can barely give justice to even the most minor part of the journey. Although my voyage may not have been a total life-changing experience, it did give me a new insight into things formerly taken for granted. My trip to Africa was filled with more adventures that I have ever experienced before. (AC, 2001).

I signed up for this trip with a very limited knowledge of the place I was to visit. All my expectations and information came from books and movies - Heart of Darkness, The Poisonwood Bible, and of course The Lion King. My mother immediately thought of a few especially violent episodes of National Geographic she had seen, and tried to convince me that ³somewhere more civilized² like Italy or Canada would be a better choice of destination. But although I had only chosen Africa on a whim, I stuck with it. (RK).

Suddenly, the departure date loomed before me. I have to admit - as I packed I became more and more nervous. The night before we left, I probably repacked four or five times - I couldn't convince myself to lie down and try to sleep. At the airport the next day, I was extremely jittery. Because none of us knew each other, the group all acted pretty shy. I chatted with my parents and sipped the last Starbucks Frappuccino I would have for quite some time. With a few gulps, I inched through the line and on to the plane. During the eight-hour flight to Amsterdam, I got to know Trisha, a PhD student from UGA with our group, read a number of magazines, and carefully ate the multitude of snacks and meals the KLM flight attendants brought me. The city had barely woken up when we landed, but everyone decided to spend our layover taking a stroll through downtown Amsterdam. We rode the train from the airport and found ourselves in a picturesque and very old-world looking town. The buildings all leaned in unison along the canals as commuters rode their bikes or rushed on foot along the streets. We snacked on a quick breakfast from small roadside cafes and snapped pictures beside canal bridges and wheelbarrow sized cars that lined the streets. Before long, we headed , (RK,2001).

This eight-hour plane ride dragged longer than the first - it seemed we would never reach our destination. Finally, the pilot announced in Dutch, Swahili, and finally English that we would be landing shortly. I gathered all of my stuff and anxiously waited. We trooped into the dark, somewhat Spartan looking airport and huddled near some plastic chairs, paying for our Visas and waiting for our passports to be returned. As we dragged our luggage out into the parking lot, women cheerfully greeted us, handing us small bouquets of miniature roses. Despite being up more than 24 hours, everyone peered wide-eyed out of the van windows, trying to get a good glimpse of the city. Having arrived at our hotel The Milimani, we curiously went off to examine our rooms. Our accommodations seemed relatively clean and simple, though quite old. Some of us, not used to such conditions, took a deep breath and decided they were in for an experience. Thankfully, the showers did yield hot water - if you remembered to flip the water heater switch on everyday. Too nervous to sleep much the first night, I lay in bed listening to the multitude of noises - birds, cars, and many unidentifiable ones. Because I didn't bring any skirts with me to Africa, I was one of the few who ventured out into the city that first day in jeans. After a breakfast that seemed very European - fresh juice, toast and fresh fruit (delicious!), a few girls and I wandered the streets neighboring our hotel. It seems as though we're in a whole different world. Next, we changed money into shillings at the exchange and then visited the city park to play with a few Sykes monkeys who inhabit this one huge tree with long, trailing limbs. The monkeys loved the attention - especially the peanuts we fed them. While in the city park I also had my first introduction to the poverty of many children in Kenya. A young boy in tatters of clothes hovered near us as we played with the monkeys, sniffing glue out of a small jar. Dr. Thompson explained that many sniff it, so that they would be high rather than cold or hungry. In the afternoon, I walked through Nairobi National museum. They had a collection of all the wildlife we should be seeing for ourselves very soon in the parks. We also visited a small snake park and snacked on miniature bananas, fresh off the vine. For dinner, we ate at an Italian restaurant. The pasta tasted delicious and the place seemed very authentic, with the owner pacing the establishment, looking straight out of the mafia. Our group of students was awesome - mostly girls, we stood out everywhere we went. (RK, 2001).

The next morning the group of us science people went back to the museum, to see the private collections of animals. There were so many indigenous rats! They also kept a closet full of various skins - leopard, lion, even elephant. Next, we went off to check out the herpetology collections - rows and rows of formaldehyde filled jars containing frogs and snakes and other slimy things. Wandering around the museum's compound, I found a small building housing the biodiversity library. I found and was able to purchase the perfect book for my research - I'm not sure if I would've been able to find a copy anywhere else in the world. Lunch was mouth-watering - some of my first authentic African cuisine. That afternoon, everyone visited an African primary school the president had founded for the most privileged children. All the kids wore grey uniforms - they acted shy, but waved and smiled. The principal had a couple teachers serve us chai; everyone treated us with the greatest deference, I suppose because we were students from the United States. After tea, we observed a few classes and then played games with some of the younger students. For dinner, we ate at a fancy restaurant - I tried an authentic dish, something called Boerers. Justine and I slipped into the African equivalent of a super-Walmart - it was kind of neat. We bought crackers called Glucose to give to the street boys we passed on the sidewalk. I was struck by how polite and sweet the children were - they shared everything between them. (RK, 2001).

We woke at dawn and piled into the vans, headed for Amboseli National Park where the giraffes and zebra roamed the plains in large herds, often intermingled with wildebeests. It felt like The Lion King. Animals filled the view, as far as I could see. Some ran across the road, some rolled in the dust, and others rested against one another or on the ground. Ostriches sat preening and little white egrets ran and even landed on larger animals. When we drove up to an elephant for the first time, I was in shock - I could barely breathe. He calmly chomped on grass, so close to the van, it seemed I could hop out and pet him. Soon after, we saw multiple herds of elephants - many females with cute babies with the bulls standing apart as if supervising. We ate sandwiches at the lodge, and then headed back to the Milimani. Yellow baboons played and frolicked beside the road as we drove off. Tiny babies clung to their mothers or played peek-a-boo in the tall grass. (RK).

May 18th was a day filled with the trip to, through, and from Amboseli National Park. The drive was fantastic, although extremely bumpy. It took four hours, the last hour being over dirt roads. With the driver going about 40 mph, it made for quite a ride when going over bumps - just like Six Flags! Amboseli, simply put, was amazing! We saw at least a dozen giraffes up close even before we got into the park. Inside the park, with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background, we found zebras, wildebeest, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, gazelles, hippos, baboons, and one hyena. The most astounding things of all were the elephants. We soon found ourselves in the midst of a large herd of them. Unfortunately, my film in my camera messed up, so the pictures I took of the herd were lost. While frantically trying to fix my camera, I attempted to watch the herd and not be too miserable, wanting to at least preserve the memory.(AC, 2001).

The journal entry of the 20th of May was named "The Road to Eldoret." This was the day spent driving from Nairobi to Moi University. It took all day, so that there was ample time for reflection. Part of my journal entry for that day stated, "It seems like Africa has more sky than anywhere else I've ever been. More than Oregon even. And it's not because of the flatness of the land (Oregon has that). I'm just convinced that Africa has more skyÖIn some ways I was hoping this trip would quench my thirst for Africa. On the contrary, it has made me love it even more."(AC, 2001).

Outside the Lake Nakuru Park, we played with some very friendly monkeys. One stole Trisha's chips and another slap-attacked me when I knelt down to look at it. Once inside the park we saw what must have been literally millions of flamingos. There were so many wandering around that they made a whirring noise that sounded like a waterfall in the distance and the water looked like a pink smudge. We also saw a black rhino with a little baby rhino. After a few zebra and water buffalo sightings, we saw our first lion! It was sleeping under a tree less than 15-20 feet from the road. He lazily lifted his head to look at us (breath-taking!) and, disinterested, went back to sleep. (RK, 2001).

My home stay was very relaxing, something I badly needed after my past few days of adventure. Blair and I both slept until almost 11am, and I ate so much that I felt like I was going to burst. It was great food, but there was so much of it. Plus, Mrs. Bore wanted us to eat all of it. She would hunt us down if we did not try all of her food, or had not eaten everything off our places. It was somewhat intimidating. We had tea so many times I lost count, but it was very nice. And, oh, the shower! It was wonderful to have hot water and to be able to stand up in the shower. But all good things must end, although sometimes those good things get better. After getting picked up from our respective home stays, the group all went to a local pub and danced. Afterwards, when we were walking home, the Milky Way was clear and amazing. We could see the Southern Cross, Mars, and I spotted four shooting stars. What a lovely way to end the day! (AC, 2001).

We went to Maasai Mara, the Kenyan part of the Serengeti. When we reached the lodge, after passing a multitude of wildlife, we were in shock. It had no fences surrounding it to keep the animals out and was very plush. Jet setters supposed flew their private planes in for safari vacations. After barely surviving on the food we were served, the buffet was unbelievably wonderful. Maasai warriors gave a demonstration of their proud dance while wearing their traditional red garb and then we cautiously wandered off to our unprotected cottages where we slept under exotic princess-styled mosquito nets. With the whole next day for animal watching, we saw nearly everything that Africa has to offer - zebra, wildebeest, giraffes, lions, elephants, impalas, hyenas, monkeys, hippos even a cheetah. Just to say we had visited, we briefly crossed the border into Tanzania.(RK, 2001).

Our final destination was Mombasa. We were able to sneak in more time for souvenir shopping (and pick up some really neat, authentic Maasai knives) and see Nairobi again. Then we boarded a small plane for the coast. When we stepped off the plane, it was like once again stepping on to a different planet. The high humidity was familiar, but the beach and resort where we stayed was matchless. With not quite two days, we took full advantage of the luxury. Downtown Old Mombasa was impressive. With a distinct Arab influence, the architecture seemed very exotic and old world. Finally, our dreamlike mini-beach vacation ended. We boarded the plane for Nairobi, saddened, knowing we would very shortly be leaving Africa for good. I'm not sure I've explained what my three and a half weeks in Africa meant to me. Surely, this summary doesn't convey the excitement or emotion that I experienced. At times I laughed, I cried, I was scared - but how to capture that in words? Just having visited such a striking environment so different from North America and getting the opportunity to meet such a new, vibrant culture of people, I feel like a more interesting, and perhaps enlightened person. Most people will never get that experience in their lifetime, and I am thankful that I did. My journey into Africa lived up to any and every expectation I ever could have had, and definitely will stand out as unforgettable and unique among any I may take in the future. (RK, 2001.

I still think of Africa every day, and wish I were still there. Adjusting to life back in the United States was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I cannot say it was a journey of a lifetime, because I feel like the bulk of my adventures with Kenya and Africa are still to come. Nevertheless, it was amazing and unforgettable, and if I never travel again, the memories I take throughout my life will always be there. The pictures I developed are superb, thanks to my 300 zoom lens, so if the memories fade somewhat in their vividness, I will have the photos to reinforce them. Kenya taught me many things about myself and the world around me, and I now see things that I never thought to see before. Everyday things seem to have more beauty, but nothing will ever be as beautiful as Africa. (AC, 2001).