Jambo! (I'm Basically Fluent in Swahili)

First things first: brainstorming names for this blog was more difficult than learning Russian (I've never learned Russian, but I imagine this to be the case). The idea behind the name I decided on, Beginning in Kenya, is based on my upcoming volunteer trip to Kenya, which will be one of the first major steps toward advancing both my personal and career development. Kenya is the first opportunity to challenge myself in this capacity and clarify a thing or two about where my life is heading. If this adventure of mine is a success, the blog will serve as a platform for the rest of my travels of this kind, as well. I will begin in Kenya and see where I end up.

With less than ten days to go, I am writing the first entry to what I hope will be an enduring record (I am not a fan of the word, "blog"). Less than ten days until what, you ask? Well, ten days until I spend more time than I can believe I committed to on airplanes, as I make my way (half asleep) over to Kenya. Kenya. I love saying that. I've been saying it to myself, both in my head and out loud, for a couple months now; it just sounds so full of promise! This practice may or may not have affected my current delusion that I am not going anywhere, and in fact, just daydreaming of yet another one of the trips I've said I'm taking but am not. However, I am leaving very, very soon and should probably get my feet firmly planted on the ground about how real the payment of my flight ticket was.

Although an airplane doesn't make the cut for my list of Top 4,000 Favorite Places, I plan to survive the 16 hours of sitting in a germ cocoon because, as with most things in life, there is a light at the end of this tunnel: immersing myself in the Kenyan culture, food, lifestyle - by means of aid work at an orphanage. Maybe this doesn't sound super glamorous to you, my dear reader, but for me it is as enticing as the meaty antelope grazing a little too far from the herd that the hungry lioness is about to claim as her dinner (it is amazing that I'm not even in Africa, and am already making lion jokes).  For two months, I will be volunteering, in either Nairobi or Mombasa (fingers crossed for the latter), engaging in all aspects of what it takes to keep the orphanage running smoothly. I would say more about this now, but until I go through my orientation in Nairobi, the only thing I can be sure about is that there will be children involved.

Various opportunities to gain field experience abroad have presented themselves to me in the past, but something always felt off about them and therefore, caused me to turn them down; I tend to take those "gut feelings" very seriously. A couple months ago, I re-fired up my search for a volunteer program. After a thorough scouring of the Internet, I decided International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) was the best fit for me, specifically their Orphanage Aid Program in Kenya. Even I was a little taken aback by how quickly I committed to something. I ran the idea past my parents so fast I'm pretty sure all they heard was, "Kenya....orphanage...I'll try to Skype." It is lucky for me to have a very supportive pair backing me on not only this, but on (almost) everything I do. They would have preferred a place closer to home ("...people need help in New York, too, you know...," as my mother pointed out), but knowing how long I've waited to go on a journey like this, my parents only wish me a safe and wonderful experience. Aren't they the best? The answer is, "Obviously."

Now, just because I have been dreaming of doing field work for as long as I can remember, it doesn't mean I had a clear idea of where or how the opportunity would unfold. Even now, with a place and task, I do not know what to expect. All I can do is go with an open heart and a curious mind. This experience could prove to be everything I anticipated, or the complete opposite. Regardless, I truly believe that even if this journey convinces me against embarking on another one like it, I will come out as an enriched (and very tan) individual.

On a serious note, this project is just as much about learning as it is about teaching. Despite sex, color, religion, language, or culture, unity with our fellow humans is crucial to attaining peace. Within the field of humanitarian aid, I am devoted the most to the rights of women and children, a notion which was cemented during my time as an intern at UNICEF, and one I hope to build on through graduate study of human rights. When we are stripped of our superficial aspects, we are all simply human. We must work together so we may highlight how beautiful human bonds can truly be.




Until my next post, I'll just keep making "Kenya believe this..." jokes. Asante sana (squash banana); who knew the Swahili I learned from The Lion King would come so in handy?


P.S. The weather in Nairobi will be in the sixties, so even if I stay there rather than Mombasa, where it will be in the eighties, I am ecstatic to get away from the ridiculous games the New York winter played this year. Arrivederci, snow.