Tomorrow I leave for Kenya! For a month. It
feels very unreal right now, even as I pack all my things. I have little idea of what to expect,
how I will adapt, what my role will be in the group, or if I’ll get to see a
cheetah. This leaves me very excited
and anxious to find out!
A month is a pleasant amount of time. For those who have read my previous
blog posts when I did the 30-day challenges, I stated that anyone can do
anything for a month. It’s a short
enough time that the end is in site from the beginning and you know it will fly
by. Think of this year – it has
absolutely flown! But it’s also a
pretty solid amount of time, meaning it’s more than your typical week vacation,
and, I’m hoping, long enough to dig in and get at least some sort of a feel for
the real culture of every day living.
In the end, I feel like the time will fly and won’t be nearly enough
time, but if I happen to hate it
(doubtful, but never know), I also know I will survive :)
Since I first thought about going to Kenya, I have gone
through some phases of things I was worried about; I meant to blog about these
thoughts, but failed. To sum up, initially
a lot of what I knew about Eastern Africa was from the Book of Mormon, the play
Ruined, and Invisible Children…. If
you know any one of these things, you will know they do not paint a very cheerful
picture of Africa, and somewhere in the back of my mind I was worried about
being raped, mutilated, or forced to join the Lords Resistance Army.
The more I learned however, the more I realized that I am
going to a much safer place than those extreme stories, a place that is visited
by tons of tourists every day, and a place where the people are welcoming and
embracing. Yes, the threat of
attacks from Al-Shabaab or other groups are very real and unsettling, but
overall I think the chances of encountering that are similar to any big city
here. I like to remind
myself that some people are scared to visit Chicago because of the
stories they’ve heard about murder and crime, yet I feel extremely safe. (For more on the dangers of a single
story, listen to one of my favorite TED talks, http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story).
Then I moved on to a fear of getting robbed. While this is still a fear, I keep
telling myself that things are just things. I would be so sad (and annoyed!) if my new fancy camera gets
stolen, especially once it has incredible photos on it, but I also know that I
would survive and am fortunate enough to be able to buy a new one when I got back.
And now the latest fear, although highly unlikely so not a
big one, is that I get Ebola. What
a lovely time for it to rear its ugly head! Kenya has just been added to the list of high-risk countries by the World Health Organization, causing some alarm. This is mainly because Nairobi is a
main hub for flights to and from West Africa (where the outbreaks have all
been). There have been no cases in
Kenya and I feel quite safe going quickly through Nairobi to our little town. It’s also reassuring that it’s not
air-borne, so I’ll just try not to let sick people sneeze on me or kiss me :) I am packing lots of hand
sanitizer.
Unlike some areas of Africa, we will have electricity,
toilets, and safe food to eat.
We will be working and staying with a highly respected couple there and
I look forward to being a part of their community. I’ve heard that I am going to get sick, so I’ve packed
plenty of antibiotics and Imodium.
My biggest fear now is that the time will fly so fast. My focus now is that I make the most I can out of this
trip, learn a ton, and stay present and open. I am hoping to make a big impact on the people we meet, as I
know they will make a big impact on me.
I am very thankful to have very supportive friends and
family. My family was immediately on
board and excited, as were my friends (especially once I convinced them that I
WILL come back :). My Grandma is worried, but can’t wait
to hear all about it when I return.
That’s all a girl can ask for!
This support was overwhelmingly proven by the amazing amount
of donations I received. I am so
grateful and have been told by Ben, one of the project leaders, that we will be
amazed to see what that amount of money can do on the ground in Kenya. You all are rockstars and I will
forever be thankful for all who have supported this journey.
For those who have spoken to me in the last 6 months or seen
any of my FB posts, you will know that it will be hard for me to leave my
little Teddy Muffin behind. He
will be going to Grandma and Grandpa Russell’s farm in Indiana (not ‘Going to
the farm upstate’ like people say, but really going to a real farm! Lol.). He’ll enjoy wrestling Toby, my mom’s dog, and will be a bit
slighted that he’s not an only child this month.
I will close today by saying that I cannot wait for this
experience and know that it will change my life and open my eyes to a new
culture, new ideas, new country, and new continent! I want to take you all with me on the journey, but since I
can’t pack you all in my suitcase, I will try to blog as much as I can. I also love that my blog was already
called Hakuna Matata – which I read you actually do hear people say in Kenya! :)
Much love and Kwa heri for now!
#beyoubefree
carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT.
Namaste
