I'm leaving!...maybe

Tomorrow I leave for Kenya!...on second thought, maybe not…

Hurricane Irene is angry and trying to get in the way of me making it to Kenya on my scheduled flight. As of now, my flight is still on, but a few people from my program have already had to change their flights to Monday night…fingers crossed I can fly out of Dulles tomorrow.

It’s crazy that I’m going to be in Kenya in two days. Even though I’ve been there before, this experience is going to be so different than my first two. My previous trips were through a non-profit that works with poverty-stricken areas in Kenya to build high schools and start social businesses. But this time around I am in Kenya as a student, participating in a SIT program (school of international training) that is focused on health and community development.

I’m not too sure all of the specifics of my program yet—we received a rough schedule and a general overview of the program—but it seems like I’ll be well informed after our initial orientation week when I first arrive. My program consists of 28 students (26 girls and 2 guys—looks like I haven’t left the Carolina ratio after all) from colleges and universities all over the US. I’ll be staying with a family in Nairobi for 6 weeks, a rural family in Mombassa for 2 weeks and then the last month’s (a period of time reserved for our individual research projects of our choosing) living arrangements are TBD based on where I choose to research in Kenya. For 2 weeks we are also traveling to Tanzania and/or Uganda.

I really have no idea what this semester holds, but I couldn’t be more excited. I’m thrilled to be living in country for 4 months rather than a tourist passing through. I hope this allows me to learn about the culture and norms of Kenya much more than any 3-week trip could ever teach me.

I’m sure that in addition to all the great times ahead of me there may be some more difficult times, as one might expect living in a 3^rd-world country for an extended period of time, but I know that they will all be worth it. I have a quote written in my room by Paula Rinehart that says, “life even in the hardest times, is full of moments to savor. They will not come this way again, not in this way.” This experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so thrilled. I hope to savor each moment I’m there because these moments will truly never come again in such a way.

I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to travel to this country that I love and to be a student in Kenya for a semester and I feel so blessed. I can’t wait to see what this semester holds.

Until next time :)

Megan