You Must Be the Change You Wish to See in the World

Will this post be sappy? Probably. Will it be insightful? Hopefully. Will it express how amazing Kenya has been these past four months? Couldn't come close.

Before I left many of you asked me if I was excited to leave and most of my responses were ambiguous. I think I was more nervous than anything to be away for four months, which seemed like a daunting amount of time. If only the December me knew the April me I would of responded more like, “go away for four months in Kenya? I'm not sure if that is long enough.” As the saying goes, time flies while you are having fun, but in this case I think time flew while I experienced more than I ever imagined. Yes, it was fun, but it was also enlightening, heartfelt, educational, and life-changing.

Most of my blog posts consist of the amazing adventures that I experienced along the way. From the death defying events of white water rafting and bungee jumping to the touristy attractions of the safari and canoe rides; there have been many bucket list items crossed off in the mix. Of course while in Kenya, you have to do these things. It was the events though that I couldn’t plan for in advance that are what people must actually come here for. I have the physical pictures for the crazy times on the weekends in the country, but I have the mental pictures for the rest. For all the fun times that I had here including the yells and cheers after Man U scored one of their many goals all the while one side of the bar goes crazy and the other side falls silent. I do have to say now that I am a steadfast Arsenal fan though – Nasri jersey in hand. There were also the Tuesday karaoke nights at Club Spree where the toughest looking guys would sing the most hillbilly country songs I’ve ever heard.

Then there were the poignant periods that include the time that I sat on a man’s couch who had recently been diagnosed with HIV and my friend who was the community liaison was counseling him on the medication he must take. He was so tall, but so frail, and seemed very kind. My friend assured us that he would be back to normal in no time once his CD4 count was taken and he was put on the proper medication regiment. That man died one week later. I’ll also remember the second week that we volunteered at the nutrition center in Nyalenda, helping record the babies’ weights, heights, and MUAC (middle upper arm circumference to help determine if they are malnourished). I had remembered many of the babies from the week before, but at the end of this morning we were told that one of the babies that had come previously had not survived the week. There have been a mix of emotions throughout this time, remembering them all is what is most important.

I am now so excited to see the people I’ve missed, yet a knot will remain in my stomach to leave the people and places I’ve been in and loved for the past four months. It’s easy to say that you will travel to a place and put yourself out there to grow and learn to become a better person; there is another thing to actually do it. People talk about their experiences when they travel to some place new, usually on a quick vacation. To actually live in one place though makes you see these things differently. You learn to experience the people who live each and every day there. You find areas that you want to go back to and places you never want to return. Many of my posts encompass the amazing times that I’ve had in this area, but of course four months can’t pass by with it all being amazing. Each day wasn’t better than the last. Each week wasn’t more inspiring than the one I found before it. Not everything was easy and not everything was epic. There were hard days and ones that I don’t want to capture in a photo, but they are ones that must be lived and relived in order to give an accurate picture to myself of the time that was spent in this country. The experiences here encompass both good and bad because together they represent the entire picture. They show that this country is real and not just a place where millions of aid dollars go to rest, but instead it is a place where change and stagnation exist simultaneously. We hear of the proposals made by our government and around the world that aim to help those in need. We feel that with our small contributions differences can be made. The sad truth is that the majority of dollars pledged each year do not move farther than the desk that the computer who downloads them sits upon. The real differences are only made by the people on the ground. This is why I title this post after Gandhi’s words You Must Be the Change You Wish to See in the World because it is more than a simple dollar that can make a difference anymore. We are so much bigger than that; it is how we can help the simple man by actually reaching out to just one person to make the difference. It is a reality that one person does make a difference.

This will be my last post chronicling – with maybe too much detail at times – all the amazing experiences I’ve had here in Kenya. I feel so lucky to have met the people I have and hope to be able to keep in touch with them for many years ahead. I also want to say thank you to everyone who has kept up with this blog and have made me still feel connected back home while I’ve been away.  I have actually missed each and every one of you… yes you too… and am so excited to see you all back in the states. It has been a wild ride out here in Kenya, but I know that the second I am back it will be as if I had never left.

Kwa Heri Kenya!