From My Cushy Lifestyle in UK to Teaching in Mombasa......
From My Cushy Lifestyle in UK to Teaching in
Mombasa......
It’s
been nearly two months since I traded my cushy student lifestyle in the UK for
a life teaching in Kenya.
I’ve
been munched on by mosquitoes, chased by elephants, and walked daily through
the slums of Shariyako. It’s been the one of the biggest challenges of my life.
But
I’ve tasted some amazing foods, observed Africa’s Big Five, and learnt a new
language too. And, I have also met some amazing people along the way too.
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| Volunteer Joe having fun at break time! |
When
I first came to Kenya, I didn’t entirely know what to expect. However, I soon
realised that my imagination was much worse than reality. My preconceived ideas
about what life would be like in Kenya had been totally
blown-out-of-proportion, and all the butterflies that were fluttering in my
chest subsided straight away, as soon as I stepped off the plane and onto
Kenyan soil. And the reason why? Because from the taxi from the airport, to the
volunteers I met in both the hotel and at the GVI house, to the teachers and
students at Nyota School, and to all the people that I’ve met in between, there
is such a strong welcoming feeling of friendliness, that it can be difficult to
actually feel alone at any time.
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| Halloween in the Mombasa House |
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| Literacy group |
However, when you’ve
taught a class of twenty children how to write a composition, or taught a group
of initially computer-illiterate adults into being capable of using Microsoft
Office, you’re seeing that progression first-hand. This allows you to see the
positive difference that you are making, which is what you are here for, right?
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| Volunteer Joe with students from Std 6 |
So,
for those of you that are finding it difficult to decide whether or not to
volunteer in Kenya, force yourself to really focus on your fears. If you have
any doubts about volunteering here in Kenya, and are asking yourself if you are
making the right life decisions, it helps to bring out the old scale of life.
If you balance the concerns of leaving versus the personal profits, what you
will lose versus what you will gain, the scale will keep pointing to a simple sentiment:
Go.
For. It.
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