Although my trip is still not exactly over and I still have a lot to do and see, today is a defining moment in my experience abroad.
Coming to Kenya and backpacking alone has been so incredibly rewarding. I can see how much I have grown from my time in Uganda, as I am able to apply so much into doing things on my own. Sometimes when I think about what I am doing I just think wait ? who am I right now ? and where is Jessica ? is this really my life ?
I woke up early this yesterday morning and headed to the Nairobi bus park to head to Mombasa. I thought the bus ride was about 7 hours but later I would find out .. its much more like 10.
Although I am used to long rides and actually enjoy them at this point. I got on the bus and right off the bat this weird guy started talking to me. He kept complaining about how bad life in Kenya was. At one point he told me I was lucky because I was a woman and all I had to do was getting married and my worries would be over. Any woman should know that when you hear that come out of a mans mouth, he is no longer worth listening too.
Anyways he started talking even more crazy talk and I just hurried onto the bus. I was really lucky that the seat next to mine was already filled. Filled by the nicest old man in the world. This name was Nicholas and he reminded me much of my mothers father. He told me he has studied in Kampala during the time of Obote and kindly told me about all the regions in Kenya. Like so many times in Africa he also asked me if I knew how to use a hoe, and if I knew how to farm.
While on the bus, I also met a young woman named molly. She has been backpacking by herself up East Africa from the Cape. It was really great meeting her because it made me realize I’m not crazy for doing what I want to do. She also was just inspiring and I am really glad I met her.
I think technically now since I came in from Kampala, and drove through Nairobi to Mombasa I’ve almost driven straight across Kenya. Seeing the different geographical regions across Kenya has been really amazing. It’s a lot different than Uganda and I think soon I will be able to write a post about the comparisons of both but Kenya is so arid so it was really interesting to see all the changes. At one point I even saw camels. That was a first.
After what seemed like a bus ride that lasted a little to long, we finally arrived in Mombasa. I have wanted to come to Mombasa for so long. And it was everything I’ve heard and more. Although as we entered I started to realize how glad I was that the hostel I had picked was about 30 min away from the town. Because as much as I love cities, I really needed and wanted a break. Mombasa is so full of culture. We arrived just while the sun was setting so everything just had this beautiful glow, and you could smell the ocean in town even though it wasn’t visible past the Moroccan/Indian styled buildings. I got off the bus, and as my biggest challenge of traveling so far is just carrying around my heavy pack. AND backpack .taxi drivers immediately approached me saying “taxi ?” I said NO! I want a matatu, which means taxi which are so much cheaper. So I ask a taxi man how to get to Mtwapa he says “ this man will take you to the bus station so you can get to Mtwapa” the man pulls up in this weird little carriage roofed motorcycle thing and I throw my stuff inside. The streets were busy and I was tired so I gave in. We start driving along and the man says “ No matatu, I will take you the jam (traffic Jam) is to bad, I will take you” I would have said no, but the sun was setting and although I have been told a thousand times over that Mombasa is very safe, especially compared to Nairobi I still wanted to get to the hostel before the sun had completely set. Boy did this taxi man have no idea what he was getting himself into.
We drive about 30 minutes until we get to Mtwapa, and I say okay now take me to this hostel. We drive around for a good 20 minutes and he has to continually ask people where its located. We finally pick up another guy who leads us into Mweni village. Here we are in this crazy carriage of a motorbike, driving through bumpy, muddy dirt hills up through tropical paths. All the locals must have thought we were crazy. Every mud puddle we went through I thought we were just going to tip over in. We went around back and forth up and down hills about a thousand times. At one point I just thought we would never get to any place that was remotely a hostel. Then after one more giant down hill drive, we pull up the The Beach Africa. This place is completely beautiful. It’s the off-season so the tides are far out and the beach isn’t as nice, but the there are only about 8 guests and they’re all women. Also there are TONS of kitty cats running around! I met a woman from Germany who was also traveling by herself and she has been super great, we had dinner and it was super nice to talk to her especially after such a long bus ride. My room rate is so cheap and I can’t even believe it for how beautiful this place is. I am honestly staying here for only 5 dollars a night.
I am so excited to spend today on the beach. I have worked so hard the past 4 months that this is exactly what I need before going home. Its hard though, being here makes me so home sick because I wish so badly that everyone I love could be here and experience this with me.
Over all today has been absolutely amazing. Almost unreal, I felt like I was in a movie because everything around me just feels to good to be true.
I'll have pictures soon. <3 you all so much.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
How I got to where I'm at
Wow. As I finally am able to sit down and look back on today. I just think is this real ? did I just fall into a deep coma 4 months ago and this is all a dream ?
I have to make up for my lack of updates about Kenya but for now I need to just stick with today. Today was the most adventurous day in my life. By far.
Coming to Kenya was especially important to me. In 2007 one of my ex boyfriends/now best friend Anthony went to Kenya with an amazing friend of his. I found his trip extremely inspiring and even to this day I think about it. Then one random night probably almost over 3 years ago I couldn’t sleep I woke up and sat in my bed, thinking about a lot of things and then it hit me. I decided that I was going to go to Africa.
That was just the beginning, as I was transferring to Chicago I wasn’t able to start my semester actually taking classes in my major, so what did I start with ? I took Swahili, and The History of Infectious Dieses ( Ironically I’ve gotten almost every deisese I even studied so it seems) . I took Swahili, thinking that I would some day volunteer for a month or so like Anthony did.
In my Swahili class I met an incredible woman who I look up to so much, Jillian (is her name) was getting her masters at Columbia has was in the process of finalizing her own NGO in Tanzania for Education, and Awareness of special needs, and Autism. Talk about inspiring.
After time went on I started to realize that I wasn’t able to save up enough money to go so I started to give up on the idea. Almost feeling stupid for have taken Swahili.
Then the following semester I had a teacher named John. One day john and I were talking about how he had taught photography to kids who lived and worked through the garbage dumps /pits in Guatemala. I told him how I had always wanted to go Africa but how I could never afford it. It was then when john said that as an assignment I had to go to the study abroad office after class and talk to the director of Study Abroad and ask about all possible ways to myself there.
So I did. I felt stupid because A. In my mind only rich kids studied abroad, and I felt selfish at the idea of even going to the meeting when I know my family isn’t in the best place financially right now. But I went and looked into it.
It was a really long process of looking at programs, wanting to give up, but finally finding scholarships I could apply for.
By mid summer, I had applied to the Health and Community Development program in Nairobi. I was so excited because I had taken Swahili and had studied up on Kenya. A few weeks after I was accepted I learned that due to security reasons and the state departments warning facing Kenya I would not be allowed to study there.
I felt like once again everything was going against me and I was just not meant to go. So after a while I stopped feeling sorry for myself and realized it was time to make the best of it and pick a new program. I picked Uganda Post Conflict and I can’t even tell you how grateful I am that I was not able to study in Kenya. Although I love Kenya, the Conflict in northern Uganda has not only changed my life, but has increased my passion and drive for working with women in conflict, especially in terms of war, and sexual violence.
I wont ever forget the day I found out I got the Gilman scholarship, it was the last scholarship I needed in order to make my plans a go
I was working (Nanning) when I got an email on my black berry saying “Congratulations you’re a recipient of the Gilman scholarship Log in now to see your awarded amount” just at that time the battery on my phone dies.
My nanny family came home that night and I booked it back to my apartment to see how much I had been given This was it, I was finally about to see if everything I had worked so hard for was actually going to pay off I got home and login into my account to find I won 4500 dollars. The total award you can get from Gilman is between 1000-5000. So to me 4500 was a huge accomplishment not only that but with that money and the other 5000 in scholarships I got through SIT I was actually going to be able to afford to go. I couldn’t even believe it. I just started crying so hard and gasping for air. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard in my life. I called my dad and left him a voice mail and he called me the next morning thinking I had been hurt because I was crying so hard he couldn’t even understand what I was saying on the phone. But trust me those tears were just pure overwhelming emotion, and just happiness on a level that you can only get from achieving it.
Just the other day I was sitting in the middle of this beautiful park in Nairobi, with little monkeys just sitting on the same chair as me. While I was talking to a wonderful young women who was telling me how she really wanted to study in the U.S I told her this exact same story about getting to Africa and I told her to never give up. I told her that even though she might have applied to schools and It didn’t work out, then something better is bound to happen instead. And I told her of course that when ever she does make it to the U.S that I will show her around and treat her as well as everyone in Africa has treated me.
This was just the beginning of what got me to one of the most profound experiences in my life. And now I am about to tell you the end of it …..
I have to make up for my lack of updates about Kenya but for now I need to just stick with today. Today was the most adventurous day in my life. By far.
Coming to Kenya was especially important to me. In 2007 one of my ex boyfriends/now best friend Anthony went to Kenya with an amazing friend of his. I found his trip extremely inspiring and even to this day I think about it. Then one random night probably almost over 3 years ago I couldn’t sleep I woke up and sat in my bed, thinking about a lot of things and then it hit me. I decided that I was going to go to Africa.
That was just the beginning, as I was transferring to Chicago I wasn’t able to start my semester actually taking classes in my major, so what did I start with ? I took Swahili, and The History of Infectious Dieses ( Ironically I’ve gotten almost every deisese I even studied so it seems) . I took Swahili, thinking that I would some day volunteer for a month or so like Anthony did.
In my Swahili class I met an incredible woman who I look up to so much, Jillian (is her name) was getting her masters at Columbia has was in the process of finalizing her own NGO in Tanzania for Education, and Awareness of special needs, and Autism. Talk about inspiring.
After time went on I started to realize that I wasn’t able to save up enough money to go so I started to give up on the idea. Almost feeling stupid for have taken Swahili.
Then the following semester I had a teacher named John. One day john and I were talking about how he had taught photography to kids who lived and worked through the garbage dumps /pits in Guatemala. I told him how I had always wanted to go Africa but how I could never afford it. It was then when john said that as an assignment I had to go to the study abroad office after class and talk to the director of Study Abroad and ask about all possible ways to myself there.
So I did. I felt stupid because A. In my mind only rich kids studied abroad, and I felt selfish at the idea of even going to the meeting when I know my family isn’t in the best place financially right now. But I went and looked into it.
It was a really long process of looking at programs, wanting to give up, but finally finding scholarships I could apply for.
By mid summer, I had applied to the Health and Community Development program in Nairobi. I was so excited because I had taken Swahili and had studied up on Kenya. A few weeks after I was accepted I learned that due to security reasons and the state departments warning facing Kenya I would not be allowed to study there.
I felt like once again everything was going against me and I was just not meant to go. So after a while I stopped feeling sorry for myself and realized it was time to make the best of it and pick a new program. I picked Uganda Post Conflict and I can’t even tell you how grateful I am that I was not able to study in Kenya. Although I love Kenya, the Conflict in northern Uganda has not only changed my life, but has increased my passion and drive for working with women in conflict, especially in terms of war, and sexual violence.
I wont ever forget the day I found out I got the Gilman scholarship, it was the last scholarship I needed in order to make my plans a go
I was working (Nanning) when I got an email on my black berry saying “Congratulations you’re a recipient of the Gilman scholarship Log in now to see your awarded amount” just at that time the battery on my phone dies.
My nanny family came home that night and I booked it back to my apartment to see how much I had been given This was it, I was finally about to see if everything I had worked so hard for was actually going to pay off I got home and login into my account to find I won 4500 dollars. The total award you can get from Gilman is between 1000-5000. So to me 4500 was a huge accomplishment not only that but with that money and the other 5000 in scholarships I got through SIT I was actually going to be able to afford to go. I couldn’t even believe it. I just started crying so hard and gasping for air. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard in my life. I called my dad and left him a voice mail and he called me the next morning thinking I had been hurt because I was crying so hard he couldn’t even understand what I was saying on the phone. But trust me those tears were just pure overwhelming emotion, and just happiness on a level that you can only get from achieving it.
Just the other day I was sitting in the middle of this beautiful park in Nairobi, with little monkeys just sitting on the same chair as me. While I was talking to a wonderful young women who was telling me how she really wanted to study in the U.S I told her this exact same story about getting to Africa and I told her to never give up. I told her that even though she might have applied to schools and It didn’t work out, then something better is bound to happen instead. And I told her of course that when ever she does make it to the U.S that I will show her around and treat her as well as everyone in Africa has treated me.
This was just the beginning of what got me to one of the most profound experiences in my life. And now I am about to tell you the end of it …..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)