One year ago...
on Colm in Kenya (Kenya), 16/Mar/2010 07:53, 34 days ago
“Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking.Just to let you know that we have started our decent intoJomoKenyatta International Airport, Nairobi. The weather at the moment isbladeblah blah blah, de blah blah….”Oh. Fucking.Shhhiiitttt!What on Gods green earth have I agreed to do? Fuck, fuck, fuck! What am I going to do? Maybe if I refuse to get out of my seat? They’ll have to just fly me back and I can say I was only joking.You know, Fooledyah!Ha ha! Of course I never intended to volunteer in Kenya for 2 years Silly Billy! Gosh I cant believe you fell forthatold chestnut! Anyway, Hey ho, give me my job back and we’ll forget about this whole silly African nonsense…“Cabin crew, seats for landing”I’m going to get sick.Where’s my life jacket? I need to blow the whistle, shine the light and wave my hands in the air.Help! Help! I’m in Seat 24c and I’vemade a big mistake!I was about to start my life as aVSOvolunteer, a 2 year stretch in a place calledKilifi, Kenya and for the first time in the 6 month recruitment process, I had fully realised what exactly I had agreed to do.I remember a few sleepless nights in my first few nights in Nairobi, endless information sessions, meeting existing volunteer,relievedthat none were in straight jackets or none told me that they were the 2ndcoming. I remember the 7 hour drive to Mombasa from Nairobi on the Saturday morning and thinking that I saw a sign post saying‘Point of no return? 2 weeks ago you pillock!’.I remember climbing into amatatufor the first time in Mombasa, one that was to take me to this‘Kilifi’ place, sitting in the seat directly behind the driver with my three packed bags glued to my side; The East African Lonely Planet whispering in my ear ‘Whatever you do, don’t sitbehindthe driver’ But would I listen? Sure why start now?And to add insult to potentially mortal injury, itwasn’t evenKilifiI was going to was it?Oh no, it was a previously unheard of place by the name ofMnarani. Or so I was told, for what was I to know? Little old me whodidn’t get a chance to even google ‘Mnarani’. I could be in bloody Somalia for all I know.‘PsshtMatatuDriver. Hi! its me, the white guy behind you? Tell me this: Is this still Kenya? And are my about to die?’I remember turning off the tarmac and on to a dusty dirt road toMnaranito be greeted by hundreds (potentialexaggeration) of little children and…Goats!…and Chickens!.. (Breath).. All!...Over!..(Breath)… All! …Over!…The!...Place! (Breath)A Google search would of prepared me for this.“Ever so sorry MrAficanMan,don’t begettinme wrong, this is a swell Village and all…Dandy-out Boss! Thumbs up for you my good man!But this is whereYOUlive, yeah?I mean, just for clarification, I’m where exactly? I’m kinda of you know – yawn, stretch, I’m so relaxed about all this – tired. So if you can bring me to my place in ‘KILIFI’, its around here somewhere I’m led to believe? and really nice and modern, I’d be ever so grateful Mr Strange African Man.”I remember getting a text from my Dad saying that I should just‘relax and enjoy it’. It turned out to be the best advice in Kenya I’vegot (so far anyway, postcards to the usual address).Ever since that first week, exactly one year ago, it has pretty much been(save for a few dips in moral) as enjoyable and (clichéalert) rewarding a year as any other I’veexperienced.I was extremely lucky that there was an experienced volunteer - Cocky from Holland -to catch my rattle and through it back into my cot for my first few weeks. Mr Strange African Man has been nothing but 100% hospitable and typically in Kenya, friendly.I am completely aware that in finding‘this place calledMnarani’ I have been extremely lucky. It is a great village to live in and much better thanKilifia km or 2 away.Definitely, I would like to be more effective at work, a lot more effective. But in saying that, I feel I’veadded more in almost any of the the past 365 days than in any of my other‘career days’.I’velearned more about life, about myself (shudder) and‘development’ than I could have ever of hoped for when back climbing the social, corporate and property ladder of Ireland.I just hope the second year is a good as the first but with more impact. Now, if only the Irish Economy could get its act together in the next year as I had planned for and be ready for my return. But, then again, if itdoesn’t …If you have read any of my blogs over the past year, thanks.J