The real voyage of discovery
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 21/Sep/2010 17:34, 34 days ago
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."- Marcel ProustWhen I first became a VSO volunteer, I desired to get back to a simpler life where children had time to play, neighbours knew one another and life was slower paced.  However, that has been nothing like my experience in Nairobi!  While admittedly things move more slowly here (esp. in business), life is certainly not simpler. Life is hard in the hustle and bustle of this city - battling with stifling traffic and air pollution on a daily basis; not being able to walk around at night nor travel safely in many areas of the city at night; a constant pressure for those who have had the privilege of post-secondary education to keep their skills up to date in a competitive job environment; and a daily challenge to make ends meet in a city where some prices are comparable with those in Europe. I will leave Kenya with a new perception of the realities faced by the majority of the world’s population and a lot less naïve than when I arrived two years ago.  I’ve experienced the results of lack of employment opportunities for youth, after having more than a couple of mobiles phones and wallets stolen from me and listened to stories of my colleagues and friends being robbed.  And I’ve been reminded that what are considered necessities back home are often considered luxuries here, including access to clean water, basic sanitation, electricity and technology.  While I knew all of this to some extent before arriving, it has truly been driven home to me. Likewise, my perception of what international development is and how it can be effectively implemented has also changed.  On a national scale I’ve seen massive amounts of money wasted, misallocated and used ineffectively while the people who are supposed to be helped impatiently await.  I’ve more than occasionally witnessed a culture of dependency where a plan for action may involve an attitude of “we pray that they will bring us…” and watched workshop participants expect inflated compensation for attending a meeting or workshop set up by a development organization.  I’ve also witnessed and experienced, to some extent, the impact of environmental degradation and global warming on Kenya and am determined this needs to be an area of priority before it’s too late. However, equally, I’ve seen private-NGO-public partnerships that have worked successfully, micro-enterprise projects which have changed the lives of disadvantaged members of society, technology trainings that have opened up job opportunities for people who otherwise would be unemployable, and relatively basic SMS technology that have empowered rural populations.   I know the lessons that I have learned will serve me well throughout the rest of my career and my life.What I will miss most about Nairobi, as is true anywhere I have lived in the world, is the many people who I have met and befriended.  Some have been brief encounters with fascinating people, while others developed into life-long friendships.  Being the East African hub for international development, business and foreign embassies and consulates I’ve had the opportunity to interact with and learn from people who in other circumstances I would never have met.  In my position as a VSO volunteer, I’ve met as many interesting people at the grassroots level from rural blind farmers and disadvantaged women from the slums, to athletes who have built international reputations despite all odds being stacked against them, to high level government ministers.  And finally, with more than 70 VSO volunteers in the country at any given time, I’ve made many new friendships with people from Ireland, to the US, to India and the Philippines and know many of these people will remain lifelong friends.  And I’ve learned important lessons from all of them.Kenya is also a truly beautiful country, with spectacular landscapes and wildlife.  I’ll miss being able to drive less than 2 hours to watch flamingos, pelicans and hippos in Lake Naivasha.  I’ll miss being able to hop into a friend’s car see monkeys, giraffes, rhinos and Thomson gazelles only  kilometers from my home in Nairobi National Park.  And I’ll miss being able to take a 1 hour flight or a 7 hour drive and be lying on the beach and swimming in the warm Indian Ocean, surrounded by coconut trees and breathing in the salty ocean air. Although saying goodbye to Kenya is going to be difficult, I’m grateful for the two years that I have spent here and excited about what lies ahead for me.  I will be studying a Masters degree when I return to Canada, as well as pursuing a career in international marketing and communications.  I’m looking forward to being close to my family and friends at home, to being able to drive once again and be more in control of my own schedule, to breathing fresh air and enjoying the beautiful Canadian landscapes … and so much more. And besides, to me, this good bye is not permanent.  It might take some time, but I know that eventually I’ll be back!