Topic: Life in Kenya not difficult, but different
Life in Kenya not difficult, but different
By Melissa Bachler
Melissa Bachler, Language Arts and History teacher at Crone Middle School in Naperville, is on a month-long volunteer trip to teach reading and math in Kenya.
So, maybe I have become used to long drops (Kenyan toilets), maybe I have become used to not having running water for a shower, maybe I have become used to DEET saturating my skin 24/7, but I am finding that things here aren't that difficult - just different. The food, the language, the transportation, the culture - different, not extremely difficult, just different. And embracing the different - rather than going against - has proved invaluable. Embracing isn't just a lesson for Kenya or a lesson for traveling, it is a lesson for life.
I've learned how to embrace what is locally referred to as "African Time." Meetings are to start at 9 a.m.? Don't get upset when they start at 11:30. People are visiting with their families, taking time to develop relationships and listen, rather than rushing through a morning routine and shouting, "Hurry up, we're late!" as they scramble out the door without pausing to hear a response. "African Time" has reminded me that when it is well spent, it doesn't matter what the clock says, just what your actions do.
I've learned to embrace the children proclaiming, "Myzungo! (White person!)" and stopping to talk to you on your way to catch the bus to town. A piece of candy, a "How are you? I'm fine," verbal exchange, and a few dances and songs (along with them wanting to touch your skin and hair) remind me that embracing their curiosity is what childhood and life are all about.
So often, when ideas are different or foreign to us, we reject them, run away from them or question their validity. I've come to realize that embracing is a universal language that is spoken and welcome anywhere. I plan on carrying it with me wherever I go. There are wants in life, comforts in life and necessities in life. Embracing is a necessity.