kenya
Travelling to Kenya During COVID-19
I am an adventurer at heart until it is time to actually go and then I would prefer to just stay home. This trip to Kenya was no exception. While international travel is not new to me, traveling during a pandemic is. We hit many bumps along the way with ever-adjusting testing requirements, country regulations, testing for transit airports, and quarantine rules, but overall, we had a successful and safe trip.
Before this trip, the only assumption I had was that there would be loads of mosquitos. While that wasn’t necessarily the case, I was marinating in DEET just to be safe. Aside from that assumption, I really didn’t know what to expect which turned out in my favor. The best things in life are unexpected because there are no expectations to compare them to. While preparing for class presentations prior to leaving, I delved into the primary, secondary, and higher education systems in Kenya and was surprised to learn that public education has only been free for primary and secondary schools since 2008. As I continued to dig deeper, I learned that the current education structure was recently changed for primary and secondary schools and looked forward to sharing this with my classmates as we learned more about the beautiful country of Kenya. On the day of my presentation in Kenya, I was very nervous when Kenyan students, faculty, and staff entered the room to participate in the student presentations that were taking place.
As nerve-wracking as it was presenting about the Kenyan education system to actual Kenyan students and parents who were experiencing the system unfold in real-time, it was very validating to learn that most of my research was accurate and then to have my knowledge augmented by our visitors’ actual experiences in the new education system. The comments provided by our Kenyan presentation visitors were not belittling but rather thought-provoking and encouraging of discussion. I was put at ease as the presentation turned into a lively discussion about the new and old Kenyan education systems as well as how the systems compared and contrasted to the American education system.It was through this presentation, and a multitude of additional interactions, that I learned that while our countries are not the same in terms of age, infrastructure, and resources, we still face many of the same problems and concerns in education and government. Both institutions have drastically different funding and infrastructure in place, but both institutions have been creative and innovative in forming solutions to fit their needs.
While we do face many similar concerns in regards to education and funding, it was interesting to see the stark contrast of our group on campus. As a predominantly white group in the middle of KU’s campus, we definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. This gave me just a small glimpse of what it must be like to be an international student or minority at SUU. Knowing the kind of amenities I was used to at home and the cleanliness expectation I have for my living spaces, it was a bit uprooting to see what my new home-away-from-home was like. Short term, I was able to cope, but if this had been a long-term place for me to stay, I would have felt some incredible homesickness not just from my family, but from my usual living. Amenities differ around the world and I cannot imagine the amount of overwhelming change international and minority students face when they arrive in a new country where they may not speak the language, at a new place to live, with new roommates, and new foods.
I am an adventurer at heart until it is time to actually go and then I would prefer to just stay home. This trip to Kenya was no exception. While international travel is not new to me, traveling during a pandemic is. We hit many bumps along the way with ever-adjusting testing requirements, country regulations, testing for transit airports, and quarantine rules, but overall, we had a successful and safe trip.
Before this trip, the only assumption I had was that there would be loads of mosquitos. While that wasn’t necessarily the case, I was marinating in DEET just to be safe. Aside from that assumption, I really didn’t know what to expect which turned out in my favor. The best things in life are unexpected because there are no expectations to compare them to. While preparing for class presentations prior to leaving, I delved into the primary, secondary, and higher education systems in Kenya and was surprised to learn that public education has only been free for primary and secondary schools since 2008. As I continued to dig deeper, I learned that the current education structure was recently changed for primary and secondary schools and looked forward to sharing this with my classmates as we learned more about the beautiful country of Kenya. On the day of my presentation in Kenya, I was very nervous when Kenyan students, faculty, and staff entered the room to participate in the student presentations that were taking place.
As nerve-wracking as it was presenting about the Kenyan education system to actual Kenyan students and parents who were experiencing the system unfold in real-time, it was very validating to learn that most of my research was accurate and then to have my knowledge augmented by our visitors’ actual experiences in the new education system. The comments provided by our Kenyan presentation visitors were not belittling but rather thought-provoking and encouraging of discussion. I was put at ease as the presentation turned into a lively discussion about the new and old Kenyan education systems as well as how the systems compared and contrasted to the American education system.It was through this presentation, and a multitude of additional interactions, that I learned that while our countries are not the same in terms of age, infrastructure, and resources, we still face many of the same problems and concerns in education and government. Both institutions have drastically different funding and infrastructure in place, but both institutions have been creative and innovative in forming solutions to fit their needs.
While we do face many similar concerns in regards to education and funding, it was interesting to see the stark contrast of our group on campus. As a predominantly white group in the middle of KU’s campus, we definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. This gave me just a small glimpse of what it must be like to be an international student or minority at SUU. Knowing the kind of amenities I was used to at home and the cleanliness expectation I have for my living spaces, it was a bit uprooting to see what my new home-away-from-home was like. Short term, I was able to cope, but if this had been a long-term place for me to stay, I would have felt some incredible homesickness not just from my family, but from my usual living. Amenities differ around the world and I cannot imagine the amount of overwhelming change international and minority students face when they arrive in a new country where they may not speak the language, at a new place to live, with new roommates, and new foods.
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Again, while I got just a glimpse of this through my experience, it does help me feel more empathetic towards our international students and some of the incredible mountains they faced just to get here, and that they still face to move forward and try to understand the new culture and community that they are going to call home for the next few years.
Though I felt overwhelmed by the amount of change I was experiencing during this trip, I was also overwhelmed by the amount of kindness and help I received. So many students, faculty, staff, and even strangers sometimes, helped us along the way, gave directions, or even just a friendly hello. We were different, we knew it, they knew it, but it didn’t matter. Students reached out to us, surprised us with visits, even joined in some games, and welcomed us instead of leaving us isolated. I think that is the key to feeling welcomed and acclimated in a new place. It isn’t easy. Many times it would be easier to be in solitude, make no effort to connect, and reap the results of isolation and possibly the harmful effects that accompany that. I learned that no matter how different the place is, how uncomfortable I may feel, there are always people reaching out to help and it is important for me to reach |
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The river near our homestay, Ilma Qureshi
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out and try as well. It was humbling to see miles of slums, people living in poverty, or those wearing their best clothes that still have visible tears in them, but it did help me be more grateful. I have so many amenities and things that make my life easier and I take them for granted. I live in an insulated home, I have a reliable car to drive to work, I have a fair paying job, I have clean water to drink from the tap, a clean home, and I live in a safe city. The world is so much bigger than my home. With Kenya being such a young country, gaining independence in 1963, they have come such a long way and I can’t help but be in awe of how much they have accomplished in such a short amount of time.
My perspective of Kenya and Africa has shifted from viewing these places as third-world countries, which many of them are, to admiration and respect towards the people’s resilience to grow and thrive even amidst poverty, injustice, and circumstances that are beyond their control. Instead of feeling pity for the people or arrogance in my own country’s system, I see a quiet strength in their steady growth, diligence, and determination to be involved and shape their country, and I see their character outshine their circumstances. I see what I want to be in the people of Kenya. Despite all the challenges they face, they have a drive to keep going, to do more, and to be more. - Meagan Beesley |
United Arab Emirates
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Walking Home
There is religion in these footsteps between their home and mine. Domes and spires in the distance brush the moon with geometric reverence as the call to prayer paints the air with melodic calligraphy. Street lights stretch my silhouette across the concrete to the trees, shadows blurred and twining while the distant cacophony of crows is softened by date palms swaying beneath their wings. Perpetual motion pauses in place, invites me to witness the waltzing of music and math, singing and silence, the echo of some cosmic truth humming beneath the concrete and my skin, burrowing in the spaces between seconds, making a home in this empty street, and in me, forgetting I am a stranger here. I accompany my shadow down the sidewalk, walking softly to my dorm and life, careful not to startle this haven in a world gone crazy, heaven in the rests between measures. Each star seems a familiar friend. Each step is a thankful benediction: amen, amen, amen. - Tayah Nelson |
Grand Mosque, Tayah Nelson
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