the farewell post...

well, i'm currently sitting in the amsterdam airport, using the free wi-fi (wi-fi in kenya was nonexistent in most places), and eating my twelve dollar breakfast (do you realize how many chapatis i could have bought with twelve dollars?!)

so, a summary of my last week in kenya, and then some reflections on my experience.

sunday i took the bus back from mombasa to nairobi. of course it was more than an hour late, but i've just came to accept things like that. i didn't feel to sad saying goodbye to the heat of the coast. one of the girls on my program said that it was 95-100 degrees for many of the days we were there. we made it back to nairobi at about 7:00, which allowed us to see the christmas lights that decorated prestige plaza. christmas lights in kenya?!.. who would have thought?

we got a taxi to the methodist guest house, where we spent the next three days taking exams, sharing internship experiences, and participating in a wrap-up seminar. the hotel was much more than most of us expected, complete with buffet meals (no more ugali!) and a swimming pool.

wednesday morning we headed back to our nairobi homestay families for a few more days with them. a girl on the program was kicked out of her homestay (apparently she was supposed to call them while she was in mombasa, and she didn't, so they didn't want her to return) so she stayed with me.

i spent my last few days in kenya just simply enjoying myself-- eating at a swank indian restaurant with the rest of the students, handing in all of my term papers, chilling by the pool at the guest house again, going to markets, and eating multiple milkshakes.

saturday came, and it was time to leave kenya. it still all feels really surreal, it hasn't quite hit me that i'm really going home. my flight didn't leave until 11:00 at night. getting through security was a breeze and the flight went well. the flight was about eight hours. i have a seven hour layover and then another eight hour flight to chicago.

i do not know how to express my feelings on these last 3 1/2 months of my life. hands down, this has been the most amazing experience of my life. when the flight was taking off last night, i couldn't help but feel sad to think about never returning. what if i never ride in a matatu again? what if i never shop at the secondhand markets to buy 30 cent shirts? what if i never ride a pikipiki every again? these questions, plus multiple others, filled my mind. i feel like i experienced so many "firsts" on this trip, it makes me sad to think i could have also had my "lasts." i guess it's a good thing to feel this way-- it means i really enjoyed myself and want to come back.

one of the issues discussed in the wrap-up seminar was reverse culture shock. for many, coming back to the consumeristic and materialistic culture of the united states is worse than seeing the sheer poverty of kenya. i've lived a much simpler life these past few months than i have ever before. although there are certain conveniences of the united states i'm looking forward to coming back to, i do believe most americans live with too much, and they are not any happier than kenyans that live on next-to-nothing. one of the things i've learned is that material items will not make me happy. although not ever single second of these last 3 1/2 months have been the most joyous times of my life, my experiences and insight on the world that i've gained will make me happier than any material item would be able to.

another thing discussed in the seminar was enduring the hardships associated with explaining your experiences to people back home. living in a developing, third world, sub-saharan africa country for 3 1/2 months has made me realize the discrepancies in u.s. media coverage to kenya and other similar areas. to everyone reading this-- get educated. there are so many stereotypes associated with kenya and africa as a whole, and it's due to american ignorance.

i won't lie, i had no idea what i was getting myself into when i decided to come to kenya. but i do know i've grown so much as a person, being able to experience life through a different lens, being able to view the united states from the outside. i don't want to say i'm a whole different person though. i'm still me, just with some new views on the world, and some great stories to share. :)

one of the students on the program became slightly obsessed with steve jobs after his death in october. he shared a wonderful quote with us from him. i think the quote really envelopes my thoughts on not only the last 3 1/2 months of my life, but also on the rest of my life.

"When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and you're life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money.

That's a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and other people can use.

Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again."

future blog postings if i get back to the u.s. and feel the need to post. otherwise,
kwaheri kenya, kuona tena (goodbye kenya, see you again).
-emma