Our trip to Kenya

Its been a little over two weeks since we got back from our trip to Kenya. I am sure I could write a short novel about our vacation "re-visiting my childhood."

The trip was quite short for the amount of things we accomplished.... we were always on the move and spent just a day or only a few hours in certain towns tyring to make the most of old memories.

Upon our arrival back home (to FL), I was convinced Kenya had changed so much in such a short time. It's been 15 years since we moved from there, yes we were prepared for changes, many changes, but nothing like what we were about to experience.... I don't think. Now I'm not too sure what the real shocker is....is it us who have changed so much, adapted to the luxuries, abundance, and novelty of our living conditions now or is it really how bad things have become over time in Kenya.... I am still pondering in thoughts.

There are so many things that have turned this country upside down, its just a vicious cycle overall. From the Coups, Government, Elections, Poverty, Lack of Understanding, Education and Knowledge, to Environmental Conditions, home was not home as I had remembered it to be.

Apparently the Country has not seen rain in three years.... can you imagine the cause for concern? The once ever so green, jungle looking like environment now resembles a desert in the making. The environment is so dry and dusty, trees lay dead across the horizon, and in a desperate attempt to find water, one will find the locals drilling for water in the middle of a high traffic road.... diverting or stalling traffic.
Believe it or not, the local government contributes to the cutting down of trees as they feel the roots suck up all the water.

15 years ago my parents made the decision to move, primarily based on safety factors for our family. Corruption and poverty had started to make it unsafe for many families to make a living in Kenya, but I don't think we could have imagined quite how unsafe it was going to get. The rivalry amongst different tribes has exasperated leaving everyone highly fearful; even the tour drivers....as we witnessed while traveling from Kisumu to Nakuru. Our driver was terrified to be on the road past 6:00pm... and of course we were left to feed of his energy.

There were many things that had changed drastically, but a few that I could not get over. There was not a place we visited whereby the locals joyously allowed us to take photos of them. As a "tourist this time" we very quickly learned to ask before snapping. More frequently than not, they would ask for money in exchange, but you had also be prepared for someone coming up from behind you and cutting your camera strap to steal your camera... it was sometimes just safer not to have a camera on us.

Everything was commercialized. When we went to Masai Mara, we had planned to stop at a Masai Village to see how they lived and learn a more about them. When we were younger, we used to do this all the time, and the Masais were ecstatic to show you around. Now, the visits starts off with a small game of negotiation. They wanted $60 (yes sixty US Dollars) per person to show us around. They gave commercialized tours of their village, whereas I remember as a child we learnt how differently they lived.

Then onto to Masai Mara and our first Safari. I was really looking forward to this part of our trip. As we took off for an evening safari, my mind started backtracking to old memories..... Elephants mud bathing, Giraffes feeding off the tall tall trees, a lioness in a mid stare down waiting on her prey, the birth of a Zebra and so much more. I was not expecting to see all of that in one short day, but I was looking forward to being out in the middle of the jungle again.... was not the case.

Like I mentioned, this could very easily turn into a short novel. Although there were so many aspects of this trip that were disheartening, it was an absolutely awesome experience to have "re-visited our childhood" with my family. Amongst some of the better moments was visiting a childrens orphange and feeding them (something we used to annually when we lived in Kenya), visiting all our old homes, my kindergarten, primary and secondary school, my mum's old homes and her schools, my dad's childhood home and town..... and best of all visiting Mimasa LTD.... the Mechanical Engineering Company my dad founded which is still in existence 167 employees strong.

15 years ago, when we left Kenya and moved to the US, the move was very tough on all of us. It was a major culture shock, like no other, and to start all over again at the age of 15, was not easy! I am certain this trip has eased us all, and now we can reflect and cherish all our old memories, and be thankful to my mum and dad for giving us the opportunities we have today. This reflection was the best part of my trip!

Tune in tomorrow for some photos from our trip.