This is the first time I have visited Nakuru, Kenya or even
Africa for that matter. To say my view of Africa beforehand was stereotypical
and a generalisation would be brutally honest. Aside from a quick Google and
Wikipedia search, Kenya and the mysterious area named Nakuru was completely
alien to me. However, no matter how unknown Nakuru seemed, I always maintained
a positive attitude to experiencing these experiences first hand and reaping
the benefits of working collaboratively with fellow Balloon Kenya members
(fellows) and local entrepreneurs and innovators.
Upon arriving in Nairobi, Kenya, I was greeted by organised
chaos. The airport, having been on fire only two days before my arrival, still
carried an overpowering smell of burnt rubble. As I exited the aeroplane, I was
met by nonchalant, carefree Kenyan airport employees, who seemed unaware that
the airport had ever been on fire, or so their demeanour suggested. This scene,
in hindsight, perfectly depicted the Kenyan way of life- resilient in the face
of disaster and relaxed yet effective. They may not have been following the
stringent, extensive and mostly bureaucratic policies to do what was needed to
make the airport fully operational once again, but what they were doing was
what was basic and necessary.
Local communities pulled together and used whatever resources
they had at their disposal to innovatively alleviate the need to use the
affected areas of the airport. One local business provided tents, portable
toilets and gazebos, normally rented out for parties and festivals, to
masquerade as the airport arrivals building. No one arriving truly knew exactly
what was going on except that following the general direction of the crowd was
probably for the best. Despite this, those arriving were making it through
successfully and this is all that mattered to the Kenyan people, as they truly
could not afford to lose the economic influx flights to Nairobi brings.
As I made it through the final security check at the airport,
relief flooded through me to finally be free of airports after 24 hours. I
stepped out in to the already burning sun at 7:30 and was thrown in to a
drastic cultural change of police officers carrying AK-47’s (amongst other
home-made weapons), overpowering and demanding beggars praying on guilt and
traffic jams where cars crashed through any object in their way. Welcome to
Kenya.
2 comments
That first moment of leaving the Airport can be quite a shock! After 6 weeks in Kenya, you'll experience the same thing once more when you return to the UK.
Hi Luke - sounds like you're experiencing real culture shock which is an inevitable part of travelling - especially across continents! I know that when I've travelled/lived abroad during the first few days/weeks I'm surprised by the differences but after a while I stop noticing them and instead started realising that lives the world over are very similar - we build friendships and communities and work to provide shelter/food for our selves and our families. But enjoy the differences for now maybe you'll reflect on what you value at home!
Hilary
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