I was anxious as I left my home for the airport. I didn’t know what to expect from my three month vacation to Kenya. I had gone on this trip to learn about my culture and understand about the place where I was born. I moved to the United States at a young age and wanted to regain what I had lost. I arrived at the city on Nairobi on June 21st after my 22 hour flight. I was accompanied by my two sisters. We lived with our cousins, which was great because we had a free house, food and guides.
We were welcomed with open arms. We arrived to a feast. There were about ten different meals on the table which all looked delectable. The aroma of the authentic Kenyan food made my tongue water. After stuffing ourselves we set off to see the city. The scariest part to me was how people drove. With so many people crossing the streets and cars so close to each other, I kept flinching but I got used to it after a while. First we went to Nairobi National Park. I had never seen wild animals so close. I liked that the animals were in their habitat and not locked in a small cage. We could not get enough of the animals so next we visited a giraffe park which was my favorite because we got to feed them by mouth if we were brave enough.
Our next stop was Nairobi’s National Museum. The museum showed the country’s history, culture and art. It had models of most known animals, birds, plants and all sorts of nature in Kenya. I learned so much and left with a lot more knowledge about Kenya. We left Nairobi so we could see more of the country so next we went to visit Lake Nakuru, whose beauty overwhelmed me. There were over a million flamingos there. We stayed watching till sunset, which made it one of the most unforgettable nights of my life. Next we stopped by Rift Valley which just driving by was intimidating. The view was amazing and it is unbelievable how wide and deep it was. We then stopped at Thomson Falls. We had a blast taking pictures and meeting the Masaai people. While driving we ran into an elephant crossing the road. I was shaking and afraid but everything turned out okay, the locals told us it was fairly normal.
After staying in cities we decided to go to a village to get a taste of life there. It wasn’t long till we transitioned from tarmac roads to dirt and rocky roads. We arrived at a small town named Kangui. The buildings were small and there were only a few stores. I was invited to a school by the locals. I was inspired to learn how much the children sacrifice for their education. Many traveled up to ten miles barefoot just so they could learn. Their stories brought me to tears and inspired me to help someday. It showed me how fortunate I really am. I became very attached to those people. Being there showed me where my family came from. The people made me feel at home. Even though the town was in need I had never seen so much love anywhere else. Time went by really fast. I came back with pride of where I’m from. First I enrolled in a Swahili class. I also joined a program that helps pay school fees for students in Kenya. My adventure was amazing and I’m grateful for that experience because it changed me.
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