On my first trip to Kenya, I, of course, tried not to expect certain things before I went, of either myself or of the country and the people. What I did see and learn and experience wasn't what I was expecting, or would have expected.
Most people associate Africa with the faces they see on TV - of the children that are in so desperate need of our help, with yellow eyes, and distended-bellies due to malnutrition. Sure, yes, this is a reality - but the feeling you get when you meet these individuals is something so unlike that! There isn't desperation or despair, they have so much passion and zest for life. Although they are poor in material possessions, they are very rich in love and understanding for their neighbours.
Wherever we drove in the lorry, kids would always see us and come running and screaming up to the lorry, rocking the double wave and shouting "Jambo! Jambo!"
The kids were just so wonderful, and so happy, I mean SO happy. I have never met kids like this. When something was funny, it wasn't just funny - it was THE FUNNIEST THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. They would scream with laughter. Even though our Swahili was not that great and their English was mostly limited to two sentences ("Whatisyourname?" and "Howoldareyou?" with the occasional "Whatisthenameofyourmother?" thrown in), there was no problem communicating. We would just grin at each other, or resort to tickling, or trying on sunglasses, or playing Stella-ella-oh-la.
As my friend Clare pointed out:
we laugh at home, obviously. But in Canada, we laugh when things are funny: when someone tells a joke, when someone falls out of a chair, when I watch Friends. But I don't think I ever smiled or laughed more out of pure joy than when I was in Kenya. And I know how that sounds, but it's true: sitting in the middle of a big pile of laughing kids, you can't do anything else but grin at them.
As someone said, seeing so many happy people is inspiring, but it also makes you think "How can I possibly, possibly ever be unhappy?" These kids were just so ecstatic for any one thing: a footrace; being tickled; seeing new people; getting kicked out of stella-ella-oh-la; showing us their school, or getting a piggy-back ride. Not only does it give you a slap in the face every time you think of when you've been unhappy or because you missed a mark on a test.
Not only does it add THAT perspective, but it also really makes you think about what makes up happiness. I've lost sight of some of that perspective since being back in North America.
