Some reflections of my trip...

Since my return from Kenya, I have been asked constantly and consistently: “How was Africa?” which I basically interpret as being similar to the greetings: “How are you?” or “How’s it going?”. So I invariably answer with one word, depending on how I am feeling at that moment. Words such as: “Great!” or “Fine.”, like I would answer the typical greetings. Like the greetings, there are so many other words that describe my trip: “beautiful”, “interesting”, “difficult”, “wonderful”, “incredible”, “stressful”, etc… However, for me Africa was all of these things, sometimes all at once.
I went to Kenya with a purpose. I went to take a course on sustainability with 35 other young people. Half of the students were from different regions in Africa and the rest were from other various countries as far away as Brazil and Japan. Being a course on sustainability, there really weren’t many of us from so far away (since flying is an extremely unsustainable practice). Despite the unsustainable nature of my transport to and from Kenya and the guilt that accompanies coming from a country with the largest per capita carbon emissions, I learned valuable lessons in sustainability. For example, I learned that sustainability is not just about environmental conservation and stewardship but also about the inter-linkages between the environment, the economy, and the social aspects of societies. Importantly, I learned that sustainability to Africans is about poverty relief, education, health care, and electing a government that is not corrupt. Carbon emissions are the last thing on the mind of the average African.
After the course, I spent two weeks travelling around the country observing the vast beauty that Kenya has to offer. The climatic, physiographic, and geological differences in this small country are nothing short of incredible. This, of course, includes the amazing wildlife that I, thankfully and unfortunately, viewed from the safety of a bus.
Unfortunately, the other thing that is vast in Kenya is the difference between rich and poor. This, for me, was really the most difficult aspect of my travels and may well be a reason for the electoral chaos that is currently happening in Kenya. Even while I was there it was apparent that Kenyans are extremely passionate about political reform. I could not imagine many Canadians fervently discussing their political choice and how that party would eradicate corruption.
All in all, it was a “great” and “fine” trip. Hopefully, you can see that it was also so much more than that!