Although I’m already in Nairobi, I wrote this post right before I left and didn’t have the chance to post it until now. First impressions of Kenya coming up soon.
Here we are, only days away from the actual "getting on a plane and leaving Canada" part of this adventure. The last few weeks have been an intense experience of learning, as well as bonding with complete strangers over the unavailability of showers. One of the main things I have learned is that it’s a lot less stressful to tell people you are moving to Kenya, as compared with the actual act of moving.
The last three weeks have consisted mostly of a chance for the eleven of us travelling to sub-Saharan Africa to meet and bond. It's pretty rare as an adult to get one of those experiences where you interact with a group of people that you've never met before, and then over a short but intense period become best friends. It's also pretty amazing, and one of the many things that I've had the opportunity be thankful for these past few weeks. Somehow 13 people living in a house with only one shower didn’t lead to any form of mayhem or bloodshed.
The three weeks of pre-departure ran through Thanksgiving, and there was actually a very poignant aspect to spending a final Canadian Thanksgiving in Toronto before heading away for a year. The snap of the fall air combined with the smells of pumpkin pie wafting from bakeries on Bloor St lend an immediacy to the Turkey-filled holiday that sometimes is missing.
The long weekend was also a chance to reflect on what I’d learned so far on my training with Engineers Without Borders, and how I’ve managed to reconnect with an organization I’ve been absent from for over 6 years. Through sessions on power dynamics, gender and the environment, and tackling systems change, I have been forced to re-assess my place in working overseas, and to ensure I’m approaching my departure with humility and an open mind.
That being said, despite all the learning, and all the pie, I return again to the people I’ve met over the last three weeks. I’ll forever be grateful for the chance to have befriended these awesome folks, both my fellow long term volunteers, and the amazing staff at EWB National Office. We’ve spent time laughing and drinking, and being ridiculously honest with each other. We have stayed up until 1am at the house having discussions on race relations or gender in development. I know the next year is going to be filled with challenges, good and bad, but I know I’ll have an awesome group of people to depend on when I need support in-country, to complement all of you awesome people supporting me from afar.
So next post will be from the streets of Nairobi! Below I have a few pictures of my time in Toronto. Until next time, everyone keep safe and so will I.
