Reminiscing on my time in Kenya feels like a fever dream. It was a time and place in my life where I got the privilege to immerse myself in a largely different culture, which changed my perspectives and helped to grow my character, I feel that after my experience abroad, I am more open-minded and grateful. There’s a plethora of lessons that will follow me for life, but the one that has been the most impactful so far is that some people in this world are much happier with much less luxuries, luxuries that most people in America see as necessities. For instance, it was very common that electricity would go out, and unless you could afford a powerful generator, which few could, you were without until the city is able to fix it; depending on the circumstances though, this can take anywhere from hours to weeks. In more rural areas, there was limited to no fresh water, hot water for showers, laundry, dishes, etc. was rare, even at some hotels, adding onto that very few had washers and dryers, majority hand washed, and air dried their clothes. Even worse, no one used air conditioning, not in cars, houses, or in restaurants, unless they were considered ‘high class’. Yet, despite all these hardships everyone was considerably happier, calmer, nicer, and more understanding, it was very refreshing.
Kenya also helped to change my outlook on the speed of life, before I went, I thought it was universal that people worked tirelessly to live comfortably, however that is not the case whatsoever. As a matter of fact, a phrase I heard often was “Pole Pole” which means “slowly slowly”. They strongly believed that life should be without lived without anxieties and overwhelming responsibilities, which was quite a culture shock for me because I have been working and doing school full time since I was 15 years old. It helped me to take a step back and smell the roses and continues to act as a reminder to slow down and take a breath.
Although many experiences and takeaways were positive, one specifically was humbling for me, which was the academics aspect. I have worked very hard to maintain an impressive academic standing, I take pride in the work I’ve done and its results. Although the school is United States accredited, most professors learned to teach under the British curriculum, and therefore do not teach the same or have the same expectations. Professors do not provide detailed guidelines or rubrics and can be slightly misleading, for instance I had a class where the professor swore just skimming over the text and coming to class would be more than sufficient to do well, however that was the hardest class yet of my college career. Also, be prepared for intensive writing and reading courses, all assignments and exams are strictly short answer or essay questions, at least in my experience. Though struggling with academics there was humbling and at sometimes difficult to cope with, it helped me to recognize that I am my own worst academic enemy, and that I should give myself the grace I deserve.
Overall, my time studying abroad was filled with growth and unforgettable experiences that I will forever cherish. I would absolutely recommend Kenya as a study abroad destination, especially if you’re looking more for the experience. Do be prepared for potentially harder, different curriculum, but the experiences outside of academics make it worth it.
Kayla Evans (BS Psychology) spent Fall 2024 studying abroad in Nairobi, Kenya through KEI. Kayla had the following to say about studying abroad, “Just do it. Everyone is scared of what they don’t know and once in a lifetime experiences only come once in a lifetime.“
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