Today is my last day in Kenya. I'm up early as usual. This morning, the sky is blanketed in clouds, but I can already see it breaking up to make room for the sun. Within the hour, it will close to the usual +30 degrees Celsius that I've grown accustomed to over the past 9 weeks.
The days have been cooler as we head into the rainier part of the season. It's been a lot more bearable, though I was very much spoiled by the air conditioning at Diani Beach that I now have a hard time getting myself to go out in the sun.
It's been a challenging 2 months. It took me the first couple of weeks to adjust to the heat, dust, and homesickness. I remember my first day here; we were in Mlolongo doing a mobile testing event and it was over 30 degrees, sunny, and I was surrounded by strangers, users, and piles of burning garbage. All I could think was, "Is this what the next 2 months are going to be like," and "What did I get myself into?"
Of course, things got better. The strangers turned into friends, the users were still users but I learnt how to deal with them, and the piles of garbage became a symptom of the picture of a very big problem. Though I never learned to enjoy the heat. As I found out more about the problems of Mlolongo and the neighbouring towns, I developed a sense of hopelessness for the cause. The government corruption, cultural differences (i.e. much slower pace of doing things, traditions), and onslaught of problems made me feel none of it could be improved with our two hands.
As I continued to observe the way the centre worked and what they did on a daily basis, I realized it was about giving people the power to live better lives by feeding them proper knowledge. There is a lot that can't be changed from the ground level, and until some major governmental shift happens, this will still be the case. But joy still exists in the lives of these people who live in such miserable, hard-up conditions. And by giving them tools and assistance to either improve or extend their lives a bit more, we're helping.
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As I prepare to go to India today, I am expecting Mumbai to be like Nairobi on steroids. I found Nairobi to be hot, hectic, and packed full of people. I can only imagine Mumbai will be hotter, more hectic, and have a LOT more people. But I am very much looking forward to it. Except for the smells... their reputation precedes them. I keep thinking of comedian Russell Peters' bit on the Mumbai airport, "It's as if they hired a guy to shit in front of every plane door." ... Great. I'll let you know how it goes.
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