Kenya 2009 - Saba Azeem

The whole prospect of going abroad for a DT seemed very exciting. When I was finally matched in Kenya, I was even more excited since I had never been to Africa. But soon I came to realize that it isn’t as glamorous as it sounds. Not only did I have to adjust to an entire new culture and way of life, I also had other perils to deal with like travelling on unreliable public transport (which I had never experienced in Pakistan), getting used to the food (which I did not find to be very appetizing), and getting used to the lack of running water! 

Life seemed hard and when it finally hit me that this was a permanent situation for the time being in Kenya, I began to feel home sick. But soon enough I made friends from all over the world. My friends included not only Kenyans and my host family, but Austrians, Germans, Brazilians, Colombians, British, Kiwis, Somalis, Chinese and Japanese. It truly was a global experience and I began to look forward to Tuesdays where all the interns would meet at Comfort and we would go out to eat and party on our meager finances. Work had always been amazing since I was researching with the African Mental Health Foundation and it was a great honor to work with such a reputable institution which was doing so well despite being in its early years. 

I made amazing friends with the people there and am already beginning to miss them. Kenya was an amazing experience now that I think about it since I got to live life as an average Kenyan and got to see the country through a different lens and not from a tourist point of view. The safari was absolutely breath taking, the Savannah with its majestic glory was more than I could ever imagine. It was the real life version of the Lion King! Now than I am back, I can’t help but feel nostalgic and I can’t wait to go on another exchange program to experience another culture from this close.   

Saba Azeem