[Editor’s Note: This week, we are publishing posts from Julia Douglas of the New Canaan YMCA as she writes from Nairobi, Kenya, where she’s volunteering with a team to build a playground in the world’s second largest slum, Kibera.]
Left to Right: Carolynn Kaufman, Nicki Jezairian, Magda, Anne Goebel, Mary Coleman, and Dave Russell. Julia Douglas photo
We arrived at Jomo Kenyatta Airport after more than 24 hours of travel, and the exhaustion quickly shifted to excitement as we stepped off of the plane. We had finally arrived in Kenya, our flights had been fantastic, and we were ready to begin this adventure.
Julia Douglas of the New Canaan YMCA
The initial visa and passport checks went smoothly, and we proceeded to fill the carts with luggage and duffle bags full of school supplies. We had 12 bags in total, most of them labeled with New Canaan YMCA logos, to say we stood out a little would be a gross understatement. We continued our preparations to leave the airport, and feet from the exit we were stopped by a customs official asking to speak to the leader of our group. Nicki Jezairian, the Y staff member who had organized the trip, quickly stepped forward. However, the customs official held up his hand, silencing Nicki, and expressed that he would speak to the “leader of group,” which we were informed was the male member of our traveling party.
Left to Right: Anne Goebel, Mary Coleman, Carolynn Kaufman, and Nicki Jezairian. Julia Douglas photo
Dave Russell, recent college grad and Y volunteer, was asked a multitude of questions regarding where we were traveling, our reason for being there, and the contents of the bags. After several minutes of interrogation, we were told there would be a tax on the donated school supplies. We paid the fee and proceeded on our way easy enough, but it was an eye-opening experience for the group.
I’m not sharing the incident at customs in order to paint a grim picture of Kenya—in fact, I’ve found many of the residents of Nairobi to be amazingly kind and good-natured. The corruption is a problem for the nation though, and is a recurring topic of conversation when speaking to locals.
In our first day in Kenya, we experienced both the corruption and beauty of the country. We had the opportunity to visit David Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage, witness the craftsmanship of Kazuri beadwork, and meet with locals at the open air market in Nairobi. It has been an exciting journey thus far and the group is looking forward to visiting FAFU tomorrow.
I like when foreigners to other countries write as is they do not experience the same in their own countries. In every country you go you have to declare what you are bringing in, including how much money you are carrying with yourself. In fact in some countries like the US of A , if you are travelling from Africa you are told that the system (rather the computers) have picked you up for further screening. It is only prudent to answer the myriad questions posed by customs officers in each country, otherwise we would have all manner of “so called gifts” being dumped in other countries. Many travelers to countries in Africa would like us to believe their experiences in Africa are way out of this world, but do not care to to reflect on their experiences in their own countries, because the customs asking them questions in their own countries is the norm, but they being asked questions by customs in other countries, especially in Africa, is weird.
Oh Grace, bless your heart…to be so certain and yet so oblivious at the same time. What an accomplishment.