The Visit to Kenya - Essay Example

Running head: Personal Essay It is not true Insert Insert Grade Insert 18 May It is not true Landing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, was perhaps the most fundamental life changing experience I have had in my life. I had always been taught to believe that Africa was a despicable place full of poverty, crime, and disease. My cousin, Mabrouk, had been sent to work in the Kenyan Saudi Arabian Embassy and had relentlessly invited me to pay him a visit. Against my better judgment and on my family’s insistence, I agreed and during the holidays I found myself in Kenya. Mabrouk met me at the airport. We passed through the Kenyan capital on our way home. Though significantly underdeveloped, compared to our country, it was decent and clean. The people were beautiful and busy. The way everybody was busy minding his own business fascinated me. The life here was fast paced, and as I slumbered off to bed, I recognized I was intensely curious about Kenyans and Africans in general. Mabrouk had arranged for a safari to Tsavo national park, and we did our shopping in preparation for the trip. The courtesy and politeness of our hosts was phenomenal. The stores were well stocked and had everything we required. Everybody we met had a proper understanding and mastery of English; it was not a big problem communicating amongst ourselves. I had a deep rooted idea that Africans were uneducated, rude, and dishonest and each day challenged this. There is so much misreporting about Africa in my country, and this is partly responsible for the prejudice against Africans in my home country. The only thing I knew about Africa was that they needed aid to fight poverty, diseases and crime, and I had yet to experience a single person or place that fit the description that was in my mind. Everything I believed was wrong and misplaced, and I started to relax and enjoy myself in the pleasant environment. The country had a remarkable and beautiful climate. The wide distribution of green plants all over the place shocked me. The trees and birds were beautiful against clear bright blue skies, this contrasted sharply with Saudi Arabia, and I realized that Africa is so much blessed with a remarkable natural environment. They do not require artificially controlled environments in their homes. The temperatures are exceptionally cool at all times of the day, and I appreciate my cousin for insisting that I visit him in this wonderful part of the globe. I had always been fascinated by the majestic lions since I learnt about them in Pre School and I now had an opportunity to spot one in the wild. After travelling for several hours in the Tsavo plains, our tour guide suddenly told our driver to slow down, and he pointed towards a large tree. The sight was beautiful; I saw the largest lion I have ever seen resting under the tree. We saw very many other beautiful animals in the wild. The clouds opened on our way from the recreational area. It was such a superb thing with a mixture of so many pleasant smells around me, and I could not remember a time that I felt so much contented. I was taken back to reality when our vehicle skidded and came to a sudden stop, and our driver declared that we were mud stuck. We alighted from the vehicle and Mabrouk solemnly declared that only a tow truck could remove the tour van from the muddy pothole. After several minutes, a number of Africans (from the Maasai tribe) came clad in bright red clothing and after talking with the driver, for a minute, they succeeded in removing the van from the pothole. It was particularly surprising because they never demanded any money and were so polite. The Kenyan foods are also very tasty especially the roasted meat. My visit to Kenya showed me another side of Africa and her people that I had never experienced. The largest percent of information in our media and the internet is false and represents a very small percent of truth. Africans are receiving education in large numbers, and it is only that there is unusually slow development growth that limits their economic activities making the majority of them poor and dependent on other economies. The people command respect at all levels and I am proud and happy that I realized this from my Kenyan trip. This has awakened a desire to learn other people’s way of life as there is always something praiseworthy in people. Studying in the western world has also exposed me to very many differences between my country, African and the west. My country men are highly discriminative and prejudice against westerners and Africans, and this inculcates into our way of life and thinking. As an international student, I have felt discriminated at various incidences majorly due to my country of origin, and this sometimes makes me feel frustrated and unwanted, but there is a large majority of people who have accepted me and we have developed strong friendships. I feel that a westerner in my country would feel the same because of differences in diet, religion, and the way of doing things. It is remarkable because I never felt any level of discrimination or distrust in Africa but I know they face discrimination and racially abused in my country and the west. I have realized that all people are good and that it is the society that shapes the attitudes we have. The media, internet, and traditions are largely responsible for the mistrust and discrimination against people from other regions in all places. People should not believe everything they hear and read in the news and magazines because most of them may feature some news in order to maximize profits in their ventures. I believe all people are equal and deserve respect, love and trust if they have not done anything wrong. There are respectable individuals and also bad ones in all societies, religions and countries, and we should learn to accept everyone despite the colour, origin, and language. Read More