Kenya - A World Away...

Yesterday I woke up to get ready for work. I got out of my big queen size bed, had a hot shower, put on my ironed shirt, business clothes, and quickly ate some cereal with milk and fresh juice from the fridge before walking out the door and driving to the office for the day.

A year ago, a typical day for me in Shimoni, Kenya usually involved waking up on base in a remote village along the South Coast with 15 or so volunteers ready to start the day.

After a quick basic breakfast of weetabix I might have spent a few hours in the morning working in the office wearing board shorts and flip flops (t-shirt optional), organised base supplies for the week and then walked into the village to find one of our local suppliers to help get us fresh water (no drinking water taps in Shimoni).  The afternoon may have involved training some volunteers in different habitat types before driving our 18ft powerboat ‘squirrel’ across the channel to nearby Wasini Island to catch up with staff and interns. A wash in the ocean during high tide to watch one of the most incredible sunset views, dinner with the team and debrief, quickly followed by a drink under the stars. To be honest this is one of the more average days of living in Kenya!

Teaching at Mkwiro Secondary School

Wakling through Tsavo National Park - Mt Kili in the background

On the best days in Kenya, I might have been with our marine team researching coral reefs spotting dolphins and whales around Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park, walking through forest surveying Angolan Black and White Colobus, planting trees in the community with the guys from Friends of Shimoni Forest, or helping on a construction project in remote Tsavo West National Park. The people are really the best part of the whole experience though. It’s the people you meet, work and form lifelong friendships with that really create the memories, oh and I can’t forget all the photos! If you go to Africa take a good camera it’s worth every dollar!

Lucas, Tim, Dave, myself and Adam at Shimoni Reef

With all this said it really is only a small insight into the year I spent in Kenya.  Although I only left 8 months ago, the enormous contrast to life in Australia really does make it feel a lot longer. For those who have never been to Africa, thinking about going, or about to, be prepared for the reverse culture shock once you’re back in the developed world. It does take a while to readjust but I promise you, as time goes on you do eventually settle back in. A word of warning, if you venture to Africa, chances are you’ll want to go back again. I’m fortunate enough to have a job in Melbourne that involves travel to different countries and allows me to get back out into field work, which does help ease the itchy feet, but sometimes my time in Kenya does seem unsurpassable. However I do my best to remember to keep patient, plan ahead and sure enough the next great adventure is never far away!

Happy reading and best wishes,

Luke Purcell