I have recently just returned home after traveling for five months, four of which were spent with Africa Asia Venture. I had the most amazing experience with them and felt that I got to soak up the atmosphere from the locals, from going to weddings to snorkeling trips, to sports competitions at other schools. The privilege and ability to take a long period out of your day-to-day routine to plunge yourself into life in Msambweni are rare, so you want to sign up with a company that will look after you and cater to your wants and needs.
The process right from the start feels super easy as you have an initial consultation with either Andrew or Sarah, who will make sure you have signed up for the right project, as they have many to pick from. AV is a brilliant organization as it is small enough to feel like family, as the people take the time to get to know you as an individual, but big enough that they have a network of connections and contacts who come and look after you. One of the team will meet you at the airport, and that is when you get fully thrown into the experience, as this will most likely be the first time you will meet the people you will be living with for the next three months.
Once you arrive in the local town, Diani, you will be met by Grace and Khalfan, some of the AV team down on the ground, who will then give you an orientation. They make you feel right at home immediately as you meet the locals, take you to their favorite shops, and show you the schools. This for me was something that I thought made AV stand out, because leaving your home to spend 3-4 months halfway across the world, naturally, can feel daunting, so this orientation makes you feel very well looked after.
After this weekend is over the time starts to fly by. Monday to Friday will be spent teaching at your school, I taught Maths, English, and Science, so don't worry if you feel like you don't know the subjects well enough the teachers are there to help! When you are not teaching lessons, there is still plenty to do. I would often chat with the teachers, draw with the kids, or paint murals on the school walls. If you don't believe me when I say you become best friends with the teachers then let me tell you that my friend Layla and I were even lucky enough a couple of times to go over to one of our teacher's houses and learn how to make chapatti and beans (my favorite). Once the school day is over, you have the opportunity to play football or other sports with the children or go to the beach, which is on your doorstep. It is a surreal experience to be able to walk 100 meters and be on a lovely white sandy beach, a perfect way to cool down after an exhausting and sweaty day.
It gets even better, every weekend like clockwork we could wake up on Saturday and go straight to Diani by tuk-tuk, the local transport. In Diani there are so many different things to do, by the beach, you could sail, windsurf, kitesurf, kayak, paddleboard or go tubing. There are also lots of lovely places to eat, all at a very affordable price, and there is a big drinking scene, especially Diani backpackers which was the best and our favorite place we would go every weekend.
So why pick AV?
There are many reasons why I would suggest this company and that make them stand out.
Starting with the strongest, and my particular reason for picking AV, was because of their perfect balance of support. When you are 18/19 and on a gap year, this is often your first time living away from home, and I think AV balances the independence well. They have Grace who lives in Nairobi who would often pop down once a fortnight to check on you and that you were doing okay. However, they didn't smother you in support and overwhelm you by constantly checking in as you still had an opportunity to do things your way and be in control of what food you wanted to cook or what you wanted to do in the evening. They also have Khalfan who lives just a couple of houses down, so he would also check on us a couple of times a week and also will be there if you need any help or support.
Second, you are not doing a project with a big umbrella organization, you are with a relatively small organization that looks after you and checks in, it makes the volunteers feel a lot safer, as the company knows you by name. Often if you do a project like this with a big company, if you have a problem and need help, it is hard because the company is big so they won't know who necessarily you are.
Lastly, the opportunity to improve your skills development is great. I am sure if you ask most people who have done a project with AV they will tell you they feel so much more independent and ready to take on different challenges. This is so true, having done AV is great preparation for the 'real world' and helps equip a young individual to tackle the situations life throws at them.
I wish someone could go back and tell me last January when I was starting this project that there was no reason to be scared and then when it all ended I wished I could go back!