Experiencing Kenya

My friend and I volunteered as nurses in the medical program with RDCP in Kenya. Given my years of nursing experience, I expected to be more useful than we were in the Nairobi clinic we were placed in. The clinic was already well staffed with a two nurses. That said, I did appreciate the the welcoming staff, the opportunity to participate in care of patients, and the willingness of staff to share their knowledge and experience.
The clinic is located in Kawangware, a neighbourhood in Nairobi, so we had to get used to using local transportation and navigating the streets, which is an experience all on its own. We were accompanied several times by our volunteer coordinator to ensure we knew what to do and felt comfortable moving around on our own. I really felt that our safety was a priority for the RCDP staff for our whole stay.
Our volunteer coordinator, and host, brought us to a few other projects while we here working. I was able to spend a day at a rural village school as well as a nursery school in Kibera. We also stopped by a medical clinic in Kibera and learned about an NGO that provides water filters to communities in need.
My favourite part of the whole experience was seeing different aspects of Kenyan life. We met people every day in the clinic, walking around and through our host family. Our host brought us to his farm in a village outside of Nairobi and we spent a day in a Massai village.
I especially appreciated being welcomed into the home of a Kenyan family- it was a pleasure to spend time with them and participate in their daily lives.
Kenya is a vibrant, interesting, beautiful country filled with friendly, welcoming, and resilient people. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to travel around this place and meet the people who live here.