by Celeste and Paulina Campbell

Africa is different, especially when you are not the conventional tourist. Driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road is just plain weird. Staying anywhere but a lodge and making an extra effort to meet more Kenyan people is also abnormal. Your typical gas station may or may not have running water and pit latrines are the norm for bathroom facilities. Carrying hand sanitizer and toilet paper is a must. Snacks are also helpful because driving can take longer than expected due to construction or very bumpy roads.

Sisters Celeste (far left) and Paulina (second from right) Campbell of Davidson, along with mom Susan, paused for a photo opportunity with a Maasai friend during a recent trip to Kenya.

The people seem to always be around, even in places one wouldn’t expect to find anyone living. The women wear brightly colored dresses, although pants have started to appear in the cities among the younger generation. For the Maasai, traditions are still a part of everyday life, as most men still wear the traditional red wrap and jewelry. The jingle of jewelry is often a good indication of how many bumps are being hit along the road. The children in less touristy areas all appear to be fascinated with “wazungu”, or “white-ies”. Their favorite English phrase to yell at us was, “How are you? How are you?”

All the people were more than willing to give us directions, in English, to the best of their ability. We did learn, however, that something being “just up ahead” or “just here” could indicate a distance of up to 15 kilometers (~9.3 miles), made longer by all the pot holes.

The trip was amazing. We crisscrossed the country, and the equator, from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara to Lamu and back again. The wildlife was stunning, especially being able to drive so close. The migration of the wildebeest was going full force and we got to witness it all. The sheer number was unbelievable. As you approached a herd they would swallow the car, making wildebeests and zebras the only thing in sight. But, since all of the prey was there, that also meant that the predators were there too. From the safety of the car, we watched a female lion defend her kill from the vultures. We also saw prides of lions lounging in the shade of the shrubbery, avoiding the unbearable heat of midday.

Driving past shrubs, we would stop after hearing the sound of ripping branches. The comical face of a giraffe would pop up over the top of the bush, mouth full. We would stare at each other for a second before it would canter gracefully away, disappearing almost immediately.

It seems weird, but elephants were actually sometimes very hard to spot. Their bulk would be hidden in the scenery, and sometimes we could not see them until they moved. Then, fascinated, we would watch as they drank through their trunk while completely ignoring us.

A highlight for our parents, Susan and Malcolm, was returning 21 years later to Shikokho and being able to connect with former students. Many of them have success stories and have gone into education, advertising, or working to build and improve local communities. The school itself has also expanded and now features electricity. A water project is underway to bring clean, running water to the entire region. As anywhere, clean water is necessary for survival, and a visitor is reminded constantly of this when seeing women and girls carrying heavy tanks of water on their backs. We couldn’t help but think, ‘Would we be able to do that?’

The trip changed us all, and we are so much richer from the new experiences we had, and the wonderful people we met. Their pride in being Kenyan was obvious, and their hospitality would make any visitor feel at home.