Sophomore looks back on life changing trip to Africa

Sophomore Corinne Bryan pressed her face against the window of the plane, enjoying the icy cold glass against her cheek while the buildings and streets of San Francisco receded beneath her. As the ground gradually became smaller, revealing an intricate map of lines and lights, Bryan turned to her grandmother, who was sitting beside her, and grinned in excitement.

Little did she know that the next two weeks of summer would result in one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.

In the summer of 2011, Bryan spent two weeks in Kenya through the Kilgoris Project, an organization that works to feed and educate the children of a Maasai village in Kilgoris, Kenya.

The people living in and around Kilgoris are from the Maasai tribe, which makes up about 1.4 percent of Kenya’s population. They are not a politically powerful tribe, with poor access to basic services, like sanitation, health care or education. The Maasai people survive on farming and some have a few animals, with few employment opportunities in the immediate area.

In this area, Bryan and a few other families had the responsibility of holding a vacation Bible school at different schools every day.

They worked hand-in-hand with local leaders and families to operate schools and provide daily food and clean water. They put on skits for the children, told them Bible stories, as well as occasionally giving all the kids medical checkups.

Bryan first became interested in helping those less fortunate than her when her grandmother found the organization and opportunity through her church, PBC Palo Alto, and invited Bryan along for the trip. After hours of packing, prepping and a 20-hour plane ride, she finally landed in Kenya.

Instantly, Bryan was struck with how different the country was from California, as she drove through the streets. She saw goats and sheep on the road in front of her and little kids running alongside the van, waving to Bryan and her fellow volunteers like they were celebrities.

“It's a completely different feeling being there,” Bryan said. “I didn't [want] to keep my eyes in the car because everything was different, and I wanted to see as much of it as I could.”

Bryan had to quickly adjust to many new habits and challenges along with the different location. Although some of the challenges were difficult to overcome, and the habits hard to pick up, many opened her eyes to new realities.

“I know it sounds kind of silly now, but one thing that was tough was learning how to swallow malaria pills,” Bryan said.

Bryan learned to interact with new people like “adults, children, teachers, cooks and sales-people,” through daily contact.

Bryan also noted that the language difference was a big barrier to overcome.

“The kids did not know English very well, so we had to communicate with them through the teachers and adults, which was a bit difficult,” Bryan said. “However, one thing that I learned is that you really don't need to speak the same language or speak at all to reach out to them, love them and play with them.”

During her two weeks abroad, Bryan also learned to be much more thankful and appreciative of what she already has.

She said her favorite part of the trip was how gracious the people there were, even though they had so little compared to those living in Saratoga.

A typical Maasai school child rises at dawn, often cleaning the house and helping his/her family with their daily work. Only after everyone has eaten can they wash up and begin the long seven kilometer walk to school, along with the other children in the village.

“It made me think more about how fortunate I am to have so many things, most of which I don't actually need,” Bryan said. “That Christmas, I remember not really wanting anything because I felt I had everything I wanted.”

Bryan also realized how important it was to smile and be positive every moment she could.

“The smiles on the children's faces really made me think about how they live with so little so happily,” Bryan said. “[Now], I always take a moment to try to be happy when I’m down because I have no reason to be sad in comparison to what [the less fortunate] go through day to day. In the end, if they can be happy, I should be happy.”