My AIESEC experience started from an info-evening held
in Jyväskylä in November, 2011. Although I was already then very excited about interning
abroad, I had no idea how life changing my decision
to attend that session actually was. Little things are the ones that matter… :)
Internship
If I had to summarize
my experience in Kenya in only few words, I would have to say: truly amazing! Of
course not everything went like planned and there were all kinds of ups and
downs on the way, but at the end of the day those challenges taught me a lot. And,
without the downs, the ups would not feel so good, right? ;) "What does
not kill u makes u stronger" is soooo true!!!
If I had to summarize
my experience in Kenya in only few words, I would have to say: truly amazing! Of
course not everything went like planned and there were all kinds of ups and
downs on the way, but at the end of the day those challenges taught me a lot. And,
without the downs, the ups would not feel so good, right? ;) "What does
not kill u makes u stronger" is soooo true!!! 
Within those seven weeks I spent in the country I got
to see and learn so much, experience things I would have never experienced in
Finland. For instance, I have to admit that before
going to Kenya, I didn´t really know what poverty actually was. In addition, I
got to learn that not everyone has access to clean water or electricity;
resources that we often take for granted. Especially in the rural areas, people
may have to travel hours to collect water. Electricity is also very expensive.
For example, when living in Kauwi, we had power for few hours a day at most and
had access to cold water only. Furthermore, even in Nairobi power cuts and
running out of water was common. Indeed, living conditions are very different
compared to Finland. 
I left Finland at the end of June, and after a loooong
flight with 2 stops on the way, I arrived in Nairobi in the early afternoon. My
AIESEC coordinator was waiting for me at the airport, and took me to see the
lady who was in charge of the small orphanage where I was going to intern in.
The orphanage itself was located in Kauwi, about 2,5 hours outside Nairobi, and
the plan was to leave Nairobi the next morning. In addition to me, there were one
Chinese and two Taiwanese interns going to the same place. Due to some
misunderstandings they had took too many interns at the same time and therefore
after the first week I was transferred to Nairobi.
Although the beginning of my time in Kenya was not without challenges, it also taught me many things. I'm really happy I got to know so many amazing people and see so many different Kenyan homes ... and, I got to eat authentic Kenyan food, cooked by Kenyan moms! Delicious !!! :D Not only the AIESECers but also other people studying at Strathmore were really helpful and everyone took good care of me during this week; of which I'm really grateful for :)
Retrospectively thinking, I m grateful even for my challenges.
Indeed, they gave me an opportunity to see different sides of Kenya: During the
first week or so that I spent in Kauwi, I got to see how hard the life can be
on the countryside. However, in Nairobi I got to see and experience so many
other things I would have never experienced in Kauwi. In other words, although
it was a lot of hassle, in the end it was worth it. All in all, living in
Nairobi was an unforgettable experience.
After moving to Nairobi people found an awesome place
to live! A Kenyan girl, Mary, had heard that I was without a place to stay, and
asked her three other flat mates if they were okay with me coming to stay with
them. Since Angie, Sally and Judy were okay with it, I moved in the next day. I
have to say that I did not only found a place to stay, but also found a home
and four amazing friends <3 …and since I got the chance to get to know their
families as well, I became a member of several extended families. In Kenya,
like in many other African countries, the family doesn´t consist of the parents
and the children only, it goes all the way to aunts and uncles and involves
various generations. Indeed, my new families were truly taking care of me
whenever I needed help. For instance, it was Judy´s aunt who took me to the
hospital when I got a stomach infection… I m happy to say that I now have
several Kenyan moms, sisters, brothers… :)
After settling to Nairobi I started to volunteer in a
primary school and in a rehabilitation center for street boys. Both of these
facilities and a small clinic were located in the same compound, close to the
Mukuru slums. Consequently, about 95% of the kids in the school were from this
slum. The clinic offered inexpensive healthcare, AIDS tests and counseling for
the people who couldn´t afford to go to the bigger hospitals. During the day, I
was teaching and helping out in a 3rd grade classroom. The kids were
lovely and, to say the least, energetic… and sometimes classes ended up being CHAOTIC!!!
:D It was amazing to see that despite the poor facilities, the kids were really
eager to learn and were rarely complaining about anything. … I really miss these
kids<3
During the afternoons, I was helping out in
rehabilitation center for street boys. Although the center was for boys between
the age of 8 and 17, the boys I was mostly with were between 14-17 years of age
and were doing their skills training in the center. As you can probably guess,
boys of that age with that kind of background were not the easiest ones to
reach... However, after a while I got accepted as a full member of the group
and some of the stories they shared with me were heartbreaking… All in all, the
time I spent there was unforgettable and
I was super sad I had to leave. I left a huge piece of my heart in that centre,
but I also gained a lot. Thus, I would never ever trade my experience for
anything.Travels
In addition to my internship; I also did some
travelling. Since volunteering was the first priority for me, I only travelled
during the weekends, which of course slightly limited my chances to explore the
country. However, I got some opportunities to travel inside Kenya: I visited
Mombasa for a weekend, and went to Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru to explore the
amazing wildlife. Indeed, I got to learn that Kenya is a beautiful country with a very
versatile nature, although it was impossible to see and experience everything
within such a short stay. 
Although going for safaris was a great experience, it
does not offer one the chance to experience real Kenya. Instead of only
visiting nice camping sites and travelling with taxis, I wanted to get to know
the “real Kenyan” culture, to have a true “Kenyan experience”. Thus, I spend
most of my time with locals, visited many Kenyan homes, went to various slums, preferred
eating Kenyan food, used the local transport (…matatus=local "buses"...crazy,
overcrowded small busses, with loud music! Great! :D) etc... Fortunately I even
got the chance to learn how to cook Kenyan food :) Of
course not all the experiences were enjoyable: I had to, for instance, visit
the hospital and got ripped off by a corrupted police officer…. However, now I
can truly say that I got to see real Kenyan life, in good and in bad. 
Although this was not my first or even third time living
abroad, it was my first time in Africa. However, I can guarantee, it is not the
last! As a word of advice to anyone who is planning of doing their internship:
Reserve enough time for your adventure! If I had known how amazing my
experience there was going to be, I would have gone for, at least, three
months!
After coming back to Finland I have continued my AIESEC
journey in our local committee here in Jyväskylä. I am currently in the
membership program and responsible for the communication in the Outgoing
exchange team.
- Piia Jäntti
All rights reserved for all pictures!
I think you had a great experience in Kenya but I am wondering why would a police officer get in your way and hurt you in that way. Would you give some advice how to avoid getting such bad experience please.
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