Kareema's Study Abroad in Kenya

By Kareema Ayesha Bangura, Journalism Undergraduate Student with Swahili Minor
HU Swahili Study Abroad (HUSSA) Program - Summer 2023

While I was in Kenya for six weeks, I became a new person. I learned about culture, dance, food, language, music, and most importantly: about people. 

I traveled to see many different attractions, such as Hell’s Kitchen, where I hiked clay mountains while the rains came down. I visited many schools and learned many things from the children. I talked to University students who became my friends. I listen to the stories of the wise elders in MADCA. I danced with my friends in the Masaai Village and ate delicious foods like Chapati and beef sausage. 

We did a safari through Tsavo and saw many wild animals, such as elephants, lions, giraffes, hyenas, ostriches, zebras, and so on. I held a friendly snake with my own hands in Nairobi. I watched the monkeys at Daystar steal my cookies during tea breaks. I bought many beautiful clothes and jewelry at Mombasa. I saw the Great Rift Valley and Lake Elementatia all in one day. 

I visited Kakamega and chewed on sugarcane for the first time. I gave food to the cows in the field. I swam in the cool water at the beach. I read a book on a rock and drank warm tea almost everyday! I took walks in the road amongst a sky full of stars in the evenings. I saw beautiful spaces that I will never forget. Kenya is a place I will always remember, and the people are what made my experience so fulfilling. I will return again, for it is another home of mine now! Ni kweli kabisa!