Cultural
Ecology of East Africa
MSUM Summer
Tour
May 16 - June 3, 2005
Here's what some past participants had to say about their experiences on the trip:
"The most impressive part of my trip was the Kenyan
hospitality. The people I met were so friendly and open. I have
always associated friendliness with Southern hospitality, but the
Kenyan hospitality surpasses the Southern by far..."
"Familiarizing myself with another culture helped me to
learn more about myself and my own culture. Watching the everyday
lives of people belonging to a different society made me
reevaluate the ideas and customs of my own society and my own
role in my society as well. Some things which used to be fairly
important to me no longer are, and others which I never paid much
attention to are of much greater importance to me now."
"This trip was a real eye opener. I have seen everything
just about. When I came home from the trip I could not believe
how disappointed I was with us Americans. We take everything for
granted. All the things that are unheard of in Africa are
considered a necessity in the United States...Here nothing is
good enough. Americans always want more. While I was over there
not only did I learn a lot about different cultures and actually
see the people firsthand but I learned a lot about myself. I have
a new outlook on life. I am thankful for what I have and never
complain about the things I do not. I believe we could be a
better place if everyone would just think like that. So now after
experiencing Kenya I can honestly say that I appreciate life more
than I ever have before."
" It will be hard to get used to regular life, not having
something fascinating to do each day. It will be hard to listen to my friends
talk about what's important to them, after what I've seen. It will be hard to
watch myself be hypocritical... as I know I
will be... Yes, it will be hard, period. The things that change us are
hard though, and I know that I will be a better person for having spent June
1999 the way I did. I know that even though it was a regular month for
most people, it was probably the most extraordinary month of my life. I
know that I will be forever grateful that I had this opportunity and that its
effects upon my life will be endless."
"This trip was truly a life changing experience. There is
no way I could put down on paper what I experienced in Kenya... I do not
consider myself a poor person but until this trip I would never have classified
myself as rich. However, I discovered that I am rich. I have so much here that I
had previously taken for granted. I have clean water, a roof over my head, a
job, and most importantly an education. I wish everyone could experience the
sights and sounds of Kenya. It made me much more thankful for all of the
opportunities I have had."
"On my last day in Nairobi I came to many different realizations. In the morning we had the usual breakfast at the YMCA and then went for a long walk through downtown Nairobi. The streets were not as crowded as we were used to because it was a Sunday, but there were still lots of people around. I thought back to my first day in Kenya when we came into the city to change money. I was so scared that afternoon, I did not even want to leave the van. Now here I was walking around and through all of the people, still being stared at and watched, but now feeling very differently."
