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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2010-09-03
Sports Shooter Destination: Return to Kenya
Josh Peckler thinks all students should take a chance and study abroad.
By Josh Peckler
Photo by Josh Pickler
A young school girl enjoys her lunch at a school just outside Kisumu, Kenya.
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If you would have asked me five years ago where I would be living now, I guarantee one of the last places I would say would be Kenya. I figured after graduating I would be like most people, get a job and hopefully start making money. However my assumptions were wrong.
My decision to come to Kenya started in the fall of 2006 after I attended the NPPA Flying Short Course in Little Rock where I saw a presentation by the Associated Press’s David Guttenfelder on his experiences of being a photographer abroad. He also mentioned during college he studied in Tanzania for a year and how much it inspired him to become a better photographer.
So I figured if going to Africa could inspire David Guttenfelder, why can’t I get inspired as well?
I found a study abroad program in Kenya for the fall semester in 2007 and to my amazement I was actually headed off to Kenya. During my semester here I absolutely fell in love with the country, it’s people and pretty much everything associated with Africa.
On the day before I had to head home, I promised myself that no matter what, I would return to Kenya even if it made me broke in the process. Flash forward three years: I am now back in Kenya keeping that promise to myself. However this time my experiences have been completely different from when I was studying here. I decided to volunteer my time for a year and work mostly with children at an orphanage just outside Nairobi. The major difference: Before I was living on a university campus in the city of Nairobi.
I now had to get used to taking a cold bucket shower and walking almost six miles a day back and forth from the orphanage I am volunteering at. In the process I have lost close to 25 pounds.
I can’t say it has all been easy, but I am sure anyone who has volunteered in Africa might know what I am talking about.
Walking through my village most days I am bombarded by children who run up to me and yell "Muzungu (white person)" or "how are you?" It always puts a smile on my face even if I am having a bad day.
Another thing you will notice if you come to Kenya is how friendly and polite people are. I can’t tell you how many times people come up to me and just want to know how my day is going. Most of the time I have no idea who the people are but this is one thing you rarely see in the States.
Photo by Josh Pickler
A young boy waits in the sun inside Mama Tunza's Children Home located in the Kibera Slum just outside Nairobi, Kenya.
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There are many things here that I have done that I will never forget. One of the things that is at the top of my list is slaughtering a chicken. While most of us Americans just head to our local supermarket and pick up a chicken, here most of the time we just get them live and then prepare them ourselves. This involves cutting the head off and then removing the feathers and organs. I can’t say I enjoy doing it now, but it is how it is done out here.
Another thing that I love doing here is taking public transport. It is said that around 70 percent of Kenyans use public transport to get around since cars are too expensive and most people cannot afford them. The majority of the vehicles are fourteen-passenger vans call Matatus. While they are only technically supposed to fit fourteen people, sometimes that manage to fit almost 25 people in them to get more money when they are making a route.
It is always fun to see four people hanging out the door when you are traveling at 50 miles-per-hour. If you come to Kenya, I highly recommend hoping on a matatu to experience it yourself. You will never forget it.
As far as my photography, I mostly take pictures for myself and not for any clients. I have however volunteered to do some small assignments for a few local NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) at different schools around Kenya.
It has been great to be able to travel around to different parts of Kenya to take pictures. However I have had to witness some very poverty stricken areas where the people barely have enough money to eat. It is very hard to see, but I think it makes me appreciate life so much more.
While I still have several months till I need to head back home, I am enjoying every day here in Kenya like it is my last. While I have had my good and bad days, I will never forget my time spent here. It has been a life changing experience.
I can say that this place has a special place in my heart and I will never forget what I have seen and the people I have met.
Also for you students out there, I highly recommend if you get the chance, take a risk and study abroad. Everyone needs inspiration somehow and maybe traveling to another part of the world might be all the inspiration you need.
(Josh Peckler is a recent graduate of Ball State University. To view more of his work, check out his Sports Shooter member page: http://www.sportsshooter.com/jbpeckler and check out his personal websites: http://www.joshpeckler.com; http://www.joshpecklerphoto.wordpress.com.)
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