Hey Everyone,

Just last week I had a great opportunity to share my Kenya volunteer plans with the local newspaper. The nearest urban town to where I am living, rural Oro Station, is Barrie. Thanks to a contact of my Mom’s, in the Barrie Examiner advertising department, I was able to get an interview set up with a journalist about my upcoming volunteer trip to Kenya.

The journalist, Nikki, arrived at the door, last Tuesday afternoon, with her note pad in hand and, closely followed by, an unexpected photographer. Nikki was a lot easier to talk to then I had envisioned throughout the week leading up to the interview. Nikki had a giant smile on her face when I greeted her at the door and, right off the bat, it felt natural to let her in to share information about my upcoming trip. The conversation, more so than an interview, didn’t feel forced at all.

The great thing about this interview was that Nikki forced me to think of questions that had not yet crossed my mind and, consequently, I had not properly thought of serious answers to give for her article. One such question Nikki and her photographer companion asked me was, whether or not there were things besides the volunteer experience that I was looking forward to doing while in Kenya. I honestly had not thought much about what I would be doing in my spare time because so much of what I have been told by others, or even warned of, is how I shouldn’t be going out at night or alone due to the safety risks. However, I have now purchased a travel book on Kenya from Chapters and will be reading about some of the cultural landmarks and historical places I can visit while I am in and around Nairobi.

Another interesting question I was asked was, how might my experience in Kenya shape and influence my perspective on life upon returning to Canada. Presently, especially now in the planning stages, much of my efforts have been on getting to Kenya and not necessarily centered around thinking about what it is I might encounter or endure while Nursing in this East African country. I already know, thanks to media and the Internet (Google images specifically) what to expect of the geophysical landscape. Equally, I know visually what the living conditions are like for the potential areas I will be placed. Yet, what I cannot Google search are exactly what experiences I will encounter in flesh. As is to be expected, it will be these experiences (the unknown) that will dramatically alter my present ideologies on third world living conditions, the effect these conditions have on health care delivery, and the health status of those I care for.

I am glad I had the experience to talk to Nikki from the Barrie Examiner. It truly helped me reflect on my upcoming adventure and it will bring new light to the readers in terms of what we can do, as Canadians, to help on a global platform. Finally, I was asked to pose for a picture that will be joining the article. Let’s hope that it all turns out O.K.: the picture, Nikki’s article and, of course, my journey to volunteer in Kenya. Keep your eyes posted in the upcoming weeks for the article in The Barrie Examiner (link to their website provided on the right).