Gap project with a difference!

 

An interview with Stephanie Prentice by the Orton Oracle’s Helen Trimm about Steph’s ten week gap project in Kenya with the Oasis Trust.

 

 

Oracle: Hi Steph, so why did you decide to go to Kenya, and how was your work so radically different to other gap year projects?

 

Steph: I have always wanted to travel and I have always been interested in Africa, so when I heard about the Platform2 project, which is funded by The UK Department for International Development I was eager to find out more! I soon found out the project was not any ordinary scheme!

 

The main aim of our trip was to complete manual work in the forest to help locals. Our daily routine consisted of walking for an hour to the forest and working deep within it clearing areas for locals, making tree nurseries that would be sold to help those affected with HIV/AIDS, and creating fish ponds. Everything was done to bring more money into the community and the local groups that gathered there.

 

O: Wow, so you were actually doing hard manual work!

S: Yes it was very physically demanding and tiring but worth it! Whilst working one day in the forest clearing the breaks in the trees to protect from forest fires, I cut my finger open with a huge machete. I needed to visit the government hospital to have a tetanus injection and several stitches. The language barrier and the cleanliness of the hospital defiantly made this the scariest moment of the trip.

 

O: So that was the most frightening moment, how about the most memorable?

S: The most memorable moment was our trip to a waterfall. Six of us (me being the only girl) hiked there and discovered we had to climb down it to get back to our camp! Climbing down the cliff side with the water splashing off our backs was an exhilarating experience I will never forget.

 

O: So you had some free time to relax as well as working in the forest?

S: We did work hard but also had a lot of spare time. We went on Safari and saw some amazing animals - monkeys, giraffes, lions.

 

O: What was the group like who you travelled with?

S: A group of 14 of us went, 6 boys and 8 girls. We all got on really well!

I lived with two other girls in quite a modern house with a flushing toilet in small town called Meru. We slept in bunkbeds and had to have bucket baths! Also in our home lived Flo & Isaac (our mum and dad) and three brothers.

 

O: And do you miss them?

S: I really miss both the team and the family we lived with. I also miss the amazing scenery, the walks to the forest and the nice weather. I also miss how cheerful the locals were to see us and how happy everyone was- we could learn a lot from them.

 

O: But when in Kenya what did you miss from England?

S: I did not miss much at all from England, I really enjoyed myself and loved every minute. Perhaps if I had to choose something it would be more variety at meal times; pasta, rice and beans were on the menu everyday!

 

O: Do you plan to return to Kenya?

S: This trip has encouraged me to continue travelling! I would love to visit more African countries. My experience has definitely made me think about the way we live our lives. Kenyans are so happy and full of life, they take everything in their stride and every day is a blessing. I am trying to see my life like that, and appreciate every day I have.

Steph visited orphan children who live in the slums.

 

 

Used with kind permission from the Orton Oracle