Seeing things in a new way

 Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter

 

A recent trip to Kenya changed the lives of the students and teachers who spent 18 days in the country.  Students from Strathmore High School, SHS, and from Standard went for a total of 19 students and two teachers. Keegan Shultz was one of the SHS students who took part in the trip.  

“We went to go volunteer to help build a school, all of us probably had different reasons but I really wanted to go just because I like helping and Kenya seemed like a really nice place to go,” said Shultz. The group volunteered to help build a school and over the 18 days they worked on the foundation and the kitchen for the new school. A new group of students will head to Kenya and they will finish the project. The students also had a chance to go to the markets and to learn more about the culture. The people of Kenya call huts home, and the huts are made of mud and grass. The women will walk, sometimes for hours a day, to bring water back to their family. 

“It was a culture shock but it was amazing. You learn so much about their culture and how they live on the bare minimum, and they are still happier than we are here,” said Shultz. 

Taralyn Goebel also went to Kenya with the group and said it exceeded her expectations, with hospitality and how amazing the Masai culture is. 

“The trip was my ultimate dream come true and more. It opened my eyes to how easily we can access things such as water and healthcare compared to the people in Kenya.  It also taught me that doing the littlest things can indeed change the world,” said Goebel. 

“Its something that everyone should have a chance to experience, not only was it fun, but it was life changing. I’m not stressing over little things anymore, I’m enjoying what I have and not taking it for granted,” said Shultz. 

The primary source of income in Kenya is farming and that may only make $10 per day for families, which usually have more than three or four children. Volunteering his time in poverty stricken countries is something Shultz would like to do a lot more of in the future. Because of the experience the group shared, Shultz said they have all definitely bonded from the trip.