Through My Eyes, In My Words:

Modern Sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya and Tanzania

Taught by Rexford A. Ahene, professor of economics and business and co-chair of the Africana Studies program, and Kofi Opoku, professor of religious studies and co-chair of Africana Studies

Susan Bowers of Williamsport, Pa., is a Marquis Scholar majoring in civil engineering. She has served as a counselor in the Kids in the Community summer camp, one of more than 25 programs of sustained voluntary service conducted by Lafayette students each year under the auspices of the College's Landis Community Outreach Center. Bowers also has tutored Lafayette calculus students and competed in Crew Club.

Jambo! Imagine feeding giraffes, singing along to "Kumbaya" with a classroom of 50 African children, and snorkeling in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. These are just a few of the opportunities that I, along with 27 other Lafayette students accompanied by Professors Rexford Ahene and Kofi Opoku, embraced during a January interim trip to Kenya and Tanzania.

Numerous events stand out as I reflect on the trip. During a tour of Nairobi on our first day, I learned that the reason Kenya produces such talented runners is because many children live 2-3 miles from school, and running is their mode of transportation. By our second safari, we had already been fortunate enough to see all of the "Big 5," namely a lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalo.

During a stop at the equator we witnessed a demonstration of water turning clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, and remaining still on the equator; this behavior is due to the Coriolis Force. The full day exploring the herds of buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest among other animals in Tanzania's Ngorongoro crater was one of the most beautiful and adventurous. Our final three days in Mombasa combined learning in the city with fun and relaxation by the warm pool and white sand beach.

As a civil engineering major, I became interested in methods and materials used for building. I was surprised by the stability and practicality of the traditional Masai hut, constructed with a framework of sticks and branches covered by a mixture of cow dung and ash that dried into a firm wall covering. The typical roof consisted of a matrix of sticks similar to the hut's framework and was also covered with mud or layers of wide, heavy grass. We later visited a newly renovated hut, complete with a chimney, metal stove, and larger windows to provide better ventilation and prevent diseases formerly contracted due to smoke. The inhabitants of this hut were very pleased with the improvements and were one of only 20 families able to benefit from the community project thus far.

One of the most inspiring events for me was our visit to a primary school in a small Tanzanian village near Lake Manyara. We heard the principal speak, then we split into groups of 2 or 3 to distribute pens and pencils to classrooms of about 50 children each. After telling our names and courses of study, the principal asked how many in the seventh-year class (13 and 14 year-olds) would like to study "what Susan does," and probably half the class raised their hands. In that classroom as well as others I felt genuine enthusiasm, energy, and a desire to learn for the betterment of the kids themselves and their community. Given the right opportunities, imagine what a 7 year-old girl who already carries a small baby on her back could do with the responsibility she has learned from such a task.

Despite its poverty, Kenya is a young country with the potential to improve given a little help. Possibly the most important thing I got out of the trip was my increased awareness of and compassion for those much less fortunate than me, and my heightened appreciation of what now seems to be an overly spoiled and extravagant American way of life.