Volunteer Voices

My trip to Kenya was mind blowing. When I look back on my trip, after three months of being back in the United States, it should now be easier to highlight my journey. Yet, I see the whole experience as one gigantic highlight. It has been three months and I still talk about Kenya like I just came back.
Volunteers For Peace has given me the opportunity to give other ways of life an understanding that I never thought possible. No matter how many times someone tells you about other ways of living, you cannot even begin to understand another lifestyle unless you have lived it. Through Volunteers For Peace I was able to view a Kenyan life. In fact, in only two short months I was able to experience drastically different Kenyan lifestyles. Seeing the difference between the socio-economic classes was a huge learning experience for me. Now that that I am back in the United states, I cannot see the Kenyan children run to school, but I do have my pictures. There I can see their smiling faces, and the never-ending hope that today will be better. The poorest of the poor were in fact the richest people I had ever seen. Those Kenyans, in particular, lived with hope and love that I can only dream of.\"

L. Smolic~ Kenya 2011