By Gurneev Panesar

hile I boarded my
plane to the Vancouver
International Airport, I

realized how much of a sacrifice

I was making—travelling 10,000
miles and 25 hours to the other end
of the world, to a country I had

only visited five times—leaving
behind my beautiful mansion, my
friends and family, my lifestyle, and
my memories. Finally, I heard the
flight attendant’s voice, telling us to
fasten our seat belts as we began our
descent into Vancouver.

Taking the first step off the aircraft,
I had an immense mixture of
emotions. I was looking forward to
getting some rest after we finally
made it through immigrations,
collected our luggage, and headed
towards the car. Amidst my relief

at being safe on the ground after

our long journey, I felt odd looking
around at all the scenery and
buildings in Vancouver: everything
seemed so strange, different, and out
of place. I felt like an alien. Still, I
had made the journey from Kenya to
Canada for good reason: education.

Schoolin’ life

Back in Kenya, if you want the best
education, your family must be well
off. Growing up, I was sent to the
best private school in the country,
which was a privilege as there were
only a few hundred people who
could afford to attend. Private school
was tough, with many sleepless
nights, but it taught me the value of
life, the benefits of studying, and that
hard work pays off.

Teachers weren’t as hearty and
passionate about their jobs and did
it mostly out of the pay, rendering
students running to other options
such as private tuition which was
equivalent to paying as much as
your school fees and twice as many
studying hours.

My school in Kenya followed a.
British curriculum, which is the
opposite of the Canadian system.
The British system consists of
three major exams: O Levels, AS
Levels, and A Levels—in order to
advance, you must have passed the

level previous. After completing
your A levels, you advance on to
university, but there is only one
major university in Kenya, the
University of Nairobi, which is
nearly impossible to get into even if
you have the best grades (locals are
given first placement, and there are
often a lot of politics involved with
admission).

With my background in the British
school system, I was nervous for
my first day of class in Canada.

I worried that, with the different
systems, I wouldn’t know anything.
Thankfully, I soon learned that,
while the Canadian and British
teaching methods were vastly
different, many of the concepts
learned are universal and had
travelled with me across the world.

My old world

Like every other country, Kenya has
its share of both the positive and the
negative to deal with.

Kenya suffers from famine and
drought as well as poverty. Food
shortages are looming in Kenya, as
last season’s lighter-than-normal
rains begin to affect harvests in the
arid north. This affects the poor,

as they go days without food and
water because the basic prices of
food and water go up so high—to
the point where these necessities are
unaffordable.

Corruption has been another major
problem over the decades in Kenya,
with billions of dollars being
scandalized (for example, one of
the largest scandals in recent times
was the Goldenberg scandal, in
which Kenya lost up to $600 million
between 1990 and 1993). From
political scandals to local police
stopping your vehicle looking for the
slightest reason to get some money
off you, I was used to a different
kind of law. When I came to Canada,
I observed how the law is taken
more seriously and you can’t afford
to mess around.

Still, despite its pitfalls, Kenya has
its own paradises. The coast known
as Mombasa, the second-biggest
city in Kenya, has beaches with
sands as white as pearls and tides
that make you just want to jump

SSS

(Prue

in—it’s heaven on earth for me.
Similarly, the Masai Mara wildlife
reserve is an adventure every human
being should be able to experience:
set high on a bush-cloaked hill

with long views over the savannah
and down to the winding coils

of the hippo-filled Mara River,
Masai Mara is centre stage to one
of Africa’s most dramatic wildlife
arenas, with a ringside seat for the
“greatest wildlife show on earth,’
the legendary migration of the
wildebeest. When night falls and
you look up into the sky, millions
of stars shine down, something

so extraordinary it makes you
appreciate the earth you live in.
Also, nothing beats a safari at 6
a.m., with breakfast served on the
grasslands of the game reserve. The
big five—lion, leopard, elephant,
rhino, and buffalo—are the catch
you’re looking to find (though it’s
not that easy to see them all on your
first safari, particularly leopard).

My new world

Do I miss it all, my old life and
country? Absolutely.

For starters, the food in Kenya is so
rich and full of natural nutrients—as
the use of pesticides is far less
widespread—that it takes the taste of
your meal to a whole different level.
From my experience, food in Canada
is over processed and, frankly, bland
in comparison. On the plus side, it’s
amazing how, here in Canada you
can drink out of the tap, where in
Kenya you’d have to buy distilled
water to drink.

As you might have guessed, first
week in Canada was a challenge:

I remember crying myself to sleep
because I wanted to be home. With
time though, I’m getting into my
routine and getting the hang of

this new life; it’s hard, but I have

to embrace it and be positive! Yes,
Canadians are friendly (well most of
them, at least), which is a pleasant
surprise—I was so used to snobs
and colossal attitudes because, back
home, money talks. If you’re not
rich, you’re not known (and then
you don’t want to be known)!

Of course, nothing beats the place

10,000 miles away

       

you grew up. I miss the lifestyle, the maids who

used to clean up after me, and the chef who
would cook most of my meals for me. Here in
Canada, I have to do many things for myself that
I’m not used to. It feels so odd making my own
bed and hoovering my room—heck, I don’t even
know how to do half of it!

But what I tell myself is that it will get better, I
came here to educate myself, and that’s what I’Il do.

A crash course on Kenya:

The average temperature in
Kenya is about 21.7 C; the
warmest month being February

Kenya borders the Indian Ocean
and is between Somalia and
Tanzania

Kiswahilli is the main language

Tea and coffee are major exports
that are heavy influencers on the
Kenyan economy

Tourism makes up roughly 63 per
cent of the GDP

Mombasa is the second largest
city in Kenya

Another export, locally grown
flowers, are distributed to various
European industrial chains

such as Marks & Spencer and
Sainsbury

During 2007, post election
violence heavily impacted the
country causing prices of basic
commodities to rocket sky-high

The first president was Jomo
Kenyatta. Kenya has only been
governed by three presidents.
Where Daniel Arap Moi (the
second president) governed for
25 years

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