Nikkol
7th Grade

Many people never have the opportunity to visit a country like Kenya. A trip to Africa would offer me the experience of a lifetime. I hope to learn more about things like the measles initiative and the lifestyles of the people of Kenya. I also wish to prove, either right or wrong, my knowledge of Africa. A key focus of the trip is the country's problem with measles.

Measles is a deadly disease. There are two sides to measles, the supply side and the demand side. Some effect of measles are: the skin starts to peel, the nose and mouth turns red, the feet swell, and sometimes measles sufferers may even go blind. Even though measles has a vaccine and is preventable, still many kids around the world die from the disease. On this trip, as a student, I will learn much more about measles and its effect on the world.

I would like to go to Kenya, Africa to help the children. There are a few ways of doing this. I would like to assist them with their studies, their knowledge of vaccinations and more. By talking to them and playing with them, I could entertain them to distract their minds from what they face. I would want to get to know some of the kids a little better by finding out what they dislike, what they enjoy, and the differences and similarities between them and myself. I would try to help the kids the best I could. One thing I would want to do is help the kids get their minds off the disease and the pain that they are going through.

Mothers in Kenya should know that measles is preventable and that there is a vaccine. They should have their children receive the vaccination shot to prevent the child from getting measles. By having their children vaccinated it would lower the death rate from the disease. Mothers should know that all unvaccinated children get the measles. They should also be reminded daily to have their children get the shot, because if they don't their children may die.

There are a few similarities and many differences between the life in Kenya and the life in the Unites States. An important similarity is family values and traditions. Both the people in Kenya and in the Unites States, are surrounded by others. Here, it is people we associate with at school or at work but there, they constantly see the many people they live with. Some interests in music and sports, such as soccer are the same in both countries.

Here we share a home with our family but there they share a home with many families. Our home here are very nice compared to the ones there. Their homes are poor and might even be called huts. Here we sleep in our own beds and have plenty of nice clothes and shoes. But there, they share a bed and have little clothing at all. Clean filtered, and running water are some benefits we have here, there they have no clean water nor running water in some parts. Many vaccines are available here but lots of diseases are spread there where there aren't many vaccines. In Kenya, there are very few doctors to treat patients, while here, we have many doctors. In Los Angeles, we have animals as pets and there they have wild animals in the deserts and grasslands. One important difference is that in the United States, kids worry about things like, relationships, school, etc. Although in Kenya the kids worry about their survival. Their food, shelter, and basic needs are determines on a daily basis.

In the future I wish to be a teacher, because I love to learn new things. I would like to help kids and do some fun activities with them. Earlier, this year I was a peer tutor, where I went to an elementary school and assisted kids in their studies. I started to do this elective class because of the kind of career I want to have. This year I am on the yearbook staff and newspaper, where I come into the position of editor-in-chief. In elementary school, I was on the Peer Mediation Squad (SOS), and for a few years the student council. Currently, I am on a club soccer team in which I dedicate much of my free time. I am also in my sixth year of playing the piano.

From this experience I hope to grow as a person and see another point of view on life. If I am not selected to be part of this trip, I will always have the honor of being nominated. I hope to share with the people in Kenya what I have learned and I wish that they would share their knowledge with me. This would be a true learning experience.