Lesson 2 Beyond Borders
A Summer to Remember
My name is Jiwoo, and I’m a first grader at Hankook High School.
Two things I truly love are animals and travel.
I used to watch nature documentaries as a child and have always been fascinated by different animals around the world.
So, when I saw a poster about a volunteer camp in Kenya, I knew this was what I wanted to do during my summer break.
Day 1
When I arrived at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, I got my first taste of Kenya—busy, exciting, and warm.
When I went outside, I was greeted by the camp supervisor, Henry.
Other volunteers from different countries also arrived at similar times, and we started making new friends right away.
We got into a large van and drove around the crowded city.
Although English is widely spoken in Kenya, the people here also use Swahili.
The first Swahili word we learned was jambo, which means “hello.”
Henry took all of us to the Nairobi National Museum, where I became fascinated by the diverse cultural and natural heritage of Kenya.
Going from hall to hall, I learned about Kenya’s many natural resources and animals, different communities and languages, and even important artists.
One of the most impressive displays was the statue of Ahmed, an elephant with massive tusks.
It symbolizes the movement against illegal hunting in Kenya.
Then we headed to the Kigio Wildlife Conservancy where we would begin our volunteer work.
There, several impalas were waiting to welcome us.
The camp house was made from stone and olive wood.
After an amazing day, I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.
Day 2
In the morning, volunteers were told what they were going to do.
I was assigned to “the giraffe survey” group.
At the conservancy, there were 26 giraffes.
All of them had names and could be identified by the spots on their bodies.
Like the human fingerprint, the pattern of spots on a giraffe is unique.
Our group’s job was to find the giraffes and identify them using cameras and binoculars.
Then we had to record their locations and activities.
We often needed to take pictures of both sides of the animal for identification. It wasn’t easy.
This required us to go around the giraffe to the other side before it ran away.
Later, back at the camp, we had to compare our photos of the giraffes with the ones in the identification book.
We not only successfully identified most of the giraffes but also discovered new baby giraffes that were not in the book yet!
Day 3
My assignment for today was to search for illegal animal traps on the conservancy.
Hunters illegally set up wire traps and wait for animals to get caught.
To stop this from happening, my group drove out to the field with some experienced trap spotters.
There, we spread out and looked for traps.
We found a lot of wire traps on the ground.
Some traps were hidden in the bushes and others were attached to fences.
Every time we found a trap, we were saving the life of an animal.
It was one of the most rewarding moments during my time in Kenya.
Day 4
Today’s camp dinner was chapati, which is one of the most popular Kenyan dishes.
It’s made with flour dough and fried in oil, so it’s crispy on the outside but moist inside.
It was served with fried vegetables and beans, and everything was so delicious!
All the volunteers loved it, regardless of where they were from.
After eating more than enough, we went outside and looked at the brilliant stars.
Because Kenya is located on the equator, the stars in the night sky were foreign and new to me.
Watching the stars while listening to the sounds of wild animals in the distance was such an unreal experience.
Tomorrow, some of us are planning to visit baby elephants in the elephant orphanage in Nairobi.
These baby elephants have lost their mothers to hunters looking for ivory.
So far, I have learned so much through this volunteer work.
I have traveled to a new part of the world and made a small but positive impact on the lives of the animals here.
My stay here has been filled with unique experiences and surprises.
I wonder what other wonderful things are waiting for me in my remaining days in Kenya!
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