Written by CorpsAfrica/Kenya Volunteer Mr. Herman Maina Karuga

The most precious gift to mankind is life, good health adds to the wealth that can never be stored in a commercial bank nor its value be expressed in monetary value you never appreciate whatever you have until you lose it. The long walks in the hot sun have taught me a lot, maybe because we trust in the Supreme being, then we walk for long and don’t get weary, or is it because it said “do good and walk away” then our grace is renewed every hour? Am yet to discover.

Herman, the member of the community who has gradually gained acceptance in the eyes of the villagers, has always been on walks every day basically to serve the community at their convenience, working together with the community has influenced the change in mindset and actually, the single story such as the illiteracy in the tribe am serving, to my surprise, the largest population including the old can comfortably do a verbal or written language, implying that they all embrace changes as times goes by and are gradually deviating from the customs that are not legally accepted or are a threat to humanity such as female genital mutilation.

In summary, adaptation is the means of survival that promotes livelihood on earth, no human or animal is self-sufficient, and thus learning becomes a lifetime activity. Hydrating heavily to cool the body’s metabolism, indeed I don’t sweat like I used to, sweating may imply water wastage in a desert environment. Living the life that people in remote areas live has been my new mode of life, away from the comfort of the urban and I find it cool climbing up the hills and walking down the valleys. The bird of a different flock has blended to be of the same flock surprisingly, my community, my lifetime teacher.