October 8th, 2012 
Emily 
The largest lake in Africa, Lake Victoria, borders Kenya on one side. In Nairobi, we don’t hear much about the lake because it’s far away and it’s not a big tourist destination. But when my husband and I were in Western Kenya for his work, we saw how important the lake was regionally.
We visited a fishing village, where everyone’s work revolved around the lake. We saw men setting traps and nets to catch the fish. We saw them repairing boats and nets. Women washed the freshly caught fish, dried the fish in the sun, and carried them into the village to be traded and sold. Even children, free on a Sunday morning, helped their parents with these tasks.
Out fishing.
A fish trap made from reeds.
A woman rinses the fish.
Fish drying in the sun.
Showing off a big catch.
In the U.S., my dad has a house on a lake, but we use the lake for recreation– kayaking, canoeing, swimming and fishing for fun, not for our livelihood. I think this illustrates one of the major contrasts between life in the U.S. and life in Kenya. In the U.S., many Americans are not deeply connected to the natural world. Many of us appreciate nature, we enjoy swimming in the ocean, or fishing in a lake, or hiking up a mountain, but most Americans do not directly depend on these resources for our day-to-day survival. In Kenya, many people do.
In spite of the major differences between a lake in Kenya and a lake in Maine, being on Lake Victoria made me miss the peaceful pond by my dad’s house. It’s one of the tough things about living so far from home: I can never predict when homesickness will strike. (Who would have guessed that visiting a small fishing village on the equator would make me homesick?)
My favorite Maine lake.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Those are beautiful photos. And I’m with you–water almost always makes me homesick or nostalgic. I’m not sure why, though!
Thanks, Abby!
Nice post, Emily. I always read although I don’t always comment. Homesickness is essential, I think, both for appreciation of home and for finding your place where things are all so new and different.
Great point, Gerry. Thanks for reading and thanks for putting such a positive spin on homesickness.
I often feel a deep and painful yearning to “go home.” Unfortunately, and sadly, because I have traveled so much and lived so many different places during my entire life, there is really no “home” to where I can go. Still, I feel inexplicably drawn by something to somewhere that feels like a wanting to go home. Perhaps, I’ve just not yet found my home. One things is certain: Long Island, NY, is not that place!!
This is another fantastic post! Not just because of the pictures which of course I enjoyed but mostly because of the insightful perspective you frame it all in. Sorry to hear about your homesickness: one of the hardest parts of being an expat, with no easy solution
Hope it passes and you feel inspired to draw more of this part of the world through your eyes for the rest of us to learn by! Looking forward to more. Cheers from Anne-Marie
Thanks, Anne-Marie. I think I’ve just hit that stage in our trip when I feel homesick. I’m glad that my husband is here at least so we can talk about it! Blogging helps too.
Thanks for reading.
Emily, Great pictures. Oh, I can imagine the smell. I really like your point about Americans not having the same connection to the natural world as people in Kenya. I think many kids here think food comes from the store, not farms. That is definitely one of the things I like about life in a rural community- there is more connection to nature here compared to the suburbs. My kids see the cows out of our windows and know where meat comes from…
Sorry about the homesickness- it’s like grief- it strikes at unpredictable times. Stay busy writing!
Yeah, your home area sounds so lovely! Also, thanks for your support, I’m trying to stay busy and positive.
Howdy! Nice story. The guy in the photo showing off his huge catch looks so proud of himself. I always feel sick when being on the boat. The Maine lake looks lovely.
Yeah, I get sea sick on the ocean, but I’m ok on lakes. Sea sickness is the worst!