Despite being based in Newcastle while working for international development charity Christian Aid, I experienced plenty in the two months I was there.
As part of my gap year, I was given the opportunity to travel to Kenya with 20 other Christian Aid gap-year students across the UK for two weeks at the end of last month.
Our trip had two main purposes. Firstly, to visit and see the work of Christian Aid partners – non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – that the charity works through and give grants to in order to reach poor communities at grass-roots level and help them help themselves fight their way out of poverty.
Secondly, to bring back the stories of the local people from the rural parts of Kenya (the people tourists miss while distracted by safari and the Masai Mara) in order to tell other young people about our experience, and inspire them to engage with the work of Christian Aid and their partners.
And that's exactly what happened.
The first week was spent with a long-standing Christian Aid partner in the district of Machakos, near Nairobi – BIDI (Benevolent Institute of Development Initiatives), which also means 'effort' in Swahili.
This NGO has been supported by Christian Aid since being set up in 1998. Its main work is with community groups, and particularly people with HIV/Aids, vulnerable children, orphans and widows in the district, which is home to around 200,000 Kenyans.
These groups were set up by BIDI to mobilise local communities and individuals to fight their way out of poverty. Almost every group we visited around the area welcomed us with traditional song and dance, ecstatic to have visitors to share their stories and experiences with.
Every community group was different in its size, activities and members – but all enthused to us about the fundamental differences in their lives because of the practical training, and emotional and financial support that BIDI had given them.
I distinctly remember one widower, from a BIDI group called Muowamirthala, meaning 'Peace of the Village', sharing with me: "I do not feel like a widow any more, and I thank God for what BIDI has done every day."
It was that very moment that I felt inspired to fulfill the second purpose of our trip – to encourage other young people in the UK to help Christian Aid really make a difference in those peoples lives.
Ukamba Christian Community Services (UCCS) in the smaller district of Kitui in the central belt of Kenya was the second partner we visited.
It specialises in water security for communities, providing dams and shallow wells, and improving access to clean water for rural communities through the use of green technology.
With UCCS, we discovered the truly devastating circumstances Kenya found itself in because of a prolonged drought.
Some areas we visited had not seen rain for three seasons, meaning farmers could not grow crops. Around Kitui we drove over bridges which were no longer needed, as the rivers they provided safe passage over did not exist anymore because of the drought.
Through UCCS projects, which included a visit to Musengo High School, which had been planting trees with the help of UCCS, we got a clearer picture of the huge extent that climate change was affecting developing countries.
The geography teacher told me: "Because of the drought, the children's parents cannot grow crops to sell at market. I noticed that less children are coming back after the holidays … it's probably because their parents cannot afford the school fees."
What that teacher said to me struck a chord.
Before I came on this trip, I never thought that the drought and children's education could be in any way connected. When around 70 per cent of Kenyans rely on the land as their main source of livelihood, a drought occurring every two years is the last thing they need.
During this trip I developed a passion for the work these charities do. BIDI and UCCS are only two of more than 650 partner organisations which Christian Aid helps across the world.
What I came away with from Kenya was a surprising feeling of urgency. I needed to get back to the UK and tell the stories of the people we met in those rural communities, of the human spirit and compassion they had shown us, and their hope for the future.
To find out more about these partners or the work of Christian Aid, go to www.christianaid.org