Globe-trotting gap year
Canning teen reflects on eye-opening time in South America, Asia
Claire Keddy thought she knew poverty before travelling abroad.
She thought wrong.
“I think that was the hardest thing, getting used to living like that with so little and still knowing that you had way more than the people there,” said Keddy, reflecting on the living conditions she experienced in South America and Asia.
The recent NKEC grad just returned home after spending six months participating in some unique volunteering and cultural immersion opportunities in Peru, Nepal and Thailand. It had long been a dream of hers to spend a year travelling abroad after high school.
“When I was in high school I had a part-time job and most of my money went to savings to pay for my gap year travels, and my parents helped,” the Canning resident said.
Keddy documented her gap year travels in a blog she kept to help friends and family follow her journey. In one post, she details a typical day in the life of people living in an impoverished hill tribe in Thailand.
“Running water was obsolete, at least in the sense of being able to turn a faucet and have liquid pour from the tap. The village was situated along a river though, and it served as a communal shower, drinking water, and for cooking purposes - as well as whatever else one needs water for,” wrote Keddy.
“I cannot recall ever in my life seeing a place as impoverished as the Hill Tribe. More than once, I pondered what life for other Hill Tribe people must entail, knowing that this particular village is more well-off than others. Can you imagine living in extreme poverty, not being recognized as existing by your government, having zero education, and little to no money?”
Immersed in culture
Reflecting on her travels in an interview March 21, the 18-year-old spoke of volunteering in an orphanage that of- fered education to the children living in poverty. She assisted with construction projects, taught lessons and organized games for the children.
“They’re all totally starved for affection so to be able to support them in any way, even if only for a couple of weeks, was a really, really good feeling,” said Keddy.
She spent more than half of her time abroad in Peru, becoming completely immersed in the culture while staying with a host family - and taking in some incredible sights along the way.
“The people are very friendly, but very traditional, so there’s a lot of macho culture and gender roles. That took some getting used to, that women cooked and cleaned and men were more dominant,” Keddy recalled.
Surrounded by people who spoke only Spanish, Keddy learned to communicate with her humble hosts without words.
“When you don’t know a language, you kind of rely on silent cues and body language to get by, but there’s some things that are universal. You smile when you meet someone, you can laugh over things without having to have a conversation.”
She stayed in remote communities and learned to live without the frills the modern world enjoys. She got a taste of the no frills, survival mode lifestyle.
“I ate mostly potatoes and rice for every meal - every day,” she said.
“There’s no social part of eating. Basically, you eat to survive, and you eat what you have and whatever is cheapest.”
Making a difference
Keddy helped her host family plant potatoes, weed fields and tend to their six sheep, ensuring the flock stayed on the proper plot of land.
“I spent a lot of time with sheep,” she said with a laugh.
“I really enjoyed the simplicity of it and having to rely on myself and… being in the present. You’re forced to just live in the moment.”
She’d walk an hour and a half to reach the nearest town with an Internet café once or twice a week to communicate with family in Canada, but remained dedicated to getting the most out of her surroundings. While in Peru, she spent three weeks in the Amazon jungle and visited the Andes Mountains to take in Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
In Nepal, Keddy found herself at the head of a monastery classroom populated with 30 monks-in-training between the ages of six to 15.
Back home in Kings County, Keddy is silently plotting out her next adventure.
“I’m always kind of planning a trip… I can’t wait to keep travelling,” she said.
In the meantime, she intends to look into how to become certified to teach English abroad.
Keddy highly recommends anyone interested in volunteering in foreign countries to gain some invaluable knowledge and life experience start looking into the programs offered through various service organizations.
“It feels great to help people and know that you’re kind of making a difference.”