Giraffes, Darfur, elephants, genocide, savannahs, poverty, rhinos, AIDS, monkeys and warfare are some of the first things one thinks of when they hear the word “Africa.” Junior Kacey Hale and her family had something different to say after their 12-day visit to Africa this summer.

The family explored parts of Kenya and Tanzania while visiting their grandparents who had been serving an 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

“When you think of Africa you expect big open plains with wild animals and little villages and villagers guarding their villages against wild animals…” said Nathan Hale, Kacey’s father. “There’s some of that, but the majority of that is just a lot a lot of people.” Contrary to usual belief, most animals are fenced into game reserves and it is the people that have free range.

There are just so many people in the area. “I mean, every square inch of land is covered with a house--just little, tiny houses, those little wooden kind of either small brick or mud houses and little, tiny farms,” Hale said. “They either use in some cases wire but in most cases wood to build these little fences but everywhere you go there are people.”

Many people in Kenya are desperately poor and can be found begging in the streets for money. Mr. Hale said it was hard to not pull out his wallet and give them money. On average, Kenyans make $1-$1.50 a day and the unemployment rate is between 50 and 80 percent.

Driving in Kenya was a different experience, Hale said. “It’s like playing chicken, just drive until you stop,” she said.

Despite the cultural differences, the Hales said many Kenyans are religious and well educated. Mrs. Hale said she believes the people knew the Bible very well since that was their main, available reading material, and they don’t have the modern distractions that are readily available in the United States. Mr. Hale said some individuals may hold degrees as high as a PhD, but due to corruption in the government they are limited when it comes to financial success.

On their mission Hale’s grandparents were able to help out at a school near Nairobi. The children at the school ranged from ages 3-18 and most were orphans from AIDS. The Hale’s grandparents helped to build benches and make a concrete floor which will now spare the children from having to sit on the dirt -- sometimes mud -- floor of their school rooms.

One of the drawbacks to the trip, however, was that Kacey and her older sister Kori (who graduated in 2006) both fell ill. They were treated by a “bush doctor,” said Kacey, who noted that the doctor lived in the village. “He was supposed to have left two days before, but he felt the impression that he needed to stay. That day, we got sick.”

One of the highlights of the trip was being able to see all the different animals including giraffes, monkeys, rhinoceros, cheetahs, lions and elephants up close, Mrs. Hale said. They saw most of the animals during safari through the Masai Mara game reserve. which lies in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. The Hales also went to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, near Nairobi, where there is an elephant orphanage. There they their family became sponsors to a baby elephant named Makena, who is like a part of the family now, Mrs. Hale said. The family discovered how much elephants are like humans, and how much work it can take to care for them.

The Hales said their trip showed them how much they have to be grateful for. “I always thought that my wealth was for me. An I can see now that the wealth I have…the value it gives to the people in Africa…Everybody in the United States has infinitely more than what they’ll ever have,” Mr. Hale said. “Through help and service individuals can do so much to change the lives of others who really need it.”