"When we were collecting ballast from the top of the hill, a man walked past and shouted hello'. He shouted thank you'. He was so sincere and happy, we couldn't really believe it had happened."

"We walked past a big group of women on the way to lunch and they were so friendly, happy and giggly. In the afternoon the whole community came down to the building site to help us carry a truck load of rocks down the hill." "Today the village ladies cooked us some tasty goat, it was a shame we had to eat the intestine for dessert"

These quotes are taken from a few of the brilliant days in my summer travel journal from last year. It holds my memories from the best adventure of my life.

However, I wasn't to know then that, six months later, I would be wondering whether my new friends were fleeing for their lives, homeless or worse.

Last year, I spent the summer in Ngecho, a small Kenyan village a few hours away from Nairobi. I have never felt more safe or welcome and during my stay I met some amazingly hard-working and approachable people, so different to the "stressed", complaining individuals in the UK.

"Hakuna Matata" is a Swahili phrase (Kenya's official language) and I see what they mean now. Never have I felt more problem-free than during my time in this tiny village, in lush maize fields living with a local family and seven other volunteers. We'd travelled over 4,000 miles to help local tradesmen and builders to dam a stream, helping the hundreds of villagers who depend on it to collect water during the dry season.

This doesn't mean they were incapable of carrying out the task themselves, only that they didn't have enough resources and without our financial help, as well as our time and effort, the water sources would have run dry. The project was planned by a local architect and led by a foreman with a number of labourers and villagers to help us.

We not only learned how to mix cement by hand and build a sturdy wall but we were also given lessons in Swahili and horse riding. I was surprised at how the families managed to live; eating home-cooked, healthy food, dressing well and being happy, without the conveniences and luxuries we take for granted. None of them had a Wii or had heard of Facebook, yet the happy children testing out their English phrases on us smiled with such enthusiasm and behaved with such respect.

When the project was completed, some of the team headed home, some went back to work and others went on to further African adventures, but we assumed our village friends would continue to live as we had left them.

Unfortunately, Kenya has been in crisis since the recent presidential elections. It could be easy to assume that Kenya is rough and primitive - the truth is very different. While there are security and crime problems, especially in Nairobi and big cities, this destruction, street fighting and murder is uncharacteristic and frightening.

Most people who are torn apart by conflicts are just like you and me; living peacefully, making plans and having dreams. I wonder daily if the fighting has spread to Ngecho yet. Will politics once again ruin paradise?