I’ve spend my last few days in Nairobi- and I must admit, as much as I love traveling, it’s been nice to sleep in my ‘own’ bed. On Tuesday I spend the day shopping. Lisa and I went to the Maasai market. The market covers a huge area along side the road… people have their items spread out on blankets on the ground and you go around choosing items and bartering down the prices. This was the most stressful shopping experience of my life… partially since I have a zillion people I want to bring back presents for and also because the sellers kept grabbing me and trying to drag me to their blankets. We got to the market rather late, and it was about to begin raining so people were packing up their stuff- this was actually good because the sellers wanted to sell their items fast so we were able to set the price. Lisa did all my bartering for me- and she was SO good at it.

They next few days, Evans, Lisa, and I went to the elephant orphanage, Giraffe Center, and Nairobi Walk/Orphanage. At the orphanage, there were 8 baby elephants. They can’t be out in the sun too long so we watched them play in the mud and petted them for only an hour. The orphans are taken to the orphanage until they are out of the nursing stage. If they were left in the wild during their nursing stage, with no mother, the other elephants wouldn’t accept them and they therefore wouldn’t survive. At the orphanage, the workers are their ‘mothers’. Each ‘mother’s divides their time between all the babies to ensure that the elephants don’t get attached to one human. Once they are old enough, they are taken to Tsavo to be introduced back into the wild.
Next we went to the Giraffe Center. At the Center you climb up to a fenced platform, this way you are nearly at eye level with the giraffes, then you feed them. Apart from feeding them out of my hands, I got a giraffe kiss! I placed a pellet between my lips and then leaned towards the giraffe and it ‘kissed’ me to get the pellet. The pellets are very small... and the giraffe’s tongues are SO long... so I was really scared to give it a kiss. But actually, the giraffe kisses rather well! Their tongues are scratchy and slimy, but their breath really isn’t too bad. It was definitely an interesting experience... that Lisa and I did over and over! Most of the giraffes were very friendly. There was however one giraffe- named Betty- who wasn’t very nice. She likes to head butt people- luckily we did not experience that.
The last trip, today, was to Nairobi Walk and Orphanage. One of Lisa’s college classmates is the boss at Nairobi Walk so we got in and had a tour for free. Even though it’s always more fun to see the animals in their natural habitat, I had some incredible experiences here. My favorite part of the day was going into the cheetah cage and petting them!! They are so soft and they purr just like a cat... it was amazing. I got to pet a young buffalo, also. The scariest part of the tour was when Lisa’s friend lead me around to the back of the crocodile fence right next to one of the crocs... then I stuck my hand through the fence to touch it! I was completely terrified.

I am extremely sad to announce that this is my last post. I leave tomorrow at 11:30 pm for London. I will spend two days in London and return late on the 19th (sorry, not the 20th like I told some people). Yesterday, I read through my old posts... It’s interesting to remember how scared I was to come here... and to read about my first reactions to certain things and see how much my views have changed. Like the driving; it seemed crazy at first, but now it just seems normal... I hadn’t realized how much I’ve adjusted to things here; everything feels so familiar now. I’m so used to making tea for my guests, stepping outside and seeing banana trees, passing baboons alongside the road, stopping for cattle and goats every second in small towns, drinking everything out of a bottle, and hanging my clothes outside to dry.

It’s really hard to believe that I’m actually leaving Kenya in 24 hours. I came here not knowing what to expect at all and I’ve had a better experience than I ever could have imagined. The friendships I’ve made and the wildlife I’ve seen have been absolutely incredible. And talking with the people here... the people actually living in the conditions I saw on TV, the people experiencing hunger... living with AIDS... you can’t see this poverty and not reevaluate what’s really important. Since leaving here still seems unreal (just like coming here felt) I’m trying not to think about it! I know it’s going to be sad to say goodbye to everyone and everything.

It’s been a bit strange to write a blog - knowing that people are actually reading about me. But, it’s been a perfect way to share my experiences. I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Please pray that I don’t get myself lost in London... see you all next week!

Well, I’m back from the Mara! This was, by far, my favorite part of my trip. The Mara is beautiful; it’s exactly how most people picture Africa... plains with lone trees scattered throughout. The Mara River runs through the plains and along one side runs the Mau Escarpment (mountain range). Before reaching the Mara we stopped at the border of Tanzania so I could (illegally) cross the boarder. Then we went for a game drive. The nice thing about the Mara being plains is that we could off road the entire time (which I have many bruises from)… this meant we could get VERY close to the animals. The first wild life we saw was actually a lioness (my first lion!!). The grass was rather long so I didn’t get a great view. Continuing on we saw many elephants, giraffes, buffalo, antelope, zebras, all types of birds, and hyenas. There was a mother hyena and two babies... we stopped for a long time to take pictures because they were so cute! Later in the drive we saw another lioness… she walked off when we got close but came back with another lioness and two cubs. They all started walking and playing in the middle of the road- it was amazing to be that close to them! We went to the camp after the drive. At the camp there are 5 small houses- these belong to the wardens/rangers and the General Service Unit (the police that guard the border and watch for poachers). Evans is a field worker, so he is in the Mara quite often and knows all the wardens very well- I’m so glad he’s the one who took me there, with all his connections I had a wonderful experience. We pitched our tent in the dark then went to one of the wardens houses to cook dinner. Since Lisa and I were the only females, we were expected to make morning/nighttime tea and cook/serve dinner for the men while they sat around talking! It was very interesting, to say the least. After dinner Lisa and I went down to the tent to sleep. Evans was offered a bed in the warden’s house so we were all alone- with a horn to sound if we were surrounded by lions or hyenas of course. The next morning we woke early to go for a game drive. This time the first animals we saw were CHEETAHS! There were three young ones and no mother around... we followed them around for a bit so I could get lots of pictures. We then went to the river where there were two lions resting. We opened the roof of the car and got within a few feet of them. Male lions are SO lazy (but so beautiful) they get to lay around while the females do the hunting! The next exciting sight was the hippos. We spotted a group of them but we couldn’t get close enough in the car... so we got out and hiked through the bush. Normally, people are not allowed to walk around in the Mara; it’s too dangerous. But we had a warden (with a gun) with us so we were allowed! We went down the river a ways and found a group of hippos on the opposite shore. Almost all the hippos were bleeding because they fight a lot. Hippos actually kill more humans that lions or anything else do. They don't bother you as long as you are not between them and the water, but if you're in the way... you're dead. Seeing everything from a car was exciting, but actually being on foot and seeing the wildlife up close was just unreal!

Later in the day we took a trip up the mountains. We drove to the edge of the mountains and got out to look at the view- I have never seen anything more incredible. Then Lisa and I decided we wanted to get closer to the Zebras and elands (the biggest of the antelope) that were grazing so we got out of the car and walk around on foot. After scaring away all the wildlife we drove to a small group of Maasai ‘stores’. We got out and immediately a Maasai woman came up and hugged me and began playing with my hair (it’s always weird when strangers do this to me, but I’m getting used to it!). When we got back in the car a Maasai man climbed in with us. We drove to the Maasai Manyatta and got out... that’s when I found out that the man was actually the chief of the Manyatta. Many people visit this Manyatta, and normally you have to pay to get in, pay to take a picture with the chief, and then pay for any jewelry/carving you want. Since Evans knows the chief we were able to enter and take pictures with him for free. The chief took us inside his house- the huts are all made from mud and grass... cow dung is packed along the sides and roofs to make it very very sturdy and rock hard (the women/girls are the ones who have to pack on the cow dung... I actually saw them doing it). Inside the hut it was very dark but extremely warm and cozy. The chief told me and Lisa we should spend the night... we declined; I didn’t want to become his fourth wife- one of the other Maasai men had already tried to buy me from Evans! Before leaving the chief gave us both a bracelet (for free!). I am SO lucky and grateful to be staying with Evans and Lisa- with all their connections I am truly getting an incredible experience.

Back at the campsite we discovered that the rain had gotten into our tent and everything was soaked. Luckily, I pack all my clothes in plastic bags inside my duffel (thanks mom!) so nothing was wet or ruined. Our bedding, however, was soaked. We went up to the houses and visited the only house with a woman staying in it. When she heard what happened she insisted we stay with her. So, after dinner, we went back to her house to sleep... the houses there are extremely tiny- two small rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen that you can’t fit more than two people in at a time... yet everyone is so hospitable! They offer you food and coffee and share whatever they have. When this woman offered to have us stay there, she meant that we would share her bed with her- it was a full size bed, but me and Lisa basically slept on top of each other. I am getting very used to sleeping in random places. The places that I’ve visited outside of Nairobi have been very eye opening and different. I’m glad that I’m actually experiencing how the majority of Kenyans live. It always feels strange at first, like when I realized I was going to share a bed with a woman I didn’t even know... but this is how the people here live, and everyone is just so amazingly hospitable... so I’ve learned to accept anything that feels strange/new.

Monday, after another game drive, we came home. On the way home we stopped along the river to see crocodiles. While Lisa and I were standing at the rivers edge we noticed a bunch of vervet monkeys in the bushes- including a baby. We took pictures and decided to see how close we could get. We were surprised when the monkeys let us come just inches away from them. The wardens there told us the monkeys were very friendly… so I got to touch them! I would hold out my hand and they would hit it and grab it. I love monkeys so of course this made my whole day. Also on the way home we saw a whole group of vultures feasting on a wildebeest (ew ew ew!). As soon as I got back last night I took a niiice hot shower- in the Mara we didn’t get to shower and after three days of putting on sunscreen, bug spray, and being sprayed with mud when we were off roading... well, I needed a shower pretty bad.

I am spending the rest of this week in Nairobi- Lisa and Evans are taking me to different animals places here- and again, lucky me, with their connections it will be amazing! I leave Saturday, I’m in shock at how fast my departure has come. I will try to post pictures- but it’s very difficult to post them since the internet connection is so slow.

Hey everyone,

Well, it has been quite an eventful week... so I have LOTS to share. On Monday, Asgar found out about a family emergency in the UK (which I won’t go into details about). He needed to fly to the UK immediately so he booked a flight for Tuesday. He will not return until after I have left. It was a very strange feeling to know that my one contact in Africa was leaving me here alone... and I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to him so soon… so it was hard! But, even with all he had to deal with, Asgar took time to make great arrangements for me. I am staying at his house, and Lisa is staying here with me. This weekend, we had planned to go to the Mara, so Asgar’s employee/friend, Evans, will be taking me and Lisa there to camp.
Apart from that news, this week I have been doing my volunteering. The first place was the orphanage in Machakos. Renee came into Nairobi and I met her at the train station to take a matatu to Machakos. In Machakos we took another matatu up a mountain to the orphanage- the view from the top was beautiful! I was a bit nervous to go to the orphanage; I wasn’t sure how the kids would react to me. But, it ended up being the best experience of my trip so far. The children ran right up to me and hugged me and grabbed my hands. They were so kind and friendly and outgoing. There are 25 children there (ages 5-13) almost equal ratio of boys to girls. The youngest ones don’t speak English, but the older ones do. Each night, the kids have to walk down the hill a ways to a “river”. The river is basically a hole in the ground with water… there, they fill their huge containers with water and carry it back up to the orphanage to dump it into larger tanks. Renee and I walked with them to get water. Then, it was dinner time. Although Renee cooks for herself and doesn’t eat the children’s food, that night the kids put together plates for us (rice and potatoes). It was so sweet to see them giving us what little food they had. We ate a bit then gave the rest back to them. After dinner, I gave them all the gifts I had brought (pencils, markers, crayons, colored pencils, games, a map, a globe, soccer ball, footballs, DVDs, CDs, books, etc). The looks on their faces when I showed them this stuff made my whole trip. All the stuff I just mentioned was theirs to share but I had also brought along sweatbands for the boys and necklaces for the girls (by the way- thanks Aubrey and Megan!). I laid the stuff out on the table and the kids crowded around to choose an item. This was the best part of my night… when they were putting on the necklaces and sweatbands they just looked SO happy… I cried; it was the best feeling in the world to watch their faces light up. The next morning we got up at 5 and left at 6 to walk to school with them. It was about a 20 minute walk through the mountains to the school. The kids held my hands the entire way- which was a very good thing too, because it was a steep climb and I nearly fell countless times (my shoes have lost all traction). At their school they have grades 1-8. Each grade has their own small classroom and they sit 3-4 to a desk. When we arrived around 6:30 none of the teachers were present; the kids get there early to clean up the place. I visited 4 of the classrooms and in each classroom they sang for me (in Swahili). It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard- each song has a soloist that sings half of the time, the soloists were amazing (again, I almost cried while listening). At 8:00 they have assembly. At assembly, all 600 kids (yes, 600 at this tiny little school) gather together and are led in song by one of the students. Then a bible passage is read by another child and a prayer is led by a third. During the assembly the kids were SO well behaved- none of them talked or goofed off like kids in the US do- it was incredible. Afterwards, Renee and I left. Before we left though, all the kids had to walk by me and grab my hands or hug me- it was adorable. The entire time I was at the orphanage and school all the kids wanted their pictures taken. They love posing for the camera (one girl, Sara, always gave a thumbs up) and like to look at the pictures right after they are taken. The kids also took to calling me mzunga (not to be confused with mzungu) which means doll.
So, back at the orphanage… The orphanage has a girls dorm, newly built boys dorm, kitchen, and dining/study room (located in the old boys dorm). Until the new boys dorm was built they ate on the floor of the kitchen (which is an extremely small room). By the kitchen was a small closet called the ‘library’ where they had some books and toys. It was very disorganized and filled with trash. Renee and I moved the shelves and everything to the new study room. We went though it all, threw out stuff, organized the books/toys, and put them back on the shelves. More than half of the things on the ‘toy’ shelf were the items I had brought. It was an overwhelming task but it looked amazing in the end. I wish I had more time to stay at the orphanage, I fell in love with the kids. At the end of my visit, I took a matatu (by myself for the first time!) back to Nairobi. Since Asgar is no longer here, I have to get used to matatus... I don’t know if that will happen- I reeaally dislike them.

Today was my first day at Beacon of Hope. I took a cab to the site. Unfortunately, in Kenya, there are no physical addresses, just P.O box numbers. So the only info I could give the driver was the name of the place and the street… we ended up getting lost. Eventually we pulled over for directions. It was much further than I thought it was, and on the drive I was nervous and really wishing I wasn’t alone. But, once I reached BOH I felt much better. Jane (the director and my contact at BOH) was not there when I arrived. However, there were about 10 mzungus volunteering there – they are from a church in North Dakota. One of the women gave me a tour around the place. There are counseling rooms, weaving rooms, classrooms, a clinic, and a play area out back; it is a very nice facility. First I played with the kids- all of them, like at the orphanage, were so friendly and attached themselves to me. There are three classrooms; the kids are ages 2-6. They don’t speak much English so I used my limited Swahili to communicate- it actually seemed to work! In the classroom I helped teach them a song then drew with them. In the afternoon I worked upstairs with the infections disease nurse (I did organizational stuff, helped package pills, etc). I also sat in on the consultations when women/children came in with problems. BOH offers testing, medicine, and help for not only the women in their program but for anyone else in the community wanting to stop by. It was difficult to listen to the women’s problems and watch them scrounge for a few bob (shillings) to pay for medicine. At the end of the day, while I waited for my cab, I got to chat with the pastor and another couple from the church. They know people from Black Hawk church quite well so it was really nice to talk with them... just like it was really nice to talk with Renee. Although I’ve had Lisa and Asgar here this whole time to talk to, I hadn’t realized how much I needed to talk with other mzungus. Being here and experiencing this new culture and seeing the conditions in small towns/schools/orphanages is very difficult, and I haven’t been able to talk with anyone about what I’ve been feeling. But, other Americans are experiencing the same feelings and reactions that I am so it was great to finally get all my thoughts out!

With all the traveling I’ve been doing I just haven’t had a moment to rest and it’s really catching up on me (I got sick again last night). What I really need is a few days of rest buuut tomorrow (and hopefully some days next week) I will be at BOH again. Then, this weekend (Saturday-Monday) I will be in the Mara. So no rest yet! I’ll write again next week and I’ll try and post pictures of the orphanage tomorrow.

Jambo!!

Well, I am back from the Rhino Charge- and very glad to have a real bathroom/shower! As promised, for those of you who don't know what the Rhino Charge is, I will explain it.
The Rhino Charge is an off-roading event that takes place every year in a different area in Kenya. The purpose of the event is to raise money for a fence being built in the Abadare Mountains. The fence is game proof so it keeps the wildlife on the outside in order to protect the people/ecosystem on the inside. Without the fence, the people's farms were being ruined and the children couldn't walk to school by themselves. The ecosystem is very important to protect since the water there provides power and such for all of Nairobi. The participants (2-6 people per team, and 60-something teams) get sponsors in order to compete. Each year the number of participants grows, and so does the number of spectators. This year, the competitors and their designated guests camped at a different site than the spectators. This made things run much more smoothly. The Charge itself is a one day- all day- event. There are 13 check points spread throughout the area. The goal is to get to as many check points as possible in the least amount of time and distance.
Last Thursday we set off for the Charge. We left at 7:00 am and arrived there at 4:00 pm... it was quite a drive! During the first part of the drive, we were overlooking the Rift Valley, it was beautiful- there is nothing else like it! We passed by four lakes; the shores of these lakes were all pink because of the thousands of flamingos there! The rest of the drive was up/down/through the mountains so it was amazing to look out on. We reached the check in point at about 1 pm. There we received directions to the actual charge. The next three hours were along a dirt road. It was incredibly dusty and since we kept the windows down (because of the heat) we got covered in dirt/dust (it stuck even more on me since I was lathered in sunscreen)- I looked about 4 shades darker. On that road, and the roads through the mountains, there were mud huts and children everywhere. The children stood along the side of the road with their hands out, or just waving and shouting to us. When we waved back they would cheer- it was so cute, but soooo sad! Also along the roads were many goats, cows, and donkeys. The goats and cows loved to start across the road RIGHT when you reached them. They also loved to lay in the middle of the mountain roads so when you came around a turn you had to quickly slam on the breaks to avoid hitting the sunbathing animals.
The Rhino Charge took place in a valley. It was very hilly, rocky, and full of trees- almost all of which had inch long thorns. In our group there were 21 men, and me, so there were 11 tents. These men are 'high-class' campers so they had hired people to set up the tents for us and they brought along cooks (from a hotel that one of the men runs). So, our tents were set up and in the middle of the camp ground was a big open tent that held the tables and "kitchen". Unfortunately, the toilets were just pits in the ground... the showers, however, weren't too bad; they had warm water- but very limited water since it was just held above the small showering tent in a bag. Basically I would switch on the water and get wet, turn it off while I put on soap/shampoo, switch it on again and hope to wash off all the soap, and that was it. When we arrived it immediately started to rain... all the dirt on me turned to mud. We unloaded the cars, helped set up the middle tent, and then, once the rain stopped, we unloaded the charge car (the charge cars are brought on trucks to the site, they are never driven to the charge). Dinner was served and then the men sat around drinking- of course- and talking... they were quite fun to talk with. The next day was scruiteneering. The Charge Car was taken to the headquarters and checked for extra gadgets that shouldn't be there; checked for proper safety features, and then a GPS system was installed (the GPS system keeps record of the km traveled during the charge). The rest of the day was spent doing repairs/check ups on the car. It was fun to watch- I was put to work doing the easy tasks like cleaning the car haha. That day, there was a goat tied up near my tent. It was sooo cute! I asked Asgar who's goat it was... his reply: "That's dinner". Yes, they slaughtered two goats for dinner... I'm sure you can all guess how pleased about that I was. That night the coordinates for the 13 check points were finally given out to the teams, so they spent the night planning their route- it was amazing to watch. We had a huge thunderstorm that night and, since the ground there doesn't soak up water very fast, I again was covered in dirt/mud... which was actually pretty fun! While camping there, I never once felt clean (except for a few minutes after showering, but as soon as I stepped outside the tent I was dirty again).
The next day, Saturday, was the actual charge. The contestants began at 6:15. We left camp at 8:00 and went to the check point called 'The Gauntlet'. The Gauntlet is the hardest check point in the charge, and the best area for spectators to watch. This year, the Gauntlet was on top of a huuuuge hill. The cars would come crashing through the trees and bushes to reach the top. Spectators were scattered all over the top of the hill and down the sides. You really have no idea which way the car will be coming up, and since the cars can't stop- people had to run out of their way. It was extremely amusing to watch. We stayed there about an hour and a half then started off to another check point. Unfortunately, I had been feeling quite sick that morning, so I was dropped off at camp after The Gauntlet where I got even more sick (fever, throwing up, etc). So for me, it was actually a very very horrible day. I thought getting sick at college was a bad place... oooh no, nothing beats getting sick in the bush in the middle of Africa. That night I was feeling a little better, so I managed to get some water down (everyone kept trying to make me eat- I refused, I still felt too sick).
Since I didn't get to watch our team- I was filled in that night. Our team was doing very good. They had made it to 5 check points by 11:30 (that's one check point each hour which is the goal). But by 12:30 no one at any of the check points had heard from them. So everyone started to worry. Asgar and a group of 4 other men finally got their approximate bearings and went searching for them. They had to go off-roading themselves, and then walk around and they didn't find them until 5:30 that night. Something had happened to the car and they'd gotten stuck half way up a hill in the middle of a forest. Another car was stuck nearby- the men in that car were all injured so our team helped them out (they were flown to Nairobi) then they got our charge car out of the bush. One of our guys had a thorn from one of the trees go right through his ear- but apart from that they were all fine.
I went to sleep early that night and Sunday morning I felt a bit better. We packed up the camp (correction- they packed up the camp, I laid in the tent). Then we drove home. Last night I slept 12 hours, so I'm feeling much better today; I'm just very weak/dizzy from lack of food. But I'm eating and drinking LOTS of water today because tomorrow I leave for the orphanage. All in all it was quite an eventful camping trip and a very fun experience- the men say I got to experience the "real" Africa. But, I am VERY glad to be back in Nairobi!