How I got so behind on my blog I have no idea. It has become one of my favorite things, who’d a thought? The last 4 or 5 days have truly been something else. How do you explain in words what the best feeling in the world is? I don’t know and I don’t think I could even come close to expressing how amazing the last week has been for me.
Monday morning Nate and I set off on our journey to Nairobi to meet up with our safari folk. We left early enough to get a cup of the most delicious coffee on the planet. Ok maybe it isn’t but when you have been drinking instant coffee, a proper cup of brewed coffee hits the spot. After a 6 hour drive to Maasai Mara we finally arrived at the lodge and were greeted with hot towels and a glass of passion fruit juice. I knew right then it was going to be amazing. From the waiter dressed in Cheetah print to the security guard who thought I was drunk because I laugh a lot and am extremely clumsy and tripped on a loose stone while he was escorting us to our room, this lodge was spectacular. Old fashion keys to the door, a toilet you sit down on and flush, hot water and a real live shower, a MIRROR (that was a wakeup call that I haven’t ran in months), and A bed… yes AAAAAAAAAA bed for 2 people who met only a week prior. The deal was if he didn’t snore I would try not to talk in my sleep about the crazy dreams I have been having. The first night I dreamt I was murdered by officer Leroy, weird.
On top of haven’t the greatest accommodations a girl could ask for, the animals would blow your mind. Like brain matter on the wall kind of blow your mind. Right after we arrived we set out on a night game drive. Right off the bat we saw a ton of gazelles, giraffe, and about 7 lions feeding on their latest kill, a wildebeest that looked like it had been hacked at a machete. Score. The second day we say anything and everything that you could imagine. The highlight of the day for me was watching a cheetah stalk a gazelle. It was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever seen in my life. I felt like I was in a Discovery Channel episode or something. Seeing a herd of elephants so close I could throw a rock at them defiantly tops the charts for sure. Lets just say the whole case of Madagascar showed up. Why stop there? Hundreds and hundreds of wildebeest were trying to cross the river but right when they started they all turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Why you ask? Because someone who rented a jeep and didn’t know what they were doing was parked right along the river bank where they wanted to cross. No duh people, grab a clue.
This trip has so far been nothing short of spectacular. The morning before we headed back to Nairobi we did a morning game drive and I got some great photos with perfect morning light. On our way out of the park I stood up in the safari van the whole time with my earphones just enjoying every last bit, I almost shed a little tear I was just so in the moment.
5-6 hours to Nairobi. What should have been a two hour ride from Nairobi to Thika turned into 3 hours. We arrived in Thika at 8pm, lucky for us all the matatos from Thika to Makuyu stop running at 8pm… Awesome. As I was getting off the matato a woman dressed in a fancy office get up kept asking me “are you safe? Are you safe?” I looked at Nate kinda like uhhhh are we safe? LOL This woman, Alice, ended up walking us all around the area trying to find us a matato to take us back, with no luck. She offered us to stay at her house because her children are away at school. Now that could have been a truly amazing experience and I am grateful she even offered, buuuuutttt. My parents told me about 2000 times before I left to trust NO ONE. Come to find out she is an attorney in Nairobi for the government and was just about the nicest lady I have met here. She called a taxi driver that she knew, told him that we were her guest and basically that if anything were to happen to us she would hunt him down and chop him into little bits. She also instructed him to call her immediately after he dropped us at the orphanage. She wrote down her info and I plan on taking her to lunch next time I go to Nairobi.
The following day was a Thursday and I spent most of it in Kenol with my new Aussie friend Kristie who I have been corresponding with since before I arrived here. I needed to get crackalackin on what the next step of this master plan of mine was going to be and she wanted to update her blog. So we made a day of it and had lunch at The Junction after, I also stocked up on chocolate. My goal of going to Kenol was to get a modem so we would have internet at the orphanage but they guy I had been talking to didn’t have it. So Kristie and I made a last minute decision to go get one in Thika, actually a pretty descent size city. Two girls wrapped up in conversation somehow managed to find the store for the modem, unfortunately for us they didn’t have one either. Kristie being the older wiser one asked them if we could get one anywhere else in town. The woman we were talking to looked over at a man dressed in the full security get up and said “solider!” and then told him in Swahili that he was to escort us to their other location. Can I just say that is about the 10th time something like that has happened, people here are amazing. Their other location had it and the lady working there, Ester, was the best. We told her we were going to stop and get some fruit first before going back to the orphanage and she walked us back and stopped at her friends fruit stand. We were kinda jazzed because they had grapes. Anything other than tomatoes and bananas kind of gets us a little coo coo for coco puffs.
Friday, Chapati day. Mmmmm chapatti, ok I’m getting side tracked. Usually Saturday is Skype day but now that I have internet everyday is Skype day, so Susan and I Skyped Breehia and Tyrel. Everyone around was a little freaked out by the video. Susan didn’t fully understand what was going on and was trying to reach through the screen to grab the apple Tyrel was holding. Earlier in the morning I was eating an apple that I bought at the fruit stand the day before and gave half to Susan. I don’t think she had eaten many apples before because they are kind of expensive here since they are imported. She was biting off the skin and spitting it on the ground. When I tried telling her she could eat the skin she must have thought I was telling her she haaaaad to eat the skin, including the skin she had already spit into the dirt because she picked it up and was going to eat it. Because she has never been to school her English is very poor and I have a hard time communicating with her. After the most amazing bucket shower ever I took Susan into Kenol for lunch at The Junction. She had the biggest smile on her face and was a big fan of the Fanta, although using a straw was a new concept for her. After a stop at the mini mart for a sucker and the ATM we headed back to the orphanage. Chipati and green stuff for dinner.
Today is Saturday the 18th and it was another amazing day. I should really come up with a better word than amazing. Avocado and tomato sandwich for breakfast and a cup of instant coffee. Pretty chill morning, I read my Prague book which got me a little antsy to go, but I am going to just try and enjoy it all day by day. Prague trip is almost all set, school is paid and they sent me all the info about classes and the area I will be living. Can I just say that I am so excited; I have this feeling I am going to fall in love with this city and not want to leave. I found 3 vegetarian restaurants in the district I am going to be in and they sound amazing. I actually found about 30 cafés/ pubs I want to visit while I’m there and I haven’t even made it through the whole book yet. Oy vey I can’t wait!
In the afternoon I took Amina to the Kamahoha market to buy some school things for Susan. I am going to see to it that she is in school come Monday morning. We don’t know exactly how old she is but they think she is 9 or 10 and she won’t even be starting in 1st grade. They are going to start her in Nursery and then next term try for grade 1. Amina and I had a good time picking everything out; uniforms, pencils, exercize books, lunch container, back pack, and a mathematic set all for 1635 Schillings (about 20 usd). I am so excited for Monday whoop whoop!!!
Tonight before dinner I sat down with Geoffrey, the founder of the orphanage, and I talked to him about some ideas I have for the website. So my mission for the week is to ramp up the website, facebook and get a Skype account going for them. I am so jazzed. We got a little side tracked by looking at some of the picture I have taken while being here and he paid me the nicest compliment ever, ok not ever but pretty much. He said that of all the pictures he has seen from any of the volunteers or anyone that my pictures are the best he has ever seen. I die. Made my day. Good night
Monday morning Nate and I set off on our journey to Nairobi to meet up with our safari folk. We left early enough to get a cup of the most delicious coffee on the planet. Ok maybe it isn’t but when you have been drinking instant coffee, a proper cup of brewed coffee hits the spot. After a 6 hour drive to Maasai Mara we finally arrived at the lodge and were greeted with hot towels and a glass of passion fruit juice. I knew right then it was going to be amazing. From the waiter dressed in Cheetah print to the security guard who thought I was drunk because I laugh a lot and am extremely clumsy and tripped on a loose stone while he was escorting us to our room, this lodge was spectacular. Old fashion keys to the door, a toilet you sit down on and flush, hot water and a real live shower, a MIRROR (that was a wakeup call that I haven’t ran in months), and A bed… yes AAAAAAAAAA bed for 2 people who met only a week prior. The deal was if he didn’t snore I would try not to talk in my sleep about the crazy dreams I have been having. The first night I dreamt I was murdered by officer Leroy, weird.
On top of haven’t the greatest accommodations a girl could ask for, the animals would blow your mind. Like brain matter on the wall kind of blow your mind. Right after we arrived we set out on a night game drive. Right off the bat we saw a ton of gazelles, giraffe, and about 7 lions feeding on their latest kill, a wildebeest that looked like it had been hacked at a machete. Score. The second day we say anything and everything that you could imagine. The highlight of the day for me was watching a cheetah stalk a gazelle. It was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever seen in my life. I felt like I was in a Discovery Channel episode or something. Seeing a herd of elephants so close I could throw a rock at them defiantly tops the charts for sure. Lets just say the whole case of Madagascar showed up. Why stop there? Hundreds and hundreds of wildebeest were trying to cross the river but right when they started they all turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Why you ask? Because someone who rented a jeep and didn’t know what they were doing was parked right along the river bank where they wanted to cross. No duh people, grab a clue.
This trip has so far been nothing short of spectacular. The morning before we headed back to Nairobi we did a morning game drive and I got some great photos with perfect morning light. On our way out of the park I stood up in the safari van the whole time with my earphones just enjoying every last bit, I almost shed a little tear I was just so in the moment.
5-6 hours to Nairobi. What should have been a two hour ride from Nairobi to Thika turned into 3 hours. We arrived in Thika at 8pm, lucky for us all the matatos from Thika to Makuyu stop running at 8pm… Awesome. As I was getting off the matato a woman dressed in a fancy office get up kept asking me “are you safe? Are you safe?” I looked at Nate kinda like uhhhh are we safe? LOL This woman, Alice, ended up walking us all around the area trying to find us a matato to take us back, with no luck. She offered us to stay at her house because her children are away at school. Now that could have been a truly amazing experience and I am grateful she even offered, buuuuutttt. My parents told me about 2000 times before I left to trust NO ONE. Come to find out she is an attorney in Nairobi for the government and was just about the nicest lady I have met here. She called a taxi driver that she knew, told him that we were her guest and basically that if anything were to happen to us she would hunt him down and chop him into little bits. She also instructed him to call her immediately after he dropped us at the orphanage. She wrote down her info and I plan on taking her to lunch next time I go to Nairobi.
The following day was a Thursday and I spent most of it in Kenol with my new Aussie friend Kristie who I have been corresponding with since before I arrived here. I needed to get crackalackin on what the next step of this master plan of mine was going to be and she wanted to update her blog. So we made a day of it and had lunch at The Junction after, I also stocked up on chocolate. My goal of going to Kenol was to get a modem so we would have internet at the orphanage but they guy I had been talking to didn’t have it. So Kristie and I made a last minute decision to go get one in Thika, actually a pretty descent size city. Two girls wrapped up in conversation somehow managed to find the store for the modem, unfortunately for us they didn’t have one either. Kristie being the older wiser one asked them if we could get one anywhere else in town. The woman we were talking to looked over at a man dressed in the full security get up and said “solider!” and then told him in Swahili that he was to escort us to their other location. Can I just say that is about the 10th time something like that has happened, people here are amazing. Their other location had it and the lady working there, Ester, was the best. We told her we were going to stop and get some fruit first before going back to the orphanage and she walked us back and stopped at her friends fruit stand. We were kinda jazzed because they had grapes. Anything other than tomatoes and bananas kind of gets us a little coo coo for coco puffs.
Friday, Chapati day. Mmmmm chapatti, ok I’m getting side tracked. Usually Saturday is Skype day but now that I have internet everyday is Skype day, so Susan and I Skyped Breehia and Tyrel. Everyone around was a little freaked out by the video. Susan didn’t fully understand what was going on and was trying to reach through the screen to grab the apple Tyrel was holding. Earlier in the morning I was eating an apple that I bought at the fruit stand the day before and gave half to Susan. I don’t think she had eaten many apples before because they are kind of expensive here since they are imported. She was biting off the skin and spitting it on the ground. When I tried telling her she could eat the skin she must have thought I was telling her she haaaaad to eat the skin, including the skin she had already spit into the dirt because she picked it up and was going to eat it. Because she has never been to school her English is very poor and I have a hard time communicating with her. After the most amazing bucket shower ever I took Susan into Kenol for lunch at The Junction. She had the biggest smile on her face and was a big fan of the Fanta, although using a straw was a new concept for her. After a stop at the mini mart for a sucker and the ATM we headed back to the orphanage. Chipati and green stuff for dinner.Today is Saturday the 18th and it was another amazing day. I should really come up with a better word than amazing. Avocado and tomato sandwich for breakfast and a cup of instant coffee. Pretty chill morning, I read my Prague book which got me a little antsy to go, but I am going to just try and enjoy it all day by day. Prague trip is almost all set, school is paid and they sent me all the info about classes and the area I will be living. Can I just say that I am so excited; I have this feeling I am going to fall in love with this city and not want to leave. I found 3 vegetarian restaurants in the district I am going to be in and they sound amazing. I actually found about 30 cafés/ pubs I want to visit while I’m there and I haven’t even made it through the whole book yet. Oy vey I can’t wait!
In the afternoon I took Amina to the Kamahoha market to buy some school things for Susan. I am going to see to it that she is in school come Monday morning. We don’t know exactly how old she is but they think she is 9 or 10 and she won’t even be starting in 1st grade. They are going to start her in Nursery and then next term try for grade 1. Amina and I had a good time picking everything out; uniforms, pencils, exercize books, lunch container, back pack, and a mathematic set all for 1635 Schillings (about 20 usd). I am so excited for Monday whoop whoop!!!
Tonight before dinner I sat down with Geoffrey, the founder of the orphanage, and I talked to him about some ideas I have for the website. So my mission for the week is to ramp up the website, facebook and get a Skype account going for them. I am so jazzed. We got a little side tracked by looking at some of the picture I have taken while being here and he paid me the nicest compliment ever, ok not ever but pretty much. He said that of all the pictures he has seen from any of the volunteers or anyone that my pictures are the best he has ever seen. I die. Made my day. Good night
Honey, Your Blogs are one of my favorite things too. I know I write this everytime, but your writing skills are excellent for a girl with little training on the subject. Kinda like when Tracey first hit a golf ball. She was just a natural at it. Keep up the work. I am sure what Geoffrey failed to say is that you are the bestest volunteer he has ever had. The orphanage will not be the same without you. Although I know you are working to make it even better, your champagne personality will still be missing. For all that your write about here, I cant help but think of all the other things that you have experienced that just dont make it out of the memory bank. In time those things will also find their place in you journal. We are so super proud of you. AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteHi Honey...great blog, it sounds like your having the time of your life. I've viewed your photos about 6 times and they are incredible, what a great experience. I'm sure that Geoffrey and the others will miss you a lot. However with the technology today you can stay in touch. I'm looking forward to the next update.
ReplyDeleteBe safe! Love, Dad
I can only imagine how "in heaven" you are. I read your blogs to Spencer and he always makes comments like "oh yea, people there are great, stupid Americans always so afraid." But he's a world traveler so he's so much more comfortable with that kind of stuff. Im glad you're still being cautious. And glad that Susan found you, you were meant to take care of her I guess. Who woulda thunk that 2 months ago when you were sitting on my couch taking about what the heck you were going to do with your life and where you would go....that you would soon have a "Susan" and would be almost touching wild elephants and it would all come so naturally. Imagine the stories you will be able to tell your children. Again like I said before, this is where you're meant to be. Everything happens for a reason. Im thinking about you constantly and am so happy for you. Every time I read your blogs about how happy you are it make me all teary eyed. Love you sweet tits.
ReplyDeleteHow amazing Kally! Your blog is wonderful! Can you share the website address for the orphanage? Not sure if it is up and running yet, but would love to see it when it is. It is incredible what you are doing there. Reading your blogs really puts things in perspective, it really makes us realize everything we take for granted. Your pictures are amazing and Susan sounds wonderful. How can people help support the orphanage? Can people make donations or send items? I know from Mark and Cathy's experience in Africa, often times things don't make it there. I would be curious to know how others could help. I look forward to reading your next post! We miss you!
ReplyDelete