Kenya
24 Hours in Nairobi
It’s been a while since I posted here and I wanted to get back to it. I miss Africa and I miss blogging about it. So here it goes – my brief guide to Kenya’s capital for those who are looking to spend a day in the city.
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Thousands of tourists pass through Nairobi every year on their way to safaris in Kenya’s numerous national parks, eager to spot the “big five” game animals of the beautiful East African savannah. Not many realize, however, that the country’s capital has a lot of its own charm to offer to visitors who fit it into their busy itineraries.
Stopping by the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is a great way to start your day in Nairobi. The David Sheldrick Animal Trust takes care of baby rhinos, elephants and other animals are rescued from the wild when their parents die from the hands of poachers, or as a result of drought or disease. Check the trust’s website for information on fostering one of the recently saved orphans.
A Gift
“If I know a song of Africa… will Africa ever know a song of me?”
– Karen Blixen, Out of Africa
(From Fri., Nov. 7)
I was on my way home for a lunch break when halfway through, on a reddish path amidst a bunch of thorny trees, I heard someone calling my Kimaasai name, “Naisoi!”
I turned around and saw a girl running after me. I recognized her. She was the one who grabbed my hand Wednesday and promised that she’d bring something for me today. (We had no school yesterday because of the “Obama day”).
She caught up with me and pulled two colorful strings of beads off her wrist. She then put them on mine, twisting the two together into a pretty shape, a sea wave of every possible color. Read the rest of this entry »
Volunteering Q&A
Do you want to know what volunteering in Kenya is like? Would you like to do what I did? Are you wondering how? See if my Volunteering Q&A can be of any help. Check them out under one of the tabs in the blog’s header. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll be more than happy to help if I can.
I Bless the Rains Down in Africa
To experience true rebirth of your world, wait for the rain in Kenya. Wait just long enough during the intolerably hot dry season and you, too, will be reborn.
We had a week of the most impossible, scorching heat, when the back of your neck feels like a skillet, and the tiny drops of sweat emerge just under the tip of your nose. Read the rest of this entry »
Ngong Hills and Little Blue Uniforms
…or some of my most memorable Kenyan moments
* A forth grader with a beaming face jumps up and hits himself in the chest, shouting out loud, “She’s my teacher! She’s my teacher!” as I’m introduced to one of my classes.
* A tall girl from my team hits the ball my direction and yells “mzungu” (a white person) so loud that all eyes turn to me. Volleyball is not my game, but these are my seventh graders and I can’t let them down. I feel my knees shake under pressure as I score. Read the rest of this entry »
Guardian Angels
Bright afternoon sun was wondering through the open door and along the floor of our living room, to the simple but comfy blue couches Simon picked, on which out guests sat. It was a sweet, relaxing Sunday, and the conversation revolved around motherly love.
Suddenly, I heard Maggie sob on the chair to my right. Read the rest of this entry »
Black and White
I know, I said I’d try to write on weekends. And I’ve tried. But the Internet access I have (or rather don’t have) is far from adequate, so without further explanations, I’ll get to the point.
To say that I love it in the Maasailand in Kenya would be saying nothing. Words are weak carriers of the things I see, hear and learn every day. Life is comprised of drastic differences here: Read the rest of this entry »
Africa: The Serengeti
“There is a place on Earth where it is still the morning of life and the great herds still run free,” – Africa: The Serengeti.
I think this documentary is the type you should be watching on a big screen to truly appreciate the majestic beauty it portrays. The computer screen doesn’t do it justice, and probably neither would the TV. If wildlife amazes you, you’ll be glued to whichever screen it is, though. The dramatic narration by James Earl Jones (yep, the Darth Vader guy), Read the rest of this entry »
Where Do I Start?
Welcome to my blog on Africa. It’s the way for me to share what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, the way to hopefully organize these piles of napkins with writing all over them, the countless files on my desktop and the restless thoughts in my head.
I’m flying to Nairobi October 29 for a short orientation (I think) and then heading to Kimuka, a Maasai village not far from Ngong. Read the rest of this entry »
Dreaming of Africa 