Jambo to all of our H2O for Life friends!
We are on break from Safari taking a couple of hours to regroup and rest a bit before going out again. This is a perfect opportunity to bring you all up to date on Wednesday's ALL day Safari.
The Masi Mara is a magnificent place. It is breath-taking and words can not describe the beauty of the land, animals and people. I really believe that when God created Africa, or whomever is the creator in each of our individual beliefs, He was having a great time and has proven a wonderful sense of humor. Giraffes, zebras, hippos, lions, wart hogs, hyenas, elephants and countless others are uniquely different and surprisingly similiar. Survival is the goal but getting there involves an amazing hierarcy. Lions rule but the numbers of zebras and wildabeast leaves on to wonder if they might not be in charge based on their control of the land.
The sheer size and expanse of this area leaves me speechless but I will try to convey some of our experiences of our all day safari. We were in the van and ready to go by 7:00 a.m. Our van has a pop-top roof so we can stand up and gaze the landscape through the roof. All of you students would laugh at how excited a group of adults can get when one of us spots a lion or elephant.
We had a wonderful experience with a group of elephants. They are huge yet so quiet and graceful. We spotted a family of elephants and Christopjer was able to get us very close to them. They then started to come toward us. (Thankfully, I was sitting in the back and Steve would have been the first to be crushed.) I am estimating that we were 10-20 feet from these giants. It was thrilling! They really don't pay attention to us but there is a reason for the strict rules about leaving your vehicle while on the Mara.
Speaking opf leaving your vehicle, I am wondering howmany of you know what a "short call" might be. Let me give you a hint. The H2O Team is not taking pictues of latrines. The are probably 50 miles apart.
The morning went by without a single Zebra sighting. I was beginning to wonder if we were even going to see a herd of Zebras. Boy was I wrong. We came over a hill and as far as the eye can see we saw zebra and wildabeast. Hundred of thousands of them spotted every inch. Amazing! Awesome! Spectacular! We drove for miles during the afternoon and they never left our site.
We eventually made it to the Tanzania border and had our pictures taken at the border. It's not everyday that you be in two countries at one time.
Our last big excitedment for the afternoon was coming in contact with a family of Cheetahs. We were only 10 feet away from them! They could care less about us but we sure enjoyed them. Lastly, we spotted a Rhino on the horizon. I was surprised to learn that the Rhino spends his life living alone and is known as a solitary animal. Sounds loney and might be why he doesn't hesitate to let birds land all over him. We all need a friend.
Time to get back for an afternoon safari. Tomorrow we are back to work and leave the luxury of a flush toilet and ice.
We all have children whom we left to come on this trip. We send our love to our families and since I am writing today's blog--a special shout-out to my two boys, Joe and Danny. I love you both and miss you terribly but I will have wonderful stories to share on my return.
Val
We also managed to see a once in a lifetime event when the wildabeast and zebras started a river crossing. Hundreds of these animals patiently wait their turn to cross the river and then they just seem to fly over the river. I don't know why they cross and it begs the question, "Why did the zebra cross the river?"
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Lion's, giraffe's and technology...
Jambo! Friends, Family, and Raving Fans I am reposting this blog, so if you read it already, please reread it. Because the technology in Kenya is much like the roads--unpredictable, hit or miss, and you just learn to go with the flow. This blog was posted yesterday and it was my rough draft. Below is my edited version, read and enjoy! Asanti sana (thank you very much)!
Today's journey began with a farewell to Tenwek and a Jambo to Masai Mara! Team H2O took a break from visiting latrines and made the four hour trek, with their trusty guide Christopher at the helm (wheel), into the wild African Safari land of the Masai Mara.
Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I knew I wasn't in Kansas (or Minnesota) anymore! Beauty lies everywhere! Not just in the animals, but in the Masai people! Dressed in their glorious colors of red, blues, and yellow, they contrast with the brown and green of the landscape, and are all across the vast horizon walking alone, in groups, with their cattle, with their sheep, and carrying water.
Shortly down the road came the scene of the day! Rising out of the grasses of the Masai Mara were the long, spotted necks of 16 giraffe grazing in the sun. Each of us enthusiastically crawled out of our seats, carried our cameras, stretched our legs, and took in the view. As we stared and ogled at them through our binoculars and cameras, curiously, they turned and stared right back. But as soon as we made any steps to get closer, their long legs guided them away.
Those giraffes were just the beginning of a wonderful day to come. Upon checking into our rooms (which are actually army style heavy duty tent with ceramic tiled bathrooms attached) we took time to nosh at the lunch time buffet (loaded with rice, hungarian beef, and my most favorite dessert, banana's and chocolate) and take in some side at our outdoor pool. We all agreed that their pool side loungers are the most cushiony we've ever sat our tooshes on!
Today's journey began with a farewell to Tenwek and a Jambo to Masai Mara! Team H2O took a break from visiting latrines and made the four hour trek, with their trusty guide Christopher at the helm (wheel), into the wild African Safari land of the Masai Mara.
Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I knew I wasn't in Kansas (or Minnesota) anymore! Beauty lies everywhere! Not just in the animals, but in the Masai people! Dressed in their glorious colors of red, blues, and yellow, they contrast with the brown and green of the landscape, and are all across the vast horizon walking alone, in groups, with their cattle, with their sheep, and carrying water.
Shortly down the road came the scene of the day! Rising out of the grasses of the Masai Mara were the long, spotted necks of 16 giraffe grazing in the sun. Each of us enthusiastically crawled out of our seats, carried our cameras, stretched our legs, and took in the view. As we stared and ogled at them through our binoculars and cameras, curiously, they turned and stared right back. But as soon as we made any steps to get closer, their long legs guided them away.
Those giraffes were just the beginning of a wonderful day to come. Upon checking into our rooms (which are actually army style heavy duty tent with ceramic tiled bathrooms attached) we took time to nosh at the lunch time buffet (loaded with rice, hungarian beef, and my most favorite dessert, banana's and chocolate) and take in some side at our outdoor pool. We all agreed that their pool side loungers are the most cushiony we've ever sat our tooshes on!
Rested and refreshed we began our safari. We were quite lucky, for we found numerous animals ranging from hippo's lounging in the river spouting water, with a crocodile close by watching, to zebra's (who, Steve found out, are not as bright and clean looking as the pictures he's seen), Masai ostrich's, leaping impala's, mongoose, a jackal, and numerous wild buffalo and varieties of antelope.
The team favorite was seeing a pride of lions feasting on a wildabeast. Christopher positioned our vehicle in front row seats of a blockbuster show! We watched (about six feet away) on as two females shared and even fought over the sinewy and tough looking meat. In the meantime, two young male lions came strolling up playfully headbutting each other and then crashing to the ground to wait their turn; and three others rolled around scratching their backs, licking their paws, and relishing the feeling of a stuffed tummy after a great meal.
Numerous books, movies, and Mutual of Omaha have done their best to convince me, and millions of other people, that Africa is beautiful. You see animals in zoos and one cannot fully comprehend how powerful and gorgeous these animals are until you seen them in their natural habitat. The zoo will never be the same. Kenya is the most beautiful place I've seen, and I do plan on returning.
The beauty of Africa rubs off. Despite twelve hour days, four plus hours of driving, and endless conversations, the team is still laughing together (and at each other), squeezing in heated games of trivia (Chris the biggest winner and me the biggest loser) and scrabble, savoring cold beverages (with ice, which is a rare commodity), sitting by a fire pit (which is not a pit of wood, but a pit of charcoal burning), and feasting together in great harmony, just like the circle of life in this great land of the Masai Mara.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Bir Mat Ko Loo
Jambo Friends! (This is Chris)
It has been an absolutely amazing day, where do I start? Today we had the opportunity to meet the staff of Tenwek Hospital's Community Outreach and Development and travel with them to schools in the Bomet area . Their motto is "Put out the fire while it is still far away" (Bir mat ko loo in the local dialect) and it describes their efforts perfectly. With Johnathan and Richard as our guides, we set out to visit a few schools with completed projects and also a new one.
We traveled an hour before reaching our first stop and were warmly greeted by students, staff, and parents of of St. Basil's Kiminanaga Primary School. We toured the school and took lots of pictures (what group other than the H2O team would be interested in taking pictures of latrines) and enjoyed the songs, poems, and speeches presented by the students. Following the ceremony we had tea and bread with the staff of St. Basil's (I'm really enjoying having a lot of good Kenyan tea, but a few of us are getting "tea-ed out" as we have some at every meeting). It amazes me that many of these students have never seen a white person before and love touching our skin and hair. Before heading to the next school we were given gifts of bananas and a 6 foot sugar cane plant (not sure what we'll do with that yet).
Our second stop was at Atebwa Primary School and once again there was a wonderful ceremony for us. The students here gave outstanding speeches. Wesley, a boy in grade 8, spoke about how the new water tank and latrines had raised their standards and they in turn were helping their parents and the community to raise their standards as well. Upon our arrival the staff moved chairs for us to the shade, but the students, staff, and family members stayed in the hot sun. I couldn't believe how patient the students sat and listened for the 40 plus minutes, and wondered how my 9th graders would have held up. During a couple of the speeches from the adults I entertained a few students in the front by making weird faces at them, and they in turn mimicked them back to me. More tea and bread and off we went!
H20 team members have started to each develop their niche upon arrival at the schools... Val and Patty tend to be our speakers, Mark and Lisa entertain the students, and Steve and I take pictures. A few of us have been hesitant about speaking, but Steve had the most valid reason... "You know how every one hates hearing their voice on a recording? Thats how I sound in real time so I can't speak".
The highlight of the day for me was seeing the school that Centennial High School will be sponsoring this year, Reberwet Primary School. Once again there was an incredible welcome by community members. As this was a new project, there was no water tank or new latrines. Instead, we saw the old latrines( 2 of which were full, the other 2 served 264 students plus staff) and heard of the distance they walked to get clean water. I can't wait to start fund raising and teach my students about this wonderful school. Oh yeah, more tea and bread (this time with every one watching us eat; thankfully Val got up and had them doing cheers about water)!
Our final stop, Kiptage Primary school was to be our lunch stop but we have quickly learned that Kenya is an "ish" country, meaning that if you say "we'll meet around 12", it really means "we'll meet around 12ish." Lunch happened to be at 4:30pm today, good thing we have had a lot of bread and tea! Our lunch consisted of millet and a beef stew, not necessarily that unusual except that you used your hands to grab the millet (think of a doughy consistency, except dry) and dip it into the stew. It was rather tasty and quite an eating experience (I don't think anyone had the fresh goat milk that was served with our lunch). As it started raining while we were here there was only a brief presentation because we were running late, and there was a concern that our van might get stuck in the muddy roads.
What a day! A chance to see new geography, make new friends, eat new food, and have lots of tea, can it get any better?
It has been an absolutely amazing day, where do I start? Today we had the opportunity to meet the staff of Tenwek Hospital's Community Outreach and Development and travel with them to schools in the Bomet area . Their motto is "Put out the fire while it is still far away" (Bir mat ko loo in the local dialect) and it describes their efforts perfectly. With Johnathan and Richard as our guides, we set out to visit a few schools with completed projects and also a new one.
We traveled an hour before reaching our first stop and were warmly greeted by students, staff, and parents of of St. Basil's Kiminanaga Primary School. We toured the school and took lots of pictures (what group other than the H2O team would be interested in taking pictures of latrines) and enjoyed the songs, poems, and speeches presented by the students. Following the ceremony we had tea and bread with the staff of St. Basil's (I'm really enjoying having a lot of good Kenyan tea, but a few of us are getting "tea-ed out" as we have some at every meeting). It amazes me that many of these students have never seen a white person before and love touching our skin and hair. Before heading to the next school we were given gifts of bananas and a 6 foot sugar cane plant (not sure what we'll do with that yet).
Our second stop was at Atebwa Primary School and once again there was a wonderful ceremony for us. The students here gave outstanding speeches. Wesley, a boy in grade 8, spoke about how the new water tank and latrines had raised their standards and they in turn were helping their parents and the community to raise their standards as well. Upon our arrival the staff moved chairs for us to the shade, but the students, staff, and family members stayed in the hot sun. I couldn't believe how patient the students sat and listened for the 40 plus minutes, and wondered how my 9th graders would have held up. During a couple of the speeches from the adults I entertained a few students in the front by making weird faces at them, and they in turn mimicked them back to me. More tea and bread and off we went!
H20 team members have started to each develop their niche upon arrival at the schools... Val and Patty tend to be our speakers, Mark and Lisa entertain the students, and Steve and I take pictures. A few of us have been hesitant about speaking, but Steve had the most valid reason... "You know how every one hates hearing their voice on a recording? Thats how I sound in real time so I can't speak".
The highlight of the day for me was seeing the school that Centennial High School will be sponsoring this year, Reberwet Primary School. Once again there was an incredible welcome by community members. As this was a new project, there was no water tank or new latrines. Instead, we saw the old latrines( 2 of which were full, the other 2 served 264 students plus staff) and heard of the distance they walked to get clean water. I can't wait to start fund raising and teach my students about this wonderful school. Oh yeah, more tea and bread (this time with every one watching us eat; thankfully Val got up and had them doing cheers about water)!
Our final stop, Kiptage Primary school was to be our lunch stop but we have quickly learned that Kenya is an "ish" country, meaning that if you say "we'll meet around 12", it really means "we'll meet around 12ish." Lunch happened to be at 4:30pm today, good thing we have had a lot of bread and tea! Our lunch consisted of millet and a beef stew, not necessarily that unusual except that you used your hands to grab the millet (think of a doughy consistency, except dry) and dip it into the stew. It was rather tasty and quite an eating experience (I don't think anyone had the fresh goat milk that was served with our lunch). As it started raining while we were here there was only a brief presentation because we were running late, and there was a concern that our van might get stuck in the muddy roads.
What a day! A chance to see new geography, make new friends, eat new food, and have lots of tea, can it get any better?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Jambo friends! This is Mark reporting from Bomet at 7:00 AM; 11:00 PM for people back in Minnesota!! There is an 8 hour difference and I am finally starting to get acquainted to the time change.
Traveling with the same people for 17 days is a challenge, and I have been waiting for some "Survivor" or "Expedition Africa" moments! Nobody has been kicked off the trip yet; although we have been having fun giving each other a hard time throughout this adventure. Everyone groans when I think of a game like 21 questions, and we all laugh when we are referred to as the Patty Hall Team. She has been called "Party Hall," "Petty Hall," by a few different community leaders and I called her "Pansy Hall" when she jumped three feet after an ant crawled on her foot while a community leader was thanking H20 For Life for our help with Waterlines!!
Val has been giving some great speeches, especially at the first two churches we visited yesterday. Her nuns would be proud as she explained our organization and referred to water as a "spriritual and physical necessity." The congregation and ministers were so grateful and they thanked Waterlines and H20. Singing beautiful songs and dancing were of course part of the program and it made me think about how big this "little thing" that Patty and Val started has blossomed into a worldwide initiative.
I have been showing pictures of my family to people that we meet as an icebreaker since not many people speak English and most of these communities don't even speak Swahili. They are amazed to see pictures of snow and my kids playing hockey. But their favorite picture is one of my extended family with grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. It truly shows how important family is to their wonderful culture.
After visiting two congregrations, we traveled to a spring tank where a community receives their local water. It is a great set up where pipes are set up at a tank at a spring that carries the water down a hill at least 300 feet to a huge water tank where it is filtered. There were two spigots and we watched kids fill up buckets and carry the heavy containers up a hill. What a great dry-land exercise for my football and hockey players! Of course these kids don't complain and they do this six times a day!! I gave it a try and put a strap over my head and had the container rest on my back. It is much easier than carrying it, but it is still a great workout for the legs since we walk straight up a hill.
A few tidbits: Steve is the Scrabble Champion of last night (I did win one game), mosquitoes are much faster in Africa than they are in Minnesota (I had one in my net last night that I couldn't kill - hopefully malaria doesn't set in), we found out by looking in a dictionary at a local library that a bird is indeed an animal (we had heated discussion during a 21 question game that a bird is indeed an animal and not separate - Val didn't think so), and our driver Christopher can change a tire and fix the brake pads in 15 minutes - unbelievable!!
So, you can see - we are having a great time and maybe getting a little delirious!!
Talk to all of you soon.....
Traveling with the same people for 17 days is a challenge, and I have been waiting for some "Survivor" or "Expedition Africa" moments! Nobody has been kicked off the trip yet; although we have been having fun giving each other a hard time throughout this adventure. Everyone groans when I think of a game like 21 questions, and we all laugh when we are referred to as the Patty Hall Team. She has been called "Party Hall," "Petty Hall," by a few different community leaders and I called her "Pansy Hall" when she jumped three feet after an ant crawled on her foot while a community leader was thanking H20 For Life for our help with Waterlines!!
Val has been giving some great speeches, especially at the first two churches we visited yesterday. Her nuns would be proud as she explained our organization and referred to water as a "spriritual and physical necessity." The congregation and ministers were so grateful and they thanked Waterlines and H20. Singing beautiful songs and dancing were of course part of the program and it made me think about how big this "little thing" that Patty and Val started has blossomed into a worldwide initiative.
I have been showing pictures of my family to people that we meet as an icebreaker since not many people speak English and most of these communities don't even speak Swahili. They are amazed to see pictures of snow and my kids playing hockey. But their favorite picture is one of my extended family with grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. It truly shows how important family is to their wonderful culture.
After visiting two congregrations, we traveled to a spring tank where a community receives their local water. It is a great set up where pipes are set up at a tank at a spring that carries the water down a hill at least 300 feet to a huge water tank where it is filtered. There were two spigots and we watched kids fill up buckets and carry the heavy containers up a hill. What a great dry-land exercise for my football and hockey players! Of course these kids don't complain and they do this six times a day!! I gave it a try and put a strap over my head and had the container rest on my back. It is much easier than carrying it, but it is still a great workout for the legs since we walk straight up a hill.
A few tidbits: Steve is the Scrabble Champion of last night (I did win one game), mosquitoes are much faster in Africa than they are in Minnesota (I had one in my net last night that I couldn't kill - hopefully malaria doesn't set in), we found out by looking in a dictionary at a local library that a bird is indeed an animal (we had heated discussion during a 21 question game that a bird is indeed an animal and not separate - Val didn't think so), and our driver Christopher can change a tire and fix the brake pads in 15 minutes - unbelievable!!
So, you can see - we are having a great time and maybe getting a little delirious!!
Talk to all of you soon.....
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