Hooves, Horns, Tusks, and Buckets of Water

Eleven days. That's all the time I have left in Kenya! My summer has been flying by, and that's the reason I haven't wanted to update my blog too often. Either that, or I love keeping all my Grandma's friends in bitter suspense of my next update! (Kidding.) With that in mind, this will be my next-to-last blog while actually in Kenya. The next week and a half are full of trips, time with the kids, and a ton of other stuff, and I want to enjoy my time here while I can! Without further ado, though, here is what I've been up to over the past two weeks.

Birthdays in Kenya

While I was preparing for my trip this spring, my mom had a bit of sad moment when she realized that "this will be your first of what's likely many birthdays overseas." I didn't have the same negative emotions about it as she did, but I did wonder what kind of celebration I could have in the middle of Kenya. This past Thursday, on July 19th, I turned 19 years old in a land most people haven't seen by 90. And Mom shouldn't have worried, because I can say that it was one of the best birthdays that I have had in my life.

Yes, it was delicious.

The major events of my birthday started when my team and I went to Nyeri town to eat lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Raybells. Raybells has some of the best pizza I've ever had (in Kenya), and they are famous for their chocolate balls. Chocolate balls are a chocolate-covered, frosted, chocolate cake ball, with something else thrown in that makes them irresistible to regular humans! Luckily, I could order one for some dessert after lunch. Then, out of nowhere, my team pulls out a candle and some matches, and before I knew it, my chocolate ball had been transformed into a miniature birthday cake, just for me! It was a small gesture, but it speaks of what kind of people I have been fortunate enough to make this trip with. I can truly say that I'm surrounded by exceptional people.

Facing the music!

At the CYEC, there is a bit of a tradition called "washing." You see, when people have birthdays at the Center, they tend to keep it quiet. This is because at the CYEC, on your birthday, you're viewed as a bit "unclean." To remedy this situation, all the kids at the Center will grab their buckets, bottles, and anything else that'll hold a drop of H2O. Then, they'll proceed to douse you with all the water they can find! Just to help you out, of course. So, when we returned from town to the Center that night, it wasn't long before I had a crew of little devils outside my door. By the end of the night, I didn't have an inch of me that wasn't soaking wet! While that may sound like a blessing in Kansas right now, in Kenya, it hasn't been over 60 degrees for two weeks. In other words, perfect weather to get a rousing bout of hypothermia! I turned out to be okay, but not for lack of shivering.

They won, but we all had fun.

Sweetwaters Safari

When most people think of Africa, they think of animals. When we were reflecting our rapidly dwindling time in Kenya, my team realized we hadn't gone on safari yet! So, this past Saturday, we set out to remedy that situation. We woke up early in the morning, and with three of our Kenyan friends, Issa, Sam, and Bernard, we set out for Olpejeta Nature Conservatory, better known as Sweetwaters National Park.

Bit of an action shot, there

We began our safari with a trip to the chimpanzee sanctuary inside the park. I knew that I'd meet people that would share the same personality as myself over the course of my summer. I never imagined that they would be so hairy! After spending some time with our closest living relatives, we hopped in our safari van, and set out for the day. Almost immediately, we made some new friends, in the form of three towering African bull elephants! It's one thing to see them at the circus, and it's quite another to see them six feet away from you, and getting closer!

They were THAT CLOSE.

After our close encounter of the gray and wrinkly kind, we saw many more animals throughout the course of our day, from rhinos and water buffalo to giraffes and antelope. I took tons of great pictures, and I can say that I'll never forget this experience for the rest of my life. There's something about looking out on a vast African savannah, dotted with herds of zebras and impalas, all framed by Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains, that seems to stick in the mind. Overall, I was reminded of how fortunate I really am to be here, and how much I should value the short amount of time that I have left. I'll be seeing you all soon!

Chance

He seems friendly...right?