Samburu Reserve

Last weekend I checked something off my Kenya bucketlist: Samburu Reserve. I've had my eye on this place ever since I heard there was the Special Five there. Even though it was a looong drive (about six hours) it was totally worth it! 

In case you're wondering, the Special Five are: 

Gerenuk

Reticulated Giraffe

Grevy's Zebra

Besia Oryx

Somali Ostrich

Other animals spotted on our little safari were lions, guinea fowl, warthogs, impala, crocodile, female kudu, and elephants. 

In fact, we were driving along off the main road and were lamenting that we hadn't seen any elephants. A few moments later we saw some big lumps in the distance moving: elephants! It was a sighting, but it was far away and they were booking it. We kept on driving along the road and up ahead we spotted another family coming right at us. There were a lot of little trees around us and you're not supposed to drive off the roads, so we just stopped where we were. The elephants didn't slow down at all and the group walked right past our car! Definitely a very cool up close and personal experience!

We camped along the river under some trees that were crawling with monkeys. Fortunately we only lost a bag of bananas. 

I really liked these trees in Samburu. It's amazing how diverse ecosystems are all over Kenya. 

The lions we saw were posted on the bank of the river. We saw them first thing in the morning, then later that day, and even as we headed back to camp in the evening. At night, we heard them from our campsite. 

Getting out of Nairobi is definitely the way to spend a long weekend! Grateful for a fun time spent with roommates in one of Kenya's beautiful parks! 

Making it Facebook official

While many folks already know, it's time to make it Facebook official and let you know that next June I will be moving back to the States and will teach in Florida for the 2016-2017 school year. I don't know what grade it will be yet, but I am excited to return to my former school district.  

I will terribly miss the friends, students, and colleagues I've met here in Kenya. The last two and a half years have been so full of adventure, challenge, growth, and excitement. It's been such a bittersweet decision. No matter where I am, part of me will want to be in that other place. 

So, I plan to make the most of the time I still have in Kenya and I hope to be the best second grade teacher I can be for my twenty kiddos, letting God use me in their lives this year. I'll also be hopeful for what's to come when I return to Florida and how I can best serve there when I return. 

Let's ride ostriches!

We'll, I've known there to be an ostrich farm on the other side of the city for a while and it's been on my to-do list, so one Saturday it became a reality.

Our day began, as most adventures do, at Java Cafe for a coffee run. With java in hand, we could set out on an adventure. Of course we had to take some back roads to get to said ostrich farm, but it was a beautiful setting with a pool and lots of caretakers making the place look nice. There was also some loud gospel music blaring.

We asked to ride the ostriches and were told to wait a little bit while they got the birds ready. In the meantime we chatted- there were 7 of us- and had a fun time guessing what the ride would be like. Will there be a saddle? Will we go one at a time? Will the ostrich be harmed? Will the rider be bucked off?

After about 20 minutes of waiting, this is Kenya remember, we checked at the desk. They said they were still getting the birds ready, but asked if we would we like a tour. Since we'd get to see some baby ostriches, we said YES! and took the bait.

We held an egg, saw ostriches at the various stages of life, made some jokes, got to feed them, and learned why some necks are redder than others. (That's just the type of ostrich they are...there are some with blue necks, too.)

Also, please appreciate how much their legs and feet look like a dinosaur! Seriously...these are some interesting birds!

Finally, we were hot and ready to saddle up. Well, after our tour we watched a few men (in matching track suits) heard a not so eager ostrich into the pen. One after another we cackled as each one straddled the ostrich (who did have a saddle) and the animal strutted around.

It was quite comical to say the least and lasted only one lap. Still, it was worth it to see everyone's reactions and rides.

Since we were already out of town, we thought why not take this supposed highway to Kitengela (a favorite spot of mine) that's only about 20 kilometers away. Well, the road wasn't exactly a highway as it was pretty rocky, hilly, and very dusty. What should have taken us maybe 45 minutes, ended up being about 3 hours.

Morale took some dips, quite like the bumpy road we were on, but some of the views were incredible. It's always fun to see a new part of Kenya. Once we arrived at Kitengela- a glass blowing, artsy, unique shop/farm/workshop- we got some snacks (I had an ice-cold coke) and looked around. Everything there is unique, recycled, and handmade. So cool. That day we caught a glimpse of the pet crane that lives there and the three-legged camel among other farm animals. I'm telling you, this place is unique!

All-in-all we had a great time! I mean ostrich rides, an all of the sudden road trip, and funky art make for a great day. Love the people that I live, work, and play with.

Orphanage Visit with Eric Walters

A few weeks ago we had an author visit from Canadian author Eric Walters. He spoke to our elementary school and had them giggling, smiling, and on the edges of their seats. While most of his books are written for young adults, a handful are about Kenyan students at an orphanage that he supports.

talking to 2nd and 3rd graders at Rosslyn

with author Eric Walters

Intrigued and since he invited us, a few of us accepted his offer to see the place and students that inspired his picture books.

We drove a few hours out of our neighborhood to roads that curved and views of hills that went on far in the distance.

Once we arrived at the orphanage, we were welcomed with songs and a handshake from each child. The kids wore their uniforms, but after the welcome ceremony (we had to introduce ourselves) they ran off to change into their everyday clothes and we all ate lunch.

After lunch came a tour of the facilities, then more introductions and speeches from the kids. Many of them come from the area, and are true orphans. They live at the orphanage and walk to school each day.

Finally, after touring and speeches, there was some more singing and dancing. We were able to chat with the boys and girls and get to know them. I mostly spoke with the girls who dream of being teachers, engineers, doctors, and pilots.

We also got to meet some of the kids who are characters in Mr. Walter's books. What an opportunity!

Eric Walters & Baraka 

with Baraka, the inspiration for My Name is Blessing

So grateful for the experience to meet with Mr. Walters, see the orphanage, and talk with some persevering students.

Right now, Kenyan schools are closed because the government isn't funding the teachers' pay as the court has decided. The teachers have been on strike, and it's a tense situation with exams coming up and students are left without someone to teach them. Pray for the Kenyan government to find a solution to this problem and for the students who are the ones most hurt by this situation.

Kenya Year 3 begins...

It's a new school year and we're already in the fourth week of school! August has come and gone, football season is so close we can taste it, and this Tuesday marked one month of being back in Kenya. 

Since I have started a new tradition in my classroom, the highlight of the day, I give you: 

The highlights of year three, month one....

• I am still loving my awesome classroom and new set of 20 students. Second grade is a wonderful age and this bunch of kiddos is keeping me on my toes. I already posted this on facebook, but one of them told me I sound like a cowboy. Another student was explain how I say "yall" at the dinner table. Bless their hearts! ;)
  
• Author visit from award winning author Eric Walters was so much fun for our school. He was funny, inspiring, and got the kids excited about reading and writing. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Lindsey and I are living with two new roommates! Abby and Xan are wonderful and from North Carolina, so there are even more YALLS over at the elementary school. I'm looking forward to many fun adventures and movie nights with these ladies!
• Covenant groups (discipleship small groups for youth) have started up again and we had an amazing first couple meetings. I'm so excited about the direction our girls want this group to go and look forward to digging deep. 
• The first adventure of the year was successful! My car, Roxie the Rav4, made it across town to the ostrich farm, over a terrible road, and back home to Gigiri. Morale had it's ups and downs, but the pictures we have are priceless!   
  
• A group of friends and I played trivia in Nairobi! I love trivia, so this was such a treat. However, there were lots of phones out...the Quizmaster wasn't such a stickler for phones away. We were 10th out of 15th. Not the best odds, but for a bunch of wazungu we did ok. 
• Dinners with friends in our community. We live and work within the same 40 acres, and at times I have felt trapped behind these walls. I do have to say that we have some pretty amazing friends on this campus. My roommates and I have had a handful of wonderful meals with our neighbors/friends/coworkers and it makes me so thankful that I get to be a part of this community. 

There are probably more highlights, but that's all I can think of at the moment. In fact, I'm off pretty soon to my first Fantasy Football draft. I have no clue what I'm jumping into, but I'm excited! 2015-2016 is off to a great, busy start!

A little of this, a little of that

It's already April and in just a month we'll be wrapping up another school year. I've had a great time in second grade! It's been a fun challenge learning new teaching techniques and working with the different age group.

This semester we had our Spiritual Emphasis Week (like VBS), the elementary spring concert, and I got to help with Disciple Now weekend for the youth in our community.

spring concert

sophomore girls' DNOW group

I've also enjoyed seeing more of Kenya this year. Friends and I have gone camping and visited the Kenyan coast over spring break. Here's a quick recap of some of the places I've seen:

We went camping in a national park called the Aberdares. It's in a mountain range and has lots of tall pines or trees that you don't necessarily think of when you think Africa. There were also a handful of beautiful waterfalls. The water was freezing, though!  We saw an elephant or two off in the distance and even had reed buck darting through our camp.

#campingwithwomen

the Aberdares

Another fun trip was to hike Mt. Kasigau. It was a bit of a trek to get there, but we made it in time to see a gorgeous sunset-t he outline of Mt. Kilimanjaro was just visible. 

We started the hike up the mountain in the morning and went through the different levels of habitat on the mountain- I was thankful for the cool rain forest at the top! The view was amazing. 

#campingwithwomen

I had to...the Gator Nation is everywhere. 

If it wasn't enough that we hiked a mountain, that night we slept on a rock. Literally. It's called Gui Rock and we heard hyenas in the middle of the night. Our guard got up to stir the fire to make sure they didn't come closer. 

sunset on Gui Rock

Funny sidenote- we were given a tip on a scenic short cut that actually made our trip about five or six hours longer than anticipated. It's really worthy of a whole 'nother blog post. We ended up in a game park and had to talk our way out of paying the entrance fee (to get out). 

It was beautiful, but that road kept on going.

 Spring Break came and there was no doubt that I wanted to spend it at the Coast. I got to swim in the Indian Ocean and ate some great seafood (and that's saying something since I'm not a fan). Highlights of this trip include the dhow ride at sunset and snorkeling.

the Indian Ocean

dhow ride at sunset

snorkeling in the Indian Ocean

exploring tide pools 

The latest adventure was back to Tsavo West - this time we paid to get in. We visited Mzima Springs, the black lava flows, and Roaring Rock with it's incredible views. There were plenty of birds to view and we also saw elephants & giraffes.

Mzima Springs

black lava flows

view from Roaring Rock

So grateful for a wonderful semester at Rosslyn. I have such a great groups of students and some amazing friends that enjoy adventures. Praising God for the opportunities I've had and looking forward to sharing Kenya with some visitors very soon!