Sunday, March 23, 2014

Jambo!

Today was an exciting day filled with fun and adventure. First, we started off with a unique and exciting church service at the hotel where we discussed treating our neighbor as yourself. There were many thought provoking lessons that made us reflect on our own lives and the changes we can make in order to make us better human beings and providers. We were fortunate to have our friends Duncan and Elijah join us!

On our drive into Nairobi this moring, we were able to see wild hartbeasts, impalas, one giraffe (good eye Rachel! how did you see that so far away?!), zebras, and cows (we think). Thank you David for stopping and allowing the crazy Americans a few moments to enjoy the view! I am sure he is getting tired of us yelling at everything we see out the window!

Later in the morning we stopped at the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, an environmental education center, where we were able to see many giraffes in a controlled natural habitat. They thoroughly enjoyed eating food out of our hands and mouths. Giraffe kisses are very gentle, but their tongues are rough like a cat's tongue; it was definitely worth it! We had a blast! Even Grandma got a sloppy wet one :)

Next, we went to Bomas of Kenya, a walking tour that displays homesteads belonging to the different Kenyan tribes. It was fascinating to see the differences between the villages and how they once lived. After the walking tour, we attended a traditional African dance ceremony. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the different tribal practices. The best performance was an acrobatic type dance with fire eating and all! They pulled our team leader, Josiah, on the stage and basically spun him around so fast he nearly lost his lunch! It was amazing and by far one of the best things we have experienced!

Lastly we went to Ya-Ya market where locals sell their handmade goods. This experience was exciting and allowed for plentiful shopping. This experience was a little overwhelming as we were being pulled in many directions to look at all of the goods as they fought for our attention. We had to bargain with them to get a fair and reasonable deal. Robb apparently had 'sucker' written all over his face, he walked away with the most goods! We all got many different trinkets here. It was definitely an experience we will never forget!

The weather has been in the 80s and sunny everyday! Sorry Wisconsin folks, we hate to rub it in, but duty calls!

We are having the time of our lives and enjoying every moment. We continue to be amazed and touched by the kindness and humility of the locals here. We have been reminded that good does exist in the world and are looking forward to sharing our experience with every one of you!

Thank you for your support, love, prayers, and thoughts.

Our team has been bonding and getting to know each other more with every experience; we will be connected for life. For those concerned, we are all healthy and happy and making sure we all stay hydrated and nourished. Mama Julie and Papa Lance keep a very close eye on all of us. Duncan and Elijah are our right hand men and keep an even closer eye (eyes) on us. Our drivers, David and Simon, ensure we are safe in our vehicles when we are travelling to and fro. The traffic experience alone is one for the books! We won't share those stories yet though! Josiah has been the best team leader and keeps us all on schedule, Africa schedule that is! The sun has been our guide.

We hope this message finds you all happy, healthy, and whole!

We are off to bed to rest up for a busy medical camp in the morning at Kibera slums.

Kwaheri kwa sasa!

Marci and Jen




1 comment:

  1. Sounds like an exciting trip so far. I'm so glad and am praying for you all!

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