Massai Mara

Yesterday at 4:30 AM, we were downstairs and in a taxi off to Massai Mara, but when we started getting close, the paved roads turned to dirt and rock, and we went bouncing around, at times not even sure where the road was. We held on and shrieked as we crossed small streams, and held our breath as the wheels spun in the mud. After asking directions and more hills, rocks, mud, and streams, we at last arrived, thankful and tired. The Fairmount hotel is truly amazing. It is a miniature oasis with a pool, a location looking out over body of water full of hippos, and the grassy plains on all sides in the distance.

We spent the morning by the pool, and then went on an afternoon safari, and then another safari this morning. How was it? Well, the pictures can tell most of the story. It was incredible. We saw everything, including a lion feasting on its pray, cheetahs just a few feet away, and we even did a walking safari where we were so close to a rhino, we could make out every wrinkle in his skin.

As you can tell, we have Internet here! So, I have uploaded photos for previous blog posts. However, the Internet is still slow, and there are so many good pictures, so slow that I uploaded them here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105139&id=1313988216

On another note, Internet means I got to check my grades finally, after the last week of struggling frustratedly with too slow internet access and computers too old to download PDFs. I got a 4.0 for this semester, with As in all my classes. I was very happy.

We are also using Internet to try and contact non-profits for Wema, who may be able to help. There are so many orphans in the village who need a home, but Wema just doesn’t have the facilities to support them. The directors are amazing and do everything they can to help. They have a garden to grown food to support the children, and they ask for donations of food from local farmers, but they have so much bigger dreams. They want to help the community with adult education programs, and they want to taken in more orphans from their community. Right now, the children sleep in the school, often with worn out or no mattresses, and for the government to recognize them as an orphanage and help at all, they have to have separate facilities. The orphans even help build themselves, making and stacking the bricks, plastering and painting to reduce building costs. It would be so amazing to be able to help build an orphanage and return to see the finished product.

Tutaonana Kesho (Until Tomorrow)

-Laura