Safari

This was one of the most memorable weekends spent seeing so many wild animals in their natural habitat that is all a part of God’s beautiful creation.

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The coolest part of this experience went far and beyond seeing some of the most endangered animals. The people I shared this weekend with opened my mind and made the world feel bigger and more worth exploring than I already thought it was. One person mentioned how nice it was to be surrounded by like minded people who enjoy taking time out of their lives to volunteer. The other said, "you know...maybe enjoying volunteering is the only think we have in common." As the weekend went on, he was actually very right. We were a 67 free spirit who taught us how to stay young forever; a 34 year old software engineer who lives his life with an abundance of love, friends, and adventures seeing the world; a 27 year old geophysicist who came to America by way of Indonesia; and a 18 year old graduate from Bulgaria taking a gap year who's mature beyond her years.

The car ride was filled with sharing music with one other and beginning to get to know each other based off similar tastes. We all took turns being the DJ and when our service wasn‘t good enough to stream music we let Paul, our incredible driver, take over with some Reggae. On our way to the Maasai Mara we stopped to see the Great Rift Valley.

We knew when we were getting close to our destination because the African massage began. For those who have been on safari you know exactly what I’m referring to. Those who haven’t, the bumps on the road make you fly all over the car. You get used to it after a bit! We dropped off our luggage and met the staff that would host us for the next 2 nights. Then Eric, who’s next in line to be the Prince of the Maasai village came to escort us to his village where we would learn about their culture.

Learning about their way of life that they have maintained for years without breaking tradition despite changes in the world around them was so neat! When boys turn 15 they go out into the bush with a cohort and nothing but a spear. They can’t come back to their civilization until after 5 years of living to survive and in that time they must kill a lion together. Once this time period is up, they are considered men. Maasai people are polygamous, and choose their first wife when they turn 20. This explains the jumping..however high you can jump mean the least amount of cows you have to exchange for your wife and the more desirable woman you choose. The wives make them a house out of sticks, mud, and cow dung which is a plentiful resource here. Termites will destroy these houses within nine years and the entire village will have to relocate. They celebrate marriages, boys becoming men, children being born, and many more occasions by this routine of dancing. We got to play a part in it, then they let us see inside their houses which I wouldn’t recommend if you’re claustrophobic.

I got a Maasai tattoo, and am so glad that I did because I have such happy memories from this experience to attach it to now. The tribesmen basically brand you with the end of a stick that is used to start the fires that give light to every hut in the village. These tattoos are given in celebration of a certain event. Every time I look at it I'm reminded of the personal growth and joviality that made the entire weekend an unforgettable one.

Eric showed us how they use some plants and avoid others. The cactus is avoided because it is very poisonous. They crush up henna leaves and paint their faces differently for women and men. There is another plant made up of large leaves that they use as toilet paper. His brother came over, who is the prince of the village and will soon pass the title to Eric because he's ready to relax!

Jack (his English name because it’s much easier to say than his Maasai name) started to walk us back to our tents. When we heard kids playing football in the background I asked, “Can we go play with them?“ He looked at me in shock as if no one had asked that before.

He kindly agreed and took us to meet a swarm of about 50 boys who were enjoying their last few days of freedom before school began. I took off my sandals because I figured it’d be easier to play without them. Kid after kid came up to me taking their own shoes off to see if theirs would be the one to fit me. I felt like Cinderella haha. All were too big and they would die out laughing when I would step into another shoe that swallowed my feet. I tried on at least 5 pairs of shoes, and this is still one of my favorite memories of safari.

We played for awhile and I was the most uncoordinated one on the field offering no help to my team. It didn’t even matter, because sharing laughter and radiating pure joy was the outcome for everyone. By the time we finished it was the golden hour (my most favorite time of the day) and I was high on what a beautiful life this is if we choose to be spontaneous and let it happen to us instead of planning every step. That is something that this trip and the people of Kenya have been teaching me. I spend much of my life rushing from one thing to the next - to the point where it’s impossible to enjoy any of the events that make up my crazy schedule. Being in a hurry you miss so much by having your blinders on to the good you can be a part of if you take time out of your day to just be. The people here take time to spend with each other. They’re relational and warm.

After all of this we shared a wonderful meal and decided to have a bonfire accompanied with guitar and singing. What an awesome day getting to know such different people! We called it a night in safari tents. The actual safari started in the morning with a full day game drive. This was what the trip was all about, and it felt like the night before Christmas trying to go to bed. We saw giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, elephants, lions, topi, gazelles, ostriches, hippos, crocodiles, wildebeest, buffalo, birds galore, and I'm still probably missing a few! I'd love to have a viewing party at some point when I'm home to share pictures and stories for anyone interested. In the mean time here are a few awesome shots captured by Carlo, a new friend from safari.

While spending our day at Lake Nakuru for the last leg of the safari, Francis told us about how people associate the white rhino with Western culture and the black rhino with African culture. His examples were crazy spot on and very thought provoking. We had a chance to see both which can be rare, but we got lucky while playing hide and seek to find the black rhino. White rhinos have a wider mouth, and they are always looking down at the ground, grazing while walking. In the same way, Western culture individuals go about our lives head down just worrying about ourselves. I think the South becomes a bit of an exception to some of these from my own experience, but stereotypically we are a culture pegged with not being friendly. Black rhinos heads are always up and alert. After seeing how attentive you have to be when walking through the streets here, I know for certain that in African culture they're looking and paying attention to the world around them. Another example given was the way they treat their children. The white rhinos keep their young close-by. The baby is never out of sight, whereas the black rhino is the opposite. The mom can be 10 meters away and basically look back and say, “hurry up or you’ll get eaten by a lion.” African culture is exactly that and I love watching Teresia and Angel interact this way. Angel tests her limits consistently but she knows her mama is boss!

Americans are not the center of the universe, and what I gathered after this trip is that's the vibe we tend to give off to foreign countries. I don't mean to say that we all fall into this category, but for an outsider looking in this is just the stereotype. For instance, I only encountered 2 people with iPhones. Everyone in the US has an iPhone. We're are so caught up in what's cool, what does everyone else have, how can I compete more, etc. We're blinded by what we think the norm is supposed to be and once that idea is set, then everyone else is "wrong." The world is big and made up of much more than we allow ourselves to see. Different cultures have their own ways of doing things and specific traditions that explain why. To judge them just because it's not what we're used to isn't respectful, and that makes it hard to be respected by others. So many interesting conversations were had within our safari van than showed me the outside world's view of people in the United States. We're a lot more self-centered than we realize. I can't expect people's perception to change entirely, but I hope I was able to give a little dose of goodness to prove some opinions wrong. At the end of the day, the people that I'm surrounded with while in Kasarani wind down around a table without phones or anything to distract them from quality time with one another. It’s somewhere between 9pm and 10pm after a long day of depleting our energy to serve others. Teresia still puts an entire meal on the table cooked with love and intention. People pop in and out and there is always enough food to feed anyone who comes by. Friends will come by just to help cook and then leave to go cook for themselves. We end our meal with tea or drinking chocolate and deep conversations about how God has a purpose for anything that seems to sidetrack our idea of what our life should look like. Even further than that, how His plan is always better than our own. I sometimes wonder what my life would look like if everything worked out the way I wanted it to, and am so thankful we have a God who knows what's best for us. It’s truly a different world here and I can’t wait to spend bulks of my life moving at this pace with these people. They value only the important things; excess isn’t necessary. They make me a better version of myself and I thank God every night for putting them in my life at this time.

To wrap up safari we saw every animal in the park besides a leopard. I have a great experience of seeing one in Uganda (almost losing our lives and saving another) that honestly can’t be topped. I’m perfectly content with missing that piece to the big five this trip. I’ll share some random facts with you guys that our guides told us along the four days.

• Pumbas run for 45 seconds, forget why they're running, and stop. You could throw a stone to a pumba and while running to for it he would forget what he's running for and stop to eat grass. They hang out with zebras pretty often and this fairs well for the zebra. Example being if a predator is chasing them, the zebra will get away because the pumba will forget he's about to be a snack!

• It is currently mating season for lions. I’m just going to leave it at the fact that in 110 days I’m certain there will be some baby cubs entering the world. They do not hunt much during this time, and can go three weeks without food.

• We hit the timing perfect. It's low season right now, so not as many tours are going through the park. Normally Massai Mara has about 600 vehicles enter in a given day during high season. That means your competing with that many other vans to get a view of the animals. In our case we were up close and personal with them! I recommend low season to anyone who wants to be able to have their trip feel personalized. Faru Safari's made it a very special experience.

One last thing I want to mention, an analogy that hit me later. We had the chance to stand in “no man’s land” between Kenya and Tanzania. For a while that’s exactly how I felt with the uncertainty of when and where I would go to PT school and unknown that lied in the results. For anyone who feels like they’re in their own form of “no mans land”, don‘t lose hope! God plans these phases of our lives for a purpose and ultimately to bring Himself the glory. There is a lesson or a maturing of your faith that that time is meant for. To wish it away is rejecting one of His amazing opportunities to know Him better in a new area of your life. My ”no man’s land” was the three years that spanned from graduating college and this trip. I began to know Christ in a different way. He was becoming my own personal Savior and eventually I ran out of excuses not to get baptized to profess this change. The night before leaving the country my family and a few close friends gathered in Pinelake’s sanctuary as I got baptized and claimed Him as the Lord of my life now and forever. I didn’t think I would feel different after this outward expression of an inward transformation...but I did and I still do. There is absolutely no barrier between God and I thanks to Jesus’s sacrifice. My step in faith has given me the confidence to share my story with people I meet here without hesitation. Though things haven’t been smooth my entire time, God has been with me through every high and low.