pleasant surprises

so traveling alone can be terrifying but exhilarating.  You are open, more like actively seeking opportunities to meet new people and make friends quickly to explore Kenya with.  i met a girl from Connecticut who is also volunteering the other night and we left for safari this past wednesday.  so from wednesday to friday i spent my time navigating through the bush with our guide safari steve, 3 canadian friends, and a girl from hong kong who had spent the last two years traveling (whoa, really puts my 3 weeks to shame, huh?!) pleasant surprise was meeting some pretty awesome people who had so many stories to share and great personalities that were willing to stay up after dinner and play a round of scrabble with a masaai boy before going to bed and awakening for our adventure the next day!

we saw everything but the leopard on our safari.  it was probably; no it was the most beautiful experience of my life.  as i rode with the top popped up on our four wheel drive safari van, allowing the wind to blow through my hair and looking out into this land that spread for eternity i was overwhelmed with God's creation.  what is referred to as the "big five": buffalo, leopard, lion, rhino, and elephant is what we were "gaming" for.  so as i stated before we saw all of these except the leopard; however, we also saw wildabeast and zebra, antelope, crown crane, giraffe, and so many more! there is something occurring right now through the masaai mara known as the great migration which is where the wildabeast and zebra travel from tanzania to kenya in order to search for more vegetation to eat; and we got to witness it!  we also got to witness a lion panting after his kill (a poor baby zebra that he was lying on to save for later).  There are so many small stories that i could share here, literally bursting from such excitement from this trip, but there is limited time!

today, a pleasant surprise was a kind man who picked myself and two of my friends up and took us to "the junction" after we had been waiting for a matatu (sort of bus) for over 20 minutes.  he was from south africa here for a telecommunication project for his company he worked for.  so i got to experience a little bit of south africa through him! for those of you who are calling me crazy for picking up a ride, this would never be something approved of in the states, however like this experience, so many things differ here from home-good and bad!

in all the fun adventures i have been having, i am ready to begin volunteering again in the coming weeks! last night i spoke with my host mom, beatrice, who was expressing her passion for the children of kenya.  hearing her words sent this fire through me to do more when i return home; that my mission for the kenyan children doesn't stop here and i cannot wait to see what God has in store for me! i also met a woman who studies homeopathic medicine and we are hoping to meet up and chat over coffee sometime tomorrow or before i leave! 

i continue to cherish all of the thoughts and prayers i am receiving; i feel them, and i feel God's presence like never before.  a sign i said outside of a village said "God is good, all the time" this was outside of a village that was basically a shack. wow, can we say that always given the same circumstances.  

enda salama (go in peace)

Kelly