Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Reflections on Kenya

 This is reflections on Kenya. I will say, for me, it was not easy.  The reason I say this is because we could not really go outside, which puts me in a bad mood. There was no basketball hoops or parks, and we had just come from Italy, so Kenya was a huge wave of real travel. Italy was so easy to travel around. It was super touristy and safe. I mean I could walk around all by myself and I would be just fine (might even get some free cheese and a baguette). So Kenya was a splash of reality. We stayed at someone’s house (Ms. Alice and William) while we volunteered at a school where a lot of displaced or poor kids went. William and Ms.Alice also had adopted 11 children, so I had some kids to play with even though they like soccer and I like basketball. 

One of the days that we were there we went to the giraffe center for my Dads birthday with another nice volunteer from Brazil named Amanda. The giraffe center was cool. I listened to the worker’s informational talk that he gave and that was interesting. And one thing that I do not understand is my parents really expected me to put my hand near the giraffe’s mouth! Anything that has a mouth that big, I don’t want to be anywhere near it. There was another time when they wanted me to stand next to the giraffe for a picture.Why would you stand next to one of those things? My parents said it was safe, but I trusted the sign on the boardwalk that said “Beware of the giraffes-they will headbutt if you stand too close”. And believe it or not everyone there was standing right next to them. Point is, that I am more comfortable and, I like more, to be observing.

A little while after that, we went on a safari! It was so fun! We got to see every safari animal in that park (Masai Mara) except the rhino. We even saw the really hard to find ones like cheetahs, rare cat thingy, crocodile, leopard with a kill up in a tree, and 3 prides of lions, one of which had a torn in half dead zebra! We even got to see a ton of my favorite safari animal: the Cape Buffalo (the one in the big five that looks like a buffalo)! We got to stay in this cool army tent (rhino tourist camp, if you want to search it up) and there was a herd of wild cows that came to our yard every day! I hand fed them grass because even though they have big mouths they are not scary; they’re actually really nice. After the days there, we went back on the 7hour drive on the pot-hole road: they call it the African Massage. 

At the end of when we stayed with William and Ms.Alice, we got gifts that I will show you in the pictures.

That’s pretty much it my dear readers. FWI I updated my Book List and Things I Do In My Free Time. Thank you guys very much and I will update soon.

 Me saying bye to my family at the border of Kenya and Tanzania

Cheetah that walked right past our Jeep.

 Me at the Giraffe Center.

 Sleeping on the way to the Safari.

  Giraffe.

 Two of the younger orphan kids.

Elephants.

My favorite: The Cape Buffalo!

 Safari Jeep.

Leopard lounging in the tree.

 Amanda and I at the school.

 Herd of elephants.

Me accepting my gifts.

 Giraffe.

Leopard on the tree branch.

 Dad and his gifts.

 Elephant baby.

 Wildabeast, I am very fond of them too.

 Leopard.

Giraffe looking off into the distance for Instagram photo.

My cow friends.

Me at the Giraffe Center.

Hyena chillin in warm mud. I love this picture.

Giraffe.

Male lion with zebra.

Zebra.