Jambo! Hello!

I am back from my Kenyan safari. I thought I would describe each day in Kenya in a separate blog entry. I had an awesome trip. The wildlife was unbelievable. The people were fantastic. The trip had lots of problems at the beginning. I almost had to cancel for health reasons. We almost had to cancel due to political strife. It's like we did all of our suffering ahead of time because once we got going, all was smooth sailing. I did tell my son my sister would give me a ride to the airport and I told my sister my son would give me a ride to the airport. Thanks to my nephew, I got there on time. I met my tour guide and a fellow traveler on the plane so that made for a less stressful trip. We had an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam. Did you know they have an art museum in the Amsterdam airport? While I was there I heard many times over the loudspeaker, "Passenger (Fill in name here) going to (fill in destination here), you are delaying the flight, Please report to Gate F9 or we will proceed to offload your luggage." The announcement sounds polite but it's really a threat. We had 4 hours to kill there before we started the 8 hour flight to Nairobi. It's hard to be so confined for so long. Movies help. Going to the bathroom every couple hours to brush my teeth and wash my face helps too. I slept a little on the second flight. The screen shows us where the plane is on our flight. For me it is a huge thrill to see that plane image cross the equator-the belt of the earth. I am no longer a southern hemisphere virgin. I got my visa with no trouble. When we arrived we were greeted by Muthoga and Migwi - two men who would take wonderful care of us for the next 12 days. We arrived about 9:30 p.m. and drove through Nairobi to the Methodist Guest House where we stayed. Now all 4 of us on the trip were together. The other three are all related- an aunt and two cousins. One cousin has been working in western Kenya volunteering on a water project. It was fun to see her reunite with her mother. They visited but I had to crash. The mosquito net was explained and demonstrated for me. I will be using mosquito nets for the next several weeks so I don't get malaria. Tomorrow I start taking malarone, also to prevent malaria.

See You Soon!

I'll be back in a couple weeks. Love Ya.

Excitement

I am excited about the trip. I believe I am all set. I have yet to pack a few things. Underwear, for example. The sheet says to pack the fewest number that you are comfortable with. For me that's 12 - one for each day. I tidied up things at work today. I am so glad I noticed that we are closed on Mon., Jan 21. I was planning to come back to work that day. I would have freaked out if I arrived and the building was closed and no one was parked in the parking lot. That would have felt like the Twilight Zone for sure.

It's a Go (unless it isn't)

Wilderness Inquiry says their Kenyan sources say this trip will be as safe as the trips prior to the election. The places we are visiting are deep within the areas of the dominant tribe - the tribe who's incumbent has declared himself President. So those are the people who are happy with the outcome. The political rally today was much more peaceful than anticipated. Most of the time we will be in the wilderness where there is little media available. The first night we stay in Nairobi but it's actually a suburb called Livingston - much like Bloomington is a suburb of Minneapolis - an area where business people,upper class and middle class live and work. Normally we would have a tour of the city center but we are skipping that on this trip. So the short version is that I am still going unless something drastic happens between now and when my flight leaves on Saturday. I am sorry if I am worrying anybody. I apologize but I am still going. This trip is important to me. I was told it is expensive and time consuming to try and make international calls. If you are worried, I encourage you to talk to Andy - the very nice man who has helped arrange this trip. His sister is my guide. He will be in cell phone contact with her throughout the trip. You can reach him at 612-676-9412 or 612-396-3179 (cell). Don't hesitate to call him. He understands completely and will be glad to put your fears to rest.

Attitude of Gratitude

I want to start the new year out right so I am going to publicize my gratitude list. This is the list I review when I can't get to sleep at night.

A Africa - Wilderness Inquiry will be letting me know if the trip is on by tomorrow. The road to and from the airport are open and safe. The lodges and hotels are safe. The routes we are taking are away from the political strife. But even if the trip is cancelled due to rioting, I am grateful for this trip. I have learned a lot and met many interesting people because of my planned trip.

B Big sister. Cathy has been a huge influence in my life even though she died when I was 4 years old. Our relationship, although totally in my own mind for the last 50 years, is very close. She is an awesome big sister.

C Offspring #2. She is amazing and challenging. She can make me proud, comforted, provoked, sad, inspired, and amused in a single conversation.

D Dove milk chocolate in the foil wrappers with inspirational messages inside. I limit myself to only two per day - delicious.







E Electricity - to power my lights and my computer and my spinal stimulator.

F Family - my quiet/loud, crazy/restrained loveable family.

G Gregory - glad I married him and glad I divorced him, he gave me two beautiful children, life would have been boring without him.

H Health - I am grateful for my healthy body. I may walk like Walter Brennen but I have been able to do many things that other people cannot do. On the day I was married I carried a 20 gallon keg of beer out of the trunk, up three steps into the house, down a flight of open wooden stairs and put that keg into the laundry tub by myself. I regret doing that now but I was strong and I was able. I worked at nursing homes and I transferred people into bed and out of bed, into chairs, and into tubs. I walked 10-15 miles a week for many years. I delivered two healthy children. I am grateful for my health.













I Irony - I think it's really funny.













J Jack Pine - a scrubby evergreen that produces cones that can only be opened by a forest fire proving that good things can and do come from disasters.


K Knowledge - especially the information that reaches my brain before I put my foot into my mouth.


L - Leaves - I love the shapes and sizes of leaves. I love the huge leaves from my rhubarb plant, the leathery leaves from the red oak and I love the orange leaves in the fall. The new leaves that appear in the spring are inspiration to me.


M - Milk - a glass of skim milk heated up in microwave with just a little sugar free nestles quik is just what I needed after walking Blunder around the block today.









N - Nose - mine is cute although a little snubbed, allergy ridden and has a deviated septum. It smells good though.






O - Opportunities I have had in my life for a stable home life, a loving family, a great education, enough food, adequate shelter, excellent medical care, etc.

P - Pop. My first love was orange pop. I used to be a HUGE Tab fan. Then I transferred my allegiance to diet Coke. I went a couple years pop free but now I like Diet Pepsi with Lime.

Q Queen Elizabeth - I actually got to see her in person when we traveled to London. She wore a lime green dress and a lime green hat and carried a lime green bag. She always wears monochromatic outfits so her subjects can spot her more clearly. It wasn't until I saw her in person that I realized how much I like royalty.









R - Rod Stewart. I love you honey!




S - Offspring #2 My favorite Sailor of the Year. He's enigmatic, distant yet close, challenging, piercingly honest, insightful, appreciative and strong. He's always got my back.

T - Teeth - Since I started using ACT mouthwash 9 years ago, I have not had a single cavity.




U - UN - the goals of the UN are to maintain international peace and security, safeguard human rights, provide a mechanism for international law, promote social and economic progress, improve living standards and fight diseases.



V - violins - I never really appreciated violin music until my kids took up the instrument. Now I think violins make beautiful music and I pay attention to their sound when I listen to music.


W - water - I love being on the water in the summer in a boat, canoe, kayak, inner tube, or rubber raft. It doesn't matter as long a I can spend some time on the water.


X - Xerox - I am old enough to remember typing with carbon paper. I love the copy machine at work. It can sort, staple, collate, and punch holes plus lately it has been working great.


Y - Yellow - mix it with red to make my favorite color.


Z - ZZZZ - those little letters that float above me when I go to sleep. Those couple minutes between closing my eyes and going to sleep are my favorite minutes of the day.

Practice Practice Practice

Resolution #2 Practice Magnanimity

At 6:15 a.m. on January 1, 2008 - yeah - not so much. That is why it is a good goal.

Resolutions

Be it resolved:

1. Face the future with confidence.

2. Practice magnanimity.

3. Charge more for my services (turn off TV shows that aren't entertaining, throw away food that doesn't delight the taste buds, shelve books that don't grab me in the first chapter).