Sept 28 - a sad day. Sept 29 - a little happier.

     Saturday morning, September 28, Denise and I were packed and ready to leave the safari camp by 6:30. No one had told us what time we were leaving, but because we are both a little bit OCD, we had our act together.  

 Just as our waiter called us over for breakfast, Dann started up the van. We ate a dozen or so bites of another amazing meal on our plates, even though we’d already eaten enough of the snacks we had in our room, not anticipating breakfast. We grabbed our bags and jumped back in the van.

 The ride back to the city was uneventful. As well as sad. It always is, leaving the wide-open spaces and serenity behind and returning to the noise, dust and chaos of Nairobi.

 Saying “good-bye” to Dann was the hardest part, the hardest part of the entire trip. Though he just turned twenty-two, he is wise beyond his years, reminding me that it wasn’t “good-bye”, it was really a “see you soon”.

 We got back to the house by 12:30, unpacked, reorganized our stuff and visited with our host Marta.  

 Sunday was our last full day in Kenya! How very sad.

 We went with Marta and her two little boys to Karura Forest where we met up with one of her friends from Spain along with the friend’s husband and mother-in-law from Uganda. Yes, it was two Americans, two Spaniards and two Ugandans in Kenya that day, along with the two little Kenyan boys.

 Karura Forest is in a very upscale area of Nairobi, past the embassies and homes of the rich and famous. Actually, throughout our day at the park, I saw more people from other countries than from Kenya. Quite a few Asians and people speaking all kinds of languages other than Swahili.

 I wish I would have gotten pictures of Marta’s friend and her family, but it seemed a bit rude. Of course, a group picture would have been great, but I never thought of that.

 Instead, we spent the day visiting and getting to know each other, discussing everything from education to social wrongs to politics.

 Monkeys in the park. Always.

 Even a pond in the park.

 What little boy doesn't love a day in the park!

 Lastly, I was reminded that being a volunteer is so much more than the projects you work on. Perhaps the most important project is just getting to know the people you are working with.