DECEMBER 2^nd (FLYING SAINT JOHN-TORONTO-AMSTERDAM)

The flight to Amsterdam was a parent's dream. Both the children fell asleep for most of the 6-hour flight. My highlight was watching *Mr. Bean* while flying over Great Britain. (I will probably never feel that close to Mr. Bean again.)

DECEMBER 3^rd (FLYING AMSTERDAM-NAIROBI)

We left the Amsterdam airport around 1030 their time. I was not aware what landmarks we would encounter while travelling during daytime hours on a beautiful clear day. We experienced the snow-covered Alps, the rolling grassy hills of Italy, the erupting Mt. Etna of Sicily, the endless Sahara Desert, and the extensive Nile River. Julianne had seen enough of the desert and the Nile. For a six-year-old who was suffering a mild case of jet lag, there needed to be a quicker change of scenery. While she was being smothered with boredom, I was elated with the concept of how far the Sahara Desert stretched and how long the Nile River ran. Julianne eventually fell asleep and missed the grand finale--a bright orange sunset that illuminated along the perfectly straight horizon. Sweet dreams my child.

We arrived in Nairobi at 2100. My in-laws were patiently waiting behind the terminal doors. A live band playing the drums could be heard from a distance. A Kenyan approached us to help us with our luggage for a small price. We piled our luggage in the school van. There was a mild breeze that evening, not atypical for a Nairobi evening in December. There was a scent of tropical vegetation in the air. All was well with the world. We were finally there! We headed for Mayfield guesthouse in Nairobi for the night.

I fell asleep to the wild sounds of.... my son crying himself to sleep due to the time change factor.

DECEMBER 4^th (NAIROBI TO KIJABE)

I woke up to a symphony of birds. Mourning doves sang their predictable and even tune. Once in a while, an ibis would catch me off-guard with its loud cawing noise. After breakfast, we walked around the grounds at Mayfield to admire the different trees, flowers, and birds. I had a crash course in African Biology that morning. The highway towards Kijabe was fascinating. The road is filled with dukas (small African shops), matatus overflowing with Kenyans, roadside markets selling fruit, sheepskins and many tourist items. There were several children herding sheep and some carrying goods with donkey carts. Many sheep and donkeys were tied next to the roadside to graze on the lush green grass. There were women everywhere working hard in vegetable gardens. Others were resting along the roadside taking advantage of the beautiful day. This stretch of road smelled strongly of a combination of diesel fuel and the sweet scent of burning grass. Before there is any sight of the Kijabe Mission there is an amazing view of the Great Rift Valley. As you drive towards Kijabe there is an awesome look-out spot by the highway. The entire sky opens up to the left and the land drops several thousand feet. Hillsides of Kikuyu farmland is half-way down. The dormant volcanos Mount Longonot, Mount Suswa, and Kijabe Hill make themselves dominate the horizon. The turn-off road to Kijabe is within minutes pass this area. It is narrow, windy, and extremely steep. This road gives the impression that it leads to the middle of nowhere. Grazing animals are seen on the roadside. Many Kikuyu people are travelling by foot up and down these hills. Within minutes, a substantial metal gate come into view. The fence surrounds Rift Valley Academy along with the missionary staff memeber's homes. Mike's parents have lived in the same house in the compound for the last seventeen years. It is nicely tucked away in the forest, just up the hill from the school. This house was built with hand-cut stone approximently eighty years ago. The red metal roof gives the home some charm. The Rift Valley can be seen from the yard. A fuscia bougainvillia bush, an advacado tree, and a cactus plant are only some of the things planted in their front yard. Don and Thelma have lucked out by having great gardeners living in the house before them. What scenery! Later in the afternoon, Mike and I ventured around the RVA campus. We decided to walk the guard trails, which are situated, along the fenced area. The grounds were very quiet due to the students and staff being off for the Christmas Break. We saw several Kenyan men doing renovations around campus. Mike ran across an old friend---the chameleon. Mike quickly picked it up and started to wear *Little Charlie* on his arms and shirt. We both thought it would be great for the children to meet him so home he went! The children took one good look, screamed, and then disappeared upstairs. Evan said, "ME SCARED! IT IS A DINOSAUR!!!" They eventually warmed up to Charlie. They couldn't resist him after they saw how skillfully he could climb a stack of books. Such dexterity!!! Of course, the little fella had to be set free ASAP.

DECEMBER 5^th (VISIT TO RIFT VALLEY FLOOR)

We went down to the Rift Valley floor today. We got to see many gazelles, zebras, Masai with their herds of cows, several goats and donkeys. The valley floor's population has increased immensely in the last few years. The place is almost unrecognizable from 10 years ago. The land is mostly occupied by the Kikuyu and the Masai. There are more residential areas, dukas, tourist stops, and a massive number of people. The area is extremely dry and dusty. We did have a bit of a breeze this time. Everywhere you look in the valley, there are mountains, thistle and scrub acacia trees. If you pay close attention, you can find dust devils blowing around. One must keep focused because they do disappear in a blink of an eye. We didn't get to see any baboons or giraffe on this trip out. It was a slight disappointment. This is a quiet reminder that every venture out is a bit different from the last.

DECEMBER 6^th (QUIET DAY IN KIJABE)

The day started early with the sounds of roosters crowing, birds singing and dogs barking in the distance. This was a day set for relaxing in Kijabe and getting ready for our safari tomorrow.

We don't have too far to go to birdwatch. Much time has been spent sitting on the Steeves' porch in Kijabe with bird book and binoculars on hand. They have several types of trees and flowers to attract a variety of birds. The bulbuls and mouse birds are commonplace here. We have been visited by the Kikuyu White-eye, the robin chat and a pair of sunbirds in the last two days. Many birds remain unidentified. After all, it is only my third day in Kijabe.

During mid-morning, we went down the hill to deliver Julianne's postcard for her class to the Kijabe post office. Walking at 7,000 ft above sea level in the heat can be quite a challenge. I could feel my heart racing. We walked by several *buzzing* Pepper trees in bloom. The sounds of the bees were ear piercing but strangely enough, very few bees were seen. I didn’t mind!

Edith, a Kenyan family friend, came by this afternoon for a short visit. She brought a generous amount of food consisting of fresh eggs, spinach, and 2 loaves of bread. She also brought with her a thermos of chai (African tea) for Mike and I. Bringing food to others when you visit is one of the African traditions. I was embarrassed and at the same time enlightened by her generosity. She spoke English quite well with a very thick African accent. I could get the gist of most of her stories. She spoke highly of everyone. Within an hour of conversation, I knew a lot about her family. She also spoke about how good God was to her for giving her a good water well which she was able to share with her community. I gave her a bag of treats for her grandchildren. We brought some extra treats with us because we knew how much it was appreciated by the African children. A few minutes after Edith left, we received a phone call from her. She asked me what color I would like a crocheted item, which she will be making for me. She verified a belief I already had. A person can be rich in spirit without owning very much in materialistic goods. Edith made it clear that my in-laws have been good to her during the last 30 years of knowing her. She is grateful for them. We are hoping to visit her in her home at the end of the month. We plan to take her food and most importantly, bring our hospitality.