tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13184524936734895372024-03-19T04:32:04.666-07:00The Adventures of Noab.Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-37854627687794638252012-08-23T09:29:00.001-07:002012-08-23T09:29:36.152-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello From Texas! <br />
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I have recieved some very nice cards, emails, etc and I just wanted to say thank you. I know no one is probably dying to read the blog every day, but I hadn't posted in forever, and just wanted to give an update. <br />
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The above picture is Nolan and I at Lowe's. Exciting huh. Well, whenever we get an evening off together, its a pretty big deal, like that night at Lowe's. I only work 3 nights a week, usually, but it seems like so much more. Nolan wouldn't tell you this, but on nights I work, he usually stays at the hospital until midnight. He's a keeper... he says he does it so the nights I am home, he can not stay late. That makes me feel guilty, but very very lucky to have such a caring husband. I don't like to brag on facebook, because I don't want to make all the single people feel bad, but I am going to brag a little bit here. I never thought I would find someone so wonderful, having never even dated in high school. I thought I would die an old maid. Well, that just proves God knows what's best, and he knew I needed a friend, a best friend, my Nolan. Ok, enough mushiness! <br />
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In some ways, the past few months have flown by. When I realized there was only one week of August, I laughed. That can't be true, I thought. My job is getting easier, or I guess I should say I am getting more comfortable. I have learned a lot at this new, bigger unit. I've seen a lot more to make me sad, but I know it will make me a better nurse.<br />
The hardest thing to see is the parents who have tried years and years to have a baby. That scares me to the core. I know its only been a tiny amount of time since the miscarriage, but to think, some people have struggled with this for years both makes me sick, but also inspires strength. I have bad days and its only been 3 months of this, while some of these families wait for years! I worry I will get to old. I worry we won't be able to have a houseful of kids like we wanted. I worry about money. I worry about Nolan's residency. Basically, I worry too much. (Stay with me, this is not supposed to be depressing) Sadly, the hardest thing for me is seeing all of the pregnant or new mom's on facebook. Mom and Nolan remind me to be joyful, and fight jealousy, but it is so hard, even harder when you realize some individuals don't try hard, or even at all to make the precious gift of life. For some its an "accident" This is true at work too. So many babies have no one, or worse, have someone uncaring and unloving. Pray for Nolan and I to be patient ( mostly me) as we wait for whatever God decides. I trust in him, and if he wants us to wait, I'll wait. There are so many blessings I have that I often forget when overcome with jealousy.., some of which I will tell you about below. As the song says, "Count Your Many blessings..." <br />
1. Living in Texas. While I miss everyone immensely, living away as a couple has been great for our relationship as husband and wife. You learn that having each other is the most important human relationship. We all know I was way too much of a chicken to live away from home before, but Nolan is truly half of me now. On August 4th, we had known each other 6, YES 6, years! <br />
2. My new job. Not just because Texas is nicer about taxing working people, but because I am learning so much, and have much more potential for growth here. I won't go into details, but we have much sicker kiddos, and the need for Level 3 NICU nurses is high, so I think the hospital will have more interest in training me than in Lafayette. <br />
3. Portia, enough said. Although, I will say we both have been bitten way too often. She's kind of a maniac! <br />
4. Mom and Dad are coming to visit next week! McAfee's in October ! and Connie, Wesley, and Jesse in November! We would love for more visitors. We have so many good restaurants and places to take everyone. One place has a 7 lb burrito! Your'e probably thinking, who cares about Abby and Nolan, I'll come for the burrito! When I heard about that burrito, I said Nolan, "It's not a burrito as big as your head, It's a burrito as big as your leg!" I'm hilarious, I know.:) <br />
5. While Nolan and I do not have children yet, we have been blessed with so many experiences that would not have been possible. I look foward to becoming a full-time mom, and that would not have been possible, while Nolan was in school. I couldn't have become as good of a nurse ( I still have a ways to go!) We couldn't have traveled or lived in Africa. When I think on these things, I am reminded, God is in control and he will never give us more than we can handle. That gives me peace, as it should to you too. <br />
I hope this has not seemed like a rant, or pity-party. I miss everyone, and would love to hear from anyone! I am not spectacular at initiating phone conversations, but I would love to talk/chat/write to anyone back in the colder part of USA. <br />
Miss you all, <br />
Abby <br />
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<br />Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-64418248381951945882012-06-25T06:01:00.001-07:002012-06-25T06:01:25.467-07:00Well, I definitely got too busy and forgot to post all last week. There wasn't too much exciting to tell. Orientation for both of us, and they already started working Nolan to the bone. I think it will be better once he passes his exams, but last week was eat sleep study work repeat for poor Nolan. <br />
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Friday while he was at work a very nice couple from church invited me over for dinner and games. We played a serious game of pictionary and I had lots of fun. Also, it meant I had to drive the stick shift on the interstate. I MADE IT! I was really scared, and I probably scared a bunch of Texan drivers too, but I survived. <br />
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Saturday the residency team had a party for the old and new residents. Actually they both are staying on at the hospital to work. I guess 5/7 residents have stayed there for jobs. Interesting... I guess you just never know. Well, It was a Luau at one of the pharmacists beautiful homes. It was nice to meet the people Nolan will be working with but intimidating being around so many smart, rich people. eeek, I sure felt out of place! From what everyone says it will be a hard year, but they all seemed happy to be there, and not at all regretful for doing a residency, which is a good thing. It seems like a great hospital. <br />
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Sunday,Nolan just studied. I made homemade ice cream. Vanilla malt. Pretty tasty if I do say so myself. McAfee's you should be proud as I have kept Sunday pizza night tradition here in Fort Worth. It makes me feel at home. <br />
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Please email or call us. We both work this week, but would love to hear from everyone in the evenings. Well, I guess I should clarify. Don't call Nolan yet as he is busy studying. :) <br />
<br />Love, Abby <br />
PS. Below, First: Portia's true nature <br />
Second: Lion King Portia <br />
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We drove to Galveston on Thursday. I pricelined us a room, and it was directly in front of the beach. <br />
The water isn't very clean, well I guess it just has more seaweed gunk in it, but it was wonderful warm and there were waves, so we were happy. We played in the water on Friday morning.<br />
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I just thought this picture was funny. We found these tiny baby shells on the pier and we all know I'm a sucker for babies.<br />
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This is the ferry from Galveston to Texas mainland. We had to wait a while, but from rough calculations, it probably saves people on the peninsula an hour to drive to Houston through Galveston instead of all the way around. I don't think I explained that very well. The ferry was free and we seen dolphins. I fed the birds again. I guess you didn't see that, pictures below. Along with pictures of a pirate. Which one's the pirate is my question? :)<br />
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I'm glad my mommy taught me to feed the birds.<br />
And No, I didn't get pooped on. Although Nolan did that night just walking under a tree. I know I'm just lucky. <br />
Next up: The Houston Nerd Center:<br />
Wait, I didn't say that. The Houston Space Center that is. We paid 3 dollars to upgrade so Nolan can come back and read every single fact about the space program. I will admit, it was much better than I expected. I liked learning about the older programs. One of the coolest things we seen was that on the first broadcast from space, they read the book of Genesis. They made many references to God and the Bible in the history section of the museum. I was happy to see that, but sadly doubt many believe in the present. Maybe they do, that would be cool to know. <br />
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Well, you can imagine, we got home to a very lonely kitty. She was a bit hard to handle for a while, but I can't blame her. I get crazy after one day alone. <br />
Tomorrrow or Wednesday stay tuned for kitties first underwear!!!!!! Its so cute!<br />
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Love, <br />AbbyNoabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-48837994466823365762012-06-13T08:19:00.000-07:002012-06-13T08:19:11.077-07:00Hello From Fort WorthThanks for checking in. We haven't done anything super exciting lately, so I have been hesitant to post. The apartment does look like home now. ( Especially since it is messy!)<br />
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Sunday: church. Two very nice services. We ate at Jack in the Box after morning service and the check out guy told Nolan he needed to get a case for "the baby" aka IPAD. That made me feel pretty good since I have been trying to get him to buy a case for a long time now. :)<br />
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Monday: We made chicken on the George Foreman Grill. Fascinating, I know :) Well, it is for us, because it took us 3 years to open the silly thing!<br />
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Tuesday: I got yogurt on sale at the grocery, and made chocolate frozen yogurt. It definitely has the twang of yogurt, but with Nolan's xantham gum, has a great texture, and is definitely worth eating. We have been "churning" out the ice cream. Vanilla chocolate chip cookie dough, vanilla chai malt gelato, and vanilla ( mom ) It is a good reason for you all to come visit!<br />
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The most exciting thing we did was more kitty photographs. The blurry ones are when she discovered a stuff pig. We are convinced that she is convinced it is alive. She wrestles with it on the ground like a ninja kitty. It is so funny, I will have to take a video for later.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ahImQ6-84B1rFUf9_-_hVdSZLw_kYIGSilaULgc8DBfbtB9K-b2G1_N1Raoynm1osEY1p3O3DQNg385GmiZkrnB_OXEZg0fi3BIxSV1Bu14s5vg9bDvxwojdIPsV-Mhk6ii-HH1O4y9d/s1600/IMG_2632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ahImQ6-84B1rFUf9_-_hVdSZLw_kYIGSilaULgc8DBfbtB9K-b2G1_N1Raoynm1osEY1p3O3DQNg385GmiZkrnB_OXEZg0fi3BIxSV1Bu14s5vg9bDvxwojdIPsV-Mhk6ii-HH1O4y9d/s320/IMG_2632.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Love, AbbyNoabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-18649203926948421182012-06-10T22:08:00.001-07:002012-06-10T22:10:04.614-07:00Our baby for now: Portia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-46250757601101846712012-06-08T21:44:00.002-07:002012-06-08T21:44:09.929-07:00Back from Africa... On to TexasWell, I guess I kind of left everyone hanging. We are back from Africa. I am so glad we didn't take that extra trip to Rome, because as it was, it was one of the busiest months of my life. We were blessed to attend a wedding of dear friends in Minnesota. It was one of the nicest weddings I have been too... after my own of course! hahaha<br />
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A lot of other things happened too. I worked. It was actually a very rough few weeks. It was wonderful to be back with my girls, but the last week almost killed me. We had "baby boom", and it made for a little extra stress.<br />
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We went to Fort Worth with Nolan's beautiful sisters to find an apartment. Mission accomplished. We are living at AMLI: Upper West Side. It is beautiful and the poshest place I have ever lived. I am not sure if poshest is a word, but I think you get my drift. Simply lovely!<br />
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Other things we did in May...<br />
NOLAN GRADUATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough said.<br />
Nolan's graduation party at his parents. We had tons of people and even more fun... although I am pretty sure our mother's had less fun trying to feed the group with silly Abby there to forget the lunchmeat. Oooops!<br />
Memorial Day in Brown County. I got to meet all of Leana's family finally. It was a beautiful day.<br />
Wedding in Lawrence County of JW and Stephanie. Another beautiful wedding.<br />
We got a cat. Portia. And yes, I have turned into one of those annoying people who post pet pictures. :)<br />
Nolan built a storage shed with help from his dad, Trevor, Drew, Elliot, and me ( maybe a little?) <br />
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The 2nd worst part of May was moving. I love living new places, but detest moving. I could go on and on about its horrors, but well, I think everyone agrees moving is horrible.<br />
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The worst part of May though was a bit more serious. I feel like if you care enough to read this, you should know. I am not asking for sympathy, and this may be selfish, but just letting it out makes me feel better. I will just spit it out.. I had a miscarriage. It was very early, but it hurt so bad. I cried all one day, most of the next, and then it has progressively gotten better. God was my strength with Nolan right behind. I am not mad as I know God has his reasons, but simply sad.<br />
Nolan and I found out on a Monday and less than a week later it was gone. It was one of the best weeks of my life though, despite the horrors of work. I was so good, I did everything right. We were so excited. Nolan had already talked about getting a minivan and we had so much fun planning how we would tell our families. Sadly, the day before we were going to tell them, we found out the worst. Instead of telling them they would be grandparents, we told them they were grandparents to a baby that would never be. MacNugget, that's what we named him. I am glad we did as now I know he was real and someday maybe I can meet him. It took 3 home tests and a serum blood test for me to believe he was real, and by the time I truly had accepted it, it was already probably too late for him. <br />
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Several good things have come out of the situation. I have to focus on the good, because life isn't fair. God didn't every say it would be, but Americans seem to think that they are guaranteed fairness. God only said that he would never give us more than we could handle. That is my comfort. <br />
It confirmed to Nolan and I that we are as ready as we will ever be, which is one good thing that came out of the situation. <br />
It proved that I can get pregnant, which is a good thing. I haven't been the greatest to my body, and while I know that God has all power, I know actions have consequences, and I feared the worst.<br />
It brought our families closer together.<br />
While I know losing a baby this early is nothing like losing a child or an infant, I think it can help me to better help mother's in my job. I would never say I understand, but I can say that I have been through something similar. I know how much it hurt after only one week of knowing, I can't imagine having known my baby for a month, or a year, or more. Making it through something like that is hard to imagine, but I know many have had to go through that experience, and I truly a little better able to understand. <br />
Oddly enough, it got us a cat. We weren't going to pay the extra fee for pets and such at our new apartment, but after the miscarriage, Nolan realized we both needed someone to take care of while we were hurting. Needless to say, Portia is one very spoiled cat and probably will be until we can have something more substantial than a kitten. She's cute and all, but well, I am a human baby person! <br />
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Ok, well, sorry to make this so heavy. I promise they won't all be this way. I appreciate you listening/reading. I feel truly honored that individuals would care to hear about Nolan and I's adventures. We are blessed to have you!<br />
<br />
Abby <br />
<br />Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-16221337772436419332012-04-22T20:32:00.000-07:002012-04-22T20:32:52.152-07:00Easter with the Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Easter with the Kids:<br />
I must say, this was one of the best easter I have had in a long time, despite the fact that I didn't get my regular bunny cake.<br />
On Sunday, we made brunch and had a party for the Amani Shelter Kids. I think we had 25ish kids total, including some other random children, and it was so much fun. Egg races, candy, crafts, pin-the-tail on the Rabbit ( my project) and egg hunt ( my project). The egg hunt turned out to be very difficult, and the woman in charge was bit of a control freak and required the eggs to be labeled. This was a good idea in theory, sort of like communism. But when you have to re-lable eggs 10x, new kids keep showing up, and some kids don't get the same amount of eggs, you realize why the classic, run for eggs as fast as you can, method is much better. Thankfully though, no one cried, and with some in-the-field name changes on eggs, everyone found eggs!<br />
The second easter party was for the kids at Sally Test. Crafts, cupcakes, egg hunt, egg dying, and candy. It was great fun too!<br />
Last easter party was for the street kids at Tumaini Children's Drop-in Center. Kids can go three days a week for shower, 3 meals, education, and some structure. The kids there are pretty rough. Haven't found those pictures, so not sure if we didn't take any because we were afraid our camera would be stolen. I am not trying to judge, if I were on the street I would probably be the same way.<br />
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Easter party 2: Sally Test Center<br />
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<br />Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-56752377295070072622012-04-15T20:48:00.001-07:002012-04-15T20:48:32.154-07:00Mt. Elgon Caves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, So I know this is bad. I am writing about the previous weekend! I am so behind. The internet has been ok, but for some reason uploading photographs took about 4 hours! EEEK So I will make this short. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is me in our hotel room at Mt. Elgon. I was stretching and Nolan decided it was a cool picture. I look like I am falling, but I really wasn't. Back-bends: my only talent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cz12ilsFl1nk4pA6ackHaTCPHeRl5MbEL7Phn4y9_edrkxB0Yra9BD678xo3h3p4Ezx4iriisO2zgJkpGX3orQzIdc2ChwBVg6iz_eW8Yye_ZDBHxBZhkzIBEcOUvlmWkkbRSpSX_0TS/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cz12ilsFl1nk4pA6ackHaTCPHeRl5MbEL7Phn4y9_edrkxB0Yra9BD678xo3h3p4Ezx4iriisO2zgJkpGX3orQzIdc2ChwBVg6iz_eW8Yye_ZDBHxBZhkzIBEcOUvlmWkkbRSpSX_0TS/s320/IMG_1265.JPG" width="213" /></a></div> Below is a sort of silly picture, but I thought I looked like a movie star. Look kids, movie stars wear sun tan lotion too!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EE8F-HoyOR-0VQsq6XgoDTplp1yX0SdMN7bcqlzCsTJNtdSwwUv-5Np0uZucyYlsch8rAl1ieusrwusFTZWun7ESY3kQB1o3gBUkCuSZhdMwlBwDMQDkHlWHdl4MeWuex-iLcaNjyZqR/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EE8F-HoyOR-0VQsq6XgoDTplp1yX0SdMN7bcqlzCsTJNtdSwwUv-5Np0uZucyYlsch8rAl1ieusrwusFTZWun7ESY3kQB1o3gBUkCuSZhdMwlBwDMQDkHlWHdl4MeWuex-iLcaNjyZqR/s320/IMG_1323.JPG" width="213" /></a></div> The edge of the caves. We were supposed to go in the caves at the national park. The park though said we could not come back unless we paid the fee again. Well, the park fees are ridiculous here. 30$ if you are a muzungu, and we didn't want to pay. Our guide though found a man who owns a cave nearby. We paid him a tiny amount compared to the park and he showed us around his caves. We all agreed it was much better. We got to walk out onto their farms, and every child from the village followed us. They would yell at the kids to go back, and usually they would for a minute, but then come right back.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiEtmcE527EOCdm8-KJBJtu29B7wf35Q7913YBYdc4oakqgcCWuTe5mbjeIUE2I1E2yMDv7RXl09u4XBvWXe3-d_mfQGJ96zjufZE__jK5Nw6eUo8OvXfOhxPwSYTMrmyTGKPbWTd-hTm/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiEtmcE527EOCdm8-KJBJtu29B7wf35Q7913YBYdc4oakqgcCWuTe5mbjeIUE2I1E2yMDv7RXl09u4XBvWXe3-d_mfQGJ96zjufZE__jK5Nw6eUo8OvXfOhxPwSYTMrmyTGKPbWTd-hTm/s320/IMG_1329.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Below are our new friends Katey and Lenny. They are both about to graduate from medical school. We have really enjoyed getting to know them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUKA9QlrWSiEQC48rH1KR3tnc0qbAFToQ0jebl_Ij225QLoFN303pIaN00bBQDoGFUdGk1Ho8yWATTnsdacyOG_6KQbaG64BMvyVuqwumRcaDD0mOag5hKJ5qVF7FrFOaC3IpkRn2XSp1/s1600/IMG_1361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUKA9QlrWSiEQC48rH1KR3tnc0qbAFToQ0jebl_Ij225QLoFN303pIaN00bBQDoGFUdGk1Ho8yWATTnsdacyOG_6KQbaG64BMvyVuqwumRcaDD0mOag5hKJ5qVF7FrFOaC3IpkRn2XSp1/s320/IMG_1361.JPG" width="213" /></a></div> There are not many pictures of the inside of the caves because they camera wouldn't focus or take clear pictures in the dark. Everything was extremely dusty, and the flash would pick up the dust fragments. When we got out, our snot was brown.<br />
Below is the dry dirt at the opening of the cave. During rainy season, the water will flood this entire opening, but it is odd know that it looks like the dessert. We seen a lot of bats and spider cobwebs.<br />
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Nolan on top of the cave on the edge of a cliff. I told him not to!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TpOEhDQvKq2coUnGfsHvrAa9sV0j3dzNxjdgZOPcflO2xnR0gMGJekRbPJ7fHx3dFTGXmhJXWc1aWPA37dMaGEtagnsLnMwKkTyPgLwDzZnGjLbG_l4dOAJWph-zRGwSDu9LdIjjmbWW/s1600/IMG_1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TpOEhDQvKq2coUnGfsHvrAa9sV0j3dzNxjdgZOPcflO2xnR0gMGJekRbPJ7fHx3dFTGXmhJXWc1aWPA37dMaGEtagnsLnMwKkTyPgLwDzZnGjLbG_l4dOAJWph-zRGwSDu9LdIjjmbWW/s400/IMG_1476.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Pd6iinRVO9fKshXa4IbMur-kW0jngkNhYc0eqx2BMSZyzlMoQ7xEF0yTFLeVGpGHk8KDieqjkRnw7EI6mr6ucX1IrAGGi4XqWBo-83tN4-o0CCt6xYBOeHceZWtYKpSr4NWcln9aB8DJ/s1600/IMG_1486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Pd6iinRVO9fKshXa4IbMur-kW0jngkNhYc0eqx2BMSZyzlMoQ7xEF0yTFLeVGpGHk8KDieqjkRnw7EI6mr6ucX1IrAGGi4XqWBo-83tN4-o0CCt6xYBOeHceZWtYKpSr4NWcln9aB8DJ/s640/IMG_1486.JPG" width="426" /></a></div> In the distance is Mount Elgon.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKB_oVO_tHVXUV0VQoFH3L27GzzN8Z5vO5ZcG4g_4YEzmmEQHh4ma1IfdqOsWEYAduZY2sNvjiaiiKwg6aaU6yETAB1bN4wwMskpSOuYR0fjMdT36OnBPEhV6Mrafxrjkv0Vh_ldPSCSYD/s1600/IMG_1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKB_oVO_tHVXUV0VQoFH3L27GzzN8Z5vO5ZcG4g_4YEzmmEQHh4ma1IfdqOsWEYAduZY2sNvjiaiiKwg6aaU6yETAB1bN4wwMskpSOuYR0fjMdT36OnBPEhV6Mrafxrjkv0Vh_ldPSCSYD/s320/IMG_1488.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Walking back to our car. Red dirt =Kenya </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixL0UPRYpbgw0eO4ChNcNVhtT99Wgtkf2rkgxGETs-uFOXN5s0Av3YrCm_zuhz2Vuiw4sQdilendm_iAZCsfZeSe7k8WzEyov4EkMAzl3U6zxSqFbWymP3zKepu1aM2brwNsnu0fmJpBwv/s1600/IMG_1510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixL0UPRYpbgw0eO4ChNcNVhtT99Wgtkf2rkgxGETs-uFOXN5s0Av3YrCm_zuhz2Vuiw4sQdilendm_iAZCsfZeSe7k8WzEyov4EkMAzl3U6zxSqFbWymP3zKepu1aM2brwNsnu0fmJpBwv/s320/IMG_1510.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Our hotel from the outside. We think it was probably a British plantation home. The inside was very old, very english, and interesting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBZOy6KnmbP_DC7ONMoUBhb4DY4JnMIo02fFbGgvHHMXdn8dA-ubdg-5-xsFe37t-ex4NYFpZETfPc3RbW0UNlNFyjwskTaemAqzAvk1faeTyxuI54nlgKwuRo3-S4FFLp9kU9Ro-jBDF/s1600/IMG_1567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBZOy6KnmbP_DC7ONMoUBhb4DY4JnMIo02fFbGgvHHMXdn8dA-ubdg-5-xsFe37t-ex4NYFpZETfPc3RbW0UNlNFyjwskTaemAqzAvk1faeTyxuI54nlgKwuRo3-S4FFLp9kU9Ro-jBDF/s320/IMG_1567.JPG" width="320" /></a>'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sadly, this is a typical biker in Kenya. Bikes aren't for fun here. They are transportation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, Well, I am only here 3 more days. I don't know whether I will continue the blog after that. Any suggestions. I don't think Fort Worth will be this interesting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love, Abby </div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-83536087438600202992012-04-12T11:15:00.000-07:002012-04-12T11:15:14.838-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mt. Kenya</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a view from probably 1 1/2 to go. Again, at this point, we thought, there is no way we are going to the top of the rocky part. We were wrong. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDx_Owih8azwvMZR5U-whETOw4BWNtMtvW6XzMHvJqFHRoVu9WehpTR60584YrCz0u7iWzqkHdLeFd9QFcg2q31j2jsT0JeNM7ILkDkJaw6pBhwKhj2RKDdIXtfF4Vz7qb7oVX9hMTUlG9/s1600/IMG_1195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDx_Owih8azwvMZR5U-whETOw4BWNtMtvW6XzMHvJqFHRoVu9WehpTR60584YrCz0u7iWzqkHdLeFd9QFcg2q31j2jsT0JeNM7ILkDkJaw6pBhwKhj2RKDdIXtfF4Vz7qb7oVX9hMTUlG9/s640/IMG_1195.JPG" width="426" /></a></div> It was slippery, wet, tiring, hard, difficult, scary, dangerous, thundering, raining, cold, and crazy. You could only go about 10 steps before you had to stop and take a breath. As you can see, we all made it. We had expected a view, but when you are in the clouds, I guess that isn't a correct expectation.<br />
It was freezing cold. The sign, obviously, had fallen apart. We scarfed down pb and j sandwiches. One of the best tasting things on the trip. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMWzhcNMAZ7ogv8k2H5AT7D73l1badeK_pecm5h6GuiUJr9YSkEtVa4-EkWL0rN-4vxj-S2S3ZBF45R-2KfW6b54UL4GP5iBT_KSE3E5_bRJ1Kpz9Bsf7NlKhqTfulviSU669rGYAQgX9/s1600/IMG_1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMWzhcNMAZ7ogv8k2H5AT7D73l1badeK_pecm5h6GuiUJr9YSkEtVa4-EkWL0rN-4vxj-S2S3ZBF45R-2KfW6b54UL4GP5iBT_KSE3E5_bRJ1Kpz9Bsf7NlKhqTfulviSU669rGYAQgX9/s640/IMG_1227.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Below is Nolan on the way down. He was really scaring me. The altitude affected him more than myself. He kept tripping and saying things like, "If I stop I won't be able to start again." I was really worried about him. He did make it, and after a nap was much improved, but had really scared me. he looks pretty cute still though.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWWGnvhLKL3ooSlDZSRawCIWNXQ_m9CJmvl3QwouT36QrNxyfP93aupA9ZeotwMcwG4FL_bnXG2fezpS6rF-94yJkVc6GcPMx6OAJYJLAdRcUK6Z9GMhw6zYJRAz7XNWgOrFXFIInMwsT/s1600/IMG_1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWWGnvhLKL3ooSlDZSRawCIWNXQ_m9CJmvl3QwouT36QrNxyfP93aupA9ZeotwMcwG4FL_bnXG2fezpS6rF-94yJkVc6GcPMx6OAJYJLAdRcUK6Z9GMhw6zYJRAz7XNWgOrFXFIInMwsT/s400/IMG_1235.JPG" width="265" /></a></div> We were laughing about this room. In the states, we would have demanded a new room. As, Nolan says, Its all relative. Here, we were like, wow, 3 clean beds, some electricity, a guard, and hot food, luxury! Its funny, there were 3 twin beds, and we only used one. The electricity didn't work, they gave us a new room. The water didn't work in the first room, and in the second room, the water ( cold of course) squirted out the bottom of the faucet when you turned the shower on.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEddnn-7Rjndphyphenhyphen3DoiHKL8C20vu8k99LJHKtO3jiOYY-GXvLEux3T_8T_qdNwqBYitV-HxVqqlZ3vbhrA6Q57VHp4zZxPg_wL9mv7XrkKL5lKRiJ5wPh8s47j5hrbJrvz-anGD42CxqGX/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEddnn-7Rjndphyphenhyphen3DoiHKL8C20vu8k99LJHKtO3jiOYY-GXvLEux3T_8T_qdNwqBYitV-HxVqqlZ3vbhrA6Q57VHp4zZxPg_wL9mv7XrkKL5lKRiJ5wPh8s47j5hrbJrvz-anGD42CxqGX/s320/IMG_1252.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWN2ALloi9gQ9Z3PSoP2CMYeQnLMf4aNkHSqRtvLjgwaG1YyOOahr0wBk95v0_LmS002va_XVmh3jjWCHEEOk_8cFCIYl4zrebBBA56YCQeHMsqgRKl-17LawEHJtwvulkGbMyNov4pk-/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWN2ALloi9gQ9Z3PSoP2CMYeQnLMf4aNkHSqRtvLjgwaG1YyOOahr0wBk95v0_LmS002va_XVmh3jjWCHEEOk_8cFCIYl4zrebBBA56YCQeHMsqgRKl-17LawEHJtwvulkGbMyNov4pk-/s320/IMG_1253.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here is me at the bottom of the hike. 6 hours later. I was about ready to collapse. We took a nap before supper at the Inn. Electricity was out, so we got up and ate in the dark.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gw8QFpmbnA8zz9SI71oLVmXO4IHhVuXRWEz7EPCN3Rccv7GJ2Kqgo4OK8cVmcuoRJgRVCYl9KmjfvshBCd66m4HIFyopUx9yxmPfhRLHRmPm-ywtPdWTkKG7gWJTPTDGK1tjskJmwMak/s1600/IMG_1248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gw8QFpmbnA8zz9SI71oLVmXO4IHhVuXRWEz7EPCN3Rccv7GJ2Kqgo4OK8cVmcuoRJgRVCYl9KmjfvshBCd66m4HIFyopUx9yxmPfhRLHRmPm-ywtPdWTkKG7gWJTPTDGK1tjskJmwMak/s400/IMG_1248.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-54603023247737320432012-04-11T07:17:00.000-07:002012-04-11T07:17:13.277-07:00Mt. Elgon Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What Nolan and I had expected to be a day hike was our adventure on Friday. A group of 9 of us, 3 guys, 6 girls, and two drivers left at 5am to get to the mountain. In retrospect, I should have known then that this was not a simple hike, due to the fact that we left insanely early. I thought we were just trying to the beat the rain, which was true, but only part of the story. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first two pictures are Nolan and I in the car on the way there. It was a relatively nice two hour car ride</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OTvol0b4bVlclyG9XoNQnGktblGXQOGrqj5VI-oI7Mmc1b56OUeYky8ze_5lwOHvAzgci_tdqUuMvhuzU64tHe0aUlYlue1nK_nj2MnrhQ1TF7KEoQt5ybqAuKBRXvHnFJ4WTxSe3GyV/s1600/IMG_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OTvol0b4bVlclyG9XoNQnGktblGXQOGrqj5VI-oI7Mmc1b56OUeYky8ze_5lwOHvAzgci_tdqUuMvhuzU64tHe0aUlYlue1nK_nj2MnrhQ1TF7KEoQt5ybqAuKBRXvHnFJ4WTxSe3GyV/s320/IMG_0138.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62RZL5qzDYYNzDmS7RbnhgeWKLA6FaXxSAuN86faKnNIPsVKjir6ETLkdc2jN2wsdrjsGd7Je8Ya5qHRgyN3FWxgmJSBlMl2FJy12YozIXAH2UtFinlDWc0Uq2YdmPO58Y05VYFt5JhMK/s1600/IMG_0145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62RZL5qzDYYNzDmS7RbnhgeWKLA6FaXxSAuN86faKnNIPsVKjir6ETLkdc2jN2wsdrjsGd7Je8Ya5qHRgyN3FWxgmJSBlMl2FJy12YozIXAH2UtFinlDWc0Uq2YdmPO58Y05VYFt5JhMK/s320/IMG_0145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Then it was a relatively un-nice two hour drive up most of the way of the mountain. I felt like we were mudding in Indiana! Luckily we weren't in the vans for this trip, but the Toyota Prados. I don't know if they have Prados in the states, but they are similiar to a Land Cruiser.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUb9qAqUVmv4EwcYbfHRGcIPDGsQWim0WueK-ONud5Vo5_smWZduvDiISmvXB8QM3037cmazP4yDi5C9fe1y99WAttleAqTKM5rVyUcufwfvIm_0JTh4Ba7cgg5Hfl7lak_tZzfnuuKK0/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUb9qAqUVmv4EwcYbfHRGcIPDGsQWim0WueK-ONud5Vo5_smWZduvDiISmvXB8QM3037cmazP4yDi5C9fe1y99WAttleAqTKM5rVyUcufwfvIm_0JTh4Ba7cgg5Hfl7lak_tZzfnuuKK0/s320/IMG_0149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> The above picture is after our first 45 minutes on the hike. We soon realized this was not going to be easy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqpS3R2y94Jnanjf0Hlu7hWRDnnen34bk9OphR1W5tsu2NVY-fXkjKYBa2gwykWFhUl4Z79aZPqQNRkpFZf5AE7BTeS0Xse57n2gY4N2QQDzkgsE6YD32f7QhJHmqCcPyhSv-Ctw1Bi-D/s1600/IMG_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqpS3R2y94Jnanjf0Hlu7hWRDnnen34bk9OphR1W5tsu2NVY-fXkjKYBa2gwykWFhUl4Z79aZPqQNRkpFZf5AE7BTeS0Xse57n2gY4N2QQDzkgsE6YD32f7QhJHmqCcPyhSv-Ctw1Bi-D/s640/IMG_0172.JPG" width="480" /></a></div> These are some of our new friends. Above me, Cece, Abby, Katey, and Vonnie.<br />
Below is Lenny. All of them but Vonnie are IU Med Students. Vonnie is just about to complete her internal medicine residency.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbBacx9pibMJq3XuC7xh9AxIhavgDcaqxe9crO_5oN9MyoqkXt3H3rHpvb60Y9lZ27xk5xpxy6EnnbQZg9WdNdtoL3cIwP7j3o9bWWJBQ_GPuR9X09bfxn_mSx3J__dfCxHRJAu6s05_X/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbBacx9pibMJq3XuC7xh9AxIhavgDcaqxe9crO_5oN9MyoqkXt3H3rHpvb60Y9lZ27xk5xpxy6EnnbQZg9WdNdtoL3cIwP7j3o9bWWJBQ_GPuR9X09bfxn_mSx3J__dfCxHRJAu6s05_X/s320/IMG_0174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw7RhTcuuPSje3fQUs0WqfxeTSKGNNN2y7iX9K1Ba34xwNI78yAz-VxBGvSj8atzbhFiUScmCy-jV4PK3hkJJIrq0iSSSh_EKaF-lEtDOcYHRGJUYiFbzFb62AyS7jg_ur9aFFxtQsH2I/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw7RhTcuuPSje3fQUs0WqfxeTSKGNNN2y7iX9K1Ba34xwNI78yAz-VxBGvSj8atzbhFiUScmCy-jV4PK3hkJJIrq0iSSSh_EKaF-lEtDOcYHRGJUYiFbzFb62AyS7jg_ur9aFFxtQsH2I/s320/IMG_0175.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> All of these pictures are of the first leg of our hike. Every few steps you had to catch your breath. My legs were tired, but nothing compared to our lungs. We are living at 7,000 feet which helps, but 14,000 is a whole new ball game.<br />
At the point of the picture below, we were entirely exhausted and the bottom of the giant rock peak of the mountain. We were told the hike was two hours, so we all assumed we didn't actually go to the top of it. It looked like it required rock climbing.<br />
Well, we were wrong.<br />
More on that later.<br />
Love, Abby<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98m-cpi8tW5SpG1zHRVgJ9zAtan858PPR2_ZHlkugCF8LYf87si2crhyTI4iWNuSzaJPlmLWOoeafsILX5X9v6VQnwvHm6WIMfIB9Mib7cE-D3bGBEXUYBkSjohrXSi259DrUdKlcVAQJ/s1600/IMG_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98m-cpi8tW5SpG1zHRVgJ9zAtan858PPR2_ZHlkugCF8LYf87si2crhyTI4iWNuSzaJPlmLWOoeafsILX5X9v6VQnwvHm6WIMfIB9Mib7cE-D3bGBEXUYBkSjohrXSi259DrUdKlcVAQJ/s640/IMG_0176.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-88435587539298936402012-04-09T21:41:00.001-07:002012-04-09T21:41:28.072-07:00My Sally Test Kids ! I love them<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrK2IEV6uwq5LhJMLdKZ13-xsg0WqvxIRKQyS1_gJf3a5PzqEuPLioO43Hdtao4QVPCkTVqwBnFviwoZHijnwo_gMAjPIzuKwqOZxGYzQXTMR_OHYGpHMDl3YbIyvBaq3rCwBZ9_m1LB7/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrK2IEV6uwq5LhJMLdKZ13-xsg0WqvxIRKQyS1_gJf3a5PzqEuPLioO43Hdtao4QVPCkTVqwBnFviwoZHijnwo_gMAjPIzuKwqOZxGYzQXTMR_OHYGpHMDl3YbIyvBaq3rCwBZ9_m1LB7/s640/IMG_0093.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHrbHjeF9pO8_eotJWgGk_8i72SbEXOYSegCv0XwDffUwifp2sDsCJQik1bPr3ZzJkhRqqOVoHTZgZ9mAiWChMgFBwQ-MUBDGPhV9GDW_vsQTW6tZs0odBwne3qKgsQE-gfp9-hoVJH_e/s1600/IMG_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHrbHjeF9pO8_eotJWgGk_8i72SbEXOYSegCv0XwDffUwifp2sDsCJQik1bPr3ZzJkhRqqOVoHTZgZ9mAiWChMgFBwQ-MUBDGPhV9GDW_vsQTW6tZs0odBwne3qKgsQE-gfp9-hoVJH_e/s320/IMG_0131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-72907132975160734562012-04-07T11:41:00.000-07:002012-04-07T11:41:33.558-07:00End of Kakamega<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, so when I put up the last post, it obviously was unfinished. The internet had malfunctioned, so I was able to retrieve an earlier version of what I had been writing, not realizing that 90% of what I wrote wasn't there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We went on the sunrise hike. It was beautiful. Just like I learned about in elementary school with the canopy of trees in the rainforest. The fog was on top of the river, making it gorgeous. The air was cool, but it felt good while hiking. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> After the hike, we came back to a late breakfast. Best tasting cup of hot tea I think I have had on the trip. It is funny how hunger makes certain things taste good! I mean, I like tea, but it never has tasted quite so good... except at Moya's! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We left after breakfast and got back by noon. It was nice to have the afternoon to ourselves, but Nolan had a project due Monday, so we spent most of Sunday evening in the dark, then in the computer lab due to lack of electricity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Obviously, this was all last weekend! We have more exciting details of our MOUNTAIN CLIMB coming tomorrow, after we upload the photos. Yes... I said mountain, meaning around 14,000 feet, but it was sort of a cheat climb as we drove up most of the mountain. BUT more on that tomorrow! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">love, Abby </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5QJjIpfTSv8lhNT0315opQ8XL5aRdVetccREgaBXROR9RQhuE4u1YBqf_7k1u2GBW_BGAZLD1q7W1_8jSEICH3V4lEoUVOB8JXCbcu86BlzDhQ93SXyIkIUjTw2Kvi9HG17su9THDkN1/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5QJjIpfTSv8lhNT0315opQ8XL5aRdVetccREgaBXROR9RQhuE4u1YBqf_7k1u2GBW_BGAZLD1q7W1_8jSEICH3V4lEoUVOB8JXCbcu86BlzDhQ93SXyIkIUjTw2Kvi9HG17su9THDkN1/s640/IMG_1022.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnreVqmnA6KtAzrf5Z0R_QGdR-opyDsMvsMAQROeY3UfSqv295E46ElvlX-x7PfLLH_MphBtpWYKFRuY82HPDdjXMSH-MTEMYqLHqXoxYrQGJPGpoQK1NW6zjgBpKYxm3HRaAMsrmjaM9/s1600/IMG_1087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnreVqmnA6KtAzrf5Z0R_QGdR-opyDsMvsMAQROeY3UfSqv295E46ElvlX-x7PfLLH_MphBtpWYKFRuY82HPDdjXMSH-MTEMYqLHqXoxYrQGJPGpoQK1NW6zjgBpKYxm3HRaAMsrmjaM9/s640/IMG_1087.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-67096999516807597452012-04-03T06:34:00.001-07:002012-04-03T12:30:16.938-07:00Kakamega Rainforest Continued<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSecIu_lkULIPaoH0o6GgsF6lVki1UDHRA_GGYMCjeiNv5qjdFDImAn-OKm8d98NG5JI5dbiIPhnrNlz3hxFpnPNYY5AkJ0ekGu31bTYPnevnRqH1ScQwZRXGB9akadGalS0VHswScuIVP/s1600/IMG_0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSecIu_lkULIPaoH0o6GgsF6lVki1UDHRA_GGYMCjeiNv5qjdFDImAn-OKm8d98NG5JI5dbiIPhnrNlz3hxFpnPNYY5AkJ0ekGu31bTYPnevnRqH1ScQwZRXGB9akadGalS0VHswScuIVP/s400/IMG_0049.JPG" width="300" /></a></div> Ok, I think I left of with our night of games by the lantern. It stormed that night, and we woke up very cold and damp! It was fun though, and completely worth it! Oh, and did I mention that we got up at 0445 for a sunrise hike! It was completely dark. I was hoping the star/moon light would brighten our way, but it was cloudy, so<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCMdDxzxrzMB2hK-CDzKGK0PSjUJ1nO9eXwkwASs6GxhWhXfXUXIS2hC_tdd5O15PpByGDzzFZTePozU_iYadg4IYPLGqZW5EVrXZxqMl-XFCDReVALvGY12fZTLUs7LpBnRNKYyca4h7/s1600/IMG_0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCMdDxzxrzMB2hK-CDzKGK0PSjUJ1nO9eXwkwASs6GxhWhXfXUXIS2hC_tdd5O15PpByGDzzFZTePozU_iYadg4IYPLGqZW5EVrXZxqMl-XFCDReVALvGY12fZTLUs7LpBnRNKYyca4h7/s640/IMG_0077.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MMI13O8kKe4njHOqgPLCMHUPnhGZXZXksEa5x_Xj-PREqEXZcHMYnJakIqT9LihkSL48ai3_Xdg9cedSpxuxBOaiBSUcvH-zRbezAi5OPexYZQ7UKEga-Y73KglTx0LO4Pu-QzdkQ-Er/s1600/IMG_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MMI13O8kKe4njHOqgPLCMHUPnhGZXZXksEa5x_Xj-PREqEXZcHMYnJakIqT9LihkSL48ai3_Xdg9cedSpxuxBOaiBSUcvH-zRbezAi5OPexYZQ7UKEga-Y73KglTx0LO4Pu-QzdkQ-Er/s640/IMG_0085.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-90679671862782990332012-04-01T21:56:00.000-07:002012-04-01T21:56:19.964-07:00Kakamega Rainforest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEWnOOEaK2a81OYdckTEAdPjKIJ0EgsAqVl0UX-IuEHSy-jgvzDYKz9H2e4BmJ6NBy6VRwsJe_bPlk4c2mso3KmY5_oc4MYKt-ZMbzjWT6J3OoQFFnOcqlvHip9BvXpCSPvFqD-QC0gxc/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEWnOOEaK2a81OYdckTEAdPjKIJ0EgsAqVl0UX-IuEHSy-jgvzDYKz9H2e4BmJ6NBy6VRwsJe_bPlk4c2mso3KmY5_oc4MYKt-ZMbzjWT6J3OoQFFnOcqlvHip9BvXpCSPvFqD-QC0gxc/s320/IMG_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> So you may think Africa is dry... mostly true, but this weekend we went to somewhere it rains quite frequently, the Kakamega Rainforest! It was just like we learned about in school, with a canopy, monkeys, birds, lots and lots of butterflies. It was beautiful.<br />
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We left at 9:38 am on Saturday. I mention the exact time because most of Nolan's group was convinced this was horribly late. In those eight minutes we may have discovered another species or something! I admit, when they tried to yell at us to get ready 15 minutes early during breakfast, both Nolan and I slowed down. We truly had a reason for those 8 minutes. We were writing back my friend Lisa whose husband was in the emergency room. Please pray for Lisa and her husband Drew as I am worried about them both. Pray for them both to be healthy!<br />
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We arrived at our bandas at around Noon. I have no idea what banda means, but it is sort of a hut/cabin. No electricity, but all of the essentials, bed, sheets, towels, mosquito net, hot water. Speaking of water, they heat it in a big pot over the camp fire. Perfect temperature for me, but most of our comrades complained of second degree burns. Later I will show you a picture of the outhouse/shower house. pretty scary, but what's the phrase, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It was one of the best experiences here, and we all felt better staying somewhere were we were not pampered. I'm pretty sure it was still pampering by Kenyan standards, but by American standards I would call it primitive camping.<br />
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One of the first pictures is the dining hall banda looking straight up at the ceiling. We don't undertstand how they make it so water resistant. It rained and stormed but the straw thatched roof kept us dry. It was very tall too, I would say about 20 feet!.<br />
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The picture below is Nolan on our 4 hour hike through the rain forest. You should be very excited, because these pictures are from the tiny camera. Nolan was in charge of the zoom lense powerful canon, so all of the really good pictures will follow when he tells me how to upload them. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6jwhNJF0WMotO1HA6cjb8BIERLyzYKGTYifgJh0u1JbtqXltwJnGpi-SXzJBuxVp4advoGraNYxdUmBoZO7R7UTzsABWJhIBNsBzidGNcHtApYpha6R6seGpy06GheLEGgAzi1k99u5e/s1600/IMG_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6jwhNJF0WMotO1HA6cjb8BIERLyzYKGTYifgJh0u1JbtqXltwJnGpi-SXzJBuxVp4advoGraNYxdUmBoZO7R7UTzsABWJhIBNsBzidGNcHtApYpha6R6seGpy06GheLEGgAzi1k99u5e/s320/IMG_0034.JPG" width="288" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-81751209582092535082012-03-26T22:23:00.000-07:002012-03-26T22:23:49.150-07:0010 Things You Didn't Know about Kenya1. There is a high demand for winter coats. To us munzungus, the weather here is hot with pleasantly cool mornings. Well, to Kenyans, this season is freezing in the morning. You will frequently see them wearing large coats when it is 80 outside. It's pretty much hilarious.<br />
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2. Africans don't all live in huts. In fact, Eldoret is a pretty "rich" town. Very dirty, dusty, but for Africa rich meaning lots of stores, people, restaurants, etc. You would have to be here a while to appreciate it. There are rich Kenyans. They drive benz's and wear fancy clothing. The Masai people do live in huts made of cow dung. The women make the huts!<br />
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3. Goats and Cows are everywhere!<br />
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4. Most people speak English. They learn it in school.<br />
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5. Kenyans are very friendly. Everyone shakes hands. Almost everyone smiles or greats you when you are walking on the street, and not just people trying to sell something. They are a very warm people.<br />
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6. Ugali is there favorite food. Ugali basically cornmeal with milk and water turned into a kind of play-dough. The Kenyans love this! They would choose it over french fries. At best, it taste very very bland. It's not bad if you mix it with something else.<br />
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7. No tigers. I felt really really dumb when I realized this, but when reading a children's book at Sally Test I learned there are actually no tigers in all of Africa! So the song, lions and tigers and bears, is completely inaccurate, because I doubt there are even bears in Africa.<br />
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8. There is a actually a large Indian population in Eldoret. This really confuses the Kenyans, as when we say Indiana, they often say, India? They are the wealthy business owners. This is also why we eat a lot of Indian food, which we have grown to love. I love paneer!<br />
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9. The Masai Mara, where we went last weekend, is actually connected to the Serengeti. I didn't know that. The famous wildebeest migration is actually from the masai mara to the serengeti. The serengeti is much larger. Someday I want to come back to see the migration. I have heard it is awe-inspiring.<br />
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10. They have "walmarts". Ok, not really walmarts, but same concept. In fact, Nolan and I just went to the biggest one on Sunday. There supermarkets are actually pretty large. Naukumatt, Tusky's and Naivas are the three big stores. You can tell only the rich buy much, while the poor only by bread and rice, the stables. The poorest don't buy anything at all. Only muzungus and foreigners probably buy lots of things like hand sanitizer ( which is expensive here) or chocolate bars (sniff sniff snickers)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnowuTYRTZximfyvKy9s4VZxqY1zaNpBW2ftd616LwTGCoSD2Oan4CIrigywwmzDgVtiRHw2FkExtXeahBSZhw4pTWkSo1kWxTeWCmIw1fFyZbfJl2r87t0JBbED3TX16IhFlmXlIi6ZOh/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnowuTYRTZximfyvKy9s4VZxqY1zaNpBW2ftd616LwTGCoSD2Oan4CIrigywwmzDgVtiRHw2FkExtXeahBSZhw4pTWkSo1kWxTeWCmIw1fFyZbfJl2r87t0JBbED3TX16IhFlmXlIi6ZOh/s640/IMG_0155.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-35258794472936262862012-03-24T06:01:00.000-07:002012-03-24T06:01:28.439-07:00Hello from EldoretOk, so nothing exciting going on this weekend. We are staying home, haha home in kenya, with the goal of buying more souvenirs and relaxing. We are lucky though, because I think I finally have had too many kids cough on me. I have some kind of funky cough going on. The medical team leader is going to check me out in a bit, but for now, I just sound like a funny frog.<br />
This is what they call the sausage tree. Can you see why? It looks like cattails . Did I ever tell you that when I was little I thought those were hot dogs growing on plants? :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQ5C_94UQ8dLyefCUWnf3rGESobJaZ2qpaYHvR_bSrqfyvulmRobZ7JT4ejNatAtMaEUuw3vlpdUCkcW7Dsw-3cbHQkSnBpVhFill4xX4LnZlDQQ-Q8hRL19m43OfXnojGQMb-I3xzVDL/s1600/IMG_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQ5C_94UQ8dLyefCUWnf3rGESobJaZ2qpaYHvR_bSrqfyvulmRobZ7JT4ejNatAtMaEUuw3vlpdUCkcW7Dsw-3cbHQkSnBpVhFill4xX4LnZlDQQ-Q8hRL19m43OfXnojGQMb-I3xzVDL/s640/IMG_0791.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>PS. Medical leader checked me out. Says I'm gonna make it. :)Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-86888925389403015332012-03-21T21:53:00.000-07:002012-03-21T21:53:51.942-07:00Hospital StoriesI realized that I have been focusing on the weekend trips, when really that is only 2 out of 7 days here. Just a warning though. The last few posts have been beautiful pictures with happy memories, but all of this might not be happy.<br />
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Our week goes like this...<br />
Sunday evening: With everyone back from trips, Sunday night supper is our first provided meal of the week. Everyone talks about what they have been up too.<br />
<br />
Monday: Hospital and free night. Nolan and I often take Swahili lessons.<br />
Tuesday: Morning Report at hospital, Hospital, Kenyan lunch, Karaoke,<br />
Nolan and I don't go to karaoke because it is at a bar, but usually we get the place to ourselves with everyone gone. Faster internet. :)<br />
Wednesday: Hospital, Restaurant night: Last night it was Sunjeel Indian food. Delicious, but too packed. I think they underestimated our number by like 20! More yummy paneer and nan ( indian flat bread)<br />
Thursday: Morning report, Hospital, Dodgeball for the brave souls, Supper, Fireside chat,<br />
Thursday is one of my favorite days. All of the guys are serious about dodgeball. Usually only 1 or 2 girls play. I watch, it's very entertaining!<br />
Friday: Hospital and no supper night. I usually forget supper is not provided since so many people leave on trips. Usually we go out to town if not gone.<br />
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Ok, so you are probably like, that is very boring, why are they in Kenya? Well, the hospital is a million stories in itself!<br />
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On Tuesday. Nolan's friend Erica got attacked by a naked woman. They have a psych ward, but you have to be admitted to the medicine ward first. Erika said she was screaming about taking all of the earrings out of everyone. I guess she tried to strangle a doctor, and grabbed Erica, all while in the nude. poor erica !<br />
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Yesterday, Nolan had a rough day. Rounds started late, so they were still in room 1 of 3. It is common to have 2 in a bed, so they were talking about 1 of 2 babies in the last bed. I guess Dr. Asha looked over and realized the baby wasn't breathing. She said she had seen the baby breathing recently. She yelled for an ambu bag, and eventually got one, but I guess it was too late. They tried for 5 minutes with compressions and bagging, but Dr. Asha told Nolan she checked the pupil reflex, and it was gone, so that meant the brain stem was dead. I don't know how pediatric life support is in the United States, so we don't know if that is a trustworthy indicator, but poor Nolan had to witness the entire thing. He has had patients die, but never right in front of him, or a baby. I knew something was going on because they brought the mom out through the Sally test center. She completely lost it, understandably.<br />
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There were three more children abandoned this weekend. That makes around 11, lets see if i can remember their names,<br />
Dan<br />
Little Dan<br />
Jolyne<br />
Shadrach ( Shaddy)<br />
Sarah<br />
Lydia<br />
Amos<br />
Enoch<br />
Maimy<br />
Well that makes nine, and there are at least two more, so that sounds right. Some are developmentally slow, but others are just normal healthy kids. It breaks my heart. If adoptions weren't terribly difficult, I would take all of them home!<br />
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That's all for now.<br />
Love,<br />
Abby<br />
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PS. When our car overheated on the way back from the mara, these kids flocked from the local village. Not sure if they had ever seen a digital camera or a white person up close before. Our driver, a Kenyan, said this will be a day they remember. That made me smile!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-fW8NRpvu1gwFlMVWenZiHWHMpq3zlaGFEwtyAhdJGsj-QgaQH4MZjccD7upPbzxm0ezCf6tMxNdha_oJKIbgihlP5JNllHG_KKWGdfY6f50_Mz9Y-L4sMURAFT7v7v1jL0OT3KdINMM/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-fW8NRpvu1gwFlMVWenZiHWHMpq3zlaGFEwtyAhdJGsj-QgaQH4MZjccD7upPbzxm0ezCf6tMxNdha_oJKIbgihlP5JNllHG_KKWGdfY6f50_Mz9Y-L4sMURAFT7v7v1jL0OT3KdINMM/s640/IMG_0939.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-75341774464256458732012-03-20T01:16:00.000-07:002012-03-20T01:16:11.928-07:00More Masai Mara Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0NvgOQAER-qCYax4d17QhQBEATO38YANm9mzhyphenhyphenbMmfLeAlFnhJhHwd-cCFUBDBYHRd6WA6eGfijKNoDNNUa0WoS-Rai03trtjIL-R01Sm3-U8Hqsu3DcEXk4CcqYAFYf7CSVpleUW2KT/s1600/IMG_0474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0NvgOQAER-qCYax4d17QhQBEATO38YANm9mzhyphenhyphenbMmfLeAlFnhJhHwd-cCFUBDBYHRd6WA6eGfijKNoDNNUa0WoS-Rai03trtjIL-R01Sm3-U8Hqsu3DcEXk4CcqYAFYf7CSVpleUW2KT/s640/IMG_0474.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> View from the Gate of the park<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZv_-ru_WaRzy8ttOwuzGCD83tbnf8SVGRjkcCxOvYXBJ7FbTy0tddGsAezRqUpW6t7luuPoU5MeE9bh1g0rmaLde-md58zB-nhql9mjGp2yuIUbp3EoGgwsfUlPqK25xRQFIZI1RYKGlm/s1600/IMG_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZv_-ru_WaRzy8ttOwuzGCD83tbnf8SVGRjkcCxOvYXBJ7FbTy0tddGsAezRqUpW6t7luuPoU5MeE9bh1g0rmaLde-md58zB-nhql9mjGp2yuIUbp3EoGgwsfUlPqK25xRQFIZI1RYKGlm/s640/IMG_0479.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> Cha Cha's van: Our safari car<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6BoE3wtbdtR_Dcs4pk2UINy6-2pfc1YnawzGA-hAw03L6yY627xlHJp8SdbZeE7uLBQBEoYpWhF9qK0UAGH7j48feGHwt3Z608YGkklapoWt2jogY_BfRczWV06YegXoY6nuzr_20dVJ/s1600/IMG_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6BoE3wtbdtR_Dcs4pk2UINy6-2pfc1YnawzGA-hAw03L6yY627xlHJp8SdbZeE7uLBQBEoYpWhF9qK0UAGH7j48feGHwt3Z608YGkklapoWt2jogY_BfRczWV06YegXoY6nuzr_20dVJ/s640/IMG_0590.JPG" width="474" /></a></div> Lion eating Water Buffalo<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw0rKPsOOP_D3qmERBBtJRWzlnZuozjDJ3r0JE8f8CThoDvnm1wtcvVosLXdagdLXm915v5uJ59qHL3ZWYAJKzKl57Zz5KyHUy_FUz5xmDuE5zV3xIYez-DK4F6zYSO-gxg06yvTsy8ih/s1600/IMG_0637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw0rKPsOOP_D3qmERBBtJRWzlnZuozjDJ3r0JE8f8CThoDvnm1wtcvVosLXdagdLXm915v5uJ59qHL3ZWYAJKzKl57Zz5KyHUy_FUz5xmDuE5zV3xIYez-DK4F6zYSO-gxg06yvTsy8ih/s640/IMG_0637.JPG" width="474" /></a></div> Lion Paw<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNS6ASQxz86aP0TDguQeqF-yg6JeE6KDwn_B4KMtfqxYTXLSM_wnhCPUvIi5i0p85sKp6atTnXg2vyJd-ntTEcyyXxbMQhPmZgS3u4BjZpv-il4G4c-_yDJSLhGtkKMskz_ihfMhvaJM5/s1600/IMG_0701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNS6ASQxz86aP0TDguQeqF-yg6JeE6KDwn_B4KMtfqxYTXLSM_wnhCPUvIi5i0p85sKp6atTnXg2vyJd-ntTEcyyXxbMQhPmZgS3u4BjZpv-il4G4c-_yDJSLhGtkKMskz_ihfMhvaJM5/s640/IMG_0701.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
Bridge at our "campground" aka Luxury tent resort<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXSq2ImcY-tPqgByZ7vh44anTiq8AdpUF8xNBGgX0Dciyb1YuakWuYUOPos8ypbZmvFnpVcev4aNrN0m74V-_jr0GbLDntaEIsgfGbkiInlIK2FtRD9Y6-Fa7BdL9lGrn-KMgx0KYDtbf/s1600/IMG_0727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXSq2ImcY-tPqgByZ7vh44anTiq8AdpUF8xNBGgX0Dciyb1YuakWuYUOPos8ypbZmvFnpVcev4aNrN0m74V-_jr0GbLDntaEIsgfGbkiInlIK2FtRD9Y6-Fa7BdL9lGrn-KMgx0KYDtbf/s400/IMG_0727.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg787UY8KKJAymoon4A4_hKZ0CevcvBClcuthXyO2MlCNgqNfrsd8dWn4IoE0aH-dJYQQbjMCG73Nzum92XTeRx7Cmn9L39M6lmdSXKWcQtuJBERMX8G7qwxqIL9VxeHjOINMj_ZHfmtyp1/s1600/IMG_0748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg787UY8KKJAymoon4A4_hKZ0CevcvBClcuthXyO2MlCNgqNfrsd8dWn4IoE0aH-dJYQQbjMCG73Nzum92XTeRx7Cmn9L39M6lmdSXKWcQtuJBERMX8G7qwxqIL9VxeHjOINMj_ZHfmtyp1/s640/IMG_0748.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Look close to see the babies!<br />
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</div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-19485837252424052582012-03-18T21:40:00.000-07:002012-03-18T21:40:10.046-07:00Nolan's Wildlife Photography Company<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-QoMs-xU6QtbLD5v0dvtCqmBzi_t_G5QqH1RPp2TouCcaQfoa_iZ0P25CY4teTnctmj1w7D7HG1jxxer5AfAxg0LjuqAodpHW4_TjxOHEpL-ggo4RzK0_bs31wkEi5FIaxRLScucf1vY/s1600/IMG_0507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-QoMs-xU6QtbLD5v0dvtCqmBzi_t_G5QqH1RPp2TouCcaQfoa_iZ0P25CY4teTnctmj1w7D7HG1jxxer5AfAxg0LjuqAodpHW4_TjxOHEpL-ggo4RzK0_bs31wkEi5FIaxRLScucf1vY/s640/IMG_0507.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf-u8W3lNp9ygldfdgO4NWn8GVuze_DmWxnUDy-gQzcC5vYqtbAZ6LXFs9fLZ7kGN2U1e-v6_vi8oFSwUjflBDPvklV8Uq_Ji7X-e1mob-pOK4CRRUymO_nRu07qFS3KxaxmyZhhK2by8/s1600/IMG_0772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf-u8W3lNp9ygldfdgO4NWn8GVuze_DmWxnUDy-gQzcC5vYqtbAZ6LXFs9fLZ7kGN2U1e-v6_vi8oFSwUjflBDPvklV8Uq_Ji7X-e1mob-pOK4CRRUymO_nRu07qFS3KxaxmyZhhK2by8/s640/IMG_0772.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-14909664040548702412012-03-18T12:17:00.000-07:002012-03-18T12:17:39.365-07:00The Maasai MaraThis weekend was very amazing. We made our journey to the Masai Mara. We left at 6am on Friday morning. The ride was bumpy, and we didn't think we could take it much longer when we got to the bad part. 3 hours of the worse gravel road ever! We were very thankful to get there. <div><br />
</div><div>I won't say much about this weekend. Words can't do it justice. Upon arriving at our luxury tent park, we had lunch and tea, and then went on our first safari. We seen cheetahs, wildebeests, antelope ( various sizes, shapes), hyenas, LIONS!!!!, </div><div><br />
</div><div>Actually, Nolan kept a very good list of our safari. You will have to ask him later for some of the details since it sounds sort of funny...</div><div>goats, </div><div>dead zebra</div><div>wild dog eating dead zebra</div><div>cattle</div><div>masai people </div><div>chickens </div><div>donkeys </div><div>big beak bird</div><div>wild dog</div><div>termite hills</div><div>baa baa brown sheep </div><div>live zebra</div><div>wildebeest</div><div>impala</div><div>gazelle/goat NOS </div><div>goat-dogs/NOS </div><div>masai warrior </div><div>Thomson Gazelle </div><div>warthog </div><div>antelope </div><div>Mere-cat (like Timon) </div><div>cheetah</div><div>yellow billed stork </div><div>lionesses</div><div>lions </div><div>dead buffalo </div><div>dead lion </div><div>vulture </div><div>hyenas </div><div>elephants (2 + baby, far far away) </div><div>waterbuck </div><div>mongoose </div><div>giraffe </div><div>baby donkey </div><div>asian paparazzi (silly man in his personal car took pictures of us, we must look weird)</div><div>more elephants and baby elephants </div><div>Lilac-breasted Roller</div><div>Ostrich </div><div>black-bellied Bustard bird </div><div>Ground horn bill </div><div>Tobby </div><div>Dik-Dik, aka rabit-deer-goat </div><div>baboons </div><div>turtles</div><div>killer leopard </div><div>unfortunate impala </div><div>crocodiles </div><div>hippos </div><div>killer hippos from whom Kevin narrowly escaped </div><div>huge vultures </div><div>secretary bird - partial to snakes </div><div>African killer toilet tarantula from whom Navid narrowly escaped. </div><div>cute little monkeys </div><div><br />
</div><div>Africa is beautiful and we are loving it. </div><div>Now a special Segment from Nolan...</div><div><br />
</div><div>So... in case you haven't figured out already... the above was a loose description of things we actually saw... but somewhat sensationalized. The following requires no amplification.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We were in the Mara, looking for leopards. Our Masai guide told us that generally less than half of all visitors get to see a leopard. He knew just where to take us and sure enough, before long we found a leopard. It was a beautiful animal, but saw us and headed straight for the woods behind it. We caught a couple pictures of him walking away and were a bit disappointed, but still grateful to have seen such an elusive cat.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The driver decided to move to the other side of that stand of trees, on the off chance that the leopard might come out the other side. On our way to our new vantage point, we noticed a pair of impalas, but did not give them much thought - in the mara, there is a little herd of impalas over every hill, it seems. I figured that leopard was probably sitting in the stand of trees, watching us and laughing, waiting to come out until we would leave. But I was wrong!</div><div><br />
</div><div>After maybe 30 seconds, the leopard did come sneaking out of the woods, maybe 20 meters in front of us. But as soon as he hit the clearing, he must have taken note of the impalas too - probably 100 meters away. He crouched down like he was calculating his attack. But he seemed to be a bit shy to perform for us. He relaxed a bit, still keenly watching. Then we heard what must have been a small herd of elephants - they were trumpeting, making a big ruckus, and quickly getting louder and nearer. They must have been playing or sparring - they were excited about something.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Well, that really put a chill on the leopard. He laid down and seemed to lose interest in the hunt; but he didn't leave. So, we continued to wait. I think we waited 20 to 30 minutes. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Finally, he perked up; he seemed to be calculating again. He stood up, began slowly stalking across the road, maybe 5 meters in front of our van. It was just like a domestic cat, stalking his prey; then, in a moment, he took off in a sprint into the stand of trees on the side of the road opposite the one from which he'd come. We lost sight of him for a moment, but could see a blur intermittently through the trees.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Then the cloud of dust. The leopard tackled the impala, perhaps 30 meters in front of us. We could only half see the impact, but what came next we did not expect. A ball of leopard-impala-fury came running, tumbling, fighting toward our vehicle. They ran a curved path, and careened directly into the front bumper of the safari-van. I am sure that the location of our vehicle was far from their consideration at that moment in time, but it made for quite a view of the proceedings. And it was a bit scary too. We wondered for a moment if they would roll or jump up the hood of the vehicle, and our safety seemed compromised.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The pair continued struggling and came to a stop about 5 meters in front of the vehicle. After some further struggling, the leopard prevailed. We were overwhelmed by the situation. The strength of the leopard, the flight of the impala, the proximity of the fight, and the good fortune which found us in the right place at the right time.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I happened to be in the best spot of the safari-van. I caught nearly the entire scene on video. Upon returning to our lodging, we were excited to show this video to the Masai warriors working there. They were very excited and told us that they do not know anyone who has seen a leopard kill in the Mara. Every time a group of Masai saw the video, a few minutes later another group had heard and came to watch. One appeared to be in his sixties and also had never heard of people witnessing such a scene. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Although it was a violent thing to see, we felt like we were lucky to have been there. When we are able, we hope to upload said video to YouTube, but it is rather large and this may take some time.</div><div><br />
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</div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-60094590352127770172012-03-14T20:40:00.001-07:002012-03-15T19:23:35.510-07:00Hell's Gate/ Naivasha part 3,4,5????<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s1600/IMG_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s320/IMG_0316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s1600/IMG_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s320/IMG_0316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s1600/IMG_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s320/IMG_0316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s1600/IMG_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-cIWF05lbKhDNqKG3sC3doDp3I_FwuVPKSQT0VLUl4zCe6vqRd7YUGebmF4Px6P2qp1b95yH8MJBbI657CAioRm4riCoE_WY8ilnB4-mWje3Tw0cynRHDEkRz4pehbFTd7_NTbOb1AxR/s320/IMG_0316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Ha ha, Its pretty bad when you have divided your post up so much you can't remember who many posts on one topic there have been. This will be the last post of this past weekend, especially since we leave for our next trip tomorrow!. SAFARI!!!! at Masai Mara ( I know this is spelled wrong). <br />
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Ok, so the next morning we got up to a nice breakfast and another nice hot powerful shower. You would appreciate the shower more if you were here. Then, we got our life jackets on to go hippo watching!!! With 6 on a boat, we went on the lake where there is a protected hippo population in the 100's. You don't get to close though becuase although they are herbivores, they can be very aggressive, and will hurt you. One of my new friends and I decided they would make a hippo sandwich out of you. The hippos were AWESOME! Nolan and I got separated by boats, but that actually worked out great becuase he took a bunch of funny pictures of me squinting in the sun due to lack of glasses and excess of sun. <br />
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I wish I could remember all of the birds they showed us. I know we seen a King Fisher, a tiny black and white bird with a long skinny beak. We seen a type of eagle. They threw it a fish, and it swooped down, grabbed it and flew back to his tree. We decided he has the good life. If a boat comes by every hour, he is one well fed fish.We see pelicans, gulls, and many other birds that I'm sure bird-watchers would really appreciate. <br />
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We arrived on Crescent Island, which is actually a peninsula. There they have a protected wild animal population including mule dear, water buffalo, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, and supposively hyenas, but they are rarely seen in the day. It was amazing. We just walked around this huge field like area, right next to the animals. They were skiddish, so they didn't come close, but I was so close for not being a fence in between. So much fun! <br />
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On the way back, we stopped to eat at another park called Navasha, We didn't pay to get in, but we have heard its a good place to go on a mini safari if you don't want to go all the way to the Maasai Mara. Well, the monkey population must have decided it would not be caged in. Monkeys and baboons were on the outside of the gate where we ate! At first we were like, oooh, a monkey, oooh another monkey, but by the end, we were like, oh no another monkey! Not really, but there were lots! My favorite was a mommy monkey with a brand new baby. He was tiny tiny!<br />
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We seen lots of baby monkeys with their mom. I will tell you about my favorite. Ok, so during the meal, a lady guarded our table with a sling shot. We were all like, wow, that's overkill, she must want a good tip, until after the meal. As soon as we got up, the monkeys came closer. The sling shot lady stepped away for 30 seconds, and two monkeys jumped onto the porch, ran across the table grabbing whatever food they could find, and broke some dishes. She ran out and started shooting them, but by then it was too late! <br />
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So the one monkey, has a baby and now a handful of food in each hand. He jumps off the table, and then turns around to see our friend Lenny standing there. Lenny was not doing anything. Lenny was probably just as surprised as the monkey, but the mommy monkey felt threatened. She went up and smacked him. It was the funniest thing on the entire trip. I so wish we had a video. It was probably funny because of all of us, Lenny was probably the least likely to get in the monkeys space, and attack it!<br />
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Well, I had better get ready. The preacher from Kenya is coming to get the Bibles this morning! <br />
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Love, <br />
AbbyNoabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-52135854514384210102012-03-13T21:01:00.000-07:002012-03-13T21:01:39.566-07:00After hell's gate, weekend part 3After our bike/hike we were exhausted, covered in dust, and ready for a hot shower. Well, not yet, becuase Cha Cha our driver, had something planned for us. It was worth it too! <br />
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We drove across town to the edge of the lake where we see thousands of flamingos. They are protected at Lake Naivasha. We even seen the tip of a hippo. Oh, the tip of a hippo is its ears and eyes. It was really far away, but so cool. <br />
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So after a photo op with the flamingos, we went back to camp. Did I describe our tent for you? Well, tent is a bit of a stretch. It is better described as luxury electrified cabin with a couple of tarp walls, two four poster beds, a bathroom way bigger than our room in Eldoret, and a hot shower. It was probably pretty expensive as we had no part in booking it, but it was nice to live in luxury one night. It probably would have been worth it just for the shower. So, if someone says they have been tent camping, ask them if it was luxury tent camping, which is not camping at all? <br />
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They prepared a nice supper buffet for us. Best thing was fried fish, but they had chapati too. No dessert for us poor Americans. :( <br />
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And to our delightful suprise, there was a turndown service which put hot water bottles in our bed. <br />
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Sweet dreams. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_as4YjcramAFPezhK3_K_hQ9cVfawi7MU_fWtBZ4mGVIjf31ST444zpC6BhHRZQcXx5Gph2YWiQEsKH-1jZ2JaDRY5WfHnZWZZdC49jBp1Z_TjY2Yvpr2ymykUIY67T-ZNXcJ2caKqzf4/s1600/IMG_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_as4YjcramAFPezhK3_K_hQ9cVfawi7MU_fWtBZ4mGVIjf31ST444zpC6BhHRZQcXx5Gph2YWiQEsKH-1jZ2JaDRY5WfHnZWZZdC49jBp1Z_TjY2Yvpr2ymykUIY67T-ZNXcJ2caKqzf4/s320/IMG_0240.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-90262909404780581162012-03-12T11:40:00.000-07:002012-03-12T11:40:14.294-07:00Hell's Gate ParkThe first stop on our weekend trip was Hell's gate Park. My dad would love this place. You rent a bike (not of the highest quality I might add) and ride on an unpaved path through the park. The sweetest thing about it is that the wild animals are truly wild, meaning they can wander anywhere near you. No fences! Within five minutes we had seen a warthog family. By 10 minutes we had seen water buffalo and zebra, soon followed by a giraffe and ostriches. Thankfully all of these animals were friendly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSfo5MTNmELT6bak33bk-BKqXw88Qo6MLKvujtVG0kaJnRlVC01w6spQ37_Pzu7os3ZOX95Uzu7kvjjircGDnLQPEcUtO39RYXx7TmIsEipn0xrfyKu34iqguuI0FEY0clGnZ_RQmYKDL/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSfo5MTNmELT6bak33bk-BKqXw88Qo6MLKvujtVG0kaJnRlVC01w6spQ37_Pzu7os3ZOX95Uzu7kvjjircGDnLQPEcUtO39RYXx7TmIsEipn0xrfyKu34iqguuI0FEY0clGnZ_RQmYKDL/s320/IMG_0059.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsz8S2gKQnkwpRBRJ2enaYL3iLNQIQGKq5TBHA74DYDMXZQXcL9mjiscdzw9KjK8AzTf_9_RKJQ2seCFzBGEsZCTGvPbWNfk0OjiMO9ztxUEr9tPnVd5tBYvjBpSD_ecJbOhev92aO1gLX/s1600/IMG_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsz8S2gKQnkwpRBRJ2enaYL3iLNQIQGKq5TBHA74DYDMXZQXcL9mjiscdzw9KjK8AzTf_9_RKJQ2seCFzBGEsZCTGvPbWNfk0OjiMO9ztxUEr9tPnVd5tBYvjBpSD_ecJbOhev92aO1gLX/s320/IMG_0076.JPG" width="212" /></a></div> I had expected a leisurely ride around the park. Well, first of all, a bumpy dirt path with all my junk is not leisurely. Secondly, when we reached our stop, we took a 2 hour hike through the canyon, complete with climbing up rocks, jumping streams, and the finale of a big hill with a rewarding view. It was beautiful!<br />
On the hike, we got behind a group of about 40 Kenyans. They were sort of slow, so we tried to pass them, but got stuck at one of the rock-climbing(being lifted by a strong Kenyan) points. Well, I felt really bad when we got to the turn-around point. It was a natural amphitheater in the Canyon. They were actually a church choir of some kind, and started singing this beautiful song in Swahili. Nolan thinks they were catholic. They were very friendly, and asked us to join in. I took a video, so hopefully when I get home, you can listen to the Kenyans sing with a little help from our group.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E67OaDjySXcE0OTRiae3Hi7Stnly96_26ZPP8sGUvluDr-ThSO_rvBhEm6Jn__dGnsb_L0JZW0_kHKrJtfAOfWeyXgOEULR_BDKMgm1DhyCjwj8XCqcVmrBnFYXukAwN3Za7yzmc26Pp/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E67OaDjySXcE0OTRiae3Hi7Stnly96_26ZPP8sGUvluDr-ThSO_rvBhEm6Jn__dGnsb_L0JZW0_kHKrJtfAOfWeyXgOEULR_BDKMgm1DhyCjwj8XCqcVmrBnFYXukAwN3Za7yzmc26Pp/s320/IMG_0384.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> So after the hike, we are all extremely tired. The ride back was not far, but we realized on the way there, we had been going slightly downhill. Now we had to go slightly uphill, which may not sound bad, but really put us all to the test on the bumpy gravel-ish road. Oh, and it was one way, so any time a car came by you had to take a huge drink of dust and either pull over or hope for the best. It was fun and thankfully the clouds covered the late sun.Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-53781637924406016722012-03-11T21:09:00.000-07:002012-03-11T21:09:47.677-07:00Lake Nakuru and Hell's Gate Park Part 1This weekend was so full, I will try to describe it in several blog posts. Amazing, fun, interesting, and funny... would all be words to describe this trip. For only spending one night away, we packed a lot in, and I don't want to describe all the first things in super detail, but then blur the rest, so I will do a mini-series.<br />
We left at 7am on Saturday morning. It was chilly in the morning so I wore long sleeves and jeans. MISTAKE. By the time we got there it was sunny and hot. Not intolerable, but hotter than normal.<br />
The first picture is from the "reststop" at the equator. I didn't go in or near, but I imagine it was stinky. It was still cool, sunny, and beautiful. It took about 3 hours to get there. The ride there wasn't bad because Nolan and I had seats in the second row. I also had a book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is actually pretty good.<br />
Well more later,<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDH49nJLZjh3sjFbc3g1NHUGgVZ3LJeSeTQ3NZdOJdNM1tRCFwyZNMkpXOjhdnmrTs_HYhC_9Jitcq05xc-6yJuhiOrqFdRkNYfZuGSWbK-SvUNyCu7y1NFSUFJkprCMhEHqFOrXtx6xd/s1600/IMG_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDH49nJLZjh3sjFbc3g1NHUGgVZ3LJeSeTQ3NZdOJdNM1tRCFwyZNMkpXOjhdnmrTs_HYhC_9Jitcq05xc-6yJuhiOrqFdRkNYfZuGSWbK-SvUNyCu7y1NFSUFJkprCMhEHqFOrXtx6xd/s320/IMG_0377.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> First stop, EQUATOR ! We had been south of the Equator in Nairobi, but we hadn't been on the exact line.<br />
Noabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318452493673489537.post-60664271919922239512012-03-07T19:51:00.000-08:002012-03-07T19:51:51.765-08:00Food in Kenyan Yesterday was our night to eat out. We went down the road to Mama Mia's which is actually mostly Indian food or food with Indian flair. I was going to tell you about what we ate, but I think it would be more fun to tell you about all of the tasty foods we have eaten here... Oh, and I will skip the boring American stuff.<br />
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Last night:<br />
paneer: Indian: Cheese Quote from Google, "a fresh cheese common in South Asian Cuisine. It is of Indian origin often referred in the Vedas dating back to 3000 BCE." it's hard, they fry it, saute it, cover it in sauce. delicious!<br />
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pizzas:Italian/Indian: the meal was tapas style with I think about 12 courses. 5 of them were pizza, but not just normal pizza, They take normal Indian dishes and make them into pizza, like chicken (cucu) tikal pizza???<br />
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lamb chops: I think we all know about those.<br />
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Florentine crepes: French?: NASTY: Ok, I like peas, but let me describe this crepe from Nolan's point of view. We had just eaten several courses, and were ready for dessert. What do they bring out? Crepes, Sweet, he thought, and he eagerly bit into one, just as he heard one of his colleagues say,"There are peas in them" EPIC fail. If they had any chance of being good, which they didn't, as being compared to delicious nutella or whipped cream means instant failure. Probably grossest thing in Kenya. I thought of you Connie. :)<br />
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mixed vegetables: this is sort of a joke, after stuffing ourselves on tons of delicious foods the last main course they brought out was mixed vegetables. Poor little carrots and green beans didn't have a chance. I think one med student took pity on them and ate some.<br />
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Ok, That is all for last night.<br />
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ugali: kenyan: Hard to describe, basically cornmeal with water/milk? turned into a sort of mush, Very bland, but Kenyans love it. I could do without. Don't tell the Kenyans!<br />
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chapati: Kenyan: my favorite Kenyan food. Fried flat bread. Salty, oily, and Delicious. One of my Kenyan friends at Sally Test is going to teach me how to make them, so hopefully when we come home, I can make chapati for everyone!<br />
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samosas: origin?: I thought samosas were Indiana, but they eat them a lot in Kenyan. Most of the stands on the street have them. A flaky pastry deep friend with either meat or vege filling on the inside. Also amazing! Nolan liked the meat ones, and I liked the ones with spicy potato filling.<br />
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Corn on the cob: (miaz: They sell it on the street, in like 1/2 cobs for a few shillings. Haven't tried it, but I think corn is a big part of their diet.<br />
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wheatabix: Great Britain: Whole grain cereal that comes in little cubes, but soften in liquid. I know this isn't Kenyan, but Nolan and I made up a little jingle. "Have you had your wheatabix today" Not so much in the food, but Great Britain's influence is seen heavily in their culture.<br />
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Bananas: They are so much better here, much sweeter and far superior to bananas at home.<br />
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Mangos: Should be their national fruit: They sell them everywhere on the street. Fresh mango juice most mornings here which is 100% as it is thick and pulpy. Most people don't like it, but it grows on you.<br />
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Cabbage: I had no idea cabbage was such a Kenyan food. They eat it in salads, main dishes, plain, boiled, chopped etc. They even have a version of Texas coleslaw crunch. I will probably need a long break from cabbage when I get back.<br />
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Milk: NON REFRIGERATED: Nolan told me they flash pasteurize their milk, so once it is processed, they seal it in containers, and it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Very creepy at first. It has quite the twang, but is growing on me. Also, the whole milk often comes in triangular shaped bags. You will see people drinking it on the streets. Sort of like the milk bags in elementary school, except these are paper.<br />
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Ok, well, I think I have filled you all for now. I miss everyone, please tell me how you all are doing.<br />
Love,<br />
AbbyNoabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01497457368773483425noreply@blogger.com1