Happy Camper?

I am not tooting my own horn when I say that I recently slept outdoors for 2 nights in an army surplus tent. It was safari time at Masai Mara and we stayed in a quaint lodge with a bed, bath, lukewarm water and a flashlight.

The food was excellent, and the bugs were huge! Lizards kept trying to get into our tent and of course, we doused ourselves in DEET to ward off mosquitoes. Alas, I still managed to get eaten alive and came away with several bites that swelled and itched until this week. But honestly, amidst the sounds of crickets chirping, birds cawing, I slept well and am so glad we camped out for our Safari adventure.

More on Safari later, but I'm crossing #72 off of my 101 List...Sleep out under the stars for a night. We slept at Ol-Moran Lodge for two full nights. And for the most part, I was a Happy Camper! Thank ya Jesus.

Precious Faces

Every day that we were in the slums of Mathare, we were greeted by beautiful children of all ages. They reach out and shake your hand, give you a high-five or ask you to take their picture. A typical greeting from these little ones is, "How are you?" It is especially fun if you can say to them, "Sasa" because they will respond with the word, "Poa," which translates from Swahili to English as Cool or Good!! Jambo or Mambo are other words that are used to greet one another. But regardless of the greeting, you receive a smile that lights up your day. You walk away happy with a big grin on your own face.

I cannot yet say that my brain has fully shifted from Swahili back to English even though we have been in the US since Saturday...I miss hearing my new friends call out, How are you?

So, excuse me if I talk about my heart that remains in Mathare and the precious faces you will see on this blog.