From my journal on the flight from Kenya to London:
On airplanes, I always think about time. Travel gives you time to think, and a sense of the time that has passed since you last came through. Returning to the airport in Nairobi, it felt like I was entering a time warp. I remembered getting there for the first time, and finding Babu (our coordinator- the name means "grandfather") waiting... feeling so excited and hopeful and expectant and also oblivious to what I was about to experience. I love those moments. I guess that's the essence of life-- moving along, expecting something but unsure of what it is, and trying to peek into the complete unknown of the future. It's so exciting! I'm trying now to look more to the future, and to remember the past but to focus on what it was and not the fact that I'm not experiencing it now. Part of the greatness of life is that you can make things happen. There's a world of possibilities waiting at every moment. Maybe I'll go back to Africa. Maybe I'll work for National Geographic. Maybe I'll work at a homeless shelter or an orphanage. Maybe I'll run away with the circus, or be a waitress in Brazil. Who knows?
That said, I'm going to take a moment to remember what this trip has been.
I will always remember the incredible feeling of a game drive in the sun and the wind, riding through herds of zebra and elephants. I will always remember watching lion cubs play. I will always remember braving colossal insects and learning to like them. I will always remember to step carefully through the grass at night to avoid black mambas (whether or not this is an appropriate concern or not in the future). I will always remember staying in the Maasai boma with Margaret. I will always remember the poverty I witnessed. I will always remember children dancing in church, people calling me Simba, and staying up late with the askaris on night watch. I will always remember chilly mornings and upbeat music and dancing during cook crew. I will always remember Chris and Theo: making the kite, taking in views from an open hill and seeing Lake Manyara far below, sharing meals, and learning about their culture, their language, and their lives. I will remember my baptized names, Nashipai ("happy person" in Maasai) and Manaqi, ("new corn" in Iraqw) which I can't actually pronounce or spell. I will remember long hikes and classes on the hills and in the fields. I will remember camping surrounded by miles of African wilderness. I will remember bush babies and beautiful colored birds. I will remember the slow, loping run of a giraffe. I will remember wild Africa as I have seen it. I will remember feeling like my work and my studies had a purpose. I will remember long talks and interviews. I will remember the Maasai leader who took us into his home. I will remember cattle herded across dirt roads. I will remember playing guitar with hundreds of school children singing. I will remember chasing hyenas at night. I will remember campfires. I will remember Mto wa Mbu and our painter and carver friends. I will remember being a minority. I will remember being welcomed in. I will remember soccer. I will remember the torrential rainstorms and the scorching sun. I will remember the stars. I will remember waking up looking forward to each day as something special. And so much more.
And now... onward!
I just finished the first week of my internship with National Geographic Television in DC. A new adventure begins! So far, it has been extremely exciting. Keep on the lookout for our show, "Untamed Americas!"
*FYI, I have updated and fixed all of the blog entries that previously had blank photo icons on them. If you want to see pics from Serengeti and that time period, go back to those posts and they will be viewable now!
This will be my last blog post. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing. If anyone would like to send me questions or comments, feel free to write in the "comment" box below this post. I would love to hear from you!
(...bye!)
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