Masai Mara Safari I

3 P.M. on First Day of Safari

Best days ever? I might already declare so. This morning we flew from Nairobi to the Masai Mara National Park. The flight was simply amazing. We flew in a twelve seat plane over the Kenyan bush and then landed on a dirt runway in the middle of the plains. Our guide met us at the airstrip, and we immediately went to see animals. On our way to the camp, we saw hippos, crocs, zebra, zebra carcasses, impala, warthogs, and antelope. We should be able to see the all of the Big Five here (lion, leopard, water buffalo, cheatah, rhino).

Our camp is simply amazing. It is a bush camp which means that we have luxury tents situation in the middle of a grove of trees. There are no fences around the camp! Let me repeat that there are no fences are the camp! Our tent looks onto the plains where water buffalo graze two hundred yards away. At night the buffalo and hippos come into the camp. The camp hires Masai warriors to scare away the animals. We cannot walk around at night without a guard. How cool is that? The hippos and buffalo also come and sniff your tent at night which I am really looking forward to.

I could go on and on about the camp. The food is delicious and everything is catered to your needs. I could really get used to this. Presently, we are sitting on the porch in front of our tent watching the rains fall over the plains while reading and journalling. At 4 p.m., we will have tea and biscuits and then depart for a three hour game drive. If this place offered me a job right now I would instantly take it. Of course I would finish my work with the Jubilee Centre, but I am that in love with this experience. Jonny and Michele feel the exact same way. I am off to lay in the hammock and read my book until the game drive.

(By the way, the really good photographs on this blog were taken by Jonny Hoffner. I will tell you later when his photography of Africa is ready to be purchased.)

Nairobi, Kenya

Today was our first day in Nairobi, Kenya. We are staying at my friend, Stephen Rigby's, apartment, but unfortunately, Rigby is not here. He was a roommate of mine at Wheaton but is presently on Christmas vacation. It is sad that I will not see him while in Kenya, but we are hanging out with his friends and having a blast.

Today, we visited Kibera, the second largest slum in the world. When you arrive in a new city, what person says take me to see the slums? I do. I know that it is weird, but poverty is one of my passions. Therefore, if I have a chance to gain more knowledge, I am going to take it. Because we were with Kenyans, we visited a family there and had to chance to talk to them about their situation. Today, we were also able to visit different sites in downtown Nairobi included Uhuru Park and the site of the American embassy bombing.

Throughout the day, I have been comparing and contrasting Zambia and Kenya. Nairobi is much more developed than any place in Zambia. I did not expect Nairobi to be this developed. I can find most things I need in Ndola, but in Nairobi, I can find everything I would ever need. I am so thankful also to travel on smooth roads. Even on the paved roads, potholes are your enemy in Zambia. I have not found that to be the case in Nairobi. Maybe I have gone to the wrong places, but we have traveled a lot in Nairobi today. Some of the roads in Kibera are better than the developed areas in Zambia. Anyway, the slums are pretty similar though Kibera is larger and more compact than the slums in Zambia. I also think that the Zambians have higher quality housing in the slums than the Kenyans.

Those are just some brief and scatter contrasts from my first day in Nairobi. By the end of my time in Kenya, I will hopefully be able to provide a more coherent analysis than that. Tomorrow, we leave for our safari. Three days and two nights in the bush. We are very excited. I have included for you pictures of Kibera and Rigby's friends/our hosts, Kennedy and Kinyash. Off to get eaten by a lion...

Christmas and More Traveling

Christmas in Ndola was definitely a blessed time. I am very fortunate to have Johnny and Michele with me. Having them around has brought a different sense of excitement to my life, and it has also kept my mind off of not being with my family during the holidays.

Christmas is definitely not celebrated as much in Zambia as in the States. In many senses, it is just like any other day. Many shops are open, and people can be found milling about. It definitely was a different experience. Johnny, Michele, and I made the most of it though. We bought cheap presents for each other, had stockings, and made a fake Christmas tree. As you can see from the pictures, our tree was made out of a green towel. It looked really good in our opinion. Along with the presents we bought, we also tried to steal each other’s personal items and wrap them without the other person knowing (Michele's jacket in the picture). Oh, the joys of Christmas in Zambia. Who says you have to have extravagant gifts to have fun? For all of our presents, decorations, and stockings, we probably spent $40 total. We just made sure the experience was fun. (Those are elephant window shades for my car btw).

I think this Christmas, more than others, has taught me about the gift of friendship. I know that I mentioned it before, but I cannot begin to describe the joy of having my friends around for the holidays. I guess you don’t know how blessed you are until you have something taken away from you. I think that blessing becomes clearer when the thing, which was taken away, is given back.

Anyways, I am presently sitting in the Lusaka airport boarding a plane for Kenya. That is where my friends are traveling to next, and I decided to join them for a few days. We are going to be spending New Years on a safari. I bought a stupid safari hat the other day and I am very excited to wear it. Don’t worry I will take plenty of pictures. Also, don’t worry none of your donated money is going to this trip. All donated money goes to ministry needs not pleasure trips. This is just a Christmas present I decided to give myself. I made it to the new year; therefore, it is time to celebrate like a tourist. Also, don’t worry I am not missing work time because the Jubilee Centre is on a two week break. Just wanted to ease any concerns people may have had.

If you want, you can also check out my friends’ blog at hoffnerworlddomination.blogspot.com. They update it every couple of weeks during their trip around the world. You can also check out their website at jonathanhoffnerphotography.com. Sorry but their pictures from Africa will not be up until the summer. Their photos of Zambia are amazing so go buy you when they put them up.

White Water Rafting

On Saturday, we went white water rafting on the Zambezi river for the whole day. All the water from Victoria Falls flows into one narrow gorge which creates world-class class IV and V rapids. Class V rapids are the highest level rapids in the world that you can commercially raft and there is one rapid on the river which is one of the most difficult rapids in the world. It is such a thrill and actually a lot safer than hiking to the edge of the falls.

I have included some pictures of our rafting day. The end of the rafting was a lot more enjoyable than I imagined it being. In the past, one had to hike 700 meters up out of the gorge to be transported back to your hotel. I have done it before, and it is a horrible experience. Try to imagine a full day of getting pounded by the river and then having to hike your way up a very steep gorge. But now they have installed a trolley so that you don’t have to hike out of the gorge. Even though I have spent a couple of days surrounded by natural creation, my most enjoyable moment was seeing that trolley working. You have no idea how hard it is to hike that gorge until you have tried it. Even though it felt like the trolley was going to fall off the wire, it was a welcome relief to a tired body.

Victoria Falls Part II

Usually, a trip to Victoria Falls is complete after you walk on the sidewalks and spend an hour looking at the majestic water falling 700 meters. Our trip was not complete though. We observed that some Zambians were swimming in a pool at the edge of the falls. It looked very fun and dangerous, but we wanted to do it. The problem was that is was in the middle of the falls. Therefore, we found a Zambian to lead us through the Zambezi River to the middle where the pool was located. The Zambian’s name was Elvis. This adventure took an hour of wading through the waters and jumping from rock to rock, but we finally arrived at the edge of the falls.

We were only able to do this because it is the dry season for the falls. During the wet season, the rocks which we are standing on are covered by water. After taking pictures at the edge of the falls, we went swimming in a natural pool that forms at the edge of the falls during the dry season. This pool empties over the falls, but it is totally safe to swim in during this time of year. Unfortunately, we could not spend hours swimming in the pool because we had to get back to our guest house to be picked up for our sunset cruise.

I have to admit to you that these decisions were not smart. Standing at the edge of Victoria Falls and swimming in a pool that flows over the falls are stupid choices. Would I recommend doing this if you have the chance? Totally. Not safe, not smart, but totally worth it.

After our adventures at the falls on Friday night, we had an amazing opportunity to go on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi. We were able to see crocs and hippos while experiencing an amazing sunset. I have included pictures for your enjoyment.

Victoria Falls Part I

Friday was an action packed day in Livingstone. We drove from Lusaka and arrived at Livingstone at 12:00 p.m. We immediately went to Victoria Falls. I have been there twice before, but this time presented a few unexpected challenges.

Because we were pushed for time, we decided to eat our lunch (bread and fruit) while walking around the falls. This felt like a good decision until we were attacked by baboons who desired your food. One baboon approached us from behind while we were looking at the falls. When we turned around, it was charged at us. Michelle threw our bread at the baboon and stuffed the apples in Johnny’s bag. The baboon was not satisfied with the bread though. While Johnny was wearing the bag, it decided to attack and claw at the bag trying to get the apple. Fortunately, the baboon could not get in the bag, and we managed to scare it away.

The baboon was relentless though. It followed us throughout the Falls and when Johnny’s bag was open, the baboon decided to attack again. Johnny grabbed the apple from the bag and decided to throw it in Michelle’s direction. What a great husband Johnny was at that moment. Why should he endanger his life when he can just throw what the baboons want at his wife? We gave up trying to save our food at this point and gave the rest of the apples to the baboons. They left us alone after that. The baboons were also turning over the trash cans in the park. It was crazy to see.

Throughout the excitement of being attacked by animals, we were able to see the Falls and take lots of pictures. I have included some pictures of the baboons about to attack Johnny and some pictures of the Falls. If you ever have a chance, Victoria Falls is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the world’s largest continuous waterfall.

Lusaka, Traveling, and Twilight

I arrived in Lusaka safely. Traveling is a lot different without Zambians to guide you everywhere. I find myself being more self-aware and nervous without Zambians around. I always think to myself: What am I really going to do if these policemen or policewomen stop me and want a bribe? It is a constant thought while traveling because you have to pass through many police check points. Recently, when Lawrence was traveling to Lusaka, a policewoman just straight up asked him for money. Lawrence did not break the law in any way. The policewoman just wanted money from him and asked him for it. Of course, he told her no, but needless to say, I don’t want to be in that type of situation without a Zambian present. Luckily nothing like that happened while traveling to Lusaka. Presently, I am sitting in the Lusaka airport waiting for Johnny and Michelle.

Johnny, Michelle, and I spent yesterday in Lusaka. We had to run around the city doing different errands, but it was a very enjoyable day. As always, Lusaka is a bustling city, but we have managed pretty well. We have seen two movies in the theater while being down here. It is hard to describe how relaxing it is to see a movie in Lusaka. It is a nice theater and a serious piece of heaven/America.

Michelle loves the Twilight series, just like every other girl I hear; therefore, we did see the new movie in the series. I knew nothing about this series before I saw the movie, but I will have to say that the movie kept my attention. This was only part two in a four part series so by the end of the movie I desperately wanted to know how the story concludes. I am neither going to wait for the movies nor read the books though; therefore, I read the story on Wikipedia. From what I read, I don’t like how it ends. I never thought I would blog about Twilight. What am I doing? I should delete this whole post. Well, it is 5:30 in the morning and we are off to Livingstone in 20 minutes.

Off for a Vacation?

I am off tomorrow morning, Wednesday, for a vacation with some friends. We will be traveling down to Livingstone in southern Zambia. There we will be seeing Victoria Falls and also white water rafting on the Zambezi River. I am sorry that I have not been blogging as much. I will try to write blogs while traveling and post them when I get back. It may be sporadic, but hopefully I can write some thoughts for you. Until then....

Life Updatele

I figured that I should provide a life update since I have not written in a while. Our teacher training program is officially on a break for the month of December. The schools in Zambia run for three months on and then one month off; therefore, December is an off month. We decided not to run the training program in December just to give everyone a break. Therefore, this week I am just working in the office writing the curriculum for the remaining training sessions. When we start back in January, our sessions with the current schools will last for the next three months until the end of March. Then the teachers will exit out of our program. For those who read my monthly update, we are continuing to see progress in different teaching skills. We still have a lot of work to do, but progress is being made.

Next week, a couple who I knew at Wheaton, Jonny and Michelle Hoffner, are coming to visit for a couple of weeks. They are presently traveling for six months around the world and have decided to bestow their presence upon me for the holiday season. I am very excited about their arrival. After they arrive in Lusaka, we are going to go to Livingstone, in southern Zambia, to see Victoria Falls and to be tourist for a little while. Then, we will come back to Ndola to spend Christmas up here.

I personally can't believe that it is the holidays. It does not feel like it at all. It is 80-90 degrees everyday and there is nothing around to remind you that it is the Christmas season. One grocery store has tacky Christmas decorations up, but that is about it. I once hated all of the tacky decorations, but now I wish that I could see just one inflatable Santa on somebody's lawn. Maybe, I will have to buy one in Lusaka if I find anything. Speaking of Lusaka...6 days until I can get a Dr. Pepper there. Yippee!!!

For those who keep clamoring for pictures, I have provided a few. Two are just of the landscape of Zambia. You don't see these pictures in the beautiful urban environment in which I live, but when you get out to the bush, this is what you will find. Another picture is of me leading a training session. Another is of the trash pile found in Mapalo where everybody just dumps their trash. I have heard of people finding plastic bottles here, filling them with pump water, and then reselling the water as bottled water. Finally, there is a picture of boy who has made his own toy car out of wire. Many times you find the kids playing with toys such as these.

Ask Bram: Volume 1

Ok, the internet is back. Hopefully, it will stay that way. I have decided to start the Ask Bram portion of my blog. Below are some questions, that I keep receiving. If you have any questions that you want answered, just send them to me and I will answer them here.

What do you normally eat?

This is not really different from my food intake in the United States. For morning, I eat either cereal or yogurt with some sort of fruit. For lunch, I have a sandwich, usually peanut butter and jelly, some Pringles and usually an apple. Dinner is more varied. I usually cook chicken with some rice and some sort of vegetable (usually green beans). Other times I will cook spaghetti. Other times I will eat a just eat salad for dinner. Some nights I am really tired; therefore, I just eat microwave popcorn. I know it is not the best thing, but sometimes I don’t feel like cooking and cleaning up after a long day of work. On the weekends, I get more creative because I have more time. I may cook up an omelette on the weekends or make cookies.

The biggest difference from the states is that I don’t eat out. There are a couple of places in Ndola, but I don’t visit them frequently. Once a month, I may go get a pizza. Sometimes I do go with my Zambians friends to this shady joint to buy french fries. It is shady, but it only cost $1.50 for a huge plate of fries. I definitely would not go to this place at night without my Zambian friends. To tell you how shady this place is, we have to park our car where we can see it because there is a high likelihood it will be broken into if we don’t. Unfortunately, it burned down a couple of weeks ago. They are in the process of rebuilding it, but our life has definitely been missing something in its absence.

What food item do you miss most?

What I miss the most is probably a good latte. There is one coffee shop/restaurant in Ndola, but their lattes are not the best. They are alright, but I could really go for a good latte. I know that sounds a little bit pretentious (my brother calls me a coffee snob by the way), but I can really enjoy a good latte when I get the chance. A problem could also be that the coffee shop is not really designed for comfort. It is designed more as a restaurant; therefore, I am missing the coffee shop feel just as much as I am actually missing the coffee.

How's your car?

My car is running well. After a month and a half, the insurance company finally paid for the repairs; therefore, the car is doing good considering it is a 1996 Toyota Carina. Next week is the big test though. On the 16th, I am leaving for Lusaka and then Livingstone to take a little vacation with some friends. That is 1400 kms round trip. I don’t think that the Carina will have any problems, but you never know.

Is it hard to adjust driving on the left side of the road?

Not really. I have fully adjusted to that aspect of driving. It would definitely take concentration for me to come back to the states and drive on the right hand side of the road. The adjustment is really not that hard except the fact that you constantly have to be thinking while driving. There is no relaxing drive to the store because you are constantly having to figure out which side of the road to be on. I can now start to relax because it has become second nature, but at the beginning this was not the case.

What is the local language and have you learned any yet?

The local language is a tribal language called Bemba. I don’t know very much Bemba unfortunately. I know basic greetings and words like yes and know. If I truly wanted to know Bemba, I would move to the bush where no one knows English. In Ndola, especially in the city, every one pretty much speaks English. English is also the official language of Zambia. In the compounds, less English is spoken, but I can still get by. I should be learning more Bemba, but because it is not a necessity, it has not made it high upon the priority list.

Does the toilet flush in the opposite direction now that your below the equator?

Yes, it does. I have not researched why, but for those of you who ever wondered, it does flush in the opposite direction.

Tomorrow, I will be sure to answer more questions for you. Talk to you soon.

Sorry :(

I apologize but the internet was out all last week and has also not worked the past two days. I am presently at an internet cafe trying to respond to emails. I have had to prioritize when I do have an internet connection and unfortunately the blog has not made itself high on my list of things to do. I apologize if I have not answered your emails also. I am going to start writing blogs at home and hopefully then I will be able to post when I am at work. Until the internet decides it wants to cooperate...