Last check in from KEZ 2B!
July 9, 2022
7/6:
Thanks for tuning back in! We woke up to our last morning at Lake Naivasha, where the boys had their own large room, made out of old metal scraps with a small porch and outdoor shower. The girls and the leaders were in smaller rooms that emerged to a large grassy courtyard with a pristine climbing tree. The kids sadly took a final look at the beautiful trees that looked like gigantic cacti, and the purple and orange flowers that popped in color from the lake’s natural watering. But more importantly, the kids had to sadly say farewell to the restaurant that blessed them with pizzas, burgers, cake, ice cream, and other goodies. Tatum was not a fan of her first taste of fried bananas on her pancakes, but the others eagerly scavenged her left overs.
We hopped in our sturdy safari vehicles to head south to the Maasai Mara Reserve to spend time learning from Maasai culture. Meredith and Owen were quite sick of the music that was downloaded and, in their separate cars, both decided to take the hit of the cellular charges and use cellular data to play music. Both cars took eager advantage of the new music, and then either spent time reading or fell heavily asleep.
When we got to our camp in the Maasai Mara Reserve, our driver, Nick, turned up the Tame Impala and Lil Yachty collab that was playing in the car, to give a dramatic swagger to our introduction to the our friends at the Maasai camp. Nick was dancing his reggae groove while the kids were unpacking their bags from the cars. All of our hosts colorfully adorned with bright beads and garments, and stood to greet us with smiles on their faces and a bit of groove in their limbs as well. No one could help from swaying to the music booming from the land cruiser.
Once we were settled into the camp and ate the lunch that was provided, we set out on a walk with the Maasai Warriors to learn some skills and learn about the environment around us. Maasai Warriors have to spend around four years out in the bush, living in caves and off of the land in order for them to be considered warriors. So the warriors offered the city boys and girls some info and skills most had never tried. They showed us many native plants explaining their healing qualities. They showed us bark that could quench our thirst that was like a natural coconut gum. Addie reluctantly tried the tree bark, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. They showed us many more plants like ones that could naturally keep fleas and bugs away. The next section of our time with the warriors, was the exchange of warrior skills. As the warriors compete in skills to impress girls in a manner of courtship, the boys had their honor to preserve. Henry obviously won the high jump contest and the warriors were threatened that he would steal their own girls. Charlie absolutely launched an arrow, and hypothetically would have stolen the heart of a Maasai woman. Will showed his warrior hood in a later session that day.
For it was time to teach them lessons from our own culture. While the kids had not spent years in the wilderness, they had a wild set of eclectic skills to share. Henry started the cultural exchange by teaching them how to play hacky sack. The Maasai warriors honored Will as a hacky sack warrior as he displayed the best skills. But, overall, the whole group definitely needs some work on their hacky sack skills. Owen taught them some yoga, and Henry showed them how he journals and interacts with his own thoughts and ideas. He shared a beautiful passage about flying over Mount Kilimanjaro and what it could mean to summit something like that.
The girls saved their card lesson for later in the night, where Tatum invited our server, Abby, to play cards with us. Tatum explained the game to her enthusiastically and invited her to play. Unfortunately the game of spoons was too hectic and fast for her to feel comfortable jumping in with our rowdy group. But she smiled and hung around watching the game go round. While most of the girls were playing cards, Emmie was hanging with Will and Owen outside. She saw them doing push ups and joined to see how much she could do. Her first goal of 10 quickly changed to 12 then 15 then 17, ending with a whopping 20 solid push-ups. She had to feed her gains, returning to the dining hall to eat with the others.
Meanwhile, all day Hannah and Aubrie had been talking about their tent in “Alaska” because it was apparently that far away from our camp. The leaders were a bit relevant to believe that they were not exaggerating the distance to their lodging. But, at the end of the night they took the ten minute walk to the girls’ tent and were proven very wrong. Upon offering to switch rooms Aubrey and Hannah laughed in tandem and turned us down. They made the most of their tent in the bush and showed maturity and bravery by sleeping way out there. There were actually quite excited to bond together and wake up to their sunrise view that was far superior to the others’. However, even though there was security purveying the premises the entire night, the leaders were stumped at the lock that the girls fashioned out of a hair tie. We later joked that all of the Maasai warriors carried around machetes and it would be quite easy to sever the hair tie. The only people that the girls could keep out were their machete-less leaders.
7/7:
We woke up early the next morning, grabbing coffee and teas before hitting the road on a long game drive — what would be our best animal sightings yet. The kids really took advantage of the complimentary tea. Charlie talked a big game and proclaimed that he would be getting really into tea at home, and Emmie held the record for 5 teas and 2 hot chocolates in one day; it was a creative way to stay ultra hydrated in the dry and dusty Kenyan climate.
Before even eating breakfast, the kids saw three cheetahs stalking down the road right past our safari land cruisers. Henry and Addie ( our two photography enthusiasts) tried to capture photos of the cheetahs bouncing in and out of the tall grass, looking for their next meal.
We then stopped next to a Desert tree in the middle of the bush grass for a group breakfast. We parked the cars and let music continue to blast from the speakers. The music felt like a much needed taste of home in such a foreign landscape. The kids foamed at the mouth, grasping for the 2 jars of peanut butter to lather up their crepes before the supply ran out. They also got their protein to round out their pallates with on-the-go hard boiled eggs and sausages. The group popped up, using their recently caffeinated liveliness to choreograph an electric morning photo shoot. They took a hilarious panorama that featured each person in four different repeated frames. Owen would let each kid know when they were out of the frame of Meredith’s camera, and they would rush around and take a pose on the other side of the frame. The girls also caught a photo of Charlie that revealed his celebrity look- alike: Jacob Sartorious (ask to see the comparison).
Once we continued our bumpy ride on the red Maasai dirt, we stumbled upon an array of more animals. We saw male brother lions walking between a circular compound of parked safari vehicles. Then we headed to leopard territory to find the most introverted carnivore in the Kenyan Savannah. In one of the cars, Tatum and Will led a ruse to trick another car that they could see the leopard. Another vehicle full of miserable looking tourists flocked to the ‘wolf cry’ and were quite pissed when they uncovered the truth. A grown adult made faces at Will across safari safari vehicles, but Will stood his ground and found it very funny.
From the Leopard den, we sped to the hippo lake, to see the bodacious backsides of the most dangerous animal in Africa. Aubrie somehow was laughing through her accident that almost had her meet her maker. She almost slipped down the slope into the hippos territory, but luckily caught herself on the edge. The near miss was awkwardly freaky, but Aubrie was completely unfazed. Meanwhile, one of Charlie’s hypothetical musings launched with stubborn fury; Charlie was adamant that he could run to the edge of the water, touch it and run back, avoiding a tussle with the hippos. Almost everyone else argued against him, but he stood his ground. Too bad that he will never test his theory with the safety protocols on a Moondance trip!!!
On our way back to camp, we thought that the animal sightings had concluded, but boy were we wrong. We spotted another duo of lion brothers and brought the safari vehicle right next to the animals. The lions surrounded the car, and walked right next to the windows. They were so close that one of the lion tails literally settled in Will’s lap. Addie and Field got scolded by the driver for trying to stick their hands out for pictures. Although, this day seems filled with animal danger and misbehaved children, they really were quite safe, and it was simply the fullness of their curiosity that made them push the boundaries a bit. Charlie made sure to click a few pictures with his small camera that he named “Baby Blue.”
After eating lunch and playing cards back at our camp, we headed outside for a masonry lesson from Maasai builders. With empty glass bottles and dry cement mixed with sand and water, the kids started to build a wall around a black bark acacia tree to protect it from pesky animal grazers, and other animals. The students spent hours mixing cement, stacking bottles, and smoothing out the sides into a finished masterpiece; they needed to sign their artwork in the still wet cement. All the while, our little portable speaker remained a beacon of groove, as Tatum showed tik tock dances to Owen, and Will shook his hips with some Maasai Warriors. Field was the most focused worker, enthralled by the opportunity to use her hands and build something. Our efficient speed gave us time to even start the base of another plant protector that was going to be used for growing fruits.
When the sun was setting it was a beautiful burnt ombré intermittently poking through fluffy white clouds, the kids gathered for another photo shoot. They successfully took a pyramid picture with Emmie at the top; well, it was mostly successful. Emmie didn’t necessarily find a stance of composure at the top of the pile.
While the sun was setting further Will, Hannah, and Owen had a deep sunset chat, where Hannah talked about an interesting perspective into African and Maasai cultures from her book, ‘Out of Africa.’ The conversation bloomed into a discussion about the politics in Kenya and then at home, before it diffused amidst the hunger of all three chatters.
We had dinner where Charlie shared more riddles, but the leaders cracked the mystery. Then during a fire-lit Moonup, we had a debate about if you would wanna know when or how you die. Maasai Warriors joined our Moonup and we shared each of our driving life philosophies. People talked about why they really get out of bed every morning, and stoked high levels of introspection in each individual. Hannah and Henry ( DOUBLE H) had some really kind words to say about their final nominations for leaders of the day. Aubrie and Will were given the honor of leading our last day of activities! After Moonup, the boys sat in the lightless dining room and talked for an hour until they were too tired to continue. Meanwhile, the girls were having their own chats in their canvas tent. Thankfully for this night, Aubrie and Hannah found a tent closer to the rest of the group and could hangout with the rest of the girls. The group would sacrifice sleep just to spend more time together as the trip was sadly beginning to wrap up.
7/8:
Gotta say it… Will’s braids are starting to look a little rough and only three are still intact. But lo and behold! He has still stuck with the hairstyle. He and the rest of the boys emerged from their tents on the earlier side this morning, and were joined by the girls in the dining room for another slam dunk breakfast. Charlie joined Meredith in wrapping their breakfast sausages in crepes to make pigs-in-a-blanket. After everyone finished up, brushed their teeth, and got dressed for the day, we all met in the main tent to visit a nearby Maasai village. Meredith and Owen surprised the group after being dressed up by the staff in traditional Maasai clothing for the visit.
We walked over with Sopia Luca, our main teacher and guide, and were greeted by a warrior who showed us a kudo horn and lions mane (traditional elements of warrior hood) and led us to the surrounding community. The men of the village broke out into a low humming tune, and they brought us all in to join in a welcoming song and dance. It turned into a group circle, where many men showcased their jumping ability, an important skill in Maasai culture. Some of our students attempted jumping as well, and Henry beat out the crowd by a landslide. Emmie was brought to the middle to try out her hand (or feet) at jumping, as well. We were then led through the tall brush that walled in the village, where the women of the town also greeted us with swinging arms and an ephemeral song. All of the girls joined them and shook hands, learning some names and waving hello to many of the children who played in between huts. Addie, who wisely brought along a Polaroid camera, took and printed pictures of many kids and their parents, and gifted the pictures once they had developed. Tatum also brought along her disposable camera and captures as many pictures as possible.
We were all taught the traditional way to build a Maasai house, and even got to join in to spreading a mixture of soil, wood ash, and manure to plaster the exterior of one family’s hut. Field was especially engaged in the activity and probably painted the largest portion of the house out of all of us. Tatum, usually a bit wary of getting her hands dirty, dipped four fingers into the mixture. Progress! We were guided into one house to watch how ugali, a traditional maize dish, is made and also got to play around with some of the kiddos who ran around the area. They sang a song to a join our students in on the game, and our campers reciprocated by singing a rendition of Sweet Caroline (mistro Emmie as our conductor). Did we rehearse it beforehand? Yes. Hannah was then accidentally very generous as she unwittingly gave many of her bracelets to some toddlers she befriended. Charlie and Owen joined some men in using sticks to start a fire. Owen got the friction going, but Charlie was the first to get the flames to start forming. We were then lead to stands on the outskirts of the village to pick up gifts that the local people sold. Aubrie got a stash of beads to bring home to her family, along with of the other campers. On our way outside of the town, we helped some of the women collect water from a nearby river. Hannah, Will, and a few others carried jugs with scarves wrapped around their heads. We then said goodbyes to everyone we had met that morning and headed back to camp.
We had a late lunch when we got back — which Field took the opportunity to cover in hot sauce. We rested after a really eventful morning. We shared riddles (Henry and Charlie solved an especially challenging one), and Owen led a post lunch meditation session. Luca then called us all together later that day to bring us to a field in the neighboring town so that we could play a game of soccer. Though we initially had no opponents but ourselves, we met some kids who were on break from school along the way and gathered enough players to form another team. As we kicked the ball around and the afternoon wore on, more and more kids ended up walking onto the field. We don’t know if they heard the fun that we were having or were just looking for a game, but it was an amazingly fun afternoon. Henry took the role of goalie for a while, and Henry, Owen, Emmie, and Charlie played the whole field. Addie was also a running machine and played offense most of the game. Though our spirits were high in the beginning, our opponents speed and skill quickly proved to outmatch our own. A boy named John joined our team to try to help us out, but we ended the game with a final score of 4-10. Hannah befriended some of the sideline strangers and showed them all her one handed cartwheels. Field and Aubrie lifted kids up to help them hang from the goalposts. Meredith and Aubrie also helped swing some of the smaller kids around so they could be involved in the game. After we shook hands and exchanged a few words of gratitude for getting the chance to play one another, we took a group picture and headed back to camp. Many of our new friends walked with us in the same directions as their homes, and Will’s sociability really struck chords with some of them as they waved goodbye.
Worn out after a long game, we showered, made cups of tea, and watched our final African sunset together. We then shared a peaceful meal around our big table, even still getting know knew things about each other this far into the trip. We then migrated to the girl’s tent, where LODs Will and Aubrie led us in an exceptional final Moonup. They asked everyone to describe their favorite moments of the trip, the most challenging parts of the trip, and the ways in which they tried to overcome those challenges. It was a really great recap on moments big and small, far and wide. We then had a final nug jug, where everyone got to open their own personal jugs to catch personal compliments. It was an extraordinary thing to see, everyone huddled into one small tent and sharing meaningful, perceptive insights into the strengths of their peers. It was a very impactful night for us as leaders, and we hope that the kids walked away knowing themselves and their friends all the better.
7/9
On a quite unusual note, Tatum was the first person awake on our last day of the trip. She watched the sunrise out of her tent window, just before everyone else woke up to get the day started. We had breakfast at our campsite before we said goodbye to all of the amazing staff that helped us the past three days. We then headed to the Keekorok airstrip inside of the Maasai Mara game reserve, where we would be flying out to go back to Nairobi. This was definitely not an easy travel day. We had a bit of a flight delay, and ended up waiting on the tarmac of the airstrip for a few more hours than we had originally planned. While it was less than ideal, many of the kids took the opportunity to use the time wisely. Addie taught Emmie how to Dutch braid. Charlie made some progress in his book. Hannah drew some lovely doodles in her journal. A few took naps …. but mostly everyone just looked forward to food.
After our airplane finally showed up after dealing with weather difficulty in Nairobi, we had a short and easy flight and we’re scooped up by our land cruisers once again. We headed to a nearby cafe where everyone shared a heavily anticipated meal and filled out their Moondance paperwork. We stayed at that cafe for the better part of the afternoon, kids had their final chance to chill with each other or shop around. Will helped Emmie secure an absolutely stunning t-shirt with warthogs on the front. Hannah and Field doodled on leftover postcards. A few got milkshakes to prepare them for the sweets they are waiting for at home.
We then loaded back up in the cars to head to our banquet dinner in Nairobi. Everyone ordered a variety of pizzas, but thought that it wasn’t representative enough of African cuisine… so we ordered some meats to try for the table including ostrich meatballs and grilled crocodile. One last Kenyan adventure for ourselves and for our stomachs! During all of that time, we spent the dinner practicing crying on command and rehashing memories over the past two weeks. At the very end, someone convinced the staff that it was Charlie’s birthday and we sang happy birthday to him in the light of sparklers and a drum circle. What a finale!
Though our drive to the airport was bittersweet, we filled it with singalongs and kept the mood light. Everyone got final glimpses of Nairobi out of the car windows as we sped through town. The goodbye at the airport was an emotional affair as we hugged them all goodbye. It felt very surreal for us to let this group go and wave them off as they walked through security. We cannot begin to thank you enough for giving us the chance to meet these students and be to spend time with each of them. They truly made this experience, for us and for each other, the trip of a lifetime. Asante sana.
With love,
Owen and Meredith
Safari Sights~
July 6, 2022
Hello again our beloved friends and families! We miss you dearly and are so excited to share what the past couple of days has had in store!
7/1
After a lazy morning and travel-filled afternoon, we made it to Nairobi just as the sun was setting. At our eco lodging, serving as a layover stop in Nairobi, we had a feast of leek soup, steak, ribs, salad, potatoes, and pasta with vodka sauce. They even made a nice bonfire, where we sat down until one of us fell asleep (*cough* Tatum*cough*). Then we retired to our canvas tents to get some rest for the next day of travel.
7/2
The leaders of the day decided that we should split up into boy and girl cars, and the group agreed. While I’m sure that the girls assumed the boys were purging themselves of all inappropriate and crude conversations, the boys were doing quite the opposite. Our driver, Nick, was both educating the boys on the history of Christianity and manipulation in East Africa and his own religious journey. Nick spent years away from his own religion to question what authority figures were telling him, and ultimately returned. The boys were incredibly curious and respectful, and turned toward each other to question each other’s beliefs. Henry talked about his own fond relationship with his father and religion, and Charlie and Will piggybacked with their own understandings of God and religion. Ultimately, Nick, as the prophet that he is, diffused the conversation from seriousness into laughter and music, as we sped away listening to the reggae beats that he enjoys so much. It was great to see the boys questioning the things they have been told and learning to form their own opinions while coming close together. In the girls’ car, James showed everyone pictures of his wedding that he had celebrated the previous weekend. The girls learned lots about the Kenyan political environment (as James had some high-profile guests in attendance) and got to ask questions about animals, tribes, and James’s own experience with modern Kenyan culture.
However, in a twist of fate, the kids met a new destiny in the heat of a street-side shopping center. Their newly formed opinions were tested by the hard wills of the vendors in the shop, and in a new place with no points of reference, they were absolutely swindled. We will never forget the face that Field made when she found out that the items she bought were, in fact, only $2 back at our hotel. But she was in no way alone in her being ripped off. Meredith and Owen turned it quickly in a moment of learning, and the kids justified it as giving back to the community (it was). Later in the car, Nick showed the kids how to barter, swiftly buying them bananas and oranges. The kids studied his skills which he has honed over the years.
Once we arrived back to our home, we settled into our cabins, ate a nice lunch, and the kids continued to play their continuous game of ‘President’ — a card game that they have become incredibly addicted to.
The group was pleasantly interrupted by their first game drive. The crew saw zebras, warthogs, elephants, buffalos, and more.
Once back from our drive, the kids hung around doing all sorts of different activities. Charlie and Will perfected their backflips on land, and Addie joined for soccer and ping pong with Owen. Owen is still the ping pong champion over Will (I hope you see this when you get home, Will). The other girls were reading their books and making bracelets laughing deviously. When the leaders went to investigate what they were laughing at they found that it was the hilarity of Emmie’s book. The whole time the group was wondering where Henry had disappeared to. He was fast asleep in his room after a long day of travel. But, he returned energized to join everyone for dinner.
At dinner, the hungry campers devoured the rice, veggies, beef and lentils that were served. Hannah would freak out the next day when she would meet the herd of cows from which her dinner came that night. She hadn’t eaten much meat all trip, but this night she decided to indulge. She would later laugh at this absurdity, but it still propelled her back to her vegetarian roots. That dinner provoked some hilarious chats, with Field talking about how the phobia of mayonnaise is real, and another (unnamed) group member talking about dolphin mating patterns. However, the conversation somehow turned quite serious and introspective when Tatum and Charlie shared serious stories about dire decisions that they have seen others make. The group discussed how much one stupid decision can affect your life. Will and Henry had broken off from the group and were playing a mixture of soccer, basketball, and monkey in the middle with a younger boy that was staying at the camp. After the funky and introspective chats, we had a similarly dichotomous moonup led by Will and Charlie. They asked the group two questions: what is their spirit safari animal and their biggest regret? The kids maintained an admirable balance of seriousness and laughter.
7/3
We woke up to breakfast with bananas and peanut butter, which was a glorious combination for most of the kids. We listened to music together and staved off the threat of monkeys. However, when we were not paying attention one clever monkey stole some of the eggs from the food tin on the counter. The kids had to get their fix of cards in the morning before they could function normally for the day. Most of them eagerly joined a meditation led by Owen before heading out for their day of conservation work.
We arrived at the rhino conservatory to help clean out the rhino areas. We were tasked with moving hay in wheelbarrows to feed the rhinos. The kids were lucky as the last group had to shovel rhino poop. The kids created a seamless assembly line and balanced working hard with playing hard. Field was a champion of raking, Tatum and Addie were wonderful at spreading the hay, and Henry was way too tall for a normal-sized wheelbarrow. Aubrie continued to amaze the leaders with her positive attitude, laughing through the heat and sweat of the day.
We then walked over to see the last two Northern White Rhinos in the world. The kids were surprised, mixed with emotions of bittersweet awe as they got to pet the rhinos and take pictures with them. Charlie almost upset the rhino by leaning back on it for a picture, as it started to stir in surprise. We walked back as the rhinos followed close behind. We had to say goodbye and head back to lunch, where we were given personal mini-pizzas and the kids played MORE ‘president.’
The group gathered their things to head out for lion-tracking. The rangers showed the kids how their radar worked and why they track the predators— mostly to keep other endangered species safe. The two land-cruisers looked on in anticipation as the beeping amplified and became more concentrated on one area. When we were met with a dried-up river bed, the drivers decided to test the ability of the land cruisers. The consequence would have been getting caught in the bush with lions around (we really were safe- this is just for dramatic effect). The kids cheered on the drivers and swung up in hoorays, yips, cheers, and claps when the driver accelerated over the bumps. As we got close to the lions, Tatum let out her usual exclamation of excitement that she could not really contain. Laughing and apologizing she covered her mouth to not scare the lions away. A whole family of lions sat at the base of our cruiser and Henry got some gold photos of the cute carnivores.
On our way back to camp, we stopped at the livestock center to learn about the interaction between wildlife and domesticated animals. This is where Hannah found out the somewhat funny and shocking news about her dinner the previous night. Meanwhile, Aubrie, Addie, Field, and Charlie unsuccessfully approached the cows to pet them. Covered in dirt and a bit of cow dung, the group returned home to shower before dinner.
The night ended in a wholesome fire, where the boys and Addie got Emmie to play her first game of 52-card pickup. Owen and Meredith, back in their hut could hear the kids laughing and talking with each other for a good while, before heading back to bed, their tummies full, and sweatshirts smelling of burnt fire.
7/4
We emerged from our huts this Monday morning to the smell of eggs, sausage, and toast wafting from the dining room. Everyone got their fill (Will even put together a Michelin star-worthy breakfast sammie) before our guide Esther brought us to the Ol Pejeta main offices to have a talk about the different programs and conservation techniques at the conservancy. We got the chance to ask questions to a trained ranger and learned more scope of all the things Ol Pejeta does for the surrounding community. Esther and her team then sent our group out into the surrounding town of Nanyuki to have some hands-on experience with all of the work that they do. On our way out of the gates, we got amazingly close to the biggest herd of elephants that we’ve seen so far! Mother elephants and their babies were having a drink out of a watering hole, while warthogs and white rhinos waited their turn in the distance — a crazy sight! After our trip over, where drivers David and Benjamin expanded our knowledge of Kenyan culture, we arrived at a community garden where they grew cabbage, onions, and other crops. We were tasked with mixing fertilizer and soil, bagging small portions, and adding seeds to be distributed to the farms surrounding the neighborhood. Over the course of the morning, Henry’s speed won him the award of most seed bags, but Charlie’s efficiency still made for the most quality bags. Tatum and Addie, while steering clear of the dirt, played a crucial role in running the bags back and forth to help other’s bag faster. In the end, we put together a total of close to 300 bags — pretty good for 11 people! Everyone had worked up a sweat and an appetite, so we washed out hands and hopped in the van for our lunch at our next activity spot. We spent our lunchtime sharing riddles and munching on sandwiches and juice. Owen and Charlie shared riddles that stumped the whole group, but Hannah and Field proved to be the fasted riddle solver of the bunch.
Our next stop led us to Gilbert’s house. Gilbert is a ceramist who works out of his home to teach surrounding communities and traveling Maasai how to make energy-efficient stoves, clay tiles, and water-saving tree planting pots. He led us through each step of digging, sifting, and stomping soil in order to make his clay. Field was the first to wield the hoe and shovel, and everyone got a chance to participate after. Owen really got to town inside the hole in the ground to break up large chunks of soil; he both emerged with blistered palms and sweaty backs. After transporting and sifting, we aaaallllll got our feet dirty by stomping the clay mixture with water in a group circle. Tatum and Addie, who at first were resistant to join the party, were thrown in the middle of our dance circle to squish some clay with the rest of us. David, our driver, even joined in to show us how it is really done. After cleaning off our feet and watching his masterful demonstrations, Gilbert gifted the whole group a homemade tile to take as a memento of their help. Over the course of the afternoon, Charlie befriended Gilbert’s pet sheep named Pope, and Field (our resident animal petter) gravitated towards Gilbert’s small herd of cows. As we packed up, we waved goodbye to our new friends and headed back to camp.
Once back at home base, everyone showered off the remnants of dirt and dust during our rest time before dinner. Field opened the doors to her salon and gave Meredith, Addie and Hannah some mid-trip trims. Emmie, our prolific card fiend, challenged everyone to a game of ‘president.’ Living up to her title, Emmie dominated a few of the rounds. Will proved a fierce competitor, and Charlie ended the game with a huge comeback from last place. Dinner was served while the sun set, and we devoured our mashed potatoes, chicken, and salad with unprecedented speed. After bundling up in our warm layers, we hopped back in the cruisers to go out on a nighttime game drive. We spent two hours roaming in the bush, searching for nocturnal wildlife with giant spotlights. We happened upon sleeping buffalo, scampering antelope, and jackals looking for prey. We ended the night finding a hyena den buried in the plains. Baby hyenas popped out of holes and curious grown ones wandered close to our cars. Once we returned to camp, LOD’s Tatum and Henry led a touching Moonup around our favorite bonfire spot. We really got the chance to appreciate each other’s character traits and all of the wonderful gifts that everyone brought to the trip. Some of the kids stayed around the fire a little longer to have late night chats around the fire before heading back to their huts for their last sleep here.
7/5:
Today marks one week with Will’s braids still intact. Though they have been fixed up a few times by Tatum, he has yet to take them out. We’ve all started to forget what he looks like with regular hair. The day began with sunrise meditation led by guru Henderson — savoring our last hours and views near Ol Pejeta. Once everyone had packed up and emerged from their huts, we enjoyed a lazy breakfast of toast, beans, eggs, coffee, tea, and juice. Nick and James picked us up to hit the road for the next stop of our journey: the beautiful Lake Naivasha. On the road to the conservancy gates, we spotted zebras, buffalos, and elephants as we gazed at views of Mount Kenya emerging from the clouds in the distance. We also got the chance to stop at the equator, snagging a picture of our group straddling both hemispheres. During our drive, Tatum spotted a herd of baboons on the side of the road and Aubrie speedily put together a bunch of friendship bracelets for people in the car. The girls, who have started an informal book club, spent most of the drive reading and discussing plot lines. At this point in the trip, Field has powered through the most books and Hannah has shown her extraordinary speed as well. We had a pit stop at an African curio shop, where Charlie improved on his bartering more than our last stop, and everyone got to take back some souvenirs for all you family and friends.
We arrived at Lake Naivasha in the early afternoon. We forgot to preface this earlier, but our whole team decided to postpone our Fourth of July celebration until we had some free time to fully enjoy it. Today is that day! Happy Fourifth of July! We set our stuff in our rooms (the boys being stationed in a little tiny house up on a hill) and headed to our camp’s dining area. This lunch might’ve been the best on the trip. We were treated to pizzas, burgers, salads, and more. YUM. We all went around and shared our favorite things from back home and probably seemed a little bit more American to onlookers than usual. Once everyone had had their fill and got to hang on the booth couches for a while, we headed to the lake to board boats for an afternoon outing. It turned out to be more of a water safari than just a boat ride. We saw hippos extraordinarily up close, along with zebras, giraffes, and colobus monkeys from the shoreline. During the trip, Aubrie was mistaken for a turtle on the back of the boat from hiding in her life jacket and Meredith and Field had some good singalongs. Henry was right in spotting an ancient volcano mountain that we learned is Mount Longonot. Also, ask Charlie to see the picture he captured of the temple and mountains from the water (it’s pretty incredible).
Once we made it back to camp, we had some chill time to hang out in a grassy patch in between all our rooms. Owen decided to climb some trees and got the boys to join him in the branches. A group down below played cards, and Aubrie finally moved up from the last spotted in ‘president’ — all the way up to VP. Hannah finished another book and started a new one. We ended the afternoon in a game of hacky-sack. Emmie threw a roundhouse kick that impressed the group. Addie’s determination to hit the sack over and over until she got it was both hilarious and encouraging to everyone else. We also made some friends from Amsterdam who joined our game and brought around a REAL American football. Our practice had us working up an appetite, so we headed to dinner and claimed a cozy booth in the dining area. Our friends from Amsterdam joined us at the table and the kids got to broaden their range of new international friends. Will and Henry found one in the group who caught them up on NBA and NFL news as their first bridge to the outside world in a while. Some people also spent the dinner playing hot seat and getting to know each other better. After dinner, we crowded around the camp’s fire pit to have a Moonup beside the lake. The girls really put work in to get it going, but thankfully the camp manager Elijah turned up to help us make some bigger flames. Meredith and Owen brought out some Fourth of July decor to deck out the group and it really felt like a true American lakeside holiday. LOD’s Charlie and Emmie led the group in a powerful Moonup and Owen shared a poem to inspire the group to cherish the last leg of the journey together. It was a really, really special night!
7/6
This morning, we grabbed our bags bright and early to head to the Maasai Mara. After a scrumptious breakfast in our trusty booth, we loaded in the land cruisers to hit the road for our final big drive. Wish us safe travels and hope you all have a wonderful week!
Asante sana,
Owen and Meredith
P.S. everyone has written some messages home posted below!
Aubrie-Hey mom and dad, I am having so much fun in Kenya! I have encountered many different animals but my camera doesn’t work. i have made so many great memories and i can’t wait to see you guys love you!
Addie: Hello family!! Everything I packed was wrong and my bag is 2 sizes smaller than everyone else’s. Please pray I don’t get lost in the airports OR miss my flights. SOOOOOOO excited to eat some osaka sushi and fries from Hillstone when we get home . Love you all very muchs ee you soon.
Tatum: Greetings family! I am having an amazing time with all my new friends! I believe I am cooler than most of you now because I breathed under water for four days I can’t wait to see how big Bronco is and I hope that Baylor hasn’t slept in my bed while I have been gone I am very excited to eat a salad from chopt, salmon, a warm chocolate chip cookie, and an açaí bowl! See you soon, love you guys!
Field: Salutations Anne i am having a lovely time exploring the beautiful country of Kenya. I did not need my chacos as I knew I wouldn’t and I miss the sweatshirt you took out of my bag! I hope you are having a lovely time at la casa. I miss you quite mucho upon my arrival I request Miku spicy salmon roll and dumplings for dinner. I hope Cappy is growing into a big big boy I hope you read this but we never know with you!!! LOL Love you, daughter
Hannah: Hi! I hope your trip was really fun, I know mine is! Can’t wait to see y’all in a few days:) P.S mom please sign me in for my flights and send me my boarding passes and make a reservation at Prado. Love and miss you!
Emmie: Dear mother and father. Greetings from Africa! Definitely having a party out here with my new friends and all the animals…it has been awesome. Miss you guys lots and hope that y’all are doing well. Let’s get sushi when I get home por favor. And dessert because they don’t have good dessert here. Bye now!
Charlie:
Asante Sana for letting me come to Africa! I have a great group with amazing leaders. This has been the trip of a lifetime. I hope Croatia was a blast and I can’t wait to share stories with y’all about our travels!
Will:
Jambo mom and dad! This has been an amazing experience and I’ve loved every second of my time here. Y’all are the best and I can’t thank you enough for letting me come on this amazing trip. I can’t wait to see y’all soon and tell you all about it. I can’t wait to come back but I don’t want to leave! Love both of you.
Henry: Hakuna Matata my dear parents. We have had an amazing trip so far and had non stop fun. We have a great group and have gotten really close. I love my leaders and they have made the trip great. I will see y’all soon and have lots of stories. Love you!
Jambo from Zanzibar!
July 2, 2022
6/25
JAMBO from Africa! Thank you all for tuning in — we cannot wait to tell you about the amazing first leg of our journey together! After an almost 24-hour flight time to get here, the group met Owen and I outside of the Nairobi airport baggage claim, all in different states of exhaustion and excitement. Thankfully it appeared that the group had already formed some great cohesion during the planes, trains, and layovers it took to get here. Owen greeted everyone with smiles and warm hugs, all while Meredith tried to prevent a potential visa dilemma and met our last two stranglers, Addie and Field. Once everyone was together and had their bags loaded up, we hopped in our sick rides — two safari land cruisers — and headed to our first lodge outside of Nairobi. Our drivers, Nick and James, gave everyone their first lessons in Swahili and shared a few essential facts about Kenya on the way. We pulled in and were guided to our canvas tent dorms, where the girls and boys could each have some good bonding time. After settling in, the group was given a late night dinner spread full of African staples: curried veggies, beef short ribs, spice marinated chicken, and chapati. With bellies full, we sent the group off to try to shake off their jet lag and catch some much needed sleep.
6/26
On Tuesday, we awoke to bright sunshine and the sounds of exotic birds. Once everyone was up and ready, we met in on the dining porch for our first breakfast together in Africa. Eggs, beans, toast, and sausage were our munchin’ materials, paired nicely with a lovely juice spread. We realized the heavy amount of coffee drinkers that we have in our group this trip. While bags were being loaded back into the cruisers, the kids rallied around the ping pong table to get a few rounds in before heading to the airport. During the trip to Wilson airport, our driver, Francis, gave some of the group information on the upcoming Kenyan election, where a new president will be elected for the first time in 10 years. Once we arrived and checked our bags, Field brought out her stash of rainbow hair tensile and started to decorate other students’ noggins. Will was the first to volunteer. We ordered lunch and went through a slow customs check before boarding our plane to Zanzibar. Hannah kindly gave Henry the middle of the back row to accommodate his extraordinarily long limbs. The flight went by swiftly and we even got a glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro peeking out from above the clouds. Once we landed on the largest of the spice islands, we disembarked onto the tarmac amongst waves of the warm island air. Thankfully customs and baggage claim were easy peasy, and Charlie kindly volunteered to carry our gear bag, which was fittingly nicknamed “big chonk.” Our team headed outside of the airport to board the bus to our Zanzibarian hostel about an hour south. And boy was it a crazy ride! We passed through towns all swarming with interesting sights, smells, and people before arriving in the village of Matemwe. The group let Meredith share her small but growing list of Zanzibar facts. Owen manned aux, and Will educated all of our music tastes with bomb song requests. Once we arrived at our home base, we unpacked and headed to the beach to put our toes in the water! The girls watched the sunset over the marvelous ocean blue and the boys joined just in time for dinner to be served. The group bonded over platters of chicken, rice, and veggies. We help our first official Moonup of the trip, where Meredith and Owen posed questions of the day, introduced the nug jug, shared a meaning quote to start the trip on a positive note. The only interruption came when Field, Tatum and Addie managed to break a woven lounge chair and fell to the ground. The kiddos ended the night convening around the pool, all sharing school stories and guessing the types of wheels they sported at home. Emmie stumped the crowd with her Mini Cooper, and everyone filed of to bed to catch some much needed rest after finally finishing our long travel days!
6/27
Wednesday morning, we woke the kids up for our first bright shining morning in Zanzibar!!! Meredith and Owen engraved a name on the metaphorical trophy for hardest student to wake up: Miss Tatum Murr. But once everyone arrived at breakfast, we snacked on pigs-in-a-blanket, fruit, and crepes, all while Henry, Will, and Charlie rehashed the happenings in their room the previous night. They caught a gecko, named it Jam, and put him in a water bottle to show the group in the morning. Jam suspiciously escaped as they slept, but he will be forever missed. With our towels and sunscreen in tow, we hopped in the vans to head to our dive shop for our first activity section: SCUBA! Upon arrival, we met with our dive instructors and split into three groups. Tatum, Emmie and Henry went with instructor Asheli to one training pool, and Hannah, Charlie, and Will went with instructor Bacari to another. Field, Addie, and Aubrie (our previously certified divers) went with divemaster Mcha to their first open water experience in the Indian Ocean! During their first lessons back at the pool, everyone learned the basics of scuba safety, hand signals, and gear handling. It was absolutely crazy to watch the group take their first breaths underwater! Over the course of the day, Bacardi’s group had to strap on an extra wetsuit when the day turned overcast, and Emmie hilariously kept Tatum from drowning in front of a crowd of curious spectators. Once the group had completed their first set of skills, they played some cards until the certified divers returned. Emmie’s shuffle and bridge has yet to be matched. On the boat, Addie, Aubrie, and Field took to the water. It was a quick review for Aubrie, but Owen and the instructors were impressed with how quickly and naturally she picked it back up. The group saw three octopi in the water, and Field had some awesome spots of wildlife along the way. Owen and Addie played a game of tic-tac-toe in the sand and made a special handshake underwater. Field, who had unfortunately mistaken instructor Mcha for Addie, poked the divemaster in the stomach before realize it was not indeed her friend. Field has yet to recover.
Once we were all together again, we headed home for a late lunch and chill time back at the hotel. Bryan, our tour guide for the rest of our time in Zanzibar, came to the hotel to bring us to Kendwa for some afternoon activity. We boarded the bus and headed off to the other side of the island. We promptly laid claim to a covered couch area on the beach once we arrived, and everyone got to listen to music and make friendship bracelets. Aubrie, Hannah, and Tatum caught some rays, while Field and Meredith read their books and had some good chats. Charlie met a nice man who almost sold him on what would have been an awesome jet ski experience. Will and Henry used heir chacos to mark goals in the sand for a game of soccer, and Addie showed off her fancy footwork on the makeshift field. Before heading home, the group watched the sunset from the water, where we found some colorful starfish, played a game of TIPS, and snapped some pictures to capture the memories from our day on the beach! Once we arrived back at camp, we ate dinner and headed to our hammock spot where Emmie and Tatum — our first Leaders of the Day (LODs) — lead us in a wonderful Moonup under the stars.
6/28
The next morning, the group woke up early for another glorious day under the sun. Extra magic was in the air for Hannah’s sixteenth birthday!!! At breakfast, she was surprised with a birthday crown as the kitchen staff played Swahili birthday remixes on loop over the load speakers. We were also greeted by our two new feline friends that the group nicknamed Simba and Maui (one of whom left a nice, smelly surprise on Aubrie and Addie’s doorstep). With full bellies and high spirits, we loaded into the vans to head to the ocean for our first group open water dive! We grabbed our gear and loaded onto our boat, conveniently named ‘The Caroline.’ Much to Field’s rejoice after her underwater stint with Mcha, Ludo took over as the advanced divers’ instructor. Asheri and Bacari’s groups both descended into the depth for their first skills lesson in the open ocean. We rested on our knees along the ocean floor while everyone got to practice taking out their regulator, clearing their masks, and adjusting their buoyancy. Once everyone had mastered their new skill sets, we got to tour around the dive site called ‘Aquarium’ because of all of the different fish species populating the coral. We found eels, scorpion fish, parrot fish, clown fish, and so many more! Tatum and Henry always seemed to be floating above or below each other (colliding on occasion). Once everyone had emptied their tanks and ascended above the water, we got to practice surface skills. Hannah proved to be best at pretending she had a leg cramp so that other divers could practice towing a tired/hurt diver. With everyone back together on the boat, we were presented a tray of dank snacks by the dive crew. Fruit, chopati, mandazi, and warm spice were the perfect fix to energize us for our second dive. Charlie shared his love for grapefruit with the rest of the group, and Owen showed everyone a tasty trick by wrapping a tiny banana in chopati. Our second dive was just as interesting as the first, with so much wildlife circling us on all sides. On our journey back to the dive shop, the kids soaked up some sweet rays while piling on the bow. Tatum fell asleep in an odd position which might’ve given her a few neck aches.
We headed back to our hotel for lunch and to prep for our exploration of the largest city in Zanzibar: Stone Town. Bryan picked us back up for an hour long car ride to the North of the island. Once we arrived, Charlie, Will, and Henry got themselves some juice, and we began to follow our guide through an open air market and through winding city streets. We stopped to take a picture and shop around at the old Portuguese fort at the center of the city. Some of the girls got bracelets, necklaces, and trinkets to remember the trip. Where was Owen you asked? We finally spotted him befriending a cloth weaver who taught him how to work his intricate weaving machine. Thankfully we snagged some pictures. We stopped at an ice cream cream store for a celebratory treat for the bday girl. Just after that we headed to our final stop at a rooftop overlooking the skyline and coast just after sunset. While there, we happened upon a balloon arch, lights, and dance floor for a stranger’s sixth birthday party. Some of the kids mistook it for a surprise put together by the leaders, but we took advantage of it anyway. We had an impromptu party on the rooftop and took pictures of Hannah under the birthday arch. We then headed to dinner at the street market, we’re everyone snacked on pizzas, samosas, and pasta. Will and Charlie found some nice women who they got give them some interesting updo’s while they ate. Just wait until you see pictures. All of the girls got matching henna flowers while they counted how many cats they saw running around the town square. Once everyone had had their fair share of food, we loaded back onto the bus to head home. Field and Meredith sang on the bus most of the ride home while many others used the time to make progress on their friendship bracelets. Hannah and Will (our LODs), held a wonderful Moonup on the bus during the drive back to Matemwe. When we got back, we had late night snacks and chats in the dining room before the lights suddenly went out. The kitchen staff emerged banging on pots and pans, singing loud birthday tunes, and carrying a beautiful cake with Hannah’s name written in pink frosting. We snacked, celebrated, and sat in the dining room for a while. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.
6/29
The kids sauntered in a bit late to breakfast, fitting the mood of the reggae pop covers that were playing in the beachside restaurant of our hotel. At breakfast, they served a mysterious green crepe, deviating from the normal crepe that they usually make. Charlie was eager to try the dish and made a burrito out of beans and veggies. The rest of the kids were nodding their heads to an Ed Sheeran reggae remix. Will especially jammed out to the music (he’ll probably bring back a lot of the reggae pop songs, so get ready). It was green crepes and jams in Zanzibar!
Today was the day that all of the kids were getting officially certified as open water divers, so there was a lot of excitement getting to the dive center. The kids were also eager to learn more Swahili phrases and requested Owen’s make-shift dictionary. Once greeting and meeting with our dive instructors, the group set off to the dive site.
On the boat, as the new divers were getting their Open Water Certifications, Owen, Addie, Field, and Aubrie were getting their advanced dive certification. The task of the day was identifying fish and taking underwater photos. Addie was the first photographer and our diving instructor was quite impressed with the consistency and clarity of her photography. However, once Addie and Owen got to the fish identifying part during the next dive, they did not do too hot, barely guessing any fish correctly. On the other hand, Field and Aubrie crushed their IDs (but only relatively). The other divers were down under having some amazing underwater finds as well: we saw frog fish, stone fish, wahoo, and shrimps galore. Asheri’s group had a laugh when Meredith excitedly mistook an anemome plant for an octopus. Hannah fulfilled our dreams of having a real life leash kid on our trip by having to latch on to her instructor’s extra regulator, being towed around for the rest of the dive.
Once we were back on the boat, Emmie did a graceful backflip and motivated Charlie, Will, Field, and Addie to join her as well. Amidst the flipping frenzy, our Captain, Combo, spotted a pod of dolphins off of the port side of the boat. Gathering everyone on a smaller motorboat, we set out to swim with the dolphins. One of the dive instructors, Asheri, was directing the driver with determination; he really wanted the kids to get a chance to swim with the dolphins. Once we got near the pods, the kids all frantically rolled off of the side of the boat, with GoPros in ready position. Henry’s long limbs got so him close to the dolphins that he ended up petting one, garnering jealousy from the rest of the group members. However, the first time around only half of the kids saw the dolphins. Asheri was steadfast in his mission and with a yell, we set off buzzing after the elusive pod. Once in the water for the second time, the rest of the kids saw plenty of dolphins as a pod of about 20 dolphins passed beneath their goofy snorkels and goggles. Dolphin overload!!
After the second dive the kids all sat on the front of the boat soaking in the rays from the gorgeous day. Tatum fell asleep sitting up once again! Once we got back to the hotel, the kids were slumped and fell asleep reading by the pool. They napped for about an hour and a half, which helped them finally recover from jet lag. Charlie was the first awake and joined Owen drinking tea on the front porch of the restaurant, where they chatted and listened to the waves crash in front of the awning.
Once the children rolled off of their beach chairs, they lethargically marched towards the beach for a sunset walk. We brought our soccer ball down the beach, but lo and behold we were stopped by a horde of young school girls, wanting to steal the soccer ball! Will, Charlie, and Henry dropped the ball and ran around with them, as they tried their best to keep the ball away from the cute little menaces. Field and Addie ran to join the disorganized game, as the kids swarmed whoever was carrying the ball within seconds. The sand the towards the water was like mud and the kids legs were awkwardly getting stuck in the sand while running. A few tumbles later, we turned back towards the hotel to get ready for dinner.
At dinner, Tatum fixed Will’s new braids and made them a bit more colorful with friendship bracelet string. Then Will brought his jolly rancher stash out to share with the group, which was devoured (or sucked?) in seconds. Will’s generosity was inspiring and brought the group wholesomely close for the night. They ended the night by piling into the boys room for late-night laughs and chats.
6/30
The next morning the whole group was determined to wake up for sunrise— which most of them did. Henry chose to stay in bed, but he didn’t miss much of a sunrise because it was mostly covered by puffy clouds spread over the horizon. However, the sunrise crew saw a glimmers of beauty as the sun shone through the clouds. Charlie and Will were spotting funny shapes in the clouds. Will saw Bowser and a dragon, while Charlie spotted a dinosaur! On the other side, Tatum, Field, and some other girls smelled something funky for the duration of the sunrise. It wasn’t until afterward that we realized Tatum had unfortunately been sitting in a trail of Maui’s poop (thankfully she only noticed it at the end and got to enjoy a poop-free sunrise in blissful ignorance). She led the group to catch a few extra Z’s (and to clean her shorts) before the breakfast spread was out.
We were then picked up by our diving instructors and headed to the dive site. The skies were a bit more ominous today, and the waters had a slightly tougher current. But thankfully no rain. The advanced divers were preparing for their final skills that would get them their certification. They were setting up for the deep dive, down to 100 feet; Field bravely stated that she was quite nervous, causing the others to confess their own nerves as well. We collectively commiserated our emotions before getting strong and facing our fears: the deep unknown of the ocean beneath us. Once the kids were down under the water, the nerves settled and the deep dark water were meditative and breathtaking (thankfully not literally breathtaking). The newly certified divers had some really cool finds of the day: a spotted stingray, two octopi, leaf fish, and some especially puffy starfish. While it’s usually hard to communicate underwater, Will mastered a signaling sound to alert the group on any cool subsurface finds. After Tatum, Emmie, and Henry got some practice blowing underwater bubble rings, Meredith snagged some pictures of their bubble blowing skills.
Once the kids were back on the boat they ate lots of fruits, Zanzibar donuts (mandazi), and the famous chapati banana. The group sat on the front of the boat laughing and joking, clearly all getting very close to one another. Once we got back to the dive center, everyone was allowed to ring the bell in celebration of their certifications.
After the bell, we ate quickly before our next activity, the “spicey farm”. At the spice farm our guide, Sayid, showed us a bunch of different fresh spices that were brought to Zanzibar by Arab colonizers centuries ago. We saw, smelled, and tasted vanilla, coffee, tumeric, ginger, cloves, cardomom, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and more. The girls bought natural perfumes and were crowned as queens. While the boys were then crowned as kings, Will put on the lipstick that the locals make from a native fruit, and ended up looking more like a queen. Will got some funny pictures with his newly made friend, Yusef, who was wearing the same natural make-up.
Soon after the crowning of the spice queens and kings, we walked a bit to an area in the trees where “The Butterfly” climbed a coconut tree and danced and sang for us. While we were all singing a Swahili song, “Jambo Bwana,” our guide grabbed Addie’s hand and started to swing dance with her; a lot of laughs and rhythm were shared, filling our bellies and souls. After the coconut show, we had a unique chance to buy fresh spices from the farm! Lastly, they gave us a buffet of fresh fruits before we left; the group tried jack fruit, grapefruit, papaya, passion fruit, pineapples, and more.
Once we got back to the hotel, we ate a light dinner since the kids were filled up with spices and fruits. When the chefs burst from the kitchen clanging pots and pans and singing their version of happy birthday for a nearby table, the kids joined in the celebration. The kids formed a conga line around the couple that was celebrating the birthday and cheered and danced. The couple was so delighted and shook hands and thanked us for our wonderful energy.
Henry and Aubrie then led us out onto the beach for our best moonup yet, under a bright blanket of stars. We moved down the beach when a man with a flood light ruined our stargazing, but at our new spot, Aubrie and Henry came up with some great questions, asking the group what they would do if they could go back in time. They followed up with a more serious question, asking, who was a person that each member looks up to and how that person has impacted their lives. It seems that the whole group has a lot of wonderful people to look up to.
7/1
Today is our last morning in Zanzibar, and we woke up to a late breakfast while taking in our last glimpses of the Indian Ocean. Since we had some time to relax, we sat at the dining table for about an hour and a half, chatting and enjoying each other’s company. Meredith cut Owen’s hair while the rest of the group played cards. When the two leaders returned they found Emmie, Charlie, and Will taking gymnastics lessons from a local on the beach— they were quite talented. We ate a light lunch and are now headed to the airport for our travel to Nairobi. Wish us safe travels and an easy flight!
Asante sana for reading and check back in with you soon,
Owen and Meredith
Arrived in Nairobi!
June 29, 2022
Hello Kenya + Zanzibar Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group landed safely in Nairobi. The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips but we will be posting up to three trip updates throughout the next couple of weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip and the students will also give a special shout out mid-way through! You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to this summer!
-Moondance HQ
