Ol Pejeta Adventures!
June 20, 2024
Jambo!
After our relaxing beach vacation in Zanzibar, we made our way back to Kenya for the final leg of our trip. We began our time at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy with a game drive that wowed us all—we were so excited to see animals like zebras, elephants, giraffes, and more up close! We had an early night (not before snacking on some delicious banana bread) and slept soundly in our new home. The next morning, we traveled out of the conservancy to a farm where we helped plant Acacia trees. Acacia trees are a giraffe’s favorite food! After that, we had a tea break, then learned the process of making clay stoves as part of an initiative to encourage more eco-friendly fuel-burning methods. We helped with everything from sifting the soil to kneading the clay to making the final product! Carter showed off her ceramics skills and impressed our teacher Gilbert with her talent.
Later that night, we had an experience we’ll never forget: a nighttime game drive. We saw hyenas hunting and four male lions! A rare sight we were lucky to witness. Reynolds was especially excited, as lions are her favorite animal!
Our second full day at Ol Pejeta felt like a behind-the-scenes tour of the reserve. First thing in the morning, we went to see chimpanzees at a sanctuary started by Jane Goodall! Our guide Tom taught us all about the chimpanzees, and we’ve come back with so many fun facts about them. Next, we went to meet some celebrity rhinos. We met Baraka, the blind rhino, and later met Fatu and Najin, the last two northern white rhinos on Earth! This experience was so special and definitely once in a lifetime. Millie helped us understand more about the northern white rhinos and unveiled her passion for rhino conservation. After we met the rhinos, we saw hippos in the river. Vivi felt especially connected with them but, unfortunately, was not allowed to swim. We learned that hippos are extremely territorial! Our afternoon included lion tracking, and we got to work with the conservancy’s lion trackers to help enter data about lions we saw on the reserve.
That night, we had our last official Moonup, led by Eliza and Frannie. They perfectly wrapped up our trip and brought out all the emotions. We ended the night with a major dance party and our favorite activity: hacky sack. We went to bed feeling sad to leave but excited that we had one last activity before departing.
The morning of our final day started with a surprise activity that turned out to be one of the most memorable: a livestock tour. We learned about Ol Pejeta’s livestock and got to watch a “cow-wash” that happens only once a week! It was like watching a car wash except the cars were cows! Sophie helped guide the cows through the path as they all got clean. We then loaded up the cars and said goodbye to Ol Pejeta and all the amazing animals we saw, heading back to Nairobi for one final banquet dinner.
During the banquet dinner, we talked about all our favorite animals, memories, people we met, and funny moments of the trip. We have absolutely loved having your girls with us for the past two weeks and are so sad to see them go, but so excited for them to share all of their stories with you! Thank you so much for sharing your kids with us; they have taught us so much, and we could not have imagined a better group of girls to share this experience with!
Sinclair and Andrea
Greetings from Zanzibar!
June 16, 2024
Greetings from Zanzibar!
We have had the best time here in Zanzibar exploring a new city and getting scuba CERTIFIED! All seven girls have completed the scuba course and experienced a whole new world underwater. On our first full day in Zanzibar, Carter, Sophie, Millie, Reynolds, Eliza, and Vivi spent the first half of the day doing their pool session part of the course. While they learned all kinds of new skills, Frannie and leader Andrea headed out for their first dive of the trip. Frannie and Andrea went to the coast of a small island where they saw sharks, lionfish, stingrays, and so many different fish. Frannie was a pro in the water and felt so comfortable! Back at the pool, Reynolds and Sophie picked up on scuba diving especially quickly and were able to help others get the hang of things. These girls are always so open to trying new things it amazes us every single day. After we enjoyed lunch, the group set out for our first excursion of the trip—a spice tour! Zanzibar is known for its rich spices, so what better way to learn about it than visiting a local spice farm. During the spice tour, we got to smell different leaves and take our guesses as to what we thought they were. Vivi shocked us with her sense of smell; she knew what many of the spices were! After the spice tour, we headed back to our hotel and ended the night with dinner and Moonup. There’s no better way to end the night than with a meaningful Moonup.
The next morning was an early one! The whole group went to the same dive spot and had an amazing morning putting their scuba skills to work. We were all SO stunned by the color of the water—we call it “Blue Powerade.” After the very first dive, Eliza and Millie came up from the water and said, “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done.” As leaders, it’s so fun to hear these genuine and thankful remarks after trying something new for the first time. Lunch today was full of laughter and excitement for what’s to come the next few days! After lunch, we took naps by the pool and soaked up the sun while listening to our favorite songs. The girls were super excited for our next activity, and it definitely didn’t disappoint! We made our way to the coast and boarded a boat for a sunset cruise, one of the most memorable nights of the trip so far! We were welcomed onto the boat by a group of drummers who were the soundtrack to our journey around the coast. We sat on top of the boat and took in the most beautiful sunset we had ever seen—definitely a wow-moment we’ll never forget.
Our third morning in Zanzibar had more scuba in store, and we got to put to use the diving skills we know all too well. This day had some of the best diving yet, and the girls jumped right in. We are so proud of our fearless team! Being underwater was out of our wildest dreams; we saw more lionfish, sea snakes, and three octopuses. Between dives, we sat on the boat and had some delicious fruit while taking in the gorgeous ocean around us. Long story short, our third day of scuba was a fairytale. After a relaxing lunch, we departed for our tour of Stonetown. Walking the streets of Stonetown was like walking a labyrinth with its narrow streets and winding turns, but with our mastermind guide Seif, we never got lost. At the end of the tour, we got to see the childhood home of Freddie Mercury, frontman of the timeless band Queen. After our walking tour of Stonetown, we made our way towards a surprise dinner on a rooftop, and as daylight faded, we got to view another superstar Zanzibar sunset. Under the starlight, we had dinner, and the lucky ones got to try some typical Zanzibar snacks and fruits; the girls decided that one even tasted like a Jolly Rancher. Our dinner was again filled with laughter and joy, which is nothing new for us, but we also reminisced on the very first night and how much closer we have become since then. This crew has bonded so well together and has brought so much joy, compassion, and friendship to this trip, and we could not be more grateful. Long live KEZ 1C! Finally, we departed Stonetown in style, listening to Taylor Swift, of course!
The last day in Zanzibar started with celebratory scuba dives, as everyone was now certified! We had fun on these dives together and saw even more underwater life. We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool and on the beach, a much-deserved rest after all of the hard work the girls put into becoming certified scuba divers. We broke our rest with a dance party by the pool before dinner. Carter led the group into a dance circle as she showed off her killer moves, inviting the rest of the group to participate. After our dance party, we ran to the beach to take in our final views of the ocean before heading back to Kenya for the final leg of our trip. We have loved our time in Zanzibar and are excited to go on our first safari. Our hearts are heavy knowing that the trip is coming to a close, but we are so thankful to have been able to share these adventures with your daughters.
And last but certainly not least, we want to thank those of you who made this trip possible, especially on this special day. Happy Father’s Day!!! The girls have been thinking of you all day and send their love from across the pond. Y’all have raised some pretty incredible kids, and we thank you for letting us spend this time with them.
Jambo
June 11, 2024
Jambo family and friends! Kenya + Zanzibar 1C has had the most incredible time so far on this once in a lifetime journey! It’s only been 7 days (I think?) and the group has already grown into a family. As a leader, it’s so amazing to see a group of kids come together as one so quickly.
Airport day was arguably one of our most exciting days! The group came together at the Nairobi airport pretty late at night. Although all the girls were exhausted from the long travel day, they jumped into conversation immediately and minutes later we were all belly laughing. This was the moment we knew we had a special group of girls to spend the next two weeks with. From the Nairobi airport we drove about forty-five minutes outside of the city and stayed at a cute place where we ate a late dinner and had our first Moonup. Moonup is a unique and powerful thing we do here at Moondance. At the end of each day we sit down to reflect on our day, show gratitude, ask intentional questions, and ultimately get closer as a whole group.
The next morning the group sprung into action ready to explore all that Kenya has to offer! We took a four hour car ride to spend the next four days learning about the Maasai way of life. For our first full day in Maasai Mara, Carter and Frannie were our LOD’s (leader of the day). LOD’s have an exciting job to empower the group to stay positive throughout the day and also give their peers guidance as for what’s to come that day. Frannie and Carter both have an infectious personality, so this leadership role came naturally to them. They led the group to a town to pick-up trash and clean up the roads. During our walk to the town, kids from a local school came along with us. Reynolds immediately clicked with the kids and Maasai warriors by having intentional conversations and joining in on some common traditions. On our first full afternoon in the Maasai village was the beginning of an intense soccer tournament. The Moondance girls played against the Maasai Warriors. The girls came in hot and shocked the Maasai with their competitive spirit and impressive skills. Vivi, Carter, and Sophie were stars on the soccer field! After the game, our team ate dinner, had our Moonup, and went to bed excited for what the next three days with the Maasai had in store.
Our second day in Maasai Mara began with a hike to the top of a small nearby mountain. Our guides Sopia, Baba, and Jackson led us up the mountain with stops along the way to teach us about different plants and animals around the camp. Sophie wowed us with her environmental knowledge, she was telling us fun facts about Kenyan plants and native animals the whole way up. She even impressed our guides with her ability to identify animals along the way! At the top of the mountain we were rewarded with a much-needed break, and on the way down we were surprised with our first animal sighting of the trip: a giraffe and two zebras, standing together! This was a major wow-moment for our crew- being on foot close to such amazing animals was an experience unlike any of us had ever had. Our star photographer Millie beautifully captured this once-in-a-lifetime moment. After a delicious lunch we were challenged to a soccer rematch by the Maasai warrior team. Once again, team Moondance left their all on the field before dinner and a bonfire.
We started our day early the next morning with a visit to the Maasai village. The village members warmly welcomed us with traditional song and dance and even invited us to participate! Reynolds showed off her jumping skills with the Maasai warriors before we officially entered into the village. Millie made fast friends with the children we met with her friendly and outgoing nature. We spent time in the village learning about how the Maasai build their houses, cook, gather water, bead, and make fire. The girls dove headfirst into learning about and immersing themselves in this culture and we are so proud of them. Eliza especially enjoyed learning about the Maasai culture, often being the first to volunteer or ask questions. Our walk back to camp was filled with reflective conversation about what we had learned and how openly we had been welcomed into the Maasai culture. After lunch we were challenged to one final soccer match. Our soccer stars once again impressed the Maasai with their skills and teamwork leading Team Moondance to a victory, dancing to ‘Can’t Touch This’ all the way back to our tents. Our last dinner in Maasai Mara was filled with more laughter than real words, thanks to Vivi who always knows how to make everyone smile. During final Moonup at this site we reflected on our time with the Maasai before preparing for our journey to Zanzibar for scuba diving. Eliza and Frannie remarked on how the cultural immersion with the Maasai has already impacted their experience during this trip and will continue to lay a groundwork for the rest of these two weeks. We will dearly miss our friends in Maasai Mara, our soccer matches, and the beautiful scenery we were lucky to wake up to every morning, but we are so excited for the next chapter of this trip. Next stop, Zanzibar!
SHOUTOUTS
Reynolds – Hey momma and daddy! Miss and love you so much! Having lots of fun!
Millie – Hello parents! I miss y’all so much! I hope Ernie and Bert are alive still. I love y’all! Africa is truly the most magical place and id love to come back with y’all
Sophie – Hey guys! Africa has been incredible, animals, people, everything! I’ve already learned so much and cant wait for what’s to come. Love you!
Frannie – Miss and love y’all!! I’m having so much fun
Carter – Hi mom, dad, and davis! I’m having the best time and absolutely love my group. I love and miss y’all so much!
Vivi – Hiiiiiiii! Love y’all and miss y’all! I’m having so much fun and love my people, this place is so great. Going to Zanzibar to scuba tmrw. Yay!
Eliza – Hi mom and dad! I’m having the best time ever and cant wait to tell you all about it. I love it here. Love and miss y’all
Safe arrival in Nairobi!
June 6, 2024
Hello Kenya + Zanzibar Families!
All students have landed safely in Nairobi and the group is headed to their first activity! The trip is off to a great start and we can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure.
-Moondance HQ
