Zanzibar Magic: Diving, Dolphins, and Unforgettable Moments with Our Crew!
July 26, 2024
Jambo! We have made it to Zanzibar and couldn’t be more excited to finish out our trip on this beautiful island! After a long day of traveling, the kids were extra happy to see where we were staying- a beachfront hotel complete with a pool and restaurant. We had an awesome first dinner and Moonup on the beach before heading to bed for some well-deserved rest. The next morning, we woke up and headed to our dive center for our first day of scuba!! Gabe, Tison, Riley, Maddie, CR, and Jake headed out onto the boat while Brady, MA, and Sophie hopped in the pool to begin their scuba certification. Gabe, Tison, and Riley had a blast going on fun dives together, and were super stoked to be able to swim with some dolphins- the first we’ve seen all summer! When there weren’t dolphins around, Gabe kept his group entertained by doing various dances underwater. Maddie, CR, and Jake were getting their advanced certifications, and enjoyed completing the different challenges given to them by their instructor. Back on land, Brady, MA, and Sophie killed their open water course and finished super early, so they got the chance to hang out by the pool and drink some pina coladas until the rest of the group got back. We all reunited for an awesome lunch before going on a spice tour! Our guide, Seif, showed us through a lush forest full of different plants that grew everything from lemongrass to vanilla. We stumbled across some peppers, and everyone in the group decided to test their spice tolerance. Every single one of us was instantly humbled. Everybody was unable to control themselves, and Tison and Gabe were even brought to tears. Eventually, we recovered, moved on, and got to buy some local perfumes made from all of the spices! We ended our spice tour by receiving handmade leaf hats, crowns, and rings from the guys working there, who were hilarious and loved all of the kids. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel for another awesome dinner, and got to catch a gorgeous sunset on the way home!
The next morning, we were back scuba-diving, but today was exciting because we all got to be on the boat together! The whole gang headed out to the dive spot, a small island right off the coast called Mnemba Island. The first dive was super fun! Gabe, Tison, and Riley spotted an octopus, and MA, Brady, and Sophie had so much fun getting to dive in the ocean for the first time and see just how many fish everyone had been talking about the day before. CR, Maddie, and Jake, getting their advanced certifications, got to do their deep dive where they go down about 100 feet underwater, which was super cool. We all came back onto the boat for some fruit, pastries, and tanning before heading back down for the second dive! The same trios submerged into huge schools of fish and got to see even more of Zanzibar’s exotic sea-life. The group as a whole has developed a kind of underwater prank war, consisting of dance battles, scaring each other, and seeing who can do the most flips without getting confused. Whether it be Spencer pretending to ride Tison like a horse, Jake swimming upside down and scaring Gabe, or Brady seeing how many shells he can drop on MA before she realizes, there is truly never a dull moment underwater! It is so much fun seeing how excited these kids get about the dives and watching them tell each other all about it! After finishing scuba diving, we headed back to the hotel, ate lunch, and then had some time to chill before our afternoon activity. Although it had been overcast for the past few hours, it conveniently cleared up just in time for our sunset sailboat cruise! We hopped on what the kids thought resembled a pirate ship, and were met with a band of bongo players. We climbed up onto the top deck and hung out as a group as we sailed away from the beach and into the middle of the ocean! It turned out to be such a pretty night and it was so fun to just hang out on the boat, listen to the music, and watch the sunset. Eventually, the boat anchored for a little and we got to jump off and swim! Jake impressed everyone with his water skills, and the rest of the group had a blast trying to follow up his talents. Swimming in the crystal clear blue waters at sunset was such a scenic and memorable moment, and definitely a specific time together that we will all miss when we get home! We hopped out of the water, had some fruit on our ride back to shore, and made sure to get plenty of pictures on the way! This evening was definitely one of the times where we realized just how close everyone has gotten and how thankful we are to end the summer with such an incredible group of kids! We went back to the hotel, hung out for a while and ate dinner before doing Moonup and heading to bed!
The next day we had our second to last day of scuba. The group kept the entertainment going with us underwater games and overall goofing around during dives. Today was special because of how beautiful the weather was. We pulled the boat to a shallow part of the ocean and were able to hop out and swim around. Jake and Tison loved swimming under the parked boat and all the girls loved the photo opportunity. It was such a great day and the best part hadn’t even happened yet. When we arrived back at the hotel, Spencer told the kids to get ready quickly as our turn around to the next activity was pretty tight. We told the kids to put on closed toed shoes, long pants, and bring their work gloves as we were building houses in a town a few minutes down the beach. With all the kids exhausted from scuba and totally full from lunch, we gathered everyone in their work gear and told them that the house building was a trick and that everyone had a totally free afternoon at the resort! Brady was equally excited but annoyed with himself that he fell for our trick. CR and Riley instantly asked if they could get massages. Madie, Sophie, and MA all got pedicures at ‘Big Mama’s’ hut on the beach. As the girls got finished, the rest of the group spent their time in the water. Body surfing, chicken fighting, and human pyramid making made up our laugh filled ocean party. From Gabe and Jake wrestling in the water to Tison and MA having a seaweed fight, the group really enjoyed their free day and allowed the selves to soak up their second to last day together. It was truly one of those ‘Moondance’ moments when everyone is together and crying laughing about everything going on.
Our final day in Zanzibar was a special one. We woke up for our last day of scuba diving excited to finally go on a group dive all together. Every day, the group had been on the same boat, however, with some groups not being certified, we hadn’t been able to switch up the dive groups. Today was the day where we got to switch up and be all together. The group kept vibes high by singing Happy Birthday to one of our favorite characters, our scuba diving instructor Camille. Brady, Sophie, MA, and Spencer were placed on a smaller boat for the first half of the day. Sophie wasn’t feeling great so skipped the first dive but she was tasked with learning 3 things about the boat driver. While Sophie was interviewing our captain, Spencer and Brady had some scuba highlights after trying to put shells in MA’s mask without her noticing. We got up to 4 shells stuck into her strap. MA also loves to hum to herself underwater. We found this out when we were swimming above her trying to get the shells in her mask. After the dive, our boat was lucky enough to spot some dolphins!! It was a perfect ‘last day’ experience. We were able to jump in the water and get VERY close. MA sounded like a broken record saying “that was just so cool”. On the second dive, everyone hopped in the water for our big group dive. The group dive was filled with underwater laughs. I mean, oh my gosh was that dive hilarious! I don’t know what it is about getting the giggles underwater but once you start you can’t stop. Some laughing points include Tison and MA accidentally swimming towards a random scuba group that happened to pass by us underwater, Gabe’s ability to be literally everywhere (he’d be next to you one second then just disappear and be over next to someone else), and the whole group laughing as Camille shook her noise maker at us to stay focused. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the underwater world.
In the afternoon we took our trip into Stonetown. The group got dressed up for the town visit and made our way to the first stop, the Slave Market Museum. Back in the 1800s, Zanzibar was a huge hub for the slave trade. There was a huge slave market that was now converted into a church. Our tour guide Seif has the ability to make everything entertaining, even something as somber as that. It really was such a cool place to see and a really interesting topic to learn more about. After the market, we walked through the streets of Stonetown. Our guide would stop us and tell us about the different architecture and other history hidden within the walls of each corner. For our final banquet dinner, we arrived at a rooftop hotel restaurant. It is just by luck that our session gets to end in Zanzibar and my lord is it a good meal to end on. Half the table ordered the Zanzibar curry. It is one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. We spent the rest of the dinner reminiscing about the trip and how close everyone had gotten. This was really a special group and one that I think will be in touch for a while. This group never wanted to waste any opportunity to spend time together. To cap off the dinner, we ordered 5 ‘sizzling brownies’. They came out literally sizzling like fajitas. Once all five brownies were smoking at the table, it got to the point where the whole restaurant was looking at our table engulfed in smoke and all coughing and laughing realizing how ridiculous this situation is.
The cherry on top of our final day was our final Moonup. This final Moonup was done on the beach and just encapsulated our group so well. At one point Madie was having to sing the National Anthem alone and then the next moment, someone would be tearing up about having to leave. It was a special one for sure.
This trip has been one heck of an experience and we can’t wait for all of your kids to tell you all about it. It’s so special that we, as leaders, got to share this once and a lifetime experience with each kid. To the group, if you’re reading this, thanks so much for the awesome time. We love you all and can’t till our paths cross again. Keep being you and always remember #nopoaching.
All the best,
Spencer and Gretchen
Checking in from Kenya!
July 22, 2024
Hello friends and family!
We have had another great section of our trip filled with wonderful memories and awesome stories. This group has gotten even closer and is overall just having a blast laughing and spending time with each other.
On our way to the Maasai Mara, we stopped at an amazing camp called Camp Carnelley’s. Before our arrival, we had told the kids to prepare for some “mystery soup” for lunch. We briefed the kids on the importance of being thankful for the food that was provided and to embrace the experience of eating unappetizing food. To their surprise, Camp Carnelley’s actually had a full restaurant equipped with a very diverse menu ranging from lamb curry to feta and pepperoni pizza. We love keeping the kids guessing and trying to make each little perk a special event. This location by far has the best food of the whole trip. They really think they have us figured out, but in reality, they know nothing. Tison might have been the most excited just to have a cheeseburger. MA got the spicy curry, and Riley was happy to have a cheese pizza. It was an awesome lunch and one the kids will definitely remember. Between lunch and dinner, Brady, Tison, Madie, Spencer, CR, and Riley played ping pong for about two hours. The gang played “Around The World,” which requires all players to circle the table, hit the ball, and then run around the table and hit it again when it is their turn. Tison was the big winner of the night, dominating the game. Despite hard efforts from Brady and Spencer, Tison was unable to be dethroned. Riley was 100% the crowd favorite. She was usually the first or second to get eliminated, but when she made it farther, the whole group was rooting for her to win. We made a rule that if Riley won a single game, the game was over and Riley was crowned champion. The rest of the group joined in “Around The World” after dinner. We capped the night off with a Moonup nestled into a nice comfy corner of the restaurant lounge covered in plush pillows and couches. One of the kids’ highlights of the trip occurred when Madie got startled on the group’s walk back to their cabins. Madie ended up running and fully, as MA described it, making “the most cartoonish faceplant” she’s ever seen. It was such a funny moment that MA had to change pants twice because she was laughing so hard. I mean, I wish y’all could see the group in hysterics describing how hilarious this was.
Moondance is all about the adventure. One of our quotes of the day was “the climber who has the best journey is the one who has the most fun.” On our journey from Camp Carnelley’s to the Maasai Mara Camp, the bus unexpectedly pulled over and the group was delayed for about three hours. The delay was honestly the highlight of the day as the kids did not complain a single time and were playing card games, throwing the frisbee, and just enjoyed being in each other’s presence. After the delay, we had an hour and a half drive to the Maasai Mara camp.
Our first day at Oseki was special for two reasons. First, the group got to go on a hike up the mountain behind the camp. Second, it was finally the day Riley got her bag from the airport!!! The group started their day with a pretty steep hike. Madie was definitely feeling the heat but pushed through. Sophie loved the hike and was glad to get some exercise. The hike was pretty intense; however, everyone enjoyed a beautiful overlook of the whole valley and even got to see some buffalo and elephants on the way up. While the group was hiking, Spencer was on his way to the local airstrip to grab Riley’s bag that she had been without for now, five days. Upon their return from the hike, Spencer surprised Riley with her bag, and the whole group was cheering along. Everyone was so proud of Riley’s ability to not complain a single time about not having a bag and complimented her overall positivity. It was a big deal for everyone that her bag finally arrived. In the afternoon, everyone gathered at the soccer field for “warrior soccer.” We have a pretty competitive group on our hands, so we were pretty confident in our abilities. Sophie and Riley killed it on the field. I don’t know what position you would describe them as playing, but they really loved standing in the sun and kicking the ball away whenever it happened to roll towards them. Tison, Brady, and Gabe controlled the midfield and took any shot they could get. Madie also spent most of her time up towards the goal trying to sneak one in. She did get a goal, but we think the number of times she slipped and fell might have outweighed her goals by a few :). Jake was an absolute anchor in the backfield paired with the brick wall that was CR. Even with all this skill, we lost. Despite losing, the group had an awesome first day at Oseki and finished the day with Moonup in the girls’ room. At Oseki, all of the girls are in one giant tent, and all the guys are together. Oseki really is a perfect middle part of the trip where the groups get super, super close.
On our second full day at the Maasai Mara camp, we started our morning with Maasai warrior training! This started with a walk into the hills behind our camp as we learned about native plants and their uses for the Maasai to survive in the wild. Our first challenge for warrior training was spear throwing. Everyone in the group had a chance to throw spears (carved out sticks) to see who could throw theirs the farthest. Maddie and Gabe impressed everyone with their natural ability to make their spears fly through the air like true warriors. Next, the group had a ton of fun playing a local Maasai game that involves throwing the stems of a local plant at each other to try to hit one another. This proved to be a blast, especially with the very competitive nature of our group. Tison and Brady were determined to beat the other, while Gretchen, Sophie, Riley, and CR could barely even throw the sticks without laughing. After the game, we had a jumping competition, similar to the ones that Maasai warriors have to compete for wives. In theory, whoever can jump the highest is the most desirable. Brady definitely took the lead in this contest, with Jake close behind. Afterwards, we shot arrows at a tree, and the first to hit the trunk was the first to become a warrior! MA bravely took the first attempt, only to have her arrow go approximately six inches in front of her. Everybody took a turn shooting the arrow, and we definitely had a wide variety of talent in this category. Gabe was the closest to hitting the trunk, while some were more focused on being able to get the arrow to go anywhere at all. Throughout our walk in the hills, we saw a range of animals from baboons to impalas to elephants. Finally, we stopped at a giant tree with huge branches twisting in every direction and learned that the goal was to climb it. Jake and MA were easily the most confident in this round, scurrying up as high as they could with ease and laughs. Spencer was a little nervous, to say the least, but Gretchen was loving it and took a ton of pictures. We headed back to camp for lunch and a quick siesta before an exciting afternoon! We got to go to one of the schools in the village and play with all of the kids! This was definitely a highlight of the trip, and everyone had a blast playing soccer and other games, and just getting to hang out with all of the little kids. Gabe and Jake got a little distracted during the soccer game while meeting some other kids, but were quickly scolded and forced to get back in the game by a couple of eight-year-olds. Riley found her new best friend, an adorable little girl named Angel who wouldn’t let anyone else hold her. Maddie, Sophie, and MA played ring around the rosy with about 20 little kids, none of whom could contain their laughter every time they all fell down. Jake blew the kids away with his backflip while Tison and Brady had kids lined up to get on their shoulders. This was a super wholesome afternoon, and we literally had to drag our kids away. We ate dinner at camp and had fun telling stories about our afternoon before doing Moonup and heading to bed.
The next day was also a highlight of our trip! In the morning, we got to visit the nearby Maasai village and get immersed in their way of life, which the group was really looking forward to. Upon arrival at the village, we were welcomed with a traditional dance, blessing, and songs. This was such a cool and unique experience and one that will definitely stick with all of us! As we walked into the village, we went to a young woman named Lydia’s house, where she taught us how to make ugali, a Maasai staple food. We played with the younger kids hanging out in the village while we waited for it to be finished, and then went back into Lydia’s house to taste it! It was a hit among everyone in the group except for Jake, who made the mistake of eating it with gum in. We then learned how the Maasai people make fire by twisting two pieces of wood together quickly to make smoke, then transferring the smoke to a pile of dead sticks to create a spark. As all of the kids tried to recreate this process, it proved to be much harder than it looked and virtually impossible for any of us to succeed in. A much more successful activity was beading, where the local women taught us how to make the jewelry that everyone wears. Each kid got to make their own bracelet, and Tison and CR were both absolute naturals! CR even got a special anklet that jingles when she walks, so we don’t have to worry about losing her. After the beading, we helped repair a house using a mixture of cow poop and dirt as cement. As you all can imagine, this feat was not exactly a crowd favorite. However, everyone got in there and did their best, and the entire group was laughing at one another’s attempts to dip their hands in cow poop with a straight face. After some thorough handwashing, the group headed to the village market, where each stand is run by an individual family! The kids had a ton of fun picking out gifts for friends and family at home, as well as souvenirs for themselves. They also had a little competition going on to see who was the best negotiator and could get the most bang for their buck. To finish out our time in the village, we headed to a nearby river to help the women carry water back to their houses. Their method of carrying water involved weaving a scarf through the handle of the jug and balancing the scarf on their forehead to carry the jug on their backs. It was pretty funny to see the kids attempt to do this as gracefully as the women, but eventually, everyone got it down and was carrying water like naturals! After we dropped the water off in the village, we said our goodbyes and headed back to camp. We had our daily routine of lunch then siesta before the rest of the afternoon. This day was the day of the official KEZ 3A Moondance Olympics, a very serious event. Our LODs, Sophie and Brady, were team captains and drafted their teams based on athleticism, brains, and entertainment factor. We started out with our first game, Birdie on a Perch, a Moondance favorite. We played best two out of three rounds, all ending in veggie-offs, and Brady’s team came out on top! Our next game was ultimate frisbee, which was super fun for everyone, despite the competitive natures of everyone beginning to come into play. Brady and Tison showcased their athleticism and brought their team to another win! At this point, Sophie’s team was starting to get a little nervous, and so it was time for them to really lock in. Our third game was a speed tournament. While speed is just a card game, it has been essentially the backbone of our trip and has caused more drama than all of the kids combined. Needless to say, this was a very important round for everyone involved. Gabe beat Maddie in an absolutely huge upset, which threw off Brady’s whole team, and Sophie’s team ended up taking the win! Next up was a game called Baby Backpack Bunkbed, in which everyone walks around until one of these three things is called out, and you have to quickly find a partner to act out whatever thing was said. The last ones to get in the position are out, and the last ones standing win. Sophie’s team managed to secure the win for this game too, but not without an intense veggie-off between Gabe and CR, and Spencer and Tison. This brought the overall score to 2-2, so a tiebreaker was necessary to determine the winners of the Olympics. Our final game was Freeze Frame. One member of each team was the guesser, while the rest of the team had to act out a certain situation. The first person to guess what their team is acting out wins a point. This was very entertaining for everyone involved, as the group had to figure out how to act out things like scuba diving, sleeping in a tent, and exorcism. Both teams were really good at acting out the scenarios, with Jake, Tison, and Riley fully committing to their roles each time. Gabe was an especially good guesser and shocked everyone at his ability to guess on his first try basically every time. In the end, Brady’s team won, and thus won the KEZ 3A Moondance Olympics! This was such a fun and funny way to spend our afternoon, and it was very entertaining to see how intense the games got as time progressed. Afterwards, we played a quick game of Big Booty, which Gabe and MA won, before dinner and Moonup. This was our final night at the Maasai camp, and we were so sad to be leaving. However, the staff at the camp so kindly gave us a farewell cake as a goodbye and thank you for such a fun and enriching time together. It was so awesome getting to end our time just hanging out with the staff, and them teaching us their favorite dances.
The next morning, we got to sleep in a little before saying our final goodbyes and heading to the airport. We hopped on our first plane to Nairobi, where we had a layover just long enough for customs, check-in, a snack, and Gabe, Sophie, and Jake to give everyone very interesting tours of everything they had in their backpacks. We boarded our second plane to Zanzibar and are currently on our way there right now! We can’t wait for warm weather, beautiful water, awesome fish, and more fun times to finish out our trip together!
-Spencer and Gretchen
Great Vibes in Kenya!
July 15, 2024
Hello from Kenya! We are already having such an awesome time, and it’s only been four days! This group is small but mighty, and we have loved watching these kids come out of their shells so much.
We started out our trip with a long drive towards northern Kenya to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Ol Pejeta sits on about 100,000 acres of land and inhabits essentially every animal you can imagine being in Africa. It took us all morning to get there after the kids had a long day of traveling before, so we had plenty of time to get to know each other in the car before the activities began. Upon arriving at Ol Pejeta, we went on our very first game drive of the trip! To say the kids were stoked would be an understatement. We saw elephants, rhinos, zebras, and gazelles within the first hour! Brady was killing it taking pictures of all of the animals. As the sun began to set, we drove back to the campsite we were staying at and had some dinner. Afterwards, we played a game called “Family”, which involves choosing a celebrity to be and then trying to be the last person guessed. Sophie and Jake proved to be very inconspicuous and each won a round! Afterwards, our first LODs of the trip, Jake and Riley, held our first Moon-up before heading to bed.
The next morning, we had a quick breakfast before heading into one of the local communities located on the perimeter of Ol Pejeta. We began our morning by potting and seeding over 200 acacia trees! MA and Gabe kept the group entertained with lots of stories and laughs as they planted. We had a quick pancake snack, which may have been Tison and Maddie’s favorite part of the day, before going to visit a man named Gilbert, who is a character to say the least. Gilbert builds sustainable stoves out of clay that reduce smoke and carbon emissions, and then sells them in the community. Our kids got the chance to learn about this process and actually build a stove with Gilbert from start to finish! This involved sifting the dirt, mixing with it water, and molding the new clay into the stove shape. All pretty standard, until we found out that mixing the dirt with water meant stepping in it with our bare feet. Tison, Brady and Gabe were more than a little concerned at how quickly Maddie, CR, Sophie, MA, and Riley were to hop in and embrace the mud in between their toes. Eventually, everyone warmed up to it and we all got our very own African foot mud bath! After learning about the process of cooking with the stove, Gabe and Gilbert got to talking about different methods of cooking without electricity, and Gabe was able to introduce Gilbert to some new ideas, which was awesome to see. After a picnic lunch and play time with his puppies, we bid farewell to Gilbert and headed back to camp. We had a free evening to just hang out, play games, and watch the sunset, which was super fun after a long day. Tison absolutely dominated the ping pong table and became the number one person to beat, even though it turned out to be essentially impossible. We also created the MSL, Moondance Speed League, which created high tensions that we never knew we were even capable of. Brady, Maddie and CR quickly climbed their way to the top of the speed totem pole, leaving everyone else in the dust. Before dinner, we walked to the other side of our camp to get the best view of the sunset, which did not disappoint! After a few pictures, we headed back to eat, do Moon-up, and then play Family Feud. This game got very heated very fast, and ended in accusations that Spencer (Steve Harvey) was biased towards one team because Gretchen was on it, despite the fact that they were just down a person and needed someone to make it even. However, it was still a great time and a hilarious way to end the day.
We had a jam-packed schedule for our last day at Ol Pejeta! We started out by going to visit the rhino enclosure, which is home to Baraka, a blind rhino, and Fatu and Najin, the last two remaining northern white rhinos in the world. Baraka was right up on the gate when we arrived, so we had the lucky opportunity to each hand feed him carrots! This was such a cool thing to do and the kids absolutely loved it. We said goodbye to Baraka, and then did a little service project repairing a road in the enclosure to better prepare it for the upcoming rain season. Jake, Gabe, Tison and CR were troopers shoveling gravel and moving it around, while Maddie and Riley stood strong distributing it out evenly around the area. The rest of the group did a truly incredible job cheering on these kids and offering to sub in when they needed a break. After finishing up our job, we got to go into the rhino enclosure and get a close up look at the last remaining northern white rhinos on the planet! We all piled into one truck and all got to see the white rhinos come RIGHT up to the car. The pictures do not do it justice. After the rhinos, the group got a chance to buy some merch and the Ol Pejeta store. Heads up parents, Tison, Gabe, and Brady all got awesome shirts either with a cow or monkey on it. They were more excited for the shirts than I think all of the safari’s :).
The last activity for the day was our long awaited night safari. The night safari started off eventful with the wires to the light in Spencer’s bus getting burned by the car motor. Luckily, they reloaded with a new spotlight and quickly spotted a herd of elephants grabbing a late night snack. Spencer’s bus was lucky to see a baby elephant trumpet at us. That noise was followed by a mama elephant doing the same, but much louder. Sophie described it as being one of the coolest things she’s seen. MA said it sounded like Jurassic Park. Gretchen’s bus was a little ahead and got to see a female lion hunt down a rabbit. All the kids were in awe of seeing a hunt and truly got the full African experience. Spencer’s bus matched their awe with seeing four male lions and one female walking very close to the van. We joked about what would happen if one jumped into our car. Sophie said she would just give it a hug. Riley claimed how she doesn’t think a lion would hurt her because they are just too cute. Good thing we never found out.
Our final morning at Ol Pejeta was one for the camera roll. We started off our day heading to the cattle farm. We hyped the kids up a lot for the cattle because it is so fun to see the cows and get to pet and interact with them. We all shared a big laugh when, instead of arriving at a field covered in cows, we arrived at an empty plot with just gates that should have been holding cows. The group was then tasked with taking down all the cow pen gates and relocating them a few yards away in untouched grass. The group showed great teamwork moving the gates and all had a bunch of laughs seeing who stepped in cow poop. MA and Tison get the biggest poop stepper awards and Jake 100% gets the hardest worker badge. After some much needed physical work, we drove over to where 60+ cows were grazing a field. Madie and Riley got some awesome pics with a baby cow. Everyone loved taking pictures in the open field with all the animals with Mount Kenya being in perfect view. Usually Mount Kenya isn’t able to be seen due to the clouds but it was crystal clear on our last day. I mean it was one of the most gorgeous days Gretchen and I have seen all summer. To top it all off, we finally checked the last box off the bucket list when we saw about 10 giraffes wandering near us. Everyone was so excited to get eyes on our last ‘must see’ animal.
We are currently on our 5 hour bus ride to the Maasai Mara camp and can’t wait to update everyone soon! This is genuinely perfect!! They are meshing so well and everyone is having a blast. Below are some shoutouts all your kiddos wanted you to read. See y’all in a few days!
Until next time,
Spencer + Gretchen
Shoutouts:
Gabe – hi im having fun and i love it here. Amazing trip super super fun! Just finished the safari and saw so many things!
Jake- hey y’all (im southern now). I miss you guys so much. I’ve made so many new friends, southern hospitality is real. The safaris might be the coolest thing ive ever done. We were so close to elephants 🐘 and giraffes 🦒 that we could almost touch them. Next we are going to the Massai Mara tribe for a few days. Miss you guys so much. Love you,
Jake
Sophie: Hey guys!! I miss you all so much ☺️ Tell everyone I said hello! Thank you (mom and dad) for blessing me with this opportunity. I have met the most amazing people, this is truly a beautiful experience. The past few days we’ve been staying at Ol Pejeta Conservatory! 🤠 Lions are my new favorite animal, we were probably 7 feet away from them! Eek! Love y’all ❤️
Much love,
Sophie
Brady- Hey guys! I’m having so much fun here and this is the coolest experience of my life. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to come here. I love y’all and I can’t wait to see y’all!❤️❤️
Brady
Madie – Heyyyyy. 😜This is literally the coolest thing ive ever done. I saw a snake 🐍 in the bathroom🚽 and yall would be so shocked by how chill I was. 😎Its actually so fun here and were playing SO many games. I’m so excited to show you pictures 📸( i got one with a giraffe) love yall🥰
Madie
MA- Jambooooo!!! Hello guys!!! This experience is so cool 😎 i miss you so much! I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you guys for all of this. I can’t wait to tell you more about it. I saw giraffes today and it was so surreal. Also Emily and Emily, if you guys are reading this, i miss you guys! Hope our streak is going strong!!
Tison- Hey y’all it’s awesome here. Seeing all the animals is really cool, but I wanted to see a cheetah and that didn’t happen. Yall would be proud of me because I had to use a towel multiple times. I love yall and will see you soon.
Riley -hey y’all! I’ve had the beet time and can’t wait to tell y’all everything! The safari has been so cool and it’s so fun to see all the different animals! Hadley would love it. My bags still not here, but i’ve got a new closet! I miss y’all so so much and can’t wait to see gall and tell y’all everything! Love you!
CR – hey y’all! I miss everyone so much and cant wait to tell y’all all about my trip!! I hope everything thing is great at home and ill bring back so much to show and give to y’all! Give bear a big big for me, i love y’all and see you soon ❤️❤️
Safe Arrival in Kenya!
July 10, 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
