6 July 2010
Amboseli is amazing. It kicks NNP’s butt!
After lunch we had some down time in the room before our first game drive as a family, and down time is no good for a girl like me. I was bored, restless, and above all…sad. I started to ache for NPS, the staff, and my classmates. Especially Brenna. I was nervous about going on a game drive without Brenna or Jay by my side. I’ve literally never been on a game drive without one or both of them. I shared with my mom about the amazing people I lived with for the last month and how much they changed my life and how much I miss them. It is weird to be in Kenya without them. Without Jay, Brenna, Erica, any of the staff. It is hard to be a tourist too. I’m not used to being waited on, and I have a sort of guilt or something. I’m trying to relax and be a tourist.
Then we left for our game drive. We saw the usual, zebra, tommies, etc. But then we saw our first herd of wild elephants. I had yet to see wild elephants, and it was amazing. Then, we saw 8 lions! Then hyaenas! Then more elephants! More lions! Lion cubs! Flamingoes! Crown Crane EVERYWHERE! I will never see elephants and not think of Brenna, nor ibis. I will never see crown crane without thinking of Jay. I’m so glad to have them with me in that way while I experience this with my family. It is also a blessing to see how the knowledge I’ve gained from my month-long course is useful. I’m able to spot, observe, and identify animals for my parents. I was able to explain some of the conflicts with the wildlife and also told them about Maasai culture. We really did learn so much in the last 30 days. I’m so lucky. So so lucky. But I still need more practice being a tourist.
