Day 3 Africa

Jambo from - AMERICA! Phew - we are back home and now my posts will come with pictures. A LOT of pictures so - well sorry. I am thinking that the blog is the easiest way to show the pictures along with the stories for my friends and family. I am also going to sort of focus my report as a "here is how we survived a 10 day trip to Africa with three kids" sort of report.

Here is what we traveled in for the most part. Landrovers.

 The actual date for these pictures is July 11th I believe and on this day we left the Nairobi Serena Hotel and headed on a 5 hour drive to Nanuki and the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.


Now you can judge me all you want but my husband and I just took three kids (ages 10, 8, and 5) on a grand total of more car and landrover rides than you can count (literally a gillion hours in a 4 wheel vehicle of some kind), multiple bus rides, and 6 plane rides (the shortest being 45 minutes and the longest being 9 hours) so yeah - we had portable games, post it notes, and crayons in every pocket. The kids actually invented this cool game with post it notes that I will have to post about later. Anyway - I digress......

It was very cool to see the country side and the people as we drove. I just sat and stared out the window. I even got to plug my headphones into my nook (the best invention ever created and the most amazing pre Africa purchase that we could have made for the Mommy by the way) and listen to Andrew Peterson as I watched the world go by. I have a small albeit I would argue healthy obsession with Andrew Peterson's music and it was an amazing experience to be driving down a road in Africa listening to songs like God of my Fathers and Many Roads and holding hands with my husband in the back of a landrover listening to Dancing in the Minefields. 

Anyway - once again I digress......

Here was a "rest stop" where the kids got to buy a snack and shop for stuff. One thing we found. They like to sell their stuff in Africa. Everywhere you go you will pretty much get hit up to buy some of the stuff. We got some neat things but I was so glad that we had packing restrictions because it was a great way to keep us from buying too much stuff. I just kept saying, "no I am so sorry we don't have enough room to pack that". Worked the entire trip.

Here we stopped at the equator and got to see a demonstration of the Coriolis Effect. Teacher friends we video taped the whole thing just email me if you want a copy. Here is a link to explain the Coriolis Effect  (click on the word Coriolis Effect and it should open in a new window) if you are interested so I don't take up time in what is already going to be the longest post ever to explain it. Needless to say the kids were interested and it sparked great conversation after about how big our world is and we all had a TON of great science and research conversations throughout the trip.

Here we are a the Equator

My three standing on the Equator Line

The whole family standing on the Equator Line

 My ladybug and her certificate from the Equator (6 bucks American) 

 Sometimes when you are going to spend a lot of time in a car - you gotta get creative with your physical activity ideas.....

 Ahh here come the pictures of the animals. I just downloaded 2,177 pictures from ONE camera. I am not even waiting to start blogging for the other pictures. I like separating my posts into days because it makes my editing seem less overwhelming. 

Hello baby Zebra. This is a common Zebra - see how is stripes wrap all the way around his belly? That is how you tell. 

Now here we are at our tented camp. We stayed here for one night. I am not going to lie here folks - keeping up with three kids, 4 cameras, 1 video camera, multiple handhelds, remembering to bug spray every time we went out, remembering to brush our teeth with bottled water, and switching hotels/camps  5 times was a lot to keep up with. I am VERY pleased with the system that I used for both packing and keeping up with kids clothes along the trip. I won't bore you with it here but please feel free to ask if you are going on a trip similar to this. It worked really well. 

 One cool thing about the tented camps was they put hot water bottles in your bed every night. So comfy. When we first arrived they had one tent for me and my 8 year old daughter and one tent for Husband and my 5 year old son. You have to tie your tent closed at night because the monkeys have figured out how to work zippers but they can't undo knots...

yet....

I was like um....

No

 So 4 of us slept all together VERY happily in this comfy tent. My oldest slept in a tent with Grandma and she liked that so the sleeping arrangements wound up being great. 

Below is the view from inside our tent to the watering hole where the animals gathered across a ditch and a hot wired fence of some sort. 

 Hands down one of the best parts about this trip was experiencing it with family we don't get to see all the time. Unca Jim is the bomb diggity and you guys here in I Heart Bowheads land know I don't just throw that word around. 

My little family ready for our first Safari game drive

Here we are walking to a Chimpanzee area with our Safari guide Godfrey who is without a doubt one of the most interesting, intelligent people I have ever met. 

I really heart my niece and nephew.

A lot.

I heart Husband a lot also. A trip like this could be (I guess) either very hard on a marriage or very good for it. It was good for ours. We remained a team the entire time and I LOVE that just like I love him. 

I know it seems like these guys are "caged" but this is just a fence that separates the conservancy. I can't remember why they hang around the fence. The grass is always greener on the other side I guess....

Turns out field trips are universal. Fun for me to see. 

These two are Crown Crested Cranes. I loved them because they mate for life and you can always find them in pairs of two. 

I guess they have literate elephants in Africa.......

So we were just driving around, driving around and then our driver was all shhhh and we were all what and then.......

 yep - RIGHT next to our rovers

 Sisters (or sister wives - they have both in Lion prides)

This is a good view of what our rides were like. 

Cape Buffalo - basically in the dictionary under "looks mean and ugly" could be a picture of these guys.

There are two kinds of rhino - black and white although they are not really black or white. I will tell that story later. Remind me someone please. 

Husband is carrying my 5 year old here because he had just finished his first of what would be many "afternoon game drive naps". I have no idea how he slept in those things because it was SO bouncy but he managed. 

 Meet Baraka. What I LOVED about this is how much he loved his people and how much his people loved him. The man walking above in the picture was one of the Rangers responsible for his care and the one who took my camera out in his area to take the pictures that our below for us. He was such a kind man. 

 Here we are feeding Baraka alfalfa hay. 

 "Daddy - can we go to dinner now?"

Good night Giraffe

 Walking back to our tent. No need for warriors with weapons at this camp. Warriors with weapons you ask??? That is a tease for future posts. Keep coming back to find out more. ;) 

 How much do I love this big girl? 

Yeah 

a lot. 

 One two three four. I declare a thumb war. 

also 

Tusker

Only beer in Africa (I think - don't quote me on that one)

Unca Jim bought a Tusker shirt before we left

 Time for night night

 More from Africa from America later!!!!! 

Today's words to learn 

Jambo - Hello 

Asante - Thank you

Asante Sana - Thank you much
Hakuna Matata - No Problem/No Worries
Simba - Lion
Baridi - Cold
Mzuri Sana - Very Good

Day two Africa

Man I am so glad that I am doing this because (as I sit here at 5:30 in the morning) I am thinking to my self - "self" (cuz you know that is what I think) "self - what did I do yesterday?"

Oh wait - I remember - yesterday was awesome.

Yesterday started off a little rough because I was up at 3 and my 7 year old was up at 5. That makes for a really long day. But nonetheless we are us so we soldier on. ;)

We had a nice breakfast and then had a "safari meeting". Amazingly I am not even freaked out going in. I did have to laugh when our tour guide (who by the way is great. A born teacher, he speaks a ton of different languages, and we are learning a lot from him.) anyway I had to laugh when he told us the kids could play at camp but needed to be quiet. Glad I wasn't drinking anything or I might have spit it out. I do think I managed a guffaw or a chortle of some sort. Anyway I am sure that will be just fine....

Speaking of kids - I totally get that every mother will say this but I have the three best little kids in the whole big wide world. They have been funny and well behaved and well, I know I keep saying this, but troopers.

Watching Husband swim and play with them makes me all gushy inside. I believe I am going to keep that guy also.

Anyway on with the day. We got on our bus and went to an elephant orphanage. Oh man I can't wait for you guys to see the pictures! They have us all stand behind a rope (you know - so the rope can keep us from being trampled;) and watch the bushes up the hill. All of a sudden - here comes this pack of baby elephants.

Yep - baby elephants. The littlest guys wear little blankets. How stinking cute is that??? They all come charging up and their people are standing around in green coats with these ginormous bottles! Some of them even held their own.

Then the keepers (who clearly love them) play with them a little and one guy kept shoveling dirt on their feet which they seemed to like, while another keeper talked. They even had a ball.

I am now officially NOT a fan of poaching.

Then they had the next group come up and they were bigger. Oh I forgot to say one of the little guys went kind of of course and brushed up against the highly protective rope barrier and actually bumped into some people in our group. I looked at my sister in law and she had red dirt on her! I might have said something like "wow glad the happened to you and not me" which would not have been my most charitable comment of the day but I think she thought that was funny. Right Kay? ;)

Anyway - then they brought the bigger ones out. These guys were all about 2 years old and made me a little nervous. They were big toddlers and I would think that they could have a little streak of naughty in them.

All in all - the pictures are going to be amazing and it was an awesome experience.

Then we went to giraffe manor and got to learn all about giraffes and they have this really cool tall building thing that you can stand on and feed a giraffe. Pretty sure I don't have to tell you how much my kids liked that.

Then it was back to the hotel to rest and eat dinner and pack up so we can head out tomorrow - today - whenever.....

Day one Africa

Ok I have to start of this day by admitting I don't think I have ever seen Out of Africa and I don't know very much about that lady except I know she is a big deal in Africa.

We started off with a lovely breakfast at our amazing hotel. Then we moved on to the Out of Africa ladies house. We took a tour that I thought was fascinating.

I have to stop here and say that the number one thing that I really really love about international travel is the wonderful diversity that you get to experience. If you really don't believe that we are the same only decorated differently and given different words with which to speak than I really feel so sorry for you. We have such a wonderful and creative God who gave us so many wonderful colors and regions and dialects. I love that my children have been exposed to what is truly a really huge, very small world.

Anyway - the out of Africa thing was cool and then we moved on to a bead making place. Man - that was stinking awesome. These people actually sit around all day and make beads. Like from clay. By hand. So great. My kids were transfixed. They showed us a man who made pottery on a wheel. My 7 year old whispers to me " we have GOT to get one of those.

Then we did some shopping and went to lunch at a place called The Carnivore. Think Texas de Brazil. They come around and give you a lot of different kindsnofnmeat right off the bone. My seven year old very picky eater was hysterical. She was holding her hands up and firmly saying NO every time someone came around with a stick of meat. ;) My 10 year old a some eater tried everything - ox balls or something, ostrich, all the beef, chicken and pork of course. I can't remember if she tried the crocodile but I did. Yuk. Picture what you would thin a crocodile would taste like - sort of chewy and fishy. Yep that is it.

We went back to the hotel and let the kids swim, ate a good dinner, and went to sleep. I slept for 5 hours and then was wide awake. Darn jet lag. I actually feel amazingly good and really hope to have a good nights sleep tonight. More tomorrow!!!!

greetings from Africa, blogging from a nook, and some notes to self

Well - we made it to Africa and I am blogging from my nook. Good news - I am hoping to be able to keep up with the journey AS we journey thanks to the power of wireless internet and technology. Badnews - no fancy fonts, no pictures, and no spellcheck so sorry about that. (Especially the fonts - I know you heart the fonts.)

Nonetheless - I am sitting in a beautiful courtyard in Africa, watching husband and the kids swim in a heated pool and type on a nook (which - FYI is challenging).

Anyway - lets start at the beginning with some info you may or may not know and some notes to self regarding international travel and young children.

First - Africa is really flipping far away.

Our total travel time door to door was 23 hours 15 minutes. (House in MA - hotel front lobby)

Note to self (from here on abbreviated as N TS - typing on a nook here.)- International travel - put toothbrushes and toothpaste in carryon.)

We flew from Boston to the Heathrow airport in coach. On my kids bodies it felt like 2:30 am when we landed. Only one slept on the first leg.

We were at Heathrow for 3 hours.

NTS - I really want to go back to England.

Second leg we were in World TravelerPlus seats (think business class) and we were much happier. The kids were all WOW and "this is amazing,"

NTS - if your kids pass out before you take off - ask for drinks and pretzels for them. Otherwise - that ship sailed. Also the food was fancy - we are going to ask for kid food on the way back. They did not eat much.

FYI - apple juice spilled in your lap on a 9 hour flight is sticky and cold - for a long time.

My kids were really good. I am very proud of them.

I looked up at one point and saw we had 4 hours left and thought " wow - we just might make it".

45 minutes left was an amazing feeling.

Picture in your mind what the Nairobi airport is like. Yep - that is pretty much it.

FYI - waiting in line for visas in the Nairobi airport for over an hour with three kids who have been trapped on a plane for ever is painful.

Getting picked up at the airport to be told it is a "short 25 minute drive " is a little painful.

Getting to the hotel to find out your husband (whom you dont sleep very well without) is going to sleep in a seperate room with one of your children on a different FLOOR of a hotel you just arrived at in - once again I reiterate - Africa - was painful without a doubt.

What was awesome was a shower, toothbrushes, room service,and a good hard sleep.

You know what else was awesome? Waking up to discover you are in amazing hotel with family you love and miss and an unbelievable itinerary waiting for us.



Jambo, from Africa my friends! Jambo,

What? It's June? What????

So - I am going to tell you people something that might come as a shock to you.....

It is June 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, right? How did this happen? Where did April and May go?

Anyway - what has been going on with me? 

Let me explain - no is too much. Let me sum up.

(Ten points if you got that awesome reference.)

 Anyway - I still digress as much as ever just in case you were wondering.

Let's see - where was I? 

Well since I last blogged I finally owned up that I actually hurt my knee way back in early March. Do you remember this story?  Well I went to the doctor finally and found out I had sprained my MCL. Ooops - I guess the ladies beginner tennis class I took was not my best move. Oh well. I went to PT and they fixed me right up. Thank goodness. 

Oh yeah - I somehow got shingles. Yep. Shingles. Yep I am 37. Nope no idea how I got them. Yep they hurt like hell. No you don't have to be scared of me they are gone. By the time we figured it out they were basically gone and the doctor asked if I hugged any newborn babies or old people in the last week and I said no and she said well good. 

And that was that.......

What else? 

I have been to a dance recital and the Boston Opera House to see Beauty and the Beast with my 7 year old, and about a gajillion soccer games and several softball games and a bunch of golf stuff and the library 3,784 times and the grocery story every other day because the kids are eating me out of house and home.....

Oh yeah, that reminds me, I have these three really great kids. They are funny and keep me busy and are getting so big so fast. 

My baby boy's last day of preschool is tomorrow. I have been working really hard to not be in a funk about this. I was a great preschool mom. A great one. I loved Gymboree and Caillou and balancing a toddler on a hip while I tried to do something. I miss nap time and holding hands when we cross the street. I was a great preschool Mom but you know what - I am going to be a great elementary school Mom. They are so funny and such people now. We talk and interact and play and everything is so much more two sided rather than one sided.

 Yes, I am looking forward to being an all elementary school Mom next year. 

Yes I am probably going to cry tomorrow and will more than likely need a tranquilizer or something on Friday during preschool graduation but I am going to be a great elementary school Mom. 

Let's see what else? Oh yeah I am finishing my Masters - FINALLY. Unfortunately I was to the point in my degree when the baby was born (yes the baby that is graduating preschool tomorrow) that I had to have 12 weeks in a classroom to finish and of course a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a newborn are not so conducive to staying in your classroom soooooo it was put on hold and now I am actually going to finish. Yep - this time next year I will have my Masters Degree in Elementary Education and you know what???????

I will NEVER take another test or write another paper again. Seriously. Never. I am getting too old for this academic ridiculousness. My brain feels rusty. 

To answer your question (you know for the one of you who was going to ask) we are not quite ready to have the Mommy (that's me FYI) go back into a classroom full time so I am going to sub and concentrate on finishing the masters and being CEO of Casa de Bowheads for a while longer but it will be so nice to have that degree FINISHED. 

Oh yeah - and I am still married and I do actually try and chat with that guy from time to time. 

Soooooo long story short - that is why I have not been blogging. Oh did I mention I am going to Africa in July and I am on a mission to be really fit and healthy before I go? Did I also mention that my entire body hurts. I mean I guess not my hair and maybe not one or two of my toes but really and truly my entire body hurts at this moment. Don't get me wrong - hurts in a good, surely I am going to be skinnier in the morning kind of way but also another reason why the poor bowheads blog has been so lonely. 

I think I will take up blogging with my iphone again. We will see how it goes. 

Anyway - enough rambling from me. Must. Sleep. Now...........

A recount of this day

Since the main purpose of the bowheads blog is to help me remember these times, I am going to relive this day on paper - well on laptop.

First part of the day - pretty normal. It can be described like this:

Domestic work, mothering, lunch packing, bus catching, talking a 5 year old into picture day clothes, spiking up 5 year old hair, driving through the center of town (if you live here you know what a beating that is right now and why each and every time that I did that today will be retold in this account of today's events), errands, driving through the center of town, tons and tons of laundry, exercise, cleaning, answer call from groomer asking where Frank the pug is, driving through the center of town with Frank, driving back home through the center of town, finding the floor of a 5 year old boys room, driving through the center of town to pick up 5 year old boy, driving back through the center of town, change out the laundry again, start looking for the kitchen counters (I am sure they are under there somewhere), welcome children home off the bus, drive back through the center of town to pick up Frank the pug, drive back home with a clean (and somewhat fluffy) Frank the pug through the center of town, get on the computer, find eye doctor because 10 year old this morning was 8 feet away from sister's softball bag and asks what the writing is on the bag. I say "Louisville Slugger". She says, "yeah I can't read that". I say, "awesome".

Anyway it is now 3:50 

Time to get kids ready for stuff. Lots and lots of stuff......

Put 5 year old and 7 year old in car to head to 7 year old's soccer practice (through the center of town). 

Head back home to pick up 10 year old doing homework (through the center of town) and gather things for 7 year old's softball game.

Head back to pick up 7 year old at soccer practice (through the center of town) and drop 10 year old off at soccer practice. Head to softball game located south of goodnessknowswhere and just east of Iamhopelesslylost (through the center of town of course). Make it to softball game late after running across ginormous field from parking lot. Sit in soccer chair for 5 minutes. 7 year old softball player (still wearing her soccer cleats and shin guards under her sweatpants by the way) suddenly has to pee. Start to run across ginormous field toward portapotty. Give up halfway across ginormous field and let 7 year old pee by bush because um that is a ginormous field. Run back halfway across ginormous field. Realize that the softball game is taking a looooooong time. 

Have you ever been to a Kindergarten through second grade girls instructional softball game? Let's just say speed of play is somewhere between slow as hell and going backwards. 

Anyway,  I realize that I need to leave softball game that is located south of goodnessknowswhere and just east of Iamhopelesslylost to go back (through the center of town) and pick up 10 year old soccer player.  Run somewhat wildly waving my arms shouting 10 year old's name towards a group of parents and kids hoping that 10 year old will start heading my way so that we can head back south of goodnessknowswhere and just east of Iamhopelesslylost to pick up 7 year old from softball game where incidentally we left aforementioned 7 year old under the watch of very sweet parents that I just met Monday. So anyway, I am running (again) and come to the group of parents and kids after soccer practice to find my 10 year old in tears because she could not find her glasses. (She practices in rec specs - glasses made for sports.) Find glasses, calm 10 year old down, wave sheepishly at group of soccer parents who are sort of smiling at me the way you smile at someone who is 42 weeks pregnant - you know like - you look like you could use some help but I have no clue what I can do for you? Off we jog to the car to - yes you guessed it - drive through the center of town to make it back to softball game. 

Husband calls. It is about 7:30. He has JUST left the office after a very busy day of meetings etc and heading to a work dinner. "Hey Babe - you guys home yet?" Ha - not even close. 

Anyway - crazy soccer mom in a mini van careening down the road toward softball game south of goodnessknowswhere and east of  Iamhopelesslylost. 

Run across ginormous field (I would have to describe this at this point as more of a painful jog but that is neither here nor there....) 

Am approached by Coach who pulls me aside to tell me that 7 year old had an accident and they changed her (on account of her being the only poor child at the game with no representative). I am absolutely flabbergasted. I mean aghast. Jaw on the grass of the ginormous field. Accident? Like peed her pants? But we just peed on that bush over there. Really? Seriously? Am I being punked? I am actually looking around the ginormous field for hidden cameras. Needless to say this has never happened to said 7 year old before. Fortunately she is totally unshaken by the incident and told me she had a good game and perhaps that she overdid it with the water and gatorade I packed in her softball bag. I wanted to say, 

"You think?"

Totally didn't though - I am that awesome of a mother.

Gather all of the children into the car feeling relief for surviving the day and reflecting on the countless good impressions I must have made on the people around me. Or not. Oh well. Grab dinner for the children on the way home from Wendy's. Now if you know me you also know that this is also something that rarely ever happens. I thought it was hysterical because my 5 year old son says, "Wendy's? Like the place with the hamburgers? Really?" ;) 

Get everyone home, fed, showered and down before 9:00. Feed pug, give veggies to guinea pigs, do a quick general pick up, take much needed shower, sit down to type out the days events send husband this text....

made it

love you

just took 2 benadryl

make sure I am still

breathing when you get

home

but try not to wake

me up

H