Climb every mountain...

What a weekend!!! Now that I'm able to get about and actually do things, using my muscles and not having to be afraid of dislodging a clot, I'm raring to go!!! On Saturday, one of the other volunteers who is placed teaching at a local school, rented a bus with funds she had raised before coming here, and took classes (grades) 6, 7, and 8, about 66 students total, plus a few teachers and some of the other volunteers (including me!) totaling about 10 adults, to Ngong Hills, just outside of Nairobi. There are 7 hills total, some as high as 1500-2000 meters, and we traversed about half of them after picking up our armed guard to take with us (the area is known for a high rate of robbery), then headed back to the bus. We had absolutely beautiful weather--lots of sunshine and a breeze the whole time, although it got a bit gusty at the top of each hill. Got a little too much sun, but the leg felt great and it was such a good feeling to get outside of the city and see some of the rural areas for the day. Being with the kids was awesome too, as for most of them, this was their first time outside of the city. Come to think of it...for both them and me (since I haven't seen anything but the inside of hospitals since I got here)!! It was a great day, and we had a blast! Some of the girls from class 8 even tought me a contemporary hip hop song in Swahili as we were trekking back down...and I have to say I mastered both the words and the dance by the time we reached the bottom...I have the music video to prove it! It was just amazing to hang out with this group, as they were taking it all in and looking down on their home city and seeing the surrounding countryside. Funny how the best moments in my life have been on mountaintops...so clear, with people that mean a lot to you, and everything in the world looks so small from your vantage point no matter what's been troubling you, reminding you of what's really important in life.

Today started with brunch at a delicious restaurant called Nairobi Java House...mostly western-style food, so I ordered the pancakes...they were amazing! Nice to have a taste of home! Then we spent the afternoon at the giraffe center, just outside the city. It's special center that houses about 20 giraffes, and they have built a special elevated platform that lets the giraffes come right up at eye level to you! A giraffe ate right out of my hand!! Have the pictures to prove that too! They have the most beautiful eyes--sort of like Jersey cow-amber brown, with the longest eyelashes ever! And did you know that giraffes have a special capillary system that runs the length of their necks to circulate the blood all that distance; if they had the same as ours, they would pass out every time they bent their heads down. And a giraffe only sleeps for about 15 minutes every day...amazing I know! Once I get home, I promise to post pictures so you too can experience all these adventures! The connection here is so slow that I am not able to upload anything in a reasonable amount of time.

So my first weekend that hasn't involved any medical care or recuperation!! Thought you would all like to hear about it! Stay tuned as I only have 3 weeks left!!