Kwaheri Kenya

Goodbye RVA! Goodbye Kijabe! Goodbye Kenya!

We plan to fly out tonight. UK airspace is open and we are hopeful that we will be in London in the morning.

Thanks for following our Kenya adventures!

Packing Up & Heading Home

We have started packing up the house. We've spent a lot of time sorting and organizing in order to get rid of a few things before packing - you should see the stacks of art work around here! Abby has long been a productive artist, but over the past few months, Andrew has joined in as well.

We have been home one week since our travels to Uganda and Egypt. It has been fun to have time to spend with our friends here before our departure. On Friday, we took a day trip to Nairobi (shopping and waterslides) and on Saturday, a day trip to the Lake Naivasha area. We, especially Abby and I, have been filled with conflicting emotions - great excitement over going home and reuniting with friends and family as well as great sadness and tears as we have so many "lasts" and as we start saying our good-byes.

We plan to depart Nairobi on Thursday 22 April on an overnight flight to Lodon and then spend 5 days there before flying to DC on 28 April where we will visit with Alex's parents for a couple of days before we return to Durham. We hope that the volcanic activity will not delay or interfere with our travel plans, but we know that is beyond our control. Stay tuned...

Uganda and Egypt

As soon as the term ended, we hopped on a bus and a plane and headed to Uganda. We spent an incredible three days with our friends who are missionaries in Bundibugiyo, Uganda, followed by a few days of visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park and Entebbe/Kampala. Highlights were climbing to and playing in a waterfall, walking in the rainforest with the monkeys and baboons, hard-boiling eggs for a snack at the Hot Springs in Semliki Forest, driving through the countryside, visiting with our friends, touring Christ School, pizza night at the outdoor brick-oven, an overwhelmingly warm and celebratory reception at the school upon our arrival, safari by boat on the Kazinga Chanel in QENP where we saw dozens of hippos, a few crocs, and many species of beautiful birds, and a herd of elephants bathing/playing at the water's edge.

Alex, Abby, Scott, and Luke

Our family at the Hot Springs

Celebration at Christ School

The Equator!

Huge numbers of hippos at the water's edge in the Kazinga Chanel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

Swimming at the Mweya Safari Lodge after our boat safari

Melissa, Abby and Andrew at the Kazinga Channel

From Kampala, Uganda we flew to Cairo, Egypt for a week of touring Cairo, Giza, Luxor, and Alexandria. Highlights were navigating the entire week on our own (as opposed to traveling with a tour group), visiting the Pyramids, riding a camel, sailing in a felucca on the Nile, playing at the beach at the Mediterranean Sea, seeing King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, riding an overnight train in a sleeper car, wild rides on taxis throughout Cairo, and eating local food (felafel, shwarma, hummus, grape leaves, fresh squeezed juices, etc.).

Swimming at the hotel in Giza by the Pyramids

The Step Pyramid in Sakkara

Entering a tomb

Visiting the Pyramids at Giza

After a short camel ride

Walking like an Egyptian at the Sphinx

Sailing on a felucca along the Nile in Luxor

Playing at the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt

There is so much more to tell about these trips, but I at least wanted to start with a brief update and a few photos.

Andrew turns five!!

Ballet Recital

Abby's ballet class has been working all term on a performance of Coppelia. Unfortunately, she will miss the final performance in May, but we were glad to attend a dress rehearsal on the stage during the last week of the term in March.

Abby (middle) in the wedding scene

Abby (left) as a "Dutch Girl" dancer