Friday, April 13, 2012

Two days to go!

Of course I haven't been very good at writing anything here! But the hope is I'll be able to write something I'm IN Kenya.

There is a large pile growing in the living room: clothing, paperwork, medicines, notebook, Bible, sunscreen, little tissue packages, and other odds and ends. Every time I see something I need while I'm walking through the house I grab it and toss it on the pile. Tomorrow I'll go through the pile and compare it to my list and see what I'm forgetting. I know I don't have any mosquito repellent or any cash. And a friend is bringing a mosquito net on Sunday afternoon.

So here's the schedule so you'll know where I am:

Sunday, April 15 - fly out of the Minneapolis airport at 9:30pm
I arrive in Amsterdam at 1:00p on Monday, then we have a long layover. Oh yeah, I'm traveling with three other people on the plane (yay!) - Jeanne, Gale, and Geoffrey. Hopefully we'll get out to explore Amsterdam for a few hours, stretch our legs and take in the sites.
Then we're back on the plane at 9:00pm.
We arrive in Nairobi at 6:25am.

I think there is a one hour or so shuttle to the conference site, which is at Kabarak University near Nakuru.

I'll just be bumming around campus I guess because the opening ceremony isn't until 4:45 that afternoon/evening.

For the first three days the schedule looks something like this:
7a - early morning worship and other activities (um, I'll be sleeping)
7:30a - breakfast
8:45a - Worship and reflection on the theme - each time led by a different world section
10:15a - tea break!
11:00a - home groups
12:45p - lunch and rest (ie. nap time!)
2:45p - Thread groups (these are sort of interest groups and you attend the same one every day and the discussion grows day by day - love this idea)
4:15p - tea time!
4:45p - Thread groups (in case folks want to participate in two different groups)
6:30p - dinner
8:00p - varies - keynote, section gatherings, interest groups, FWCC business
9:45p - epilogue.

And then passing out after that I guess. =)

Saturday, the midpoint of the week, will be for excursions. There is a long list of things to do, places to go. I'm looking at a few different options - Kariandusi Pre-Historic Site, Kericho Tea Plantation, or shopping in Nakuru. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.

Then Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are mostly the same as the first three days, with some variations here and there. There is a final celebration on Tuesday night.
Wednesday is closing worship and then people start departing around 10:15.

I'll be sticking around for a little bit, waiting for my safari to start.
So here is the schedule for that (provided by the safari folks):


April 25: Kabarak - Lake Nakuru:
Depart from Kabarak University by 12:00, drive to Lake Nakuru National Park. Check in at Genevieve Guest House in time for lunch. At 15:00 hrs start your game drive around the lake whose shallow alkaline lake has earned fame as home of the greatest bird spectacle in the world. The park features rhinos, lions, buffalos, Hippos, waterbucks, giraffe, a large variety of Monkeys among other wildlife species.  The Park is known worldwide for being the habitat of the Pink Flamingos and over 400 other bird species. Dinner and overnight Genevieve Guest House

26th April: Nakuru - Maasai Mara:
After your breakfast, do your final game drive as you check out of Lake Nakuru Park for the drive to Kenya's finest Game Reserve Crossing the Great Rift Valley towns of Naivasha, Maai Mahiu, Narok and the game studded Maasai Plains. Arrive in Maasai Mara time for lunch at Flamingo Camp. Relax at your Camp before you take the afternoon game drive. The game drive gives you the opportunity to spot the magnificent black maned lions for which the Mara is famous. Cheetah, leopard and smaller cats and predators are frequently seen. Dinner and overnight at Flamingo Camp

27th April: Maasai Mara:
A full day of game viewing and exploration of the reserve. This part of the Northern Serengeti is where the great wildebeest migration is resident and it will be possible to see large herds of these animals with zebras and many types of gazelles covering much of the reserve. You have best chances of seeing “The Big Five” Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopard and giraffe . Bird watchers will also see a large variety of birds. All meals and overnight at Flamingo Camp

28th April: Maasai Mara – Nairobi:
After your breakfast do your final game drive in this park and drive to Nairobi.


Sigh. Then it's back to the airport. My flight leaves at 10:30pm and I get to Amsterdam 5:40am.
Perhaps I'll take advantage of leaving the airport again, since my next flight doesn't leave till 1:30pm.
I get back to Minneapolis at 3:40pm.

So now you know pretty much where I'll be and what I'll be doing at every minute. =)

I'm hoping I'll be able to post when I'm there but no guarantees. I know there is a computer lab at the University, but if I have to fight with 900 other people for access, I'll probably give up. And I don't know what options there will be while on safari. But I'll do my best if there is any computer and internet available.

Wahoo!!!

1 comment:

Mom said...

What! Not tea time at night?