A Trip to Kenya

One of the best parts about living in the Middle East is the travel that my family and I get to do.  By the time my two oldest kids were finishing their first year in Abu Dhabi, they had traveled so many places - with us as well as school - that we had to get more pages put into their passports.  We have been to more than 20 countries between the 6 of us.  We have always appreciated this opportunity and have been blown away by some of the things we've seen, from walking through Petra in Jordan to standing beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  Travel has become part of our family history, part of our blood and every trip teaches us something about ourselves.
​But nothing could have quite prepared us for Africa.  

     Oh, Africa! From the animals to the people to the scenery, the whole place was a magical kingdom. I'm not kidding....I mean, I've been to Disney and yeah, that place is pretty cool, but Africa? Believe me, it will blow your socks off!
     We spent a total of 7 nights and 6 days in Kenya.  We saw everything from zebras and elephants to hyenas and hippos.  Oh, and these guys...

(How adorable is he???  And now I know why Pumba was always my favorite!)

We also had a chance to spend some time in a Masai village, learning a bit about their culture, participating in a native dance and handing out the last of our much-coveted gum to a group of very happy kids...

(A typical Masai hut.
They consist of 2 small rooms and are made out of sticks, mud and cow dung.
The Masai women are the ones who construct the homes.)

My daughters were asked to participate in a dance!

Waiting for gum...yum!

It was an amazing experience for all of us and we're already discussing going back to the village with more things in our pockets than just gum. Travel always teaches me a little more about the world and reminds me that we are all more similar than different. These people reminded me how little we all need to actually be happy.  A nice lesson for the start of a new year.

Until next time, Kenya. Thanks for giving us so much more than we bargained for!