A Picnic in the Country

It's official; I'm a country girl. Or at least a suburb girl. And while I've been in Nairobi, I've found the greatest joy in getting out of Nairobi.
Within the past couple of days I've been blessed with friends who have shown me the outlying areas of this city. Don't get me wrong, I think Nairobi is a truly interesting place with all its diversity, history, and development; but I just don't handle the congestion (of people, cars, cows, and matatus) and smog very well. In the end it stresses me out more than it interests me.
So imagine my excitement at having Pastor Shadrack, the pastor of the slum church and school I've been working at, offer to take my colleagues and I out to the Nairobi game park south of the city. And that's not even the exciting part! What's truly great about this game park is the elephant orphanage! These precious little angels (Yes, they are LITTLE believe it or not. The smallest ones are the size of a great dane) are brought in from both Kenyan and Tanzanian game parks to be rehabilitated after injury or loss of their mother/family. They are not really domesticated, however, as they are let back into the game park every day to socialize with wild elephant herds, but they are given special treatment at the center. Anyways, my fellow teachers and I got a chance to watch the babies bottle fed, play soccer, play in the watering hole, and take dirt baths which consequently blew red clay all over us by-standers. I'm pretty sure I had a connection with one who kicked me the soccer ball. I'm also pretty sure that he'll have to come home with me at some point.
Moving away from the game park, I was invited by some friends I met at an AIM Christmas party up to the Africa International University/NGEST campus in Karen, a neighborhood outside Nairobi. It's absolutely stunning up in those hills. Really what I imagined when I thought of Kenya. Green everywhere with a beautifully fresh breeze blowing through trees I don't know the name of and flowers I've seen in Mom's garden (Agapanthas and some sort of Shasta Daisy.) I was able to enjoy "Kenyan BBQ" as they laughingly called it, with Linda & Ken and Lois & Mark as we all sat outside next to the banana trees listening to Christmas music. They're really great people, all working in different capacities at the University, but not too busy to have a great visit with me. After lunch I was shown around campus and got to see the location of the new student center Ken is planning.
The magnificent conclusion to this visit, though, was the revelation that KAREN BLIXEN'S HOMESTEAD is located just down the road from the Uni!!! What?! Karen Blixen's home?! Made famous by Meryl Streep and Robert Redfords landmark film "Out of Africa"?! Not to mention the inspiration for the title of my blog! Take me now, please! And so Ken and Linda put me in the SUV and drove me out to take pictures (I'm saving the tour of the house for when I'm officially a Kenyan resident and the entrance fee isn't so exorbitant.) It was totally recognizable, except for the massive wedding going on on the front lawn. So, mentally removing the extra tents and jumpy house, I know why Karen lived here for so many years; it's such a beautiful area with that distinct "home" feeling. All that was lacking was Robert Redford landing his bush plane in the yard.

(Pictures include a baby elephant and Karen Blixen's estate)