This is an appreciation post for our community, namely "Chogoria Ladies" which consists of all the ladies in our compound and beyond. This is a group of women who encourage one another, look out for each other, and know how to dance and laugh until we cry!
I recently organized a Ladies Night in order to welcome a few new ladies to the community. We played "get to know ya" games, ate marvelous food (as always), and danced. It was such a good time that we had to force the night to end so people could go to bed because of work in the morning.
I have learned so much from living in this community - about being a good neighbor, about being present (which is still necessary even in a place like this where we live together, work together, worship together, etc), about pouring myself into other children besides my own, about rejoicing and grieving together well, and about showing grace (and hopefully receiving grace!) in measures I'd never had to exercise before because, as someone here once said rather well, "Compound living compounds living."
An important part of this community for me are these ladies. They are life-giving, soul-encouraging, joy-building women! I am so thankful for them. Even though the faces have changed over the years (have I ever mentioned how many comings and goings there are in this place???), the foundation remains the same: community and connection.
This is a smattering of photos from the past 4+ years I've lived in Chogoria. Movie nights, game nights, birthday parties, baby showers, dinner out... we never lack for ways to fellowship!
A couple ladies are particularly precious to me. This is my dear friend, Anne, the pediatrician for the hospital and someone who has become a close confidante and fellow "momrade" as we boldly flounder our way through this season of raising young kids. She is gloriously kind and patient, and I have benefited from her wisdom, her thoughtfulness, and her prayers.
This is Lauren. She is my devoted friend and neighbor - the person I turn to when I need to vent or cry or laugh about something that no one else would appreciate. She was the only other homeschooling mama here when we landed in Chogoria, and (unbeknownst to me) had been praying for over 3 years for another homeschooling family to come here. The Lord really brought our families together. Being a homeschooling mama in a medical community means our daily life looks very different than everyone else's, and we quickly became each other's anchor during the days while everyone else was down at the hospital. Lauren knows and loves my kids like her own, and vice versa. I am incredibly grateful for this woman who encourages me, challenges me, stands with me, and points me back to Jesus again and again.
I have been blessed beyond measure to live in this place and participate in this community. My prayer is that the example set by our community will be learned and absorbed by our children so that they too can find, or perhaps create, such an intentional and loving community for themselves in the future.
Less than two weeks after returning from Europe, my family arrived in Kenya! My parents had always been planning to visit us this year, but my older sister and her family decided to come along too. It is such a treat to have family come halfway around the world to see us! Knowing that people have seen where we live and can better understand this life of ours is such a great blessing. My parents had been to Chogoria once before, but not since 2019, and it was the first trip to Kenya for my sister's family.
We did our best to show them a good time. We stayed in Chogoria for several days (since they were getting over jet lag and Eli still had to work), and then took them to some of our favorite places in Kenya.
In between jet lag naps, we played a lot of games and showed them around Chogoria.
First things first, hot dogs and s'mores around the campfire! Not knowing if anyone would be awake for supper on the first day, and also not wanting to cook after traveling from Nairobi to Chogoria, we opted for the simplicity of a campfire. It's one of our favorite traditions anyway. Can't go wrong with a campfire!
This summer has been "The Summer of Risk" for Kai and Asa. I literally can't count the number of times they've played that game. We have the Lord of the Rings version here, and they've been obsessed. Having other people to play with was the icing on the cake.
Of course we walked to the river behind our compound. It's a short walk and a peaceful environment. My dad tried teaching the kids how to whistle with a piece of grass and the results were comical. The efforts sounded like a herd of dying cows!
We took them up to the bandas and had a good time despite not seeing the mountain due to cloud coverage. Mt. Kenya is the icon of our region and the Chogoria route is forested and beautiful.
And guess what - I saw a leopard run across the road while I was driving up there! It was the first time any of us have ever seen the elusive creature in Mt. Kenya National Park. We've heard rare stories of leopard sightings but never thought we'd be so lucky to see one for ourselves. But I saw one! She was sleek and beautiful and gone within a second. My nephew was the only other person who caught a glimpse of the animal. She shot across the road in front of us, her long, curved tail a defining feature that made me believe what I was really seeing. It was incredible! We stopped at the place where she crossed, but of course she was long gone in the forest and we couldn't see her anymore. The adrenaline of such a sighting stayed with me for awhile, though.
We enjoyed walking around the bandas, saw some waterbuck in the valley, ate a PBJ picnic lunch, and then walked down the trail a little before the skies opened and we got soaked going back to the car. Memories all around!
We had the privilege of visiting our househelper and her family. They are incredibly hospitable every time, and this was no exception despite all the extra people we brought along. My sister realized how amazing Kenyan chai is, and also got the recipe for mandazi afterwards. She was inspired to bring some of our Kenyan fare back to America and recreate it there!
The waterfall did not disappoint. We've had some rains off/on and the rivers are still full. It really is a stunning sight.
Another favorite place is a local restaurant that sits along a different river. The food is good and the little nature trail that ends at another waterfall is lovely.
After looking every day for a chameleon, we finally found one on the last day in Chogoria. They're a bit hard to find during these cold months, but my nephew found one in the tree right outside our house and everyone was delighted to make the acquaintance of such a marvelous creature.
And of course, Eli showed them around the hospital. It's always interesting for people to see what our hospital is like compared to an American hospital.
Following the days in Chogoria, we headed around the mountain to Nanyuki. We stayed at an AirBnb and had fun around town.
We love the Mount Kenya Animal Orphanage. It rescues injured animals and also is the place where the breeding program for the critically endangered mountain bongo is located. There were some new animals since we'd last visited, including a striped hyena! We had never seen one before, ever. We've seen plenty of spotted hyenas, but never the striped species. It was such a beautiful creature! It was recently brought to the orphanage because it had been found in a school. That's right - imagine coming to school one day and discovering a baby hyena in your classroom! So the orphanage was contacted and the little guy came into their care.
There's also a baby bongo at the orphanage right now. He was born in the breeding program, but for whatever reason, the mother wouldn't nurse it. So the orphanage made an enclosure for him in the orphanage and they are bottle-feeding him until he's grown enough to go back with the herd. He was jumping around and was oh so cute!
We've driven through Nanyuki more times than we can count, but we had never stopped at the fancy equator sign. We've visited another equator sign that's inside Ol Pejeta Conservancy, but never this sign because it's usually crowded with tourists taking photos. But everyone wanted to stop and it actually wasn't too busy at the time. Plus, there are many shops right there and everyone wanted to get souvenirs. Open markets are meant for bartering, which is not a typical American skillset, but I did my best to get decent deals for my family. I spoke Swahili and explained that we were not tourists and should not be given the tourist prices. I got all the prices down, although I really have no idea what the true value of the souvenirs are. One never can tell!
We had to make a stop at the new rock climbing wall. This is one of Kai's favorite activities, and it's super cheap. My sister's kids had never been rock climbing before, so it was a great opportunity for them to try it.
Just down the road was Trout Tree, a restaurant that looks like the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. It's a fun place to eat and we of course had to make a stop! Plus there's a troop of colobus monkeys that lives there, which is always fun to see. I think they're my favorite kind of monkey - their black and white coloring, plus their bushy tail, have a particularly alluring quality.
After a quick night in Nairobi, we got up early and started driving to Maasai Mara. It's a long drive, but there were plenty of beautiful views to accompany us. The safari resort we stayed at, Naserian, is owned and operated by the Maasai and we were happy to support them.
We stayed for two nights, which means four game drives, and the Lord really blessed us! We saw so much wildlife. It was really incredible. Even at the resort we were surrounded by agama lizards, mongooses, monkeys, and antelope.
Here is a slew of photos. Bear with me!
On our first game drive, we saw a kill - a lion had taken down a baby giraffe. It was fascinating and sad at the same time. There were a few signs that a kill had happened: a hyena and some jackals were hanging around, but also the mother giraffe was pacing back and forth just beyond the bushes where the lion had dragged the baby giraffe. The mother giraffe about ripped my heart out. The safari guide said she would hang around for a day or two before finally giving up on her baby, and sure enough, she was still there in the morning, just pacing back and forth as if her baby would miraculously come back out if she waited long enough. Heartbreaking! But also, the circle of life. It was fascinating.
We had two safari vehicles and one of the jeeps got a flat tire, requiring us to stop and fix it. It gave us a chance to stretch our legs and wander around the savanna a bit. The kids found some bugs - yes, bugs - and were super excited about it. I love how much they love all of God's creatures, great and small! We could literally see giraffes in the distance, and the kids were squealing about a stick insect and a locust. I love these munchkins.
A rare photo of Eli and Krista!
Sunrises and sunsets on the Mara are incredible. Enough said.
We witnessed a zebra battle! These two males (I can only assume they were males) were duking it out for a good bit. It was intense and blood was shed! I only wish I would've thought to take a video before it ended. But alas, I was so focused on taking photos that it slipped my mind.
Jackals are small and almost always come in pairs, and I think they have a gorgeous coat of fur. We saw a lot of jackals on this safari.
Mornings on the Mara are cold. Besides the fact that temperatures drop overnight, the wind whips across the savanna and just makes everything cold. So we needed to bundle up and make use of the shukas (Maasai blankets) provided in the jeeps. We laughed at my brother-in-law who wrapped the shuka up around his nose - he looked like a Muppet!
We also saw many birds of prey. This bird majestically perched on the branch was a martial eagle.
Back at the resort, a Maasai man offered to dress everyone up in traditional Maasai attire and throw spears. The kids were ecstatic. The spear is quite heavy, so it wasn't easy. But it made for a comical affair, especially watching my mom try!
Back on safari, we saw a handful of lions. Some females, a male, plus a female with cubs. I'm telling ya, we saw a lot of stuff!
Did I mention how glorious the sunrises and sunsets are on the Mara? Incomparable. Photos don't do it justice.
On our last game drive, the safari guides took us to the river where we saw hippos galore. They are fun to watch because they're so active. And noisy.
Eli, Caleb, and Asa stayed back at the tent for this particular game drive. The week had sapped their energy and they just needed a morning to sleep in. So it was just Kai Guy who joined me and the rest of the crew, and it was a special time with him.
It was also a special game drive because we saw bat-eared foxes! We were just driving along and my niece spotted something near a cluster of rocks. She said it looked like it had a mask on its face and I thought, "Could it be???" We asked the driver to turn around and sure enough, when we got back to those rocks, out popped three bat-eared foxes! We basically chased them around for a bit because these creatures are easily startled and wouldn't stand still for anything. But by golly, we saw them! It was amazing. They are elusive creatures and it was the first time we've gotten a good look at them.
Directly after that we came across a hyena dragging an impala carcass around. The guide said it was probably a cheetah kill that the hyena stole. It was pretty fresh, and jackals and an eagle were hanging around to take what they could get of the carcass. The circle of life is prevalent all over the savanna!
This is a dik-dik, a tiny antelope. They are very shy and always come in pairs. I think they're cute and this is the first decent picture I've ever gotten of one.
Asa is my Chai Guy. He never turns down a cup of chai, and there is plenty of chai to be found while on safari!
Even as we drove out from the Mara, there was plenty of wildlife to see. Giraffes and zebras crossed the road in front of us, and we also saw an enormous gathering of crowned cranes - by far the most I've ever seen at one time.
We never saw a cheetah or a leopard, but otherwise we saw everything one can expect to see on safari. It was vastly successful and I'm so thankful my family could experience the marvel that is safari.
More than anything, I'm thankful they could visit this country we call home and see why we love it so much. We love the people God has put in our life to serve and to call friends and neighbors, and we love the natural beauty that surrounds us everywhere we go. We're thankful our boys get to grow up here, and we're thankful our family could catch a glimpse of why we left home to make this home. "Home" is a relative term for us, but Kenya is home for now, and it was a privilege to welcome family to our home.
