Rome-ing Through Italy

We arrived in Rome, Italy, after a quick evening flight from Nairobi. Upon arrival at the airport, we were greeted by our Italian friend, Federico, who would be showing us around Rome, as well as a few other places in the country. Our first stop after immigration was to the centre of Rome, to Federico's apartment so that we could drop off our bags. From there we made our way into the heart of the "Eternal City" and began to look around. We spent the day on foot, and we were able to visit many piazzas, squares and churches. We had lunch at a great little restaurant, and were able to try some authentic Italian pasta (which Federico claimed would be the best pasta of our life)! We continued to wander around the streets of Rome, taking in the sights, and smells (yum!). We called it early that day, as we were exhausted from the previous night flight.The next morning we were up and out the door early, on our way to see the Vatican City. We arrived early and beat the line to climb up to the Cupola and were able to catch a fantastic view of the city. From there we made our way through the immense St. Peter's Basilica, and then down to the basement to see the tombs of the previous popes (including the newly renovated tomb of Pope John Paul II). After lunch we wandered around the city some more, until it was at last, time for dinner. We made our way to the ¨funny¨ part of the city (as our friend calls it) and ate the most delicious authentic Italian pizza.The next morning we were up early again, this time with a purpose. We made our way back to the Vatican city, just in time to hear the benediction from the pope. He addressed the crowd in many languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, English, German, Portuguese, (and I think... Polish) and wished us all a merry Christmas and a great 2008. Our final day in Rome was spent in the Vatican museums, where we saw some of the most amazing artwork, including the Sistine Chapel, that is host to the painting "Creation" by Michelangelo, fantastic!! That night we headed out of Rome by train, to the Tuscan city of Florence. Upon arriving we found a place to drop our bags, and then grabbed some grub! In the morning we were out and about on a walking tour of the city. This specific tour was a historical walking tour, and our guide was very good at pointing out many of the important sites and explaining their significances. We saw the Medici home (the most important family in Florence at the time) the academia of art (where many of the great masters of art studied and taught), and the impressive cathedral which is located in the centre of town. After the tour we went to the academia of art, to see one of the most famous sculptures ever to be made; Michelangelo's "David". We learned just how important Florence was as we went to the Uffizi Gallery and saw statues of some of the greatest names in art, literature, and even science. We were lucky to be in Italy at this time of year, as we never had to wait in lines anywhere. We were in and out without any problem. During our stay in Florence, we decided to take a short day trip (only about an hour by train) to the city of Pisa. There wasn't much to see there, except the famous leaning tower. We snapped our photos, snagged some lunch, and then we were out of there, and back to Florence for a final evening. We left Florence by train, and made our way to the fashion capital of Italy; Milan. Here we met once again with our friend Federico, who had been studying for exams, and crashed for the night in his apartment. The next day we saw the sights of Milan, including the Duomo (which is the largest Gothic church in the world), as well as a great Christmas market and what might be the most expensive street in the world, Via Monte Napoleone. We spent a second night with Federico and his family, and had a great time in Milan. Early the next morning we were up and on our final Italian train. We traveled three hours to the famous floating city of Venice. Although the weather wasn´t as great as we had hoped for (like in previous cities in Italy) we still had a wonderful and romantic time in Venice. We got lost over and over (how can you not?) but always found something to interest us. From carnival masks to gondola boats, Venice was an amazing city to see. We saw the famous sights, which included Piazza San Marco and many churches, and enjoyed the feeling that comes with being on the streets of Venice. Our time in Italy was amazing, but like all good things it had to come to an end at some point. So, after 11 days, with our packs on our backs, we once again found ourselves in an airport. This time we were´t heading far our next European destination was just around the corner.

Masai Mara Memories

We spent the next three weeks in Kenya in the same fashion as the first. As such, we spent our days working at the Children´s Garden, helping out in the school as well as in the home. We also helped the children prepare for their exams, and we marked the exams when they were finished writing them. During our second week, we said goodbye to Diane and Alicia, who headed back to Canada after spending almost four weeks in Kenya at Children´s Garden. We were sad to see them go, but we were happy that we still had a longer time to enjoy with the children. At the end of our third week, it was time to party. Amanda was celebrating her 24th birthday, so Jono decided to treat her to something special. The two of us, along with our friend Thomas, another volunteer, and 4 older students from the home, headed out on another wildlife safari. This time we were heading 4 hours south, towards the Tanzanian border, to the Masai Mara. The Masai Mara, which is home to the Serengeti plains, is one of Kenya´s biggest game parks and is often heralded as the best place to spot wildlife in their natural habitat. The seven of us left early on Friday morning to see what adventures lay ahead. After the long and tiring safari car ride (which broke down several times along the way) we arrived at the Masai Mara game park. We stopped for a brief lunch at the side of the road (another breakdown) and we were soon joined by a troop of 3 Masai Warriors (spears in hand) who were amused and bewildered as they saw us eat packaged foods and other picnic-type snacks. After failing to get the car going again, a “Good Samaritan” towed us to the place where we would be camping for the next few days. Then after a quick rest we were able to get the engine up and running and we were off for an adventure in the park and looking for animals. It wasn’t long before we found what we were looking for. Out of van windows, we could see; zebras, buffalos, gazelles and impalas and before we knew it, we found ourselves eye to eye with the ultimate king of the jungle. A beautiful male lion was right next to our safari car. It was amazing to see and we couldn’t believe how incredibly close it was. As the windows were quite open, it could have easily climbed its way into the vehicle. It was excitement and anxiety all twirled together at once. After seeing a few more exciting animals, we called it quits for the evening. We headed back to our campsite (yes, we were camping in the game park!! But don´t worry, we were “protected” by a 7 foot fence on 3 sides of the campground. The next morning we were up early and back in the game park hunting for animals. We were lucky to see a whole pride of lions, wildebeests, zebras, ostriches, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, a few herds of elephants, and we were even lucky enough to catch a rare glimpse of lions mating! The day was successful, and Amanda had one of her best birthdays yet! Our fourth and final week at Children´s Garden was spent with the children and enjoying our last moments together. Since the children were finished their exams and had free time, we, along with Thomas, helped them practice for their Christmas Nativity play (which was even written by Thomas himself). We had a great time doing it, and only wished that we could stay longer to see it all at the final production. The day that we were set to leave was a sad one, as we had come to know and love so many of these children. Before we headed out we had a goodbye party, where the children sang and danced for us, and made us promise to come back and see them (and we really hope to do so again soon!). We even had a goat for dinner, and we all ate it together as a farewell dinner as we gave out our final hugs and goodbyes. At nine pm, the director, Moses, drove us back to the same airport that he had picked us up from one month earlier. We said our goodbyes and we were once again back on the road, headed for new places and new experiences.

Krazyness in Kenya

We arrived in Kenya at five am after a short and easy plane ride from Cairo. We were greeted at the airport by Jono's Aunt Diane and Moses Ndungu, the director of Children's Garden, the home and school that we would be living and working at for the next four weeks. After hugs and hellos, we were in the car, heading to the Kawangware slums, just outside of Nairobi. As soon as we arrived, even though it was so early, we were greeted by smiling children and some of the workers at the center. We wasted no time in getting to know the children, the workers and the teachers at Childrens Garden. Our first week there was spent learning the ropes. We had it easy though, because Jono's Aunt and our friend Alicia Labelle, had already been at Childrens Garden for the past 2 weeks. They gave us insight to what we should be doing. We spent our time with the children in school, teaching them songs and guitar, working in the house, reading together, and just hanging out. Also, during our first week we were lucky enough to go on Safari to Lake Nakuru, about three hours away from Nairobi. We went with Aunt Diane, Alicia, and five of the students from the home. We left for our safari early in the morning, and by ten am we were in the park looking for animals. We were able to see many animals, including a rare white rhino, before lunch time. At lunch, while eating our sandwiches, we were attacked by baboons, who were set on taking our well prepared lunch and eating it. As the baboon attacked, the nine of us screamed and ran back to the van. However, our driver, who thought this was hilarious, just sat there and laughed. We urged him to go, but he wouldn't budge, at least not until the largest one was in front of us and threatening us to jump into our van through the roof! Finally, our driver sped away, and we were back to looking for animals. That day, we saw flamingos, baboons, hyenas, giraffes, monkeys, gazelles and impalas. On the whole, it was a great safari. That week we also took a small trip just outside of Nairobi, to see the Bomas of Kenya. The Bomas is a show put on to showcase different dances from the different tribes of Kenya. We went with Alicia, and two students from the home. We enjoyed the dances, even though the atmosphere wasn't the greatest. After the dances, we were able to walk around the compound, and see how the different tribes lived and what life was like for them. We had no trouble settling in to what would be our new home for the next couple of weeks and we found that it was a place that we were surrounded by smiles and greeted with warm hearts. Meet the faces of Children's Garden.