OCTOBER 1st

Here at Rosslyn Academy, the date OCTOBER 1st is huge. It is the day that teachers must decide whether or not they are re-signing for two more years. So every other year teachers must make this decision. Sometimes it is not difficult. You know for sure which way you are going. However, for some it is a long journey of indecisiveness. That would be me. If you had asked me last April, the answer would have been I am staying for sure. This summer although, I enjoyed not doing a lot living out of suitcases, caused me to really miss my family and life in the states. As the school year started, I was torn. I had a dozen pro con lists and they were of no help. I had a million people praying and well actually (as I told my mother) was not feeling it. Basically, God hadn't written me an email or message in the clouds that said "stay" or "go". As the day of the 1st grew closer, I was in such turmoil and couldn't decide what I wanted.
My two biggest problems: 1) I am tired of teaching, I am tired of kids 2) If I am not going to teach what will I do in the states (where the job market is definitely not at its peak)
So my decision... after talking to my mom everyday for 5 days straight...I decided to re-sign, with the possibility of resigning next year. So if you have any job opportunities for me, can you hold them until the summer of 2011?hehehe

Mara Safari- Part II

Me at the border of Tanzania and Kenya. Our Tent

The outside view of our tent.

Me conquering the extension bridge (or whatever they are called).

My Students

Welcome to Room M1. The 6th graders for 2009 and 2010.

This has been a very trying year. Not only is the largest class I have had 46 with 3 more coming 2nd semester, but they are DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA! I was dying the 3rd week of school. It is ALWAYS something with this group. I have some real sweeties, but unfortunately they are completely outnumbered.

6B

6A

Masai Mara- Birthday Celebrations

So the boys each have a birthday on August 1st. So I planned a safari to the Mara. Complete with decorated birthday van, birthday cup cakes and treats. July, August, and September is when the wildebeast migrate and there are thousands of wildebeast. The pictures here do not do the Mara justice. Not pictured (a cheetah and 2 leopards). The gang Christopher David Lehman, Christopher David Ritchie, Jessie and Me.
Two hippos.

Two more hippos, but you only see one because ladies and gentlemen it is MATING season. that's right lots of gurgling and "farting" noises.

Ah the baby hippo so cute!

Wildebeast on the Sand River.

Wildebeast (known as the idiot animal) trying to decide if they want to cross and where.

The slippery slope up. This is actually a very dangerous route up. there were lots of falls and cuts, but no deaths today. Shew!

Wildebeast grazing.

The birthday boys and I.

Oh look more...

Buckin' wildebeast!

Another baby.

King of the Mara!

Queens of the Mara. We saw over 9 cats this weekend.

Wide open Mara.

They walked so nicely in a single file line. If only my students could learn the one thing these animals do well.

We had a crazy ex-matatu driver, so our rides were extremely adventerous.

We had an amazing time saw a man staggering down the middle of the road in a small village covered in blood. Chased an "Across Africa" truck down and chewed him out for his bad safari habits. Nearly broke my arm while standing during the drive off the actual dirt road.

Amazing time!

Rome Part II

Rome was hot so we ate lots of ice cream. (Don't know how to spell the Italian term of ice cream!)
The Spanish Steps.

OH YUMMY FOOD!!! Hard Rock!

The Mediteranean Sea!

The 'White Cake' at night!

The place where Ceasar was murdered! Now the home of hundreds of stray cats!

A weird statue!

The Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel

'Small World Little People' at the Vatican.

Mailing my grandfather a letter at the Vatican Post Office.

The Sistine Chapel.

The Pope!

Where the Pope sits and preaches.

The Vatican. Another oblesk.

Me under where the Pope comes out from his window.

St. Petersons.

So, this was Rome in a nutshell. I am not impressed with my picture taking. I need to work on that.

Kammie and Rome Part ONE

Well, finally, I have found some time to update a little. Time is important because here in a freakin' 3rd world country it takes LOTS and LOTS of time to update a blog (when it is working properly).

This summer my friend Kammie came to visit me in Kenya. We had a great time. After some real Kenyan experiences, we left for Rome. Rome was fabulous! Below are some pictures of my trip. I am horrible about putting things in a good order. Please forgive me.

In case you were lost, maybe these signs can help?
Lots of motorcycles. It was crazy seeing women in these business outfits just trekkin' down the road.

Gee Kam! Were you hungry? Kidding one of these is mine. The vanilla with chocolate chips. YUMM!!

A plaza we came across. It was so Rome. (Since I am an expert in that area.)

A fountain to cool my feet. There were fountains every where!

In case you wanted to know.

Inside the Pantheon.

Before the Pantheon was a Christian center it was where the Roman gods were worshipped. This hole in the ceiling is how they sent their prayers up to the gods.

An oblesk that was taken from Egypt. Shame on you Romans!

The Pantheon.

Romans don't like this building (or didn't when it was built). I forgot what it was hahaha. But they call it the 'White Cake'.

A real live gladiator. Who knew they still existed?!

One of the best signs I saw!!! I love this place!

Our first stop. The colloseum. (spelling?)

KAMMIE IN AFRICA

Kammie and I on a walking safari at Crescent Island.

We were so close. Amazing animals.

The baby giraffes were only 2 months old.

My friend Max. You have seen him before. I took Kammie to visit him.

My friend Armida and Kammi and I at the Tea Farm

Kammie and I at the Tea Farm.

We did a lot while Kammie was here. She got to go on a walking safari, a game drive at Sweetwaters, stand at the equator, kiss giraffes, eat a fantastic meal at a Tea Farm, shop, break down on the side of the road - wait 3 hrs to get the car fixed, see Mt. Kenya, eat at DP, play with babies at the Nest, hang out with my camp kids, visit the elephant orphanage, and see my school. Come and visit and you can do all this and more. :)

Hey Friends!

Well people, I realize it has been forever since I have updated you guys on my life and shown you some evidence of my easy living here. hahah. The summer started good. Just relaxing and hanging out with friends. I also prepare for summer camp. This summer my friend Kerry and I co-directed a summer day camp for US Embassy kids. It started the 3rd week of June. I took this job solely to buy a car. Which I did. My roommate and I co-purchased one. One of my biggest regrets (sorry Jess) so far in my life. Anyway it is done and purchased and lucky Kim is not here to deal with it. :) Then camp, well lets just call it- glorified babysitting. A job that I did not really enjoy. However, I did meet some cool parents and have had fun with them. (Not all the kids were bad, but they are kids and well I need a break from them haha).
So I did camp for 3 weeks, then my friend Kammie came to visit for week. We had tons of fun seeing Africa and do the Kenyan thang! Thanks Kam! I miss ya!
Kammie and I flew to Rome for a few days and did the Rome thing. Now here is the kicker. I would be posting lots of pictures from our adventures, HOWEVER!! I no longer have a working computer. I broke my the night before we left for Rome! Yes, this is my life...ALWAYS ALWAYS something.
I got back from Rome on a Friday and found out that my new house would painted on Monday. So Sat, I headed to the paint store. I will not tell you how many trips had to be made to the paint store in a weeks time. I will tell you that while I was going through HELL at my last week of camp, the painters were painting my living room wall the WRONG color! So here is how they solved it. They painted it one coat a deep red (should have been in Kim's room) so to fix it they painted the LIGHTER red over the darker red. HMMM!! OH well for now. I am leaving it.
Ok so again NO COMPUTER!! The worst part about the no computer thing is I may have LOST ALL!! Do you hear me ALL my pictures from the past TWO YEARS!!! Prayers would be appreciated. I don't know what I will do when I get the final verdict and they say sorry we can't save your pictures. I will be crushed!! So in all seriousness, prayers to save my pics. I realize life will go on and I can't take them to Heaven, but for now it will be devastating to hear those words.
Plus, I had an amazing anniversary gift planned for my parents and well that will not be happening (it involved pics).
It is now Sunday, July 26th and my house has been completely painted, I have a little more packing to do in my house tonight and the movers will be there at 9 am.
I am moving back to Rosslyn campus to a small, tiny, crappy house, but it is free. I have just been spoiled this last year with an amazing house!
I hope your lives aren't as crazy as mine, but I am sure they are. When I get my classroom computer up and running I will put this summers pics on here.
Thanks for your prayers! Luv ya! Wendy

My Father

I serve a great and mighty God. This Father in heaven has given me the most amazing man. This man is my father. It is Father's day (essentially) and as I look back on the man who raised me, I can't help but think, how blessed I am. As a teacher, I see students who are abused in various ways, neglected, unloved, manipulated, abandoned- essentially fatherless. It saddens me to see this and makes me know how rare a man like my father is.
My dad loves to read, he is the most self-disciplined person I know and have ever met. My dad goes to bed early and wakes up early. My dad loves James Bond and electronics- hahaha!! My dad is always quick to listen and slow to speak. My dad loves my mom and still believes in chivalry. My dad is dedicated to everything that comes his way. He loves good music and is a talented musician. He is the most humble man I know. Over the years I have come to recognize how important my dad's role has been.
My dad taught me the importance of not judging a person or situation at first glance. There is always another side. My dad knows the value of respect and shows it to all. My dad showed me the importance of giving sacrificially. He showed me the value of hardwork and that it was my job to work to please only the heavenly Father. He taught me that having compassion and mercy and grace is the way of the Lord. He taught me these things through his lifestyle. My dad never preached alot, in fact he is a man of few words. But his lifestyle, the love for his family- this is more than any speech or talk could ever teach.
My dad loves Jesus! He is one of very few men who exemplifies Christ so clear. No he is not perfect, but he as God commands- he strives for that perfection. He loves his family unconditionally.
My Father in Heaven- Oh how you have blessed me and enriched my life. I can only pray that one day You will bring such a man to marry me. A man that encompasses all these Christ-like characteristics. I love you Jesus and I love you my father on earth. Happy Father's Day!

Paradise Lost

Friday, June 12th, a group of my friends and myself went on a little trip just 10min from our house. We went to Paradise Lost. It is a 54 acre park that has animals, a lake, a play place, "stone-age" caves, and a few short nature trails. So we took the kids and packed some lunches and head on over. It was actually a nice place. However, there were a million Kenyan school kids and one group apparently thought the Mazungus were part of the attraction. They loved looking at the babies and just staring at us. It was very interesting and got old after a bit. Maddy can't really walk by herself yet, but she can definitely rock climb. The peeps that went. The Nippers (Keturah and Dan), The Greenwiches (Ann and Jeremy), The Barnetts (Lara and Scott) and Keith and Laura (forgot their last name. They've just been living with me for the past 3 weeks-I am so horrible.) and Me. No male attachment included.

Keturah and I being ourselves.

Keturah and I acting mature.

My babies and me. Maddy and Sydney.

Keturah and Kaylee

My kiddos and me!

My newest friend Gertrude. She is quite friendly. And her favorite thing is Sikumu Wiki.

The camels.

The kiddies posing. They were great sports about getting their pics taken.

A trip Up country to Shosho's

This past Monday, Kerry Jividen was asked to go pick up Leah from her Shosho's (grandmother) up country. Leah, known to me as baby Kate, has been adopted and was visiting her new grandmother. She has grown so much. She is super cute as you can see. They live about 3 hours away from Nairobi in the middle of no where. No running water, a kitchen separate from the rest of the house. Here is Leah pronounced- Ley-uh.

We had to use the out-house and the hole was small and angled weird- I missed. hahaha We went through at least 10 check points, but never stopped us- since we are white. :) Sometimes-that's why they do stop you- haha. It was a 12 hour day. OH, Yea, I ate Kenyan food. Very little- I haven't changed that much, but I am branching out VERY slowly on my food intake. Shosho kept trying to force food down us. So a good traditional Kenyan day. We dropped Margaret and Leah off at their apartment which has 3 rooms and is smaller than my kitchen and living room. It was jam packed with furniture (and calenders).

Leah taking a typical bath for most Kenyans.
Leah and I sitting in Shosho's 3 room house. They sleep here too.

Leah making faces and playing with her stick. No toys-R-us toys here.

Telling the sheep what to do.

Going to look for the sheep.

Calendars hang everywhere in lower class homes here. I counted I think 7 at Shosho's.

Mama Leah, Leah and Shosho saying goodbye.

Leah deciding if she really wants to mess with the sheep.

Last week of school

It is the last week of school for us at Rosslyn Academy. It is bitter-sweet because my good friends Dalina and Jess are leaving. I am also lossing an amazing class. I am ready for a break and no more grading or getting up early. I will be working a little this "summer" at a summer day camp for the US Embassy. Remember it will be our winter. I am ready to just chill and hang out at home and do some scrapbooking. It will be somewhat lonely though. Kim, my roommate will be gone, Jessie will be gone for part of the break and the Chrises will be gone some. But I gots Kerry and the Nippers and Greenwiches and I am hosting some people from the states the first two weeks of June.
Our grades at school are due tomorrow first thing, so this week we just have parties, watch movies and pack up the classroom. What a great way to end the year. Let me know how you are doing. I will need some "summer" entertainment.

The Bridge

So, I hate bridges and heights. Here are some pictures of this suspended walking bridge.

This is me crossing the bridge. It only took me like 8 mins. Me posing. Acting like I am not afraid.

Dalina and I resting before we crossed back.

The gorge.

Kerry in the middle of the bridge. It only took her like 2 min. She wasn't scared.

The bridge. the long, scary, moving bridge

Me and Africa. Kenya is the dark spot.

Road signs in case you get lost.

My new boyfriend and I . He is a very colorful person.

The choo. How creative!

Me and the choo.

Just a fresh idea for planting, if you need one.

Camp Lukenya

Here are some pictures of the kids that some of you sent to church camp. These kids are from a slum area outside of Nairobi. Many of them share the floor in small shanties. No beds, no showers, and for sure no toiletts. Here at camp they get 3 full meals a day, love, God's word, a bed, washed clothes, fun times, toilets and hot showers. They were good kids. I enjoyed hanging out and meeting them. Our kids from Rosslyn did a great job mingling and hanging out with the campers. Thanks to all of you who sent money to send kids to camp. Special thanks to Sheridan Middle School- 6th graders. You guys are the best. Every time we have shared about this project, we have told the audience that even people all the way from Arkansas have helped out. :) Also, thanks to my favorite Ellendale Baptist Sunday school class. Because of you we were able to send 70 extra kids. And I think she had money left to send some kids in August.

S'more of Egypt

I loved this trip!

Where there's a baby, there's a mama

Yes people it has happened. ALL my FEARS have happened. Nope not engaged- that would be a welome fear (hahaha), but yes to all you people fond of slimy slivery things. I had a freakin' SNAKE in my house. Now, I know the animal stories have been few and far between lately, but I am not sure what beats this one.
So last night, the Chrises and I are sitting around just chatting. It is about 11pm and we are all tired. The boys are thinkin' about leavin' and Ritchie looks down and sees something slivering on the floor. It was VERY small- I thought it was worm. I was CONVINCED it was worm. Sometimes you just have tell yourself stuff so you have a peace of mind.
After some examining of the FREAKY creature, it was a baby snake. Living in the south we have lots of snakes and the sayin' always was- "were there's a baby there's a mama" So I am sure that there is a mama snake somewhere in my house.
I made the boys capture this thing and dispose of it, however, in the process of getting it on paper and carrying it to the window, Ritchie drops it!!!! And the even better news- WE COULDN'T FIND IT!!!!!! This was last night and it is now 8:30 the next night and the snake has yet to be found. So, Kim and I have been putting towels under our doors and literally watching EVERY step. So there you have it people- the one creature that I think I detest the most- although rats are close second- followed by any animal that can trample or eat me is third, is loose in mi casa.

I just realized I forgot to mention another guest that we had a week ago. I was walking merrily down the hallway one sunny afternoon when I look down and see a chameleon. This is an endangered reptile (from what I hear). This one, like all of them in this part of the world, has 3 horns and looks like it came from the dinosaur days. They are friendly creatures and harmless. John (Kim had some friends visiting at the time) was fascinated by this creature. So he adopted it and even had some early thoughts of keeping it and taking it back to the states, we (Kim, his wife, and I) had to gently remind him that, well, it was sort of illegal to bring live animals into the US. Anyway, he understood and decided he would just keep it while was here. A few hours later, I noticed that John's friend was not sitting on his shoulder and so I inquired about it. His answer..." Oh, I didn't realize it was gone. Hmm, I don't know where it is." Now, this is nothing like a snake, rat, or trampling animal, but I still would like the comfort of knowing I won't wake up with a friend in my bed (unless I personally invite him) hahaha.

I am pretty sure he was later found and put back in his natural habitat or at least that is what I was told. I wouldn't put it past John to just tell me that so that I could sleep better. hahaha JK- John and Erin- hope you made it home safely. It is a bit quiet around here now.

Egypt Continued, What day are we on?

Well friends here is more of my trip to Egypt. On the boat each night there was entertainment just like an cruise ship. The first night was Nubian night and the Nubian members of our crew played music for us and in true Egyptian/Arabic fashion it is truely about pulling up the women and dancing with them. So first night Jessie and I, along with 10ish other gals danced in circles and did trains and yada yada for the "men" of the boat. The next night was Egyptian night and they had some various contests for the guests. First up Chris R. had to do this embarressing game, but he WON!! Woohoo! Then they made various people come and did the number game. When the music stopped the caller would say a number and the people had to form groups with that number. Well, Chris L. and I tied with another women. So the Nairobi group is 2 for 2, then they pulled just the women up to "belly" dance. It was so awful. we sat in a circle and one buy one had to dance in front of everyone!! It was so embaressing, but I must say that Jessie did a splendid job, me on the other hand- well it was NOT pretty. Because the crewmen (by the way there were only men who worked on our boat, NOT a SINGLE woman!!) couldn't decide who the winner was they put us to one last test. Cause of course there has to be winner. It was musical spoons. I tied with my friend Jenny from Australia. The tie breaker... are you ready for this...? Well, we had to kiss as many men as we could in 30 seconds. WOOHOO. The best game in the world. Well, to shorten the story a bit. I WON!!!! I'm a competitive girl, I like to kiss boys, and so 2oish men in 30 seconds. I could have had a few more, but oh well. The Egyptian men, got their thrill and well I won 3 postcards. hahahaha!!!
Ok below is a temple in Edfu. I like this picture.

This temple was actually underwater and it was moved and put back together on another island in the River Nile. On this pillar, you see a fish- yes that's a fish- and the 4 things inside represent Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Below I have several pics of the Christian influence in these temples. The Coptic Christians would flew Roman rule and hide out in these "old" temples. They were disturbed by the ancient Egyptians "idol" art and so they would destroy it and also add their own touches.
This looks like an ice cream Sunday. hahahaha YUMM!!

Notice the different tops on the pillars one represents the lotus flower and the other the papyrus plant. However, the point of the picture was for the black stuff at the top. It is smoke damage. The early Christians while hiding out would need a fire, but they didn't want to give away their locations so they would build them in the temple so the smoke would be limited. The farther back you go in the temple the darker it gets, because there is no outlet for it.

This is their agricultural calender

This temple, can't remember the name or where. I think it was in Edfu. Notice the blank Kartushes. Each pharoah would have his name in a kartush all over his temple, however, this temple was built during a time that the pharoahs can't changing. And so the builders never could put the pharoahs name in the temple because they never knew who would be pharoah the next day.

This is what our boat looked like. Notice all the small boats. They are shouting at the people on the cruise boats trying to sell things. They would throw things at you and want you to buy it. haha

All of the "wholes" you see are tombs from ancient Egypt, holding noble people of the time. They are all over these dusty mountains.

A face that was destroyed. This is actually Queen Hathshipsuit (spelled wrong). She became pharoah after her husband died- no woman had ever been in charge before. Some people were not happy with her being the leader, but she led ancient Egypt for many years, dressing just like a pharoah. When she died, her relative that followed her had her face and name and many things about her destroyed.

Our group. Front row: Sue, Me, Jessie, Jenny; Back row: Ed, Mohummed, Chris R., Chris L.

The four of us did not know any of these people before the trip. We had so much fun with them though. Sue and Ed are from Jessie's small hometown in New Mexico and they knew a lot of the same people. Mohummed was my friends tour guide two years back. Good times!!!

This was Egyptian night so we are somewhat wearing our attire. Some people went crazy on the dressing up, but it was fun.

Egypt Journal Day 3 - 4

So I didn't plan this very well and started this blog and ran out of time. I will edit it later tonight or tomorrow. But if you read this now sorry. It is Luxor Temple and then Valley of the Kings and The Temple of Queen Hatshipsuite. (Spelled incorrectly, but that is how you pronounce.)

Egypt Journal Day 2

Ok so these are a bit out of order but oh well. Day 2 in Egypt. We woke up around 9 left around 10 and headed to the Egyptian Museum. It was full of lots of stuff. HAHAHA!! It really was neat, but if you are looking for facts well... sorry I forget them already.

We then went to the Citadel which has a huge mosque inside. We learned about the mosque and got to actually go inside. This same day we went to KFC twice. HAHAHA!!! WOOHOO. Good chicken and fries. The only sad part was no mashed potatoes. But I got over it fast. After our second trip to KFC we headed to the train station for our over night train ride.

Below here you see a lovely train. We waited for over an hour and half for our train. Our guide told us the next one was ours. So here you see a train.

Now look closely. You will see bars and lots of pad locks. The train stops and we see lots of guards with huge guns. Then men from the bus start yelling all these curse words and at the people waiting. When we figured out it was a PRISON train and not OURS I had a to take a picture. The men saw me and were shouting at me. I was rather popular. I think I will move there. I have never been more popular. Jessie and I pretending we are thousands of years old. Can you tell the difference?

The ancient KFC. I loved this historic restaurant almost as much as Mac!

Egyptian Mt. Rushmore.

Egyptian Museum. They have just started breaking ground on the "Grand Egyptian Museum". They have so many artifacts that this museum can't hold even half of them.

The Citadel.

Something similar to our ten commandments. This is above the entrance of every Mosque.

Inside the Mosque. The prayer leaders stand.

The clock tower at the Mosque . It only worked for a few hours and has never worked since then.

Women who weren't wearing enough clothing had to wear these green coverings. HAHAHA. Luckily I wore a long skirt.

The view of the city, from the citadel, with the pyramids in the background.

Well that was day two. The next few days should go a bit faster. I will try to add some more this weekend. By the way, the train food was HORRID! I was pre warned so that is why we brought KFC on board. It was so bad that the Chris squared wouldn't eat it and they will normally eat ANTYHING!!! Then I got absolutely NO sleep again. So far in this trip I have yet to sleep well.

Stay tuned to see if Wendy's sleeping improved. Oh yea I haven't forgot about the kissing... oh but wait... I think I was told to not kiss and tell. HEHEHE

Egypt Journal Day 1

Well friends I had the most amazing time in Egypt. We were crazy busy the entire 9 days, but it was fantastic. I went with three other teachers: Chris Ritchie, Jessie Gacs, Chris Leyman. However, the Dunnings were sort of with us. We went separate ways after got to Cairo. We left our houses at 2 am on Saturday morning. Below is a picture of Jess D. and I chillin' in the Nairobi airport around 4 something AM!! Cairo is short 5 hour trip from us so it wasn't bad and the plane was practically empty. I had a whole row to my self. It was wierd knowing that I was going to the land where the oldest civilization existed. A place where Moses floated down the Nile in a papyrus basket. The same Nile that God turned to blood. The same region that God plagued with frogs, locusts, gnats (I'm convinced it is still plagued with these creatures), darkness, death of livestock and more. It was a little erie knowing how much history had occurred here. We arrived in Cairo around 9 am (1hr time dfference). Cairo is a developing country, but still considered 3rd world. However, the great news is they have AMERICAN food! Forget the pyramids man, I am looking for the golden arches. :) Cairo, unlike Nairobi, has rather decent roads and freeway systems. Yes, there is a lot of traffic, but it seemed to flow ok. One of my first sites besides the millions of highrise apartment buildings was the billboard below. Oh God is so good! This was my first picture in Cairo. HAHAHA!!! We went straight to our hotel to check in and then we were off for a full day of adventure.

Our first stop was well Mac or McDonalds to you and I. However, below is a picture of the 2 tallest pyramids. The one in the foreground, I was able to go into. A bit freaky.

Back to Mac- here is the heavenly site. McDonalds in Arabic. Our tour guide Marwa (a wonderful lady) coudn't get over my excitement about this stop. She kept taking my picture all over the store. HAHAHA I have one with the Happy Meal Toys display and several in the playground area.

The evening of our first night in Cairo we met up with the Dunnings at Chili's! WOOHOO the other best place in the world. I hadn't eaten that much in years. (Hodge- I am never eating again!!!) Chili's along with many other restaurants, some American, were on these huge boats in the Nile. It was really cool. The water you see behind us is well, yelp, the Nile. Aka The river Nile.

Ok to part that actually brought me to this land. Here is the great Pyramid. The tallest of them all. I learned lots of facts, but unfortunately, I am not an auditory learner so I remember very few. :) This is the first pyramid you drive up , but you can't go inside it.

Here is the gang Jessie, Me, Chris R., and Chris L. Standing on a ledge of the pyramid. It is made of oh crap I think stand stone maybe. Well I think I am wrong. But as you can see it is huge pieces of stone stacked on top and they made it using ramps as they went up.

The same pyramid this view kind of gives you an idea of its size and height. I am being Egyptian here. Can you tell?

We drove behind the pyramids and did the typical tourist pics. We are all supposed to be touching a part of the pyramid. Turned out ok, but not perfect.

This is the second pyramid. We were able to go inside. I almost backed out. First, let me start by saying it was scorching outside. So we walk down this walk way here and behind Chris is small door. I had to crouch down to enter and walk in it. At the doorway, I was hit with a musty smell, heat, and a very narrow path that seemed to go on forever. I almost backed out, but I went and lived to tell about it. We walked a ways down this steep, narrow path and then came to spot that we could stand up in and walk straight. Then it narrowed again, I was sweating like a pig by this point and short of breath- not much oxygen flow here- and we had to duck as the path inclined. Finally, we reached the burial room. It was interesting. Not much to see, but an empty tomb and the just to say I have been in a pyramid.

Chris L and I braved a camel. Here I am freaking out. It is very awkward when the camel gets up or down. They are very tall animals. Poor Chris had to put up with my screeching hahaha. I am wanting to hold on to the guide, but he is telling me to just hold on to the saddle. It was fun. Now I can say I have riden a camel. This camel is Charlie Brown. He was a good man. I even got to lead him. (Well, I just held the reigns. I am pretty sure Charlie Brown new what he was doing.

The owner of C.B. took my camera so he could take some pictures, but as we were walking to the "picture area" and while Chris and I were just enjoying the scenery, the owner was looking through my pictures on my camera. hahahah Nosy lil guy.

Chris and I in front of Pyramids. We took several different pictures. This was the most flattering for me. hahaha. The camel owner, turned photography is apparently, wanting to change careers. He took a million. Ok maybe just 7 or 8.

Didn't mean to put this one here.

Behind the 3 great pyramids are 2 smaller ones that still exist. These housed the bodies of the wives of the pharaoh in Pyramid 3. (I think that is right.) You can see Cairo in the background. We are in Giza here the West Bank, but it is in the middle of the city.

The famous sphinx. They are currently doing some maintenaince to the structure.

Sphinx and Pyramid 2. If you look closely you can see the top of the pyramid is flat (no ledges). This is how the whole pyramid looked at one point.

We stayed at the President Hotel. NOT impressive. Actually, I think there are motels in the states that are much nicer, but it was a bed and shower and breakfast and only 2 nights. I survived. It did have a spectacular view though. I want you to focus on the roofs if you can. What do you see? Yes these are lots of highrise apartments, but for miles in every direction all you see are satelites. The satelite company made bank off of Egypt.

We finished day one with dinner at Chili's as I have already shared and then headed back to our apartment. It was a great first day, but very tiring, since we only got about 3 or 4 hours of sleep the night before. So here is day 1. Coming soon to a blog site near you days 2,3,4 and much much more. Wendy kissed who? What kissing?

In the world of Wendy

Well not much has been going on, but here is an update of how life is for me. This past week we had volleyball tryouts and will start official practices on Monday. Friday I did some running around with my friend Chris and then headed to the airport to pick up some of his friends. We finished getting them settled into Hampton House and decided we were hungry. But no late night taco bells or Wendy's here. However, there is ONE place that stays open rather late so we headed there, picked up some FRIED food, and ate it (at 11pm- not too good on the ol stomach).
Saturday, I slept in and then worked on school work. I watched A LOT of movies while doing that. I have no tv stations. I never know what is going on the world or the temperature.
I do know that it is scorching here. I am sweating as I type this.
I walked to church today and then went to lunch with some friends.
I will walk to school in the morning and sweat in my classroom ALL day long. After school, I will have volleyball practice until 5:30 and then the busses will take those kids home. (A difference from the states- we have "late" bus drop offs)!!!
I will walk home and unlock my gate- we are locked in everywhere. :) And end my day with watching some 'Friends' getting online and foraging for some food. Maybe I'll drink some Dr. Pepper. WOOHOO!! I found some for 62ksh a can. A little less than a dollar a can. Well worth it for something familiar.
We have to go to the grocery store weekly because food here ruins so fast. So I will hit the store on Wed.
Well a bit of a boring blog but that is my life. Pretty normal and non-exciting, but it is not near as hectic as the American lifestyle and I don't spend near the money I would in the states (No Hobby Lobby or Target)!
I love the community and always having friends nearby. It is like college in the sense that there is always someone around to hang with. It is pretty almost year 'round and pedicures are really cheap.

Excitement at Lobelia House

Well, as many of you know or don't know, I live right down the road from the school that I teach at. It is in a pretty safe area since the UN and US Embassy are right down the road. Every house has gates and high walls that "protect". We also have a gate guard. Today, I came home from school and found our gate was locked. We only lock the gate at night, so this was a bit strange. Micheal our day guard said that we had 6 men come in our gate and go to our house. Well I called Kim to tell her and we just said we needed to be more cautious. Apparently, it was a bit more serious to our landlord. He came down with a head security guy from school to talk to us. They are changing our gate lock and giving us each a key (incase our guard is not around- he does other jobs on the compound) They then informed of us of the details that happened while we were at school.
Micheal came down to our house and started talking to them, and they said they were with the electric company. However, they were just sitting on our porch. So he had to "shew" them out and they never went to a vehicle they just disappeared separatly into the bush! One of them was Muslim (that has nothing to do with the matter - at least I don't think- other than to recognize them in the future). Yea, so it was very interesting. Nothing bad happened other than we have to be on our toes and paying attention to our surroundings. Which we do anyway. I think I will go buy a ponga.

My Very First Video!!!

This is a video of the cheetah finally getting up after about 45 min or more of resting in front of his prey. Remember, cheetah are the fastest land animal, and after they reach their top speed they are very tired. Like me after I walk up a hill. I need to rest for a while. So they rest for a while. You can see in the video she doesn't have her full strength back as she gets up and walks to her prey. Enjoy!

Amboseli

Welcome to the vast savanah of South Kenya. This is nature at it's best! Here are a few of the things we were able to see on our game drive in Amboseli.

A Hippo with wildebeast and zebra in the background

The worst animals of them all... the tourist. When you see a bunch of vans all gathered like this across the plains you know you are missing something. In this case it was a cheetah with a kill.
A beautiful bird. A secretaries bird (I think).

A lion!! One of many that we saw.

Harmony.

They really do walk in a straight line sometimes. Just like in Jungle Book.

Kilimanjaro. Tallest mt. in Africa.

The infamous cheetah with it's kill.

Sponsoring a kid!

Thanks for the responses guys! If you still want to sponsor a kid to go to VBS camp, you can send the money to my mom (Debbie Porter; 6820 Beagle Run Ln; Arlington, TN 38002. We will need it by the last week of March so we can tell Mrs. Mendoza (the children recruiter) how many kids they can recruit. I am super excited about this project since my kids and I are personally involved. I will hopefully get to meet the kids, and I will for sure be sending you pictures of the child your money goes towards plus others. I will do my best to try and upload the video, but remember I do live in Africa and I am grateful for the internet that I have, but it is often to slow to upload videos. I will try. :) It is a good video that shows where the kids are coming from and what they will get to experience at camp. God Bless each of you!

YOU can help spread God's LOVE!

Our middle school (Rosslyn Academy) does service projects every year. This year we are helping Christian Mission Aid by sponsoring children from the slums so they can go to VBS camp.(Vacation Bible School)
Here's the 411: Every April, June, August, and December CMA hosts a week long church camp for at least 100 kids. At this camp the children are able to sleep in their very own bed (Most of them sleep 5, 6 or more on the floor in tiny tin covered shacks. ) They are given 3 healthy meals a day, God's word and love, showers, Bibles and lots of fun. It is in a normal church camp type environment with lots of outdoor activities and beautiful scenery.
The cost for one child for one week is 1500 shillings that is about $20 per kid. THis also includes their transportation from wherever to Lukenya (the camp).
So what is Rosslyn MS doing? Our kids are holding various fund raiser projects over the next 4 weeks trying to raise enough money to send 50 kids to camp. We are doing one "outside" fundraiser, but we are doing a lot of "inside" fundraising trying to get the kids to be cheerful givers of their OWN money. Hat days, soccer tournament during lunch, ect.
Now I am personally giving you the opportunity to help the other 50 kids. I know many people have asked how can they help and here it is. My parents Sunday school class is already taking care of 15 kids. Woohoo! That class is one of the most giving classes I have ever met! Some of you have sent me money and I am using that to sponsor a few kids in your names.
I have been really convicted in the last few months over greed! I have not been a cheerful giver and yet God continues to give to me. It is HIS money always not mine. Yes, it is nice having some cash in the bank, but in the end it is God's whether or not I choose to give it to him, he can always take it away. Anyway, this is my heart and where I am at right now.
I am just putting this opportunity out there for those people who have in the past asked about how they can help and also to give detail to a few people who have already given. :) I love you guys! It is sooo summer here!
I am going on a safari this weekend! CHEETAHS beware! It is my roommate Bethany's birthday so she wanted to do this. We are leaving at 4AM yes you heard me right 4 freakin' AM on Saturday morning. THere must be some kind of love for me to do this! It is my Saturday!
AH don't feel too bad for me, because I am taking MOnday off to "recover" hahahah!!!!
I still have more pics to put up. Maybe Monday. I am not promising though!
LUv you!