Masaai Mara - Best Safari EVER!

This is a post I meant to do earlier but I didn't have access to the following photos and internet to post.

There are many Wildlife reserves in Kenya, some have a greater number of certain types of animal.  Among those is Maasai Mara. Not one of the most well known of Kenya, it is most famous for it's connection to the Maasai people, which many tourists go to witness the people's keeping to "traditional" lifestyle; circular mud and stick housing, dress, bead work, and dance ceremonies.

The Park also has an amazing amount of a variety of animals and is most famous for the great Wildebeest Migration to and from the Serengeti in Tanzania.

The group of us that went, went for a two day game tour and we got probably the luckiest Safari ever.  The only things that could have made it better would have been seeing a rhino, an actual take down, or a live birth. Otherwise we saw just about everything!

This is the first guy we saw:

This captures simply a part of the epicness that was this scene; cheetahs, giraffes, coyote, zebra, warthogs, and antelope all in the same area! The coyote was one brave dude.

Cheethat with her four cubs:

 Water buffalo are real common and freakin scary. Built like tanks and they just stare at you.

Momma Elephant and her baby, he was learning how to use his trunk.

 I was so excited to see this bad boy. Jaguars are one of the coolest animals, this one had killed and antelope the day before and you could see it hanging from the tree.

This is a Topi. It is one weirdly beautiful creature.

ZEBRA! Need I say more?

Male Ostrich. Fun fact: their legs turn a brilliant pink during the mating season. Let's the ladies know he's ready to tango.

We also went to the river where there were hundreds of Hippos. These bad boys are scary.

 Brilliant coloured lizards just chilling by the choo

Monkey's are cool, but really their pests. Darn guys steal your food.

At the way back to the campsite we came across momma lions and their cubs. Later we saw the Big Daddy protecting the meat kill they made. These guys are too cute.

These were the tents we stayed in

Roommates!

All together it was an amazing experience and a once in a life time opportunity that I was so privileged to be apart of.  Sadly, it may have ruined Zoos for me....

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Gratitude.

That's where a lot of our mindsets as humans, especially mine, need to start and end.  We're to busy with what we're feeling at a given moment to take a step back and look at the bigger picture surrounding the emotional situation we are in.

The emotional situation I am currently in is restlessness and the feeling of stagnation.  If there's one thing I've learned through living through the Peace Corps experience it is patience. Now, mind you that doesn't mean I don't get frustrated and anxious when I'm waiting for things to happen, it has simply made me realise that when you're involve with the government, especially Peace Corps, there is a lot of waiting around and then when things get moving, they REALLY get moving.

However, talking with a wonderful friend of mine the other day, I began to remember the simple importance of being thankful, even when things don't seem to being going well.

Yes, somedays I have too much free time being stuck in a hotel room cause it's too stormy outside. Yes, I'm not currently working on things that I really desire to be doing or living where I prefer to be. Yes, I fall down stairs, run over old ladies, and embarrass myself reaching for objects that are actually five inches to the left.

Yet at the same time how much do I complain that I don't get enough breaks when I am busy and doing the work that I desire?  How much do I complain when it's 110 degrees outside and my flesh is burning off?  And lets face it how much do I really injure and embarrass myself anyway, even with normal vision?...

It's time to be grateful that I can see Washington D.C., that I have amazing medical (and Peace Corps) staff taking care of me, and that I'm whole, safe, and, I don't mean to brag, but look dang good with my new professionally done hair cut.  What uuup!?

Say What You Need To Say

We all know about actionary iniquity.  Where we do something that we shouldn't; but there is an iniquity that I know of and realise I do a little to often, and that is the iniquity of omission. The act of NOT doing something when we should.  

This is a story of a time when I acted, all while trying not to vomit from nerves...

Living here in DC has given me an experience that I've never had before; using the Metro.  I generally like being able to travel the Metro, mostly because I like people watching, and you get all types of  people down there. The other day I was riding back from the movie theatre having just watched Lincoln and having very justice oriented mentality.  I'm sitting in the seats waiting for my stop when three 20-somethings get onto the train. They are talking and joking around, somewhat crudely, and one of them uses the 'n' word towards the other.

I hate that word, obviously when it's used in hate, but I still hate it even if it is used amoungst the African American community towards each other. Now I understand the notion of "taking the word back" to try and reduce it's hateful power, but that word, or any other racist, sexist or other slur, is never used in a "good way" -- it is dehumanizing and destructive in any context, and I believe should be corrected when anyone uses it.

So there was my conundrum.  Do I sit there and let it slide, or do I stand up and advocate against the use of that word? Of course thoughts against stepping in are running through my mind; what will they think of me? What place do I have as a White guy telling them they shouldn't use that word, one that has been rather engrained into the culture? 

What do I do?

The anger over injustice and hate that I had just come from seeing in Lincoln, and some unusual bit of confidence won out.  Surprisingly (or at least it seemed) they were rather receptive, a little defensive at first, but they listened to what was on my heart. 

Now, I doubt that I stopped them from ever using that word again, and they more then likely used it again that same day, but hopefully an impression was made cause someone stood up.  People don't do that enough, for various reasons, but the older I get and the more injustices I see, I believe that if you have a correction to speak to someone, you have an obligation to stand up and say something.  It can be very difficult because oftentimes no matter how cautiously you choose your words, someone will always twist them around and misinterpret what you say. 

But you need to just say what you need to say.

Demons

I fell to my knees as I was praying
And found a demon in my safest haven
Feels like it's getting harder to believe in anything
Than to simply get lost in my own selfish thinking

Tragedy seems unending
As I watch people I looked up to bending and breaking
Taking shortcuts and false solutions
To hide the truth and appear to come out the hero

I want to know what it would be like to find perfection
To see beyond my pride, to see nothing in the Light
Sometimes I wonder if I'm better off just hitting the bottom
To stop hiding how I truly feel to attempt to come out the hero

No matter what we breed
We are still made greatly of greed
Who knows what's right
The lines keep growing thinner

I don't want to let you down
But sometimes I feel as if I'm hell bound
As if it's woven into my soul
This is my kingdom come.

That through this masquerade
All will come crawling out through this mess I've made
Look into my eyes, but don't get too close, it's dark inside
It's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide

Thank You For Your Service

When I started out my morning yesterday I definitely didn't expect to be both honoured and blessed in one trip to the optometrist. As you all know the damage to my lenses was rather intense:

Therefore it was necessary to get a replacement so I headed down to LensCrafters assuming this would be a completely normal visit. It started out fairly normal, typical questions of what happened, followed by sentiments of apology and concern for my well-being. All very well meant of course, but honestly it's hard to feel pitied all the time.

While the doctor was taking measurements and assessing all the details for replacement we started chatting about Peace Corps and some of my work over the last few months, and she was telling me about a programme that LensCrafters does to get prescriptions to people both overseas and in America that cannot afford glasses that she was privileged to be apart of.

It turned out that the repairs to the glasses were going to be a little more expensive then either of us imagined and the amount Peace Corps was going to allot would only cover about half of the total cost so the rest was going to be on me. The doctor turns to me and says, "one second I'll be right back." She's gone for about five minutes and returns saying, "No worries, it's all taken care of."  Needless to say I was completely taken aback and asked why.

She told me that she was proud of me for joining Peace Corps and thinks that the work we do is amazing and extremely worthwhile. She wanted to help me out because she thinks we get so little acknowledgement for the work that we do, and of course felt sorry for what happened to me, so she used her 50% discount to reduce the price so that it would be covered by Peace Corps and not have to come out of my pocket. Of course I was completely speechless and could barely find my voice to thank her.

Being a Peace Corps volunteer is an amazing experience in many ways, but even as a volunteer it is easy to forget that I am serving my country. Today I was blessed and reminded how special my job is, and all because I needed to get my glasses fixed.

These Hard Times

These few weeks have been rough. In a lot of ways they have been adventurous and I've gotten opportunities that I didn't think I'd get for a while, like being able to see family and friends I didn't believe I would see for a long time.

However, I find myself fighting depression.

Everything is unbelievably unknown. I'm facing having a long term dream crumble down around me and possibly come to and end. I'm miles away from friends that I love so much and are continuing an amazing journey without me. I find myself riding a roller coaster of emotions that change with the slightest instance. All the while trying to look through the smoke where the answers and the truth seem like they have cut their ties.

It's not clear to me anymore the answers to the ugliness that I feel.  I want the answers to what I need.
I feel like I'm hiding in the shadows, afraid of the light. I feel like I'm simply standing on the outside of where I'm meant to be and the door has been slammed shut in my face.

All I can do is pray.

   Give me the answers
   Give me the way out
   Give me the faith to believe in these hard times

   Show me which way to move
   Show me motivation
   Show me all my heart desires, when I feel like you're not around

   For I'm a troubled mind and a callused heart
   A failing engine that was trying way to hard
   Always second-guessing that little voice I used to hear
 
   I'm finally broken from falling to far
   Burning up, I'm trying to pick up the pieces and searching for healing from the scars
   I ask you take this cup from me cause the fear of the future is stealing all my sleep
 
   Help me in this hour of doubt and darkness
   Cause who I am affects not just me
   So give me the strength, so that love can finish telling this tale.

Breathe For Love Tomorrow

Take a breath, breathe in deep.
Feel the air of today enter your lungs
It's vision, let it seep fully into your mind.
A today full of hate, intolerance, persecution, belligerence and strife.
Where mindless violence fills the news, and a call for more arms fills our views.

West, take a stand, lose your complacency.
You've stood on the backs of slaves long enough!
Oh how the rest of the World watches as you take everything you want
and still remain unsatisfied.

Lose your mindset of dependency.
You've allowed your leaders to keep you down long enough, buying into their corruption.
You are people full of strength, courage, and potential
Rise and use the resources availed to you.

Take a breath and breathe in deep.
Feel the electricity of potential run through your body.
It's vision, let it seep fully into your mind.
A tomorrow where love, diversity, peace, empathy, and freedom reign supreme
Where people live with an open-mind, and selfishness no-one can find

Breathe for love tomorrow
With the Hope we have for today

Forgiveness As A Four Letter Word

The theme of forgiveness has been a constant blip on my radar over these last few weeks. It's something that rarely gets discussed in detail yet is a concept that has influence on our lives constantly.

And it's messy.

Sometimes forgiveness is an act that has awe-inspiring power.  We hear stories of amazing acts of forgiveness that leave us questioning, "Could I ever do that?" Other times stories of un-forgiveness leave us cheering because we believe the act to be completely justifiable, even consider justice to have been served. Occasionally we even find ourselves angry at someone else because they aren't showing forgiveness when we believe it is deserved or called for.

We should never forget the forgiveness takes time.

When bad things happen or our done to us we have a right to be angry. I have a right to be angry at the individual who's actions physically harmed me and took me away from my work and a continent and country that stole my heart.

I don't have a right to let my actions from my angry bring harm to another.

Forgiveness takes time and practice.  Very few people (and I applaud you if you can) are able to simply wake up the next morning and decide to be ok with everything. Sometimes you have to remind yourself daily that you forgive that person.

Holding on to the hurt/anger/pain only hurts you, not them.  It eats you up inside and influences your emotions not theirs. Forgiveness is choosing to put down the thing that is binding you to them negatively and walking away...

It's Love.