Day 3 -Safari Affair 🦁

Whewwww chile….

I’m not sure why I titled it “The Safari Affair,” but that’s what came to me 😅. Today was safari day! We woke up at 3 a.m. because we had to be on the bus by 4. The drive to the safari took about 2.5 hours. The safari itself lasted around 7 or 8 hours—we were really out there in the wild, lol.

We had to drive around and actually look for the animals. We saw giraffes, wild boars, zebras, elephants, and your twin—the hippos. They were big, just like you 🤭. We didn’t see any crocodiles, but they did mention them, lol.

Our tour guide, Patrick, was really patient with us. He made sure we saw the animals and got plenty of pictures. He also told us about the trees in the safari and explained how the safari was cut in half after the genocide so that people could use part of the land to build homes. Most had nowhere to go when returning after the genocide against the Tutsi.

Not going to lie… I was so tired at one point that I was like, “To hell with these animals, I’m going to sleep.” And I slept for a solid two hours, I think.

The scenery on the way to the safari was beautiful. Kids were walking to school, and adults were getting ready for the market, carrying dozens of bananas—some on bikes, some balanced on their heads. It was fascinating to see the kids walking to school. Some looked as young as four or five, walking on their own.

I think that speaks a lot to the sense of safety and community that exists here. But it may also be cultural—back in the States, letting a four- or five-year-old walk to school alone might be considered neglect. Beyond that, it often doesn’t feel safe there, but here it seems both safe and normal.

What I Ate 🍝:

For breakfast I had two mini bananas, a danish, and a croissant. With a mango juice. We also stopped by a coffee shop and I got an African Tea, which was ginger and milk with sugar. It was real tasty real good 😂. I got a chicken wrap from there also and it was trash.

For lunch, everyone ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which I didn’t eat because the head of the group and a student made them the night before and rumor was they didn’t have any gloves on and they were touching their hair and stuff. So I just settled for a piece of banana cake.

For dinner, we stopped by the coffee shop again otw back and I got one meat samosa and 3 rice and veggies samosas with a lemon cake. Everything 10/10!

What I miss?

I miss talking to you man. I feel like we only get a good hour because of our schedules to talk and FaceTime.

Random:

What’s your favorite animal? I’m not sure I’ve ever asked you that. Also I have to tell you about the conversation I had on the bus otw back with one of my peers about an approach of assumption versus an approach of curiosity. I’m not sure I’ll be able to fully explain it here but I will when we speak. He’s white btw…keep that in mind it’s important to the story.