Sometimes I have to remind myself of all the amazing opportunities that will arise while being in Kenya this upcoming year…I have been so focused on preparing my heart and mind to transition into the role of “Dorm Mom,” that I haven’t given too much thought to my peripheral “bucket list.” Â Nevertheless, with a 5-week break from Nov. 26 to Jan 2, and another 4-week break in March, there are plenty of exciting activities that could potentially occupy my vacation time.
Recently, a fellow RVA staff member e-mailed me a whole boat-load of ideas to help me brainstorm. Â I had done some research on my own, but it is also nice to have a first-hand opinion and list of experiences. Â It got me so excited! Â So, here is a combination of her ideas and my own:
o   Raft the Nile in Uganda
o    Go to the Mombasa coast, rent a private house, and go snorkeling in the Indian Ocean
o    Visit the home of one of my girls and meet her family
o    Go to the Tea Farm in Limuru, which has beautiful gardens and gives tours on tea-making
o    Go to the Giraffe Center in Nairobi and pet and feed giraffes
o    Go on a Safari in Maasai Mara or Amboseli
o    Attend a church in one of the Kibera slums so that I can have a vision of life for people outside of our RVA church and the Africa Inland Church I will be attending on various Sundays during the term
o   Climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  It takes 5 days total, up and back!
o   Learn how to bake homemade bread the African way from the Kenyan ladies who serve on campus to help do the cooking
0 Â Learn how to make homemade yogurt (the fresh, warm, pasteurized milk apparently gets delivered on Friday mornings at RVA!)
0 Â Start a Poetry and Book Club with fellow RVA staff and teachers and dorm parents
o  Visit Victoria Falls (between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe)
0 Â Get back into my classical Piano and learn a few new pieces throughout the year
0 Â Learn as much Swahili as I can and speak with the locals in the produce marketplaces off-campus
And, last, but certainly not least, and in fact…most importantly….
0 Â Be able to invest, befriend, share, and help pray with someone (or multiple individuals) to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior!