Tuesday, 9.4.12

I had a dream last night that there was a space as big as my pinky between my two front teeth. I guess I was repressing anxiety over not bringing my retainer...
At least I wasn't dreaming about the GIANT spider that was still in my room, or the fruit bat that wanted to snuggle while I was brushing my teeth, or the tree frogs that sang sweetly to me all night, or the lizards that made a rustling noise as they scuttled along the thatched walls. It may sound creepy-crawly, but I actually love this stuff. Like, really love it :] Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting me play with bugs and snakes and salamanders when I was little!

Last day on safari!

I woke up at 5:30 to the wake-up call and had another one of these luxury breakfasts. By 6 we were back on the rover again, headed for the park's main gate.






We saw a really tiny baby baboon. It was so cute, being passed from adult to adults. We also saw more water bucks and a train of elephants!

We came across some really strange droppings (how many great stories start with droppings?), and our guide screeched to a halt. "That's a lion," Andrew said. About 50 feet down the trail, we started seeing tracks the size of Andrew's hand.


We continued on quietly for a while, cameras ready. We came around a corner which overlooked an open field, and saw 6 huge (but skinny) lions sleeping in the grass. A bigger male slept farther away from the group, belly full, his chest full of blood from the night before.

He couldn't have cared less that we were there.

The lions didn't even care that we were there. They just snoozed, some of their ears twitching when a fly would land. The big male lay with his belly toward the sky, legs splayed.

To be that close (20 feet or so) to an animal so huge, and so normally dangerous, was absolutely breathtaking. Their beautiful eyes and faces, the nicks on their faces from fights and scuffles.

Once we had watched them for a while, another truck came up for the view and it was time to go. We continued on and saw more giraffes and a group of zebras. What a perfect few days of safari we had! I don't imagine that everyone is as fortunate as we were in seeing so many great animals.

I also had a had time fathoming what the next few days would bring. My interviews started September 5th (the day after this post), and now that the luxurious vacation days were over it was time to put my skills to the test.

These interviews are the reason I came to Zambia, but all of a sudden I started wondering if I was capable, competent. If I would be able to get the great information we'd need to help the program improve and succeed.

I had to ask myself..
Am I prepared?
Am I skilled?
Will I actually be able to help?
Why me?

It took a lot of prayer and contemplation that night to realize that I was there for a reason--a great one--and that this would all work out for great things.