Transforming a few more pieces of furniture...

Speaking of creativity (see post below), I have been inspired to rejuvenate a few more pieces of old furniture around the house. This time I tackled two small end tables and one small bedside table, going with a giraffe motif for the first two and a butterfly design for the latter. It's been fun to pour some energy into a creative project.

A little bit of culture and creativity...

Sometimes it's hard in Nairobi to get to cultural and creative events (plays, concerts, etc.) because of the sheer difficulty of traffic and the impossibility of getting to certain parts of town during the evenings and weekends. Last week we were lucky, though, to go to two fun events. One was a Saturday afternoon concert at ISK that featured an Argentinian singer with two painters (one Kenyan, one Iranian). The artists painted in response to the music over a period of about an hour and talked about the process. It was really interesting. Then, on Monday, a small troupe of actors from the Globe Theatre in London presented Hamlet at the Oshwal Centre in Westlands. It was so nice to see a live performance! The Globe aims to present Hamlet in every country of the world, and Kenya was 71st on the list. Wow! It was really nice to attend these events and charge the creative batteries a bit.

Hiking with students along 2 Kenyan mountains...

For our inter-cultural trip this year, Brian and I got to hike for 3 days up and around 2 low mountains north of Nakuru. It was amazing to compare the geography of both mountains: one was dry and arid (as it had been deforested and was home to many small farms); the other has a deep canyon that is difficult to access and, as a result, contains a gorgeous swath of original forest (very difficult to find in Kenya). This mountain, as a result of the forest and its ecosystem, was lush, green and full of water. We were lucky enough to camp high up in the forest one night and it was absolutely magical.

Hugs and kisses with giraffes at Giraffe Manor...

In January, six ISK ladies were driven by Brian down to Giraffe Manor next to the AFEW Giraffe Centre (which helps with the conservation of the endangered Rothschild's Giraffe). We went for afternoon tea and were treated to hugs, kisses and lots of time feeding three of these gorgeous creatures. It was a very special treat to go to the Manor because, when tourism is good, day visitors are not allowed to visit. This year, with tourism still down in Kenya overall, the Manor is allowing people to book afternoon tea. The Manor itself was stunning and the giraffes were incredibly lovely. What a great way to spend an afternoon in Nairobi!