What Flexibility Means To Me

How was Africa?

I knew this question would be asked. I knew I would not know where to start. Therefore, I am taking some time to process what just happened and utilizing my blog to help me formulate my feelings and express what happened in Africa. 

First and foremost, I want to share a little background about “why” Africa. To be honest, I don’t know all of the details other than it was a “grand idea” from Brother Brian that we all go. When I say “we” I am referring to my siblings, their spouses and my Mom and Rick. I really didn’t think it was going to happen and therefore didn’t put much thought into it. Brian is a great salesperson you see. He convinced our Chiefs (Mom and Rick) and we were off and running! The brothers took over diving deep into details of where, how, when and what we needed to do. After booking flights, getting immunizations and filling prescriptions it was all put on hold. Like so many of our plans in 2020 this trip was put aside. It got me thinking it might never really happen so I didn’t put much effort into the details. I had just started a new career as a full time Realtor and at the time had a 5 year old, 7 year old and 8 year old. To be honest, it was somewhat of a relief. After traveling Europe in my 20s and exploring the states through my life, I have become pretty darn comfortable at home. My home is my comfort zone. 

Fast forward to 2022 and “this is happening”. Pete and I confirmed our immunizations were still “good” and refilled our prescriptions. We lined up the sitter(s) and rebooked the flights. June rolled around and we got the word that my Mom got Covid. Not the Covid that just feels like a cold. The Covid that took her out for the entire month of June. Like, no walks or golfing or dinners out with her girl friends. In my head I was thinking “there is no way this is going to happen”. Pete would say things like “it will be a miracle if we call get to Africa”. Up until the week of we were questioning whether all 10 of us would get there. Brother Brian was apparently sick the day before. And, to make matters worse we got to the airport to find out that we actually needed to cancel and rebook our flights. Without getting into too many details, we actually did not have flights for a hot second - we did not have flights to Africa! Well, 24 hours later we all ended up in Tanzania and it all began. 

I personally had to do a lot of “work” prior to this trip. My anxiety spiked about leaving three kids, my clients, my running routine and the comfort of cooking in my own kitchen. What was I going to eat in Africa?! When I say “work” I am referring to counseling sessions to hash out how it would feel to be out of my comfort zone and mentally preparing to “live with” my brothers (again! J/k B, P, M - sort of ;) ). 

After we landed in Tanzania we had a little wait before boarding a “bus” to the Arusha Coffee Lodge. I immediately pulled out my Theraband and started doing some sort of muscle activation. I look back now and laugh because I thought that would be something I would do every day, but after two days into our Safari I could not imagine doing any sort of PT or movement during “downtime”. More on that later. We made it to the lodge after 8pm and sat down for food after 24 hours of travel. At dinner, we met our guide and founder of Mammoth Tours named Alastair. Without this man, we might not have made it the entire time and we would absolutely not have made it home in one piece! He was not only our guide, he was a blessing from God that allowed us to see Africa in the most unexplainable way. OK, back to the first dinner…What the heck do you order in Africa?! I got a burger. My first of three burgers in Africa and it was so darn good. Hmm…. Africa, you might actually surprise me with some good food?! 

That night, Pete and I crashed hard knowing that we needed the sleep and had an early wake up call to board the bus again to end up on a plane to Ngorongoro. If you are reading this you may or may not know a thing or two about Africa. Prior to going to Africa, I had little to zero knowledge of Africa. My 7 year old son had more knowledge than I did. Well, if you don’t know anything about Ngorongoro I will share a bit about this conservation area with you. It is a protected area named after the Ngorongoro Crater - the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. Pardon me if I can’t recall all the details of our travels as I did not have a second to journal because I was constantly “scanning” for wildlife and/or eating and/or trying to rest up for the next day. We took many many flights from small air strips, we crossed borders, we sat for hours on end patiently waiting for the next big thing to happen in the wild. Upon entering Ngorongoro we were greeted by two more guides that would be driving us on Safari. I honestly can’t remember both names, but one that sticks out to me was Erick. Erick is a runner and ended up sharing a run with me around a soccer field later that day! 

OK, here it goes! I can’t make this up. We are about a mile away from our next lodge called the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and we got out for a quick view of the crater. Well, I noticed that our guide Alister was pulled aside by someone that works in the park. Turns out that a leopard was found in a village and had to be relocated back to the crater. He was caged and we were able to get up close to him. At the time, I didn’t realize how truly incredible and unusual this situation was. After spending some time viewing this incredible animal we loaded back into our Land Cruisers and headed to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge where we were greeted with a crew of ten humans singing a welcome song to us, showering us with a hand washing station and beautiful refreshments. We were swept up into gorgeous rooms, had a beautiful lunch and from there we were able to take a walk around the lodge or go for a run. Erick took Patrick and I to a soccer field where we “enjoyed” keeping up with him and experiencing the locals warm up for a soccer game! It felt good to move, but at over 6,000 feet my body was in complete shock. That evening, we enjoyed a family dinner at a long table and of course everyone was so accommodating. I will state for the record that I never once got sick to my belly from any sort of allergies. I had my own menu personalized with my name that provided me with beautiful options based on my food sensitivities… wow, just wow. 

The next day, we start our first “official” safari! I had NO idea what to expect. It was much colder than I thought it was going to be at the high altitude we were at so I was grateful for the shop at the crater where I purchased a fleece, hat and gloves. I would have been very cold had I not had those items! We saw elephants up close and personal, we spotted Zebra (pronounced ZEBra, not ZEEEBra), and drank The Best coffee I have ever had when taking a break from the Land Cruiser ;) 

That evening, I took time chatting with our Butler, who was a big runner at one point, but stopped due to issues with his knees. We also shared stories about “sobering up” and how at one point or another we both realized that alcohol was not serving us. I am so grateful for my conversations with him and how he took such good care of me. I wish I wrote his name down, but it was something like Msisi. Hmm... 

After two nights at the Crater Lodge, we packed up and prepared to go from the Lake Maynard Airstrip to the Kogatende Airstrip where we were greeted by new guides that transferred us to Serengeti Under Canvas. Anytime you ask a guide how long it would take to get somewhere they would say “30 minutes” - ha! You soon realized that it might be a 30 minute drive, but you stop at least 30 times to check something out. Whether it was a lizard or a monkey or a “pumbba”, you stop and check it out! Oh, by the way, “The Documentary” called “The Lion King” is L-E-G-I-T. 

Once again, we arrive at our new “home” and are greeted with amazing humans singing about our arrival. This time, we were not staying in a lodge, but “under canvas” with our very own butlers that walked us to and from our tents in order to keep us safe. We were in the Wide Open Wild. Under Canvas spoiled me!!! Our tents were decked out with actual toilets, showers, sinks, “closet”, day bed, king bed, etc. And, not only was the food spot on… the gluten free baked goods were to die for. Maybe they were filled with sugar, but I don’t care at all… I enjoyed every single bite. Each morning, we got to order anything we wanted. I stuck to my three fried eggs, bacon and sausage while Pete would enjoy an omelette with all the fixings! Before our eggs would come out, there would be a spread of fruit and granola and other yummy options to choose from prior to the “main meal”. It was important to have a hearty breakfast prior to Safari because you never know when you are going to stop again. 

Once we started Safari, you are responsible for “scanning” with your naked eye or with your “binos”. We were all in it together. Oh, and to paint another visual for you, since there were ten of us plus Alastair we would take two vehicles. What was cool, is that everyday the occupants of the vehicles were always different so one day I might have been with Matthew and Paige and the next day with Patrick and Jake. Pete and I were in the same vehicle for most days! 

I will never forget one of the first “adrenal highs” I experienced while on Safari in the Serengeti. By this time, we had spotted a few of the big 5 (for those that don’t know the big 5 are as follows: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo). We thought that the Crater was cool, but moving out of the crater and having even more land to explore brought on even more adventures. The guides would talk with one another via walkie talkie and in Swahili. That being said, we really didn’t know what they were talking about. All of a sudden, I heard some commotion in the front of the Land Cruiser and our vehicle took off like we were literally being chased by a Lion! We are passing elephants at top speed and I scream “why aren’t we stopping for elephants?!” Well, it turns out that the guide caught wind that there were leopards in a nearby tree and that is what our main goal was. Spot the leopard. I started dying laughing because we went from zero to 100 within seconds passing elephants along the way because leopards are nearby. This is a moment that is hard to explain, but once that I don’t want to forget so documenting here. For those that were in the car with me, you will never forget my belly laughing moment! 

Since being home from Africa, I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with memories of Safari as if it were yesterday that I was “scanning”. The first few days of our time in Africa, we were All In… long days of scanning in the Land Cruisers. Towards the end, we were given some options to stay back and partake in other activities such as beading, walking Safari, and/or simply relaxing. I took the opportunity to stay back and will share some more details on that in a bit, but for now I want to bring up a little “inside joke” that we started for those that were All In. For those that never backed out on the opportunity to go on a safari, they were proud to say that they never pulled out! I loved observing the excitement that Brian, Megan, Matthew and Pete had for what they might see next time they were to go out on Safari. I have to give Rick a lot of credit for being All In as well. 

It is interesting, as I continue to reflect upon our time in Africa I acknowledge that my memories are and will be so very different from the memories of my brothers, Mom, step dad and sister in law’s and even Pete. If you know me at all it is no shock that when I am awake, I am a TALKER. I wake up early and go to bed early and my waking hours are spent running and chatting with friends, collaborating with my real estate Partners, catching up with fellow Mom friends, and brainstorming with clients. Oh, and then there are the hours that I get to counsel, console and parent my kids and hopefully by the end of the day Pete and I find time to catch up. It is in my nature to get to know anyone that I am talking to. That said, each and everyday I had an opportunity to ask questions to local guides, chefs, butlers, massage therapists, shop owners, tribes people. Despite the fact that English was their second language, my questions were always welcomed and I was always fascinated by the current conversation. 

One such conversation that I was able to have was with a Kenyan that took me on a four mile run while staying at the Angama Mara lodge. I could tell that he was not fluent in English, but that he knew just enough. I asked him who is favorite runner was and he told me that it was “Rudisha”. He later said “you know that he lives 40 Kilometers from her?”! Wow! How cool?! I was literally running with a Kenyan runner in Kenya who idolizes the famous “Rudisha”. Rudisha holds the world’s best time in the 500m. Needless to say, I was not running “fast” in his eyes but when that run ended I looked at my watch and realized I was running 1 minute per mile faster than my normal “easy” pace at an altitude 2,000 feet higher than my normal altitude. 

I digress! I was recalling our time at Under Canvas and went off on a tangent about conversations with locals. While we were staying at Under Canvas we enjoyed our first “picnic”. When you think of a picnic what do you think of? For me, I think pb and j sandwiches, maybe an apple and a bag of chips. Well, this “picnic” consisted of marinated chicken, orzo salad, cucumber salad, fresh baked bread and a cooler full of drinks. Just ask Megan about the bubbly ;) And, God forbid you don’t drink out of glass! Actually, that is one of the lessons that I will hopefully keep with me from Africa. Glass is the norm and/or stainless steel. They don’t walk around with cardboard coffee cups and/or plastic. Every now and then you see soda in plastic, but it was not the norm. We welcomed the guides to sit and share our meals with us because we were all fascinated by their stories and knowledge. We learned that they did extensive training to be in their position and did not take their jobs lightly at all. We are so very grateful. 

Upon returning from a day of Safari at Under Canvas we were greeted with fresh drinks to include a concoction of ginger and lemon and maybe a splash of honey to clear our throats and a wet/warm (maybe “moist”!) towel to dust off our hands. There were just so many details that we did not ignore and will forever be ingrained in our memories. One afternoon, Paige (brother Matthew’s wife), Jake (brother Patrick’s husband), my Mom and myself opted to come “home” early for lunch (we ate lunch at 3pm that day!) and the rest stayed out to scan a bit more. It was heaven! The four of us enjoyed a quiet lunch and got to know one another just a bit more deeply. Again, another moment that is just not explainable. 

Based on a later lunch, I do believe I opted to have a “quiet” night alone and skipped the group dinner that night. My butler brought me a small plate, hot water with ginger and made sure I knew how to use the walkie talkie just in case the noises outside startled me. I did hear some strange noises but I had faith that I was safe. No matter where we stayed there was a security guard and/or a “Warrior” outside our door ensuring our safety. If you are considering Safari, you have to go into it with Trust. 

If you are still reading, I want to take a moment to Thank You. You are what our group on Safari would call “All In”. You are not pulling out and can’t wait to hear what else I have to say. I know that I am missing some details and might have my timeline messed up, but it is the memories that matter that are coming across and the actual timeline does not matter.

We stayed “under canvas” three nights. One might think that it would be hard to sleep in a tent in Africa where there might be a hyena outside your door, but it was not. I slept like a baby with ear plugs and maybe a little help from some THC that was grown in the rockies, but none the less… I slept well enough to be ready to rock and roll the next day. No matter what, we were all up bright and early each morning ready to start scanning. I am beyond impressed with my brothers, Pete’s and sister in laws abilities to hang at night and wake up the next morning ready to do it all over again. Side note: If you are looking for a “relaxing” vacation, Africa is not it. While I did relax, we were on-the-go! 

Prior to heading to Africa, our group made the decision to go Hot Air Ballooning and forgo a morning of Safari. I think it is safe to say that none of us regret this decision. We woke early to drive over to the hot air balloon site in time to watch them blow the balloons up and get a quick tutorial prior to “boarding”. We were put into baskets that fit three at a time. I got to share a basket with Brian and Megan. To our surprise we didn’t go very high up and just skimmed the surface which was so cool. At one point, we were literally just above a family of hippos! And, then once I turned around I was able to view the most beautiful sunrise. It is hard to believe we were all floating in the air together capturing the same beauty in our eyes. #gratitude 

A quick shout out to Alastair once again for organizing our adventures and ensuring that I was taken care of. I was the only one with any sort of allergen on the trip and he made it a point to make sure that my blood sugar levels never dropped and that I was fully equipped with amazing fuel to get me from adventure to adventure. At one point I asked him if he thought I was high maintenance. I still don’t know what his answer was, but it was not “yes”. Ha! 

With “great sadness” we had to say goodbye to our friends at Serengeti Under Canvas and move on to Kenya! What is crazy to think about is that we were able to view thousands of animals crossing over to Kenya while we were in Tanzania and then potentially see them in Kenya!? From what I recall, my brother Patrick actually spotted the same leopard in both countries! 

I am going to fast forward a bit to the morning we left Tanzania and crossed the border to Kenya. We got a ride to the Kogatende airstrip for a quick flight to Migori. From there, we were transferred to customs and immigration to exit Tanzania and enter Kenya. Unfortunately, we got held up at customs because they were giving Alastair a hard time, but it was not terrible! And, of course he made sure that I had chicken on the bone snack for these such hold ups. Could-Not-Believe-It. From there, we got on another flight to Angama Mara Airfields. Yes, two short flights all before noon and pretty harmless! We are now in Kenya. 

Once again, we were pleasantly greeted by guides named “Douggy” and Alice. Safe to say that these two indented our hearts a little and will forever be in our thoughts, prayers, and memories. These two were full of knowledge, compassion, and love. They drove us to our new “home” or as Douggy calls it his “office” at Angama Mara. Angama means hanging or suspended in air. If you have time, please take a look at Angama's website. Again, hard to explain the beauty. And, later I found out that this was also the location that Out of Africa was filmed. Wow. Just Wow. 

We each had our own room overlooking paradise. Our first afternoon consisted of a small safari and ended with a beautiful meal. The next day was an all out Safari of Kenya… and ended with a beautiful ceremony with the Maasai tribe. Side note: we never really knew what was coming up next on this trip. Alastair had the plan(s) and we trusted him. Due to the LONG day of Safari I told him that I might skip out on the evening events, but he winked and told me that I should make an appearance. That said, I did some yoga with my sister in law Paige, I took a quick cold plunge in the lodge’s pool and headed to the event. To my surprise we were invited to dance and chant and laugh and love with these amazing humans. At the end, they honored my Mom and her 65 years of life. While on Safari that day, we learned that it was Alice’s birthday. In my Mom’s fashion she immediately picked a cute gift up for Alice and we were able to present it to her at this fun event. Wow - just wow. 

The next day, I opted to NOT Safari. What?! Yes, I decided to spend the day at Angama and see what would happen. I made plans to meet up with a Kenyan runner at 7am. This was “late” compared to our earlier wake up calls. I figured I would be up by 6:30am so the 7am would be no problem. Well, I was exhausted and was woken by my alarm to run. I enjoyed running with this gentleman and learning about him. He is the one that I referenced earlier. After my run, I decided to shower and change and head to the main dining room for breakfast. I was hoping on the off chance that my Mom had not made her way to breakfast yet that we would meet up and eat together. The Universe had a plan for us and I was so excited to see that she too had just arrived for some breakfast. We enjoyed a nice meal together and plenty of coffee. After breakfast we browsed the shop and went our separate ways. I had not planned on spending 4 hours in the shop with the Maasai women beading, but it will forever be one of my favorite memories of this trip. I didn’t know if I was going to bead or just watch, but I ended up beading a bracelet for myself and my Mom and creating a few more pieces that the ladies helped create for me to give to friends and family. Later, we all joined up at a garden or Shamba in the middle of the lodge's land where we got to explore the fruits and vegetables grown there, choose what we wanted in our salad for lunch and enjoy a beautiful meal together. This trip reminded me that food is something to cherish and enjoy with loved ones. Food is fuel and one should trust their body to know what it can and can’t handle. More on that in later blogs to come ;) That afternoon, Pete skipped out on the afternoon safari and we enjoyed a couples massage together overlooking the conversation. Wow - just wow… 

Say it ain’t so?! We will be heading home soon. Have I done all that I wanted to do?! Of course… I had ZERO expectations of our time in Africa and was mind blown from start to finish. Our last evening we were driven to a field (for lack of a better way to explain it) where there were tables and chairs, a bathroom, a bar, and fire pits to be served a full meal with our guides and each other. It was amazing. I just can’t say enough about how good the food we were served was. We laughed and cried. Knowing we had a few more days of traveling back to the states, I called it after dinner and went to bed. We had one last breakfast before loading up and heading out. 

Oh my gosh! I forgot that we had a Full day in the city of Nairobi! We flew to Nairobi just in time to visit the elephant orphanage. I knew this was in our itinerary but did not know much about it. Turns out that this orphanage opens to the public once a day (maybe not even every day) for us to visit the baby elephants that were rescued for various reasons and learn about their stories and how we can help. Our family ended up adopting an elephant for my Aunt Anne who is fond of elephants and animals in general. After this visit, we went to a gorgeous restaurant that brought us a little closer to reality with more people. We sat and told stories and got to hear from Alastair about his reflections from the trip. Our final activity was the Giraffe Center where we got to feed the giraffes! So freaking cute. It saddens me to think that my reflections are coming to a close….