Back in America-sara

hey everybody its Sara =],The welcome back party at the airport was speechless, thank you all for coming to the airport it meant alot to me and to the team. It felt so different to be back here, I'm so use to having nature surrounding me, and to have the clean air smell. I looked around me, and had one to many thoughts going on in my head. For instance, the noises that the cars were making, hardly anyone had cars in Arusha and no smog coming out of them, the US people, having to be so cautious and worrying about themselves and no one else, etc. I saw my mother and grandmother greeting me with compassion, it took me back to when I greeted the children with an open heart and mind with their stories, as well as my mom and granny did. Driving in the car felt very awkward, there was no bumps on the road, and no one honking and screaming at one another, but here there is so much of it. I was so use to having Cheyenne by my side with me always and to know she is not with me everyday is troubling, ha ha, but now I have my family. I talked about mine, the doctors, and the teams tales in Afrika. Their eyes all opened with excitement and joy for me and themselves. I told them how all of us were sick at one point, except Cheyenne, who would ever think that Cheyenne would be the only one who wouldn't get sick (lol). All the stories I have to tell are all unforgettable. I look at life so differently and so grateful for what I do and don't have, and to help anyone in need who will except it and learn from it. I hope all who read mine and the teams blogs will all see and receive a gift as have I from our experiences.Love,Sara(no "h" =])

show day to safari - from julian

the show was awesome! i can't believe we did it! we were getting worried because we only taught the kids half the show (mainly a lot of songs, the ghanese Aids dance, and Lion King animals). we wanted to teach them more, but we didn't want to put too much pressure on them because they had never dance and put on a show before. also, we couldn't teach them on wednesday because we got ill. the actual show day was crazy! we went in a room and learned a quick, hour version of the show with formations and staging, all in one day!! then we did the show and it was AWESOME! it was so cool that we were able to put it together all in one day!

after partying with the kids from the orphanage, we set out on safari. the first day was all about the giraffes. the second day was all about zebras. the third day was all about elephants! it was cool riding in the land rover because there were a lot of bumps which made us bounce around and fly in the air. i also learned that elephants are crazy and have a lot of attitude. don't be near them when they start going crazy. i have a lot of stories to tell you guys when we get back home. but you'll just have to wait to hear about the crazy elephants.

love,
julian

safari from celia

we just finished the show and left the orphanage. now it's time to take a vacation. we're going on a safari. we will have to stay at 3 different tent camps. we went to lake manyara where there were many monkeys and hippos. the second day we went to the crater. the crater is place where a mountain collapsed in and now it is heaven to the animals. i learned that the elephants have six layers to their teeth and when they are down to their last one they go to the crater to die. we then travelled to tarangire and saw a lot more amazing animals.

be home soon!
love,
celia

safari - from cheyenne

never will i forget the safaris!! the views were incredible and the animals magnificent. the roof went up and we were standing the entire time. the animals were so close to us, it was unreal! i could almost touch them. monkeys, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, and elephants...oh my! then we went to the crater. it was so big and there was so much to see, it was magical!! we even saw a cheetah there! then we moved on to tarangire. WOW! the weather was beautiful and the animals came closer. i can't wait to see everyone and tell them my memories. i miss everyone, but we are coming home soon.

love,
cheyenne

safari - from arianna

the safari is one thing that i will remember forever! everywhere we travelled was beautiful in its own special way. seeing the animals so free was the best part! it's much different than seeing them in the zoo. they looked so graceful and free it was unbelieveable. we saw lots of zebras and when the flies land on them, their skin twitches. we decided that they looked like great "poppers!" the most graceful animal would have to be the giraffe. the most interesting animal to watch, though, would have to be the elephant. they're just so smart. and of course, in my opinion would have to be the cheetah! safari was just great over all and the views were to die for!!

i'm sure going to miss this place.

love,
arianna

show day - from celia

we had a wonderful show with the kids from the orphanage. they are really one of a kind. they showed us new ways to drum, sing their songs, and be grateful for what we have. the kids really know how to move. they have a lot of talent. we taught them the animal dance from the "lion king." my group was the tumbili's (monkeys). cheyenne and i were the teachers of this group. they were fast learners. when the show was over, we got to celebrate. they offered us food, but we didn't eat it. instead we decided to let the kids in the show eat it. they really liked it because it was a high class meal. it felt great to show them that we cared and make them a part of the cpsoa family!

love,
celia

SAFARI - from sara

when they mean safari, they meant SAFARI!!! we were on our way to lake manyara, you were surrounded by trees. it was lush. we saw babboons. it was sooo cool to see them in packs and to see the babies holding on to their mothers. all of us were standing in the car. you could see everything from up top. we saw giraffes eating. i believe there was a male and female with their baby with them. they were distant, but we still saw them. they are beautiful and graceful creatures when they walk. we saw blue monkeys as well. man, they are tiny. but their tails are long. we saw some of them fight. the way they talk is so high pitched. it kinda hurts your ears! we saw elephants. they were gi-normous! they were in herds. there were babies as well...oh, sooo cute! we saw skin of an animal, but we didn't know what kind of animal it was. the skeleton was scattered everywhere. the second safari we went to was at the ngorongoro crater. i almost we forgot to mention we got to stand in the land rover to see. we kept bumping into eachother. it was so much fun but i believe we have bruises. the crater was so beautiful as if it was a movie. on the way up to the crater, we saw a lot of trees with a thick layer of fog. we stopped at the top to look down into the crater, and the fog cleared. it made you want to cry it was that beautiful. you could see lakes and trees and grass forever! we saw a lot of zebras, wildebeats, hyeanas, flamingos, and a few lions. the next two days we went to tarangire natl. park. there were herds of elephants anywhere we went. we finally saw 2 full grown lions with manes. the next day we saw a herd of elephants scare 16 lions and cubs out of their hiding. it was like "animal planet."

miss and love you all.
sara