Stuck in Holland in the fog

What a change over the last 3 days. After an incredible safari in the Mara and getting stuck in a mud hole (very stimulating to be walking around in the open where there are lions, leopards, etc), a ride through downtown Nairobi as the president was about to arrive (these drivers make those in Quebec look like beginners:) we had chosen to stay at the International Airport over night for safety reasons and wanting to see the Sniders off to Cape Town at 3 am. We finally went into fits of sleep around midnight by sleeping right on the floor - I guess when you are that tired you do what you need to - we felt safe but not clean:)

It was very emotional leaving.  While for most of you living at home, 3 weeks passes by in a wink of an eye. For us - having new challenges every day  it feels more like being gone for several months. Not a day would go by where our actions or choices did not significantly impact a group, family or individual's life. The need is endless and you just cannot assist in the way you would like with every situation - choices need to be made and you hope that you make the right ones. In addition to any monetary or expertise contributions our team could make, what seemed very much appreciated were the moments of personal contact, hugs, high fives and smiles.

The ongoing message from our experience was to make sure we let the outside world know these people exist and they are every bit as bright and in most cases, harder working than they folks in our society.  An example was a volunteer at one of the organizations who had been there 3 years and had selflessly donated every bit of his time and money to help his community. He is also the bread winner for his family and manages to collect and split wood for fires in addition to working 40 yrs per week as a volunteer, We decided as a team to give him a small amount of money to support his efforts that benefited so many. This amount would barely be  enough for a modest dinner for 2 at home and yet it was more money than he had ever had to put into his bank account. He had never asked for himself and he was overwhelmed at having these funds at his disposal.

I guess as I take off from Nairobi I am once again struck by the selflessness of so many with so little. We will go back. Many folks wanted to join us this time but we wanted to see how things went with 8. We have now figured out how to take more folks back without compromising the small group experience. Bring it on for 2012.
Have had a great couple of days at Moniques family thank you so much) and are having a great transition time about 1 hr outside of Amsterdam.

Cheers,

Scott