Having had a few hours to reflect....

I am still overwhelmed.

I feel as if I should somehow be able to reflect on all my experiences of the past weeks and come up with something profound to make of it all. But I am unable to do that as of this moment. Stay tuned.

I've slept, had a long hot shower, been able to use a dryer on my hair, and put on makeup. I'm not sure I feel a lot different but I certainly look and smell different. Some things I promise never to take for granted again are: hot showers, hair dryers, and toilets that reliably swoosh away all the waste with one flush. Actually, having grown up with an outhouse rather than a flush toilet, I couldn't have imagined that it would make such a difference to me. Of course, these things don't register at all, really, compared to how I have taken for granted such gifts as adequate food, clean water, reasonably clean air (at least here in Missouri), sufficient heat, a bed, and garbage-free streets.

This afternoon I ventured out into the world to have a pedicure and have my nails done, to buy photo paper, and do a bit of grocery shopping. How spoiled I am!!!

With Kathryn being away at a conference until day after tomorrow and Reed in Springfield or on the road somewhere I have the whole house to myself. Honestly, as much as I enjoyed my travel companions, it is a luxury to be able to retreat into my basement apartment and not have to talk with anybody. I suspect that many, if not all, of my fellow travellers feel the same. I have unpacked, done two loads of laundry, and laid out all the stuff I bought. I haven't even completely sorted the mail. I've listened to NPR while I was in the car but haven't even been tempted to turn on the TV.

I promise that within three days I will put a description of our safari to the Masai Mara on this site. It was incredible! I'm tempted to say "Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!" but there were neither tigers nor bears. But plenty of lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, and definitely zebras.

By the way, I have re-read my previous entries and am amazed at the number of spelling and grammatical errors. I was never the best speller but Spell Checker has ruined me...that and slow computers with sticky keyboards at the cyber cafe in Nairobi. Hey...I gotta blame something or somebody. It's the American way.