I think it's time for me to share some lighter topics here, now that I've wrestled with the sights, smells, sounds, and heartaches of the medical clinic for awhile. It's not all work and heavy stuff here. Quite the opposite, in fact. Every Saturday we have managed to travel and/or shop to nearby spots. Three Saturdays ago, we rented a car and driver to go visit 4 special places: The Karen Blixen Museum, Amani Gift Shop, the Giraffe Center, and Bomas of Kenya. I forgot the memory card for my camera that day, so I will share the photos of my companions. First, a quick note about each special place.
Karen Blixen was the real-life heroine in the book and movie "Out of Africa", my favorite movie of all time. The whole community on the edge of Nairobi is named after her. Of course, you may know that she wrote this autobiography under the pen name of "Isak Dinneson", because it was much easier to get published if you were male in those days, the early 1900's. It was awesome to see the actual house where she lived for so many years, with some of the original furniture, paintings, photos of her husband, photos of her beloved Dennis (Robert Redford played the role of her younger lover who brought her so much joy and romance after her divorce from her unfaithful husband), the view of Ngong Hills (Kiswahili for "knuckles") in the distance where Dennis is buried. There was actually a wedding taking place on the grand lawn that were able to observe. Recall that our first safari, a walking safari at nearby Crescent Lake, was the site of much of the filming of the movie. Although no scenes were filmed in the Karen Blixen home but rather on a recreated set, the museum opening coincided with the movie release in the 1980's, and thus was a boon to tourism.
From the museum, we traveled to Amani (Kiswahili for "Peace"), where I bought skirts for myself and gifts for my daughters. This is an awesome shop that is an outlet for crafts made by refugee women who have taken shelter in their Women's Center after fleeing tribal wars and other life-shattering events all over Africa. A second one is being built in Rwanda, I hear. The crafts are beautiful handsewn kitchen and clothing items, along with jewelry, quilts, toys, and a few other specialized crafts. While there, we met several American mothers, also shopping, who had adopted multiple children from the well-known orphanage "New Life Homes" which is associated somehow with the Amani Project. These three women were amazing, as most had large families already, and just had to have African orphans to round out their collections. One woman from Indiana was an attorney (no longer practicing), who was married to an attorney. She was here alone for awhile as part of the 9-month adoption process because her husband had to work back in the states. He came and went as necessary, sometimes just for one day, depending on work demands. This was their second adoption. We also became endeared to Maggie, a Kenyan woman on staff, whose beaming affectionate hospitality made us feel so welcome.
Karen Blixen was the real-life heroine in the book and movie "Out of Africa", my favorite movie of all time. The whole community on the edge of Nairobi is named after her. Of course, you may know that she wrote this autobiography under the pen name of "Isak Dinneson", because it was much easier to get published if you were male in those days, the early 1900's. It was awesome to see the actual house where she lived for so many years, with some of the original furniture, paintings, photos of her husband, photos of her beloved Dennis (Robert Redford played the role of her younger lover who brought her so much joy and romance after her divorce from her unfaithful husband), the view of Ngong Hills (Kiswahili for "knuckles") in the distance where Dennis is buried. There was actually a wedding taking place on the grand lawn that were able to observe. Recall that our first safari, a walking safari at nearby Crescent Lake, was the site of much of the filming of the movie. Although no scenes were filmed in the Karen Blixen home but rather on a recreated set, the museum opening coincided with the movie release in the 1980's, and thus was a boon to tourism.
From the museum, we traveled to Amani (Kiswahili for "Peace"), where I bought skirts for myself and gifts for my daughters. This is an awesome shop that is an outlet for crafts made by refugee women who have taken shelter in their Women's Center after fleeing tribal wars and other life-shattering events all over Africa. A second one is being built in Rwanda, I hear. The crafts are beautiful handsewn kitchen and clothing items, along with jewelry, quilts, toys, and a few other specialized crafts. While there, we met several American mothers, also shopping, who had adopted multiple children from the well-known orphanage "New Life Homes" which is associated somehow with the Amani Project. These three women were amazing, as most had large families already, and just had to have African orphans to round out their collections. One woman from Indiana was an attorney (no longer practicing), who was married to an attorney. She was here alone for awhile as part of the 9-month adoption process because her husband had to work back in the states. He came and went as necessary, sometimes just for one day, depending on work demands. This was their second adoption. We also became endeared to Maggie, a Kenyan woman on staff, whose beaming affectionate hospitality made us feel so welcome.
From Amani, we traveled to the Giraffe Center, an awesome sanctuary that was the brainstorm of some creative conservationist. I would go back there again and again if I could. The staff was delightful, and the giraffes ate pellets right out of our hands. I love giraffes! I love elephants too! (That's why I snuck in a photo of them bathing from our prior safari weekend).
Last stop of the day was a 1.5 hour performance of native Kenyan tribal dances at Bomas Theater. It was fantastic, and colorful, especially the daredevil acrobatics! One dancer tried for ages to coax spectators up on stage. As we were in the very front row, Laney finally relented and kept us all in stitches mimicking the hip-bopping Africans! Before the dancing started, we toured the model villages of the different tribes, exploring the huts made of varying materials.
It was a fun day! Enjoy the photos...
Notice the coffee-making machinery that was actually used on Karen Blixen's coffee plantation before she went bankrupt, contracted syphillis from her philandering husband, and lost her lover Dennis in a plane crash... Having nothing left in Africa, she moved back to Denmark to live out her days, and dying in her seventies of emphysema and malnutrition from heavy smoking.
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