Safiya
Having woken up for 5 am, the group was absolutely pumped
for what lay ahead today – the Akagera Safari. Four safari trucks picked us up
at ASYV. From there, we ventured out to Akagera. We stopped once during the
2-hour drive on the way there to pick up snacks, which included amandazis and
chipatis (absolute heaven in the form of food).
After arriving at Agakera, the guides briefed us and then we set out in
the jeeps. The views from the safari were absolutely breath-taking. I feel as
if there are no words to capture the beauty of the land; it was stunning,
gorgeous and beautiful. I even felt that pictures of the land could not capture
its true beauty – it was something that one simply had to see and experience on
their own. The animals that we saw on the trip included zebras, antelopes,
gazelles, impalas, elephants, hippos, giraffes, various birds, and so much more!
I had such an amazing time today. I was in awe of the beauty
of the land and the animals. Furthermore, a lot of us had the opportunity to
sit on top of the jeep and see everything from a birds’ eye view. Sitting up
there was slightly scary, as the dirt-road was bumpy but it was SO worth it.
Overall, it was a great day and definitely one for the books!
Megan
When we all woke up around 4:30 a.m. to be ready for the 5
a.m. jeeps, we were undoubtedly excited for the safari. However, some of us
were a little less than thrilled to be up so early! We decided to make the most
of the wake-up time by watching the sunrise. However, the sky was so cloudy
this morning that there was no sunrise! Light just sort of happened. This
became sort of the group joke of today—that we got up to watch the sunrise that
didn’t happen. This turned out to be the most wonderful aspect of the safari,
though.
Because the weather was just slightly overcast, no one was
too hot on the jeeps and the lighting was absolutely perfect for photos
(although the land was so vast and the animals were so close and so incredibly
beautiful it’s hard to capture the whole idea). We had a blast sitting on top
of, on the backs of, and standing in the windows of, the jeeps. Some highlights
have been waving to each other as we passed jeeps, taking photos half-hanging
out the window, and getting twigs (branches) stuck in our hair. The guides were
extremely knowledgeable and kind, as everyone in this country has been, and
stopped whenever we saw an animal or expressed interest in a certain view.
After the safari, we spent time with our families. Everyone
is having a blast getting to know the students and mamas in their families.
Most of us have played games, or had conversations or traded gifts and every
experience has been unique and special. The students are extremely kind and
have worked so hard to make us feel at home. The village is a very special
place.
The group feels really close, and when we listed positives
and negatives of the day, today was so incredible that there were hardly any
negatives to say all around. It was a gorgeous day, with wonderful people, and
I think most would agree it’s been one of the best so far.
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