So....today was my "Final LPI," a.k.a. My language exam to determine whether i get to stay here in Kenya or go home to America....luckily i passed (with flying colors i may add)!

In order to celebrate our success (everyone passed...we are all at least intermediate-low in our site areas vernacular languages) and also to break up the monotony, which has been our lives for the past 6-7 weeks (i lost track/quit keeping track after about 3 days) we went on a minor Safari (which in Kiswaili means "Journey" and in English means "go see some wild, African animals") at Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary. Because i have seen all these animals before, both at the zoo and in the wild, it was more of a social/bonding activity for me and also an opportunity to provide you all with some nice wildlife pictures and a half-decent/interesting post about my life, FINALLY. I know many of you may think/expect there to be wild animals running around everywhere in Africa, when in actuality that may not be/probably isn't/is not the case in most of Africa...though here in Kenya it is partly true! Many of the game parks here don't have fences so the animals go where they please (the predators kill, particularly the Maasai's cattle, whenever they please) creating an interesting dynamic...! Also, i debated about attending this event because my site, where i will be headed in ~1 week, is located at one of the best/most well know game reserves in the world, the Maasai Mara! This means that i will/should/may encounter wild animals regularly in my daily life! Put another way, as my Peace Corps site description stated, the only real security issue i will face shall be "wild animals!"

Sidenote: The Maasai Mara Reserve is where the mass Wildabeast migration occurs. It typically happens around July...it is the amazing event many of you may have seen depicted on the video/TV series Planet Earth!

Well that is enough jabbering from me for now...below are pictures from my "Safari" today, enjoy!

Sidenote: The picture with the van, which is called a Matatu and is one of the major modes of short and long distance public transportation here in Kenya, depicts a common occurence of our "Safari" today. Unfortunately, we picked a rather "Shitty" matatu, pardon my english, so we had to push start it in the middle of the wildlife sanctuary, emphasis on WILD, on more than one occasion!

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care