This past week a great week. At my service site there was a much different atmosphere than normally. Before when we came into the house we felt like the women didn't really know why we were visiting them. They didn't seem to be very excited that we came either. My team felt like we were going to be welcomed in with such joy and excitement but it was completely different from that.

This week changed as we started to be bolder in asking deeper questions other than resorting to small talk and that went really well. But the whole point for us to be here at the service site is to incorporate the things that we learned in our Community Engagement class and learn from the people in the community. So our goal is to learn from them and then to try to implement the tools that we learn from class and find what they are skilled in and use those things to empower them for a better life.

There was a mother who I have been talking to when I am in Esther House. She was telling me this week that her baby son is not well because his limbs are working and he doesn't talk. She told me that she has been taking him to the physical therapist since January and there was not real change in his condition. I was so glad and sad at the same time because she started to talk about the person things in her life and I was sad because her son is not even two years old and has this disability.

For the rest of the time on we baked for the ladies in the house and they really enjoyed it. The first time was hard because we wanted them to join so we can have something to do while we tried to start up conversations with them. But it was different this time as we saw the ladies were in the kitchen and we sat down just eating with them and talking about different things.

The rest of the week was great. I taught some PE lessons to a bunch of elementary kids. They were so crazy!! We played Red Light Green Light, Simon Says, Red Rover, and Duck Duck Goose. I felt like a kid again it was so fun but then I was reminded how out of shape I am after running around for a bit.

The weekend was great too as we went on a Safari about four hour north of AE. We rode in open jeep vehicles that looked a lot like the Indiana Jones type of car. So we rode for about almost three hours before we reached the open game vehicles. After that we rode in the vehicles for about an hour and half on dirt roads. I was sitting in the back and the other girls who rode with me got so dirty because of all the dust that was flying up in the air. On the way over we saw a cheetah sitting in the bushes.

Once we reached the camp site we settled in our bungalows and got ready for dinner. We were staying at this environmental camp that is located in an actual game reserve. There was no lions at this game reserve but there was other game.

Then early next morning we went on a game drive. We saw loads and loads of Impalas and Nyalas. I saw a large group of Giraffes and some White Rhinos. That day we saw the back of a Leopard which is the hardest of the Big five to find. The next morning I went to the game reserve that is next door to the game reserve I was staying in. I was able to see two male lions really up close! That was not scary but really majestic. Then we saw the most dangerous of the Big five which was the Buffalo. They are the most dangerous because if you hunt them they will charge back at you. The Big five are the Lion, Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, and Black Rhino. The reason they are called the Big five is because they are the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot.

The whole weekend was just a great experience in God's creation. The last day we had we went on a afternoon Safari. We visited a lake and caught the sunset. It was so beautiful and clear.

We saw some hippos in the water from a distance. But then after a while we noticed they started getting closer to the bird hid we were in. Then suddenly our driver was telling us to hurry up because the hippos were coming. I knew that people die of hippos more than other animal attacks in Africa. So we ran out of there safe and sound!

It was a great weekend and now is a start of another potentially great week.