Remember the end of July when you were a kid? All the sudden it would hit you; summer is almost over and I haven’t finished my fort, or had the big water balloon fight, and I haven’t slept outside hardly at all and there was such a rush to get it all done.

The adult version of that occurred this week at RVA. The kids arrive back on Monday, and once they do, it is 24×7 for three months, so the week before classes begin is pretty frantic with everyone taking their final flings. And we were no exception: we tried to put 15 pounds of lard in a ten-pound bag.

Tuesday was the biggest contrast day we’ve had since we’ve been in Africa. We were invited to Grace’s house for lunch. It took us an hour walking to get there, and it was lots of uphill climbing. I think it was Matthew who said `Dad, she does this everyday!’

Her house has a breath taking view. It is a very small home, but it did have two windows, which is a great luxury here, and they had a poured cement floor, which is very rare. We had brought a nerf football, and we had lots of fun throwing it around; none of them had ever thrown an American football, so the styles of throwing varied greatly.

We had a wonderful meal, (included was a mixture of potato and beans which was green due to the pumpkin leaf flavoring) and after the meal, as is Kenyan tradition, we played games. After several games, they sang and danced for us. And then, for perhaps the only time on earth, the Peifer family was asked if `Perhaps you have a song to sing for us?’

It needs to be said: we are not the von Trapps. Or anything close. I was kicked out of the choir at a church because I could make a whole section go flat. But we stumbled through a song and were received graciously, but there was no call for an encore.

After we got home, we cleaned up and went, with 5 carloads of other folks to Nairobi for a farewell dinner at the Inter-Continental Hotel. This is the fancy hotel in Kenya, and with crisp linens and a pianist playing in the background. it didn’t seem like Africa. We were saying goodbye to a couple whom had worked here for 20 years, and for a fine meal for both Nan and I, with extra thrown in for tip and to help pay for the retiring couple, it cost me $11.00. But both fancy hotels and concrete slabs are Africa; we don’t often get to live in both worlds in the same day.

The ride home was thrilling also. There are very very few lampposts in Africa, and many many Africans believe that using headlights wears down the battery, so every night drive is an adventure. We made it back safely, but night driving is not for the faint of heart.

The next day we climbed Mt. Longonot. We can see it from our window, and although it is not a huge mountain, it was plenty steep for me. As we began to climb, we passed by a herd of zebra not 20 feet away. It was a tough climb, but I had one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve had as a father. Every father has the hope that their children will go beyond what they have accomplished, and we got a graphic view of it, as our boys were 20 minutes ahead of us, and we could see them forging ahead.

We finally got to the top, and ate our lunch and looked into the crater (Longonot was once a live volcano) JT and Matthew then proceeded to run down (it was three hours up and 2 hours down). I did not run; if fact, I was reminded of those T-shirts I have seen which say `I climbed MT Longonot’. I am going to market one that says `I fell off.’

Friends invited us out to dinner on Thursday, and we had a vivid example that we were in Africa. They had zebra on the menu, and several ordered it. We all laughed when the waiter asked `How would you like your zebra cooked?’ It was very tasty, but I’m afraid I still don’t know the answer to the question.

YP