Letters from Africa



The clouds obscured the view on this particular day, but it
was a good thing because it meant the rains were coming.



There's nothing like coming around the bend in the road and glimpsing the breath-taking view of the Great Rift Valley again or for the first time. The expanse, thousands of feet below, is enormous as your vehicle chugs (yes, most likely it is chugging) up the escarpment. The horizon stretches out in all directions fading to hazy blues and greens. Bright pink souvenir kiosks called dukas precariously sit on the edge of the valley, confirming if you have not already sensed it that you are in a place worthy of stopping. If you pause at one of these kiosks for a better view you'll be hounded by vendors selling their trinkets. Among their wares you might just find a treasure if you're willing to search and haggle, but the valley is waiting. It teems with life and sights to be explored and you're still far above it. It's finally time for a closer look. It's time to revisit Africa.

After a five-year absence I returned to Kenya this spring and had the opportunity to visit the Great Rift Valley again. Though most of my time in Africa was spent in other parts of Kenya there is something about that place that reawakens all the reasons I fell in love with the continent. It speaks of triumphs and hardships, adventure and the everyday, light and darkness, lessons and disappointments, laughter and tears, but most of all beauty.

When I left Kenya I wrote in my last newsletter that I did not want to get too comfortable here in the U.S. I did not want to forget all the things that I had learned there. Over the years I've thought that I should do something more with my stories. My Letters from Africa posts are my attempt to recapture some of those lessons, to take a closer look, to go down into the valley and see what I find there. So come with me back to Africa, let's explore together!

Letters from Africa posts:
A is for Asante
B is for Bwana
P is for Polepole