Thanksgiving and African Safaris.

Can you believe this was the 5^th year I've celebrated Thanksgiving in Zambia?  Well, believe it because it's true.  I was able to spend time with friends eating some traditional Thanksgiving food like turkey (so I'm still waiting for the day I can get tofurkey here), stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie.  I also had the opportunity to spend the weekend tackling another tradition.   This one more African of sorts.  The safari.  There is a national park in Zambia that I had yet to visit so my friend and I decided this was the weekend to go.  Kafue National Park.  The largest national park in Zambia and the second largest in Africa.  We had high hopes of viewing amazing wildlife such as lions, cheetahs, elephants, wild dogs, zebra, leopards.  Then we got to the park.  And we saw none of these animals.  It rained the entire weekend and we only managed to see a lot of bugs.  Including the dreaded tsetse fly which I frankly don’t want to see again.  Actually, we did manage to see one very angry elephant who was particularly protective of her young elephant family.  I’ve never seen such a protective mama.  She trumpeted and charged our vehicle which I’ve never had happen before…the one exciting event in a very rainy and bug filled weekend.  

As we were driving home from our Thanksgiving/African safari weekend I was thinking how much these two very different things have become part of my world.  I love that I'm able to still celebrate with traditions from home and also engage in new ways of seeing the world.  It can be hard sometimes living away from the things you've known all your life.  But I also believe that when you do there is a richness, a vibrancy, a greater awareness that starts to shape your days (and years)!  And for this I am thankful. 

Sunrise in Kafue National Park