You Make Beautiful Things

April 2, 2011

SAFARI!!!!!

I had the best bus ride EVER. I sat with Kara, Zach, and Wailana. We played Would You Rather, and had some phenomenal bonding J As it should be!

Ok, who is a Disneyland fan? I would like to take a moment to commend the creators of the Indiana Jones ride. My safari car was JUST LIKE THAT!!! Before, I was definitely not the hugest fan of Indiana Jones, not going to lie. It’s a bit claustrophobic and scary, honestly! But NOW, I will LOVE that ride, because it’s exactly like safari! You guys, it sounds the SAME! And it rides the same!!! It’s so epic! Yet ANOTHER reason to love Disneyland. AH. Like I needed another reason.

Today, I rode in the car with Heather, Matt, PJ, Zach, and Shayna. Super great group. Reg was the driver. He adores safari. It is so cute. He has gone so many times, and yet, every time is new and surprising for him. That’s how I want to live my life J

I LOVED safari-ing! SO completely great! Driving through the game reserve was divine. There’s not really another word for it. We were driving through God’s land, just as He intended for it to be. I felt like such a dork, but I couldn’t help but praise Him for a good 6 hours!

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us.

Guess what we saw?!?!?!?!?!?

THOUSANDS of impala (deer-ish little dudes), rhino (WHOA), Buffalo (their horns look like a giant mustache), and BEST OF ALL:

We saw a lion. A LION!!! I was so excited!!! Besides leopard, lion are the hardest to find! That was my favorite part of the day.

Matt and I played a rhyming lyric game. As much as I thought I was going to KILL Matt in the game (I am a rhyming MASTER), he beat me! I was so pickin’ impressed!

When we got back, we were assigned roommates. My only thought: “PLEASE don’t let me get Jenny! Anyone but Jenny! NOT JENNY!!!!”

So of course,

“Nightingale? You’ll be rooming with Pasch.”

Pasch, Pasch… who is Pasch…? WAIT. It CAN’T be… JENNY! WHAT IS THIS?!?!?!?!

Just kidding, guys. I love Jenny so much!!! I was super ecstatic! But Jenny was in a different car than I was, so she wasn’t back from safari just yet.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Matt called, “I have an announcement. There are lots of wild animals roaming this camp. Hyenas and lions come in here every night. That means you are not allowed to leave your tents. We will drop you off in your tents, and pick you up for every meal and every drive. This is serious, people. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Oh, lovely. If I step outside my tent, I will be eaten? No, MALLED?! And the fact that we were going to be dropped off in our rooms for an HOUR before someone came to pick us up made me think I really wasn’t feelin’ being alone…

So I was roommates with Shayna and Melinda for an HOUR! We had good fun. We took awkward third roommate pictures and I drilled Melinda about being an RA. It was “very niiiice.” (As South Africans say J)

Dinner was delicious!! I was SO FULL after! But a good kind of full, hey? (<- dude, I just AM South African. It cannot be denied!!! I’ve found my HOME AT LAST!)

Jenny was a beautiful roommate. SO good. Wonderful bonding J I just enjoy her so much.

When the generator lights turned off (10:17 PM), IT WAS SO DARK. I could NOT see my hand in front of my face!

And I was already under a glorious “Princess” (as Jenny called it) mosquito net. There is a small malaria danger in this area, so I was sure to take advantage of it!

But complete and utter darkness + mosquito net + my random anti-breathing issues = CLAUSTROPHOBIA!!!! I had a small freak out. By God’s grace, I was able to reach my hand outside of the miles of fabric of the mosquito net, find my backpack, and magically locate my tiny alarm clock out of the piles of shtuff in my backpack. Thanks, God! Having my alarm clock let me have light! I kept punching the light every three seconds. The claustrophobia began to melt away, and I was able to sleep.