It was 8:10 am and they had managed to fit 52 adults and 13 children on a 51-seater bus. In a little over an hour, after a car ride of jokes and snacking on mandazis, they arrived at their destination: The Poa Place Resort/Eldoret Nature and Cultural Centre.

Once they were stamped in, they found their tour guide who led them first to the Ostrich pen. Here, they learned the difference between a male and female: males have more beautiful and elaborate feathers than those of the females--dull and grey. The next stops included the velvet monkey cage, baboons, and the tortoise and turtles’ pen. What the girls had read about in story books was becoming real!

But it was the snake house where things started to get interesting. Two of the staff had to stay behind because they have Ophidiophobia but our Program Manager, Winnie, decided to brave on even though she also was terrified. She managed for a while but at the sight of the African viper, she screamed and ran outside which elicited bursts of laughter from all the girls. Zainab (one of the students) went to get her and held her hand until she finished viewing all the snakes.

The cat houses were the favorite, though. The girls saw lions and cheetahs. The 5-year-old female lion would eat first (10kg of meat!) because it was more aggressive than its 14-year-old counterpart. Once they moved on to the cheetah house, the girls learned how they tend to be friendlier than lions.

Before heading out for pictures and lunch, the girls were able to visit a traditional housing section. This meant they saw huts that were made by different tribes, including Marakwet, Nandi, Kihuyu, Luo, and Maasai. Did you know that there are currently 43 tribes in Kenya?

By the time it was late afternoon, they got back to Kitale, and everyone was pretty worn out. Many of the girls said it was the most fun they’ve ever had and later that evening, Winnie received this text from Rhoda, one the third year girls:

Nashukuru sana kwa. Imekuwa smart sana kwangu.

I am very grateful for this trip. It was such a brilliant idea to take us out. I’ve never had so much fun.