Here are photographs of my oldest daughter, Virginia, in Kenya. This post will be the first of a short series of photos, taken on her camera, of her experience there. Tomorrow I’ll share some photos of the school where she volunteered, and after that some others of her safari, then some of the general lifestyle there.

This is my daughter who at the age of two, to our surprise, named her first baby doll “Africa.” She’s always wanted to go there. We are extremely grateful for the many sponsors, who donated both large and small amounts, thereby making this phenomenal experience possible for her.

You’ll see her hair braided in cornrows, which took six hours and cost the equivalent of $6.00. You’ll see her planting trees for their version of Earth Day; she and “Miss Kenya” were filmed raking trash out of the Nairobi river which was aired on TV. She visited the home of students of hers from the Masai tribe (maybe you’ve heard of Masai warriors?) and they dressed her in sumptuous traditional regalia, opulently ornamented with copious beads, incongruous with their one room wigwam-like home, made of sticks and garbage bags, which was occupied by all of the kids above. The ladies below doing silly gestures together with my daughter were her fellow teachers. She stayed with the family of the gentleman in the last photo, who together with the British woman in a middle photo, started the school my daughter volunteered in. In the second to last photo she’s arriving; in the last one she’s departing.

In general, the trash and litter was appalling but the people warm. They wanted their greetings to be sent to America, a place where a Kenyan’s son can become President…