I just found a start of a blog that I started writing a couple weeks ago while in Ngurunit.  Sitting here in Maralal it evokes in me a bit of the peace I feel while I am there. 

7 July 2017  Ngurunit by moonlight.

It is one of those beautiful bright moon nights that I love in Ngurunit.  It was a night like this here in Ngurunit almost 20 years ago that my Mom, visiting us in Northern Kenya for the first time, was so excited to realize that the line “the moon was bright enough to read by” wasn’t just out of books, but could actually be true.  She grabbed a book and ran outside to test it in the Ngurunit moonlight.  Sure enough, she could read quite well by the light of the moon.  It is that bright here.  Tonight it is just a day from full moon, or maybe two.  Hard to tell sometimes it is already so round and bright.  By this amazing light, I can see well the mountains all around.  It is a night that the warriors will sing.   That is magic.  I heard them last night too, as I drifted off to sleep after a long tiring drive here from Maralal.,,,

Back to 20^th July in Maralal – at that point I got distracted and before I could continue writing on that day, the computer power ran out.  Then shortly thereafter, as usual, life got really busy.  I had gone to Ngurunit to pick up the balance of the latest basket order to ship to the USA that was due at the shippers July 11^th for container stuffing.  So, on the 10^th, I packed up the car and started my Nairobi dash trip.  4 ½ hour drive to Nanyuki.  Put the car in for service and repair while I spent the afternoon finding boxes and packing up the shipment.  Got the car out on the 11^th, drove 3 hours to Nairobi to drop the products at the shippers.  That afternoon / evening was spent picking up supplies and spending time with my friend Candace who is done with her work in Kenya and leaving for other parts of the world next week.  Bummer.  So many people I meet and become friends with are transient to some extent and after a few months or years, off they go.  Even some people who have lived in Kenya for decades have left in the last few years.  But at least I get to keep connected with them through all the social technology of the modern world.  Talking face to face on video phone calls still amazes me.  Like the Jetsons, a cartoon I used to watch as a kid.  Science fiction becoming reality.  Anyway, I digress.  On the 12^th July, back 3 hours drive to Nanyuki for more supplies and to pick up stock for our veterinary shop in Ngurunit.  I stayed the night, having dinner with old and new friends.  The talk of the table was about how they had to face down a charging rhino on a narrow track with nowhere to go as the rhino came straight at their car.  With a bit of engine revving and sheer luck, the rhino veered off into the bush just a few feet before smashing into them.  I’ve had that experience with elephant and buffalo in the past.  Talk about heart in the stomach.  Definitely bigger and scarier than the white tail deer of my native Wisconsin!!!   The next morning of the 13^th, I headed North to Kalama Conservancy for meeting some wonderful people from The Samburu Project, our new partners for our Rotary wells digging project.  Linda and Kiki from L.A. California with Eric and Mercy, their Samburu colleagues based out of Samburu East, traveled with me up to Ngurunit to meet the community and see one of the sites we plan to drill and construct a community water well with the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills.  It was an amazing night with them in Ngurunit.  We had the good fortune to arrive in the afternoon to find a Samburu wedding going on.  So along with a well site tour, we spent a few hours dancing with the warriors and getting some amazing pictures and community celebration time.  I am so happy as a Rotarian and the manager of PEAR Innovations to have connected to The Samburu Project for partnering on these water source development activities in Samburu North.  I am anticipating a beneficial partnership for so many of the communities in which we all work.  These visitors left to head South again the next morning on 14^th July leaving me to rest in the peace of Ngurunit and recover from my mad 1100 km dash to Nairobi and back in 4 days.  The moon was past full by this time which gave me a chance to enjoy the stars too.  Last Sunday, Loiweti, Mouse and I traveled back to Maralal and I have been spending the week pursuing all the paperwork issues we need to deal with for our projects.  Step by step, we are working towards 2 new wells with our Rotary Global Grant hopes and 2 more directly with Samburu Project partnership.  That will be a huge boost to the communities as water is always one of the biggest challenges for community development and education in this semi-arid and arid land.  Tomorrow, another trip, this time South to Nakuru and more work on Rotary activities and sourcing well drillers.  But for tonight, I will read again about the full moon in Ngurunit and remember the peace and beauty of that lovely place…..