Stalking Giraffe

Friday January 9, 2009  - Guest Bloggers: Elizabeth Warth, Sarah Taylor, Dawn Ferguson

Today was our last work day.  The hole was plastered and the brick wall is complete.  Trenches have been dug and we are now proud parents of a nine thousand gallon water tank. There is still a bit of finish work, but we are excited about moving on to the next thing. As our day

 ended, the group divided and headed different directions. Some went to a nerby town for supplies, another group headed back to the hostel (dorm) and six of us went giraffe hunting, including Chip Kingsbury, who has been our host and today served as our guide.  

After many miles of trees and dirt, Elizabeth Warth spotted a long neck in the distance.  After the first giraffe was spotted we found a total of eight of them in a herd.  They did not find us as interesting or as cute as we found them to be.  We eventually attempted to sneak closer to them, which failed due to the sounds of eccentric picture snapping and the fact that we

 are not stealthy. Feeling defeated we sat down thinking that if we were low to the ground and didn't move that they would come to us.  We were wrong.  

Everyone gave up except two of us.  Dawn Ferguson and Cyrus (a Daystar friend) decided to give it one last attempt.  They were very successful and Dawn was very excited because they finally got within 20 feet of them.  At this point there was a tragic turn of events.  Cyrus decided that it would be a good idea to storm the giraffes.  This did not work so well as giraffes are faster and stealthier than they look.  Within a few seconds of chasing, and zig-zagging around, the giraffes were scattered. And there was Dawn, standing with her mouth wide open in shock and disappointment, the giraffes were as far away as when the attempt began.  

The bystanders at this time were no longer sitting but standing in shock, much like the home team crowd at a football game when their team fumbles the ball. Overall the giraffe hunting experience was amazing.  There is nothing like being so close to wildlife in their natural habitat knowing that your encounter is genuine.  We are all preparing for a fun weekend with our friends shopping and visiting their homes.