Fast Fact on Masai Tribe People

DId you know that Masais cut a hole in the neck of their cows and drink the fresh blood. That is why they can jump so high.

Watamu on the Indian Ocean

Watamu is a town near the beach. We went there for Christmas. While there, we went snorkeling in the Indian Ocean. When we went snorkeling we saw lots of fish and I saw two sea urchins. The Indian Ocean is so warm. We also loved playing on the beach. One reason we like the beach is because we like to dig in the sand. Another thing we like is playing in the waves. Lastly we like catching crabs. It is sooo hard to catch crabs because they are fast diggers. While at Watamu, we went to a resort called Turtle Bay. When we were in the car we sang: "We're on our way to Turtle Bay!" At Turtle Bay we saw Masai warriors selling things in a market. The Massai warriors sang and did a dance for us. When we had to leave the beach and go back to Nairobi we were sad because it was so fun.

Posted by Gabby

The Nest - DRAFT

The Nest is and orphanage.  It is full of kids and people who take care of them.  Most of the kids parents went to jail and put them at the nest.  I would not like to live there because I can not see my mom.  The setting is cool, because it has many toys and the rooms are nice and big.  I think you should visit the nest.

(Note from Mom: Gabby went to bed before we could talk about and correct this post, I wanted to get it posted today but I am going to try and get her to tell you more tomorrow)

Things I am Thankful For

Things I am thankful for this year are my friends, family, food, water and shelter.  I am thankful for my friends because I will all ways have someone to play with.  Next, I am thankful for my family because I will always have someone to love and take care of me.  Third I am thankful for food because I will stay healthy.  The fourth thing I am thankful is water because I will not get dehydrated.  Finally  am thankful for shelter because I will stay warm on cold days and have a place to sleep.  There are many things to be thankful for.

Crescent Island Lake Naivasha

Rift Valley

The Rift Valley is full of animals and lakes.  We went to Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island in the Rift Valley.  We went on a small boat.  As soon as we got to Crescent Island, we got off the boat and hiked up the hill.  At the top we saw wildebeests, sheep and zebras.  When we got closer we tool pictures.  The wildebeests got scared and started running.  After some picture taking we saw some hippos. When the hippos came up for air the water sprayed into the air, sort of like whales.  The we took the boat back.  Crescent Island is cool!

Riding Sololo at Sundown

Some people in Kenya like to ride horses. Saturday evening we visited a lady who gives lessons at her house. She lives in a neighborhood with large beautiful trees filled with pink and red bougainvilleas. As soon as we got there, we tried on helmets and got our horses. The name of my horse was Sololo a maroon colored mare. When we were on our horses we walked down to the field and walked around. Next we learned how to trot and stop the horse. When you trot it is so hard to stand up and sit down and so on. When our lesson was finished, we walked up and got off the horse. I walked around the stable yard, petted the horses and tried to stay away from the annoying and pesky flies. There was a foal about six months old. We learned that horses have to be about two years old before you can ride them. Four years is old enough to race. It is fantastic to ride horses.

Posted by Gabby

The National Museum of Kenya

12-10-08

The National Museum is full of animals.  Some of the animals were huge, such as elephants, giraffes, lions and hippos.  Some small ones are birds chimps and rats.

The museum is a cool place.  There is a room I call "Monkey Man Mania".  It is actually called the evolution of man.  We first started out as monkeys.  Over time our brains got bigger, we started walking on two legs, we started wearing cloths and used more tools.  The museum has ancient skulls and fossils of the "early man."  The museum is a good place to learn about Kenya's past.

Tunza Book Review: Tore and the Town on Thin Ice

12-9-08 Tore and the Town on Thin Ice 

By Carole Douglis

Illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway

This story takes place in Greenland.  Tore is the main character.  Tore is an eskimo from the Inuit tribe.  The story is about Tore helping the ice not to melt.

The ice is melting because of global warming.  Tore gets into a sledding accident and he fell through the thin ice to the freezing water.  After the terrible accident he has a dream about Sedena, the mother of the sea.  She tells him he needs to help the arctic animals.  The ice is melting because the Earth is heating up.  The animals are loosing food.  So Sedena says we should use less oil and gasoline.  Tore wins the next race and decides to use  the prize money to buy solar panels and windmills.  The book ends by telling us what to do to save the earth, like planting trees, using less electricity and recycling.

You can buy it at Amazon or we can bring a copy back for you -- let me know!

12/8/08 Jambo Translation

Here is the translation you were asking for:


HELLO
Hello, Hello Mister! How are you?
Very good, very good

Visitors you are welcome in Kenya, for us its no problem.
For our country Kenya, it’s no problem.

The countryside is peaceful, no problem.
The countryside is fun, no problem.

posted by Gabby

Note from Dede:
The above is translated by Gabby, Nora and Elizabeth, all with different native languages and varied understanding of what the words mean in Kiswahili and English!

12/8/08 My Visit to the National Park

My first safari was cool. It was cool because I saw many animals. The animals I saw were giraffes, rhinos, deer, antelopes and birds. One giraffe that I saw was peeing for about five to seven minutes. We all started laughing. Next we went into the center of the grassland. Soon it was getting dark and we went to the house. If you have a chance go the Nairobi National Park.

Submitted by Gabby

12/5/08 I.S.K.

I.S.K. is in Nairobi and it stands for International School of Kenya. I got to visit the second grade with my friend Sacha. In school I learned some Swahili, such as “simba” is lion, “dawati” is desk.; “komputa” is obvious, its computer . We did some easy long “o” worksheets. After that we had lunch, then some work, then some recess. Finally we had computers.

The school campus is HUGE! It is sooo not like the school that I go to. It is different because it has swings, a bigger play structure, a merry-go-round and a jungle gym. It also has a swimming pool, a dance studio, a high school, an out door stage, a tiny kitchen, a low field, and a high field. There were not as many lunch tables because there were not as many children. If you get a chance visit an international school.

I.S.K

I.S.K  is in Kenya. I went to I.S.K, it  stands for '' International School of Kenya''. In school I learned Kiswahili such as simba is lion , dawati is desk and kumputa is computer. After that we had lunch then we did some work and had break. Finally we had computer class.

The school campus is HUGE ! It is sooo not like the school I go to . It is different because the it has swings , a bigger play-structure , a merry-go round and a jungle gym.

JAMBO - a kswahili song

Jambo

Jambo Bwana Habari Gani?

Mzuri sana

Mzuri sana

Wagenimwakari

bishwa Kenya

yetu hakuna matata

Kenya Nchi

yetu Hakuna matata

Nchi Yanye 

amani Hakuna matata

Nchi yanye furaha 

Hakuna Matata

Nairobi's Food Market

Nairobi's open-air market is called "City Park"  At the market I saw fruits, vegetables, stall owners, bugs and mud.  We carefully walked over the mud puddles.  There were lots of delicious looking fruits and vegetables.  It was hard not to eat everything!  Also there were so many sellers trying very hard to get us to buy their food.  The bugs were bother masters, any where we go they are on the food or over the food.  The mud was gross.  It was goopy and stuck to the bottom of our shoes.  If you go to a market in Kenya, don't wear open toe shoes!

JAMBO!

If you are wondering what jambo means , it means hello.

I want to say hi to my friends in San Jose ,California and  I miss you ALL MAD M-A-D MAD!

Your Friend,

Gabby 

                                                                    

Weather in Kenya

Nairobi has very nice weather.  My third day in Kenya was funny.  In the morning it was pouring rain.  In the afternoon it was sunny and hot. My friends, my brothers and I had fun in the sun.  Today so far it is sunny.

Kenya has four seasons.  A long rain, a dry season, a short rain and another dry season.  July through August is Winter.  Right now we are at the end of the short rainy season and the beginning of Summer.

My First Two Days In Kenya

The first time I saw Kenya was when the plane landed at Nairobi airport. Our friend Bunny picked us up after we got our bags. We got in the car and went to a huge house with a playhouse, a jungle gym and swings. My brothers Thomas and Eliot, and I, Gabby got breakfast because we got there at 9am. After that we played and played and played until it got dark. We took a bath and went to bed. The next day we went to feed the giraffes. The tongues were long and had lots of saliva on them. Then we went to see Alligators and Ostriches. Africa is fun so far.

The House of Parliament

The Place of Westminster, also known as the Parliament Buildings, is where the laws of London are made.  The laws are made in the house of Commons and the House of Lords.  The house of commons is elected by the people of the U.K.. They write the laws and send them to the House of Lords for review.  The House of Lords is not elected.  They are chosen because of special skills or because of their family.  One thing  I think is funny about Parliament is that some of the people wear wigs.

BONJOUR

I wanna say hey to all of my friends back home in the U.S.A and I miss all of you; it is wonderful in London and also say hi to miss. Caserta!

                                                                                    Your Friend,

                                                                                      Gabby 

Joseph and the Amazing Techno-color Dream-coat

London is famous for its theatre district.  There are lots of great actors in lots of great plays.  We went to Joseph and the amazing techno-color dream-coat.  The story is a groovy style of Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors from the Bible.  My favorite part was when Pharaoh acts like he is Elvis Presley.  We were cracking up.  My second favorite part was the end when the whole cast was up and moving.  After that we were tired and wanted to go to bed.  I recommend that you see Joseph if you get a chance.

TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London is one of the largest and most important castles in England.  The London was first a palace, then a prison, and now a museum.  William of Normandy built the palace in 1066.  The palace has the White Tower, a chapel, an odd toilet, large halls, armories and fortresses.  Henry the Eighth used it as a prison.  That is where he kept his wives before he beheaded them.  Now the Tower is a museum filled with jewels and shiny armor.  Now the tower is looked after by the Beefeaters (the Yeoman Warders).  The Tower of London is a place to be!

By Gabby Smullen (a.k.a. Gabby of Normandy)

ARRIVAL

November 21 we left for London at 7:00 p.m. The most unusual thing about the plane was that our chairs were in the middle of the plane. There were five chairs across, and it fit our family just perfectly. The thing that I didn't like about the plane was that I never could sleep. My favorite part of the airplane was the t.v. on the back of the chair.


On November 22 we arrived in London. We drove on a shuttle and found our way to our apartment. Once we got settled in, we went for a walk around town. It was soooo cold! For dinner, we went to Brompton Quarter Cafe. As soon as we finished our delicious dinner, we walked back to the apartment.

Hasta la vista Babby! Gabby

(p.s. I got a video flip for an early Christmas present, so check back here for You tube posts soon!)

Good Morning World

Hi!

On November 21 2008 I, Gabby Smullen am going to Kenya and London.  I am excited about this trip because I get to learn about Kenyan culture.  Check back here for pictures and updates and other fun and interesting stuff.

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Testing post from Gabby's Acct

Just getting started.

What do you think of your new Blog Gabby?