Victoria Wiebe's Website

This summer, I took a trip to Kenya, Africa. My Grandparents, Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncle, Cousins, Sister, and I went. We did some pretty cool stuff, but I'm only going to tell about one certain hour that I really enjoyed. I'll cut through to the middle, when...

It was another glorious day in Nairobi (Kenya's Capital), where we were staying. We ate breakfast, got dressed, and headed out to a center where they took in baby Elephant orphans because of starvation, poaching, or loss of habitat. Then the guides, people who mostly talked about the babies, brought out five or six little ones.

Many of them were swinging their trunks as if they didn't know how to use them. Only a rope separated them from us, so we got to pet and hug them. Some people might think that their skin would be soft and smooth, but it wasn't. They were rough and crinkly with thick hairs sprouting everywhere. Although, under their ears, it was like smooth leather. They wore blankets on their backs because, the guide said, "that they get phemonia very easily and the only way you can tell is water dripping down their trunks, and by then it is to late to do anything."

Then, they brought out five or six larger ones with no blankets. These, they fed milk to by giving it to them by giant bottles. I thought then, that I'd die of cuteness. They were absolutely adorable! One of them could even hold its bottle by itself by wrapping its trunk around it. They played and rolled in the bright orange dirt and water. We petted and hugged them as they walked past us. Flashes of light and clicks went off because everyone wanted pictures. The Elephants loved attention, and weren't afraid to get it. There was a group of school children in uniforms that would laugh and scream when the elephants lumbered by. But, alas, before any of us realized, they had taken the cute elephants away, so we left to the giftshop, our hands orange with dirt and our hearts high.

We then went to the giftshop. We bought souvenirs. They had statues, bags, shirts , greeting cards, and more. We bought some T-shirts. But, I do confess, the best souvenirs of all were our memories.