So I went to Africa...

I have always found it hard to express exactly what I want to about an experience like this...and this one has been particularly tough because it wasn't so much about Africa but more about me...me in Africa and being where I needed to be for three months. But I try. And I have some pictures to help and these blog posts that have helped. In case you haven't been able to keep up on it all, here are some numbers to give you an overview:

3 # of countries visited (Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia), 4 # of visas I had to purchase, 8 # of friends I was able to visit, 1 # of times I rode a daladala, 4 # of friends with connections to the Dominican Republic, 40 (or so) # of times I washed out Elizabeth's small pan, 3 (or 4?) # of times I almost killed Paul, Elizabeth, the unborn child and myself because I left the oven on, 3 # of months I was gone, 0 # of times I called home, 3 # of times I shot a gun, 1 # number of mountains I climbed, 5 # of Israelis I climbed with, 7 # of days it took me to walk normal after climbing the mountain, about a million # of times I heard "JAMBO" when I was with the Texans, about a million and one # of times I heard "mzungu!" (white person), 2 # of African weddings I attended, 1 # of times I was offered as a guilt offering (by my sister), 9 # of books I read, 5 # of dance clubs visited...all in one night, 1 # of times I got sick, 3 # of hours I spent in the bathroom the one time I was sick, 7 # of months Elizabeth was pregnant when she was still running farther than me, 3 # of times I drove, 0 # of pedestrians/goats/bicyclists/chickens/other cars I hit, 5 # of new types of beer I tried, at least 5 # of times Paul, Elizabeth and I managed to find ourselves in a friendly/heated debate, 1 # of I (Heart) Hope Basketball stickers I saw, 90 # of minutes we were late to a wedding, 12 # hours of layover Sarah and Jaxon had in London on way to said wedding, 3 # of exams Sarah took early to get to wedding, 0 # of reasons we had for missing the wedding, 12 $ of US dollars it takes to get a fabulous pedicure, 3 # of rugby games I watched, a good 50 # of questions I had about the game, 4 # of times I had to go to Ethiopian Air to get my ticket, 20 # of times I was told "no worries" when inquiring as to whether there would be a shuttle to the airport, 0 # of shuttles that showed up, 17 # of cans of cooking spray I packed up while helping someone move, 500 # of library books I logged into a computer, 6 # of dogs I lived with at one time (okay, 4 were merely puppies), 200 # of cows I could fetch as a bride price (don't be fooled, that's actually a large compliment), 1 # of cows I milked, about 3 # of minutes I was allowed to milk the cow before I was told I was going too slow, at least 15 # of traffic jams I found myself in in Nairobi which is more times than I actually found myself in a car in Nairobi, and finally, even more than I had hoped # of giraffes I saw.