I was awestruck – these elephants were HUGE. We were so CLOSE! “I’ll see if I can get closer,” said Julius. “Closer?!” the danger signal in my brain squeaked, as Julius navigated through the bushes to the other side of the tree revealing Tim in full view. The huge bulls gazed at us, nonplussed by the intrusion, eventually sauntering out into the open to graze.

The Big Tusker Tim is dead. I am shocked and heartbroken. On January 7th, I flew to Amboseli following my dream of seeing the Big Tuskers of Amboseli, Kenya’s largest elephants. Images of Tim, a massive elephant of 6+ tons, a global celebrity and icon for wildlife protection, fueled my imagination…

As the new year begins, I’m thrilled to report that, thanks to you, my first Heartfelt Endeavours campaign raised a total of $6079 for Kisaruni High School in rural Kenya! Your contribution will have a ripple effect in the lives of these students and their communities.

In Kenya, even though education is free, there are many barriers to education, particularly for girls: early marriage, poverty, poor health, traditional domestic roles for females, gender-based biases. I’ve witnessed how these girls are transformed by their experience at WE primary schools.

Watching the sun rise on the Maasai Mara fuels attention and astonishment. Seeing Africa’s iconic lions in their natural setting is like stepping through the TV screen into the magic of Africa. Even after a few years of game drives in Kenya, being in the midst of African wildlife still feels like a pinch me moment.

Flexibility is an essential quality when travelling, even more so when travelling to wild places. Would Joseph make this moving target? I had to trust it would all work out. As the landing strip came into view, I could see three trucks lined up along the edge of the runway. Two bright red Maasai tunics stood beside one of the vehicles. Was it Joseph and Dominic?

My favourite image from this fun event is of a young girl sandwiched between the colourful saris of her mother and aunties. It reminds me of how I often felt when I was a child in a crowd or at a party—shy, curious, awkward. Our eyes connected briefly in a moment of stillness, while the wild raucous crowd jostled around us. I was delighted with my friend and poet Janice Friis’ imaginative riff on the image.

In South Africa there is a philosophy called Ubuntu that roughly translates to “I am because you are”.  I remember one of the Maasai staff at the first camp I stayed at showing concern when one of our group members wasn’t feeling well. He said to her “If you’re not well I’m not well.” That is Ubuntu.