Snapshots of My Summer

     To start off my summer, a few Marshall students and I volunteered our time for the Lake Superior Zoo at Proctor because we all enjoy doing these little plays that we call the Zoo Projects. The plays we did were "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Three Billy Goats Gruff," and "The Tortoise and the Hare."
     In the first one, I was Mama Bear. This play was in June on a Saturday. It was a rainy, foggy day; it was also the day of Grandma's Marathon! We were going to do it outside near the bear exhibit, but we moved inside.

Elle and I taking an animal selfie

     Next, I was the middle goat. This was in July on a warm, sunny Saturday in front of the Petting Zoo. I don't really like the smell of barnyard animals, so I didn't really enjoy it that much. This one was only Marshall students; all of the Proctor kids were busy. We had a lot of fun for this one because we had cow bells around our necks. My ears were always ringing after practice.
     Lastly, I was Leonard the Lion. Ms O had each person pick an animal and try to act like it. Since my sister had just come back from Africa, I picked a lion.
     Messing around was the most fun part of each play! Before and after each practice, Ms O would have these expectations of what she wanted to get done that day or for next time, but we were always goofing off, and we were lucky to pull anything together. I had such a great time meeting new friends from Proctor.

Kara with students at a secondary school

      July was the longest month of my life. My sister, Kara, went to Tanzania for a service learning trip. She goes to CSS in Duluth. She had to take a semester long course about the culture and a bit of the language. Also, they had to ask for donations from local businesses to get things to bring to the monasteries and the orphanages.
     My sister says that this trip really changed her life. It changed mine too because I had to go the longest I've ever been without her. I missed her everyday.
     Before she left, I wrote a letter about how much I'd miss her. I snuck it into the sleeve of her jacket, and wrote on the outside, "Don't open till you miss me! :)" She listened! She told me she found it two weeks into the trip. Kara wrote a letter back to me, and gave it to me when she returned home. That evening in the airport, waiting for her, was so exciting.
     On the way to the airport, Kara called me and my mom.
We asked her, jokingly, if she had become a nun, and she said, "Yes."

A male lion sniffing the air

We went silent. "Are you kidding," we asked.
"No. I'm not."
The rest of the ride we were silent.
When we arrived at the airport, we said, "You don't look like a nun!" And she says, "Oh, I thought you asked if I was by the nun!"

A zebra "photo-bombing" some flamingos 

Among other places they went on the trip, Kara and her group of 11 other students went on a two day safari in Kilimanjaro National Park. They saw four of the Big Five: Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, and Hippos. She didn't see a Rhino. 
     "Zebras are like the deer of Africa," my sister said because they are everywhere! Kara took about 1500 pictures during her month long trip. All of them were absolutely amazing.