European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 20, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Adventures on the for a amps Lea Mccormick project Kenya workers head for the work site. By Rosemary Sawyer staff writer somehow Jack s Assurance that the Lions cries were Quot a Long Way away Quot provided Little Comfort that easter night in Africa. Lions Don t go around looking for people who have Flat tiros in the Middle of the night on deserted roads the rational part of me said. The irrational part prepared me to become Leo s Midnight snack. At least i was t alone. Two fellow service project workers and a kenyan missionary were stranded with to somewhere near nowhere and the Salt lakes at Magadi Kenya. And even Hough just three cars and one 3-Inch scorpion had passed us in two hours help was on the Way. We were part of a group of adults and teen agers from Christian youth clubs in Europe who had travelled to Kenya to Lay a water pipeline. Thoughts of the ditch digging however were far from my mind when saw Bushes move on the other Side of the Road. My companions told to i was seeing things but i noticed Greg Duffy s Knuckles Whiten around his can of off the youth Leader from Frankfurt West Germany had sworn earlier that the insect rape Plant would Ward olt any predator. Admitted City Dweller Jack Schollo of world vision International in Nairobi also said i was seeing things. Serving As our unofficial animal expert it was Jack who had promised the Lions were 10 Kilometres away hyenas would Only attack in packs and although this was Leopard country we should t be afraid. Jack also told us that giraffes sometimes cause problems along the Road Between olt Sposi and Magadi at night if you re not careful flip giraffes will Quot step on your Bonnet Quot he said. The act conjured up a much less violent image after i remembered that the British term Means car Hood. H seems the giraffes frightened try car headlights run across the Road hitting and sometimes rolling cars an image Gary Larsen the creator of the far Side comic strip would no doubt enjoy. Anyhow Jack said if i continued to stare into the Bushes my imagination would get the Best of me. Fortunately a Man stepped from the Bushes before that wild imagination went too Lar. It was John who Camo from a nearby world vision sponsored school that we had stopped at earlier in search of a spare tire or pump Quot John Quot Jack gasped. Quot Aren t you afraid to come out7&Quot Quot it s no problem Quot John replied. Quot where Are your weapons Quot there Quot he said motioning Back toward the Bushes Quot by the  Jack might no have realized it but his greeting to John left a few Spca Rholes in his fearless facade we d been on the dark continent for just one week and already i was beginning to feel like Indiana Jones. Greg Duffy expressed it wed Quot when i first got Here i had trouble realizing that i was in Africa. But in certain situations like when that Hyena growled i think maybe we Are in Africa Quot out of Africa s tree silhouetted on the Plain is a deceptive Beauty. Ask any one of the project Kenya Crew who got acquainted with it. The Symbol of the movie that chronicles tie adventures and Romance of Karen Blixen rears thorns a Long and Sharp thorns. The thorns on this species of acacia marked our daily ritual of Riding to the work site on the Back of a croaking Blue Mercedes lorry Quot hey you Guys up front have got to Call the Trees we re getting killed Back hero Quot yelled one worked whose Crown of thorns was neither Welcome nor vicarious. So with that less than cordial admonition people Learned that although positions behind the took s Rah offered relative safely Hoy earned with them peat responsibility Quot Lef offt. High Hal Quot the Iron line hollowed in Hopta a they had allowed ample ducking time Quot Abov Vve Quot Quot brim map Quot they cried As the Days went to it and the roads became More rutted we soon came to find our ride upon the 7 Ion Blue Behemoth More physically demanding than digging the ditch or linking the pipe very morning and afternoon wed lax strained arms and Hacks to pull up onto a Mammoth tire Only to swing an aching leg Over the Side then with bodies wedged Between wedges shovels and three pronged lines we d be bumped nod jostled into walking bruises in the project s final Days tired workers futilely begged to be allowed to walk the five Kilometre is  k to base Camp rather than ride the truck but despite their weariness one cry continued to spark excitement and wonder As if had on the very first do "giraaaaffe1&Quot sunday was malaria Pill Day. And every Day was.  or pesto Bis Mol Day when planning tie trip military Community youth ministries director Larry Russell said he expected 10 percent of project participants to become Loo sick to stay at the primitive base Camp a myriad of african ailments did set in soon after our arrival at the school House in olt Sposi that was to be our Home for two weeks Bui the stomach cramps diarrhoea vomiting insect bites and sunburn did t necessitate use of the dozen or so real Beds reserved for us in a Nairobi Homo about two hours away fortunately base Camp provided an enviable doctor patient ratio. Three doctors two Ottom Mottistone nurse and a dentist bandied every contingency including the time project Kenya director Ron Bergei became ill with what we feared was malaria Berger club beyond director in Bamberg West Germany had arrived in Konya with an Advance team to set up the base Camp and work site the Advance team had not Boon Able to obtain the preferred anti malaria medication me Loquine so they were taking chloroquine. Opinions vary but some doctors claim 75 percent of the malarial strains in Konya s rift Valley Are resistant to chloroquine fueling the fear that malaria was the cause of Berger s High fever fortunately the me Loquine arrived just in time for continued on Page 10 20,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 15