A Few of My Favourite (Angama) Things

By Willow John Boyd (aged 5)
 
As some of you may know from Mummy’s many blog posts, I have been coming to Angama Mara since I was 9 weeks old. I'm not quite a back-of-house baby like her or my friend Perrin, I'm more like a back-of-house cousin and a proud member of the Siria Clan.

Recently I turned 5, so Mummy, Daddy and Uncle Azei allowed me to do my own 'great migration; from the back-of-house to the front, and I got to spend 4 days as a real guest. My little sister Tutty came too, which was a bit unfair because she is only 3, but it was nice so we could do things together.

Every night since I was a baby, Mummy sings me a song before I sleep, and one of our favourites is 'Rain Drops on Roses' from The Sound of Music. So when she asked me what my favourite things about Angama were, the song popped into my head, and I started singing it like a funny monkey, with my own new words (as transcribed by Mummy):

French toast with honey, and foamy baby chinos,
Spaghetti Bolognese on my cheeks and my nose,
Joining the tall Maasai warriors to jump and spring,
These are a few of my favourite things

Sleeping in a big room, with mummy and daddy close by,
Waking up with the sunrise, and watching the hot-air balloons fly,
Yummy picnics tied up with red and blue string,
These are a few of my favourite things

So many chocolate brownies in the warm Kenyan sun,
Playing in the Map Room all day with Leshan,
Beading in the studio while the Mamas (and Tutty) sing,
These are a few of my favourite things

Shooting arrows,
Watching ellies,
On safari with my mum and dad,
I will never forget my favourite Angama things,
Being a toto there is so rad!  

Kate begs forgiveness from Rodgers and Hammerstein for the liberties taken with their beautiful song — as Willow mentioned, a firm favourite in the Boyd household. In the same breath though, she would like to thank the Angama team for giving Willow and Tutty a truly special 4 days, while giving her and Mike some much-needed downtime to catch up with the world, each other, and some work!