Adventures in Africa

Yes, that's adventures (plural) in Africa, because there will be at least three of them. During the next month I'll join my friends Eva and Allison for a Serengeti safari in Tanzania; visit a clinic funded by Keep a Child Alive (I'm a board member) in Uganda, and join a Habitat for Humanity team to help build a house in Madagascar. First up, though, is Oxford. I'm breaking the trip in both directions with a stop in England. I did tours both on foot and atop a red bus, and learned there are 38 colleges that make up Oxford University. History and lore are everywhere in this town where the tales of Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter were born, as was penicillin! Bill Clinton, 26 British prime ministers and a long list of other notables studied here. And today Oxford streets are jammed with bicycles and fresh-faced young students, many in blazer and tie. I chatted with one who had white tie and champagne to celebrate his exams.  And two highlights were seeing flat-bottom 'punt' boats on the river and attending a candlelit Evensong (singing of evening prayers) in a 12th century cathedral. A first stop here seemed like a 'civilized' thing to do. But tomorrow: Africa!