The Glory Days

This past weekend was one I had been looking forward to for a long time – Alumni Weekend at my high school, Rift Valley Academy. I attended RVA for all or part of 2nd, 5th – 10th, and 12th grades, graduating in 1995.

RVA is a unique school that caters primarily to missionaries' kids from all over Africa. The diversity is therefore stunning - back when I graduated, over 40 countries were represented at the school of 500 kids. 90% of the students are boarding students and the other 10% are like my siblings and me, whose parents worked in Kijabe, the town in which the school is located. For those interested, there is a biography written about RVA called “A School in the Clouds.” It is even possible that some of the McCropder kids might end up attending this great school for some of their education.

Last weekend, in addition to reminiscing about the glory days, I competed in the alumni vs. varsity rugby game. This was certainly one of the highlights of the weekend for me. I got to play for the first time with my youngest brother, Caleb, who is in the black shirt below and I am right behind him. I did come away with the predictable realization that I am not as young as I used to be, and I am thankful that I didn’t break my neck in the scrums (but probably fractured a rib).

As you can partially see in the picture below, the field is perched on the edge of The Rift Valley and has a spectacular view of about 80 miles – probably the most beautiful location for a field in all the world, but then I might be biased.