Home!

Finally got home on Sunday after a few days in London.  Africa really made me appreciate things I take for granted on a daily basis:  washing machines, napkins, hot water...    It's so weird to drive on the right side of the road and see so many other white people.  I miss Kenya and Tanzania already...but it's nice to be home.  Thanks for following my blog!

Kwaheri, Africa!

On Saturday we finally presented all of our research findings to the community.  We practiced a lot the night before and everyone got dressed up, as much as you can in Africa.  Starting early in the morning, the Land Cruisers went out to pick people up from the various sites where each of the three groups conducted their research.  Government officials, local tribal people, and several mzungus who worked at tourist lodges came to hear about our month-long research projects on pressing environmental issues in the area.

The three projects were on topics ranging from institutional failure in management of water resources to viability of riverine systems and wildlife sanctuaries.  My group went first, and I presented part of our methods section.  Our presentation alone lasted an hour because of all of the questions.  The presentation itself went really well, but I was shocked at the end when people were jumping out of their seats to ask us questions.  Many of them were pleading to the government officials in attendance for help in fixing the water-related issues in their area.  Some of our findings, that a third of people consuming the river water became sick and conflicts were increasing in frequency and intensity such that many end in death or injury, were serious and need dire attention.  It suddenly hit me how important the work my group completed was in an area stricken by poverty and drought with such a heavy reliance on water.  Never until this project did I truly understand the struggles that people in certain parts of the world go through daily to obtain water. 

Leaving Africa on Wednesday was really emotional for everyone.  As we were driving to the airport at 5 AM, we saw giraffes and zebras against the sunrise over Nairobi.  It was awful saying goodbye to a country that has affected me so much over the past three and a half months.  I can’t believe how fast my time studying abroad went by.

I’m currently in London being a tourist for a few days and it’s so weird to be in a huge city.  The city is amazing though, and we’ve already seen quite a few sites.  I’m having a lot of fun and loving the hot showers!  Staying in a hostel is just like being back at home in my dorm and it’s actually comforting.  More to come soon! 

How to Spend a Weekend in Kenya

In the midst of directed research chaos, we spent a day at the lodge in Amboseli and the following day roasting a goat in the middle of the bushland.

At the Amboseli lodge, you go through the gate and past the electric fence and pull into a gravel parking lot surrounded by palm trees.  The staff immediately greets you in fluent English.  However, if you get too distracted, a monkey WILL jump into your slightly open backpack in search for food.  My response was to yank it away from him and he quickly dashed off empty-handed.

You are filtered in through a creative, touristy pathway covered in imprints of animal footprints and surrounded by fancy garden statues.  The gift shop is calling your name.  You enter and it is one of the best you have seen yet, but you can’t buy anything more otherwise your suitcase will explode.  You pass on the souvenirs, but it’s okay because the lunch buffet just opened. 

The smell of real food is wafting down the hallway and as you proceed you encounter a few Maasai men dressed in traditional clothing.  There is a sign at the lodge entrance STRICTLY forbidding photographing the Maasai, but you manage to get a picture with one of them later on anyway.

The buffet is the best food you have eaten in four months.  Every bite is like a little slice of Heaven.  You can barely contain yourself.  The group almost gets kicked out because we are acting so inappropriately excited in the middle of this fancy lodge buffet.  They have everything from brie to chocolate mousse.  Finally something else besides lentils and ugali.  You start to feel less malnourished again but so full you almost make yourself sick. 

The next logical step is heading down to the pool.  You change in a bathroom with flush toilets, noteable enough to be mentioned as it is unusual and special when you encounter a toilet that flushes instead of a creepy hole in the ground.  The bathroom actually smells clean.  Someone also mentions this.  They even have soap at the sinks and a full-length mirror.  It feels like America.

The pool is not green, unlike other lodges, and does not have any amphibians in it.  Surrounding it are comfortable lounge chairs, waiters to bring you drinks and more Maasai warriors on monkey patrol.  Mel and I are approached by one who talks to us for the next five hours.  At one point he asks to trade for our iPods.  He also tells me that if he cut off my blonde hair and brought it back to his village that people would believe it is a lion's mane.  He’s a senior warrior, is saving up money to go to college and has killed a lion.  We get a picture with him before we leave and exchange emails. 

It’s time to leave since our curfew is 6 pm.  We’re feeling pretty good and relaxed and spend the rest of the late afternoon game driving to the exit of Amboseli.  The sun starts to set as you fly down the dirt road standing in the open roof of the Land Cruiser and drive by a hyena and several dozen elephants.  It’s sad to get back to camp.

The next day you have a goat roast with your directed research group and local guides in the middle of nowhere in Kenya.  There are no houses or infrastructures in sight, only thorn bushes.  You hear in the distance the faint, familiar sound of cowbells, a sure sign that Maasai pastoralists are near.  For the entire morning you cooked for the African-style barbecue, making egg salad, chapatti and guacamole and chocolate-frosted brownies from scratch.  Upon arrival you see large pieces of goat meat roasting over a dying fire.  The skin is still hanging out nearby, covered in flies.  The Maasai man that cooked it, a friend of one of the guides, greets you in Maa tribal language. 

When it’s time to eat the goat the group is divided up into three.  Someone whips out a huge knife and we literally squat in a circle.  The Maasai start cutting it up and handing out pieces, systematically going around the circle.  Before you are even done with your first piece they are already forcefeeding you a second and a third and a fourth.  You eat with your hands.  Most of it is really tough and impossible to chew so you sneak it to the rabid-looking dog hanging out nearby whenever no one is looking.

Finally it’s time for the goat skull soup.  You’ve been eyeing it since you arrived.  There is literally the skull of a goat floating in some greenish looking liquid.  Fat globules and a little bit of brain float on top.  The Maasai have a contest as to who can mash up the solids the best with a little wooden tool.  They fill up a mug and we share it among a few of us.  I take a sip to say that I tried it but inevitably feel sick later on. 

Dessert is the brownies, which everyone takes.  The Maasai are funny:  they inspect the brownie, even sniff it, before the try a tiny bite.  Most of them have never eaten a brownie before.  The traditional Maasai man who doesn’t speak English and has never even heard of a brownie holds it in his hand for a while before he gets up enough courage.  At the end of the goat roast, he comes over and asks for another brownie, having licked off only the frosting. 

Back to camp, and time to write your 50 page research paper!

Data, Data, Data

After 161 interviews with local people living along the river, each translating into 50 different variables, we have collected a substantial amount of information for our community perceptions portion of the directed research project.  This part of the project is focusing on water quality, quantity and conflicts in terms of local people’s perceptions on the Noolturesh River in Kenya.  My spreadsheet in our statistical software program looks like the beginning of the Matrix, with millions of numbers scrolling down the screen.  I’ve even had dreams the past few nights about entering data. 

It’s interesting to hear the peoples’ points of view through these interviews, then speak with government officials a few hours later.  The people express frustration and despair about the poor water situation and the local government acknowledges that the people are getting typhoid from the water and that there is not enough to bathe sufficiently or water their crops, but there is a disconnect in terms of getting help and any money is pocketed by corrupt officials. Progress is extremely slow-moving and it is upsetting when you realize that it is going to take a LOT of changes to fix these issues.   

To take a break from data entry and analysis, we headed into Kimana yesterday for market day.  I stopped at the ATM first to withdraw some money and put it out of service.  I only withdrew the equivalent of about forty dollars. 

On market day, the town is flooded with people who set up stalls and sell everything from old nail polish to fresh fruit.  It’s literally a sea of red because the area is heavily settled by Maasai, who wear predominantly red.  Since arriving in Kenya, I have been fascinated by the culture here that was not apparent in Tanzania, in particular relating to the junior warriors of the Maasai tribe.  I was finally able to get a picture with them for free after one of our friends, a local guide for our research project, convinced them in Swahili that “friendship was more important than money.”  Lately it’s been near impossible to upload any pictures in Kenya since the internet is so much worse, but this one is necessary:

Tomorrow we have an off day and are going to Amboseli National Park to swim at the pool, gorge on the buffet and drive around observing the animals.  I feel so guilty every time we go to the tourist lodges because just the day before we interview people who said they go a day without drinking water or walk several kilometers to get twenty liters per day while I am swimming in a huge swimming pool right near their home.  At the same time it is so satisfying to spend the day relaxing and feeling as though I’m in America again and eating food that is similar to what I eat back at home.  I had potato salad the other day and I ate so much of it it almost made me sick.   

There’s only a couple weeks left in Africa now though.  It’s sad to think I’ll likely never again see this many stars in the sky at night or wake up to the sight of Mt. Kilimanjaro.   I’m ready to go home, but I really want to come back someday soon.

Fieldwork and Easter Festivities

In the past few days, we finished up fieldwork for directed research.  I continued GPS mapping the coordinates of the Noolturesh River.  The landscape was mostly jungle, with a few banana plantations mixed in.  Here are the highlights:

Biting ant count: 5 

Huge, poisonous spider count: at least 10 (whose webs I practically walked through)

We were told that you needed to be near a hospital if one of them bit you.  We weren't.  Some were the size of my palm and all kinds of warning colors, reds and yellows. 

My water bottle fell in a river that certainly has typhoid bacteria in it.

Then I fell in it.

I got chased by some cows and slid down some more muddy ravines.

Took GPS waypoints 50 feet above the river standing on a cliff.

And found a poacher’s snare for dik dik (they’re kind of like baby deer).

Back at camp, it’s been pretty typical.  My mosquito net collapsed on me last night because the rat chewed threw the rope tying it to the wall.  I also played peek-a-boo with a bushbaby (a type of very small and curious monkey) yesterday while I was waiting for the shower.  He jumped down from branch to branch to get a closer look at me and then repeatedly hid and then poked his head back out, even mimicking me if I turned my head to the side.  Would anyone mind if I brought one home with me?

We went to church this morning on Easter Sunday, the Church of Pentecost in Kimana.  It was in a small cement building with a tin roof and little benches.  It was no bigger than my room at home.  As soon as we entered the choir started singing the most exuberant song I’ve ever heard in a church.  The only instruments they used were drums.  After the song ended everyone raised their arms and closed their eyes and each person was shouting their own prayer.  It was so loud and chaotic. Then we all clapped to praise the Lord.  We did this many times throughout the service. 

The pastor welcomed us several times and had us introduce ourselves in Swahili.  The sermon itself was in both English and Swahili since there were more of us there than local people.  It ended in shouting and prayers for our school and our research.  The pastor worked up such a sweat that he whipped out a cloth in the middle of his speech to wipe off his face.  It was so hot I thought I might faint.

After the service, which lasted two hours and ended only because the next one was about to start, we piled into the LandCruisers and went back to camp.  Some of the students organized an Easter egg hunt!  They even found some candy to fill the eggs with.  It was a fun way to celebrate several continents away from home. 

We’re conducting more interviews tomorrow then starting data analysis and write-up of our research paper.  I’m just hoping the rat doesn’t come again tonight, but I wouldn’t mind a few more bushbabies.  Happy Easter!

Ants in my Pants

The first two days of directed research involved sliding down a few ravines, falling in some irrigation canals and learning how to use a GPS to map the Noolturesh River for purposes of measuring human encroachment and water use by the local people.  Little did I know that I would be trekking through the African jungle with vegetation so dense I could barely see through it and thorns scratching me all over.  There are these really annoying plants that stick to you and chafe your legs through your pants. You know it’s pretty bad when the local guide looks at you and says “You bush.”  They’re called Forget Me Nots.  I told the guides that the American version of Forget Me Nots are little blue flowery plants.    

But the craziest part was the safari ants that literally climbed all the way up my legs beneath my pants, biting all the way up.  I had to stop a few times to get them out of my underwear.  This really happened.

Despite all that it’s still a really cool experience.  The area is beautiful, with palm trees and Sykes monkeys scattered along the river, and the people are really friendly even though we’re trespassing on their property.  There are no trespassing laws in Kenya though, so there’s nothing to worry about.  I think they really appreciate seeing people who look like they might do something to improve their desperate water situation.  We’ve tromped through numerous tomato patches, corn fields and banana plantations to map this river that ranges from a mere trickle to wide with a current.

Tomorrow we start interviews based on water usage, everything from how close their farm is to the stream to how often they get sick from the river water.  I’m excited but a little nervous because you never know what might happen during an interview:  a mother breastfeeding her 3 year old, one of the many flies at the bomas going up your nose or a donkey causing such a disturbance that you can’t even hear the response.  Just another day doing research in Africa.

Kibaki comes to Kimana

Yesterday we heard that the Kenyan President, Kibaki, was coming to our town to do a ribbon cutting for the new paved road and give a speech.  After class today we headed into Kimana and over to the tents set up for his speech.  It was a good setup, with lots of shade for the audience and a legit sound system with tribal dancing while everyone waited for him to arrive. 

We ended up waiting three hours before he finally came in an entourage of Mercedes station wagons.  He got out and was surrounded by some security guys in suits.  All of the students in my group were standing along the side of the road, dying of heat stroke and waiting for him to cut the ribbon and proceed in to give his speech.  All of a sudden we realized that one of the guys in the group was heading onto the road with a group of Kenyans.  He apparently told them that he was part of the press, since he had a voice recorder and camera.  For whatever reason they believed him and he was several feet away from the President, documenting the entire event.  They even ushered him into the arena to some VIP seating for the actual speech part.  At that point we had to leave and head back to camp so he was able to get away. 

It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, since I only saw him for a few seconds, but we did get to interact with the locals quite a bit.  At one point I was sitting down waiting for the President to arrive in the midst of the crowd and was completely surrounded by African children 10 and under who were stroking my hair and clinging to me.  We also got to see some of my favorite Maasai, the junior warriors, decked out in beads and weapons with long dyed-red dreadlocks. 

That was pretty much the highlight of the day and tomorrow we start all kinds of statistical work for direct research.  I’m working on water usage and human encroachment in the Noolturesh river system, which should be pretty interesting considering how important water is to the community and its scarcity.  Hope all is well back at home!

The Tsavo Man-Eaters

The story of the Tsavo man-eating lions begins in the late 1800s when a railroad was being built to divide Tsavo National Park in southern Kenya.  The project was lead by an English general and was well underway when something went horribly wrong.  By night construction laborers were attacked and taken away by two male lions.  It is estimated that thirty-five to one hundred men were eaten before these lions were killed.  The lion pelts, which were used as rugs by the general for several years, have been restored and are shown in a Chicago museum.  It is theorized that the lions may be a sub-species because of their larger size, shorter manes and taste for human flesh.  To this day it is required to have armed guards from the Kenya Wildlife Service stay at the campsite at night because several years ago a couple was dragged out of their tent by the Tsavo lions. 

For the past week I’ve been camping in Tsavo, but unfortunately didn’t see any of these famous lions.  We did see giraffes, elephants, multiple antelope species and even a cheetah, which is extremely rare for this park!  On the way to the campsite we stopped at Shetani Lava Flow, an impressive landscape composed entirely of volcanic rock, and Mzima Springs, the most beautiful, clear water filled with fish that I have seen yet in Africa.  There was even an underwater viewing tank.  Since the severe drought in 2009 there are no longer hippos here but we did see a massive crocodile.

The next day we took a trip to the Chyulu Hills, an incredibly scenic conservation area with roads that are better than a Disney ride.  Aside from a few bird ecologists, we are the only people that use the road that climbs up through the hills completely covered in tall grass and thorny trees.  Standing up in the Land Cruisers, we were dodging fallen trees and thorns as if it was some kind of obstacle course.

We went into town after a lecture day, a major truck stop called Mtito Andei, which is halfway between Mombasa and Nairobi.  Myself and a few of the other girls were thrilled because we were in Kamba territory!  I was given a Kamba tribal name by the previous staff in Tanzania so when we were talking to the vendors we introduced ourselves with our Kamba names.  The women started laughing hysterically and speaking Kamba to us.  They really got a kick out of it, and I think they may have given us a better deal on the wood carvings we bought because we were “sisters”.

On our last day we visited the Ngulia Wildlife Sanctuary and listened to several Kenya Wildlife Service officers talk about the successes and failures of the sanctuary.  They even named one of the newborn rhinos after an SFS student in the last group!  So of course we all put a word in for a rhino to be named after us.

It’s been stressful ever since we got back because of exams and papers, but we’re finally starting Directed Research in only a few days.  I’m hoping to do Wildlife Ecology, which focuses on water usage in the region.  At the end, we present our research to the entire community, with a translator for the locals in attendance.  I have mixed feelings about beginning the last academic portion of this program, both sadness that I’ll be leaving East Africa in less than a month and relief to get back to the comforts of America.