Tanzania - Oh How You have Claimed my Heart

Serengeti Sunset

One of the terrible things about being in Africa is it is terribly easy to give your heart away. To the people, animals, music, smell, landscapes and even food.

Another mysterious African Beverage 

 I knew the day was coming, but I was in denial for a while. Our group was scheduled to leave Tanzania and switch to Kenya for the remaining of the semester.

 

I still feel torn as I had made so many friends in Tanzania that I was just beginning to get to know so well and come to love. The staff here have been the best, often bringing me to tears with their sentiments or on going jokes we have. Moses, who we call “fairy god Moses”, is a close friend as he runs the duka (store) and is just a joy to be around at all times. 

Livingston is one of the drivers, who often made me laugh til I cried. 

Livingston                   - - Kioko - -            Moses and John

Paskali doesn’t speak english, but was always one to hang out and try a game of volley ball. 

Paskali                            Christian and Julie

Mwanhanga, my environmental policy professor, was at first hard to understand. But as time passed he became the person who cared for our group the most. During the debrief for our leaving he had us all give up and he said “ and now we shall hug”. Christian, my Wildlife manager professor, had his girlfriend and her daughter visit (who only speak german) and I got to spend significant amounts of time with the 7 year old.

Christian

We both cried when we had to part and Christian told me that she really wants to email me because she was so sad. 

Julie                                           Primary School Children

Kioko, my ecology professor, is very dear to me. He is one of the smartest, kindest people in the world, and has invited me to his house while I am staying in Nairobi so that I can meet his family. John, the intern, I got to know very well, and will miss sharing so many laughs and games with,

John brushing his teeth on a bike ride...

Yohana always had stories to tell, coming from the Maasai - and even taught me how to throw a spear. 

Yohana Skinning a goat                          Akari Bura with at Prom

 Askari Bura was always singing and make us laugh til we peed with his impressions of himself bashing Hyenas in the Serengeti.

I have many friends at the secondary town and many of the children know me. Tanzania, with its’ upshoot of banana plants everywhere one looks, with rolling hills and lush bushes and trees. I really miss it even now, thinking about all of the memories left behind. One of the interns in Kenya but it nicely. Because Tanzania was the first African country I visited, it will surely always claim my heart. I truly believe this. I have felt such a connection here, that I am sure I will come back.

Even though I knew I was leaving the place that I had called home the last two months, I knew that Kenya would be amazing as well – possibly better (even though I am too stubborn to consider it). The mixed feelings of being so incredibly torn and sad with the excitement of another unknown adventure left me feeling confused and frustrated at not knowing how to deal with my feelings. Many of the students were completely ready to move on from Tanzania – but I felt as though my true adventure there had just begun.

As we stopped at the border to cross immigration into Kenya and trade cars and meet the other SFS group, it hit me that I was actually leaving. The travelers I am sure wondered what was going on as tears poured unstoppably down my face.

We arrived to the new camp, in Kimana Kenya a few hours later. I knew as I stepped out of the cars that once again, this place would capture my heart and sink into my very soul. And I would again have to endure being ripped from its’ embrace come December.

Painting the Landscape

The first thing I saw is Mt. Kilimanjaro in all its’ glory reaching far into the sky with ice capped peak. This is a rare sight so close to the rainy season as often clouds surround the vase mountain. The camp is a huge expanse of land with an acacia forest, river, soccer and volley ball court and tons of ground for exploring. Baboons were traveling across the courtyard, minding their own business. The Bandas and Chumba are made out of wood hatching, giving them a distinctive ethnic feel. An owl sits high in one of the acacia trees, overlooking the new comers. And we hear stories of black mambas and bush babies causing catastrophes during the night. This place tastes of the magic of wildlife and nature bursting in every corner.

 

Erica and I wearing Iraqw Wedding Skirt               Psaddy Cake with Maasai Child

The first few days here we took hikes out through a desert landscape to learn about the ecosystems found here. These adventures brought us to the most incredible views of the African Savanna were you could spy the perfect circles of Maasai bomas in the distance. The hike today took us through lands where giraffes and zebra were causally making their way across the passage way.

I feel like I have only just got here, but we again are leaving for another expedition! This time we will be traveling to Lake Nakuru – the land of a million flamingoes, teaming with Rhinos.

 

Mural Painting at the Orphanage

I feel that throughout life, you normally expect things, and live life with either the fulfillment of those expectations, or disappointment. However, here in Africa everyday is far outreaching my highest expectations and proving to me just how much I can learn, enjoy and take in here.  

John being John

Serengeti - updated!

The past week has been a glorious mix of childhood dreams and national geographic pictures that you never believe are real. On the drive there we visited Olduvai gorge, which is one of the most famous archeological sights in the world. I was fortunate enough to indulge my love of fossils and wonder at the valley below me where people come to discover the secrets of the past through clues left behind. As we entered into the thousands of kilometers that encompass the Serengeti national park, herds of impala and gazelle reached far beyond the horizon until the vision ended in the infamous mirage which gave the impression of a far off lake. The roads from there turned into harsh bumpy terrains which nearly threw me from my seat on every turn. One particular turn caused the tires of the rover to slip on the mud and we were thrown off the road into acacia bushland and were forced to drive over huge boulders (don't worry, everyone was fine).

 When we got to the gate of the park we learned that the huge bus called the Rhino, which hauls all of our gear, broke down and that it was now a mystery where we would sleep that evening as it would not make it back in time to set up before dark. So plans quickly changed, and on the spur of the moment we were to embark on our first Serengeti game drive while it was being decided where we should spend the night. The landscape of this park is enormously different than the previous parks, as Serengeti is so expansive that in any direction it seemed as though the grass would never end. Our first expedition took us to a pride of female lions basking on boulder formations with a cub poking it's head out from the highest point. Then a serval sprinted out in front of the rover and dove into the tall grassland. Only a few kilometers from here, 3 female lions where lying right beside the road taking their afternoon nap before the hunt that evening. As we headed back towards our camp site the animals were just beginning to jump into full gear for the nights activities.

Technically Illegal...

Upon retiring to camp we discovered we would be sleeping in a youth hostel that evening and eat at a restaurant the locals eat at - but that we would have no access to our bags as they were still stuck with the Rhino. The food was delicious as they piled our plates full of rice, chicken and cabbage. As I walked outside I had to sit and breathe for a moment as the sky was full of stars as far as the horizon and one could trace the milky way from border to border. We piled in the cars and as we turned on the head lights there was an enormous surprise: a full grown hippo was walking right through the grounds of the restaurant! These massive animals cause more human deaths than any other African mammal- so as you can imagine, there was quite an up roar. It seemed to be causing no harm, however. We made it to the hostel and found our way to our massive dorm which was full of bunk beds for everyone and made beds with jackets and shukas. I wasn't asleep for long when suddenly African music was blaring through the dorm. Everyone woke with a start and a few brave students ventured to see who was causing the rukus at 4 am. As it turned out several women were doing their morning prayers with worship music, a tradition that we became keenly aware of in this moment. After a few more hours of restless sleep, we made our way to the camp grounds to set up tents and help the kitchen staff cook breakfast. We were then assigned to make giraffe and elephant observations for the next two hours. This was actually quite fun as we were able to view them long enough to find distinguishing features and name them - which helped us discover who they were for the next three days.

One of the many lakes

After this we were given free reign for a game drive, which brought us to some of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. After a herd of over 40 elephants, we came across a gathering of vehicles which were viewing a male lion off in the distance. Not only this, but he was currently mating a female every 20 or so minutes - as is common for this species. This is a sight few people have been lucky enough to witness. After this, we were driving off into dusk and came across the animal I have been most excited to see: the endangered leopard! She was crawling through the high grass, seemingly stocking our car- and then walked right in front of us and beneath the car ahead! I have never seen a more majestic creature. Shortly after this, we were blessed with the sighting of a second leopard nearby who was sneaking off into the pinks and purples spread across the sky at sunset. Even though we had to head back to camp, this was hardly the end of the excitement of the day. After diner we soon discovered a few hyenas prowling the borders of our camp- hoping to get their paws on something tasty. When we went to our tents we could hear a few of them fighting and howling just meters away. Lucky for us, we had our guard Bura who has no fear is bashing these creatures away from the tents (he literally has a stick he bashes them with). The next morning a few students reported that they had seen buffalo and lions outside of the bathroom! Quite the night.

First Leopard

The next day were went on a bird watching exercise, which was going to test my new found detective hobby of bird identification. We saw many beautiful and unique species, but at the end of our transect we were at the hippo pool where it was filled with ibises, storks, Egyptian geese and ducks. Then an enormous female lion appeared out of no where and walked right next to our car! She was no more than 5 meters away. This was the closet I have ever been to an animal so powerful and dangerous. We continued on and were able to spot 4 more leopards and then at the very end, a female leopard with an infant hiding in the grass behind. I can't begin to express my excitement and elation at such a rare sight. We traveled back with buffalo roaming near the roads and hyenas stretching in preparation for the hunt. That night we had more visitors with Bura reporting that he had "bash bash" the hyena. I laugh every time he tells me.

Hippo Pool with a crocodile floating in it

Love birds - parrots! 

The next morning we got to go on game drive again and we saw a pride of lions next to a Buffalo carcass with hyenas waiting to devour the remains. We also saw an infant hippo trampling behind it's mother! Other groups saw a liter of cheetah cubs, which I was bummed to have missed. But then I remembered everything I did see, and there was no way I could even have a minute of regret. We got to stop at a spot with over 100 hippos with several young ones popping their ears out of the mud. Quite the sight - and even more the smell.

Hyrax sitting at the table with me

In the afternoon we traveled to Serena lodge were we got to enjoy foods we have long forgotten about such as cheese, steak, salads and even sausage! Some of the best food I have ever eaten. We then got to enjoy their infinity pool which reached out to the beautiful Serengeti landscape with delicious coffee and biscuits. Afterwords we drove through rain into vase expanses of plains with elephants enjoying the rains and a bat eared fox darting before the lighting. This scenery was my favorite I have seen so far.

Elephant Rain Parade

We ended the day with an interesting sight. Tanzania national park rangers were off roading and throwing rocks at several large baboons that were near the tree the leopard baby was under the day before. We found out that the baboons were trying to kill the cub and that the rangers were teaching them a lesson to leave it alone. One of the baboons died. The mother and cub were hiding safe in a fallen tree near by. This issue is complex because the leopards should not learn to depend on humans for protection, but leopards are endangered enough that a cub's death would be detrimental to the species. It becomes an intricate issue of how much human involvement is too far...

Africa Eagle on top of a dead Hyena

It was a bittersweet night at the campfire as we knew it was one of our last nights with the staff there. Our policy teacher, Mwanhanga, had us all stand and hold hands and tell our friends on either side that they were our best friend. I definitely shed a few tears. On our way out we were able to enjoy a small pride of female lions with their cubs crawling over one another only a few meters away - a sight I will not soon forget.

Overall I am still in disbelief of everything I was blessed to see in this amazing adventure, Where the Wild Things Are.

What is today? No wait, what month is it?

Today it is 11:47 pm on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

My perception of time has completely gone astray, and today is no exception. In Swahili class we learned how to tell time and they read the English clock different than the English system and so now I am even more confused. And it’s not just on what time it is. I usually have no clue what day of the week it is, which is usually one of the defining factors of life back at college, knowing the day of the month is rare and unusual. I even still think it’s September most days and wrote the wrong year a few times... This is the best way I know how to describe how time goes here. It is so slow that I feel like I have been here years with how many things I have experienced and done, but at the same time I think about my time here approaching six weeks and I literally cannot comprehend it because nothing in me will believe that is true.

I feel like I blogged a few days ago, and then I pulled out my computer and realized it was two weeks, and couldn’t believe it. But then when I listed all of the things I have done and accomplished in that time, I couldn’t believe it had only been two weeks.

Two weeks ago I had one of the most incredible experiences of my whole life up to this point. I traveled to the Ngorongoro Crater and saw things few people have ever seen with their own eyes. The crater itself is said to be one of the 8^th wonders of the world because of its beauty. The drive down into the crater is terrifying as the slender road zags along the rim and then dives down steep roads into Where the Wild Things Are. It is unlike anything else with the combination of fear and adventure surrounded by towering walls and shallow lakes with hidden forests behind them.  It began with spotting two black rhinos, which are one of the most endangered large mammals, which I was incredibly lucky to view. Then a pair of ostriches performed their mating dance with elegant wing formations. Hyenas prowled on a heard of wildebeest, while a jackal watched nearby. A pride of female lions basked on the banks of a river enjoying the cool shade of the trees. And then the highlight of the day: a female cheetah was within five feet of our rover, and was just finishing her kill. I was privileged enough to watch her stroll among the vehicles and plop down in the shade to gain a little rest after the over exerting hunt. I couldn’t believe how majestic she looked wandering within the grass, panting and licking the blood off of her chin.

Hopefully I can post more pictures soon of this incredible experience, because no matter how many words I write, I will never be able to come close to illustrating the beauty, mystery and adventure of this magical place.

After this experience, it felt like waking up from a long dream to have to go back to class the next day. Luckily, our professors had many interesting lectures in store for us that completely captured my attention. A few days after we were able to travel to Mto Wa Mbu and hear about a farm there that is using an irrigation system as well as crop rotation. Yeah, this may sound boring, but picture this: 32 of us sitting under these enormous banana plantations surrounded by green crops on any side with the canal of water feet away. We were privileged enough to walk along the stream and fields. There were many women, some with infants strapped onto their backs, working hard to harvest the fields. Many of them were so diligent in their work that they did not even raise their eyes to view these strange mzungos watching them.

A few days after we traveled to many different organizations throughout the area that are coming up with ideas of alternative fuel sources, as almost all of the people here must still use fire wood to cook, which is causing a huge deforestation problem that is affecting the people and the ecosystems. Many of the places we traveled also had tree nurseries in which they would distribute these trees for people to plant within their land. One business is in the process of creating more efficient bricks for the buildings here.

Our next non program day we had the opportunity of a life time. I didn’t think anything could rival the Ngorongoro safari, but this experience came in close second. We went to Lake Manyara again, however this time we were able to bike through area outside the park to the lake. This trail took us through more banana plantations, acacia forests (watch out for those thorns…) and finally into the grasslands, which had herds of zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo grazing nearby. We were able to bike very near these fascinating creatures, which I thought I would only ever seen in moves and magazines. Once we arrived near the lake, we hike to the edge of the water, (through the combination of mud and flamingo poo) and were able to catch glimpses of the flamingo flocks off in the distance. Truly incredible. On the way back he took us to a local shops where we were able to view the town artists at work, as well as the woodsmen who do the beautiful wooden carvings. We were also fortunate to visit a momma who brews local banana beer, which is a tradition within this city. We were able to try it and it was one of the strangest things I have ever tasted.

Just when I thought the day, or week, or last 2 months, couldn’t get any better, we traveled that afternoon to a place called “Gibb’s Farm”. Wow. It left me speechless and my mouth hurt from smiling so much throughout the day. This “farm” as it is so called, is extremely deceptive, as it is more a combination of a local organic farm and tourist lodging, as well as a coffee plantation. It is set on the hill side of the Ngorongoro park, near a path that I hike a few weeks previously in which female elephants take at night, and has a view that overlooks the mountains and farms of the rural Tanzanian people. Absolutely stunning. When we arrived, they even had a bathroom designed to overlook the view. He gave us a tour of the local livestock they keep for beef, pork, chicken and milk and saw the largest pig of my life.

Next he showed us the endless fresh, organic vegetable garden. It stretched for miles with literally any vegetable you can imagine. I have never missed a salad so much in my life. He showed us where they harvest to coffee and were the lookout posts for the elephants are, as well as the signal/ camp fire is. He then took us to a little garden tucked away in the coffee plantations that had gorgeous flowers and trees blooming with violet blossoms next to streams and creeks and I felt like I was in a fairy tale. We then got to try their coffee and I knew I had to be dreaming. It was the most amazing drink of my life, and star bucks will never taste good again. I fully intend to return to this fantasy farm someday…

My absolute favorite activity so far as been the second trip we took to volunteer at the orphanage. My student affairs manager put me and one other girl in charge of planning a mural in one of the bed rooms that we had painted last time. We sketched out all of the main large mammals of Africa that were known to tromp across any young American’s dreams. When we got there, we only had two hours to complete the sketch that I had spent hours and hours putting together, and I felt incredibly downcast as I knew for sure there was no way we would be able to put together what we had created on paper the night before. But I was determined to try. We got everyone to add in what they could offer  - which was anywhere from grass and tree painting, to unrealized talents of bringing zebras and elephants to life upon the walls. With brushes and paints flying across the room and students scrambling on tables, and often one another, I was finally able to catch a breath at the end and stare at what we had accomplished. My jaw completed dropped. The scene was real and majestic, with a leopard lying in the famous baobab tree with a giraffe nibbling nearby and a roaring lion underneath. The next wall over a rhino and a zebra graze, and a gorilla and elephant look on from the wall behind. It was gorgeous and perfect. By far the best team mural I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. The children were so excited and curious, and couldn’t wait to look at. I truly felt at home combing my love of painting, animals and children into one project and I felt as though it was something I could spend the rest of my life loving every minute of. I am so excited to spend time with the orphans in Kenya, and hope that they might let me complete some art projects there as well.

I did something out of character for me and joined a formal soccer team in our group here that was scheduled to play the secondary school in the village. As this is one of the few sports they have here, the team is outstandingly good and I almost ran from the game as our team approached the field and no less than 300 children were ready to watch the match begin. I was appointed as goal keeper – even though I have never played this before (let alone soccer in the last 11 years) – and was terrified at being the sole reason our team would lose. I did let in several goals, but I saved at least double the amount let in. I was thoroughly surprised. One of my local friends, Valentine, got a kick out of my efforts and we made jokes about how I was a “good goalie” because I let in goals that allowed her team to win. I said next time I should be the goalie for her team and she should see how really good I am then. J

The next week was the most difficult I have had here yet, as we finished up our final lectures and had to prepare for our finals here – which I felt most unready for. Luckily after days of nothing monotonous studying and reading the finals were underway and went without a hitch. I was highly frustrated during this time as people dug back into their old study habits that they would have back in America and had complete panic attacks over these tests. I had so much trouble gaining any motivation to care for the tests and something as arbitrary as a grade in a study abroad program when I thought of the problems and cares of the people right outside our gates. I wondered why it is so easy to care about a grade on a test, yet so hard for us to gain more perspective to care about the people’s real problems that have ailed them endlessly.

I finished my last final today and rejoiced, even though it made me miss my friends back at home. But even more exciting than finishing finals is the next adventure I have to embark upon. In a few short hours, 6 to be precise, we travel to the near mythical land of Serengeti National Park and get to camp there for 4 days. I can hardly contain my excitement and it feels like I am a child getting ready to go to Disney land. We spent all day packing and preparing food and water and going over safetly protocols. We will literally be camping in an area that is known to have wildlife approach (such as lions and hyenas) and we will definitely be hearing them while we sleep. We have 4 solid days of game drives filled with lions lying under the Rovers and finally getting to spot a Leopard. One Day we rest at the lodge and swim and get to have desert! I can hardly wait and I am not sure I will be able to sleep tonight from excitement. While there I won’t have internet but be sure I will write about it when I return! Pray for safe travels and experience that will last a life time.