Kilimanjaro Bush Camp – Day 2 and 3 – 3/25-3/26/11

Kilimanjaro Bush Camp – Day 2 – 3/25/11

I was woken up by a fellow student dragging one of my roommates out the door for a jog along the running trail.  I decided to get up too and yawned my way out of the mosquito net and out the door.  I then had to stand with my mouth hanging open as I took in a perfect view of Mount Kilimanjaro.  I was four feet out my banda door and I was looking at the very high snow covered peak of Kili.  I have no idea how long I stood there before I ran back inside and grabbed my camera and took as many pictures as I could before my memory card was full.  Breakfast was good (better than Moyo…..sorry but it is) and we all settled in for orientation.  The Ep, WE, and WM professors each spoke about a different aspect of what we will be doing here covering the case study, academics, and general announcements.  This session lasted about three hours with a short break before lunch.  After lunch we met with Molly our SAM (student affairs manager) to go over safety stuff and show us the sports field in the forest area where we can play soccer, Frisbee and anything else we feel like.  We had some free time before our next thing so I wandered around other parts of camp that I had not yet seen.  At 3pm we got our “community wear” on and visited our neighboring Maasai.  The women were all dressed up and sang a welcome song and we sang “Hey Ya” in response which turned into a mini dance party under the acacia trees with us jumping around and the Maasai women dancing with us and laugh.  Having two ukulele players and enthusiastic singers continues to be a huge help.  After the welcome and dancing we were shown commonly used artifacts by the Maasai and the inside of a traditional boma.  Like the last one we visited, the boma was very dark with a low ceiling.  There is one small area for the mama to sleep and a larger area for the father and boys with a cramped space between them that has the traditional three stone cooking area, a firewood rack, and stacked plates and cups.  The only light sources were four 2 inch square hole in the wall to let air in and hopefully smoke out.  Back outside we examined the thorn bush paddocks that are in the middle of the boma circle and admired the lambs and kids inside.  Back under the acacia trees outside the protective thorn fence around the boma circle the women has laid out jewelry and carvings they had made.  I got two bracelets and a necklace that I think are pretty.  It was a short visit but our neighbors seemed very happy to see us.  Back in camp I tried out the running trail that goes along the inside of the fence around camp.  It is slightly less than a mile and flat but the monkeys in the trees and the birds flying around made for an interesting run.  The other bonus for running in the evening heat was the shower at the end.  They were not kidding when they said the water was cold.  If I had not been sweating the icy blast would have been awful.  It was not exactly thrilling but the first few minutes felt kind of nice.  It of course began to rain as I walked back to my banda so I was extra wet when I dashed for the chumba for dinner.  Since the food was not quite ready four girls and I flicked a balloon between us.  Just to prove had easily entertained we are we kept this up until the balloon spontaneously popped scaring all of us into fits of laugher.  The whole chumba was decorated for Courtney’s 21^st birthday with a place of honor in the middle of the U.  She had her own table complete with candle, flowers, and Maasai table cloth and her chair had balloons taped all along the back.  The food was really good and kitchen staff had made a fabulous birthday cake.  Unfortunately the rest of the evening was spent reading an incredibly dense 50 page article on Kenyan development history.  I flopped on to the ground to star gaze on my way back to the banda (yes I checked for snakes first) to adjust my eyes to the dark and just enjoy how bright the sky was.  Going to bed in the dark is a skill I have further perfected here.  However the consistent obstacle in this activity is the mosquito net.  Tonight a corner decided to fall on my face as soon as I had tucked all the ends in.  Instead of dealing with it I’m just going to curl up in the middle of my bed and hope I don’t wake up under a pile of netting.

Kilimanjaro Bush Camp – Day 3 – 3/26/11

Good news.  My mosquito net did not fall on me the rest of the night!  Got organized and headed for breakfast.  It is very convenient to eat and have class in the same place I have found.  I ate most of my breakfast but was able to slowly enjoy my fruit during the two hour class we had on the Kenyan economy, history, and development.  After a half an hour break we had a guest lecturer from the Amboseli Elephant Research Project come and talk to us for WM.  She was very interesting and told us lots and lots of stories of the elephants she has been working to save and learn about for most of her life.  One story was of a young male shortly before his family kicked him out and a new baby under a year old.  The whole family was walking in a line and the baby was doing its best to keep up and was followed by the young male.  The young male obviously was tired of walking and carrying his trunk so he laid it on the back of the baby in front of him.  This was not cool with the baby which immediately turned around and screamed at its older brother.  The young male was very taken aback and removed his trunk.  They continued walking for a bit and the young male again put his trunk on the baby.  Again the baby turned and screamed and this time hit the young male with his tiny trunk.  This pattern went on for quite a while until the baby’s mother chased off the young male who retreated to the back of the line to sulk.  The talk ran over a bit so our question and answer session was accompanied by the tempting aroma of lunch just behind the burlap wall separating the tables and the kitchen.  Lunch was excellent and even had avocado quarters for us.  At the end of lunch, Daniel (KBC Swahili teacher) took a group of us out to the trees behind the right hand side bandas to spot bush babies in the trees.  Class started again at 2pm and we learned more about the development of Kenya and the current political set up.  Teams for a volleyball tournament had been picked (I was doing class readings while everyone signed up so I am just spectating) and the first round began as soon as class ended.  I found a book in the much more extensive KBC library and settled under a tree to read and watch the game.  The games ended about 30 mins before dinner allowing everyone to shower and run to get in line.  No birthday celebration tonight but the food was good and I learned that African rats have different tastes than American rats.  African rats won’t eat poison in peanut butter; they prefer ugali the rather tasteless corn flour stuff the consistency of thick mashed potatoes.  Again the stars were outstanding and the generator turned off at 11pm sending all of us to our bandas and sleeping bags.  

Kilimanjaro Bush Camp – Day 1 – 3/24/11

Another early morning today.  Everyone was rushing around trying to fit all their stuff into the same bags that they arrived with, eat breakfast, and pack the lorry.  We left the camp for the last time at 6:50 am waving to the staff that could not come with us.  I was in Erica’s car for the four to five hour drive to the Ta/Ky border.  Because of all the packing that had to get done everyone was really tired and dozed off and on for the first two hours of the drive.  We made one stop to go to the bathroom at which point I switched from middle of the car to the passenger seat.  Erica and I talked for the remained of the drive as we passed a country club, road construction (with lots of soil erosion), and one of the SFS staff on days off in his home town!  Mostly the scenery was flat grass or bushland until we got within 20 kms of Kenya.  There was a short range of mountains that reared right above the border and sharply contrasted with the surrounding flat bushland.  We pulled up within the border crossing area, filled out exit forms, and said good bye to our Tanzanian drivers.  Erica and a member of the Kenya staff helped us get our passports stamped and gathered us into an area to wait while the Kenya group was organized.  We waited for a long time and still the other group was not ready.  During this waiting period Erica brought over the Kenya SAM Molly so we had some time to chat with her.  Finally Erica had us cross the road to meet the other group while they were being processed by immigration.  They also have 29 students yet they seemed a larger group since there was no familiar faces.  Our time mixing was very short because we soon continued on into Kenya.  This border crossing meant walking thru this mix of stalls selling all manner of things (all very overpriced of course) to a high metal fence and proceeding through a gate.  I have a picture of the sign immediately after the fence saying “You are now entering Kenya”.  The other side did not look very different.  There were Maasai women and men trying to sell sandals, jewelry, and food everywhere, cars and trucks slowly weaving through each other either going or coming from Tanzania, and plenty of chickens and dogs running around to add to the general chaos.  Staff from KBC met us and we were introduced to our drivers and reacquainted with the program assistant Martin.  The luggage was already transferred to the Kenyan cruisers which were parked a short hike away at a tourist hotel.  Getting to the hotel we had cold sodas, clean bathrooms, and comfy chairs at our disposal.  We spent another hour and a half or so here chatting and relaxing while immigration stamped our student visas.  I had been the first to get my passport stamped but apparently all our student visas needed to be stamped and approved as well.  With a two hour drive still in front of us I was very eager to get going despite the rare comfort of big chairs with cushions and cold sodas.  Around 3pm we were loading into the cruisers (I choose Molly’s so I could pick her brain about KBC and get to know her) and headed out.  The rough dirt road and bushland looked the same as on the Tanzanian side but as we left town we saw fewer and fewer people besides the occasional herd of cattle or goats with herdsman.  After a little over an hour we approached the Amboseli National Park gates and the drivers suddenly took a left on to what even I would hesitate to call a track through the shrub/grassland.  It costs money to drive through the park so we were going on locally used roads on the edge of the park (aka cattle tracks). I thought this was fantastic as we bumped and jostled our way across uneven ground and avoided huge gullys created by soil erosion from heavy rains.  The sky was going from full sun toward evening, which I have already told you cast the most amazing light onto the landscape.  Kili was not visible but we could see the outline of the base which foreshadows the height to be seen on a clear day.  We drove the last 20km to camp on a beautiful tarmac road before turning right onto a well maintained gravel road.  This road wound through some more acacia bushland and past the local secondary boarding school before bringing us to the rust red gate complete with smiling Maasai watchmen that was the entrance to KBC.   

The camp is much, much bigger than Moyo (thank god) and we could immediately see bandas on both sides of the road set many yards back from the driveway.  All the roofs were thatched with a sharp peak and small dormer like structured for the windows.  All along the drive there is a beautiful bush with purple flowers and there are lots of yellow bark acacias providing shade.  Some people describe the feel of summer camp but it looks like a real field station to me.  The chumba (dining hall/classroom) has a high ceiling with many beams and older wooden table shaped in a U around a podium/projector/chalkboard at the front and center.  Another bonus is that every chair I have seen so far is large enough for an average human and is not made of metal which will poke you.  The kitchen is at the bottom of the U and has a hallway for us to go along and get food.  The best part is that from the driveway the chumba has a porch and a big opening which you can walk between the kitchen hallway and the bottom of the U and straight out the other side.  Here is another porch, bigger and with a few seats and benches looking out over a large grassy area with fire pit close to the porch, student banda on either side, a volleyball court, and beyond all of this a far fire pit in a clearing with a thatched gazebo and chairs before a path continues into the forest area within camp.  It is glorious with wide open spaces, many birds, and tall acacia trees.  You can really stretch here and spread out….a very nice change from Moyo where I felt like I was tripping over everyone all the time.  Back in the chumba and at the front of the U (top of the right arm if you are standing at the bottom) is the door into the library and computer room.  This was a lovely discovery since it has to be twice if not more times larger than the library at Moyo and the computer room has more than three chairs and they are all comfy!!!!!  But back outside.  We were divided into three groups and given quick tours of the camp.  The bandas hold up to four people.  There are four beds on wooden frames about 2 feet off the floor and the space is split into four corners by half-wall height storage units for each bed/person.  Since we are keeping the space living arrangements from Moyo this gives Jess, Steph and I a whole empty corner to store bags and extra stuff.  The bathrooms/showers are separate from the bandas and sit on either side of the chumba.  Staff and faculty housing are very removed from us and give the professors their own space and privacy.  One really cool thing they have right next to the chumba are twelve raised solar panels on metal poles that swivel.  It is the MOD’s job to turn the panels each morning to catch the rising sun’s rays and again in the afternoon to get the evening light.  The power is stored directly in a huge battery which powers the chumba and therefore the kitchen, all the lights inside the classroom/library/computer room, as well as all the outlets for us to charge our electronics.  After the tours we hauled our luggage to our bandas (I’m now in Encorongoru….meaning Bush baby!) and unpack a little bit before dinner.  The food was very good.  They had a bowl of cut cucumber, tomato, and green pepper and the meat especially was much more tender than Moyo.  The rest of the evening was spent unpacking and watching The Lion King on the excellent TV in the chumba.  Walking back to the banda (carefully after many many warnings about snakes, scorpions and other fun biodiversity) the stars were amazing.  I know I said that at Moyo also but they were even brighter and more impressive here.  Even at Moyo the lights from the bandas made the stars dimmer.  Here all lights cut off at 11pm and the sky just lights up with starlight.  There is no light pollution so it gets really dark and you can see everything above you.  However as beautiful as it was the long day was finally taking effect.  I slid into my sleeping bag and watched the sky out of my little banda window as I fell asleep. 

Moyo Hill Camp – Day 45, 46, and 47 – 3/21-3/23/11

3/21

Today was our last non-program day in Tanzania.  Breakfast was fantastic since the cook crew of the day had made cinnamon sugar pancakes, toast, and cinnamon twists!!!  For activities a group went into Karatu, another to Mtu wa Mbu, and my group decided to take a hike.  We left from camp and hiked with Erica and Paolo the back way to Karatu.  Although we left camp at 10 the temperature was not too hot as we started off.  Since it has been raining for the past three days (I have never see it so cloudy for so long here before now) the red clay ground has turned into a slick red slide that instantly coated the soles of our shoes so we were basically skiing on mud instead of walking.  Despite this it was great to get into the country.  We could not hear the sounds of the road, and the fields stretching away were gorgeous.  Paolo and I had a very long chat ranging from termite organization to cultural farming practices as were wove our way through the cattle herds and planted fields.  I was not alone at the front and we made a good group laughing and talking most of the way.  We stop briefly at mid-day to have a snack and admire the view before pushing on toward Karatu.  Eventually we did have to get back on the main road for a short way before climbing a very steep hill and a few kilometers of rolling ground before entering the Karatu market.  I had brought my camera memory card so I could finally print my host family’s pictures but of course the photo shop had not electricity due to all the recent rain.  As per usual a flock of rosta guys attached themselves to us as we wandered around Karatu trying to sell us stuff and translate for us.  So we walked with our entourage slowly up the street chatting with the rosta guys and “window” shopping the stalls we pass.  Our destination is Happy Days the tourist bar in town and it takes us about twenty mins to get there.  I decided to splurge and ordered a bowl of spaghetti.  It was really good and quite cheap if not very American.  Living dangerously I also ordered a plate of fries (or chips here) which I split with our SAM Erica.  After eating all this I was ready to curl up and take a nap or just enjoy the food coma.  I was not alone and the group of us arranged to go back to camp.  It was late afternoon by now so I just grabbed my ipad and read books til everyone else got back.  After dinner two girls and I watched the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes movie while a thunderstorm raged outside.  The flashes of lightening and boom of thunder added greatly to the effect of the movie.  So now its off to bed with me…..long day and my feet hurt

3/22/11

I don’t have much to say today and even less to say that is positive.  This morning after breakfast we filled out evaluations for each of our classes, professors, and the program in general.  They were online and quickly finished leaving me ample time to do my laundry.  Our grades were released at 10am.  This is when the day went to hell, the shit hit the fan, name your cliché of choice…..it sucked.  I’m not a perfect student and I’m certainly not a genius but these are the worse grades I have ever gotten including my Organic Chemistry grades.  And I am not alone.  Everyone did badly.  Everyone.  There are 29 intelligent American students all of who come for good schools and everyone did badly.  I will not bore you with the emotions, tempers, and general tension that ruled everyone today.  I put all my papers away and started packing for Kenya.  We leave day after tomorrow and three people trying to pack in this small space will be difficult, so I started (and finished ) today. 

It sort of worked to control my anger and I eventually pulled out my papers again and met with a few professors-which was virtually useless.  I have to give the kitchen staff credit.  They made our favorite dinner and even brought ice cream all the way from Arusha to cheer us up, but we all were a sorry sight.  This evening all the student, and just the students, met and talked for a long time about what we are going to do.  The center director is here and is going to meet with us in the morning.  Our meeting was over an hour long but we elected specific students to talk for us and hammered out our list of suggestions and areas for improvement for both professors and classes.  I have no idea how much power the director has over our grades but we as the students are ready and will argue a very strong case tomorrow.  Cross your fingers for us

3/23/11

The alarm went off at 5:30 and one of my bandamates and I quietly creep outside to meet the other students.  We gathered an askari and one of the assistant camp managers and walked up Moyo Hill to watch the sunrise.  It was a very cloudy sky so the walk was very dark which of course made the normal 20 mins to the top seem a bit longer.  There were probably 15 of us in total so we were able to spread out comfortably when we reached the top.  The clouds were moving very fast across the sky and in the valley below us yet the night was still very dark.  As the clouds raced past the moon seemed to flicker as it was first hidden then reappeared high in the sky.  The change in the skyline was very slow.  First it was just a lightening of the darkness.  The fog was so thick that we still could not see the valley floor or the boulders below us on the hill, just the area was lighter and we could begin to see each other clearly.  It continued to get lighter until we could see the outline of a hill, then some of the valley, until finally there was only the thick band of clouds obscuring the horizon.  The bright orange and pink rays were reflected off these clouds and the sky above them was a mix of perfect morning colors.  We sat admiring the sky for a while before walking back down to camp.  My group had cook crew this morning so I spent the remaining time until breakfast making buttered toast for everyone.  After breakfast the half semester debrief began.  The debrief covered everything from social life, facilities, academics, non-programs days and others.  It was conducted by the center director and our SAM Erica with all staff and students present.  It took nearly two hours but I think as students we made good suggestions and gave productive criticism.  Once this was done we asked to meet privately with the center director to discuss what we had gone over the night before.  This meeting was much less relaxed and jovial as the debrief.  It was satisfying to see how genuinely surprised the director was by what we told him about professor behavior, unfair grading, and lack of clarity in assignments.  The meeting lasted an hour and he listened closely to what we had to say.  He collected all of our work for one class and met with all of the professors that we had spoken about.  These are not our final grades (only 65%) and the director said he would do everything in his power to help us and resolve this problem. 

 I know the director is going to try and help, but we are all very worried that the help he is able to give us will not be enough to really improve our grades.  While getting bad grades is personally very disappointing, it also taints my entire memory and experience here in Tanzania.  I will remember that I love the parks and the country but right behind that will be how badly I did on exams.  I am very glad to be switching to the Kenya site tomorrow.  I can work with different professors and sort of have a fresh start along with opportunities to improve our grades.  For the afternoon we went back to the primary school and had lunch that was made on the stove we helped to build.  It was a simple (if very large portions) of rice and beans and of course we were stared at by all the kids.  The rest of the afternoon was for packing and whatever activities we chose.  I hung out with one of the staff members in the garage, packed a few more things, and watched a movie.  Dinner was very good and there was a lot of people who stood up and said how much everyone is going to miss everyone else etc and lots of people were crying.  My crew and I washed dishes and then all the students, Erica and Moses the assistant camp manager had a bonding/saying good bye session by the fire pit.  I am as packed as I can be for the moment and in 5 short hours we will be up and loading the lorry and heading for Kenya!