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 21st 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.
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