Karibu Nyumbani

Last Wednesday, I hopped in a taxi at midnight to head to Nairobi International Airport to catch a plane back to the USA. Before I could leave however, our now tight-knit group had a campfire and small wrap up of the semester complete with paper plate awards, many laughs and goodbye tears. Its so hard to believe we were once a group of eighteen strangers, awkwardly saying hello in the airport just four months ago and now we have become so close that we melt to tears when it's time to go. I feel so lucky to have met these crazy kids, I know they will all go out to do wonderful things and they have shown me what I am capable of as well.

I am so grateful to have been able to go to Kenya, and to come back with a new lens on life. 
Sitting around, telling my family about all my adventures has really started to bring my experiences full circle for me. You know, when you are there, you don't really realize how much an experience has changed you, its only until you can share it with someone back home you notice the difference in yourself. I am starting to see the difference in my way of thinking, along with the occasional Kenyan habits that come out in action or conversation, like saying "sawa" (Okay) in response to a non yes-or-no question. This experience has really impacted my life in so many ways. I have a new respect for other cultures and a deeper respect for my own upbringing. I have learned to appreciate the comforts of home, but understand that it is okay to leave them behind.

Its hard to believe that my time in Kenya has come to a pause, a pause because I have other things to do, like graduate college before I can go back. I am so thankful for having an amazing group of people to travel with and to have met some absolutely inspiring people along the way. My host families really helped me to feel like family, and we will have that bond forever. Mama Maggie with Dorobo taught me to ishi sasa. I have hiked across the Great Rift Valley, hunted with the Hadzabe, lived with multiple different Kenyan families, played with orphaned elephants, became close friends with pro rugby players, gained insight to who I am, and most importantly, made a difference. 

The most beautiful thing that I have witnessed on my trip, and the one thing that really stuck out to me, was the genuine happiness of people who have absolutely nothing. Here in America, we have so much pressure to grow up, be responsible, go to school, get a job, go to more school, get a high-paying job, pay off your loans, pay for a house, have good insurance so you can what? so you can rush through life and FINALLY retire and be happy when you're 65 and halfway out the door? I am not saying I don't appreciate the opportunities I have and I am certainly not saying don't go to school and don't work hard, I repeat, STAY IN SCHOOL. What I am saying, however is find something, even just one thing in your life that makes you truly happy all the time, and use that one thing to inspire yourself to not only better yourself, but try and give other people a reason to be happy too, and maybe we can make the world a little bit brighter. I am so privileged to know what it feels like to be completely genuinely happy with what I am doing and where I am in life and I understand that not many people get that chance, but I think that if you can find at least one thing that makes you genuinely happy, you're doing pretty well.

Tutaonana

The Big Five

"The Big Five" was a term given to the five most dangerous, and therefore most desired to hunt. Although there is still a significant amount of poaching, and it is again on the rise, The Big Five is mainly a tourist term.

Last Thursday I finished my Big Five checklist which was super exciting!

So who are the Big Five?

The Cape Buffalo, Syncerus caffer

These animals are known for their unpredictable nature, sometimes they'll run away and sometimes they'll run you over (in which case, you better be a good tree climber). They can weigh between 1,000 and 2,000lbs and their horns can't always be penetrated by rifle bullets.

Leopard, Panthera pardus pardus

Classified as vulnerable on the IUCN red list, these gorgeous cats have faced excessive hunting for their pelts and skulls as well as habitat loss and fragmentation. They have incredible adaptability and have a wide range of prey that they drag into tall trees to consume.

African Lion, Panthera leo

Otherwise known as "simba" the swahili word for lion, these cats are one of the biggest faces of African wildlife. Currently lions are threatened by human wildlife conflicts occurring due to lack of land for pastoralists. The Living with Lions project works to maintain peace between communities and lion populations by warning people when the lions are near.

Black Rhino, Diceros bicornis

Critically endangered because of magical properties in ivory horn which, if within your possession, can cure hangovers, act as an aphrodisiac, bring back the dead, and possibly allow you to fly. This of course is completely idiotic, but rhino poaching sadly, is a huge issue still today. SAVE THE FAT GREY UNICORNS!

African Elephant, Loxodonta africana

A member of the big five as ivory tusks are of huge value, actually, they are worth more than any fine for poaching. These charismatic megafauna are incredibly intelligent, being able to remember individuals for over fifty years, which paths to take during droughts, and even feel grief of loss of loved ones.




So that is the Big Five, some absolutely incredible animals. I am so so so happy I got to see them all!

Workin' Hard

As the second week of my independent study comes to an end, I realize that I only have 3 weeks left in Kenya! Ahhhhhhh. Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that I was sitting on my bed, wondering if my suitcase was going to actually close and if I really needed that extra pair of shoes. I'm very much excited to go home and see my family and friends again, but I really really don't want to leave.

I've been working hard here at Mpala... I have successfully watched 3 seasons of Game of Thrones in two weeks. Seriously though I have been able to go out into the field and learn a lot about surveying and fecal collection, all sorts of fun stuff going on! I really am enjoying research, and am going to miss the views. How can you hate your job when you see at least 5 species on your walk to work alone, when a hornbill visits you on a daily basis, when you get to watch the sunrise over Mt. Kenya, and the sunset on the cliffs with the baboons.

Yesterday I went out to help with giraffe surveys and I was pretty excited to see Tatu, a young male leopard, sitting in a clearing, only 10 yards from the road.

1 more of the Big Five to go :)

Hippo Easter!

So as the first week of my independent study comes to an end, I can definitely say I have learned a ton about research in Kenya, ecology, hippos, myself... lots of brain usage this week for sure. I have been able to go out into the field and see the hippo pool which is a mini paradise. We saw elephants and giraffes at the edge of the river and the crocodile. I used telemetry to chase lizards on the river edge and had an official sundowner on baboon cliffs and have gone on a few game drives on the property. This past weekend we went into Nanyuki and had dinner and dancing, then today we hung out at the pool at a ritzy hotel and walked around the rose gardens with the peacocks. Life here at Mpala really isn't too shabby :)

I moved into my banda...

 I've made new friends...

Accidentally killed my roommate...

Before it killed me.

 Went on a few Game drives...

 Was in two places at once...

Attended my first passover ceremony...

Strolled through a rose garden with the peacocks...

After spending the day sitting by the pool...

Which was awesome until this guy showed up,

I hate clowns.




Saw this full moon:

  And watched the sun rise from my front door...












So in brief, that's what I've been up to this past week. Hippo Easter Everyone!
 

How hungry hungry ARE the hippos?

I'm off on another adventure! Shocking right? I can't believe how fast my time here has gone. Were on the last leg of the journey, our Independent study! As mentioned before I am going up north to work at the Mpala Research Center (click the link to see where I'll be!) for a month working on a hippo project! I'll be in the field and doing some work in the lab, so exciting!

Looking back I've done so much here, and I really couldn't ask for more. I am having the chance(s) of a lifetime and am still so thrilled and excited to be here. As my friend just pointed out to me, we only have a paper and a presentation left of our junior year! Only four days back on the compound (in  a month) and then we make our way back to the States. For now, I SHOULD have internet, but this is Kenya so it could be very slow or even nonexistent but I'll be posting every now and then. Wish me luck, and pray I don't get eaten by those hungry hungry hippos.

Elephant Orphanage

So on Thursday we went to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and got to play with baby elephants! YES! The foundation was set up to rescue orphaned elephants whose mothers were killed by poachers, because of the human wildlife conflict, or even natural causes. They hand raise them until they no longer rely on milk for nutrition and then they can bring them to Tsavo (not necessarily where they are rescued from) where they will be "adopted" hopefully to a new herd and can grow up.

When I came to Kenya I was so set on doing research with elephants, I absolutely love them. I was really interested in working with babies of course at this foundation. I am now realizing that there are many issues when it comes to their "conservation" practices. These include the ability of these orphans to interact with wild elephants as they grew up around humans and since elephants are very social creatures, the inability to interact with the herd can be life threatening, especially for females. 

 Another thing that I really questioned was, if these babies are so traumatized that they are often found defending their mothers corpses is how do they feel when only a part of the group of orphans is taken away? When all of a sudden your friend you were growing up with in the orphanage is gone and you don't know why. Its like they died too.

 Don't get me wrong, I completely support helping any being that is suffering. However, my biggest knock on this organization is that once they release the orphans, they don't collar or chip them as that would be too "invasive" they claimed. More invasive than hand raising a baby elephant? Because they don't track their orphans or allow any outside research, there are no statistics on exactly how effective the Orphanage is toward the conservation of elephants.

These animals really are incredible (as I have said about 67839 times in this blog) and when you look into their eyes you really can see their intelligence and their emotion. Listening to the deep pitted grunts of excitement and watching them play in the water, but rush to their friends when they get too far away shows you the emotional capacity these animals have. I do appreciate the compassion from people that want to help them, especially when they are orphaned because of HUMAN conflicts. What I would advise anyone who wants to get involved in helping elephant conservation is to really research the NGO you sponsor, see if there are any studies or papers on their success. The biggest thing is education, ivory poaching is starting to flare up again and something like 70% of people in Asia don't know that ivory comes from elephants. Also, because since colonialism Africans have been left out of conservation (look at who runs parks and NGOs) many in rural areas really don't see how African wildlife is an asset other than for tourism. What the Sheldrick foundation does so very well is educate people on the beauty and importance on saving these animals. When we were there, a large group of school children were very nervous to see the elephants and jumped back and screamed multiple times. During the visit however, the keepers were incredible teaching everyone about the elephants and toward the end the kids behavior completely changed from being scared to being eager to touch the elephants as they walked by.

Mombasa, a "working" vacation

So I would definitely call this part of the trip our "working" vacation. After our week in Amboseli, we set out on an 8 hour drive to Mombasa. We stayed at Jumuia resort which is right on the beach and is just as lush and green as you would imagine, dotted with coconut palms and so so sooooo hot and humid. Even at 9:00 at night you could walk outside and start sweating, good thing we had a swimming pool. Although even that was warm so you'd have to jump in then get out to cool down! Either way, I can't complain it was practically paradise.

We went to the Kaya forests and we led by Mijikenda people to their traditional religious sites. Along the way we stopped to see small monuments for the deceased and learned about the traditional beliefs of the Mijikenda. At one point we had to stop and take off our shoes for the rest of the hike and sit and rest while the ancestors "scan" us and figure out why we came there. When we continued we came across a hut where people go to pray for either the dark or the light spirits. (Not good and bad but some associate with the dark or moon and other the light or day). There, there was a fire circle of stones which I casually stepped on, then found out from the Mijikenda believe that "if a woman comes and rests on one of the fire stones, when she becomes pregnant, her child will be the weight of the stone". Greeeeeaaaaaaat. I'm adopting.






The first full day there we went into the city and we toured Fort Jesus and learned a ton about the history of the fort. It is absolutely gorgeous, being right on the water and built on a coral bed.

 This is me sitting on an ancient toilet.

Photocred: Alex Spencer










We then were able to tour old town Mombasa which was one of the prettiest areas, the roads are not wide enough for modern cars and the buildings are tall and square sandstone with intricate doors and windows.
The next day we interviewed the Mijikenda people who are agriculturalists in the forests of Mombasa and have deep spiritual roots in the forest. We got to talk to them about land issues, tourism, womens rights and current politics and issues going on in Mombasa. Then we went and toured biashara street... "biashara" means "store" in kiswahili. We did some shopping and then we had lunch downtown.
The next day we did a similar thing only interviewed the Swahili people who are Muslim people of the coast with Arabic roots (way back in history when they intermingled). We talked to them about what it means to be a Swahili as there is much debate over a final definition as coastal people have been intermingling with people from all over the world for centuries. It was also interesting to hear their point of view on women's rights and what the future implications for their culture are, including not being represented well in government. The coast is going to have issues with this in the future if they continue to be underrepresented in government.

Each day we were back to the hotel by 5 and were able to go swimming and walk on the beach in the afternoons. There was also a Christian Conference going on at the resort while we wee there and some of the guys from it would always be playing water polo when we got back. The boys on our program wanted to play them and so I thought being the goalie would be fun. We shut them out. It was fun. USA water polo team here we come! We played them a few days in a row and then I became known as "goalie" by the other team, even when they saw us walking around the resort. Yep.

One thing that is so in your face on the beach is the amount of beach boys selling things on the beach to tourists. They will follow you down the coast and ask you to "promote them" and help them. I have a high tolerance for being chirped, but it does get annoying at times when you just want to relax on the beach. Many of the beach boys as they are referred to are Swahilli people who did not continue with school and could not find a job. They will as you to sponsor them to start a business or to bring them to America, or even tell you they love you and they'll always be by your side. To which my response was talking about Microfinance and furthering education.

On the last night in Mombasa we went on a dinner cruise! While we were waiting for the bus to come get us, we were sitting on the beach when in the distance a guy leading a white horse is spotted coming toward us. Immediately I turned to my friend and said, "I'm riding that horse.". I asked the guy if I could just ride for 5 minutes in a circle on the beach and he asked me to pay him 100bob. Which was crazy. So I told him I wanted to do it for free and that I miss riding back at home... finally he let me ride and it was so fun! I really do miss it. Anyways, it was magical. White horse on the beach in Mombasa. (PS I ended up giving him 50bob when I got off, hakuna matata).

 

Then we went on our dinner cruise through old town Mombasa, past the fort and under the stars! Steak and shrimp cooked to perfection. The boat was absolutely gorgeous, we really are spoiled. After our 4 course meals, we got up and went to the lower deck for some dancing to live music, even Daktari Sinnary and Mzee Njau busted a move or two!