Sopa!

Sopa everyone! (sopa means hello in Kimaasai, I think that's how it's spelled anyway)

These past few days have been incredibly eventful, both good and bad. Lets start with the good stuff. So, yesterday we went to a cultural manyatta. That's basically going to a Maasai boma but it's geared towards tourists. We went so that we could see what most tourists see of the Maasai and compare it with today when we went on our home stay. The two experiences were completely different. The manyatta felt superficial and fake. They really put on a show for us and threw in bits (like praying to Mt. Kilimanjaro) that are not a part of the Maasai culture.

Today, like I said before, was our home stay. We pulled up to a Maasai Boma early in the morning and all of the Mamas came out to greet us. We did the home stay in groups of two and we brought all of our food and water we needed for the day with us (trying to avoid getting sick). Our Mama brought us to her house and instantly started heating up water to make us some chai. I'm not a tea drinker but it is considered very rude to refuse food or drink so I did drink it, and it was actually really good! Our Mama, who's name was Mas (not sure how to spell it) and she didn't speak any English and I can only speak a few words of Kiswahili so the language barrier was extremely difficult. Some of the things we did included fetching water about a half a mile away from the boma and carrying it on our heads, which actually was easier than carrying it on your shoulders. We also went to collect firewood and had chai a couple more times. Mas said that she is 25 years old and she already has several children. At one point she was showing us pictures of her family and then we showed her pictures of our families, it was a very cool moment. Despite the language barrier and the immense cultural differences, we had a great time and she was incredibly kind and patient with us.

Now comes the not so fun part of the past few days. So last time I posted I said that I had some kind of stomach bug, well I'm still sick and it's been over a week. Yesterday, the pain was excruciating, so much so that I had to leave the cultural manyatta early just to sit down. At camp, the way medical issues are taken care of is that there is one person who's job it is to manage student affairs and health. He wanted me to see a doctor last week but I kept refusing and putting it off, hoping it'd get better on its own and I wouldn't have to venture into the terrifying unknown of the African medical clinic. Well, yesterday, I was forced, and I wasn't objecting anymore because I was in that much pain. The clinic actually wasn't that scary and they gave me antibiotics so here's hoping that it starts to work soon.

Studying abroad hasn't been anything like I expected it to be and that's not a bad thing either! I definitely romanticized the idea of going to Africa and the reality of it was a lot to take in all at once. I can now safely say that I am adjusting, mentally if not physically yet. I can say that I am experiencing everything Africa has to offer and even though I miss a lot of things and people from back home, I am falling in love with Kenya and these amazing people. I am experiencing the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, but what I can say is that it's real.

Well, it's getting late here (still get confused about the time difference some times) and being sick has been really draining so I'm going to bed. I'll post soon about what life is like here in camp and in about a week and a half we leave for expedition in Lake Nakuru National Park! Hopefully I'll finally see some lions!

Lala salama!

~Emily

Week Three!

Jambo!

I cannot believe that I have been in Africa for three weeks! So, it's been a while since I last posted on here. A few big things have happened since the last time I posted after our trip to Amboseli. Mostly I have been having classes and doing homework. On the 18^th we did a transect walk through the town of Isinet for my Environmental Policy class. A transect walk is where you walk through a town and collect data/observe various land and resource use issues. During the walk we also had to interview local people about issues they have with the land. Most of the people we talked to said that their main problem was with wildlife such as elephants and zebra coming onto their land and destroying their crops. We also met a man who lived in a hut smaller than my closet that said that he worked the land all day and gets paid in food. Meeting this man and hearing his story just really made me think about all of the things I have and the insignificant things I complain about on a daily basis. I can definitely say that when I get home I will be much more grateful for things that most Americans take for granted. It really makes you reevaluate your view on the world.

On the 19^th we actually had a day off. In the morning some Maasai mamas came to camp and taught us how to bead which was pretty cool. Then we spent the rest of the day relaxing at a lodge in Amboseli. It was nice to be able to relax for a day.

On Friday we went to Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was more of a small nature park and the animals have free roam throughout. We actually got to walk around the park and identify animal tracks. We saw elephants, zebra, gazelle, giraffe, and wildebeest! The only bad part of the day was that Africa has finally started to affect my stomach... I have been so careful with the water I drink and the food I eat but somehow a bug found its way into my system and has been wrecking havoc.

Finally, today we went to a local middle school in Kimana! I helped teach a group of seventh graders English. They were all very sweet and they loved us. After the class we hung around for a while to spend some time with the kids. They all wanted to take pictures with us and all of the girls loved my hair, they were playing with it and braiding it the whole time I was there.

Well, for now I just have school work and hopefully I can get rid of this stomach bug that is making my life hell.

Until the next time,

~Emily

Amboseli

Hi everyone!

So, I finally got to see some animals on Thursday and today! We spent both days in Amboseli National Park which is about a 30 minute drive from our camp. On Thursday I saw so many animals, I saw elephants (including babies!), giraffe, hyena, hippo, buffalo, SO many gazelle, warthogs, and wildebeest just to name a few. I didn't see any big cats which was extremely disappointing but the unseasonable rain we've been getting has caused all of the lions and cheetahs to leave the park and go to the surrounding areas. On Thursday we were there for a field exercise for our wildlife management class. What we had to do was count all of the animals that we saw and take down other data such as species, activity, and social behavior.

Today, when we went to Amboseli we were actually working with the Kenyan Wildlife Service to help them with one of their yearly census of the animals! So we actually helped them get a picture of how the animals are doing so far this year. It was pretty cool. I can now put working with KWS on my resume.

Classes are starting to get underway and I have a few papers and assignments due soon so we wont be going back out to the park in the near future which is a bummer. I can't upload any pictures of the animals because our internet is too slow so I'll have to do that when I get home.

Until the next time,

~Emily

Mzungu

Hey all!

So much has happened since the last time I posted. Yesterday (Monday), we went to a Maasai boma! All of the mamas (Maasai women) came out in traditional wear to greet us. They sang two songs for us, which were incredibly beautiful. We have been learning Swahili but the Maasai speak a different traditional language, so our attempts to communicate were useless. The mamas then set up blankets and their beaded goods on the ground for us to buy from them. This group of Maasai rarely see tourists, so they do not get the chance to sell their goods very often. And so began the bargaining, made more difficult by a serious language barrier. I ended up getting six beautiful beaded bracelets for two thousand Kenyan shillings which equates to about twenty American dollars. We tried to buy from all of the mamas so that we could help support them, at least in our small way.

Today, was a mix of good and bad to be quite honest. We had our first non program day (the one day out of the week when we don't have classes). We went on a hike to a waterfall near the town of Loitoktok. The hike was fun, a little hot, but the views were very pretty. Then on our way back to Kimana, we stopped at an HIV clinic for women. The clinic was amazing. The women there have battled, not only extreme physical illness, but have to live with the stigma of being HIV positive in a culture that already discriminates against women. They said that some people believe that they will get HIV if they associate with the women in any way and many of them have been ostracized by their families. They were very inspiring.

Next comes the bad part... We went to the market in the town of Kimana. When we stepped into the market, people instantly swarmed us trying to sell various goods amid shouts of “mzungu” (the Swahili word for white person) and “American!” Everywhere we went people stared and tried to get us to buy things. The hustle of the market was so scary and foreign to me that I left as soon as I could. A few of us that were not feeling the market attempted to leave to find the trucks waiting to take us back to camp but we got lost in the streets of Kimana. At one point when we were lost, two guys on a motorcycle were following us and calling out to us. It was terrifying, but we managed to lose them by ducking into a side street. Today was when the culture shock really hit me. Everything was so different from America, I'm glad I had the experience but will not be going back anytime soon.

I don't have any pictures of the market because I didn't want to look like more of a tourist than I already did. Tomorrow is just another day of classes but Thursday is the day I have been waiting for for my entire life. We get to go on safari in Amboseli National Park!!!

Until the next time

~Emily

(I will try to post some animal pictures after Thursday)

Mwanafunzi

Hey everyone!

So this is STUDY abroad right? Classes have finally begun! I really like being in class again and having something to do with my time. I am taking four courses right now: Wildlife Management, Wildlife Ecology, Environmental Policy, and Swahili. So for the past few days I've pretty much just been going to classes. We have classes on weekends too and for about 6 hours a day.We get occasional days off when we go on excursions in the surrounding area. Tomorrow we are going to a Maasai boma! I am really looking forward to that.

Just as a little side note, I'm not really a fan of the food here but the mangoes are absolutely amazing. Until next time I will be studying wildlife (not seeing them, unfortunately) and working on my Swahili skills. The title of this post (mwanafunzi) means student in Swahili.


Thanks for reading, I'll post again after Tuesday!

First days

Hello everyone!

 Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning. On Monday we took the bus from downtown Baltimore to New York. The bus ride was supposed to take only four hours but with the snow it took almost six. Then our flight from JFK to Amsterdam was delayed two hours because of ice. The flights weren't too bad, just so long! After finally arriving in Tanzania we spent the night in a hotel in Moshi before heading on to Kenya. I have now been in Kenya for a few days. Observation number one = it's hot here. The sun is so strong that I got a sunburn after being in the sun for a few minutes.

The camp is pretty basic but we do have plumbing (yay!) and electricity in the chumba (the central building). I haven't seen any wildlife yet, except for the baboons that live in camp and I heard zebras last night. Apparently, the baboons are pretty comfortable around humans and can become major pests. They're going to give us sling shots to deal with the baboons if they get too close. Also, we have to be really careful when walking around camp because we have some very poisonous snakes that live here, including puff adders, black mambas, and cobras. Plus, scorpions have been known to hide in shoes and crawl into beds if you don't have your bug net tucked into the mattress. Needless to say, I have been super careful and vigilant around camp. I also have not seen a single mosquito yet, I'm not complaining, just really surprised.

Overall, I can tell this is going to be a great experience but for now I am still jet lagged (I've gotten about three hours in the past two days), dealing with culture shock, and homesickness all at the same time. It's tough but classes start tomorrow and I am really anxious to leave camp and start seeing some animals. I'll post again soon, hopefully with some awesome animal pictures!

~Emily