Water is Life

Its pouring tonight in Rhotia, as the short rains are upon us in full force. Thus, i decided to name this post accordingly, as everything here seems to depend on water resources. The heavy drops fall from the sky in straight lines, hitting the already saturated soil. Thunder and lighting boom and flash, and the air smells sweet and warm with rain. Simon and Garfunkel plays on my little speakers, one of the best gifts i received from my mom and dave this year as they are used almost constantly by everyone in the camp, and my opinion is strengthened that the soothing yet powerful music is alarmingly fitting for rainy days. Through the window in front of me, looking out onto our little cement porch, my banda mate holds her water bottle out to catch the rain, inefficiently, but with patience. It rains at least once a day now that we have entered the short rainy season, usually all night and a few times on and off during the day. Farmers are busy plowing the fields and planting, many of the staff is taking days off to tend to their land and capitalize on the sporadic rains that become more and more unpredictable with each passing year. Its striking to experience how dependent the community is on the weather, on natural occurrences and patterns. As the climate changes, it is communities like this that are the most strongly impacted, as their livelihoods depend on the regularity of the rains and the vegetation it supports.

Ive been very busy here lately, classes are winding down strangely enough, and we have finals coming up over the next few days. Today i had my last swahili test and i believe it went well. I wrote two papers for the class as well(very short, but still i am very proud of my level of swahili understanding from less than a month of an irregular class schedule.) and Ritha, our teacher, actually praised me in front of the class as i had one of the best papers. I admitted to her though, that i had help editing them from one of the staff, but she didnt seem to mind and still told me i did a great job. I feel like i dont fully deserve the praise i guess, but im glad she liked the paper. Tomorrow is a study day and then exams begin, essay format, on everything we have covered so far. Daunting, as they are worth 40% of my grade in each class. After exams we head out to the Serengeti for a 5 day expedition that i can only imagine will be a once in a lifetime experience.

It has been some time since i have last posted. So, i will insert a portion of a paper i had to write about my homestay which was some time ago. It may end rather abruptly because i am not putting in the entire paper in which i go on to examine the conservation implications of their lifestyle and how cultural influences can help or deter conservation efforts. Skip down to the non double spaced text below to hear about my trip to ngorongoro. here is my paper exerpt:

One other SFS student, Emma, and I spent a day with the Kolette family. The day went by quickly as we worked to overcome the language barrier with Mama Josephine and Baba Ferdinand, helping to cook, clean, and sew, all the while spending time conversing and getting to know the family. I learned so much about how they live their everyday lives, how they interact with each other and friends, and how they work with their environment.

            When we first arrived, we met the family and went inside their lovely brick house to sit in the living room. We introduced ourselves in broken Swahili, and they patiently helped us get across the messages we were aiming for-- our names, where we were from, what classes we are taking, our siblings and parents names, etc. They then told us a bit about themselves, that Baba was from the Arusha area, and Mama was from the Kilimanjaro area in Kenya. They informed us they have three children, two of which were gone at primary school for the day, while their youngest peeked around the corner shyly, homemade toy truck in hand. After introductions Mama and their youngest son retreated to a different part of the homestead while Emma and I stayed to chat with our new Baba.

 He helped us learn Swahili as he pointed to various objects and colors in the room, explaining slowly how to pronounce them and put the new vocabulary into sentences. He was quite proficient at English, as he learned it in school and worked in the tourism industry for some time. After asking if he still works in the industry, a look of discomfort crossed his face as he told us he stopped working 6 years ago after bandits raided the tour site and attacked him breaking his leg, rib, and nose. We did not press the issue further as it seemed an inappropriate topic to force, so we changed the subject by asking if we could see around their house and yard. He took us around the garden, where there were multiple fruit trees and a small patch of planted vegetables. Then we worked our way to the older clay and wood house he had built before they had earned enough money to build the brick structure they currently sleep in. There was a small structure which was the kitchen, housing the newer version stone stove and some metal cooking pots and utensils. The chicken coop was next to it, and the latrine next to the chicken coop. He told us they did not own any livestock, other than the two chickens, and farmed no land except what was on their property, as his inherited farmland is some kilometers away from where they live. This is a bit different than most families in the area, is it is a largely pastoralist and agricultural community.

After the tour Emma, Mama, and I entered the kitchen to make Chai. We brought in small sticks of firewood and lit them in the stone stove structure. It consisted of two openings on the bottom to feed the fire and two on top on which to balance the pots. We began boiling two pots of water, and we learned one would actually be used to wash dishes. Once the water boiled she poured in a spoonful of tea powder and a few cups of milk. Bringing it all to a rolling boil, we removed the pot and strained the liquid through a small liquid straining utensil to remove the tea powder. Mama poured the milky tea into a thermos as we set out cups, spoons, and sugar. Baba and Kaka mtoto stayed outside of the kitchen as we made the tea, occasionally helping to translate while watching us prepare the comforting hot beverage.

After chai we washed dishes using as little water as possible, and soon after began preparing to make lunch. We helped cut up vegetables and meat and then carried the ingredients to the kitchen to start preparing the fire. We prepared a cabbage dish, a meat stew, and ugali. Watching Mama maneuver her way around effortlessly was a lesson in itself, and learning how to make the ugali was much harder than expected. The technique for stirring the thickening white maize and water mixture took practice, as Emma and I often spilled bits over the side of the pot while Mama laughed and showed us yet again the proper way to stir. Before we ate Mama held a pitcher of water over a bowl and had us rinse our hands. She helped everyone at the table but didn’t ask anyone to help her rinse her own hands. We ate the food with heaps of ugali using our hands, and had fruit for dessert fresh from the trees around the house.

After eating we had just enough time left to learn to sew. Mama sews dresses, shirts, and pants for friends in the community as a source of income for the family. She helped us cut out the fabric for a young girl’s dress, teaching us the Swahili vocabulary to go along with what we were doing as Baba napped in the corner. We then took turns learning to use the sewing machine, practicing on small scraps of fabric. Emma quickly got the hang of moving her feet in motion with the wheel, but it took me awhile to finally get a straight, continuous line. All the while Mama and Baba helped us, laughing with us at our meager attempts but encouraging us without fail. At one point Baba even got on the machine to show us how it was done! During our lesson multiple people stopped by to chat with Mama and Baba on their way to another area or to check up on the progress of a garment.

Observing how the family ran their household and used resources provided ample insight into how efficiently they use water, power sources, and food resources. The family has a large rain water collection tank made of cement that connects to a tube on their roof, so that the water during the rain runs off the roof and collects in the tank. They also have water supplied through a pressure system from Mtu wa Mbu, and use that water as sparingly as possible. For example, when we washed dishes after making chai, our Mama had a specific system of washing, rinsing, and double rinsing while using very little water. She would pour a specific amount of water into the largest bowl and much smaller amounts into two medium sized bowls. We would wash with soap in the largest bowl, using a piece of a burlap bag as a sponge, and then do the first rinse in a medium sized bowl, being careful not to lose any water. As the first rinse bowl became more and more soapy the second bowl came in, so we would rinse a second time to get all the soap off. We used the same amount of water the entire time, about a gallon, and washed everything very effectively. This is a very efficient use of a scarce resource, and this careful use of water can ensure that water resources are not overused and can be sustained for a long period of time. It would be wise of the American culture to adopt these water conservation habits as well.

Whew, did you get through that? If so, im impressed by your dedication to this blog. 

After the homestay we took a day expedition to Ngorongoro crater, my favorite place i have been so far. about a 30 minute drive from Rhotia, we entered the parking lot outside of the gate of the park and were greeted with the sight of more safari trucks than we have seen at any other Park. Immediately we knew this was a popular place and must be fantastic to support such a tourism industry. One of the professors forgot some necessary paperwork for us to enter the park, so we spent the better part of an hour heckling the European tourists in their brand new safari themed outfits, waiting to enter the crater. Khaki, olive green, and eggshell white were the clothing colors of choice, with never-used hiking boots tied tightly to feet that wouldnt step outside of the safari truck for the duration of the trip. Hats with stiff brims covered noses with sunscreen and UV protected sunglasses. Then there were the tourists who looked as though they were ready to go to a beach in bermuda, light pastel colored shorts of different colors with white tank tops, hip sun glasses, and sandals. One girl actually had her hair curled in a half up-do, with a blue denim dress and a large, white bow tied into her hair. Makeup done and fancy sandals on her clean feet, she looked absurdly out of place. But then again, Im sure they looked at us and thought "who are these 20-somethings, dressed haphazardly in dirty tshirts, barefoot and standing out of the roof? Where are their parents?"

after the long wait we finally began the ascent up the crater wall. The vegetation was as if we were in the rainforest, my field Beth commented that it reminds her of the amazon, which she spent time in last semester studying in Ecuador. The road is bumpy and winds up the steep wall of the crater. My excitement builds.

One of my favorite staff members, Yohanna, tells us he grew up here in Ngorongoro, two craters over. He is Maasai and was raised traditionally as a pastoralist. He attended primary school and against his parents wishes accepted a scholarship to attend secondary school and college. He is now a Ph. D. student. Facial markings branded on his cheeks remind us of his upbringing as he talks scientifically about the ecological relationships between the vegetation and wildlife in the crater.

We finally reach the top of the crater, stop for a bit to take a picture, and start descending into the crater, basically a bowl of animals. Actually. It was hot and dusty, our wheels kicking up clouds of redish dust that drys your eyes and gets all over your clothes. This is why we wear old tshirts and not new white shirts, ahem....Again, water is life here. Animals congregated around the water sources in the crater, and vegetation was scarce because of the dry season. Thus, dust hung in the horizon like blurry clouds descended over the land.

Immediately we saw hundreds of animals. Zebra, wildebeest, impala, bushbuck, elands, and more. In the far distance Yohanna points our eyes to two small masses in the hazy distance. "see those? one is standing and one is laying down." i could barely see the mounds let alone tell their posture. "those are cheetahs!" and pictures began to frantically attempt capture the two figures in the distance, pictures that will inevitably need our commentary to inform the viewer what they should be seeing.

The rest of the day passed quickly. We saw two rhinos, of 28 left in the park, and a group of 4 lions lazily reclining in the grassland as two cubs played together. We saw so many animals and i cant wait to show everyone pictures! I didnt want the day to end, and as we began the ascent up the crater, tired but full of adrenaline, i felt true sadness to be leaving such an amazing place, most likely to never return.

However, i can not wait to go to the serengeti, where we are guaranteed to see lions again. i hope to see cheetahs up close!

Ill let you go now, Thanks for reading. I really appreciate your support and interest in my experiences!

lots of love,
Natalie