Oh hello again!
Cripes its been a long time since i've last posted. What happens with this whole blogging regime is I put off writing about things that happen, and then more things happen, and then I have more to write about. And then, believe it or not, more things happen, and I have even more to write about. This cycle builds until composing a new post seems like more of an assignment that anything, as i have SO much to write about. So, sorry about not keeping you updated, its my own fault really. I have been very busy but its also a fair amount of sheer laziness on my part. Pole (Po-ley is how its pronounced. it means sorry in kiswahili and I will use it very often if you speak with me when I get home. its a habit now).
That said, i'll give you some cliff notes on what I have been up to. Please ignore the grammar and spelling on this post. Hmm, where did I leave off last? Serengeti? That beast of a post. Well since then I have:
-Said goodbye to the Tanzanian staff and moved to Kenya!
-gone on expedition to Lake Nakuru National Park(a rhino and giraffe sanctuary that is fenced and near a city). i should also mention the experience at buffet number 2, glorious.
-stressful week of papers, field exercises, and our final exam
-Maasai boma homestay!
-Visiting Amboseli National Park
-visiting an AIDS clinic and meeting people working on AIDS support, prevention, and education in the area
-the worst day ive had in africa so far- finding out which Directed Research project i was assigned to
-starting directed research and collecting data
-I got an awesome summer job! Field research assistant for Prof. Monica Turner in Yellowstone National Park!
I suppose now I should briefly go into what each of those things are.
Moving to Kenya:
we packed up our bandas in Tanzania, said goodbyes to the staff (which was really hard because we had made some really good friends), and drove to the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Ill outline some differences between the two countries and camps
-It rains in tanzania, it RARELY rains here, and its the rainy season.
-the camp is much, much bigger in kenya. you cannot see from one side to the other and there is thick bushland throughout it.
-the staff speaks some English in kenya, and is more outgoing and friendly, but i LOVE the tz staff. The staff in kenya is way more separated from us.
-the bandas are thatched roofs, 4 people to a banda, and the bathrooms are communal and not attached to any of the bandas.
-you can only get drinkable water from one spigot. No brushing your teeth with sink water, or at least be very careful.
-There are insane amounts of insects and critters here. we were briefed on the requirement of wearing closed toed shoes and long pants every night, no exceptions, because snakes and scorpions are really common.
-the insects are huge here. I am so used to seeing 3 inch long beetles and preying mantis's in my banda, around the bathrooms, and just....everywhere. I am not afraid of bugs anymore, really, i find them mostly super interesting. I think preying mantis's are actually the coolest beings ever.
-YOU MUST ALWAYS KEEP YOUR MOSQUITO NET TUCKED IN. always. otherwise you dont even want to know what can get into your bed. last semester a girl left hers untucked and a black mamba snake was chilling in her bed when she tried to climb in that night. Casual.
-baboons are everywhere. They are generally pretty bold around white females, but i obtain endless entertainment from running full speed at them, yelling loudly, occasionally throwing rocks as well, and freaking them out. Now they are definitely scared of me and start to run away if i even look at them or walk near them. Success!
-the fruit is way better in tz. Everyone is still obsessed with ugali in kenya, same as in tz. if you dont know what ugali is ill tell you about it sometime.
-The maasai in tz wear a lot of blues(deep), greens, and purples. Maasai here wear a lot of reds, oranges, and blues(bright blues). Also the shukas in tz are thicker, warmer cloth. The cloth here is light, almost silky, and breathable.
-It is much dryer and hotter here, less green vegetation
-kenyans are never on time. ever.
-instead of being swarmed by young guys in the markets like in tanzania, you are swarmed by old Maasai mamas plunging beadwork in your face. they are all really sweet though.
-the internet is better here!
-You can see Mt kilimanjaro in the horizon, beautiful and massive, every day. She peeks out through the clouds throughout the day. You can see her when you are showering(the showers are outside).
Lake Nakuru National Park:
Im not going to say much about this expedition. About a week after arriving in Kenya we went on our second expedition. Lake Nakuru National park is a fenced national park, relatively small, but has a large population of black and white rhinos as well as Rothschild giraffes. Its surrounded by Nakuru town which is pretty modern and busy, so its interesting to see the contrast of this NP with the Serengeti. It was pretty cool. Saw a lot of rhinos which was amazing. But its definitely not the most memorable park. Theres a large lake in the middle and tons of flamingos and amazing birds. The buffet we went to at the lodge was AMAZING. let me just say...chocolate cake. I mean, yeah. Enough said. Id say the coolest thing about this trip was driving through Nairobi, it is so amazing. I really wish we could have explored but for obvious reasons it was not a possibility. It is so modern and made me really crave busy, city life. (not that Madison is a busy "city" but you know what I mean).
Hell week:
we got back from expedition and had a really rough week of field work, field exercises(essays) to write analysing what we collected in the field, classes every day(about 6 hours), and 3 papers due in a span of 3 days. Then on the fourth day was our final exam. It went well, i think i did well on all the papers, and the final was very conceptual which was great. All of the assignments and finals focused on issues in the Amboseli Ecosystem, within which I am currently living. Amboseli national part is about 45 minutes away. I was SO happy to get through that week though. It was very stressful, going from doing nothing for about 3 weeks to having so many assignments due.
okay im going to go to bed and post more tomorrow. I have to get up very early to do fieldwork tomorrow. Ill tell you about it in my next post.
Thanks for reading and sorry for the delay! check back soon and I will finish giving updates. promise.
Natalie
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