Hi Everyone!
This will be short because I am sitting on top of a wet and I'm freezeing. It is 6:40 in the morning and the sun has only come up and I'm pretty sure the lions are close however I wanted to let you all know that I'm safe. We saw 5 leopard since I last posted. Four of them were at night and we saw the fifth yesterday morning. The leopard we saw yesterday was caught in a tree because there was a pride of lions about 10 meters away from her. When we drove the jeep up she took her chance for freedom, jumped down and ran across the river away from us and the lions that would have tried to kill her.
Other than the animal sightings, it has been a busy week at KGS. Graduation is on Saturday so Sandra and I have been working everyday all day to finish the resource room. This is a museum of sorts that the school uses for the students. Right now it is a work in progress but it should be finished by Friday (I'm keeping my fingers crossed). Gabe, a volunteer from South Africa, left on Sunday. While I have only know him for two weeks, when a volunteer leaves it is very sad. However, we have four new volunteers now. They came yesterday. There are two guys and two girls. The two guys are Swiss brothers who are ski instructors, one of the women is from Holland and is only staying a week. The other girl is from Canada and is staying for two weeks. I have only been here two weeks but seeing the new people come in and the surprise on their faces when the lions roar right outside the dinning room is priceless. Like in high school where you are thankful you are no longer a freshman, I'm thankful I'm no longer a new volunteer.
This week is super crazy but I hope to post anoter blog before I leave for the island of Lamu on Monday.
Love to you all.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
A Memorable Memorial Day
Happy belated Memorial Day everyone!
While many of you were out on the lake or at cookouts, I celebrated with a very busy day in the Naboisho Conservancy. Our day started off by picking up the trash that littered our camp. The hyenas had once again gotten into the trash and had taken it everywhere. Following the cleanup, we headed out on an elephant monitoring drive. After an hour of driving, we came across a herd of 39 individuals. While it is common to see elephants on any drive you take in the conservancy, I am always so amazed by them. I think I could see millions of elephants in the wild and never get bored with them. Here in my program, Impact Mara, we partner with a group called Elephant Voices who are concerned with the African Elephant’s conservation and have many mobile units, my group being one of them, that send data of herd numbers, location and condition. It is very interesting to do this is the bush because once we have located a herd, we fill out an application by phone at the exact location of the animals and the software allows us to get our immediate coordinates and real time data that goes directly to the Elephant Voices office. I’ve never heard of this type of phone application so I thought it was very exciting.
When we returned from the elephant drive, we had lunch consisting of rice, beans and potatoes then headed into Nkoilale where they have a weekly open-air market. I have had some experience with open-air markets in different countries but being in a low-income village I was not prepared for the mob that descended on us the minute we looked interested in any of the wears. When I first arrived, I talked to a woman selling masks and within 30 seconds, ten other women surrounded me, putting on me necklaces, rings, bracelets, anything to sell and telling me the price. “Very Nice. 1000!” “Very pretty, 1200!” I know enough about these situations to ignore this behavior but the women were insistent so finally I just walked away and had to keep my arms crossed so they couldn’t put jewelry on me. After 20 minutes or so, we headed to the stores to get cokes for the ride home and eggs for the camp and still several of the women followed us. The minute we would walk out of a store, like sharks sensing blood in the water, they would swarm and attempt to put all they had on us in hopes we would buy it. Finally, we had all the supplies we needed and all climbed into the jeep while still being bombarded by the woman. They who hung onto our windows and pushed beaded jewelry at us. At first, the woman’s neediness was alarming however towards the end of our trip we all were rather annoyed at being grabbed and treated like human jewelry hangers. I’m glad we only go once a week.
Following our trip to Nkoilale with fresh eggs and cokes in tow, we returned to camp at 4:00 pm and had two hours of down time while dinner was prepared and loaded up into the jeep for our big cat monitoring that evening. Typically, we leave for the drive at 4 pm but tonight we had decided to eat in the bush so we had to wait until dinner was complete. During the two hours of free time, a rainstorm passed over us ,however, the sun never disappeared and as we headed out on our drive we were surrounded by rainbows. Seeing the animals in a backdrop of rainbows as the sun set was beautiful. Even better was when we stopped the car for dinner. Being someone who loves the outdoors, there was no better way to spend my Memorial Day dinner than eating fried fish, potatoes and stewed vegetables with new friends, watching the sun set over the savanna. That was an experience you will never find in a restaurant. During dinner, a pair of hyenas wondered over to investigate our meal. They kept a safe distance but seeing them was a great end to an amazing dinner. I constantly have to remind myself that I’m in Africa and their appearance was very helpful.
Once dinner was cleaned up and we were back in the jeep, we continued out search for the big cats. Gabe announced as we started the car that he had a feeling we would see a leopard that evening. While we didn’t see a leopard, we did see a Serval. They are smaller, spotted cats and are very cute but I sure as heck don’t want to try to pet one. As we followed the cat around the plains, an incoming lightning storm helped illuminate the cat as well as the local Masai that were herding their cattle by flashlight. As the lightning flashed on the horizon and the Masai cattle bells filled the night air, I have to admit that was once of the happiest nights of my life. I had always dreamed of Africa and the Masai but to be here, chasing big cats, seeing the famed herdsmen on their native land, created a feeling that I am finding hard to explain. I wish you all could be here to experience this. Pictures, which I can’t upload, can only go so far to explain what it is like. The sounds of thunder in the distance, the smell of the rain on the hot earth is something that can’t be captured on film. While not a typical holiday, I know this Memorial Day will be one that will stay with me forever.
I hope you are all well. I will try to write as much as I can as long as the Internet cooperates. My global phone is now useless because it no longer gets signal so if anyone is trying to text me, I apologize for not responding. Email is always a good option if you really need to get in contact with me. I will try to post another blog soon.
While many of you were out on the lake or at cookouts, I celebrated with a very busy day in the Naboisho Conservancy. Our day started off by picking up the trash that littered our camp. The hyenas had once again gotten into the trash and had taken it everywhere. Following the cleanup, we headed out on an elephant monitoring drive. After an hour of driving, we came across a herd of 39 individuals. While it is common to see elephants on any drive you take in the conservancy, I am always so amazed by them. I think I could see millions of elephants in the wild and never get bored with them. Here in my program, Impact Mara, we partner with a group called Elephant Voices who are concerned with the African Elephant’s conservation and have many mobile units, my group being one of them, that send data of herd numbers, location and condition. It is very interesting to do this is the bush because once we have located a herd, we fill out an application by phone at the exact location of the animals and the software allows us to get our immediate coordinates and real time data that goes directly to the Elephant Voices office. I’ve never heard of this type of phone application so I thought it was very exciting.
When we returned from the elephant drive, we had lunch consisting of rice, beans and potatoes then headed into Nkoilale where they have a weekly open-air market. I have had some experience with open-air markets in different countries but being in a low-income village I was not prepared for the mob that descended on us the minute we looked interested in any of the wears. When I first arrived, I talked to a woman selling masks and within 30 seconds, ten other women surrounded me, putting on me necklaces, rings, bracelets, anything to sell and telling me the price. “Very Nice. 1000!” “Very pretty, 1200!” I know enough about these situations to ignore this behavior but the women were insistent so finally I just walked away and had to keep my arms crossed so they couldn’t put jewelry on me. After 20 minutes or so, we headed to the stores to get cokes for the ride home and eggs for the camp and still several of the women followed us. The minute we would walk out of a store, like sharks sensing blood in the water, they would swarm and attempt to put all they had on us in hopes we would buy it. Finally, we had all the supplies we needed and all climbed into the jeep while still being bombarded by the woman. They who hung onto our windows and pushed beaded jewelry at us. At first, the woman’s neediness was alarming however towards the end of our trip we all were rather annoyed at being grabbed and treated like human jewelry hangers. I’m glad we only go once a week.
Following our trip to Nkoilale with fresh eggs and cokes in tow, we returned to camp at 4:00 pm and had two hours of down time while dinner was prepared and loaded up into the jeep for our big cat monitoring that evening. Typically, we leave for the drive at 4 pm but tonight we had decided to eat in the bush so we had to wait until dinner was complete. During the two hours of free time, a rainstorm passed over us ,however, the sun never disappeared and as we headed out on our drive we were surrounded by rainbows. Seeing the animals in a backdrop of rainbows as the sun set was beautiful. Even better was when we stopped the car for dinner. Being someone who loves the outdoors, there was no better way to spend my Memorial Day dinner than eating fried fish, potatoes and stewed vegetables with new friends, watching the sun set over the savanna. That was an experience you will never find in a restaurant. During dinner, a pair of hyenas wondered over to investigate our meal. They kept a safe distance but seeing them was a great end to an amazing dinner. I constantly have to remind myself that I’m in Africa and their appearance was very helpful.
Once dinner was cleaned up and we were back in the jeep, we continued out search for the big cats. Gabe announced as we started the car that he had a feeling we would see a leopard that evening. While we didn’t see a leopard, we did see a Serval. They are smaller, spotted cats and are very cute but I sure as heck don’t want to try to pet one. As we followed the cat around the plains, an incoming lightning storm helped illuminate the cat as well as the local Masai that were herding their cattle by flashlight. As the lightning flashed on the horizon and the Masai cattle bells filled the night air, I have to admit that was once of the happiest nights of my life. I had always dreamed of Africa and the Masai but to be here, chasing big cats, seeing the famed herdsmen on their native land, created a feeling that I am finding hard to explain. I wish you all could be here to experience this. Pictures, which I can’t upload, can only go so far to explain what it is like. The sounds of thunder in the distance, the smell of the rain on the hot earth is something that can’t be captured on film. While not a typical holiday, I know this Memorial Day will be one that will stay with me forever.
I hope you are all well. I will try to write as much as I can as long as the Internet cooperates. My global phone is now useless because it no longer gets signal so if anyone is trying to text me, I apologize for not responding. Email is always a good option if you really need to get in contact with me. I will try to post another blog soon.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Supa!
Hi Everyone,
This is a blog I wrote on Friday but had not been able to post till today. Supa means hello is Maa, the local Masai language.
It has been two exciting days since my last blog. Yesterday, we went on another lion monitoring drive where we came across a mating pair of lions. These supposedly are the most dangerous lions along with a mother and cubs. However, they were so exhausted from mating that they really did not care we were within feet of them. Lions mate up to 55 times a day for an entire week without eating or drinking so they had more important things on their mind than the jeep full of people with cameras.
Today, I went on my first elephant monitoring drive. Here, we try to spot as many elephant herds in the area during our 3 hour drive. The elephants migrate often so the number is always changing. We came acoss two this morning. One herd consisted of 27 animals that had 3 babies and 2 large bulls. The second herd only had 7 individuals, 4 cows and 3 babies. I never thought I would get the chance to be so close to the largest land animal on the planet in their natural habitat but to come within feet of them is amazing. I know we have all seen them in the circus or the zoo but to see them in the wild is so much more impressive. The sheer size of the bulls makes anyone feel insignificant in comparison.
This afternoon I also had my first lesson with the local primary school. We split our group into two, half worked with the 5th and 6th graders and the others were with the 3rd and 4th graders. I worked with the younger kids today and we decided to have an art lesson where we taught the students to make origami butterflies. While there is both a language barrier in the school and the simple fact that paper is not readily available, so the children have very limited experience folding, it went very well. Like any class, you have your sharp students who get the new concept after they are first told and there are those that never fully grasp what you are trying to teach them. Thankfully, my group was very smart and I know enough Maa (the local language) and used the proper hand signals to get my point across. Once the butterflies were completed, we handed out animal stickers to all the students. To American students, a sticker may bring a few minutes or less of excitement but to my students, giving them a simple sticker was like I was giving them a piece of gold. The very sight of the sticker box made the noise level in the small wooden classroom elevate by 100. I am so excited that I get the opportunity to work with these wonderful children for the next 5 weeks. I have only met them once but they already hold a special place in my heart. Especially a little girl names Felista. She is very sweet and took a special interest in me the second I walked in. When I showed her how to make the butterfly, she immediately started helping the other students. She is a very special little girl and I am happy she is in my class.
On our way home from the school, we ran into a bad rain storm. I called home during the storm and the rain was so heavy that by the end of the conversation, it was nearly impossible to hear my mom and dad speak. Tin roofs and heavy rain make quite a lot of noise. Now I am about to sit down to dinner with the other volunteers and hopefully, if the rain stops, we will have a bon fire with the guiding school students. Tomorrow is our day off from all activites so we will have a chance to relax. I’m sure I will have plenty of time to explain more of the area I happen to find myself in then.
Love to you all at home or abroad.
This is a blog I wrote on Friday but had not been able to post till today. Supa means hello is Maa, the local Masai language.
It has been two exciting days since my last blog. Yesterday, we went on another lion monitoring drive where we came across a mating pair of lions. These supposedly are the most dangerous lions along with a mother and cubs. However, they were so exhausted from mating that they really did not care we were within feet of them. Lions mate up to 55 times a day for an entire week without eating or drinking so they had more important things on their mind than the jeep full of people with cameras.
Today, I went on my first elephant monitoring drive. Here, we try to spot as many elephant herds in the area during our 3 hour drive. The elephants migrate often so the number is always changing. We came acoss two this morning. One herd consisted of 27 animals that had 3 babies and 2 large bulls. The second herd only had 7 individuals, 4 cows and 3 babies. I never thought I would get the chance to be so close to the largest land animal on the planet in their natural habitat but to come within feet of them is amazing. I know we have all seen them in the circus or the zoo but to see them in the wild is so much more impressive. The sheer size of the bulls makes anyone feel insignificant in comparison.
This afternoon I also had my first lesson with the local primary school. We split our group into two, half worked with the 5th and 6th graders and the others were with the 3rd and 4th graders. I worked with the younger kids today and we decided to have an art lesson where we taught the students to make origami butterflies. While there is both a language barrier in the school and the simple fact that paper is not readily available, so the children have very limited experience folding, it went very well. Like any class, you have your sharp students who get the new concept after they are first told and there are those that never fully grasp what you are trying to teach them. Thankfully, my group was very smart and I know enough Maa (the local language) and used the proper hand signals to get my point across. Once the butterflies were completed, we handed out animal stickers to all the students. To American students, a sticker may bring a few minutes or less of excitement but to my students, giving them a simple sticker was like I was giving them a piece of gold. The very sight of the sticker box made the noise level in the small wooden classroom elevate by 100. I am so excited that I get the opportunity to work with these wonderful children for the next 5 weeks. I have only met them once but they already hold a special place in my heart. Especially a little girl names Felista. She is very sweet and took a special interest in me the second I walked in. When I showed her how to make the butterfly, she immediately started helping the other students. She is a very special little girl and I am happy she is in my class.
On our way home from the school, we ran into a bad rain storm. I called home during the storm and the rain was so heavy that by the end of the conversation, it was nearly impossible to hear my mom and dad speak. Tin roofs and heavy rain make quite a lot of noise. Now I am about to sit down to dinner with the other volunteers and hopefully, if the rain stops, we will have a bon fire with the guiding school students. Tomorrow is our day off from all activites so we will have a chance to relax. I’m sure I will have plenty of time to explain more of the area I happen to find myself in then.
Love to you all at home or abroad.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
My First Two Days
Hi Again,
The last two full days in the Mara have been spectacular. Yesterday I was introduced to the Koiyaki Guiding School (KGS) students. These are the students I will be working with as well as living in the same area as. They are all older students and are here to learn how to become guides for tourism. I will be primarily teaching computer skills and helping fix their resource room. The resource room is similar to a natural history museum once we are finished with it. Currently it is more of an empty shell. There are bones of the major animals found within the conservancy, cultural artifacts of the Masai people, bugs that have been dried for display and native plants that have been identified and dried. I hope to do a lot of work on this room and have it completed by the time I leave here.
After I came up with some ideas for the room, I had to talk to the head master of the school, Michael to get the ok to start buying supplies to complete the room. He very much liked the ideas so at lunch Gabriel and I headed into Talek to order paint and plastics and all the hardware we will need. Talek is a small town that is ~ 30 minutes away from the school. When we got there we heard there was a music festival that had all the local school competing. Singing is a large part of the culture here and when we arrived all the local schools greeted us. All the children wore tradition Masai clothing and each school had a different costume. Hearing the children sing and watch their traditions was beyond words. I have a video but like always I am having technological problems so I hope to be able to post that soon. After ordering supplies and seeing the children sing we headed back to the school so we could prepare for our lion monitoring.
Lion monitoring occurs twice a week and we go in late afternoon and come home around 8 pm. Lions are nocturnal so we go at dusk when they are getting ready to hunt. After two hours of roaming the conservancy, we finally came across 13 males. They were all under a year old. We could tell because they still had their spots. They honestly did not mind the car however to be within 6’ of a lion in the wild is crazy. There are lots of pictures, don’t worry. On our way home, we also saw hippos as we crossed the river to go back into the school. You may think that being within feet of a lion is the extremely dangerous, it is the hippos that you need to worry about. They kill more individuals per year that lions.
We arrived home late and were happy to find a dinner of fried fish, vegetables, potatoes and fruit. It was great food and at 9:30 while we all sat at the table the power went out which announced the end of our day whether we liked it or not. However, 30 minutes later the hyenas came into the area and I could hear them chewing a plastic bucket outside my window. Always a relaxing noise to fall asleep to.
This morning, I woke up at 6:50 and prepared for computer lessons. Today, I taught Betty our manager how to use excel. While I am no expert, I know enough to make a big impact. We had computer lessons for two hours then had a break for lunch, pasta with corn and tomatoes. I also was given my first lessons in Swahili and Masai during lunch. The language is very different but I have the best tutors in the world here so hopefully overt the next 6 weeks I will be able to get by a little better.
After lunch we headed to a town an hour and 15 minutes away to hold a women’s group. However, when we got there we were told that all the women in the village had gone to a church service one the other side of the valley so they were not coming. Instead, we went to the local primary school to meet the children. It was amazing! If you have a camera, you are these kids new best friend. They do not see themselves in mirrors often so they love for us to take pictures of them then show them. We met every grade level that was there 1-8th grade and introduced ourselves. I was liked because of Obama. However, none of them could say my name. They always just laughed and looked around at one another because none of them knew how to say it. We also helped unload a truck of corn and peas that was delivered by the USDA. Before we left, our guide, Sarah, showed us the schools well. This well is the only source of water for 5 km. Women walk here daily with 5-gallon jugs to get their family water. As I watched the women fill their jugs and load them into ropes that would them be carried across their forehead to carry home I was so thankful for my abundant water supply at home. TIA.
Now, we are home for the night. The students are playing volleyball on the other end of the school grounds and I think I will join them for a game or two before dinner. I hope to keep you as up to day as possible on this trip. I hope everyone is doing fine at home.
The last two full days in the Mara have been spectacular. Yesterday I was introduced to the Koiyaki Guiding School (KGS) students. These are the students I will be working with as well as living in the same area as. They are all older students and are here to learn how to become guides for tourism. I will be primarily teaching computer skills and helping fix their resource room. The resource room is similar to a natural history museum once we are finished with it. Currently it is more of an empty shell. There are bones of the major animals found within the conservancy, cultural artifacts of the Masai people, bugs that have been dried for display and native plants that have been identified and dried. I hope to do a lot of work on this room and have it completed by the time I leave here.
After I came up with some ideas for the room, I had to talk to the head master of the school, Michael to get the ok to start buying supplies to complete the room. He very much liked the ideas so at lunch Gabriel and I headed into Talek to order paint and plastics and all the hardware we will need. Talek is a small town that is ~ 30 minutes away from the school. When we got there we heard there was a music festival that had all the local school competing. Singing is a large part of the culture here and when we arrived all the local schools greeted us. All the children wore tradition Masai clothing and each school had a different costume. Hearing the children sing and watch their traditions was beyond words. I have a video but like always I am having technological problems so I hope to be able to post that soon. After ordering supplies and seeing the children sing we headed back to the school so we could prepare for our lion monitoring.
Lion monitoring occurs twice a week and we go in late afternoon and come home around 8 pm. Lions are nocturnal so we go at dusk when they are getting ready to hunt. After two hours of roaming the conservancy, we finally came across 13 males. They were all under a year old. We could tell because they still had their spots. They honestly did not mind the car however to be within 6’ of a lion in the wild is crazy. There are lots of pictures, don’t worry. On our way home, we also saw hippos as we crossed the river to go back into the school. You may think that being within feet of a lion is the extremely dangerous, it is the hippos that you need to worry about. They kill more individuals per year that lions.
We arrived home late and were happy to find a dinner of fried fish, vegetables, potatoes and fruit. It was great food and at 9:30 while we all sat at the table the power went out which announced the end of our day whether we liked it or not. However, 30 minutes later the hyenas came into the area and I could hear them chewing a plastic bucket outside my window. Always a relaxing noise to fall asleep to.
This morning, I woke up at 6:50 and prepared for computer lessons. Today, I taught Betty our manager how to use excel. While I am no expert, I know enough to make a big impact. We had computer lessons for two hours then had a break for lunch, pasta with corn and tomatoes. I also was given my first lessons in Swahili and Masai during lunch. The language is very different but I have the best tutors in the world here so hopefully overt the next 6 weeks I will be able to get by a little better.
After lunch we headed to a town an hour and 15 minutes away to hold a women’s group. However, when we got there we were told that all the women in the village had gone to a church service one the other side of the valley so they were not coming. Instead, we went to the local primary school to meet the children. It was amazing! If you have a camera, you are these kids new best friend. They do not see themselves in mirrors often so they love for us to take pictures of them then show them. We met every grade level that was there 1-8th grade and introduced ourselves. I was liked because of Obama. However, none of them could say my name. They always just laughed and looked around at one another because none of them knew how to say it. We also helped unload a truck of corn and peas that was delivered by the USDA. Before we left, our guide, Sarah, showed us the schools well. This well is the only source of water for 5 km. Women walk here daily with 5-gallon jugs to get their family water. As I watched the women fill their jugs and load them into ropes that would them be carried across their forehead to carry home I was so thankful for my abundant water supply at home. TIA.
Now, we are home for the night. The students are playing volleyball on the other end of the school grounds and I think I will join them for a game or two before dinner. I hope to keep you as up to day as possible on this trip. I hope everyone is doing fine at home.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Jambo from Kenya!!
Hi Everyone!
Sorry for the delay in post but securing internet over her and getting settled is a job. Well, I've made it to my new home. I am living in Naboisho Conservancy in Masai Mara. It is a plot of land owned by 500 Masai people who have donated their land. It is beautiful and very wild. Just last night the hyaenas were literally outside my window and at night you can hear the lions roaring just a few hundred feet away. Before I go into my current living conditions, let me explain how i got here.
I arrived late Sunday night in Nairobi where my driver, Bernard, picked me up. Bernard is from Kenya and has lived here all his life. Once I finally figured out which side of the car to get in on, I attempted to get in on the left hand side but I was kindly reminded by my driver that This Is Africa (TIA) and they drive on the left side of the road. We drove to Limuru, outside the city. This is a larger town about an hours drive from the airport. Due to my late arrival, I could not see any of the town so I was very disoriented however, we finally arrived at my home for the night, the Breckenhurst International Baptist Center. When we pulled into the Africa Impact house, I was greeted by a guard carrying a bow and arrow. Yes, a bow and arrow. TIA (remember this). Bernard helped me carry my belongings into the dark house and told me that I would collected at 9 am to head to the Mara. So, I went to bed in a new house filled with other volunteers.
The following morning, I was invited to breakfast by a girl from London. Once I could see my surroundings, I was amazed at how beautiful Limuru was. Limuru is in the highlands so it is all tropical hills. The compound I had arrived at had manicured grounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, coffee shops and conference rooms. I kept thinking this place was more of a resort that a volunteer compound. I met many volunteers while at breakfast. Some were from London, Canada, Australia, the US. After breakfast, I went back to the house to collect my belongs and get ready to be picked up to head to the Mara. So, at 9 am, I was ready to go but I waited.... and waited.... finally the coordinator for my volunteer group called the house and told me that the supplies I was taking with me for a new camp in the Mara were taking a long time to load and it wold be closer to 10. So, 10 rolled around... and still I waited. Finally at 11:00 Bernard pulled up to the house to pick me up. 2 hours late... TIA.
The trip to Naboisho was rumored to be very long due to the road conditions and it lived up this. It took us 6 hours to go 240 km. The first two hours we were on paved roads which led to severely deteriorated roads with potholes big enough to swallow the car to a deeply rutted dirt road. Not only were the roads bad but we were frequently stopped by what I call Africa Road Blocks. These are when some for of livestock or wildlife stand across the entire road and refuse to move. Whether it be cattle, sheep, zebra etc they all like to stand in the road and stare at the car. After 6 hours of bumping around in the car, Bernard turned to me and said "Welcome home Ashlee". I laughed because I thought he was joking. There was nothing around! Surly, I was going to another compound similar to Limuru where there was a nice house with many volunteers and grounds. Nope, my new home is a two room paster and wood home, 3 outhouses, 2 showers and tiny kitchen. When I say we are in the wild I am not kidding. As we pulled into my new "home" I felt a slight pang of panic. This has to be a joke!
I was greeted by Betty, Impact Mara (my project) manager. She is a very nice Masai woman. She showed me to my room that I share with 3 other female volunteers. In total there are 5 of us. One man form Illinois, a younger guy from South Africa, two dutch girls and a Swiss woman. They are all great people and I'm lucky to have them in my group. After the initial shock wore off I began to take in my surrounds and I must say the area was beautiful. There are no fences or barriers so I am in the heart of the Mara. Elephants come up to our dinning room and eat the acacia trees that are 5 feet from the lable. Hyaenas, like the racoons at home, come nightly and eat our trash. Lions wake us up at night as they roar to announce they have made a kill. I know this sounds crazy to you all at home, and I can agree with you on some parts, but I must say I am getting the true African experience here. Yes, that does include cold showers upon occasion, having to sleep under mosquito netting and the nearest ATM being 3 hours away however, I am glad I am here. Limuru would have been a pseudo-african experience. Here, I am thrown in with the Masai people and experience something closer to how they live. I will post pictures of my new home on my next post and you will really see the beauty of this place. Right now I am off to teach computer lessons to the local people. This should be good since I am no computer wiz myself. I will be posting more often I promise. Well, until I talk to you again!
TIA
Sorry for the delay in post but securing internet over her and getting settled is a job. Well, I've made it to my new home. I am living in Naboisho Conservancy in Masai Mara. It is a plot of land owned by 500 Masai people who have donated their land. It is beautiful and very wild. Just last night the hyaenas were literally outside my window and at night you can hear the lions roaring just a few hundred feet away. Before I go into my current living conditions, let me explain how i got here.
I arrived late Sunday night in Nairobi where my driver, Bernard, picked me up. Bernard is from Kenya and has lived here all his life. Once I finally figured out which side of the car to get in on, I attempted to get in on the left hand side but I was kindly reminded by my driver that This Is Africa (TIA) and they drive on the left side of the road. We drove to Limuru, outside the city. This is a larger town about an hours drive from the airport. Due to my late arrival, I could not see any of the town so I was very disoriented however, we finally arrived at my home for the night, the Breckenhurst International Baptist Center. When we pulled into the Africa Impact house, I was greeted by a guard carrying a bow and arrow. Yes, a bow and arrow. TIA (remember this). Bernard helped me carry my belongings into the dark house and told me that I would collected at 9 am to head to the Mara. So, I went to bed in a new house filled with other volunteers.
The following morning, I was invited to breakfast by a girl from London. Once I could see my surroundings, I was amazed at how beautiful Limuru was. Limuru is in the highlands so it is all tropical hills. The compound I had arrived at had manicured grounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, coffee shops and conference rooms. I kept thinking this place was more of a resort that a volunteer compound. I met many volunteers while at breakfast. Some were from London, Canada, Australia, the US. After breakfast, I went back to the house to collect my belongs and get ready to be picked up to head to the Mara. So, at 9 am, I was ready to go but I waited.... and waited.... finally the coordinator for my volunteer group called the house and told me that the supplies I was taking with me for a new camp in the Mara were taking a long time to load and it wold be closer to 10. So, 10 rolled around... and still I waited. Finally at 11:00 Bernard pulled up to the house to pick me up. 2 hours late... TIA.
The trip to Naboisho was rumored to be very long due to the road conditions and it lived up this. It took us 6 hours to go 240 km. The first two hours we were on paved roads which led to severely deteriorated roads with potholes big enough to swallow the car to a deeply rutted dirt road. Not only were the roads bad but we were frequently stopped by what I call Africa Road Blocks. These are when some for of livestock or wildlife stand across the entire road and refuse to move. Whether it be cattle, sheep, zebra etc they all like to stand in the road and stare at the car. After 6 hours of bumping around in the car, Bernard turned to me and said "Welcome home Ashlee". I laughed because I thought he was joking. There was nothing around! Surly, I was going to another compound similar to Limuru where there was a nice house with many volunteers and grounds. Nope, my new home is a two room paster and wood home, 3 outhouses, 2 showers and tiny kitchen. When I say we are in the wild I am not kidding. As we pulled into my new "home" I felt a slight pang of panic. This has to be a joke!
I was greeted by Betty, Impact Mara (my project) manager. She is a very nice Masai woman. She showed me to my room that I share with 3 other female volunteers. In total there are 5 of us. One man form Illinois, a younger guy from South Africa, two dutch girls and a Swiss woman. They are all great people and I'm lucky to have them in my group. After the initial shock wore off I began to take in my surrounds and I must say the area was beautiful. There are no fences or barriers so I am in the heart of the Mara. Elephants come up to our dinning room and eat the acacia trees that are 5 feet from the lable. Hyaenas, like the racoons at home, come nightly and eat our trash. Lions wake us up at night as they roar to announce they have made a kill. I know this sounds crazy to you all at home, and I can agree with you on some parts, but I must say I am getting the true African experience here. Yes, that does include cold showers upon occasion, having to sleep under mosquito netting and the nearest ATM being 3 hours away however, I am glad I am here. Limuru would have been a pseudo-african experience. Here, I am thrown in with the Masai people and experience something closer to how they live. I will post pictures of my new home on my next post and you will really see the beauty of this place. Right now I am off to teach computer lessons to the local people. This should be good since I am no computer wiz myself. I will be posting more often I promise. Well, until I talk to you again!
TIA
Monday, May 16, 2011
This is Only the Beginning
Hi Everyone,
This is my new blog where I will be documenting my adventure in Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. For those of you who do not know, I leave May 21st for a six week internship in Kenya where I will work on the reserve's conservation program for the African lion. I will be focusing on population research, however, I will also be teaching in an environmental camp for the local Masai children. While the day of departure gets closer, I can't contain my excitement. Who knows what adventures lie ahead! Make sure you don't miss anything by following me here on my blog, The Roaming Backpack, and I'll be sure to keep you posted.
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