Author Archives: juj126

Research and Thanksgiving

Time is flying by way to quickly. I only have 17 days left in Africa. I can’t believe that this will all be over soon…

 

Today was Thanksgiving. We all had the day off from research and really made the most of it. We started preparing food early this morning and then played games and made Thanksgiving themed crafts all day. In the afternoon we visited a bar in town and spent some time relaxing and hanging out. Around 4 we had dinner here at camp and it was pretty spectacular. I stuffed my face with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, bread, and more. Some people played football or took naps or watched movies. All in all I think that everyone had a really great day. I know I did! Tomorrow its back to the field, though. Here’s what DR (directed research) has been like so far:

 

First of all, there are three main DR groups–Ecology, Environmental Policy, and Wildlife Management. I am part of the latter and as a team we are looking at the ecological viability of the wildlife sanctuaries in our area. Almost everyday we go to a different sanctuary and conduct surveys to find out how many animals are there and if wildlife and livestock are using overlapping habitats. Our DR group is split up into smaller groups of 2 or 3 students and each small group goes off on there own with a local guide and an armed KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) guard. We walk pretty far each day through different types of terrain, taking down GPS points of where we see animals.

 

Our first day out in the field we went to Kimana Sanctuary. It was the first time anyone had conducted research there, so we actually spent the day mapping the boundaries of the sanctuary and then came back the second day to start the transect counts. I really enjoyed that day. We saw so many animals and it was amazing to be out there on foot with the wildlife all around us. I chased down some zebras and we came really close to an angry wildebeest who was not happy about us being in his territory. We sat under a big tree and had pb&j for lunch, watching giraffes mingling nearby. So awesome. The other days so far were pretty similar. Sometimes we didn’t see many animals but still had a great time exploring the landscape and talking with our African guides. Once we were hiking through some pretty dense brush and came across a group of elephants. They were very close to us and seemed a little agitated; we tried to go around them, but our guard determined that they were too dangerous to pass. So we had to turn back and go another way. It was really exciting! In total we will survey five different sanctuaries and will hopefully have enough data to make some recommendations about the management of the area. The land here is really important and needs to be protected properly because it is a major migration corridor for wildlife between Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks. When I’m there running transects and its hot and I’m tired of walking, I just remember how awesome it is to be contributing to a pool of knowledge that is truly vital to the survival of the parks and the many large mammal species that live here. 


Location: Kimana, Kenya

Finally, updates. And Tsavo!

So my blog posts that have been missing since September finally seem to be working. I have not posted nearly enough, but it was hard knowing no one could see them. Anyways, what’s been going on with me lately?

 

Most recently, a whole lot of work. For the last two days we have been preparing to start out big research projects. Tomorrow we will finally go out in the field to start collecting data. My group is looking at the ecological integrity of wildlife sanctuaries. Earlier in the week we had our big final exam (my last exam ever as an undergraduate student!) and before that we had a couple of essay assignments due. Right before all of that we went on our four day expedition to Tsavo West National Park. So yea, its been pretty hectic.

 

But, to talk about Tsavo. Out of all of the parks we’ve been to in East Africa, I think that Tsavo might be the most beautiful. We didn’t see the most animals or have the most eventful game drives, but the landscape was simply breathtaking and everywhere we went seemed so perfect and picturesque. We saw Mzima Springs which was like a jungle paradise where clear water came flowing up out of the ground and rushed down into a river. There were hippos and crocodiles there and vervet monkeys that tried to steal our lunches. We got to walk on the Shetani Lava Flow, black shattered crags of rock from an eruption only 500 years ago. We spent a day in the Chyulu Hills which is probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my life. The steep remains of old volcanoes are now covered in lush green grass and red flowering trees. We climbed to the top of two different hills, one for a lecture on land use changes and one just for fun. From up there we could see everything, the whole Tsavo ecosystem. We also got a really cool tour of the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary during one of the days at Tsavo. We didn’t see any rhinos, but we weren’t disappointed because we saw something even more rare – a pack of African painted wolves. We were so unbelievably lucky to see them, about 30, just hanging out in the road, playing or resting. Some of our African staff members told us that they had never even seen one before. So that was definitely the highlight of the expedition. 

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Location: Kimana, Kenya

Goodbye Tanzania. Hello Kenya.

I’ve made the switch! My time in East Africa is now halfway over. I’ll spend the rest of my time here in Kimana, Kenya. KBC (Kilimanjaro Bush Camp) is so different from our Moyo Hill camp in Tanzania. First of all, it’s so much bigger. We have tons of free space, a soccer field and volleyball court, two fire pits, a mile long running trail, twice as many bandas, a tv room, and an amazing library. There are tons of trees and flowering bushes in camp and vervet monkeys, baboons, bushbabies, and dik diks are often seen inside our fence. Every morning I wake up to the sight of Mt. Kilimanjaro’s snow capped peaks. It’s really quite incredible.

 

Leaving Tanzania was difficult, though. I truly loved the staff there and loved every day we spent together. On our last night in TZ, we had a sort of going away dinner. They had set the tables and chairs up outside around the fire circle and there were candles on all the tables. We had a feast like never before. There was ugali, rolls, and chapatti bread, scalloped and mashed potatoes, chicken, beef, veggie burgers, fresh juice, and more. As I sat in the firelight, watching the people who had become my family eating, talking, and laughing, I couldn’t help by tear up (…okay, I cried like  baby). I was just overwhelmed by the happiness around me, the simple perfection of it all, and the realization that it was coming to an end. I knew that I was in for more amazing times in Kenya, but still… I had found so much joy in this place and I wasn’t ready to leave Tanzania.

 

Our environmental policy professor, Mwamhanga, traveled with us to Kenya, and before he went back to Tanzania he hugged me and said to me, “Every time you see Mt. Kilimanjaro, think of Tanzania. That is your home.”  (Even though we can see the mountain from our camp here, its not actually part of Kenya.) I will never forget that.

 

So, now… we’ve been here for about a week and everyone is starting to feel more comfortable. We are getting to know all our new staff members and they have been keeping us busy with lots of academic work. Here are just a few of the things we’ve done in the past few days:

 

  • �      Field lecture. We hiked up to the top of one of the Chyulu Hills, a pretty intense and steep climb actually, to look out over the Rift Valley and talk about land use in the area.
  • �      Interviews. With local guides as translators, we conducted interviews with farmers in our community about human-wildlife conflicts (most people have problems with elephants and zebras tramping their crops in the dry season and want the government to fix an electric fence that will keep the animals out).
  • �      Rangeland assessment. We conducted ground surveys in small groups throughout the Tsavo-Amboseli wildlife corridor, looking at erosion, trampling, herb cover, grass height, canopy layers, etc.

 

Also, on a non-academic note, we had an awesome Halloween party with costumes, pumpkin carving, and candy! We’ve done a couple of nature walks in the mornings and watched some movies on the projector at night. Sometimes it’s still hard to get used to the fact that I’m not in Tanzania anymore. But we are having tons of fun here and there is so much to keep us busy that the days are passing by quickly! I miss our Moyo Hill camp a lot but I hope by the end of my time here I will consider this place home too. 


Location: Kimana, Kenya

SERENGETI!

Sorry its been so long since my last post. Last week we had exams for a few days and then went on expedition to Serengeti National Park. We spent 5 days and 4 nights in the park, camping out in tents. Since we’ve been back, I’ve had a lot of assignments due for all of my classes. This is the last week of class here and then we head of to Kenya (already?!?) so we have a bunch of stuff to finish up. Anyways, let me write about my time in Serengeti…

 

It was a pretty far drive to get to the park. After a couple hours we reached Uldupai Gorge, the “birthplace of humanity.” This is where Louis and Mary Leaky discovered the skulls of Homo erectus and Australopithecus. Then a few more hours and we were in Serengeti. Once we got in the park, we opened up the hatches of the land cruisers and stood up to look around. Serengeti comes from a Maasai word meaning endless plains, and it was clear to see why they called it that. The land just goes on and on in all directions, more vast and impressive than any park we had been to before. There were all kinds of animals, but they often seemed tiny surrounded by the immense landscape. As we drove through the park to get to our camp, a few lone rainclouds decided to let out some drops. It was little preview of the storm we would see the next day. When we arrived at camp, we all got out tents set up and helped to unload all the kitchen equipment and prepare the fire circle and everything that needed done. The campsite wasn’t anything too official; it was just a marked area in the middle of the Serengeti with a bathroom off to one side and a small building to cook in and keep food safe from animals. Anyways, the next morning we got up super early to go on our first game drive. Then we got a lecture from a park vet about wildlife diseases. Back at camp, rainclouds were rolling in as we ate lunch. A little while later it started raining pretty good and we put on our raincoats. Some people headed for the tents right away, but others including myself stayed outside for a bit. We stood in the rain until the wind was freezing cold and a small river began to run though camp. It didn’t take long for the rain to become a storm and we ran into a car for shelter. We waited it out there, playing cards for a while and enjoying the break. But more than anything, I enjoyed the rain. It was amazing to feel the hot sun one moment and the cold rain the next, to be drenched in the water that is truly the lifeblood of the Serengeti.

 

The next day we woke early again; we had a bird counting assignment. Each car was designated a certain habitat area and transect to drive along. We stopped every so often to identify and count any birds we saw around us. The data we collected is now being used for one of the assignments I have due this week, about the species richness and feeding guilds and stuff. Might not sound that exciting, but I actually liked the bird count a lot despite the fact that I’m not really a bird person. After that count, we started another on ungulates (gazelle, zebra, hartebeest, topi, etc.) with a similar assignment to go along with it. Over the next few days, we didn’t have any other assignments to complete. We did have two more lectures though, one on plant/herbivore interactions and one on tourism in the Serengeti. Other than that, our time was mostly spent game driving. I saw a cheetah and its three cubs drinking from a puddle, countless elephants seeming to amass from all directions around us, a mother hippo running around with her baby, crocodiles hiding in the muddy river, and finally… leopards! On two separate occasions I saw one relaxing on the branch of a tree and one time we were practically right underneath it. It looked down at us, all dignified yet lazy – a most gorgeous creature for sure.

 

On the last day of expedition, we got to visit Serena Safari Lodge. Quite simply it can be described in three words: heaven on earth. After 4 days of being crammed together in little tents, crammed together in little cars, driving through red dust all day, and sitting in campfire smoke all night, the openness and cleanliness of the lodge was extremely welcomed by everyone. We got to shower and swim in a beautiful pool, order food at the bar, and lay out on comfy couches and lounge chairs. It was like a little oasis in the middle of the Serengeti and I definitely lived it up, loving every second of it. On our drive back to camp, one girl realized she forgot her hat at the lodge. Our Student Affairs Manager decided to go back for it even though it was a long drive and there was a chance we wouldn’t get to camp until after dark. The girl wasn’t in our car but we were the closest to the lodge so we went back. It added at least an hour to our drive, but I’m really glad we did it. We got to watch some pretty intense storm clouds roll by in the distance and see the sunset over the plains which we couldn’t see from camp because of the trees. Seeing elephants silhouetted by the pink sky with lightening flashing in the clouds was a sight I will never forget. It was dark by the time we got back and it was really cool to have the chance to ride in the land cruiser at night, the eyes of zebras reflecting in our headlights as they leapt off the road in front of us. And that night was the best night I have had in Africa yet. After dinner, a few of us decided to stay up as long as we could to look and listen for animals. I lay by our campfire for hours, watching stars shoot across the sky and bats fly above me as lions called in the distance and hyenas walked through our camp. It was beautiful and exciting and I couldn’t have hoped for a more perfect way to end my Serengeti expedition.  


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Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Test

This post is a test. It seems that some people are having trouble seeing my latest entries. I have a new one coming up but before I post it, I want to see if this is working. If you were able to read “Ngorongoro and goat roast” and “Homestay” entries please leave a comment. They seem to be missing or something… 


Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Ngorongoro and Goat Roast

Today was spent in the largest caldera in the world, Ngorongoro Crater! Our day started early around 5:30. It took awhile to actually get to the crater because it is surrounded by a large conservation area that you have to drive through first. Also, we were having a guest lecture at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Administration Headquarters where we learned a little about the area and the crater. It used to be part of Serengeti NP until 1959. Its different from the park because people (Maasai) are allowed to live in the conservation area and not in the NP. The crater is home to Tanzania’s remaining viable black rhino population. We spent most of the time learning about the main problems facing Ngorongoro today:

-fast human population growth (8,000 people in 1959, 70,000 today)

-spreading of livestock diseases

-tourist and vehicle congregation in the crater

-environmental pollution

-resource overutilization

-modernization of the human inhabitants’ lifestyle

-climate change

-spread of invasive species, particularly plants

 

Okay, enough about the lecture; more about the adventure!

So, we didn’t have any assignments for the day. Just driving around and taking in all of the awesome-ness. The crater is different from the other parks we’ve visited thus far. Its mostly flat, savannah land. There are small patches of woodland, though, and little lush green watering holes, streams, and hills spread throughout. The animals seemed to be more spread out here, harder to find. I did see three species today for the first time though–hartebeest, hyena, and lion! The lions were definitely the coolest part. And the very first one was the most exciting. Someone just caught sight of it in the corner of their eye as we were driving by. It was actually hunting and was crouched down in the grass, creeping up on a group of zebra and wildebeest. The wind was not favoring the lion though and the group caught scent of her. When she realized she was out of luck, she just stood up and walked away from the group. Which happened to be right in our direction! She crossed the road only a couple feet from our land cruiser. After that, we saw 2 females and a male laying around by a stream with 3 little cubs. As we drove away from that group of lions, we actually got a flat tire. So our driver and councilor/leader had to change the tire just meters away from them! We just watched to make sure the lions didn’t get close. 


Two days ago we had a day off of classes. We have one day off each week and we always have something fun planned to do. This day we had a goat roast. We got to watch them kill the two goats and help to skin them. Then we had a mini bio lesson with its insides. (You didn’t have to do any of this if you didn’t want to) It was a little gruesome but interesting to see. Then we cooked the meat, some on the grill and some on sticks by the fire. It was actually really good. Some of it was really tough but still tasty. It was nice to sit around the campfire with all our Tanzanian staff members and to learn how they do things.


Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Homestay

Today we did homestays. That means we were paired up and sent off to spend the day with a local family. The point was to give us a hands-on experience with the townspeople, see how they live, do what they do on a daily basis. So my partner, Hannah, and I walked to a little nearby farm this morning with a cooler of clean water and two bags of provisions – cabbages, sugar, soap, etc. Ready to meet us at the door was a girl our age, Yohana, and her grandparents. Bibi and Babu (grandmother and grandfather) spoke only Swahili, but Yohana had pretty good English and was essentially our hostess for the day. First, we sat down and had a cup of chai tea and then Yohana showed us around the farm – pigeon peas, coffee, banana trees, cows, chickens, goats, three little mud-and-stick buildings. Then we sat down in one building (which consisted of a bedroom, a common room/living room/ dinning room thing, and a storage room full of corn) to prepare lunch. Hannah, Yohana, Bibi, and I opened a lot of beans and cut up the cabbages. It took a long time but it was really fun and relaxing. We felt comfortable with our host family right away. It was like the kinship you feel with distant relatives as you cook Thanksgiving dinner together or something. We chatted like we were old friends catching up and even shared a few laughs with Bibi, Yohana as translator. Then we went into the other building (which was comprised of a kitchen room and another storage type area) to cook lunch. All the buildings had dirt floors and the kitchen area had a slopping roof over the fire circle. There were only a few tiny square holes for windows and the whole building filled up quickly with smoke. This was not easy to get used to and my hosts found it hilarious that my eyes continued to water profusely the whole time. They also cracked up at my “Swahinglish” calls of “moshi in my macho!” (smoke in my eyes!) Pretty entertaining. Somehow, I managed to help with lunch. We made the cabbage and peas and also ugali which is a fluffly paste made out of maize flour and water that they eat with pretty much everything. After lunch, Hannah and I decided to make something special for our host family. We went out and picked lemons off a tree in the yard and with the sugar we brought, made lemonade. We figured they would like it because they make their tea super sweet here. Yohana and Bibi made sour faces, though, and didn’t particularly like it. Babu, on the other hand, downed three cups full, and that made us feel good. After that, Yohana took us on a little hike up to the top of the hill that the farm is on. The three of us sat up there for over an hour, just talking and laughing and enjoying the sunny day and beautiful view of the entire valley. When we returned, it was time to milk the cow. I was so excited for this! I’ve never milked a cow before and I must say it was an interesting experience! And hilarious as well. Everyone was really amused by my initial inability to get any milk out. I almost died laughing too. I couldn’t believe when it was over that it was time to go.  We had spent about 9 hours with our host family and had such a perfect day. It was nice to really get to know some of the people that live by us. It was also nice to have a peaceful day away from the hustle of 27 other students. One of the best parts about the homestay was sharing with our friends when we got back. Everyone had had experiences comparable to ours – days full of smiles, feelings of acceptance and companionship. Good times.

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Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Tarangire

Amazing day at Tarangire. We all broke into four groups and drove in different areas of the park. Each group ran a transect and counted all the large mammals they saw in order to calculate species density later on. That took all morning and then we went to the safari lodge for lunch. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Driving through the park was incredible. The landscape was totally different from Manyara National Park which is situated between the lake and a chain of steep hills. Tarangire is wide and vast, land stretching far out on all sides. Sometimes there were hills or wooded areas, but for the most part it was shrubland with baobabs and acacias scattered throughout. At one point there was a long row of tall palm trees lining a ridge near the mostly-dry river bed. Throughout the park I was continuously amazed by the beauty of the land, how wild it seemed, how ancient. But this spot in particular stands out in my mind as something unreal. It seemed prehistoric, an illusion of time. I half expected to see a brontosaurus walk out from behind the trees. Although we did not actually see any dinosaurs, we did see some pretty incredible things. Most noteworthy were three cheetahs relaxing in the shade of a bush – a very exciting and rare opportunity. So lunchtime came and we met up with the other groups at the lodge which was, in itself, breathtaking. An incredibly high wooden roof hung above a circle shaped porch which was full of chairs and couches with giant puffy cushions. There was a concrete deck to the porch and the view there was beyond words. I laid down on a soft bench and looked out for miles over Tarangire. The sky was white clouds with patches of clear blue showing through. The land was dry and golden with green and brown trees poking up everywhere. Off to one side the river zig zagged into the distance. There were elephants grazing between the trees and crossing gracefully over the river, tiny babies at the heels of their mothers. Gazelles and dik diks moved among them as well as warthogs and ostriches. I closed my eyes and soaked up the moment. At peace. In Africa 🙂

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Location: Kararu, Tanzania

In touch with the community

The last few days have been really busy. Two days ago we got invited to the local secondary school’s graduation ceremony. We rolled up all late and everyone stared at us as we walked in. They made a special welcome speech for us, too. It was a little awkward at first. Now, Rotia gets little to none of the tourist action from the nearby parks and cities and we are the only outsiders I have seen around. So we are pretty much the talk of the town and seem to stir up a lot of commotion everywhere we go. But this was different because but once we were settled in the atmosphere was very comfortable. For once, we are not the center of attention. We were just part of the crowd, enjoying the students’ ceremony like everyone else. We watched the students sing songs and give speeches in Swahili (All I could understand was “wanafunzi.” Students.) and the parents came up and did an amazing dance with singing and drumming. Very cool to see and also very cool just to feel like a welcomed part of the community that we are living in here.

And then yesterday was set aside for community service in town. We went to a small orphanage to lay a concrete floor and build some play sets for the kids. As soon as we arrived, we were surrounded by about 20 kids between ages 2 and 12. One little girl named Amina grabbed me from the beginning. She taught me this little hand game and I gave her piggyback rides and we took pictures and played with other little kids. The only actual work I did was pouring some concrete into a hole. But there were so many kids running around and not a lot of jobs to do anyways so most of us were just playing. But we ended up completing the floor and building a see-saw and a little wooden playhouse. And the kids were so happy with them. Actually they were so happy to begin with, just to have us there playing with them, that the things we built didn’t make too much of a difference. It was all laughter and smiles the entire time. And they were so loving. All Amina wanted to do was be held and give hugs and kisses on the nose and cheeks. Cutest little thing ever. A lot of the kids at the orphanage have lost their parents to AIDS. They really don’t have any chance of being adopted so the workers at the place are just looking for people to sponsor them. They have a little shop where they sell artwork and they are planning on selling their fruits and vegetables soon too. Its run completely on donations that mostly come from tourists who stop by on their way to Serengeti or Manyara. Its sad I guess, but you don’t get that feeling while you are there. The kids were so happy, full of energy, and got along great with each other and the staff. They are taught language and art and math there and they have books and maps and the walls are painted with cute pictures. They are working on expanding the buildings more too so they have more space. You could tell the kids were longing for love and attention, but they were treated well so that’s something.

Tomorrow is our day trip to Tanangire National Park. As nice as the community work can be, I’m really here for the wildlife so it will be awesome to get back out there. 

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Location: Karatu, Tanzania

Lake Manyara

Today I experienced my first safari. We spent the day at Lake Manyara National Park. It was UNREAL. We saw monkeys, storks, pelicans, elephants, giraffes, gazelles, zebra, buffalos, wild pigs, mongooses, ostriches, and countless other species, including some I never knew existed. The most exciting part of the day was our encounter with the bull elephant. Driving down the winding dirt road in our land cruiser, standing up in the hatches, we turned a corner and there was this huge elephant standing in the road. He was protecting his herd of females and babies that were feeding in the brush and along the roadside. We stopped the land cruiser and he stared us down. Then he started walking straight towards us! He came very close and our driver and teacher, Kioko, continued ahead. I guess the elephant decided we were okay because he moved to the side to let us pass. But he was inches from us and he was not happy about it. Then he planted himself back in the middle of the road, waiting for the next car. We decided to wait too, so we pulled a little ahead to watch. Well, when the next car came around the bend a few moments later, he stood his ground. He kicked and threw dirt up into the air and wouldn’t let the car through. The female elephants were trumpeting and getting nervous. So the other car backed up and didn’t come past. It was crazy! The bull decided to let us by but not the next people. We were very lucky to have that amazing experience. Everything about the park was amazing actually. From the beginning we saw hornbills and baboons everywhere. Caught a glimpse of both species feeding their young. Soon we began to see small groups of impalas and giraffe. One of the greatest things about driving though the park was viewing all the amazing plants and learning to identify some trees. We saw the incredible baobab, many species of acacia, cordias, the African sausage tree, and something the Maasai call the “testicle tree” because of its paired seed pods. Sometimes these trees lined the road like a jungle, sometimes we could see them growing on the hills and mountains, and other times they were sparse, a savannah landscape. We crossed sandy trenches that will fill with water when the rains come. At times we were close to Lake Manyara itself seeing strips of flamingos in the water and wildebeests along the shore. We stopped at a place where a hot spring runs into the lake and I put the tips of my fingers in the steaming water. We also stopped at a pond where a huge group of hippos live. I saw some play-fighting as zebra, warthogs, and cranes wandered by the pond. It was truly unbelievable. The perfect first safari experience. It wasn’t all tourist-fun though. We were taking field notes throughout the day and now I have two reports due about animal behaviors I observed in the park. A third report is due about the Maasai culture. Tomorrow we will be visiting a boma to learn about their ways firsthand. Although the work is already taking up a lot of my time, I don’t mind it. It’s all worth it to see the things I am seeing.


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Location: Karatu, Tanzania