Tag Archives: 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

So close!

Days until arrival: 1

Here it is. The time I have been waiting for for SO LONG. My flight into Nairobi leaves tomorrow night. I’m already in Africa– Egypt actually– on vacation, so I don’t think my flight will be terribly long. Once I arrive in Kenya I have to get my visa, somehow manage three suitcases, and meet the rest of the students and staff. From there, we will take another flight to Tanzania. There are two groups of students in the program; I am in group 1. So I will spend the first half the semester in Tanzania and the second in Kenya. That also means I will be doing my research project in Kenya. 
I don’t know what I am most excited about. Meeting the other students in my program is definitely up there. And meeting people in the Maasai village. I’ve learned a couple of Swahili words so far, and will be taking a language/culture class, so it will be so cool to communicate with the local people. Which brings me to something else I’m really excited about– at the end of the program, the students get to present their research findings to the people in the village. Its amazing to think about sharing your work with people who are actually effected by what your studying, and to be a part of change in a community. Finally, I’m just so excited to BE in that place. To smell the air, to see the herds of animals, to feel the dirt on my feet. Definitely tired of waiting. 
Well, my wait is almost over now. I’ll be posting again within the week… from Tanzania! 🙂

Location: Cairo, Egypt