Internet!!

We finally have internet! Sorry i couldn't upload these sooner!

6/11/12

Home for a Month

I have finally arrived in my home for a month. Our flight was short from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro but we got a great view of Mt Kilimanjaro from our plane. It was breathtaking. It definitely makes me wish I could stay a week and climb it. After filling out all our visa paperwork, we had to file claims for lost bags since not all our bags could fit in the tiny plane. We then boarded our Land Rovers (love!) and started the trip to Moyo Camp. It was estimated to be about a three and a half hour ride with an hour stop in Arusha. During our time in Arusha, I went to a local restaurant recommended by our Student Affairs Manager with a few other students. The restaurant was definitely a tourist stop and was filled with a lot of Brits and a few Americans. Then we got back in our vehicles and started the climb to camp. I quickly fell asleep due to exhaustion. After falling asleep in a brown grassy plain, I awoke to a green lush mountainous terrain. We spotted a few baboons and camels on our way and stopped to look out over Lake Manyara National Park. The park is beautiful and very green. There was a herd of water buffalo making their way out to the lake. After arriving in camp, we were introduced to all the staff, given a delicious dinner and moved into our banda. The banda has two sets of bunk beds and a simple bathroom with a toilet and showerhead, which apparently only has cold water. After an extremely full weekend, I’m ready to finally get some sleep!

6/12/12

Orientation

I finally got to sleep in a real bed! I was determined to stay up to at least ten but it just wasn’t happening. Such an incredible experience knowing that you are waking up in Africa! In the morning we received an orientation to Africa and learned the many ways we could die while here. Apparently there was a hyena attack in the village two weeks ago, so we’re not allowed out after 6 p.m. and we always need a buddy for the first week. After lunch we were introduced to all our professors and how the courses work while we’re here. Although I just came out of two intensive four-week courses, this one seems like it will be more difficult. Our bags came today so we were able to unpack and fully settle into our bandas. We also took a walk into the local village, Rhotia. All the kids were really excited to see us and would run down to the street to wave to us. We got quite a few stares from the adults though, but probably just because we were such a large group. I’m not too excited to have to start classes again tomorrow, but I’m sure they’ll be a lot interesting!

6/13/12

Jambo! My Swahili is finally improving although not very much. A couple words I learned today are habari (how are you?) and kuku (chicken). In the morning we had lecture. First we discussed the behavior of baboons and were introduced to an ethogram we’ll be conducting of baboons in Lake Manyara on Saturday. It’s basically looking to see what they’re doing every five minutes and writing it down. After a break we had another lecture about all the different large mammals we should see while on our expeditions. My professor guaranteed we’d see giraffes, elephants, lions and cheetahs! I took a venture to town with a few other students to buy a parachihi (avocado). We’d been told there were really good and cheap. After searching through all the produce stands we could see, an old man had us follow him a ways down the road to another little market where there were finally avocados. The local woman selling them ripped us off, but they still only cost about 30 cents each. We also had to pay the man that showed us where they were for his trouble. In the afternoon, we had a traveling lecture about forest conservation. We first visited a local primary school, where the kids are being taught about the importance of conserving the forest and how to grow their own food. An owner of the local luxury safari hotel funds the project, so it’s the only school in their area with the program. The school also has a tree nursery that the students help with and the school was able to plant over 700,000 trees last year! We then visited a local residence where the government has installed a biogas converter. It allows the owner to take the cow poop and utilize it as a fertilizer and fuel source. While there, we also saw some adorable puppies and it was really hard to resist picking them up! Our last stop was a brick production company that has designed interlocking bricks so no mortar is needed. A lot of deforestation was occurring because of use for the mortar to build the houses. After coming back to camp, we went to the soccer field to play a game with the staff. I decided to sit out and watch because I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and sore throat, so I have a minor head cold. Hopefully it will clear up soon! Now I’m off to a bonfire in our GIANT fire pit!