More Pictures

Some zebra and giraffe we saw out on a hike yesterday about ten minutes from camp.

These are the bandas, or student cabins, we live in. I live in one with two other girls Sam and Olivia.

This is the inside of my banda. Thats my mosquito netted bed to the left!

This is the little girl Vivian we met on our homestay.

Some more zebras.

Everyone who went on the hike on a giant termite hill.

I'm standing in two elephant foot prints, but they are kinda hard to see.

This is my roommate Olivia with Abagail. Vivian is playing with the water in front of the house, and Lydia, the girls' mom, is in the doorway. That is the house that they all live in together.

Abigail and me

Abigail and Vivian inspecting my hand.

Homestay

I hope you guys liked my pictures! I'm going to try to put more up soon. I have a bunch from the homestay I went on yesterday. This homestay I went on was basically just a day to live in an African boma, or home, with an African family for the day. My roommate Olivia and I were paired together and dropped off at 7:30 in the morning to a small home just about five minutes away from camp. We were welcomed by a woman Lydia, and her two little girls Abigail and Vivean. They led us in through their gate, which they made with lots of branches and thorns to keep animals out. Their house was made with sticks, mud and manure, and consisted of two small rooms. Both rooms had enough space for one twin bed, and then open walking space which was about the size of another twin size bed. In the main room, where the front door was, they had two small tables as well. Under the tables were the 5 pots the family owned, and on top were the few plates, cups, and bowls they had. They also had some small food items like tea and salt, but everything they had for cooking and cleaning was on top of a table that was about three feet by 2 feet. It was another eye opener to say the least.

So when we got there we were welcomed into the house to put our bags down. We then went right out to the garden to start the days work. The family we visited harvests tomatoes, so we went through the garden, which was maybe 25 square feet, and pulled out all the weeds. Instead of throwing the weeds out we would place them on top of the tomato plants so that the afternoon sun wouldn't damage them. We did this for close to an hour and then we walked over to a different section of the garden where maize was growing. Lydia gave Olivia a "slasher" and she gave me a giant knife. The slasher was used kind of like a hoe to loosen dirt around the growing plants, and the giant knife was for hacking down big weeds. After a while we switched jobs, and finally were finished after about another hour. I had a bunch of blisters and felt like such a whimp. I still can't believe they really do these things all the time.

After gardening we went inside for a tea break. We had tea and bisquits, and it was nice to relax. Once we finished it was time to get water. We walked about 15 minutes to a watering hole. We filled up three big jugs of water. As we walked we talked to Lydia, and she explained that she walks to get water every morning and night. Once the jugs were full she tied a cloth through their handles and propped them up so that the material she tied rested on the top of our foreheads. We walked the 15 minutes back with water jugs on our backs, while we supported the weight with our heads. It was very African haha. The worst thing I have seen since I've been here happened while we were getting water. Half way into collecting a herd of cows and goats walked right into the small pool we were taking the water from. They were drinking and going to the bathroom is the same watering hole the families in the area get their water from everyday. I hated seeing that. It was terrible. I'm pretty sure they boil all the water they get before using it, but it was still so sad to see them using such disgusting water.

When we got back, we went back out to the garden. We picked tomatoes for an hour. By then it was 12, and sun was hot, and picking tomatoes was notttt fun. Luckily after an hour we got to go back to the house to make lunch. We remade the small fire outside the house and first cooked ugali, which is basically ground corn put into boiling water. When its done it looks like white mashed potatos, and tastes kinda like mashed up white rice. Next I cut two tiny onions up and put them in a pot with butter (actually I think it might have just been lard, ew). Once the butter/lard was melted I added five small tomatoes I had chopped up, and then a head of cabbage I had also cut up. All that was mixed until it was hot. We then put these veggies with the ugali and all sat down to eat. By lunch the two little girls, who were 6 and 2, had gotten very comfortable with Olivia and I, and were having a lot of fun playing with us, sitting on our laps and hugging us. We also played with the 5 children of Lydia's husbands other wife. They were all so so so cute. I will try to put up pictures of them soon. They were very interested in us, and they played with our hair and inspected our skin. They even tried to take my freckles off of me. They didnt know much english, but luckily their mom knew a good amount so communication wasn't too much of a problem during the day. Some of the other groups couldn't communicate with their host families all day, so we got lucky.

After lunch we all rested and hung out together. By the time we had to go I was exhausted but it was sad to leave the little girls and Lydia after connecting with them all day. It was an amazing experience that I never imagined I would have, but at times it made me very sad to see how little they really did have.

The day was another overall good day.

So I have one more story before I go...but I should warn you Grammy, you might not want to keep reading... A few nights ago when I left my cabin to go to the bathroom, I had the first snake sighting of the semester! When we got here we were given a safety lecture about all the creatures here including snakes. There are three very poisonous snakes that live in Kenya, and that have been seen on camp in the past. Every night everyone has to wear closed toed shoes and long pants to keep us protected from them, just in case. Luckily, thats what I was wearing when I saw the snake. It wasn't big at all; it was very very small, but those ones are actually considered the most dangerous. When baby snakes bite they don't know how to control their venom, so they will just release it all when the strike. The one that I saw, that we think was a baby black mamba, has enough venom to kill a few people. HOWEVER it was so small that I really don't think it would have gotten through my pants or shoes if it did try to bite. But after I saw it I went straight to the guards and told them I saw a snake. They only speak swahili, and just nodded their heads at me, so I stood there for a few seconds and then just said, snake!! At the word they all jumped up and repeated snake and followed me to where it was. They killed it, because any snake found on camp is killed just to be safe. Im very glad it was a baby, because I probably would have freaked out if I saw a big one. SO thats my snake story. It wasnt so bad, so dont worry Grammy!!!

OK well I'll try to get more pictures up soon from my two safaris last week. Hope all is well! Thanks for reading : )

Jen

Pictures!

An elephant we saw on Safari.

Vervet Monkeys we saw on Safari, on our break day at the lodge in Amboseli National Park. We got to stop at the beautiful lodge for lunch and to enjoy the pool. It was a lot of fun, and we saw sooo many monkeys, which are my favorite. They were so cute...clearly.

A view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the top of a hill we had one of our field lectures on during the second week of classes.

The Maasai women dancing as part of their welcoming song.

The Lions we saw on Safari today. The babies were so cute!

These are only a few of the pictures I have to show everyone when I get back home!

The Maasai

SO the past few days (weds, thurs, fri) have just been class days, so nothing too exciting. Today however, was a community service day. We got up at the normal time and had breakfast at 7:30. After eating we all packed lunches and got ready for the service. We found out this morning that we would be helping with a project nearby thats working to get clean water out to local people in the area. Every time we leave camp and drive places we see lots of kids and some adults pushing carts with 9 or 10 huge jugs that carry water through town. Some people have to walk miles to get to clean water to bring back to their homes. The project will hopefully help to shorten the distance between families and clean water.

We were broken into three groups, and brought to different sections of a pipe/waterway that is being built to transport water out into more communities so they don't have to travel so far to get to water themselves. So me and 8 other students got to our site where about 8 Kenyans were already working. The project was basically a trench made in the ground, that had two sets of wooden pieces propped up near the edges that were going to be filled with cement to make two cement walls for water to move through.

The first thing we had to do was shovel dry cement into a wheel barrow and push it maybe 75 yards to the section of canal we were going to work on. When we got there one of the Kenyan guys who looked around our age was pushing it and it didn't look so bad. Then one of the guys from our group tried and it didn't look so easy...but I wanted to try anyway, so I went next. I made it, but it was NOT easy. The Kenyan men didn't think I would make it and I did so it was worth it! I did one more trip after the first, but mostly helped with the shoveling. Once that was finished we moved to the trench that was being dug. I worked on the trench with my roommate Olivia, and my other friend Alex, and three Kenyans, Lucy, Anne, and Joseph. Lucy and Joseph spoke a lot of english so that helped the process go easier. To dig the trench one person would shash a hoe into the ground to loosen the dirt, and then the another person would follow with a shovel to get rid of the dirt. It didn't look very hard, but was surprisingly difficult. Lucy and Anne did it effortlessly.....Lucy is 59, and Anne is older. I could not believe how fast and well they were moving, while us 20 year old Americans were struggling.

After digging the trench which took about an hour, we moved on to help with the cement that was being put into the wooden frames. Olivia and I and another couple girls worked on bringing water to the dry cement pile so the guys could keep mixing and using it. To get water we had to go to a mud pit about 100 yards away and slowly fill up some big buckets. Carrying the buckets back wasn't easy either! Once the section we were working on was finished we left to go back to camp.

It really was amazing how accustomed they were to such strenuous work. They start work at 5 or 6 every morning and are busy with manual labor all day. They were barely even sweating and didn't drink any water the entire time. By the time we left we were all so tired, and ready for lunch, and they were still their working. It was definitely another eye opening experience.

After a lunch break at camp we were very excited for this afternoon. Last night we were told that the Maasai tribe was having a ceremony, and that we were invited to join as their neighbors. The last time students got to go to a Maasai ceremony was in 2003, so we were very excited! Ceremonies in the Maasai tribe are only held a few times each year and they are only for special occasions. Today was a ceremony for an age group of boys who are 'coming of age', and transfering into manhood. We got to see all the men and women in their traditional dress and beading. The women sang and danced, while the men sang/grunted, and jumped soooo high. They were amazing. It was very interesting and exciting to see. Tourists aren't allowed to go to cememonies like this, but they let us join as neighbors. My camera was put to great use once again : )

So today was not a typical day, and maybe not the most exciting to read about...but it definitely was another eye opener. Tomorrow we have another day off, and we are going on a hike outside of camp. Next week were are going to Amboseli National Park two more times for safaris, so I'll have more to write about.

Until then, hope all is well at home!! OH annnd, one of my good old Buddies informed me that I've been making some typos....sorry, spelling isn't my forte, plus I have a time limit on the internet! Hope everyone will forgive me!

ttys
: )

SAFARI

SO two days ago was our first Safari! We drove about 45 minutes to Amboseli National Park, which is just east of our camp. Before we even got inside the park, we could see elephants browsing right next to the entrance gate. Amboseli isn't fenced off, but instead it is just an area of protected land where no one is allowed to live, farm or herd. It is not maintained or taken care of by anyone, and is one of the only areas in Kenya that is just left alone so that nature can do its own work. If animals were fenced in, all of the resources would be depleted and nothing would be able to survive. So the National Park, along with the others in Kenya, is just protected land that no one can tamper with. Animals go there often to eat and drink, which is why it is such a tourist attraction. Once we got in the park we saw giraffe, gazelle, a warthog, zebras, elephants, lots of birds, and tonsss of baboons. They were amazing. There were a lot of little babies hanging on their parents, and also a bunch of young ones playing around and wrestling with each other. I can't wait to show everyone the pictures. They were the best.

After a few hours at the park everyone was exhausted so we headed back to camp. Our tour of the park was really just an introduction because we are going back two more times next week.

Yesterday we had a field lecture for class. To get to the location for the lecture we had to drive about 45 minutes to a giant, rocky hill. We had to start early so breakfast was moved up to 7am. I was on cook crew again, so I had to be in the kitchen at 6am. I was on donut duty. So I made donuts for the first time! It was really fun. I just cut up the dough and put it into the oil and flipped them and everything. I have made friends with the chef Arther, or Atha as he says it, because he knows I really like to cook, and we talk about what he makes a lot. After I finished the donutes I asked if I could make them cinnamon sugar donuts and he said I could so I mixed some up and put it on. I thought it made them even better. Arther is also from the Maasai tribe, and grew up around here. He is a big volleyball player, and I wear some of Mel's volleyball tshirts so he always talks about it, and he plays with all of us sometimes because most days we have a game or two.

Once breakfast was over we drove to the hill, which was more like a mini mountain. We hiked to the top, which took about a half hour, and it felt like we were going straight up. It was definitely one of the most difficult hikes I've ever been on, just because it was so steep and the "trail" was tiny. (Thought of you on Pre-O Mel haha). We were next to rock or thorns the whole time. Once we were at the top, we all took out our camp chairs and sat on a big rock and had a lecture up there. It was very, very hot, but it was gorgeous looking out into the savannah and nice to get out of the classroom. After the hour and a half or so we trecked back down. This hike was in open grassland so we had two ascari's, or guards, come with us with big guns in case anything dangerous was around and got too close. They were pretty intense, but didn't need to protect us from anything. On the drive there and back it was like we were off-roading, since there was no road and we were just driving through grass and dirt. All three land cruisers got stuck in some serious mud once each, but after about 30 minutes or so the drivers got us through. I thought we were going to tip a couple times which was a little scary, but overall the fishtailing and off-roading was fun! We also saw zebra, giraffes, lots of gazelle, ostriches, birds and wildebeests on the drives to and from camp. After the hike we came back for lunch, class and downtime.

At night all the guards wear long pants and jackets, boots, snow hats and gloves. I don't think it ever gets colder than 55 to 60 degrees... Their version of cold is so crazy. Even when we drive through town a lot of people wear jackets and hats, when we all have on shorts and tshirts! When we drive through town all the little kids run up to our cars and wave and smile and sing and yell. They aren't used to seeing "muzungu", or while people, and are very curious and excited when we drive through.

Thats all for now. We have an off day on Tuesday and we're going for another hike. This time we'll be going down into a gorge to see a waterfall. So I'll have some about that soon. Hope all is well back home, and it Europe for you guys over there : ) ttys!

AFRICA!

So I finally made it!! The internet has been awful so far, and still is, but it should be getting better in the next couple of days. I wish I could describe how beautiful everything is here!

The traveling seemed like it lasted forever. I couldn't sleep during my first plane ride to London so I was pretty tired all day, but then I passed out for almost the entire second plane ride because I was so exhausted. Before the second flight to Nairobi, I travelled through Leicester Square with Jenna in the morning, and then met Brian a few tube stops down for some lunch and a little more sight seeing. London was more exciting than I expected to be honest! I really liked it!

When I finally got to Kenya I was ready to go. We were picked up at the airport by a few of the staff, who are all native Kenyans. They drove us to camp in giant Land Cruisers which was pretty cool. The ride only took about 4 hours, and we took two stops on the way. It was verrry hot. The streets had no lines, signs or speed limits and were pretty scary, but our drivers were much more cautious than the people passing us...in both directions.

The camp is like nothing I expected. I thought it would be mown down grass and dusty, open field, but I was wrong. We are surrounded by tall grass and huge trees that look like the ones in the Lion King. Only the main area of the camp where the cabins bathrooms and main building are is trimmed down. Because it rained about a month ago everything is huge and green. It is gorgeous. The first day was pretty relaxed because they knew we were all exhausted. It was even difficult to unpack and get sheets on my bed, but seeing the moon and stars that night made it all worth it. They are SO bright. It was amazing.

The second day was pretty relaxed in the morning...but I was on cook crew, which meant I had to get up at 6:30 to help make breakfast with the cooks and 4 other students. It was actually pretty fun. I made the pancakes! I was thinking about my mom, dad and Aunt Dor on their griddles cooking 8 pancakes at a time, because I made about 30...1 at a time!! To make each one I put a normal amount of batter in the pan and then immediately rotated the pan so that the batter would spread. I quickly flipped them, making a very thin final pancake. They were pretty good! Later on we had safety discussions that were pretty scary but as long as everyone stays smart, (no worries dad) they will be fine. In the afternoon we went into a town called Kimana because it was market day. All the girls had to wear skirts or dresses, and it was one of the most interesting and overwhelming experiences I have ever had. All the women who sell their beaded jewelery came after us shoving everything in our faces and hands trying to get us to buy something. All we could do was shake our heads and try to remember the words hapana for no and asante for thank you. In the end I bought a couple small bracelets but it was very very stressful because we had to say no close to 5o times (no exaggeration) to get them to walk away... and they would still come back a few minutes later.

After town we came back and just had dinner and relaxed for the night. Today we had a nature walk in the morning, so we went outside the camp boundaries and explored with Daniel, one of the men who works and teaches here. He carried his tribal spear, sword, and walking stick, in case we happened to run across any predators. Daniel and many of the other staff grew up in a Maasai tribe. He has the traditional circular scars on his face and arms. Some of the other men, who don't speak any english, have the large holes in their ears like you see on TV and in magazines, they are our security guards that watch the gate 24 hours a day. I knew the men that worked here were kenyan, but I didn't realize that some of them came right out of their tribes to work for the school after growing up in their traditional ways. It is so fascinating!

After our walk we had some short introductions to our classes that will start tomorrow and then had free time. I went outside to play volleyball with some kids, and as we played there were a bunch of little monkeys playing around in the trees right next to us. I have seen at least one monkey on camp everyday so far, which is very exciting because they are my favorite.

I know I am forgetting some, but I'll save some for next time. Our first safari is this Saturday at Amboseli National Park, which is not far from here. I'm very excited to go! I'm sorry this took so long, and it still might be difficult to communicate in the next few days. I should be able to use the internet every other night once its set up right. Hope all is well at home! And I'll update again when I can!

xoxo, Jen : )