Hakuna KBC

Departure time is eminent from Kilimanjaro Bush Camp. I cannot believe that 5 weeks has flown by so quickly & relatively seamlessly! Tuesday, we pack up & ship out for Nairobi, aah civilization, how I have missed you. Troop Beverly Hills meets National Geographic will end, at least for a little while. I am sad to leave many of the dynamics of this little home we have here, but I will not be sad to reconnect with the outside world. A burger & pedicure will be well received before I go for further East African adventures. Our research project has concluded. I will say that presenting to a roomful of roughly 100 Maasai warrior men on adequate ways to use the bathroom, was in fact, one of the top most awkward moments of my life. But it really ended so much more positively than I could have imagined. The partnership that we made with the community exceeded everything I expected. In addition, I think that groundwork was made to assist these fascinating people with challenges lying before them. I really enjoyed my time in this little corner of the world called Kimana. As we conclude our time here at the camp, there are a number of things I will & will not miss terribly. I have compiled a small list for your reading pleasure. Those things that I will leave here at KBC & not likely remiss are~ 1. Dressing akin to a duffle bag 2. Performing a routine black mamba checks each night in my sleeping bag 3. Amoebas that I may have named Annie 4. Kenyan marriage proposals 5. Strolling by the sole mirror & failing to recognize myself.

On the contrast, there are a number of things that I will miss greatly here~

1. The people. I feel like I had the privilege of being invited into a world that very few of the outside world has seen. The Maasai embody a great sense of honor to their culture, display the art of being humble quite well and show respect and discipline in many ways that have been lacking in the Western world. It has been such a pleasure.

2. The constant troupe of children. At times I felt like the Pied Piper roaming around the bomas & savannas of Kimana, Kenya. Looking like a crazy Muzunga, many adults were a bit confused on how  & where this white girl came from, but children have this universal way of connecting. I will miss looking behind me and finding a brood of 20 or so little ones. Curiosity so often goes both ways, and it is just laughable at times. Another thing I have learned, bubbles are universal & always result in happiness. 

3. I will also miss the luxuries that we had during our time here. As many of you know, I am not the most rugged of girls, and struggled at times without those things at home that we so often take for granted, however we had other things in its place. On my walk to the chumba every morning, you glance to your left for a stunning view of Kilimanjaro. We must have a thousand pictures of that mountain, but it truly never tires. 

4. The staff here. They are amazing. I have never laughed so hard. They are some of the finest people I have ever come across, and I am proud to call them friends. They have been a huge part of my education here, & I value all I have learned from them. I wish I could put them in my pocket & take them with me, just gems. Also, Hakuna can be followed by anything, & I doubt that I will find a Duka as fine as Abdi's.

My time here has been one of enlightenment. Some of pure joy & laughter matched with hesitance & frustration, but ultimately, I will take a piece of all this with me. 

What lies next on my little adventure . . . a few days in Nairobi, where I will relish my new found appreciation for indoor showers, cleanliness & adult beverages, playing at all the appropriate haunts; then Anna and I depart southward. Zanzibar is going to not know what has hit it for the beginning of July, followed by a jump over to Uganda & then settling in my new home of Kisumu, Kenya for the remainder of the summer. Updates & most delayed pictures soon to follow. Salama sana rafikis. 

Adventures in Cow Dung Huts

Habere all. Week 3 here at Kilimanjaro Bush Camp, which we lovingly call Jurassic Park on good days, and Kenyan jail on the others, has been quite hopping. This week we started going out into the field for our research project. This entails me, and another student, trekking out into the african savannas and a maasai translator. We are dressed akin to duffel bags ps, and we are knocking on cow dung huts and the such to gather data on access to water. It is most definitely the most random thing I have ever done, but in the process you get absolutely submerged within the culture. For the vast majority, the families we are interviewing have been amazing, having chai with them, you learn so much. The kids are hilarious. If I have learned one thing about my time in Africa, it is that bubbles are universal. I am usually found walking across the hills with a brood of about 20 or so little ones parading behind me, it is quite the sight. 

Whenever we are let out of the camp, we love unwinding at the local watering hole Club Kimana, run by the local chief, it is quite stellar. I severely underestimated my appreciation for warm beer. 

The staff here is fantastic and hilarious. Their depth of knowledge on life here is beyond, and I am constantly asking hundreds of questions. We amuse ourselves through silly games and antics, and they of course take part. Example, we are having Banda Idol on monday. Our local Maasai guru, Sipaya, duka master, Abdi, and chef expert Arthur, will be serving as our lead singers in our own signature version of  "American Boy." Not to fret, video to shortly follow. 

It is so funny, but at times I forget where I am, working with a number of BU kids, but then I look around, see Kili, or have a chat with an escari or pass galloping giraffes on the way home, & it all comes back. La la Salama

Maasai, Kili & Hippos

Jambo friends, The week has been laced with various interesting experiences, and a whole heap of laughs. I apologize for the lack of pictures, our internet connection is sub-par at best, and cannot handle picture uploads, so I will have to keep you in suspense. Located about 6 hours south of Nairobi, we are right on the Tanzanian border, outside a little town called Kimana. I am officially here for a research project on water and its use. Initially, I will admit, I thought it a bit dull, but the issue is real and apparent here. You look at Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the snow is visible depleting. The Maasai, a fascinating tribe in and of their own right, have severe inadequate access to basic things like water. Our job is to inquire why. In the mean time, I am learning, by being thrown in. In the last week, I have been ripped out of my comfort zone in a National Geographic meets Troop Beverly Hills type scenario. We have gone to Maasai bomas (traditional cow dung homes), gotten acquainted with the people through markets and such, built water furrows (tried to rather), safaried through Amboseli National Park (hippos abundant), trekked to a suspect Maasai Manyata, hit up a version of a Kenyan bar, coined Club Kimana in which the song selection included Barry Mannelow & Ace of Base accompanied by beer & chicken, took part in the World Environmental Day/Marathon, learned to throw a Maasai spear,  and laughed a whole lot along the way. The girls and I have been entertaining ourselves by daily ridiculousness, it has certainly been challenging. Due to the elephants, we are unable to leave the camp walls without an escari (Maasai guard), yes, I did say elephants. It is a total T.I.A. experience (This is Africa friends)