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.