Last day of free internet. Last (half) day at camp.
I'll really miss this place. Everyone's been going into town during the day lately, but I stay here and get on computers or write or read or nap or laundry. It's quiet and it's pretty and everyone's nice. There are two zebras who run through camp with a herd of cattle and goats, which is kind of hilarious. And two dogs who are mostly annoying, one who is mostly nice, and one who is great. And the Petersons, who I will miss quite thoroughly.
I will not miss the bugs. Or the inability to function after dark if my light doesn't have enough power. Etc.
Today the bio kids get back and we stay at a swanky hotel. I'm excited. I miss Hillary and Rachel and we're going to have a freakin' great time in London together.
Paper's finished, one presentation down, one powerpointed to give tomorrow. The leader here is getting annoyed with us--probably because we make him drive us everywhere and most of the girls throw themselves at him and, in the process, think they are flirting when they tease him, but are actually kind of mean. He and I get along well though--I'll miss him too.
I'm not sure when I'll update again--probably not until Europe. Just figured I'd do a little goodbye to the Peterson compound.
Anyone got must-sees for London or Dublin?
27.11.09
I made myself lemonade today
We didn't mess up Thanksgiving! I mean, it wasn't REAL Thanksgiving, but it went so well. We had two chickens and mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and corn (but it was creamed. yech) and stuffing and green beans and roasted vegetables. And apple pie! I think most people's favorite was the sweet potatoes, which was partially Mom's recipe. So you get kudos from a bunch of people in Africa. The pies turned out really well--I made them with Lila, who even made crust. They were a little liquidy but still delicious.
We cooked a lot and ate a lot, of course. Daudi and Trude (his wife) and Ethan all joined us, which was really nice. Turns out Trude's about as cool as Daudi, something I didn't really think was possible. After dinner we played a game--kinda a mix of charades and taboo--and it was fun except everyone got defensive when I said it was a tie at the end. Not so much the spirit of Thanksgiving from the team that actually won. :P
Presentation tomorrow, paper due Tuesday, another presentation on...Wednesday? I think. Then EUROPE, where I am skipping Strasbourg and just doing Nantes instead. Sad to miss the city, but excited to see Emily sooner! I miss people who've known me more than three months.
Found out yesterday that I definitely got into Neurobiology for next semester! Very exciting. Am also taking Presidential Politics, Political Parties and Interest Groups, and Modern European Intellectual History. I'm waitlisted for US Foreign Policy, but I think it turns out I'd rather take the history class anyway. I'm excited.
We cooked a lot and ate a lot, of course. Daudi and Trude (his wife) and Ethan all joined us, which was really nice. Turns out Trude's about as cool as Daudi, something I didn't really think was possible. After dinner we played a game--kinda a mix of charades and taboo--and it was fun except everyone got defensive when I said it was a tie at the end. Not so much the spirit of Thanksgiving from the team that actually won. :P
Presentation tomorrow, paper due Tuesday, another presentation on...Wednesday? I think. Then EUROPE, where I am skipping Strasbourg and just doing Nantes instead. Sad to miss the city, but excited to see Emily sooner! I miss people who've known me more than three months.
Found out yesterday that I definitely got into Neurobiology for next semester! Very exciting. Am also taking Presidential Politics, Political Parties and Interest Groups, and Modern European Intellectual History. I'm waitlisted for US Foreign Policy, but I think it turns out I'd rather take the history class anyway. I'm excited.
25.11.09
I didn't realize Stupak was a Democrat from Michigan. What the what?
We went to a movie theatre today! And saw a real live movie! There was popcorn and candy and everything!
It was very strange and absolutely fantastic. We saw "Inglorious Basterds", which is funny and a good movie (and good for the vengeful conscience, since all dem "Natzis" get killed). It was a lot less gory than I expected, seeing how it's a Taratino film. Quite good though.
We're also trying to do Thanksgiving tomorrow. I don't know how well it will work, but I'm going to help make an apple pie and maybe the sweet potato casserole. We gotta ask Daudi (who I'm madly in love with, if I haven't mentioned) if we can use his oven, since at the moment we only have one.
I've started making a list of things I miss. It has everything from the waves (which it actually has twice, since I forgot I wrote it the first time and really miss them) to The Walking Ladies to homemade pickles to long conversations with old friends. It is a list that makes me happy instead of sad; if I try to avoid thinking about things, I get homesick; if I think about them actively, it makes me happy.
Speaking of things I miss, from what I hear the Tigers are trying to trade away everyone I love. (Well not everyone, Verlander and Porcello and Inge are safe). But still. Talks of losing Polanco, Granderson, Jackson, Everett and now Cabrera too. Ridiculous.
We are officially done doing our research. Lila and Devyn and I went around the village with a translator surveying women about family planning. Now we have to do two presentations and a paper, but other than that (which to me is pretty easy) this program is OVER. I'm getting very excited to go to Europe, and two of my friends from the bio group are coming with me to London!
I did finally get sick, but it was only for 36 hours. I then passed it to the other kids in my homestay except Lila, and they all had it for longer. I felt lucky but a little guilty, both for passing it on and for everyone being sick at the homestay. Our host mom had to deal with three kids throwing up in one night, and everyone just wanting to lay around and sleep and not eat anything and make quick trips to the bathroom. Yech.
Um. I think that is it for now. Everyone have a marvelous Thanksgiving. Eat tons for me. (And Mom, don't forget we have to do Thanksgiving again when I get home. :P )
It was very strange and absolutely fantastic. We saw "Inglorious Basterds", which is funny and a good movie (and good for the vengeful conscience, since all dem "Natzis" get killed). It was a lot less gory than I expected, seeing how it's a Taratino film. Quite good though.
We're also trying to do Thanksgiving tomorrow. I don't know how well it will work, but I'm going to help make an apple pie and maybe the sweet potato casserole. We gotta ask Daudi (who I'm madly in love with, if I haven't mentioned) if we can use his oven, since at the moment we only have one.
I've started making a list of things I miss. It has everything from the waves (which it actually has twice, since I forgot I wrote it the first time and really miss them) to The Walking Ladies to homemade pickles to long conversations with old friends. It is a list that makes me happy instead of sad; if I try to avoid thinking about things, I get homesick; if I think about them actively, it makes me happy.
Speaking of things I miss, from what I hear the Tigers are trying to trade away everyone I love. (Well not everyone, Verlander and Porcello and Inge are safe). But still. Talks of losing Polanco, Granderson, Jackson, Everett and now Cabrera too. Ridiculous.
We are officially done doing our research. Lila and Devyn and I went around the village with a translator surveying women about family planning. Now we have to do two presentations and a paper, but other than that (which to me is pretty easy) this program is OVER. I'm getting very excited to go to Europe, and two of my friends from the bio group are coming with me to London!
I did finally get sick, but it was only for 36 hours. I then passed it to the other kids in my homestay except Lila, and they all had it for longer. I felt lucky but a little guilty, both for passing it on and for everyone being sick at the homestay. Our host mom had to deal with three kids throwing up in one night, and everyone just wanting to lay around and sleep and not eat anything and make quick trips to the bathroom. Yech.
Um. I think that is it for now. Everyone have a marvelous Thanksgiving. Eat tons for me. (And Mom, don't forget we have to do Thanksgiving again when I get home. :P )
18.11.09
She felt only that women should be able to make conscious decisions about their lives, if that made her a feminist, she guessed she was one
The Peterson compound has internet for free. I've managed to get on basically whenever I want, which is nice. We haven't been doing incredibly exciting things though, so I've had nothing to update.
Now we are in our homestays. There are advantages (beds, electricity, fantastic food, close to a place I can get Krest Bitter Lemon soda for 500 shillings each) and disadvantages (no showers, no running water, less access to internet). I'm staying in a house with Lila and Devyn (my partners for our independent study) and Nicole and Natalie (who are working with orphans for their independent study).
Life's pretty good. We've been gathering information about family planning via survey and have learned a lot and met some really interesting people. Last night and this morning it was pouring; I biked to the compound for internet this morning and got 1.) soaked and 2.) covered in mud. Plus the road is bumpy and muddy and filled with puddles. It was still kind of fun though.
I've been dataing and interneting all morning, and am about to head back to the homestay for lunch. In the afternoon (it looks like it's stopped raining) we'll go out and give more surveys, which is what Lila and Devyn did this morning.
It's nice to be busy, makes me less homesick. And I'm really interested in what we are studying. But it's still reaching the point where I'm ready to move on. Europe and home and the rest of my life. I think I just get restless if I stay in one place, no matter where it is, too long.
Fun things about our homestay: we have a cat! It curled up on my and purred and everything! We also had puppies for less than 24 hours--Nicole and Natalie each got one from an orphanage, but when they realized how much work they were (and that you couldn't ride a bike and hold a puppy at the same time), they returned them. I named one Jonah and he was adorable and I miss him.
The Petersons are still fantastic--we mostly work with Thad and his wife Robin, but Mike helps out too. Daudi too, though I haven't seen him in forever. Mike reminds me of Ric VanWheelden--sort of mellow and kind and they talk the same way. Robin reminds me of Bonnie or Jen Jelinek a bit--I think it's mostly because she looks like them. But, moral of the story: they are all wonderful.
Ethan, our new professor-type guy, is good too. I think we've seen him more in social settings than academic settings, but that's okay (It's "independent" study after all). We went out with him and some of the Petersons to a country club on Friday--played volleyball and drank the two for beers and such. We played lots of volleyball actually, which was tons of fun, but got a lot harder the darker it got (and the drunker most of us got). Met Ethan's brothers and Mike's daughter.
Saturday most of the group went back to the country club, but I stayed around camp and lolled and read and wrote. I'm reading a ton on this trip, currently "The World According to Garp" (which I have paraphrased for the title to this entry). Loving it.
Sunday we went back to the country club *again*; this time it was the "Christmas Fair." Not sure I'm okay with anything being labeled Christmas before Thanksgiving, or when it's so hot out you have to find shade and a cold drink, but it was fun. Got some earrings and presents for people, saw Santa and a circus act, and read a lot.
Monday was a day of interesting data collection and we returned to the puppies. It was the best Nov 16 I've had in a while. Hope everyone made it through it well. M.M.H. Always and forever.
Now I am officially going to be late for lunch! Love to you all!
Now we are in our homestays. There are advantages (beds, electricity, fantastic food, close to a place I can get Krest Bitter Lemon soda for 500 shillings each) and disadvantages (no showers, no running water, less access to internet). I'm staying in a house with Lila and Devyn (my partners for our independent study) and Nicole and Natalie (who are working with orphans for their independent study).
Life's pretty good. We've been gathering information about family planning via survey and have learned a lot and met some really interesting people. Last night and this morning it was pouring; I biked to the compound for internet this morning and got 1.) soaked and 2.) covered in mud. Plus the road is bumpy and muddy and filled with puddles. It was still kind of fun though.
I've been dataing and interneting all morning, and am about to head back to the homestay for lunch. In the afternoon (it looks like it's stopped raining) we'll go out and give more surveys, which is what Lila and Devyn did this morning.
It's nice to be busy, makes me less homesick. And I'm really interested in what we are studying. But it's still reaching the point where I'm ready to move on. Europe and home and the rest of my life. I think I just get restless if I stay in one place, no matter where it is, too long.
Fun things about our homestay: we have a cat! It curled up on my and purred and everything! We also had puppies for less than 24 hours--Nicole and Natalie each got one from an orphanage, but when they realized how much work they were (and that you couldn't ride a bike and hold a puppy at the same time), they returned them. I named one Jonah and he was adorable and I miss him.
The Petersons are still fantastic--we mostly work with Thad and his wife Robin, but Mike helps out too. Daudi too, though I haven't seen him in forever. Mike reminds me of Ric VanWheelden--sort of mellow and kind and they talk the same way. Robin reminds me of Bonnie or Jen Jelinek a bit--I think it's mostly because she looks like them. But, moral of the story: they are all wonderful.
Ethan, our new professor-type guy, is good too. I think we've seen him more in social settings than academic settings, but that's okay (It's "independent" study after all). We went out with him and some of the Petersons to a country club on Friday--played volleyball and drank the two for beers and such. We played lots of volleyball actually, which was tons of fun, but got a lot harder the darker it got (and the drunker most of us got). Met Ethan's brothers and Mike's daughter.
Saturday most of the group went back to the country club, but I stayed around camp and lolled and read and wrote. I'm reading a ton on this trip, currently "The World According to Garp" (which I have paraphrased for the title to this entry). Loving it.
Sunday we went back to the country club *again*; this time it was the "Christmas Fair." Not sure I'm okay with anything being labeled Christmas before Thanksgiving, or when it's so hot out you have to find shade and a cold drink, but it was fun. Got some earrings and presents for people, saw Santa and a circus act, and read a lot.
Monday was a day of interesting data collection and we returned to the puppies. It was the best Nov 16 I've had in a while. Hope everyone made it through it well. M.M.H. Always and forever.
Now I am officially going to be late for lunch! Love to you all!
9.11.09
One more thing...
I don't have my journal so I'm probably missing things, but just to finish up the previous update:
After the Maasai homestay, we drove to a camp by Lake Natron. We got to walk/hike/wade to another waterfall. This one was littler (in height and width) but stronger, and could pull you under real quick. But it was incredibly fun and we jumped off rocks and such. Some of the Maasai guides who came with us also climbed the rocks and jumped in, except the Maasai generally can't swim, so we had to make sure they made it back to the rocks. It was a little crazy.
The free day in Arusha was nice; now I'm up early to internet a bit before we have to leave at 9:30. I also have to eat and pack and shower, so I should be quick. I'm trying to get things together to apply for a paid internship in the Portland Council's Office. I just got an email about it and the application is due December 3, so here's hoping I can get stuff together and sent out before then.
I miss you guys, and home in general. It was so hot for a while on our trip that even the wind was hot. Makes you miss Michigan weather that's for sure. Speaking of Michigan, I hear Bob Monetza got elected to GH Council, so HOORAY! for that. :)
Hope this finds you well. Don't know when I'll have internet again because the program leaders are woefully unhelpful when it comes to information.
After the Maasai homestay, we drove to a camp by Lake Natron. We got to walk/hike/wade to another waterfall. This one was littler (in height and width) but stronger, and could pull you under real quick. But it was incredibly fun and we jumped off rocks and such. Some of the Maasai guides who came with us also climbed the rocks and jumped in, except the Maasai generally can't swim, so we had to make sure they made it back to the rocks. It was a little crazy.
The free day in Arusha was nice; now I'm up early to internet a bit before we have to leave at 9:30. I also have to eat and pack and shower, so I should be quick. I'm trying to get things together to apply for a paid internship in the Portland Council's Office. I just got an email about it and the application is due December 3, so here's hoping I can get stuff together and sent out before then.
I miss you guys, and home in general. It was so hot for a while on our trip that even the wind was hot. Makes you miss Michigan weather that's for sure. Speaking of Michigan, I hear Bob Monetza got elected to GH Council, so HOORAY! for that. :)
Hope this finds you well. Don't know when I'll have internet again because the program leaders are woefully unhelpful when it comes to information.
I've forgotten more than I'll write
Back in civilization. It feels quite strange to be among so many people, instead of the same 30 or so for three weeks. I've probably forgotten more than I'll even write, these weeks have been so crazy. Good crazy, though. I'll do my best to chronologically update.
Thursday, 15 October 09
We were introduced to our huge, open-air trucks that we would be with for the rest of safari. Drivers Habibu and Simon, who were absolutely amazing. Guides Douglas and Killerai, also amazing. General culture truck had Habibu, Douglas and Daudi Peterson, though we became close with everyone. I already miss Douglas and Daudi and Killerai like crazy, even though it's only been about a week since I've seen them.
We drove the whole day, stopping about every five minutes to look at some kind of damn bird. That got old QUICK. The ride was also kweli bumpy; you could rest but not sleep. Worked for me though. Also, Hillary, Rachel R. and I played MASH for some of the ride. We had a variety of themes: Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Arrested Development, Disney characters, Harry Potter. It was rather hilarious.
The next morning, we literally walked in the footsteps of elephant. Each truck went with their teacher and guide (my group with Daudi and Douglas) for a three-hour walk in the morning. We saw dikdik and bush duiker--two little antelope. I also identified a bird, and felt kind of important about it even though only a day earlier I was annoyed with the birds. That night we played Mafia around the fire, which was super fun. The villagers killed me off of course, which they always do, even though I wasn't the Mafia. But it was a great group activity.
Saturday, 17 October
We climbed a mountain! I almost died a bit, heat and asthma and elevation gradient and all, but everyone was really nice and I made it eventually. We had to climb the walls through a little cave, which was cool but I broke my camera kind of. Just the lens doesn't really close now, but it still works, and I took TONS of pictures (I'm going to try to get a few on facebook) for the rest of the trip.
I talked to Eli on the top of the mountain because it was our two-year anniversary. :)
We walked again in the evening, the general culture kids with Daudi and Douglas. We saw a lot of impala and began our identifying birds and poop and tracks. At one point Alex yelled, "Big cat! Big cat!" and I literally jumped over a bush to get there and see it, and it turned out to be a herd of impala. She definitely got made fun of for the rest of safari.
At this point I decided Daudi was my favorite of the Petersons, but I think that no matter which one came with us on safari, he would be my favorite. For the rest of my life I just kind of want to follow them around and record all their stories and maybe steal all of them from their wives. Maybe.
Sunday 18 October
I really think this was the best day of my life. I thought that during it, even though I also figured you couldn't know if that was true while you were experiencing it--but I still think it. I was so happy the entire day that I could have cried.
We drove to Tarangire National Park. On the drive we saw the usual: zebra, impala, giraffe. They hadn't (and still haven't) lost their wonder to me, but I was feeling tired and kind of meh so it wasn't a big deal. When we stopped at the edge of the park to pay and choo (pronounced "cho" and meaning "bathroom", though it has become a verb on this trip), I was feeling better and gave Lila and Claire piggy back rides (separately) which was fun.
Then. Tarangire. Oh. My. God.
We saw LIONS! I was 30, maybe 40 feet from a lion in the wild. From a couple lions actually. Other things we saw:
zebra, giraffe, impala, dikdik, reedubck, waterbuck, elephant, jackal, leopard, mongoose, wart hog, monkeys, wildebeest, water buffalo, python, monitor lizard, lots of birds.
By this point I had started to really enjoy looking at the birds, especially the raptors. There are some awesome eagles here.
Giraffe might have to be my new favorite animal. At least when they are running. It is mind-boggling beautiful. They look like they're moving in slow motion except they are going incredibly fast. It just makes you feel.
The whole day made me feel. Life bubbled in my veins and tried to burst out of me. We drove fast in the trucks and it rained on us but not hard. Makes you realize the world outside of yourself, yourself outside of yourself even.
20-22 October
We were in the Nou Forest. It was COLD and misty and so much like Oregon. The drive up the mountains was RIDICULOUS with the amount of trees and branches that were in the road. We were covered in leaves and burrs and bugs and everything by the end of it. And we had to stop in the middle and get out to machete the heck out of a tree that had fallen in the road. This was the drive that made us realize how awesome Habibu was; also how awesome his name is to yell: "Ha-bi-BU!"
I froze every night in the crappy sleeping bag provided for me by the program since mine disappeared on the airplane from London. But Michael gave me his Maasai blanket and I learned to stuff the open areas of my sleeping bag to better keep warm. And the days were fun, mostly free, though we had to write lab reports.
We hiked to a waterfall too, which was AMAZING! It was a long, long walk, and we passed it by playing a game. Someone would pick someone on the trip without telling everyone else who it was. We then had to figure it out by the answers to questions like "If I were a color, what would I be?" Devyn picked me, and I had thought it was me for a while but didn't want to guess myself. I was: a mix of Steve & Miranda from Sex & the City, faded blue jeans, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, a twisty water slide, the Gravitron, and trespassing (for what federal offense I would be). Also, if I were to kill someone, it would be in a Dexter-like way. I felt special and important.
When I picked Miles, most of the group, once they figured it out, told me I had him all wrong. But Sam told me he knew it by the third question (which was, sillily, "What kind of soil would you be?" with an answer of "Rich and damp but not muddy"). Seeing how Sam and Miles are attached at the hip this trip, I figure I did a pretty good job with it.
We finally made it to the waterfall and it was AMAZING! It was super cold, but most of us swam anyway. It was not as cold as the Lake often is--aka you didn't get a brain freeze if you stood under it for a while. So it was really really fun and people took lots of pictures. The way back from the waterfall was tough, all uphill. Kai stuck with me though and was nice, so it was a good walk back.
Afterward I spent 5 1/2 hours straight in my sleeping bag because I was so cold. But it was totally worth it.
Miles's birthday (the 23rd) was mostly a drive down from the mountains to our first Hadza camp in the Yaida Valley. It was a very pretty place and there was a beautiful rainbow too. The next day we went gathering with the Hadza women, which was interesting. The cooler part was finding honey--a guy broke it open with an axe and we got to eat it. There were some bees (non-stinging thankfully) in the honey, and Douglas said, "It's just a little extra protein" and I was a little nervous since he was channeling my mother. :) Delicious honey though.
That evening we shot arrows with the Hadza. I failed, rather miserably, until my last shot, which at least made it the distance of the target. I knew well enough to quit while I was ahead. Sam and Kai were the only ones to hit the target, though Michael came close. When Sam's arrow hit, Douglas, who had shot at the same time, jokingly got really enthusiastic that it was his arrow, and Sam was adorable and so sad! He just sort of shrugged and was like, "Oh, good job, man." And then got excited again when he found out it was actually his arrow. Michael did hit the target with a rock from his sling. He has basically a David and Goliath sling and just hurls rocks. The THWACK of the rock against the cardboard box target Douglas and Killerai made for us was rather satisfying.
That night we hung out around the fire with the Hadza. We traded songs--they'd sing to us and then we'd sing to them. They sang and danced and sounded good. We were insane. We sang My Country Tis of Thee and Row Row Row Your Boat and some other things. Our dance was the Macarena, which was RIDICULOUS. I left after Take Me Out to The Ballgame. Made me a bit happy but a bit homesick.
I had actually be rather homesick a lot then, but Miles took care of me again. He's a good kid to have around. I'll really miss a lot the bio kids come TOMORROW when they leave.
Sunday 25 October
We WALKED from the top of one mountain, down into the valley, across the valley, up another mountain. It took hours and was *incredibly* hot and by the time I made it to the top of the mountain at the end, I had kind of forgotten what flat ground looked like. But it was definitely worth it--the view from camp was AMAZING.
We slept on the big rock instead of in my tents, but it was cold and hard and I alternated between cuddling with Hillary and cuddling with Michael in my sleep. The next day we went HUNTING with the Hadza. I was feeling a little hivihivi, so we moved rather slowly and I actually came back early, but it was still a ton of fun. We shot at birds and dikdik and even a type of cat! Then I came back and slept for a long time. Everyone else went back out because one of the groups had shot a giraffe with a poisoned arrow. So they gave it time for the poison to work, then went back to get it. Apparently they tracked it for quite some time, but it was so big the poison wasn't enough, and it got better and ran off. Sounded like a fun time, though I was sleeping through it all.
Wednesday 28 October
Ngorongoro Crater! It's a controversial place because the Maasai living there got kicked out to make it all touristy, but the Maasai had kicked out one tribe who had kicked out another tribe, so it's not so easy to figure out. But it's a very cool touristy place.
We saw 15 LIONS! BEFORE LUNCH! It was mad! I was in a land rover with Alex and Devyn and Lila and Daudi (who was impressed with my birding skills merely because I could identify a heron. I mean, c'mon, who can't identify a heron?). We had such fun. 10 lions were in one group, moms and babies, and land rovers were everywhere around them. They just ignored us and walked through, made a bit of a play for some wart hogs, then just drank water. It was amazing though. They were 10 feet away!
Wildebeest are another favorite animal (in addition to giraffe). I think they are awesome looking and love the way they run and everything. We also saw over 100 species of birds. Zebra, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle, cape buffalo, elephant, warthog, and HIPPOS! No cheetahs or rhinos though, unfortunately.
That night there was A BULL ELEPHANT IN OUR CAMP. I ACTUALLY STOOD 10 FEET FROM A WILD BULL ELEPHANT. Don't worry, there was something between us (a trailer) so he couldn't just charge me, though actually I'm sure if he had wanted to kill me he probably could. He was just coming up to get some drinking water from the camp. It was pretty cool. There were also zebra and bush pig in the camp. Crazy!
The next day was a travel day. We stopped and picked up a turtle shell to look at it and suddenly everyone screams and then yells, "Meryl! It's in your pocket! It's in your pocket!" I was fairly sure it was a giant spider or scorpion or something. It just turned out to be a little adorable lizard. Douglas got him out for me and I took a picture.
Halloween was fun--everyone dressed as other people from the trip, and some were very very good. I dressed as Ken Clifton, which was rather fun. Other than that, we spent this couple of days studying up for our final test. Then Daudi and Douglas and Killerai left us. :(
3-5 November
MAASAI HOMESTAY! Ohmigoodness, it was amazing! Some of the kids spoke a little Swahili, so I could communicate mildly. My mom was about 90 and totally awesome and very sweet. Took great care of me and fed me a ton.
Everyone was just super nice, and Heather lived close, so we hung out a fair amount. We did a lot of beading (necklaces and earrings and anklets and bracelets!) The second night Heather and I played a game of sort-of tag with all the little kids in our boma. There were a ton of them and she would chase them one direction and I would chase them another and if we caught them we would tickle them or twirl them around. After that they all got a lot more comfortable with us.
We gathered firewood and walked to town and fetched water. It was all very interesting and cool and fun. The kids loved to sing at dinner and then make me sing back. The only thing I could come up with for them to be able to sing along was the chorus to the Sexual Life of a Camel. So there are a lot of kids in a Maasai village in Tanzania who know the chorus to that and would sing along as I sang it. Hilarious.
I have to go play Monopoly now--we have a free day in Arusha and then the bio kids leave us tomorrow. I have a bit more to tell you about (another waterfall!) but people are waiting!
Love to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, 15 October 09
We were introduced to our huge, open-air trucks that we would be with for the rest of safari. Drivers Habibu and Simon, who were absolutely amazing. Guides Douglas and Killerai, also amazing. General culture truck had Habibu, Douglas and Daudi Peterson, though we became close with everyone. I already miss Douglas and Daudi and Killerai like crazy, even though it's only been about a week since I've seen them.
We drove the whole day, stopping about every five minutes to look at some kind of damn bird. That got old QUICK. The ride was also kweli bumpy; you could rest but not sleep. Worked for me though. Also, Hillary, Rachel R. and I played MASH for some of the ride. We had a variety of themes: Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Arrested Development, Disney characters, Harry Potter. It was rather hilarious.
The next morning, we literally walked in the footsteps of elephant. Each truck went with their teacher and guide (my group with Daudi and Douglas) for a three-hour walk in the morning. We saw dikdik and bush duiker--two little antelope. I also identified a bird, and felt kind of important about it even though only a day earlier I was annoyed with the birds. That night we played Mafia around the fire, which was super fun. The villagers killed me off of course, which they always do, even though I wasn't the Mafia. But it was a great group activity.
Saturday, 17 October
We climbed a mountain! I almost died a bit, heat and asthma and elevation gradient and all, but everyone was really nice and I made it eventually. We had to climb the walls through a little cave, which was cool but I broke my camera kind of. Just the lens doesn't really close now, but it still works, and I took TONS of pictures (I'm going to try to get a few on facebook) for the rest of the trip.
I talked to Eli on the top of the mountain because it was our two-year anniversary. :)
We walked again in the evening, the general culture kids with Daudi and Douglas. We saw a lot of impala and began our identifying birds and poop and tracks. At one point Alex yelled, "Big cat! Big cat!" and I literally jumped over a bush to get there and see it, and it turned out to be a herd of impala. She definitely got made fun of for the rest of safari.
At this point I decided Daudi was my favorite of the Petersons, but I think that no matter which one came with us on safari, he would be my favorite. For the rest of my life I just kind of want to follow them around and record all their stories and maybe steal all of them from their wives. Maybe.
Sunday 18 October
I really think this was the best day of my life. I thought that during it, even though I also figured you couldn't know if that was true while you were experiencing it--but I still think it. I was so happy the entire day that I could have cried.
We drove to Tarangire National Park. On the drive we saw the usual: zebra, impala, giraffe. They hadn't (and still haven't) lost their wonder to me, but I was feeling tired and kind of meh so it wasn't a big deal. When we stopped at the edge of the park to pay and choo (pronounced "cho" and meaning "bathroom", though it has become a verb on this trip), I was feeling better and gave Lila and Claire piggy back rides (separately) which was fun.
Then. Tarangire. Oh. My. God.
We saw LIONS! I was 30, maybe 40 feet from a lion in the wild. From a couple lions actually. Other things we saw:
zebra, giraffe, impala, dikdik, reedubck, waterbuck, elephant, jackal, leopard, mongoose, wart hog, monkeys, wildebeest, water buffalo, python, monitor lizard, lots of birds.
By this point I had started to really enjoy looking at the birds, especially the raptors. There are some awesome eagles here.
Giraffe might have to be my new favorite animal. At least when they are running. It is mind-boggling beautiful. They look like they're moving in slow motion except they are going incredibly fast. It just makes you feel.
The whole day made me feel. Life bubbled in my veins and tried to burst out of me. We drove fast in the trucks and it rained on us but not hard. Makes you realize the world outside of yourself, yourself outside of yourself even.
20-22 October
We were in the Nou Forest. It was COLD and misty and so much like Oregon. The drive up the mountains was RIDICULOUS with the amount of trees and branches that were in the road. We were covered in leaves and burrs and bugs and everything by the end of it. And we had to stop in the middle and get out to machete the heck out of a tree that had fallen in the road. This was the drive that made us realize how awesome Habibu was; also how awesome his name is to yell: "Ha-bi-BU!"
I froze every night in the crappy sleeping bag provided for me by the program since mine disappeared on the airplane from London. But Michael gave me his Maasai blanket and I learned to stuff the open areas of my sleeping bag to better keep warm. And the days were fun, mostly free, though we had to write lab reports.
We hiked to a waterfall too, which was AMAZING! It was a long, long walk, and we passed it by playing a game. Someone would pick someone on the trip without telling everyone else who it was. We then had to figure it out by the answers to questions like "If I were a color, what would I be?" Devyn picked me, and I had thought it was me for a while but didn't want to guess myself. I was: a mix of Steve & Miranda from Sex & the City, faded blue jeans, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, a twisty water slide, the Gravitron, and trespassing (for what federal offense I would be). Also, if I were to kill someone, it would be in a Dexter-like way. I felt special and important.
When I picked Miles, most of the group, once they figured it out, told me I had him all wrong. But Sam told me he knew it by the third question (which was, sillily, "What kind of soil would you be?" with an answer of "Rich and damp but not muddy"). Seeing how Sam and Miles are attached at the hip this trip, I figure I did a pretty good job with it.
We finally made it to the waterfall and it was AMAZING! It was super cold, but most of us swam anyway. It was not as cold as the Lake often is--aka you didn't get a brain freeze if you stood under it for a while. So it was really really fun and people took lots of pictures. The way back from the waterfall was tough, all uphill. Kai stuck with me though and was nice, so it was a good walk back.
Afterward I spent 5 1/2 hours straight in my sleeping bag because I was so cold. But it was totally worth it.
Miles's birthday (the 23rd) was mostly a drive down from the mountains to our first Hadza camp in the Yaida Valley. It was a very pretty place and there was a beautiful rainbow too. The next day we went gathering with the Hadza women, which was interesting. The cooler part was finding honey--a guy broke it open with an axe and we got to eat it. There were some bees (non-stinging thankfully) in the honey, and Douglas said, "It's just a little extra protein" and I was a little nervous since he was channeling my mother. :) Delicious honey though.
That evening we shot arrows with the Hadza. I failed, rather miserably, until my last shot, which at least made it the distance of the target. I knew well enough to quit while I was ahead. Sam and Kai were the only ones to hit the target, though Michael came close. When Sam's arrow hit, Douglas, who had shot at the same time, jokingly got really enthusiastic that it was his arrow, and Sam was adorable and so sad! He just sort of shrugged and was like, "Oh, good job, man." And then got excited again when he found out it was actually his arrow. Michael did hit the target with a rock from his sling. He has basically a David and Goliath sling and just hurls rocks. The THWACK of the rock against the cardboard box target Douglas and Killerai made for us was rather satisfying.
That night we hung out around the fire with the Hadza. We traded songs--they'd sing to us and then we'd sing to them. They sang and danced and sounded good. We were insane. We sang My Country Tis of Thee and Row Row Row Your Boat and some other things. Our dance was the Macarena, which was RIDICULOUS. I left after Take Me Out to The Ballgame. Made me a bit happy but a bit homesick.
I had actually be rather homesick a lot then, but Miles took care of me again. He's a good kid to have around. I'll really miss a lot the bio kids come TOMORROW when they leave.
Sunday 25 October
We WALKED from the top of one mountain, down into the valley, across the valley, up another mountain. It took hours and was *incredibly* hot and by the time I made it to the top of the mountain at the end, I had kind of forgotten what flat ground looked like. But it was definitely worth it--the view from camp was AMAZING.
We slept on the big rock instead of in my tents, but it was cold and hard and I alternated between cuddling with Hillary and cuddling with Michael in my sleep. The next day we went HUNTING with the Hadza. I was feeling a little hivihivi, so we moved rather slowly and I actually came back early, but it was still a ton of fun. We shot at birds and dikdik and even a type of cat! Then I came back and slept for a long time. Everyone else went back out because one of the groups had shot a giraffe with a poisoned arrow. So they gave it time for the poison to work, then went back to get it. Apparently they tracked it for quite some time, but it was so big the poison wasn't enough, and it got better and ran off. Sounded like a fun time, though I was sleeping through it all.
Wednesday 28 October
Ngorongoro Crater! It's a controversial place because the Maasai living there got kicked out to make it all touristy, but the Maasai had kicked out one tribe who had kicked out another tribe, so it's not so easy to figure out. But it's a very cool touristy place.
We saw 15 LIONS! BEFORE LUNCH! It was mad! I was in a land rover with Alex and Devyn and Lila and Daudi (who was impressed with my birding skills merely because I could identify a heron. I mean, c'mon, who can't identify a heron?). We had such fun. 10 lions were in one group, moms and babies, and land rovers were everywhere around them. They just ignored us and walked through, made a bit of a play for some wart hogs, then just drank water. It was amazing though. They were 10 feet away!
Wildebeest are another favorite animal (in addition to giraffe). I think they are awesome looking and love the way they run and everything. We also saw over 100 species of birds. Zebra, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle, cape buffalo, elephant, warthog, and HIPPOS! No cheetahs or rhinos though, unfortunately.
That night there was A BULL ELEPHANT IN OUR CAMP. I ACTUALLY STOOD 10 FEET FROM A WILD BULL ELEPHANT. Don't worry, there was something between us (a trailer) so he couldn't just charge me, though actually I'm sure if he had wanted to kill me he probably could. He was just coming up to get some drinking water from the camp. It was pretty cool. There were also zebra and bush pig in the camp. Crazy!
The next day was a travel day. We stopped and picked up a turtle shell to look at it and suddenly everyone screams and then yells, "Meryl! It's in your pocket! It's in your pocket!" I was fairly sure it was a giant spider or scorpion or something. It just turned out to be a little adorable lizard. Douglas got him out for me and I took a picture.
Halloween was fun--everyone dressed as other people from the trip, and some were very very good. I dressed as Ken Clifton, which was rather fun. Other than that, we spent this couple of days studying up for our final test. Then Daudi and Douglas and Killerai left us. :(
3-5 November
MAASAI HOMESTAY! Ohmigoodness, it was amazing! Some of the kids spoke a little Swahili, so I could communicate mildly. My mom was about 90 and totally awesome and very sweet. Took great care of me and fed me a ton.
Everyone was just super nice, and Heather lived close, so we hung out a fair amount. We did a lot of beading (necklaces and earrings and anklets and bracelets!) The second night Heather and I played a game of sort-of tag with all the little kids in our boma. There were a ton of them and she would chase them one direction and I would chase them another and if we caught them we would tickle them or twirl them around. After that they all got a lot more comfortable with us.
We gathered firewood and walked to town and fetched water. It was all very interesting and cool and fun. The kids loved to sing at dinner and then make me sing back. The only thing I could come up with for them to be able to sing along was the chorus to the Sexual Life of a Camel. So there are a lot of kids in a Maasai village in Tanzania who know the chorus to that and would sing along as I sang it. Hilarious.
I have to go play Monopoly now--we have a free day in Arusha and then the bio kids leave us tomorrow. I have a bit more to tell you about (another waterfall!) but people are waiting!
Love to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12.10.09
Insert Witty Title Here
For Chrissakes, Clare, I can't post pictures that easily. I will try in a bit, but they might be on Facebook instead of here. But I have over 400 and don't really have time to pick out which ones to post. Did you see the one on Facebook of me in a buibui looking ridiculous?
Anyway.
I’ll see if I can do a chronology from the last time I updated:
A week ago Friday we had a free day in Zanzibar. We went up to the north, to a city I don’t remember and a resort I don’t remember. It was nice though, spent the entire day on the beach. We swam a lot—first time in the Indian Ocean. It was so salty and SO easy to float. Everyone played a lot of soccer and volleyball; we got very sandy and quite a few bruises, but it was a great time. Some other guys on the beach played with us—I’m not sure if they were actually cute or if I was just excited to interact with guys outside of the program. That was also the beginning of the group playing cards, which we have done pretty much ever since. There’s been a lot of hearts, since we can play with anywhere from three to five people, but there has also been cribbage and I’ve taught some people continental rummy and euchre. That night, I got a little homesick, but Miles makes everything better.
Saturday we headed to Pembe Abwe on the mainland Tanzania coast. It was a four-hour boat ride in two wooden boats, and I could have stayed on them forever. Then the place we stayed! It was four people to a banda (basically an A-frame cabin), and some of the bandas were, at high tide, literally thirty feet from the ocean. Our classroom/dining room/meeting area was an open air building built around a baobab tree. We got rather American meals that were delicious.
We woke for breakfast at 7 everyday, left between 8 and 9 depending on the tide, and took the boats for forty minutes to a reef, where we snorkeled until around 1. Back to the baobab tree for lunch, then we generally had free time, wherein I napped and wrote constantly. If we had class (mostly just the bio kids had lectures, general culture kids got more free time) it was around 4 or 5. Dinner at 7. Lots of card playing, star gazing and a little streaking (which I neither took part in or saw. I’d be less of a prude with friends at home, but 23 people you have to be with for another 2 months? Thanks anyway).
The people who own the compound on the coast are the Peterson brothers. We met two of them there: Mike and Thad. Both are quite sweet and very interesting, knowing pretty much anything you’d need to know about the area. They are wazungu, born and raised in Tanzania, except for boarding school in Kenya. But their parents were Swedish and from Minnesota, so they have basically the best accents ever.
I taught myself to dive while snorkeling too, which I had never done before. It was really cool, though if you go to low you’ll pop your eardrums, so you have to do the pop your ears thing. Except every time I did that, I felt like I needed to breathe again and had to come up. But some people went literally 45 ft down!
We started our bio class at the coast, which meant gathering data while snorkeling. I was in a group with Lila (we basically have done everything together since we were cousins/neighbors in Riruta) and Rachel Rogers working on echinoderms: sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. When Ken had first talked about them, before we went snorkeling, I thought nothing could be more boring. Then as soon as I got in the water they were my favorite things to see (besides moorfish, who are so pretty!). To get the data we would lay a 50-meter transect tape down in the water, then swim along it and count the number of urchins, stars and cucumbers within one meter on either side. Sounds pretty boring, but it was fun.
The boats also were amazing. I never once got seasick, so I loaned out my wristbands to people who did. I did my best to get on the boat that, though it did occasionally break down, had what amounted to a sun deck on it. Four or so people could climb up and just lay above everyone else in the sun. I really think I could have lived there my entire life: good company, warmth, water and sun—what more do you need? Also, on the way back on the last day, the wind picked up and the water got quite choppy. Using the motor we would rock back and forth to the point of some people being terrified we were going to sink (though honestly, we had just spent an entire week snorkeling for hours without wearing life jackets, I’m not sure what they were worried about). We put up the sail instead! It was not your usual sail, but a huge log only connected by ropes, that they had to swing out with the sail on it, and all the men on the boat yanked the ropes to get it into place. Sam put all his weight on it and nothing happened, which was pretty funny to watch; he was just hanging about a foot in the air until the other men started pulling too. Once the sail finally got up and in place (after almost killing those of us on the sun deck a couple of times) it was much smoother, though slower too.
Other things about the coast:
We stopped at islands for our breaks sometimes, and they were COMPLETELY SAND. Nothing else on them. It blows my mind.
Got homesick a bit, but got to talk to Mom and Dad and Eli, and Miles also took me for a walk, which makes things better. I love this place and the days are usually good, great even, but oftentimes after dark, I miss my people. Lila and Claire and Sam and Miles are generally helpful in that regard.
Mara, the professor’s 15-year-old daughter, cut my hair. Not super short or anything—about to my chin. It was just getting too long for me. I like it much better now, though I have to cut my bangs too.
Kweli means really in Swahili. So all I have to say is, Kweli, Tigers? Kweli?!
Got stung about a thousand times by jellies. Not the big types, but the teeny tiny ones, stings that don’t last, but hurt like a bitch when you get them (especially when it’s on your freaking lip!). So I wore my underarmor, aka a ninja suit, for most of the snorkeling. I had on black, full body underarmor and a gray beanie to prevent my scalp from burning. I looked pretty ridiculous.
Fought with coral a couple of times—lost every time. Fire coral burns even through the ninja suit.
Read “Darkly Dreaming Dexter.” Not good writing, but a great story. Will probably have to watch the show when I get home.
This Saturday we took what we were told would be an 8- to 9- hour bus ride to Arusha. It was actually 12 hours. And I was sitting on the wheel well the whole time. Those last two hours—not so much fun. But I took some ibuprofen as soon as I got off the bus, so I was pretty much okay. The trip would have been fine if we knew it was going to be 12 hours; it was those last two hours where we always thought we were almost there that was the bad part.
But eventually we arrived at the (other) Peterson compound in Olasiti. Had a night in tents (which I shared with Lila of course) and the next day headed into Arusha for two free days. Most of the group is staying at a cheap hotel, but Miles and Sam wanted to get a fancier one, so I was just going to sleep on the floor. Unfortunately we couldn’t really sneak that past them, and had to pay for a triple. But it’s really nice, with GREAT beds and a hot shower and free breakfast and a pool. So life’s pretty good.
Also in Olasiti before we left, the general culture group got their independent study partner and topic. I’m doing family planning, which was my first choice. Lila is my partner (seriously, we do everything together), and Devon also switched into our group because it’s what she’s focusing on for her thesis. We don’t actually do any work on it until after the three-week safari, but we’re supposed to be formulating possible questions and such. Basically the leadership of this program is horribly unorganized and we’re guinea pigs for this independent project so it’s pretty tough for some of them. In family planning, we can come up with some basic things to study. But for people with topics like “water” or “village governance”, it’s a little harder to try to think about what you’re going to study without any knowledge or information. (/rant)
Yesterday was great. We slept in, showered, ate pretty good breakfast (with great juice), I wrote most of this blog post, played some solitaire. Slept some more. Woke up to Alex and Devon and Miles and Sam playing Monopoly, so I joined. Miles murdered us. It was quite fun. We swam in the freezing cold pool for a bit, lay in the sun, ate lunch. Alex and I shared nachos, which of course were not really American nachos, but were still pretty damn good. Some journaling and card playing and then we headed out to meet up with the rest of the group for the circus.
The only problem was that it turned out that the circus did not have a show last night. It was kind of sad, but Lila and Alex came back to the hotel with Sam and Miles and me, and we had a lot of fun. Sam told us all a bedtime story that was about an hour and a half and included (per Alex’s request) a turtle, a UFO (bonus: the cast of Spaceballs), a king, and Alex herself. I drowned when our pirate ship sank, but it was worth it.
Other than that, I’m doing some stuff online, figuring out my schedule for next semester (probably Neurobiology, Presidential Politics, Political Parties and Interest Groups, and U.S. Foreign Policy. I told myself I wasn’t going to load up on poli sci courses, but they’re what I want to take!). I’ll probably sleep a lot and write a lot too. Life is good. I miss you guys though.
And I miss cold, surprisingly. It’s nice here, where mornings and nights are pretty chilly. I like wearing layers and curling up under blankets and cuddling. Can’t wait to get home at Christmas, hopefully to all of that, plus snow and family and friends.
This is actually going to be my last update for a long time. We’re headed for safari on Thursday, and we’ll have no internet access that I know of for three weeks. And I’m actually not sure how much access I have once the general culture and bio kids split up. General culture is staying in the Olasiti compound, but I assume we’ll probably occasionally come into Arusha, so hopefully I’ll be able to update. If you’re dying to know things, I talk to my parents and my boyfriend about once a week. Though, somehow I don’t feel like my life is riveting enough for you to not be able to handle a three-week hiatus.
Anyway.
I’ll see if I can do a chronology from the last time I updated:
A week ago Friday we had a free day in Zanzibar. We went up to the north, to a city I don’t remember and a resort I don’t remember. It was nice though, spent the entire day on the beach. We swam a lot—first time in the Indian Ocean. It was so salty and SO easy to float. Everyone played a lot of soccer and volleyball; we got very sandy and quite a few bruises, but it was a great time. Some other guys on the beach played with us—I’m not sure if they were actually cute or if I was just excited to interact with guys outside of the program. That was also the beginning of the group playing cards, which we have done pretty much ever since. There’s been a lot of hearts, since we can play with anywhere from three to five people, but there has also been cribbage and I’ve taught some people continental rummy and euchre. That night, I got a little homesick, but Miles makes everything better.
Saturday we headed to Pembe Abwe on the mainland Tanzania coast. It was a four-hour boat ride in two wooden boats, and I could have stayed on them forever. Then the place we stayed! It was four people to a banda (basically an A-frame cabin), and some of the bandas were, at high tide, literally thirty feet from the ocean. Our classroom/dining room/meeting area was an open air building built around a baobab tree. We got rather American meals that were delicious.
We woke for breakfast at 7 everyday, left between 8 and 9 depending on the tide, and took the boats for forty minutes to a reef, where we snorkeled until around 1. Back to the baobab tree for lunch, then we generally had free time, wherein I napped and wrote constantly. If we had class (mostly just the bio kids had lectures, general culture kids got more free time) it was around 4 or 5. Dinner at 7. Lots of card playing, star gazing and a little streaking (which I neither took part in or saw. I’d be less of a prude with friends at home, but 23 people you have to be with for another 2 months? Thanks anyway).
The people who own the compound on the coast are the Peterson brothers. We met two of them there: Mike and Thad. Both are quite sweet and very interesting, knowing pretty much anything you’d need to know about the area. They are wazungu, born and raised in Tanzania, except for boarding school in Kenya. But their parents were Swedish and from Minnesota, so they have basically the best accents ever.
I taught myself to dive while snorkeling too, which I had never done before. It was really cool, though if you go to low you’ll pop your eardrums, so you have to do the pop your ears thing. Except every time I did that, I felt like I needed to breathe again and had to come up. But some people went literally 45 ft down!
We started our bio class at the coast, which meant gathering data while snorkeling. I was in a group with Lila (we basically have done everything together since we were cousins/neighbors in Riruta) and Rachel Rogers working on echinoderms: sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. When Ken had first talked about them, before we went snorkeling, I thought nothing could be more boring. Then as soon as I got in the water they were my favorite things to see (besides moorfish, who are so pretty!). To get the data we would lay a 50-meter transect tape down in the water, then swim along it and count the number of urchins, stars and cucumbers within one meter on either side. Sounds pretty boring, but it was fun.
The boats also were amazing. I never once got seasick, so I loaned out my wristbands to people who did. I did my best to get on the boat that, though it did occasionally break down, had what amounted to a sun deck on it. Four or so people could climb up and just lay above everyone else in the sun. I really think I could have lived there my entire life: good company, warmth, water and sun—what more do you need? Also, on the way back on the last day, the wind picked up and the water got quite choppy. Using the motor we would rock back and forth to the point of some people being terrified we were going to sink (though honestly, we had just spent an entire week snorkeling for hours without wearing life jackets, I’m not sure what they were worried about). We put up the sail instead! It was not your usual sail, but a huge log only connected by ropes, that they had to swing out with the sail on it, and all the men on the boat yanked the ropes to get it into place. Sam put all his weight on it and nothing happened, which was pretty funny to watch; he was just hanging about a foot in the air until the other men started pulling too. Once the sail finally got up and in place (after almost killing those of us on the sun deck a couple of times) it was much smoother, though slower too.
Other things about the coast:
We stopped at islands for our breaks sometimes, and they were COMPLETELY SAND. Nothing else on them. It blows my mind.
Got homesick a bit, but got to talk to Mom and Dad and Eli, and Miles also took me for a walk, which makes things better. I love this place and the days are usually good, great even, but oftentimes after dark, I miss my people. Lila and Claire and Sam and Miles are generally helpful in that regard.
Mara, the professor’s 15-year-old daughter, cut my hair. Not super short or anything—about to my chin. It was just getting too long for me. I like it much better now, though I have to cut my bangs too.
Kweli means really in Swahili. So all I have to say is, Kweli, Tigers? Kweli?!
Got stung about a thousand times by jellies. Not the big types, but the teeny tiny ones, stings that don’t last, but hurt like a bitch when you get them (especially when it’s on your freaking lip!). So I wore my underarmor, aka a ninja suit, for most of the snorkeling. I had on black, full body underarmor and a gray beanie to prevent my scalp from burning. I looked pretty ridiculous.
Fought with coral a couple of times—lost every time. Fire coral burns even through the ninja suit.
Read “Darkly Dreaming Dexter.” Not good writing, but a great story. Will probably have to watch the show when I get home.
This Saturday we took what we were told would be an 8- to 9- hour bus ride to Arusha. It was actually 12 hours. And I was sitting on the wheel well the whole time. Those last two hours—not so much fun. But I took some ibuprofen as soon as I got off the bus, so I was pretty much okay. The trip would have been fine if we knew it was going to be 12 hours; it was those last two hours where we always thought we were almost there that was the bad part.
But eventually we arrived at the (other) Peterson compound in Olasiti. Had a night in tents (which I shared with Lila of course) and the next day headed into Arusha for two free days. Most of the group is staying at a cheap hotel, but Miles and Sam wanted to get a fancier one, so I was just going to sleep on the floor. Unfortunately we couldn’t really sneak that past them, and had to pay for a triple. But it’s really nice, with GREAT beds and a hot shower and free breakfast and a pool. So life’s pretty good.
Also in Olasiti before we left, the general culture group got their independent study partner and topic. I’m doing family planning, which was my first choice. Lila is my partner (seriously, we do everything together), and Devon also switched into our group because it’s what she’s focusing on for her thesis. We don’t actually do any work on it until after the three-week safari, but we’re supposed to be formulating possible questions and such. Basically the leadership of this program is horribly unorganized and we’re guinea pigs for this independent project so it’s pretty tough for some of them. In family planning, we can come up with some basic things to study. But for people with topics like “water” or “village governance”, it’s a little harder to try to think about what you’re going to study without any knowledge or information. (/rant)
Yesterday was great. We slept in, showered, ate pretty good breakfast (with great juice), I wrote most of this blog post, played some solitaire. Slept some more. Woke up to Alex and Devon and Miles and Sam playing Monopoly, so I joined. Miles murdered us. It was quite fun. We swam in the freezing cold pool for a bit, lay in the sun, ate lunch. Alex and I shared nachos, which of course were not really American nachos, but were still pretty damn good. Some journaling and card playing and then we headed out to meet up with the rest of the group for the circus.
The only problem was that it turned out that the circus did not have a show last night. It was kind of sad, but Lila and Alex came back to the hotel with Sam and Miles and me, and we had a lot of fun. Sam told us all a bedtime story that was about an hour and a half and included (per Alex’s request) a turtle, a UFO (bonus: the cast of Spaceballs), a king, and Alex herself. I drowned when our pirate ship sank, but it was worth it.
Other than that, I’m doing some stuff online, figuring out my schedule for next semester (probably Neurobiology, Presidential Politics, Political Parties and Interest Groups, and U.S. Foreign Policy. I told myself I wasn’t going to load up on poli sci courses, but they’re what I want to take!). I’ll probably sleep a lot and write a lot too. Life is good. I miss you guys though.
And I miss cold, surprisingly. It’s nice here, where mornings and nights are pretty chilly. I like wearing layers and curling up under blankets and cuddling. Can’t wait to get home at Christmas, hopefully to all of that, plus snow and family and friends.
This is actually going to be my last update for a long time. We’re headed for safari on Thursday, and we’ll have no internet access that I know of for three weeks. And I’m actually not sure how much access I have once the general culture and bio kids split up. General culture is staying in the Olasiti compound, but I assume we’ll probably occasionally come into Arusha, so hopefully I’ll be able to update. If you’re dying to know things, I talk to my parents and my boyfriend about once a week. Though, somehow I don’t feel like my life is riveting enough for you to not be able to handle a three-week hiatus.
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