Sorry it has been so long since I’ve blogged. The internet has been spotty and I’ve been busy since I have been on two safaris since my last update. Two weekends ago was our midterm retreat. I was quite ready for some R & R after a short three-day week of work which consisted of implementing my nutrition project and visiting all of the Divine Providence kids in secondary schools all around the Kakamega area. All of the interns and I headed out on Thursday morning to go to Naivasha, a town about 6 hours away between Nakuru and Nairobi. After a long, bumpy ride, we arrived at Fisherman’s Camp Ground and moved into our tents. I felt quite pampered this weekend despite “camping” as we had warm showers, flush toilets, and even a pizza oven at the lodge (which we were fortunate enough to be able to use Saturday night). It was great to catch up with the other interns since I hadn’t seen them in over a week.
After a rather cold night, we headed to Crater Lake. Inside the park, we herded zebras, gazelles, buffalos, and even giraffes. The park was gorgeous itself and it was exhilarating following the animals in pursuit of the perfect picture. We descended into the crater basin and then climbed back up the other side to eat lunch with a beautiful view of the lake. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing yoga, relaxing, and halfway working on filing pictures of the kids at Divine.
We woke up early on Saturday morning to go to Hell’s Gate National Park. We biked into the park and down to the canyon. Unfortunately, my gears were not cooperative. Inside the park there are countless bluffs with incredible water-carved faces. After a 15 km bike, we got to Hell’s Gate Gorge. We descended into the gorge and walked around for an hour or so. It was really fun because we would have to climb up and down according to the water’s path. There were a few spots with volcanic hot springs. After a refreshing walk, we ate lunch at a gorgeous overlook. When I got back on the bike, I honestly didn’t think I would make it back. I was really missing my padded biker shorts! On the way back, we saw baboons and giraffes up close.
I am amazed by the awkward gracefulness of giraffes. They may be my new favorite animal. I made it back to the hotel after a long ride, tired, but glad I had finished. That night we enjoyed pizzas and watched The Lion King on Lauren’s computer. I had forgotten how much I love that movie! We had a long drive back on Sunday, but all in all it was a great retreat. I loved my first taste of exotic animals in the wild, well at least natural habitats. I don’t think I’ll ever like zoos as much from now on.
By Monday, I was very ready to see my babies again. I spent the majority of the week teaching a library lesson for each class. The students all enjoyed having some free time to simply sit and read. I did too, as I read plenty of picture books while supervising. The organizational system and using numbered rulers to mark where students pulled books from worked well. I also enlisted the help of three social work interns in helping me scan in documents for a computerized filing system. I also worked a lot on a secondary school sponsorship program I am trying to start as school fees are such a drain to Divine Providence’s financial resources. If you would be interested in being a sponsor, please let me know and I will get you more information.
On a more sad note, I found out that Immaculate will be gone for the remainder of my internship, because she must attend a management class about 6-7 hours away. I was super upset when I had to say goodbye, which makes me dread having to go home since leaving everything will be much worse. That day is quickly approaching as I'll be home 10 days from now! I can't believe it! Hopefully Immaculate will be able to come down this weekend (my last weekend) to see me! Fingers crossed!
Thursday night, I met up with all of the other interns to take the overnight bus to Nairobi. We were joined by Alex, Femke, and Alena who are volunteer teachers at a fellow children’s home and primary school from the University of Kentucky (really? But, we managed to overcome the rivalry) and Holland. The ride was quite miserable but my inability to sleep did allow me to make a phone call to the U.S. in the evening their time. We arrived around 4:30 and waited in the bus waiting room for our safari vehicles to come. In Nairobi, we were joined by Talisha, one of Dylan’s friends. It was about a 6 hour drive down to Masai Mara over some pretty rough roads, but it felt like much less because we laughed so much. I was in a van with Kurt, Dylan, and then all of the non FSDers. It was so much fun getting to know new people, especially since we all have such different backgrounds. We were yet again quite pampered in “tents” (more like bungalows) with beds, toilets, and showers.
We popped the top of the safari vehicle and headed into the Masai Mara Reserve. It started raining, giving us the gift of a rainbow. It was awesome seeing all of the wildebeests (it is the beginning of their migration) and zebras. We were also able to see a large pride of lions, cheetahs, dickies, and topies.
It was also very interesting watching the hoards of safari vehicles. I am annoyed by all the tourists around despite being one myself because I feel like I have somehow earned the right to be on safari since I have a much better cultural understanding than most of them. I was intrigued, however, by how many different ethnic groups were represented in all of the safari vehicles.
I was constantly in awe of the views of the rolling plains of the Serengeti against a blue sky filled with puffy clouds, the beauty of the animals, and the great sense of peace I felt standing feeling the wind against my face. Before lunch, we entered Tanzania and took pictures by the border.
We stopped at a Masai village on the way back to learn about their culture. I was excited to learn more about one of the most distinct tribal cultures of Kenya, marked by their bright red robes, beaded jewelry, and stretched ear-lobes. The men danced for us before grabbing the guys to join them. I especially enjoyed the dance that was a jumping contest.
A man who can jump high gains the attention of the ladies and lessens the price he must pay for dowry. We entered within the circle of homes, where the women danced for us. The girls joined in, but I must say the men’s dance was much more exciting. We then watched a demonstration of how they begin fire with just wood and a blade. We were split into groups of two to go and see and home. Kurt and I entered a very dark, smoky room and sat around a fire where a young girl was making tea. There were two bedrooms, or bed platforms off of the main room in addition to a closet and storage/entrance room. I learned the mud huts are created and remade by the women every 9 years and so each wife will have her own home (the Masai are polygamous). Having many children is common and makes it difficult to pay for secondary school fees. The Masai are primarily herdsman of cattle and goats as they believe every cow on Earth descends from theirs and so they technically own it. Tourism and safari camps that have developed in the area over the last 30-40 years have become another main source of employment. After answering countless questions, our host Solomon guided us to the village’s tourist market. I bought a Masai club and then started playing with the children. I always miss the Divine kids so much when I’m gone that I end up playing with the kids almost everywhere I go. I was dancing and spinning with a little girl who had a club foot, but we had a great time. Seeing her huge smile really made my day. We walked back to the camp and hung out before bed.
Sunday morning was straight from the Lion King. We were in the park for the sunrise (twice because of moving in front of a larger mountain). The animals are much more active in the morning. We had to cross through a stream of running wildebeests to get to the lions. I can see why Mufasa died in the stampede. The lion cubs were playing and wrestling in the long grass. Their somersaults were awesome! We also saw some lions eating breakfast and a lion stalking a particularly stupid wildebeest although she never went in for the kill. A mother of three month-old cubs simultaneously watched them and kept the vultures away from her wildebeest carcass. You could see her indecision when the cubs started wandering farther, though she ultimately decided she could eat later. After watching the simbas for most of the morning, we headed back for breakfast before hitting the road to go home. Masai Mara was amazing and I highly recommend it if you’re ever in Kenya or looking for a safari. Chasing lions has finally been successful!
Kelly
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