“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they make the best of everything.”

Mount Kilimanjaro (favorite picture I've taken! ...for the moment)

Our first full day at Kilimanjaro Bush Camp (KBC) began by being awoken by a group of baboons howling loudly at each other around 6 am.  It sounded like they were literally right outside my “banda” (house) that I share with three other girls.  These silly baboons like to grace our camp with their presence on a daily basis, which tends to be a little intimidating when I have to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night. These rafiki-like monkeys are of all ages and sizes…big scary looking ones and adorable little babies, and sometimes when you’re lucky, you see the baby riding on the mom’s back! Precious.  Each time I see these creatures roaming around, it brings me back to the reality that is my life for the next 3 months: I am really, actually, FINALLY in Africa!

Our homes are pretty modest: one large room with four twin beds (each decorated with a lovely bed net — pictures to come) and some dresser-like furniture to keep our belongings for these next 6 weeks in Kenya.  Quite tight quarters but it’s alright because all we really do is sleep there. Each morning we have breakfast in the “chumba”, or main building, which quite efficiently serves as our cafeteria, classroom and general gathering space.  

The Bandas

My backyard consists of an A M A Z I N G view of immense and snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro (it’s bizarre to be in Africa and see snow at the same time!).  I think I could get used to waking up to this!!! Also, the sunsets are aaamazingly beautiful through the trees.  Taking walks around the 9-km perimeter of our fenced-in camp will probably be a daily activity (might even try running one of these days, but we’ll see about that).  We’re fenced in and have day and nighttime “askaris” (guards) because we are right next to a wildlife dispersal area… which apparently means that occasionally we may see a lion, elephant, giraffe or buffalo roaming about (outside the fence...hopefully).  We’ll see how that goes.

The view of Kilimanjaro right from camp!

I am in awe at the genuine friendliness of the Kenyans I have met thus far. The KBC staff and professors are beyond kind. Wednesday we went into Kimana, a very small town about 5 km away from our camp, and experienced what life is like for these Kenyans.  I was surprised by the amount of modernly-dressed people because our Student Affairs Manager, Tara, told us it was a Maasai town.  There were plenty of these natively-dressed people in bright clothes and wraps, and the women adorned with beaded jewelry.  However, in some places it looked like the depressing commercials you see on TV asking you to sponsor an African child (cue toddler walking barefoot over trash around houses made of sheet metal and random goats/chickens wandering about).  It is a harsh and sad reality, but it amazes me how happy these people are still!  Also, it’s a crazy sight to see young kids walking down the side of the highway to and from school by themselves.  The kids are so independent and responsible and I have yet to see any throwing a temper tantrum or being naughty. There are plenty of very young boys you see along the side of the roads herding their cattle, goats and/or sheep that graze nomad style.  Seeing this firsthand is a crazy reality check since the kids are the ages of my little cousins… it just blows my mind. Looking forward to going to the primary schools and reading with the students and playing soccer and just talking to them!

playing soccer with the staff before dinner

Thursday we started our classes for the first time. Haven’t been this excited about school in a long time!! My professors are so passionate about what they are teaching and they are real life problems that we will see firsthand (and hopefully will be able to do something about!). One of our main focuses is the conflict between the native Maasai and the problems the wildlife cause them (i.e. elephants trampling crops, zebras eating their crops and lions/cheetahs killing their cattle or goats).  The goal is to encourage them to participate in the conservation of the wildlife and promote the coexistence by creating workable solutions for the locals to manage their wildlife issues (while improving their livelihood because currently, they don’t see the importance of biodiversity conservation, and money obviously is the only realistic motivator).

Very excited for our first safari expedition on Monday! We saw zebras and giraffes on our way home from the airport but I am eager to get out in the land cruisers and see the wildlife up close! I'll write more after that :)