The Other Side of the 'Jaro

10.29.10

Kimana, Kenya!

Phew. I can’t even begin to tell you how crazy this last week has been. Saying goodbye to my family in Rhotia, Tanzania. Coming to a new place, a new home, where other students have already spent 2 months. And then having them leave for Tanzania, what still feels like our home, with the Tanzanian staff that accompanied us to Kenya. Wow. Saying goodbye to the remaining staff felt like saying goodbye to brothers (and a sister), but I know that Kenya is an amazing place too, and that it is right that I’m here.

Our camp is phenomenal. It is absolutely amazing. It’s about three times bigger than our other camp, is more remote, and just feels like wilderness. I think what I’ve experienced already paints a good picture for what our new camp is like.

We can see Mt Kilimanjaro. Everyday. Sometimes she hides behind the clouds, but it is ... just amazing. It’s a nice balance to see Tanzanian soil while adjusting to Kenya.

The stars are also amazing. All you have to do to see a shooting star is going outside, look up, and wait a couple minutes.

I have befriended bush babies. We congregate behind our bandas (cabins) around 6:25 pm every night and will see them jumping around. They are beyond cute! BAH! I’ve never seen anything so curiously cute. If a bush baby is curious about you, it will stare at you with its cute big eyes, cock its head all cute-like, and poke its cute little head from behind its branch.

Hornbills perch on our bathroom sinks and peck themselves in the mirror.

Today was my favorite. Our bathrooms are outdoor, and I was there getting water for laundry. As I was walking back to my banda, someone shouted a heads up to me. I looked over to see a big male savannah baboon standing about 15 feet away from me. Guh. He was huge. And he was staring at me (no worries, I didn’t have food :). I just kind of stared back until he sauntered off. AH he was so cool!

Class is underway and we have hit the ground running on readings, assignments, and lectures. Craziness! I’m adjusting well to this place, and starting to feel like home.