The Mara

I am a 'place' person. The feeling of a place either makes me feel connected, happy and somehow contented in where I am, or not. New England, for example, is not a place I connect to. I went to college there and, yes, its beautiful and after four years I did come to appreciate it. (And love many good people there.) But it is not a place I resonate with, or came to love or felt I fit... That connection to place is something I've realized is extremely important to me. Conversely it is a deep sense of belonging and contentedness that connects me to place; I don't always know which comes first. But Kenya is the place where I was born and raised. And long before my earliest recollections, that connection was being formed and cemented in me through all my senses just being there, absorbing all that IS Kenya. The way it feels, smells, tastes, sounds, looks... is just Kenya. Its where I spent the first 18 years of my life, and is the place I feel most connected to. And absolutely adore.

Last weekend I went home. My brother is living and working in a little conservancy adjacent to the Masai Mara Game Reserve, building a tented 'eco-camp.' And being the occasion of his 29th birthday, well why ever wouldn't I go?? So I flew to Nairobi, on a quick barely-an-hour Air Uganda flight.... shuttled my butt over to Wilson Airport where I sat and waited for the better part of the day for my barely-an-hour Safarilink flight out to the Mara. On a wretched little place that bounced through the sky like a yo-yo on a string; YUCK. My one thought of some small comfort, if I was going to die, what better way than to crash than into the beautiful hills of Kenya? Denys Finch Hatton- style? It'd be a nice full circle sort of thing. But praise-be-to-god, my life did not come full circle that fine day (or four days later on my way back). We did not crash, and I did not die, only suffered a minor anxiety attack and an unpleasant queasy stomach.

But even just being back in Nairobi driving from one airport to the other--I got this giddy, ridiculously happy feeling of familiarity and home. I realized just how home it really is.

Flying over the Ngong Hills... close to where we used to live. (And where Denys Finch Hatton died and is burried. Go watch Out of Africa. And WEEP.)

We used to go to the Mara a lot as kids. Part of the Kenya Semester Program my dad directed was a two week field course in the Mara studying wildlife ecology and community conservation. I don't know how many years its been since I was there last, but oh, to go back. To feel my heart fill up to the brim and beyond just BEING there... it just felt good, so so good. Its just... part of me somehow, that beautiful, beautiful place.

Oh, my pictures feel far too one-dimensional to capture any real sense of it... On Thans birthday we got up in the chilly dark, make a thermos of coffee (true that in yesteryears it would have been chai, but this is one of the very small details that can be fudged and I'm very happily ambidextrous when it comes to my hot beverages...) and set out for an early morning game drive.
Thans camp... his tent and a few tents to store building tools/supplies etc.
Where I spent a lot of time enjoying the hot sun, warm breezes and animals passing though (thankfully no lions) as I read Someone Knows My Name. (Beautiful book, by the way, by Lawrence Hill.)
Thans tent... here he sits connecting with the great wide world through his magic internet wand on his computer.
For his birthday dinner we had a meaty braai-- (barbeque) thanks to Adrien and Carmen who joined us for the weekend from Nairobi-- loaded with Than's resupply.
And of course, there must be cake! (Thanks Mel!) And candles that you can't blow out. (Unless you're Than and have the lung capacity of a young hippo.) (He also got party popped, weehoo!) Happy Birthday NASAN!
Sunrise...
Adrien cooked us a delicious breakfast Sunday morning...
Than and Carmen enjoying coffe...
Sunday evening gamedrive and sundowners of course...
Overlooking the beautiful Mara...

April update

Ahhh... Friday morning. Can't quite believe its April. The rainy season is in full tilt here... which means exciting weather. We get both sunshine and thunderstorms in any given day, and either at any given moment. The air is fresh, the world is green green green with things growing double time, and red with mud everywhere. Bright sun shines while dark purple clouds hail the afternoon thunderstorm rolling in over the hills... or you wake up to a gentle drizzle with the sunshine poking through a slit of clouds on the horizon. And it must be spring because all of a sudden half of the troop of redtails have tiny little babies clinging to their underbellies (with their little bitty tails wrapped around their moms'! Oh!) as they trot heavily through the yard from the guava tree to the avecado trees squabbling over fruit- which is also in full season.

Among other news from the top of the hill, a family of mongoose (mongooses? Mongeese?) has moved in. They are fat, fury, striped little torpedos that hurtle through the grass... and I have yet to catch them on film. Or memory card. Also, the african greys are around in greater numbers and hang out for longer-- rather than just whistling on through every morning and evening. Oh, its just a fabulous start to the day, hearing their goofy whistling and squaking a way high up in the branches. I was talking to my dad on the phone the other day who, clear from wheaton, heard the hadada ibisis and then the hornbills. Kara heard them too! Its a veritable jungle up here right now.

This is the first uneventful weekend in oh, I don't know how long. I aim to enjoy it restfully. Next week is our last week of class... followed by a week and a half of exams and Rwanda. Followed by our 9 day Rwanda trip and debrief... to back here and then four days of overall debrief. And the students are outta here! The following week, I'm outta here! NUTS. So this is that point where we scramble back into the raft... catch our breath for a few brief minutes... and find our paddles, get back up onto the side of the raft and regroup before the the next rapids hit. Yes, that is exactly how I feel.

Sun rise..

I walked up monkey hill today-- the clearest day we've had yet. The lake- which usually feels way off in the distance, felt a mere stones throw away...

Looking down on the bustling town of Mukono:

And onto the next set of rapids...

Rafting the Nile..

It just so happens that I live an hour from the source of the Nile. THE SOURCE... Thats right, and some wicked class 5 rapids. Its taken me a while to get them rafted, but yesterday... yesterday was the day. The three program interns and I decided that it was this weekend or never. We met up at the Cathedral and hiked down to the Colline where we were met by the Nile River Explorers shuttle, which shuttled us on to Jinja. At the NRE place we were served tea-- along with all the other brave souls for the day and given our orders. Waver signed, check. Life vest, check. Helmet, check. Rain jacket, check. Breakast, check. Load up on the truck-- with all your gear on... Check?

A fifty minute drive to the 'put in' point, a few more safety tips and pointers and we were off. We were a raft of eight: Meg, Molly, Jones, our dead-cute guide Thabani from Zimbabwe and three others, Ekta and Krishna-- doctors from the UK and Jeff a fellow from the US visiting his brother in Kenya.

A series of ten or so rapids to get through with names like "The Bad Place," "The Hair of the Dog," "Kula Shaka," and "Nile Special." In between the madness were long pleasant stretches of Nile floating. Lunch was some where in the middle of it all: pineapple, gnuts and biscuits provided by the oar raft...

The first rapid was pretty easy, we made it through no problem. The next three however, we seemed to be in wipeout mode, each getting progressively worse. Our guide thought it was kind of strange that we kept wiping out-- but who knows. (There was a suspicious twinkle in his eyes and crooked grin.) Although its true, the other rafts weren't having quite the trouble we were... but hey. Wipeout mode looked something like this: (I'm the last one on the left side...)

Recovery in between...
And then wipe out again:

By the fifth rapid we finally got our groove on and made it through--we decided that actually its much more enjoyable going through the rapids in the raft, than swirling, tumbling endlessly underneath the water hoping and praying you'll come up to the surface before your lungs burst... (Thabani assured me that if you are wearing a life vest, there is no way you could possibly die on the river. I'm not entirely convinced of this either, but I am alive to tell the tale.) The other news of great comfort was that the Nile is a high volume river, meaning its good and deep, so you don't have to worry about hitting the rocks or the bottom while tumbling, swirling about endlessly. And it was true, never hit any rocks. Just inhaled inordinate ammounts of really lovely, clean Nile water. And suffered moments of sheer terror at the thought of NOT coming up to the surface... but again, I seem to have survived.

Oh, what a good fun day, at the end of which the Nile River Explorers provide you with a tasty barbecue...

I've a few random bruises, the tops of my legs are burnt, my sit-bones feel like they were bouncing on rocks all the day long, not an inflatable raft, and my arm muscles are sore in new and different places... oh it was fun! And I'm ready to do it again in a heart beat when any of you finally decide to get on over here for a rocking good time... (Not to worry, we'll be sure to study the videos extensively before hand, figure out some survival tricks...)

rafting photos taken by NRE Video Productions.

RHS

... Or Rural Home Stays. Since 80% of Ugandans live in rural areas, it wouldn't do to have students here for four months and NOT experience life in a rural setting. Last semester I went to Soroti (or Sere in Soroti), this semester Gwyn and I swapped, she took her group to Soroti and I took mine to Kapchorwa-- a town/area up in the foothills of Mount Elgon, which straddles the Kenya/Uganda border. Oh, it was a fun fun week...

Going, the students were nervous and anxious. Excited, but nervous. I was absolutely confident that they'd have a terrific time, but no matter what I said, they were still just worried.

Drop off, Friday afternoon:

Unloading the van:

At Heathers house:

See ya, Amy!
Daniella and her mom:
AJ has a pretty great set up...
Katelyn is Heidi for the week:
So with the students out, Vincent (who drives the program van), Meg (the intern) and I settled into our home for the week at Noahs Ark-- a little hotel in Kapchorwa town, to wait for any emergencies/ student needs to arise. We of course had some fun of our own...
We hiked up the road one morning, and enjoyed the vista....
Lake Kyoga out there in the distance on a clear day...
We visited a co-workers wonderful mother and had deeelicious tea, freshly roasted g-nuts, fried eggs and matoke for lunch. MMmmm...

And passed waterfalls on our drive abouts...
But, so, would you believe it we didn't have ANY student issues all week?? No upset stomachs, illnesses, cuts, falls, injuries, or even breakdowns (for all their worry...). Which- GREAT- don't really enjoy those sorts of things, but we decided we should pop in anyhow... just to make SURE all was well with everyone. So 11, students 2 or 3 a day... And of course, as expected, they were all doing marvelously and having a whole lotta fun.

We went to church with the good reverend Moses and his daughter Caitlin and family.
And followed them home for an all afternoon cooking affair, to eat our 'lunch' at 7pm.
Cody was having a great week, he had killed no less than three chickens and had learned to make chapati. Here with his little sister, Precious:
Kate was busy feeding all the workmen building her families new house and taking care of her one month old little brother, Sunday.
We found Daniella sorting rice with her mom and the whole family one evening.
And Melody, had just finished 'mudding' the floor with her mom in their house...
'Go big, or go home,' thats the idea. Well, the students have amended it to "Go big, or go home. Or go home big." Which is I think is fairly apt! Particularly after a week of visiting families and being served delicious snacks and meals absolutely everywhere we went. The hospitality of people is remarkable. Ah, but it was SO worth it.

And all those nerves? Pah. The students were having a fabulous time. What fun to see them relaxed and enjoying their family members, recounting for us great tales of (attempted) cow milking, or chicken killing or plowing or whathaveyou... I loved it. Just LOVED it.

After a most successful week, we picked everyone up, said our sad goodbyes and went to the Crows Nest in Sipi where we were joined by the group from Soroti for debrief.

Saturday those who wanted, could hike to one, two or three waterfalls... Down into valleys and up the other sides, one beautiful waterfall after another... up, up, up higher into the mountain we went. Last semester I only went to the first, this semester I went for all three (go big or go home, right?) (And truth be told, I wanted it to help with the whole going home big bit...) it was a lovely hike and a nice chance to catch up a bit more with the students who went to Soroti (or Soroasti, as it was affectionately referred to... apparently down in the plains it was H O T ! ).

Jones, myself and Molly (the other two interns) at the top of the second waterfall...
It is (or was last weekend at any rate) the end of the dry season, so the waterfalls were pretty wispy. (Last semester- during the rainy season- was quite a different story...)

There was enough water in the second one for a pounding shower. Medaline, our Canadian rockstar:
The way across one part of the river. Beautiful old treelog...
Oh... what glorious, beautiful fun.
Let me get this posted now as I need to get to bed and ready for tomorrows adventure... Class 5 rapids on the Nile! Whoop whoop!