Wilderbeest Stampede Take One - Masai Mara Safari

(July 21-23) Okay animal lovers here is another safari posting. I will try not to write about the same things I wrote about the Tsavo East safari, which should be easy since various new things happened.

Departure from Nairobi was scheduled for 8AM on Wednesday. In true Kenyan fashion that meant we would make 552 random stops (okay maybe 7-8 for real) before leaving the city an hour and a half later. Good thing we didn’t have an appointment with the King of the Jungle later. The drive to Masai Mara was rough at times given the road conditions but the beautiful landscape made up for it. We stopped at the Rift Valley viewing point for pictures, the bathroom, and forced souvenir shopping (which I hate but is all part of the experience). This stop was along a busy winding road and the little shops were precariously perched on the edge of this very high valley. Later the drive became extra dusty, and I swear I ate more dust than can be found in a room full of knick knacks (that’s for you Henrik). On the upside, I was covered in the orange/brown dust which made me look like I had a Jersey Shore bronzer tan that I did not have to pay for! (Although I still did not look as good as I did for Alex and Beth’s Denver Jersey Shore party – thanks guys!!).


John and I headed behind one of the buildings to get a better view and picture. There was this ridiculously dangerous old deck (rotting, missing boards – I would never want to insure it ;) – nerd alert) overlooking the valley with 2 very mean chained barking dogs hiding under it. I went to stand by the deck sign that said “Jambo, Scenic View” for an ironic picture when the dogs came running and barking from behind me with fury (see picture below and note the dog coming out from the deck). I jumped the highest I have ever jumped (like a true Kellogg bullfrog) and was panicked. I was just far enough away for them not to bite me, and since I opted out of the extra special rabies prevention shot in the US I was extremely thankful. After I calmed down John, Ben and I got a good laugh out of it, and I avoided foaming mouthed dogs the rest of the time (bye pretty puppies).


We eventually made it to Masai Mara and our camp (Chui which is Leopard in Swahili) just outside of the park. We stayed in little buildings with beds (covered in leopard printed bedding – which would turn out to be the only leopard spots we would see), bathrooms, and complete with Masai watchmen. It was clean and nice enough, but paled in comparison to the Tsavo accommodations we had at the last safari.

We went out on our first Masai Mara game drive and saw a lion’s family with one king of the jungle male, 2 females and 4 Simba cubs. It was exciting to see them, but for the most part they did not move since it was hot for them, and lions are only active in the early morning and late evening when it is cooler. I can relate. New animal spotting included: wilderbeest (so ugly and mangy) and topi (light brown relatively large deer-like animals with black on each side of its behind). We also saw giraffes, dik diks, zebras, elephants, ugly water buffalo, impalas, a jackal, and goats and cows in one small area early on (no joke there was nearby farming).



It was gorgeous as we headed deeper into the Masai Mara park. Masai Mara is the Kenya side of the Serengeti Park in Tanzania. The famous wilderbeest migration takes place from Tanzania across the Mara River to Kenya in July and then from Masai Mara to the Serengeti in December, so we were hoping to get lucky and see a huge rush of wilderbeest migrating. The park is 1,510 square kilometers and is surrounded by hills. It was much greener than Tsavo and there were far more animals, especially of the grazing variety due to the golden grass begging to be devoured.

Okay, now that I described the basics I want to provide another perspective of the area. Masai Mara is extremely famous and reminded me of the Las Vegas of safari parks. Before you close down this blog page in disgust, humor me for a bit while I flush out the comparisons for you. First of all there are long lines (safari vans with limo like top openings) waiting to get in and see the hot spots everyone is talking about (where the lions are, migration etc). Your host (safari driver) tries to get you the best viewing spots (much like getting that favorite Vegas table at the club) and you go out in groups with your friends very early in the AM and later at night. I was also amused as numerous fans (10+ vans) surrounded the annoyed celebrities (lions) that often tried to hide, and huge paparazzi style cameras rapidly zoomed and clicked away like it was a red carpet event. There were even bachelor parties going on in the park (groups of all male animals like impalas that go in packs and eventually fight over females – sound familiar?). Don’t get me wrong the DJ and great club music were missing and the park was still gorgeous and a great experience, but there are some pretty interesting similarities.



Anyway, we were happy to have gotten to the park to see some new animals. More safari stories to come in the next posting. Until then…Sarah.

Capital Time – Visiting Nairobi for a Day

(July 19, 20, and 23) Here I go again with my travel ramblings and this time no pictures (sorry). I hope you are all doing well, and I look forward to staying in touch the best I can and through the blog. I have been busier recently, and I can tell it will be very tough to keep up with writing now that I am on the road. I am determined though and will do my best to keep up with it.

Last Monday Maki and I had our flight from Mombasa to Nairobi. It was mostly uneventful, but because I seem to be constantly entertained in life there was an event worth writing about. There was a foreign couple well in their 30s sitting across the aisle from us, and they were kissing and hanging on each other excessively. Let me just say that this caused an explosion of anger (not unlike a volcano erupting) from the row behind Maki and I. They were yelling at the couple, because their young children could see the “get a room” behavior and they were raising their children with strict Muslim values and did not approve of the public displays. I have to say that I was on board and did not care to witness that couple either. It was quite heated and the flight attendants were brought in and tried to simmer things down (I felt badly for them). The couple was rude about it and chuckling but decided to behave like adults for take-off. We survived the 45 minute flight, and the people behind us and the children were very nice as we exited the plane.

Maki and I both agreed that Nairobi felt very different than Mombasa. It has 4 million people, is much more like a big developed (kind of – don’t worry the “roads” still have holes the size of Texas, and I am trying to write on the bus to Tanzania now) city, and can be dangerous in many places. Also, Nairobi is at an elevation of more than 5,000 feet (higher than some US mountain towns), so it is cooler - which I love. Our cab driver (named Smart – strange I know) was very helpful and let us know about safety etc. One thing I have noticed throughout my Kenyan travels is vehicles run on “E” (empty) all of the time and often stop at gas stations to get 1-3 gallons of gas at a time (which is excessive cash flow management and requires you to build in extra time since you never know when a Kenol Station stop will be made). Never-the-less we eventually made it to Ndemi B&B in Nairobi for some needed rest.

John and Ben arrived the next day as Maki left for her high-end Masai Mara safari (it was a huge success as she saw lions, cheetahs, and leopards). After we all got cleaned up we headed for Westlands in Nairobi which ended up being a pretty fancy area with at least three large nice malls housing numerous US stores (Nike, Apple, Converse etc). I was on a mission to try and get my iPod Touch fixed (aka my wannabe iPhone) since it seems it was fried by my adapter. It was not looking good, but they promised to try. Moral of the story: only use Apple adapters to charge Apple products (they have seen this problem before)! Anyway, it was like we were shopping and lunching in the US…bizarre, and then we were over it. Leave it to us to be in the most USA-esque place in the country! A HUGE thanks to John and Ben for their patience as I tried to get it fixed. Later that week I came back with Ben to get the iPod, and sadly they could not fix it. I am going to miss my poker game, emails, and clock on it. Oh well more time to read ;)

Later that night we met up with John’s Deloitte friend Charlene for a group dinner with some of the ex-pats working here. There were seven of us total and we ordered the GIANT platter of Lebanese food for 8 people, so the food kept coming and coming. That was a lot of humus, salads, and fried treats. My favorite aspect of the whole evening was when a girl from Russia named (wait for it…) Natasha sat next to me! It’s true - accent and all. She was from St. Petersburg and of course I requested some Russian be spoken. Don’t worry everyone I refrained from telling her about my alter ego Natasha and did not utter a single word in my Russian accent (one of the hardest things I have had to do in a while – hahaha). It was really great to hear about working and living in Nairobi from Charlene, Nat, Devan, and Natasha. They all work for NGO-like agriculture related companies here. I think I could do a work stint like that for 6 months to a year but probably not longer.

Okay, I am jumping ahead now to Friday which was after the Masai Mara safari (I will write about that in the next post) to finish up with Nairobi time. After getting back to Nairobi for our last night before the much anticipated drive to Arusha for our Kili hike we ran some errands and headed to dinner. We dined at an extravagant Brewery Bistro and were all underdressed considering we thought it would be more pub-like. It was good, but the real fun happened afterwards when we headed over to Natasha’s place for a belated birthday party for her with numerous ex-pats. Everyone was great, and we had a lot of fun.

The highlight quickly became Natasha breaking out her St. Petersburg vodka from the freezer and teaching us how to take a proper Russian shot. Can you say “cultural experience”?? Okay, I love vodka and it has long been my favorite hard alcohol, but I HATE shots of all kinds. Let me just tell you that the Russian method was AMAZING. All of us non-Russians were in awe that we could take 3 shots and feel fine. I can’t get shots down the hatch normally. I am about to share with you this GOLDEN method which you must try if you are so inclined. First, have Russian vodka that is thoroughly chilled (the bottle should be frosted from sufficient freezer time). Second, pour the shots with Mother Russia in mind. Third, pick up the glass and give a toast in Russian (we were informed that the toast is actually giving a reason for drinking – aka why it is okay to take a bunch of shots). Fourth, breathe out completely (just do it) and fifth take the shot with no air – get it down the hatch with a full swallow. Sixth, breathe in through your nose, and seventh, breathe out your mouth. You have completed the shot process and may feel warm (take that Siberia cold!) but should have avoided the burn shots normally provide. Simply delightful. Thank you Natasha! A couple of Tuskers later and it was time to crash before our early morning ride.

I have delayed mentioning the bombings that occurred in Kampala, Uganda during the World Cup, because I did not want to worry any of you (although many of you probably saw the news at home). Sadly 74+ people died (including at least one US citizen) and many others were injured by the Somalia based terrorist attack. Three bombs went off and at least one more was found. At one point we were going to go to Uganda for a weekend, but decided against it for logistics/cost reasons. Also, recently 300 bomb detonators were found just outside of Nairobi and are also believed to be terrorist related. Suspects have been arrested for both crimes. This has made me uneasy, but bad things can happen anywhere, and we will continue to be as cautious and safe as possible. I mention it, because this will also act as my travel journal to look at in the future, and I would like to remember the state of the world as I travel to different places. All in all I have felt safe throughout the trip and have truly enjoyed my time in Kenya. Until next time…Sarah.

Navigating Kenya. Avoiding Death.

(July 2010) I have mentioned Kenyan transportation options throughout my Kenya blogs. It has been a big part of Kenya for me since it is so ingrained in the culture and has been important to us to get all sorts of places. Since getting to Kenya I have traveled by airplane, taxis (regular sedans about 10 years old and often white), Jackie’s little blue car, the old school van to the village, the awesome open safari jeep, and the giant fancy tour bus from safari back to Mombasa. That transportation was all good and fine.

The real cultural experiences have taken place in matatus and tuk tuks. There are also guys that drive motorbikes and regular bikes with a seat on the back for you and sans helmets. Boda Bodas or Bicycle taxis yell "boda boda" at you as you walk by and they ride along busy roads waiting to get hit. No thanks – I have to draw the line somewhere. Don’t worry Mom I refused to ride on those death traps. Here I display my obsession with the Kenyan transportation options I used via pictures and few words (for once):






Tuk-Tuks – various views. 3 people can squeeze in the back of these small colorful vehicles. They are good for short distances, especially in the city since they maneuver well. Crazy cheap too, prices range from $0.60 - $6.00.










Matatus – saving the best for last. Pictures inside and out. Colorful, slightly dangerous, and extremely cheap transportation. They have fun honking horns, crazy loud US or Swahili music, random quotes on the back and inside (often about Jesus or Obama), and at night many of them have crazy colorful lights inside and on the front. We were literally in one matatu that crammed in 20 people! Another time we had a rooster in the front seat with some kids...ahhh matatus I will miss you!

Mombasa, Kenya - The End of an Era

(July 16-19)It has been fun living in Nyali (3.5 weeks total) and seeing Mombasa and the area, but I am ready to move on to a new location and experience new sights. I also need a break from the large crowded city for some outdoor time. Saying goodbye to my Nyali home will not be easy though. I will miss JacyJoka apartments (pictured below), the kind staff (especially both Steves who always laughed at my comments and greeted me), doing my laundry by hand in giant buckets (hard yet rewarding work), and the random decor. The Nyali Nakumatt will also be greatly missed – bye Kenya’s Wal-mart. Where else will I get to see colorful signs for Obama Boyz Car Wash and TONS of matatus honking (one shown below)??


Friday was our big Old Town Mombasa sightseeing and shopping day. We started out with a tour of the famous Fort Jesus. It’s right on the water and was originally carved out of a giant area of coral in 1593 by the Portuguese in the general shape of Jesus with his arms stretched out. You just have to go see it I guess. It was actually really interesting (Portuguese, Arabs, and British have all occupied it at one time) and there was a small little museum with awesome artifacts etc. After that we did a walking/shopping tour of the city for a few hours. We managed to stop at “Mbwana Radio record store” (more like a car repair shop with cassette tapes), kanga/kikoe shops (wraps/nice cloths), wooden carvings store, and spice shop (for the record, guide books, there is no giant spice market like both books showed – local people looked at us like we were insane when we asked).

Being from the US and looking, dressing, and talking different apparently makes me appealing to the guys here despite sweating my face off and feeling grossie. Case in point we had numerous ridiculous things said to us as we walked along, but there were two events that happened to me in particular. Okay, those of you that know the “Nice Face” LA story are not going to believe this! Some random Kenyan guy gave me the SAME motion (hand in a circular motion around his face) and mouthed to me that I had a nice face and then said he liked it (creepy crawler alert). Then later in one of the kanga shops I was browsing through stacks of fabric the height of Shaq when an employee handed me a small piece of paper with a paragraph written on it (which there is no doubt in my mind he has used for others). What did the paper say?? Well I skimmed it quite fast and only got the gist, but essentially he wanted to talk to me, loved me, blah blah creepy blah. I quickly gave it back avoided eye contact for at least another 20 minutes as my friends shopped, and I tried to tell them what happened. He was not happy with my reaction or rejection; as I left he tried to grab my arm and get me to talk to him. No thanks – I’m gonna have to PASS on that (Jess Menaker that’s for you).

During our walk we also saw various temples and learned that one Muslim prayer time is 1PM and everything was closed for an hour. It was also extremely nice to enter the Catholic Cathedral and pray for a few minutes (it reminded me of the one I saw in Peru). We dined at Island Dishes, a legit hole-in-the wall Swahili place with amazingly hot green chili chili sauce as they called it. We also popped into a bar for some Tusker beers as a break to the crazy hot day, and we wrote a couple of postcards and mailed them at the post office afterwards. Later we stopped by the giant famous tusks (shown below) that go over one spot in the road, and Maki got her desired picture. We wrapped the day up by eating on the rooftop of Royal Court Hotel where we saw the whole city from above at sunset – nice ending to a very long hot day.


Saturday we had a slow morning with lunch nearby before we said goodbye to Liz. Then Maki and I decided we couldn’t mope around, so we headed to Nyali Hollywood Bowl (true story, real place, pictures below to prove it!). There were 6 lanes of bowling, 3 pool tables, US music (pretty updated – thanks for playing Apple Bottom Jeans for me – yes there is a video of me dancing/bowling to it – thanks Maki), air conditioning (really sorry you missed it Liz!), lots of teenagers, and Maki crushing me on lane 4 in 2 games (first score was me 47ish, Maki 70s). Our only real dinner option as respectable adults (unless we wanted popcorn at the movie theater or ice cream at the café) became Roberto’s (4th time for Maki in two weeks and 3rd time for me). I was in bed by 10PM after our “big Saturday night out”.


The plan is to meet up with John Jones and Ben Vannier (more Kellogg classmates) on Tuesday to spend a day seeing Nairobi. Then we head to the famous Masai Mara Game Reserve (the Kenya side of the Serengeti National Park) for a couple of days of safari to try and see the famous Wildebeest migration which has started. Finally the three of us will go to Tanzania for our week long Mount Kilimanjaro hike and then we are off to Egypt. I have finally provided a map of Kenya and enough of Tanzania for you to better see where I have been and will be going soon. As you can see Kenya is pretty large (about the size of California), and I have only been in one section of it this whole time. Okay, more safari stories coming soon…until then, I hope you are all doing well! Sarah.

Kellogg Corps GSE Marketing Project – Completed!

(July 12-15) Greetings to you, fine reader that keeps me inspired to write. I apologize in advance and warn you that this posting is much less eventful than the last few action packed posts. Things were getting wrapped up as we had our last week in Mombasa and finalized the GSE marketing plan project (despite the electricity going out every 20 or 30 minutes).

On Monday, July 12 we had one of our last GSE meetings with Jackie to go through all of the ground work for the marketing plan. Then we headed to Yul’s Restaurant on the beach where I proceeded to have a GIANT Texas Burger (in honor of my favorite Texan Mia Tucker); I was full for 24 hours. I guess I was really craving American food, and it was one of the best meals I have had in Kenya. I must say though that overall I am sick of Italian and American food which I never expected to say here. In fact I ate a bunch of typical US food before I left for my travels for fear of missing it; I guess that was a mistake.

Anyway, we worked more on Tuesday and then walked through every beach hotel in Nyali (5 of them I think) looking for a dinner spot and just taking pictures. Most of them were built in the 70s, but a couple of them have been nicely updated, although one of the hotels is often deserted and looks like the scene of a murder mystery or horror film (I could imagine Hitchcock’s silhouette coming into the scene).

Wednesday was another GSE work session in the morning, so we could head to a fantastic lunch at Tamarind. This is known as the best restaurant in Mombasa and for fish and seafood lovers (not me); the menu was jam packed with Sebastians (think Little Mermaid) and fish to eat. Maki ditched us to have lunch with Kenyan Mitsubishi employees, but Liz and I dined two tables over anyway. I had an amazing Ostrich steak with some saffron mashed potatoes and a red wine and wild berry sauce (shown below). Liz had a red snapper and prawns dish with a creamy Moroccan spiced sauce. We followed that up with a trio of sorbets: banana, passion fruit, and the popular tree tomato fruit (delightfully different). This restaurant is right on the water, manages dhow boat cruises (huge old wooden sail boats - shown below), and Mombasa can be seen across the harbor. It was a nice celebration of our hard work and offered a new perspective of Mombasa.




Later that afternoon we went to Akamba Market which is a HUGE area outside where rows and rows and rows of men work under little shacks carving wooden goods to be sold (1 work area od thousands shown below). Their work was amazing and there was a store selling their goods (masks, Masai warrior statues, tables, spoons, safari animals etc). We were able to walk through their work area and talk to them, but it was a bit tough for me to see so many mass produced carvings and the tough work environment. Maki bought even more Masai warriors for gifts and then it was time to go work a ton that night (yea powerpoint slides!).


I stayed up until 2AM for a couple of reasons. First, I was being productive and there was work to be done. Second, and more importantly there was GOOD USA TV on! That’s right for a couple of hours straight I got to see US news, music videos including goodies from Kelly Clarkson and Nickelback (high quality), and (wait for it) an AMAZING episode of American Gladiators! Okay many of you are now like really Sarah, that’s your good TV and you are wasting my time writing about it?!?! My siblings, Danny, and I watched TONS if it growing up (I sadly remembered this episode even and they would too). It featured Laser, Gemini, Tower, Zap, Siren, and Elektra (steroid ridden gladiators) as well as Assault, The Wall, Hang Tough (rings), Super Powerball, Atlasphere, and of course the Eliminator (ridiculous competitions). Okay sorry, but that was the only substantial non- Tyra, Dr. Phil, WWF Wrestling US TV I have seen here.

Anyway, we had our last major work cramming session all day Thursday as we finished up our work for GSE and presented it to Jackie that evening. Then we all went to our favorite Italian spot Roberto’s which has the added bonus of free wi-fi internet. I got an email from my good Kellogg friend Neha Ajmani announcing her engagement to Shimon. HUGE congrats to them both!! I decided this was plenty for this posting lest you die of boredom and I lose readers. Until next time…Sarah.

Lions and Tigers and Bears…Not Really…This is a Safari.

(July 10-11) Welcome back to the blog and my random stories. Let me open this one by saying that I am thinking about many of you often, and I hope you are all well and enjoying life. I mention that this time, because I have had a lot of great thinking time while sitting in a quite safari jeep zipping across open plains.

Prior to visiting Tsavo National Park (which we found out is bigger than Israel) we had the pleasure of viewing the movie trailer for the 1990s flick titled, Ghosts in the Darkness starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer. This movie is based on a true story about the railroad being built across Kenya and lions attacking and killing the workers, thus slowing the progress. The movie takes place in Tsavo and has classic quotes like, “Control your fear!” and “Lions never had a lair like this before.” I hope to catch this classic movie in the near future, and I encourage you to at least look at the trailer for a chuckle or two.


As we arrived mid-day Saturday we were very lucky to be given the best safari jeep available and from what we saw the only one that was completely open on the sides (the other vehicles were all enclosed and had an opening in the top like a prom limo). It was Maki’s first safari and she was extremely excited and had the one ultimate goal of seeing a lion. We had two full game drives scheduled (2+ hours each) as well as a 1.5 hour ride in and out of the park where more animals could be spotted. Liz and I had gone on 3 jeep safaris last year in Botswana with our school trip, so we had some understanding of the process (aka what it is like to sit in a car for long amounts of time being patient and quiet looking for animals – don’t get me wrong it is a great activity, but it is much more enchanting in your imagination). (Huge shout out to all of my GIM South Africa friends! We missed you on this safari!)


Tsavo is a HUGE flat park with scattered trees and bushes, a couple of popular watering holes (elephants really loved them!), and mountains in the western background. There were reddish dirt roads and four or so tented safari lodges throughout the park. The weather was great for a safari; there was some pretty clouds and the temperature was mild allowing for a t-shirt during the day and warmer clothing when it was darker. We stayed at Satao Camp in Tsavo East in tent #17 which had a nice porch area facing the park and a tented area that housed our three beds and then led into a gorgeous large stone bathroom.


We had a great 1.5 hour ride into our lodging. Within the first few minutes we saw numerous elephants close to the road. We also eventually saw a black and white male ostrich, numerous antelopes, and some mini deer that looked like lawn ornaments (called dik-diks) and reminded me of our old family friend Danny lining up reindeer lights every Christmas. Later we saw a group of zebras by a watering hole. The most exciting moment came when an extremely large elephant began charging towards our jeep, because he had a baby elephant with him that he was protecting. I got a nice video clip of it, but for now a picture will have to do!


After arriving and dropping off our gear we had a delightfully heavy pasta lunch and Tusker beers as we watched about 30 elephants and numerous yellow baboons play nearby and three little vervet monkeys hang out at the tables around us (I listed the specific primates for my PhD pal Katie and added pics for her too – it was not nearly as cool as following the capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica with Katie while she researched though). It was nearly time for our evening safari, so despite being exhausted we had just enough time to get ready and load back on the jeep.


We jumped in the jeep with two older German women who sat in the first row. Maki and Liz were in the middle, and I stretched out in the back row alone. It was funny hearing about the animals in German and then in English. This 2 hour and 20 minute safari proved to be quite eventful despite not seeing any lions or cheetahs. We saw numerous elephants, impalas (similar to deer and boring after the first viewing), giraffe, small toucan birds (less crazy looking than cereal Toucan Sam), yellow baboons in a tree, and giraffe gazelle (bizarre gazelle with long necks). Oh yeah and there was a group of hippos chillin’ in a water area as well. We were able to see all of the animals very close up and Liz and I explained to Maki that we were extremely lucky to see so many animals so close, since we did not see nearly as many in Botswana. Once we returned to the lodge Liz and I headed up the lookout tower to watch the elephants and baboons playing. It was so great to be in the fresh air watching everything in the quiet open spaces.



Later we had a traditional Kenyan BBQ meal (known as mushkaki or kebabs) with lamb, steak, and chicken skewers grilled on a small charcoal grill at our table followed by crepes for dessert. We even saw a genet up in the rafters of the open restaurant. For you non-crazy National Geographic fanatics it is a slender spotted cat like animal that hangs out at night. As we headed to our tent we saw the southern sky including the Southern Cross Constellation and the Milky Way Galaxy was prominent as well. After sitting out on our porch in the dark watching the elephants play fight we finally got some sleep despite the elephants growling, yes they make growling noises that sound like other animals.

Our wake-up time the next morning was 5AM as we headed out for our 6-8AM safari. Given the sunrise time there were not nearly as many animals, although we did see warthogs (ugly), cape foxes, jackals, and an African civet (ugly skunk look-alike) for the first time and sadly there were no lions to be found. It was a nice relaxing ride outside which I enjoyed, but it was very sad that Maki did not see her lion. We came back to the lodge for a quick breakfast and then it was time to leave. No lion on the 1.5 hour ride out either – poor Maki ended up lion-less. No worries though she will have another chance next week as we head to Masai Mara for another safari. That is all from the safari time…until next time. Sarah

A GSE Village Homestay (part 2) – The Real Action

(July 7-10) There was little time to enjoy the nice cool overcast weather of winter in the hills as I put on a sweatshirt, because it was time to weave kiondos (baskets) with Mrs. Rhoda Nzano. I loved Rhoda (she actually reminded me of Rhoda on Mary Tyler Moore – I know, another reference – random) and her husband since they both had a dry sarcastic sense of humor. Given facial expressions and our small conversational exchanges I could definitely discern this despite the language, cultural, and even generational differences. The basket weaving was tough at first, but I learned how to do it and slowly progressed, sadly I don’t think I will advance to the underwater variety or earn an A grade anytime soon.

Right after the baskets it was time to each plant a small tree to help the environment and symbolize our time in Sagala. This was a fun activity that I really embraced as I excitedly used the shovel (pictured below). Then one of the neighborhood kids, 12 year-old Martin, stopped by and showed me around the village a little bit. He was very outgoing and funny, and we worked together to slowly understand each other. As I mentioned, it was very pretty and hilly terrain; the homes are scattered throughout the hills and there are little dirt walking paths that connect the people. Martin pointed out key locations like the school, church, and healthcare center. When I returned from that walk it was just in time to see Mama Musa complete the afternoon milking of their cow.



Later that night we had dinner that included maize. This was a huge white dense starch that resembled a large white cake, and we were encouraged to cut a cake-like slab to eat. I dove right in but soon struggled with the density and bland taste. Luckily they love very small extremely hot peppers, so I added that for flavor. We learned some Taita village words and brushed up on some basic Swahili. There was no World Cup on that night, but there were Kenyan soaps (just as dramatic as in the US) and interesting music videos (i.e. random people dancing in front of extremely random scenery/places), and eventually WWF Wrestling (not my fave) on the TV with one channel. I would have been happy to be TV free, but this was clearly a household evening ritual, so I was ready to soak in the culture and experience village life.

The next morning we started out early with what would become my favorite meal of the day. We had this porridge that was a darker creamy version of malt-o-meal! This was one of my favorites growing up, especially when I visited my Grandma Mc, so I was extremely happy. I topped it off with real sugar and there was bread and papaya as well. This breakfast was repeated the next couple of days with the added bonus of delightful thick crepe style pancakes the last morning, especially good when I added a bit of sugar and squeezed an orange on it.

After the delicious meal we took a long walk down to the flatter farming fields where the task was to hoe the land, dig small holes the size of soccer balls, add fertilizer (since the soil is dry and hard there), water them, then plant kale and water again. Unfortunately, I was of no help aside from picture taking – see below. My ear infection was bad, and I managed to add cold symptoms to the mix. This was my type of activity, so I was sad I could not actually participate. The field was about 10 feet by 25 feet and with five people working they got done pretty quickly. They then moved on to the next field to hoe it all in order to loosen the soil which looked like a lot of work. I started feeling extremely ill and weak, so I had to be walked back early. I barely made it back and then went straight to bed for 5 hours. They all kindly checked on me a few times (thanks again to Liz and Maki for helping and being patient with me!), and I could literally not even sit up or move. I forced down water with vitamins in it and continued to sleep.

I was sad to miss the bow and arrow making lesson and hiking the area to the Rev. Wray Museum in town. I was able to get up for dinner and a little discussion, but quickly headed back to bed for more sleep. When I woke up the next morning I was feeling a bit better and actually had some energy, which was good because I was most excited to see the local school and complete some of the other activities of the day.

We got into the van, because it was a bit of a hilly walk, and I probably would not have made it. We had a great time meeting with the head master of Mlondo Primary School and touring the school. The kids were extremely excited and the elementary school kids came out to take pictures with us and greet us. The 7th and 8th graders were taking comprehensive tests and could not be disturbed by us. I absolutely love spending time with kids and seeing their excitement level, so I instantly felt better while I was there. Sadly we had to leave the school eventually to tour the Mlondo Health Center. We met with the head doctor who had been there for 9 years, and we saw the facilities. There was even a woman about to give birth, which was way too much for me. Given my illness I stayed away from most of the facilities. It amazed me how many of the patients had to walk for hours to get to the center and how different the facilities and equipment are from what we are used to. It really causes you to reflect on how easy some things are in western countries and how many resources we have easy access to.


Later in the day we had my favorite lunch/dinner of the trip made by Mrs. Patience Mwang’ondi. We had pumpkin, lentils, mixed veggies (of course), and crazy good mangoes. After having this meal I think we should be eating more pumpkin in savory form in the US. It was quite good as were the lentils. I am so lucky that my Mom is a great cook (she always lets me make requests when I come home) and can often eat something at a restaurant and recreate it at home. (Mom – new request when I visit MN next – maybe your extremely good squash could have some pumpkin in it or perhaps you can explore pumpkin recipes??). Anyway, enough about the food. After lunch we were preparing to become Lord of the Dance. We were tasked with making traditional skirts from stringy plant material. This entailed braiding the waist line and adding long dyed sections to hand down from the waist line. I will add a picture since my description is just plain lacking.

After the creative skirt making it was time to plant onions, which I was still much too weak to do, so Maki and Liz headed out to get real work done while I stayed back and had Baba Musa show me the bow and arrows from the day before. It was fun to see them and to shoot a couple, but then it was nap time again. The real fun and games was to happen later when our skirts would be used.

The village had their best dancers come over to perform traditional Kitaita songs and dancing for us (see the picture below). This is usually only done on special occasions like wedding days. We had a lot of fun watching, taking pictures, and eventually dancing. I gave it my best but did not last long. I provided laughs for many, including the kids many of which I got to know and joked with me about it. Don’t worry there is video of me giving a once in a lifetime performance. That video will eventually be leaked for your enjoyment.

We all got to know one kid particularly well, 9 year old Lewis, since he lived in the house Liz stayed in and ate meals with us. He was a really nice and helpful kid, plus he was extremely funny and liked to learn random stuff from us like how to make origami with Maki or how to take pictures with our camera. Lewis lived in Mombasa and went to school there before and only recently moved to the village to live with his grandparents and attend school. He was definitely more of a city kid, but he told me that he was very happy to now live and play in the Taita Hills. I could see why. John, Margaux, Danny, and I would have loved playing there growing up. It reminded me of playing in the woods at the cabin, going to the little cave near my grandparents’ house, and handing out in the woods near our sledding hill. It was sad to say goodbye to him the next morning.

After our final breakfast we headed for the important activity of milking the cow with Mrs. Joyce Mwaore. Everyone was a bit hesitant including me, but I knew I had to leverage my true dairy state roots (I was born in Wisconsin, although none of my relatives were farmers). Everyone pressured me to get in there first, so I sat down by Bessie the cow (not sure if she had an actual Swahili name) and got to work. Not to gross you out but the utters actually felt like smooth leather, and it was not as disturbing as I thought. It was relatively hard work, but I was able to have some rhythm and get some milk. I am glad I tried it, but I don’t think I will be working on a farm any time soon (just not a natural).

Finally, we took some pictures together, said our goodbyes, and were back in the van for the painfully bumpy ride back to Voi and eventually to Tsavo for our safari! Until next time…Sarah.

A GSE Village Homestay (part 1) - Another Side of Kenya

(July 7-10) This will be a long posting, so bear with me and I hope you enjoy it! I originally decided to come to Kenya back in April with Maki to complete a Kellogg Corps summer consulting project. We knew from the beginning that our client, GSE, had a unique product offering bringing people to various villages to stay for 4+ days to experience Kenya in a new way. I have been very excited to actually go on the homestay trip, because it reminded me of the week I spent with my good friend Katie in Paraguay when she was in the Peace Corps (June 2005). I also loved visiting Africa for the first time last year with my class trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia, so I was thrilled to be coming to a new part of the continent.

We hopped in the 10 seat van last Wednesday morning for the three hour drive north west (primarily due west really). The landscape reminded me of the Wisconsin farmlands I have often driven through to get home since there were some corn fields and scattered trees. Then the landscape morphed into hilly dryer land with reddish dirt and trees without leaves, probably since it is winter here. We eventually made it to the town of Voi; the last town we would see for a few days. We turned off onto a dirt road which would eventually become a very steep and bumpy one hour winding ride up the Taita Hills. With each bump I wished we had stopped at a bathroom prior to this driving adventure. But the van eventually eased into a parking spot next to a small concrete home in the Sagala village of the Taita Hills.


We were all tired by the end of the journey and slowly eased out of the van like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, all desperately needing oil to move properly. Just as I eased out and turned around there were several women chanting, singing, smiling, and clapping to greet us. It was hard not to smile back given it was so pleasant and exciting. After this nice welcome we met our hosts and got a quick tour of the home we would be staying in.

Our hosts were Francis and Mary Mwabwaka or Mama and Baba Musa (in this village people are basically called Mama or Papa name of the first born child, so our host parents named their first child Musa). Baba Musa is a retired aviation technician with Kenya Airways and has been married to Mama Musa for over forty years. Mama Musa continues to work hard as a farmer and housewife. Baba and Mama Musa have raised five children, 3 daughters and 2 sons, none of whom live at home. One of their grandsons, John, recently moved to Sagala to attend secondary school and lives with them.


Their little concrete home had four bedrooms, a storage room, a family room, a very small (more than two people can’t really go in and move around) cooking room outside of the main house (pictured below), and a small bathroom with a toilet. There was also a separate squatting toilet room which I tried once and decided was not my favorite option. The house had electricity which powered the lighting in the house and a TV and DVD player (more on what we watched later…I will keep you in suspense).


Baba Musa also showed me the cow stable that housed two large cows, the chicken coop with a couple of birds (a rooster that did his duty every AM to wake us at dawn), and a room for the three small goats (one of which was a little baby). They also had a wide variety of fruit trees (avocado, banana, papaya, orange, lemon, and mango) that reminded me of the trees throughout LA (I am excited to move back eventually!). Finally, they had some plots of farming land in the valley of the farms which are marked off by sugar cane. They grow various vegetables including corn (maize). We had our first village meal consisting of a white rice and pinto bean blend, cooked mixed veggies (not US style though more like shredded dark greens with some minced tomatoes), and oranges for dessert (shown in the picture below). The rest of the lunches and dinners would be similar – dense starch, mixed veggies of some sort, and very fresh fruit for dessert.


A big thanks to Maki for some of the above pictures. Okay I am breaking this posting up into two sections lest you write angry comments to me about my lack of brevity. This post hopefully gives you a feel for the location and hosts. Take a break and save the action for next time. ;) Sarah