Karibuni Kenya

Jambo!
Mt. Kilimanjaro is right here - not over there in the distance – right here outside my mosquito net, rising above the elegant acacia trees, and higher than the clouds. They say that when you feel lost or alone in this desiccated land, all you have to do is look at Mt. Kilimanjaro and it will make your soul complete and answer all your questions.
This is Maasai land – a place where the circle of life is complete and each day is a struggle to survive. My banda (a small thatched roof hut) is inside a 25 acre area with a large fence as an attempt to keep the elephants and any other large animals out. Despite the fence, most of the animals find a way to break in so they can get into our kitchen and eat all of our lush pineapple and papaya. For some animals, including black mambas and baboons, the fence means absolutely nothing. One male baboon sits outside the kitchen pretending to pick at bark until everyone leaves. It then makes a run for the kitchen or a banda and steals everything it can. At sunset we go out to look for bush babies and marvel at their enormous round eyes and baby like figure (their name is very appropriate) as they clutch to the braches of trees. As darkness falls the stars of the Southern Hemisphere light up the sky and humongous spiders and beautiful geckos come out. When I shine my flashlight on the grass all I see are hundreds of spider eyes glowing in the dark.
There are about thirty Kenyans that work at the Kilimanjaro Bush Camp – many of which belong to the Maasai tribe. The Maasai warriors are as black as the night sky and extremely tall and thin. They carry spears and other weapons with them wherever they go and seem to not have a single fear. They wear beautiful beaded earrings and bracelets and dress in red blankets. There is also a wonderful kitchen staff that makes us incredible Kenyan food for every meal. I’m thrilled to be eating sukuma wiki (my favorite food) again and have decided to become vegan for the remainder of the trip. Our professors are extremely passionate about wildlife conservation and seem to be incredible knowledgeable about every animal, plant, tribe, ranch, etc. in the area.
While I’m here I will be working all day everyday to learn about and research the conservation issues that are being faced in the Maasai steppe I’m living on. How do you teach native people with very little education that this is one of the most unique places in the world and everyone needs to work to preserve its beauty. What will all life do when the icecaps on Mt. Kilimanjaro melt and there is no more water? How do you stop lions from eating the local people’s livestock so that they aren’t killed? How do you recover this intricate ecosystem when part of it is crushed?