Over the past two weeks I haven't have any computer access for I have been traveling in Amboseli and Mombasa. After I spent three weeks with my urban host family, we spent a weekend on the compound then headed off on a two week excursion exploring Maasai culture and coastal culture. The free weekend on the compound was actually pretty stressful because we had to write a paper on our urban home stay before our departure early Monday morning. Despite all the work we had we found time to go to the Junction in our town of Karen. The Junction is a very modern mall with a Planet Yogurt, Nike Store, Casino, and other more expensive African gift shop stores. We also took a trip to Kazuri- a really cool boutique that sells hand made beads. It was a nice weekend to have on the compound but I wish I didn't have to rush my urban paper- oh well YOLO (you only live once) for all you oldies.
We left Monday morning in safari vans and proceeded to travel for about five hours until we reached Amboseli. Amboseli is the home to an indigenous tribe called the Maasai as well as one of Kenya's most famous national game park- Amboseli Park. The Maasai is a tribe that still practices pastoralism (cattle grazing), live in dung huts, and do not have any running water or electricity. For food they depend entirely off their cattle or go to the market once every Tuesday. In Amboseli we stayed in banda/tent things on a huge campground. We had an awesome staff that were experts in Maasai culture and they taught us about the challenges the Maasai face from pressures to modernize, land encroachment, poverty, and threats from the government to turn their land into plots for agriculture. One of the first days we were in Amboseli we visited a cultural manyatta. This is essentially a tourist destination for white travelers to view the Maasai culture- their indigenous dances, houses, food, and beading. However, this site is a completely mockery- it caters to the tourist thought that these indigenous people are savage and backwards. They would wear tons of beads on their ears, neck, ankles, and wrists. They would also wear traditional Maasai clothing of pieces of fabric intricately wrapped around their body. They over exaggerated everything they told us and did. Not everything they did was a false representation of their culture- all of their perhaps savage or primitive traditions were practiced many years ago but they have modernized some since. For example, they no longer drink blood or dance on no occasion, or just live off eating meat, they also attend school. However everything they portrayed to us was for us to be entertained- we paid $10 to visit and so they wanted us to get our money's worth. We were able to see how the Maasai really live when we stayed with a family for a night. A girl from the SLU trip and myself stayed with one family along with a guide who was able to translate from Kimaasai (their language) to English. We stayed in their dung huts, helped heard cattle, cooked chipati, and engaged in a traditional women's job of beading bracelets and necklaces- we were even able to make our own. On our down time I would chase the baby chickens around their fenced off plot. Inside their plot of land about 200 meters in diameter was a cow pen, baby cow pen, and two dung huts. The fencing was made out of thorn bushes and the mom and dad each had their own house. It really was an awesome experience to live the way this group has been living for thousands of years. When one thinks of Africa- the image of the indigenous tribe Maasai comes to mind. The Maasai represent a romanticized view of Africa- men and women with enlarged earlobes decked out in beads and headbands leading 50 cattle around the dry African land. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity because the Maasai culture is slowly evolving. Education has played a huge role in modernizing the Maasai group. Children that go to school and move on to college will eventually be employed and thus will not return to their hut. In turn future generations will not be integrated into the Maasai culture and so this culture, in its original form, will cease to exist. Their are certain elements that will remain such as their traditional practices of beading, and their language. But their markings as Maasai such as the elongated ear lobes, removed front 4 front teeth, and burned circles on their cheeks will no longer be in practice.
Later on in the week we were able to interview local farmers on their lifestyle of farming and the challenges they face from wildlife interferences. The camp we were staying at was in the middle of a wild life corridor. A corridor is a strip of land that allows animals to migrate between one national park and another thus we saw a ton of animals. While running with the usual crew in the mornings, we ran past giraffes and zebras, and occasionally ran past huge elephant tracks. So, farmers faced threats from all of these animals- especially the elephants. The next day we hopped in our safari vans and went to Amboseli National Park where we rode with our heads out of the top of the car acting like the biggest tourists ever. Whatevs. We saw tons of zebras, elephants, impala, gazelles, wildebeest, buffalo, hippos, and indigenous birds. This was hands down the funnest part of the trip. We were inside the park for six hours and I was never board there was always something to see or something to learn about a certain species of animals or plants.
In all this Amboseli trip was really amazing and educational. What I didn't enjoy very much about the trip was the bathrooms- they were in straw huts and bats hung from the ceiling. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was made for us everyday and it was delicious. But, at dinner time when we were exhausted and trying to enjoy our meal, weird looking bugs kept dive bombing my head like kamikazes. Every night I'd have anxiety attacks because of the presence of so many bugs!!!! After dinner we'd play cards for a long while and then head to bed and wake up early to go for a run before the day's activities. I always love driving through rural places where the children rarely see white people. As we were traveling in our safari cars, school-aged children would sprint after screaming HOW ARE YOU, HOW ARE YOU! They are always so excited to see white people however if you talk to them they will ask you for money or beg something from their mom's crafted jewelry.
Here are some pics from this trip
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