It's NEVER too hot for chai

This was our motto during our two-week safari through the Rift Valley and Lake Natron (we got back to Arusha from this trip on Halloween, and have since scattered all over Northern TZ for our ISPs). Not only do we have chai (tea) 3x a day when we are out on safari, but I was served an enormous tin cup of steaming hot, super spicy chai at least 5x a day in Maasai land (the Lake Natron region, where our boma was, gets upwards of 100 degrees F no problem). Still, we always needed another caffeine break--we were pretty busy on safari. Here's the low-down on those epic weeks:

On 10/18 we drove out to the Crater--It's the biggest one in Africa (maybe the world?) and the geology we saw is spectacular. We pitched our tents on the edge of the crater, with elephants hanging out at the edge of the campsite and warnings against wild pig raids on our tents (turns out they're attracted to aloe, so we all stored our after-sun creams in the cars). We spent the next day exploring in our Land Rovers, checking out the wildlife, and packed up our campsite the next am.

En route to the Serengeti, we stopped at Oldavai Gorge for a lecture and a look at the museum that's been set up (the first human footprints were found here. And lots of other things). One of the exhibits was about a Japanese scientist who spent over 10 years tracing the human migration. He started biking in Oldavai Gorge, and his trek took him all the way into South America. The bike and hiking boots were on display.

We spent 4 days in the Serengeti--my research group went down to the hippo pool every morning, getting up before sunrise and collecting data on hippos' social interactions for a couple of hours. After a couple of chai breaks and lunch, we would head out on our afternoon "game drives," looking for cheetahs and climbing 'copies' (ancient mountain peaks that have been buried in volcanic ash). These few days in the Serengeti were amazing--full of animal sightings (all of the usual suspects--you know, elephants, zebras--plus a couple of leopards. And a cheetah from maybe 5 feet away). We also had presentations and conversations about wildlife conservation, land rights, and some of the other issues surrounding national parks that we've been working through over the course of the semester.

From the Serengeti, we headed over to Lake Natron and our Maasai homestays. I can't begin to write about this experience--I lived in a boma with a mama, a 15-year old brother, and a 5-year old sister. I was dressed in the full robes and jewelry (about 10 necklaces, arm cuffs, the works), and hung out with the kids in the boma all day. I communicated in Kiswahili, but most people speak Kimaa. Basically, I just counted in Kiswahili, Kimaa, and English everyday--the easiest way to communicate. And we sang a lot. This homestay was a truly special experience, and I have tons more to say about it, but I'm also still sorting through a lot of the things I felt, saw, and am still thinking about.

Maasai culture is a lot to get used to, very non-western. They practice polygamy and female circumcision, and all of the students left the homestay with tons of questions. We had all-male and all-female focal groups with an interpreter, which was an amazing way to learn about each other (the Maasai men asked about lesbian relationships and our group had this incredibly funny conversation about how women have sex. So much of American culture is new and weird to them in the same way their lives in the boma were so strange to us--it was a very cool cultural exchange).

So, then we went to Arusha! Now I'm in Lushoto!

Also, please treat this as an ordinary email chain and not a blog that is supposed to have pictures. I have no way to upload them.

Love Bec