Top: Ibra, the Maasai, me and Abdi.
Middle: Two adorable children at the Maasai Boma.
Bottom: Our fancy lunch in Ibra's father's house!
I know I am WAY overdue for a BLOG post. I have heard about it from many of you!!! It is just so hard for me to sit down and do it. I will attempt to do it on a monthly basis. I think I am on track! I know once a month is not a lofty goal...but it is the best I can do.
I am not quite sure where to begin. It seems as though a lot has happened in the last few weeks. I will start by telling about my trip to the Maasai Boma with our Maasai friend, Ibra. I have been to one before on safari, but that village definitely catered to tourists. This was a much more raw experience. For those of you who do not know what a Maasai is, let me refer you to the Wikipedia definition!!! "The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa, they are among the most well-known African ethnic groups internationally." The Maasai literally live off the land, eating only ugali--corn meal mixed with water--goat meat and blood and milk. They live a crazy life. So, Ibra invited Abdi, Theresa and myself for a day visit to his fathers boma (village). His father just so happens to have 6 wives and a TON of children and grandchildren. Ibra is the only child who has an education and has moved away from the village. We met him when he came to our school to speak to the 7th graders about Maasai life. He is wonderful! The boma is comprised of several mud huts in a circle. They are very small, dark and smoky. Lots of people are crammed into each one. The huts surround a large open area where they keep the cows and goats at night. Beyond that, there isn't much more to the boma. As the "special guests", we were invited into the father's house to share a meal with him. This was quite an honor since women are not allowed to sit at the same table as a man. We ate meat, rice, ugali and a curry sauce with only our fingers. It was so great...especially because this was Theresa's first experience eating without utensils!!!! It was definitely an unforgettable experience all around!!! I learned a lot about the Maasai and met some wonderful people.
More recently, I was honored by the presence of my first "official" visitor!!! Adele arrived in Kenya on the 9th, and I met her there on the 10th. Being that it is her first time in Africa, and only her second International trip (the first being London), she did quite well getting from the Nairobi Airport to the hotel on her own!!!!! She even managed, with a little help from me in organizing, to meet me at the airport when I arrived the following day!!! We spend that evening in Nairobi with some of my friends at a local bar listening to some local tunes. The next morning we woke up quite early, feeling slightly hungover, and headed to Massai Mara for the beginning of our safari. The safari ended up being the best one I have been on as we saw every animal possible, including tons of lions, two leopards up close and personal (one was hunting), a cheetah, two rhinos, several hippos, crocs, etc. It was so good!!!!! I think Adele must be lucky because not many people get to see that many animals on their first safari.
After we finished our safari, we headed back to Nairobi and spent another night drinking, eating nyama choma (roasted meats) and hanging out with my Kenyan friends. It was an excellent night...I ended up lasting a bit longer than Adele because she was still feeling the effects of jetlag. So, following my late night, we woke up extremely early to catch the bus to Moshi. Onto country number two!!! We spent 7 hours on the bus travelling over the washboard roads and through the extremely dusty and dry countryside. I have not been here before at this time...and because it is so dry it almost looks like a totally different country. We finally arrived in Moshi at Light in Africa that evening and went immediately to town with two of the children. The kids absolutely love going to town because they inevitably get treated to sodas, chips (french fries), ice cream, etc. It is just nice for them to have a change of pace in their otherwise monotonous days. Adele pulled out her daily cash allowance and we headed back. We spent the next few days with my boys at Pilgrim, taking them to lunch each day and showering them with candy and affection! I think Adele really enjoyed the orphanage but I am not sure how she liked the cold showers in the morning, the uncomfortable beds, the endless waiting for food at the restaurants, and the overly crowded dala dalas (public transport). I guess it is all part of the experience!!!!!!!
Currently....I am back to the grind at work and Adele is climbing Kilimanjaro with Abdi. I am hoping and praying that she has good weather and is able to summit. It is a great experience either way...but it certainly makes the expense of the mountain more worth it if you make it to the top!! I have a good feeling (knock on wood)!!
I will try to attach some photos of my Maasai visit to this blog. In the next few days, I will add some pictures of safari, orphanage and Kilimanjaro when Adele gets to Dar following her climb. I dont really take pictures anymore...so I tend to rely on others! I hope all of you are doing well. Please keep in touch!
Jen
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