This post will be my last of Kenya. I'm going to warn you all now that this will be a long post with lots of photos, so buckle in and get your reading glasses! I got back to Cedar Rapids a week and a half ago after three and a half months abroad. I loved Kenya and loved my semester abroad, and I'll miss it dearly. But for now, here are the highlights of my last two weeks in Kenya!
Most of our time was dedicated to finishing up our research papers. I correctly assumed that writing the discussion would be the most challenging part. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing, since I've never written a discussion section for a scientific paper before, but I got it done! Our draft came back with quite a few corrections, but we fixed it up nicely and moved onto the next part of the paper: The conclusion. Surprisingly, I enjoyed writing the conclusion more than I enjoyed writing any of the other sections. After turning that draft in, we did a couple rounds of edits to the whole paper (some minor, some more major), and turned it in early. I was happy with what we turned in, and incredibly relieved to finally be done.
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| Crane? Egret? Heron? IDK but it was in ANP |
My research group got a head start on our presentations to the faculty on our research. Originally, the schedule was designed so that we would turn in our research papers on the 3rd and we would have to create our presentations and present to the faculty on the 4th. However, the crane group asked our research advisor if we could get the information for the presentations early so we could work on it ahead of time. Luckily, he had it ready for us, and we completed the presentation and were able to get some practice in before having to present it. I think our group did quite well! We then tweaked the presentation a bit for use for the community on the 7th.
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| On observation hill (ANP) |
The community presentations, while tiring, were incredibly fulfilling. We had approximately 100 community members attend, and we rearranged the chumba to accommodate them. The community started arriving around 8:30am and our presentations started around 10:30 after a short video documentary on the Kenya SFS center. The lions presented their research first, then the cranes (my group!), and then the giraffes. The lion group researched the efficacy of Lion Guardians in conserving lions in the Amboseli Ecosystem. My group researched the health of the grey crowned crane population and their utilized environment (the swamps) using multiple environmental proxies (bare ground, vegetation height, trampling, overgrazing, openness) as indicators of environmental health. The giraffe group researched the giraffe bushmeat trade. Each presentation was incredibly interesting!
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| Full chumba for community presentations |
The presentations took a while. Each was 20 minutes long in English, and more than 40 minutes when accounting for the translation to Maa. Then, community members were invited to ask us questions. I really enjoyed the Q and A section. Honestly, I thought that the community wouldn't care as much about the cranes as they would about the lions (who kill their livestock, so are a heavy focus of conservation and retaliation) or bushmeat, but they asked a lot of questions and seemed quite interested in it! I enjoyed answering the questions and feel like I got into a good groove. The community was particularly focused on why they should care about conserving the cranes (as in, what benefit did the cranes have to them). They understand the importance of lions and giraffes for tourism, but not the importance of cranes. I explained that while the cranes themselves don't benefit the community much, they indicate the health of their environment (the swamps), which the community is entirely dependent upon for survival. After serving the community lunch, they headed back to their homes, and we put the chumba back in its typical configuration. I found the community presentations a wonderfully fulfilling cumulation of our directed research efforts.
In between the faculty and community presentations, we had one last trip to Amboseli National Park. It was amazing! We saw many carnivores: first saw a melanistic serval, then, we saw a typically colored serval. Later on, we saw a group of six male cheetahs, who were feasting on something. My personal favorite sighting was the same mama hyena my DR group had seen feasting on a baby hippo a couple weeks ago! I felt very lucky to see her again. She was with her baby again. This time, I think they were eating a sheep they had hunted. Further proof of human-wildlife conflict! We got to see a small spat between mama hyena and her baby versus another hyena who was trying to get a bite of the sheep. It was incredible to hear them yipping at each other. I tried to put a video of it in here but it wouldn't load, so just contact me if you want to see it! One of the other hyenas in the group had a scar across its left eye, which was also very interesting to see (and to consider what had happened to the hyena).
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| Our final group photo at ANP's gates |
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| Scarred hyena |
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| Mama and baby hyenas |
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| Mama hyena with her snack |
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| Group of cheetahs feasting |
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| Melanistic serval |
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| Serval with typical coloration |
We also saw many of the classic species we've seen throughout the semester: buffalo, hippos, wildebeest, flamingos, elephants, grey crowned cranes, ostriches, storks, and, upon leaving the park and heading back to camp, some zebras. And my car got temporarily stuck in the mud, which really added to the memorability of the trip.
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| Elephants (ANP) |
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| A sign in Amboseli National Park |
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| Stuck in the mud |
In the last couple weeks in Kenya, I also spent time painting (watercolor for fun and house paint for our cohort mural), cooking with James (the KBC chef), playing sports (soccer and volleyball) with the other students, and, of course, packing. We also went as a group to the Tuesday market in Kimana, which was really cool! It was a bit like the downtown farmers market, just twice as many vendors in half as much space, and with different products.
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| Tuesday market |
On the last full day at KBC, we had our end of the year party, which mirrored the party from the beginning of the semester. We had two goats this time (and ice cream!). The wonderful Maasai came back as well, and we participated in one last dance with them. We feasted, chatted, and learned about all of the rules past cohorts had broken. Okello, our wonderful program director, gave us some final words of wisdom, and we had one last lovely dinner of chapati, guac, and all things lovely back in the chumba. The staff came and ate with us for this final dinner, and I had a wonderful time talking to them. It was difficult to say farewell to the staff as we left KBC the next day, and I know we're all missing them. They were so wonderful and welcoming, and we owe all of the happiness of the semester to them.
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| End-of-the-semester party |
My emotions didn't really catch up to me until I was waiting in the airport and the rest of the group got to go through security, while me and one other student had to stay behind because our flight was later than theirs. I realized that I really wasn't ready to leave, though I was excited to get back home. I had a truly magnificent time in Kenya and am so grateful I got to have this experience. I've learned so much, not only about endangered species and the world, but about myself. I learned some things I need to work on, and other things I do exceptionally well. I learned things I love and some of the things I can do without. I learned a lot about how the world works, where change needs to happen, and when change isn't realistic.
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| Flamingo (ANP) |
Most striking to me throughout my time in Kenya is the happiness and hospitality of the Kenyans, and, particularly, the Maasai. I think a lot of people had misconceptions when I said I was visiting Africa. Many people were rightfully concerned for my safety as a woman travelling abroad, but equally as many had misconstrued notions showing ignorance. I had a wonderfully positive experience in Kenya (and Tanzania), and this was almost entirely due to the incredible people who live there and welcomed us. They were some of the kindest, most genuine people I've met. And yes, there were many things which were different, but different does not equal wrong, nor worse. In many (most) ways, I think I would much rather live like them. I'm grateful I got closer to the fruition of that want, even if only for a few months. I will take what I learned in Kenya and carry it with me for the rest of my life, implementing it when I can. I will also carry with me the overwhelming gratefulness I have for my life and the people who make my life what it is.
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