On with the project!

I have had a rather busy week considering I am studying ELEPHANTS and haven't seen any! I guess it goes along with my project though... just quantifying evidence of elephants! I have secured seven participants for my study this week. It has been a blast. To make friends and therefore voluntary participants, I have been giving little gifts to the kids in the village. Mostly little party favor- type gifts but they just love it. However, the smaller kids only scream when I try to hand them something shiny. The adults think it is terribly funny, but it still makes me feel awful. I think with time it will be easy to win them over though. Even younger babies love to touch my hair and their mamas always seem to plunk them right in my lap as soon as a chair is offered to me! Yesterday I interviewed an older couple whose son works on the ranch. Rose was talking to the mama and I was doing my work. When I returned to them, Rose was helping breaking up the ground. I took the tool from her and started pounding away. They thought it was so funny and I enjoyed making them laugh... until I realized my hands were not prepared for that kind of work and I left with bloody blisters! Again, the mazungu was very funny. Two days ago, I was walking around a field and Rose said to me, "Bekah Angelia! (LOOK!)" I nonchalantly replied, "Hamna shida (no problem)" before walking straight into the branch of an acacia. I am very thankful for the involuntary reflex of my left eyelid because I managed to get a thorn stuck in the eyelid, but imagine if my eye wouldn't have closed! I was so embarrassed that I pretended nothing had happened until Rose saw me later and noticed the blood. By that time, it was a funny story even to me and Rose and I enjoyed telling it over and over in broken Swahili. A super perk of my particular study is I have reaped the benefits of spending time with the people of Tanzania. I don't think Rose will have to go to the market at all this week because I have a kitchen full of cheap produce including Papaya, Sweet Potatoes, and Maize. I don't even mind the Masai's custom of spitting in their hand before they shake mine. I have never experienced quite like it before, but it seems like that would be an insult in America! I am loving it and trying to take it all in.