Happy Halloween.

In honor of Halloween...

I decided to be a Tina Turner mazungu, but nobody got the joke. I took my hair out of the braids yesterday and Rose laughed very hard when she took this picture. I learned that Halloween is a very tricky holiday to explain in another language.

Watoto kilamahali!

Well, it seems as though I have been anticipating rain for the entire month of October. I thought this might have been just an African-ism that it is expected without arriving, but actually the rain is late this year. However, it seems every day at least one person tells me that the rain is near now- either because they see a certain bug, the sun is particularly hot, there are a lot of flies in the house, they hear a certain bird, they notice many frogs at night, the night is still and not windy, etc. etc. However, from my limited experience, it seems that when babies start to be born is when the rain is actually near. Not sure if the weather has duped most animals on the ranch, but there sure are a lot of babies right now. The warthogs especially seem to be multiplying. There is a mother with three piglets (not sure if that is the correct term), but I was treated to the presence of these little stinkers last week. Not a great picture, but there are four babies and when I first saw them at the waterhole, I had to look twice to make sure they were babies. I have never seen them so small. Since that sighting, I haven't gotten to see them again. Perhaps mom realized her babies were having a difficult time navigating the waterhole. Good thing, I wouldn't want them to drown in an elephant footprint.

Jacaranda

In looking back through my posts, I realized that I talked about a Jacaranda tree and you couldn't see it very well in the picture posted. Therefore, I went outside and took these pictures of one of many such trees on the ranch. They are beautiful. It is as though the leaves disappear and are replaced with lavendar blossoms. I find it ironic that Jacaranda trees are nicknamed Christmas trees here. In fact, I laughed out loud when Rose told me that. Fact is, they blossom before Christmas so it makes sense, although they are so far from the image conjured up in my mind by the term "Christmas tree."

Pikipiki!

This past weekend I fulfilled my goal of learning how to drive a pikipiki (motorbike). We rely on pikipikis in this part of the world. Hiring a car is too expensive and they can't go as fast through narrow paths to get to where I live. When I go to town by my own means, the first step is to walk across the river to Rose's house where I have to arrange for a pikipiki to pick me up and take me to a bigger village where I can catch a daladala. Before I came here I was actually really scared of motorcycles and I think anyone who drives them is a bit of a daredevil, but being on one is actually really enjoyable. Like riding a bike without the work. Anyway, I have never been one to back down from a challenge and when the opportunity presented itself to learn to drive one, I took it. I wouldn't say my driving is flawless... I still have a tendency to rev the engine and shift down when I should shift up. Its confusing to shift with your foot instead of your arm! However, if given another chance, I think my head has had a chance to wrap itself around the concept. You never know when such life skills could come in handy.

Fungo

Although I have yet to see an aardvark, I was very lucky last week to see an African civet. I was with the owner of the ranch coming back from town in the dark and as he was giving me a lift to my house, the headlights found a civet on the road. The owner of the ranch has lived in Tanzania for 30 years and worked as a safari guide and he was amazed. Apparently this was only his third sighting! Yay. I got to see something rare... even if it isn't an aardvark. Here's a picture scrapped from the internet (http://www.stanford.edu/~siegelr/RSA/civet.jpg):

Muhanga

I have become rather obsessed with seeing an aardvark. I spent one night walking around near the treehouse in hopes that I would see one with my Maglite, but no luck. It seems every time I go for a run I notice a new spot where the aardvark has been leaving a print where its tail is used to balance while he digs for bugs. If only I wasn't so attuned to going to bed at 7:00. I may need to alter my schedule so that I can take a walk around 9:00. This seems to be when the game drives are successful at seeing them. Picture bummed from the internet (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/aardvark.jpg)

Kama harusi

I was invited to a "Bariki Ndoa" a few weeks back. I asked multiple people to explain to me what it was we were to be celebrating at this party. I heard it explained a few different ways, but the best explanation was that this askari wanted to have his "marriage" blessed, because even though they are finished having kids, they never had an actual wedding. However, this is not to be confused with an actual wedding, but rather having God bless their marriage as they acknowledge before they were living in sin, but they want to be recognized as a married couple in the eyes of God. Everyone was so surprised that this is not a common practice in America. So even though this was not a wedding, all the guests were invited to the Catholic church on a Saturday morning at 10:00. I was told to come to the house at 2:00, and I arrived in African fashion at 4:00. Its a good thing I decided to walk with some ladies that had tight skirts on and could not be bothered to move faster than a snail's pace, as we arrived just when the guests of honor arrived in the midst of a parade of Masai singing and dancing.

There was a ton of different delicious food, a church choir, and a "DJ" who actually acted as an MC. After the guests of honor (the not-really-newlyweds, and what I can best explain as the best couple) stood in front of a makeshift shelter all decorated with pink flowers, white sheets, and pink balloons, all the guests greeted them in receiving line fashion while the other guests sat and watched. The MC called out on a microphone for certain relations to come forward bearing their gifts. Some of the ladies really got into singing and dancing as the processed up the isle to greet the couples.

I was beginning to think this was it when the cake cutting began. It was cut into bite-sized cubes which were pierced with toothpicks. After the couple fed each other cake while their actions were narrated by the MC, he called out for the pastor to stand and the couple to feed him cake. After the pastor went the parents, and then the MC thought that I being the only mazungu must be rather important so I too was fed cake. I believe my cheeks turned the shade of the flowers decorating the cake. I try my best to blend into the crowd so that I am not stared at here, but when I am the only white person in a huge gathering, it is absolutely impossible.

Picha zaidi

Random post where I throw in more pictures. Aren't these clouds cool? I was walking home at sunset the other day and it looked like a kid's art project where a spread out cotton ball made the clouds over Kilimanjaro. And at long last I got a picture of the black kitten who I thought was shy, but she changes my mind every morning at 3AM- her favorite time to play, destroy things, and make lots of noise. I have started to call her "neusi" which means black in Swahili, but is kind of a little joke for me because it sounds like "noisy," which suits her!

Aardvark Obsession

I now have seven weeks left on the ranch. Time is flying for sure but I keep getting panicked moments about all the things I want and need to do before I leave. Probably what I want the most is to see an aardvark. Guests on the ranch often see them on game drives, but there is a disadvantage to not having a car here. As many night game drives as I have managed to wiggle myself into, I have not been graced with the presence of an aardvark. Therefore, I have decided to seek one out myself. Tonight I will go on patrol and walk to all the aardvark hangouts with my super Mag. There is a near-full moon and the nights aren’t as cold as they were before. Hopefully I will also get to see some elephants so that I can figure out which ones are still around. For 27 days, they have been coming to the waterhole only at night, obviously bad for my research. It is still nice to know they are around.

Habari ya hali ya hewa?

Still haven’t got a lot of rain. We have had few short showers now and again, but only one that managed to saturate the soil. I am really ready for a different color of landscape, as more and more the paths and dirt around the waterhole is resembling a barnyard with lots of poop and dust and too many footprints to distinguish anything. I took these pictures the other day when I really thought the rain would come. The purple flowered trees are called Jacaranda, the namesake of my favorite little C-troop monkey in Botswana. They smell wonderful and a flowering Jacaranda tree is just about as beautiful as a tree can get.

Bomba la maji mbaya sana

On Monday morning, some workers from the ranch came to fix the problem. I was rather impressed with the simplicity of the plumbing. A little hatch was dug up in the yard and a concrete slab uncovered a little area filled with roots. As the roots were cleared away, they started moving by themselves! Everyone ran back and soon sewage spurted out. It must have been rather backed up. What a dirty job. They cleaned out the roots and then cleaned out the pipes by flushing it with water. The three guys washed up in the furrow and then they got a French bath as I sprayed them with AXE body mist left from a previous student. They got a kick out of it and I rather enjoyed being surrounded by a pleasant aroma for a change.

Wageni tena!

Stephen’s cousin brought her kids to the ranch last weekend. It was a very short visit, but so nice to see familiar faces. The plan was that they were going to arrive on Friday afternoon, but a friend of theirs died unexpectedly Friday morning. Therefore, the plan changed and they stayed with a friend in Arusha on Friday night. Rose had the house looking so spic-and-span, as she had been cleaning all week in preparation for my guests. It looked like a boarding house with five more beds in every room of the house but the kitchen and bathroom. She also had prepared a feast for them, so we were left with a lot of beans and rice on Friday night. Rose had a solution though. She invited some friends over and three men were able to eat what Rose had prepared for six people. It was rather impressive. We had a good time at our spontaneous gathering and it was a success as there were no leftovers!

Polly and her two daughters and baby son arrived on Saturday afternoon after an adventure in finding the way. When they had driven all over my study village, they returned to the last landmark they recognized from the directions and I was able to walk to them and escort them to my house. It was an adventure for sure since they arrived in a minivan on roads meant for 4WD and high clearance. Polly was quite a trooper and the kids definitely took in all in stride. The baby slept every moment they were in the car. The girls had some different music and it was nice to have different people in the house. It reminds me of what normal life is like! However, the con of having more people in the house is that the plumbing was a bit overwhelmed. It began with the shower drain not working properly for our showers on Saturday night. In the morning, it was worse. When we flushed the toilet, the nastiness came up the shower drain. Perhaps a one night stay was ideal, as they got to leave when things got stinky!

Picha ya paka

I have not gotten very impressive pictures of the kittens. One is very shy and comes out to play when its just me in the house but if it hears anyone it runs and hides. I tried carrying it to a visitor to show him, and the kitten turned into a demon shredding my fingers until I put it down. I learned my lesson... all in its own time! So, no pictures, but it (I haven't even been able to see what sex it is) is all black with a speck of white on its chest and on its belly. That is the lump you see under the blanket- its favorite sleeping spot. The one that is visible looks just like Mama- Nyama, except he's a boy. They really like the lip gloss I wear to bed and the first night they were with me I woke up to a rough tongue on my lips trying to eat my Carmex.

Magharibi apendeza

As mentioned, the short rains have arrived. A bonus of the beautiful storms in the distance is some spectacular sunsets because of the clouds. I know sunset pictures get old... so I will just give you a sample. I would never trade this show for a TV.

Mvua Kweli!

The ranch had its first actual rain since I have been here. It had been five months and two days. I was at the treehouse, not dissuaded by the threatening storm because it had been that way the past week and a half. Rolling thunder in the distance, the breeze kicks up a notch and I could smell rain, but it never came. I began to realize it was the real deal when I saw the clouds come in front of the hill they usually stay behind. I was feeling so excited for the first rain, but then it came. About five minutes in, I was ready for it to be over. I was patting myself on the back because I went to the first level of the treehouse so that there was a floor above me to keep me dry. Not so! I got completely drenched. The rain lasted 30 minutes exactly. It was gone as quickly as it came and the sun was so hot afterwards I could practically hear sizzling. It was nice for a change of pace, but next time I am at the treehouse and see rain coming, I am making a run for the ranch's office, where there is a true roof!

Nyama the cat

My cat is back! Yes, my lovely sidekick Nyama has returned, minus two ovaries, and plus two kittens. I ventured out to collect them at a junction to the ranch today which worked splendidly well. All are healthy but I am keeping the kittens inside until they are old enough to get their rabies vaccine. This may be a challenge in and of itself, but after two years of telling clients to keep their unvaccinated cats inside, I am up for the challenge. If anyone can do it, I can. Today being the homecoming and welcome to the two kittens, they are quite scared of me and even after sleeping all afternoon in my lap still hiss and run when I try to pick them up. I am hoping that will change with time. One looks exactly like mama, and the other is black with a little white splotch on its chest. It is so nice to have animals in the house again. However, as predicted, my gecko friend has been booted out. About 3 hours after arriving home, I heard a crash and ran to the bedroom to find Nyama hanging from the curtains. I know my little friend escaped this attack, but I hope he has learned his lesson and stays hidden! I am looking forward to a peaceful night’s sleep without worry of rat noises disturbing me, unless of course it is the sound of rats being hunted, which would be okay by me.

Kichwa ya mbuzi

It didn’t take very long for me to learn why it is that with much head shaking and funny faces made, everyone at the party was able to down their allotted soup… and then some. Not only did I not have to make dinner that night, I slept soundly through the night and awoke the next morning still satisfied from the “meal” the afternoon before! I woke up and went about my day deciding to go for a run in the afternoon. My runs have been getting shorter recently as perhaps the novelty has worn off, but I took off on my usual route with high visibility so as not to be surprised by elephants. It was the first time I ran the whole way without having to stop to catch my breath or walk a bit on the way back (uphill). I was absolutely amazed! However, when I came back to tell Max about my run, he wasn’t surprised a bit and explained that it was because of the “dawa” or medicine from the day before. Ahhh… now I get it. The “dawa” is made from the feet and head of an animal so the partakers are believed to be stronger (able to walk/run longer) and smarter (since it is basically brain soup). After I learned all this and experienced the side effect of a very satisfying run, I asked Max if I could have more soup next time he made it. Three days later, he must have scrounged up a goat head because he prepared the soup, I went for a run, and when I came back, Rose and I feasted on the miraculous soup and a goat head as a perk. It was prepared by roasting it first (mostly, I assume, to burn the hair off) and then boiling it for hours. I would be lying if I said the hair follicles didn’t bother me as I felt it go down my throat, but really goat head is quite tasty. I can’t wait to see it on a menu stateside.

Mtoto ingine

Last Sunday I was invited to a friend’s house to see his new baby. I was thinking that I would just stop in, hold the baby, and then go back to the waterhole for the rest of the afternoon. I was a bit mistaken. When I arrived, I asked my friend where the baby was and I got to hold her. She is beautiful and her name is Eva. This is their fifth child. She fell asleep in my arms immediately and then after watching her sleep for about 15 minutes, I announced my intention to leave. My friend came inside and his wife told him I was going to leave and he told me that the meat is almost ready. Then I began to realize this was actually some sort of party to introduce Eva to all of his friends. So much for getting more data for the afternoon! Soon the house was full of people and I found myself eating meat with the men. I also got to try a new traditional medicine made with the roots of a particular tree boiled with the head of an animal. In this case, I think it was a goat. My neighbor Max was the preparer of the concoction and was quite proud of it. In any case, it tasted terrible and I had to fight very hard with my natural reflexes to get it down and not be rude. The soup was actually a big hit and although the women all seemed to have difficulty swallowing it and said as much, they all managed to down a full bowl. I couldn’t exactly understand why it was that they would will themselves to get through the experience. Later on in the party one of the women went into the room of men and kind of acted as an “MC” to announce what was going to take place. Then, all the women filed out of the room where the baby was. The baby had makeup on and was placed first in the arms of the oldest man in the room, and all the women screamed the reverberating squeals that I had heard in church services much to my dislike. Little Eva was passed around to every male in the room, as uncomfortable as they were with the pink bundle. The squealing persisted as the men reached into their pockets and stuffed money under Eva’s blanket. I took a picture of every single person holding the baby. It was a lot of pictures, but here is me with precious Eva. Here is her whole family: