Mtoto mpya.

Last week was rather slow, elephant wise. I decided to be more productive by analyzing data, resulting in quite a few days inside. To minimize the monotony, which often is accompanied by unproductiveness on my part, I tried opening the window, and then putting a table on the verandah and working outside, and then going for a run. The run finally did the trick. I got an endorphin high and came back a refreshed person ready for tons of computer work, and therefore repeated the program the following 3 days. However, one day I had the pleasure of returning to the village to greet people who were convinced I was “ulipotea” or, “lost,” since it has been about a month and a half since the crops were finished. I was able to visit Baba Thomas and the new addition to their family, baby Ben. He was one month old when I visited, and yes, I admit, I wanted to take him home with me. They joked about it but the maternal clock must be ticking because really, I want one. If only I didn’t have to be so responsible and wait until we had actual income to afford one.

Mazoezi kwanza

Today is a very good day. I just returned from my first run in Tanzania. I have been here over 4 months now and just last week really got an itch, feeling like I needed to run. I have been rather faithful in Yoga and Pilates in the mornings, but with my bum ankle was worried about running here because there are so many rocks and holes. Also, I have been at kind of a low point the fast few days (partly attributed to 4 days in a row of waiting for elephants without seeing them) and really felt like I needed an endorphin fix. So, I set out. The plan was to run 15 minutes out and 15 back for a 30 minute total run. Well, the first 15 minutes I felt like I was flying even though the majority was uphill, so I thought, why not 20 out? I am sure glad I decided to go farther because at 19:37 on my watch, I saw elephants! So, I stopped running, watched them (from down-wind, of course) and stretched a bit before going back. As soon as I turned around I realized why it seemed like I was flying before. The wind hit me like a wall. On the way back, I must have stopped to walk 3 or 4 times to walk a bit and catch my breath. So, total running time=37:19. Not bad for the first time in 4.25 months. And now, I am going to rush to the waterhole in hopes that the group of elephants I saw were heading in that direction. There will definitely be a repeat of today's activities. The endorphins are hitting me just now :).

mvua, lakini sikweli.

Tanzania is entering the "short rains" now that it is September. So far, it has "rained" twice, but actually just little showers. Yesterday when I was at the waterhole, I felt some drops and even heard thunder in the distance. There is nothing like rain in Africa after a dry season. It smells so fresh- no wonder the fragrance industry tries to replicate it for body mists. I admit, part of me was dreading dealing with rain, but this I can deal with. The temperature is such that I am comfortable is shorts and no sleeves, there is still enough wind to keep the bugs away, and the showers don't last very long... of course now that I have said that we are sure to get a downpour this afternoon!

Brownies... yes, BROWNIES!

Because the students just had arrived in Tanzania from America, some had all sorts of goodies. One gave me not only 3 pieces of home-made fudge, but a whole container of brownies. The brownies are gluten-free, but I am quite sure I crave the chocolate aspect and not the gluten in brownies. They have Andes mints melted on top too. Are you drooling? I am.

So now I have a couple things to figure out. 1) Will I be able to stick to a ration schedule to spread the brownie joy throughout many weeks? 2) Should I just down them all at once and bask in ecstasy? 3) If I have the willpower to ration brownies, what should the schedule be? Perhaps my friend didn't realize how my mind would be afflicted by such a gift.

I should probably mention, I was just as ecstatic to receive the Gladware container the brownies came in... a longer-lasting treat indeed.

Ingine game drive!

I was able to weasel my way into a night game drive with the students last night. We saw greater bushbabies, springhare, bushbuck, dikdik, a white mongoose (which I didn't see very well and therefore don't know the correct name), and bats. However, the most exciting encounter was with a wild cat who was hunting a puff adder in the road. Of course, the headlights scared off the wild cat, but it was still exciting to watch the puff adder slither off into the grass... very slowly!

Bwana Ndege

So the students visit was also an educational experience for me. There was an ornithologist who really knew his birds and was happy to teach even me. I have always been afflicted with a subtle indifference to bird life. At the waterhole when I am picking birds out of my book I often contemplate what it would be like to know all of the birds around without consulting a book. Ornithologists must be constantly entertained because there are almost always birds around. If not visible, their songs are audible and I can imagine it would be interesting to keep a daily list of birds encountered. However, birding is just not really for me. I thought if I could follow the ornithologist on his walk I might learn a thing or two. And I did and I am sure my research will benefit from it. If you are a birder, unlike me, take a look at Bwana Ndege's webpage: www.tanzaniabirding.com.

Where to begin...

I have had an action packed week! Last Thursday some students from America arrived and camped in my backyard. They will be in Tanzania for a semester and were very interested in everything around them. The staff and teachers were so welcoming and friendly that I was able to mooch 5 meals off of them, including FISH! Napenda samaki. Stephen anajua. I kind of had a reality check, as I have been getting more and more confident in my Swahili, but I realized that my Swahili conversations are really limited by the words I know. It was so nice to have intelligent conversations about conservation and sustainability without having to divert my focus to translating.

So the company was absolutely fabulous and I enjoyed every minute. They left this morning and the camp staff just finished packing and are loading into their car as well. I am left with only the whistle of the wind. However, I have decided to divert all my lonely energy into work. I have a to-do list that would make me cringe at home, but it is worse here because I would much rather go to the waterhole and enjoy my surroundings.