Punda milia

On Wednesday I spent some time at the waterhole with a large number of zebras. The landscape was spotted with clusters of stripes and throughout the afternoon I was accompanied with zebra barking. With the absence of elephants, the zebra presence became much more exciting and I was able to truly appreciate their unique beauty.

I found myself wondering if zebras were as beautiful up close as they were from a slight distance. Their stripes look so perfect and defined with no hairs straggling out of place… all within the lines. I have heard that zebra researchers use the stripe patterns to recognize individuals and began to notice the subtle differences in designs.

On my way home, I heard water splashing and looked to my right to find a young zebra struggling in the furrow that fills the waterhole. I called for help and we pulled the zebra out of the water. It looked like it had been there for awhile and was quite cold. It was struggling to get up, but wouldn’t. Its belly looked awfully distended even though its hip bones were sticking out and had an overall frail appearance. I was feeling so bad for it but at the same time, it was really exciting to see one up close. We brought the zebra to the stables on the property where a member of the staff stayed with it throughout the night, but it didn’t survive.

Maneno mpya: jipu

Just so you don't think my life is all rainbows... Ticks are still an issue here. The other day I was talking to someone and they said, "the ticks seem to have all but disappeared," to which I replied by pulling one off my pantleg. I don't know if they just love me or I just constantly put myself in their path, but they are ALWAYS around. If I go outside to call someone on the radio- just in the backyard, I can come inside two minutes later and start pulling them off me. It no longer phases me when I feel something crawling on my leg after I get into bed at night. I don't even need to turn on my headlamp to reach down, pull it off, and crush it on the floor with my fingernail. Yes, I am talented. However, as much as I like to tell myself I will win the war, the ticks have definitely left a battles scene on my legs (can you tell I just finished reading "Gods and Generals"?) Recently, I have been plagued with these massive festering sores on my legs. I showed them to Rose and she said she didn't know the word in English, but in Swahili they are called "jipu." I looked it up in my dictionary and learned that I have been plagued with boils. What a disgusting word. But, the sores are rather disgusting. The area surrounding the worst is swollen and red and there is a constant throbbing. I am such a baby. Trust me I know that if this is the worst affliction I have in Africa, I am being looked after, but still. It HURTS! It may turn your stomachs, but I had to take a picture.

Upinde ya mvua

The rain has been teasing us. It seems to like the slopes of Kilimanjaro and everyday it seems to get a bit closer to the ranch. Last night I was able to see localized lightning in the distance and the birds and frogs are telling us it will hit anyday. Yesterday on my way home from the treehouse, there was a huge rainbow. I love African rainbows... and trees... and the scent of rain on a breeze. Too bad I can't take a picture of that.

Mkazi-mwenzangu

I have a new roommate. I mentioned in a previous post that Nyama the cat is gone and therefore the house is being overridden with frogs, rats, insects, and my favorite, the resident gecko that lives on my bedroom wall. We have gotten quite comfortable with each other and the other day I found him lying on my bed. I finally got a picture of him so that you too can enjoy his gecko-ness. Nyama will be coming home soon with two kittens. I don't think she will be as thrilled with my new friend as I am.

MOTO!

There was a fire on the property over the weekend. My askari noticed it Saturday night and had to basically sound an alarm to all the workers on the ranch to help fight it. By daybreak on Sunday, everyone thought the threat was over and returned home for some much needed rest. However, in the early afternoon it had started back up again. I took this picture on my way to the treehouse. Throughout the afternoon I listened to the drama on the radio, the entire time sympathizing with everyone who had to deal with it. It also happened to be about 40 C on Sunday. Just walking to the treehouse, I felt that I too might spontaneously combust. I decided to take the long way home at the end of the day to get a good look at the damage from the fire. It actually left a pattern that, dare I say it, is quite pretty. On my walk, I felt a few raindrops and was hoping that the rain would settle the problem, but alas, the rain stayed away for the most part. Askaris have been keeping an eye on the sight, and now it is pretty safe to say that the threat is gone. Everything is so dry now and we are definitely in need of rain. Just about every afternoon, I can smell rain in the distance and sometimes and accompanied by rolls of marvelous thunder, but still we wait.

Siku ya TEMBO!

Yesterday was Elephant Day. Most of you are probably quite surprised to hear that such a thing exists. I was asked to look up information online about it and found out that it is basically a holiday created in 1994 by a guy in Florida that collected elephants and owned a printing company... so yet another 'Hallmark holiday.' Nonetheless, here I am am researching elephants so it should be acknowledged. The ranch was honored with a visit from some esteemed VIP guests in honor of Elephant day, but I guess the guests of honor (elephants) were attending an invitation only elephant day party somewhere... because they were not on the ranch.

Vijiji mpya.

I went to Moshi this past weekend to escape the computer work I have been subjecting myself to. It was nice to go to a new town. I have been there three times before, but once was by accident when Nabil and I missed our stop, once was when I was in a rush to make photocopies and return before dark, and once was in 2004 when Dad and I climbed Kilimanjaro. However, I quickly learned on this trip that what people say is true. Moshi is cleaner, prettier, and doesn’t have the hawker problem that Arusha does. I still saw plenty of wazungu but was only bothered twice by people trying to sell me things. When I told them I didn’t want anything and politely asked them to leave me alone, they did! I was dumbstruck. In Arusha, I really had to be mean for the people to stop bothering me. The problem in Arusha is that as soon as one person comes up to sell something, the rest see and rush over to increase the annoyance of the situation. I always leave Arusha feeling like I was a poor ambassador of America because I had to be so rude so that people would let me do what I had to do. But, Moshi was different and I definitely will return. I stayed in a hotel and drank Stoney’s and watched TV and went to bed early. The next morning I went to the salon and got my hair braided. It is fun to do something different and I was really getting sick of hair blowing in my eyes. Problem solved. Please note my “I’m Bringing Sexy Back” t-shirt. I will have to get Rose to take a picture of my all-out Tanzanian mama look, complete with inappropriate saying on t-shirt. In Moshi, I saw one lady about my age wearing a t-shirt that said “I heart hot moms.” There was another girl about 10 years old wearing a shirt that said “F.B.I.: Female Body Inspector.” I never know if I should explain to these people what their t-shirts mean, do I laugh, do I sigh, or should I just be glad that they don’t really understand how perverted western society is?