Beetle juice

The ranch is under siege by beetles at the moment. Beetles of all kinds. The first night I noticed was when Rose was cooking and all of a sudden I heard a helicopter fly by my right ear. Seriously, it was that loud. This clumsy beetle flew right in the window, past my ear and smack into the wall with a loud pop. That night after Rose had left and the house was locked up, I was eating dinner listening to ting ting ting. The beetles were trying to break down my window to get to the light inside. There were plenty trapped inside too which made the cat go crazy. He has gotten to be quite the hunter specializing in wadudu... and shadows... but that's another story. The peanut beetles really brought back memories of Kenya. Stephen really enjoys catching them as they fly through the air and then throwing them into a wall to hear their poor little bodies pop. When I tried to show my neighbors here that trick, they weren't very impressed. Mostly because I couldn't throw them hard enough to make the pop sound. When I went to bed that first night I was accompanied by many beetles flying through the air, sounding like a muted war zone with helicopters flying around and the occasional casualty as one flies full force into a wall. When I was trying to sleep I kept feeling the strange sensation that only beetle feet can cause on my skin. Almost pinching, but without hurting. I really just got annoyed and after unsuccessfully throwing many to the ground for the cat to hunt, I started smashing them before dropping them on the ground. It was then that I realized that real beetle juice smells very bad. In addition to the anti-itch cream I keep under my pillow, I added some hand sanitizer so that after every kill, I could make my hands smell like something else.

However, beetles of all kinds are plentiful, and one of my fondest memories from my first trip to Kenya in 2001 is my discovery of dung beetles. I took a philosophical approach to my understanding of dung beetles, which I appreciate even more now. When there was no rain at all, there were very few dung beetles, and the dung piled up. Now that it has rained, there are plenty of dung beetles and therefore a lot less dung. It just reminds me that every single living thing has a purpose. My world is suddenly much cleaner with green grass and only the remnants of fresh poop.

Masai alikimbia

Just a little story to share with everyone: Ever since I started running, it has been met with strange reactions from people. Most popular is that people think something is wrong, because in rural Africa, when someone is running, they are either being chased or running for help. One day when I went for a run, my neighbor Bariki was home for lunch. He must have looked out of his house and saw me run by. He rushed over to my house where Rose was washing clothes and asked her what was wrong. She had to explain that I was just running for the fun of it. Crazy mazungu.

If I were to peg a strange reaction to running on one tribe, it would definitely be the Masai. Not only, do they laugh a lot when I ask if they saw me running, but more than one have asked what time I run so that they can watch. I don’t get it… or maybe its just they don’t get it. The guy in charge of the herds here on the ranch is often on my end where he won’t be spotted by paying guests, and therefore he has had the honor of me running by with a brief wave of my hand. One day, as I was heading out for a run, he said he wanted to race me. I designated a destination- a tree about 100 meters away and we took off. Not to brag, but I blew him away. At the tree, some of my neighbors materialized and I told them I just beat the guy. They all said it was because he chews tobacco. Okay. I can accept that.

So yesterday, I was trudging along the road back to my house with my two backpacks and a 10 liter bottle of water when I met the guy again. He wanted a rematch. I tried to explain that I was not ready to run after a long day in the village and then at the tree house, pulling double duty. He didn’t like that answer and began counting as I did the first time we raced. I dropped the jug of water and we took off. Mind you, I still had my 2 backpacks with research equipment in them. Well, he kept running and I just stopped when I thought of the long walk home and my big load. I yelled out, “Nimechoka!” (I am tired!) and he just laughed and laughed and laughed. He did come back to get the jug of water for me and express his sympathy, but still- I think I made his day.

Picha apendeza

Here is a picture of a rainbow from last Friday. It was near sunset so the shadows were cast over the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. It looked like a painting you would find in a hotel- but SO gorgeous. I wish I could make the picture bigger... but even though it does not do the scene justice.

Kijani na mpya

Just one more shot of how rain has changed the scenery around here. I have seriously considered joining the ungulates as they graze on the fresh new grass. It looks so luscious and yummy... especially after 5 months of brown dusty poop-ridden ground. The first week after the rain I was a bit worried, as I spent a cumulative 28 hours at the waterhole without seeing ANY mammals except one vervet monkey. However, three elephants decided to make an appearance last Thursday. It was the first time I had seen elephants at the waterhole since September 16- more than 2 months ago. They spent the entire afternoon feeding on the new growth and causing more tree damage... for the next student to measure.

Stickers.

My going-away party is next week. I have been trying my best to keep it small, but realized that it would only cause problems if it was invitation only. Therefore, I posted this invitation at the ranch's office. I was told to prepare for 50 employees from the ranch! One thing is for sure, without Rose, there would be no party. I wouldn't know where to start. But, I have planned for a "mbuzi kubwa" (big goat) to be slaughtered that morning to feed the masses. Yesterday I went to Moshi and carried 10 kilograms of rice on my back the way the local women carry their children. It is harder than they make it look! I am not a big fan of being the center of attention, and also not a big fan of saying goodbye, so yesterday I also picked up the bottle of wine that will secretly be stashed for me only... so that I can make it through the day. The rest of the guests will get bottled beer. I didn't plan far enough in advance to make the rice wine students have prepared in the past for their parties. Oh well, beer will suffice. So, preparations are being made. I was told that people are thinking this is going to be a great party merely because the poster-invitation has stickers on it. Only in Tanzania. By the way, thanks mom for the cute stickers you sent with me on the plane. They are causing more talk than you ever would have imagined!

The house...

There is a good reason I haven't posted many pictures of the house I am living. There really isn't much to take pictures of. It has walls and a roof, and really not much inside. But, here is a little tour. From the outside: (with a rainbow!) Note the green grass that could be a golf green, but is actually completely natural and never touched with anything but straight up cow and goat poop: the result of having animals graze in your yard.This is where I eat: This is where I watch Rose cook for me :) and tell her "stories" about my day. She is making chapatis. And this is what happens nearly every night when my neighbor Maxi comes to flirt with Rose. His crush is one-sided, as you can see, but it is all in good fun.

The Tree House

Now that I have 12 more days left on the ranch, thought it may be about time to give you all a tour. This is the tree house where I have spent many hours and know most of the frequent mammalian visitors.

Here is the first floor which offers an up close look at the animals, as long as they aren't behind a tree.

The second floor is where I spend my time because of the great visibility. When I am desperate to see anything, there is a precarious perch to get up another 8 feet. I wouldn't reccommend it for tree house novices.