Runnin from Lions’s Weblog

I have been incredibly busy recently.

My class work has really picked up and I feel like I’m never going to finisht the required reading (they are very numerous).  I have turned in 2 assignments so far have 4 essays assigned and my first round of exams is on Oct 26th.

Within the past week I have done transect walks and interviewed farmers.  We walked around with a local guide and asked farmers about the crops they grow and why they grow them.  It was fun talkingto the locals because they all found us so ridiculous and they act and think so differently from Americans.  It was so cool.

Also we went and did ecological assessments the next day.  I had the same guide, who was very nice, and we walked over 3km looking at fun soil.  Also I saw some hairs and had more thorns stuck in me then ever before.

I’ve been doing laundry and I suck at it, all my socks are still brown!

We went to a game lodge on Saturday and tried to be tourists (as part of a class).  We went to a cultural manyatta (a boma or village) where the locals tried to tell us many exaggerations about the maasai and sell as much as they could… i didn’t even bring money, so I couldn’t even be pressured to buy anything.  Also, my friend Liz and I got asked if we were related, so apparently we look like brother and sister, but really I think they just have trouble distinguishing one mzungu from another.

We then went to the lodge itself and got a crazy expensive but amazingly delicious buffet!  Things I ate: Black Olives, Chicken, Lamb, Roast Beef, Chocolate!!!, Mousses, peas, more olives ( a ton of them, i really enjoy them) and of course the best part, CHEESE!  There was cheddar, brie, baby gouda, pili pili (a soft goat covered in ground black pepper), and garlic roule.  I just about died.  IT was so good.  then I went to the bar, had a beer and jumped in a pool.  Yes standing water in africa not filled with a ton or deadly, flesh-eating, diarrhea giving parasites.   It was awesome.  Then we saw a close up of a hippo and I got some good shots of birds.

Other than that I have been running still and trying to get in better shape.  I’m up to about 2 laps around the camp now so go me.  I am almost done reading my books, so that will give me more reason to do homework.

Earlier in the week we had community service where I dispensed Vitamin A to screaming children.  they hated it, it was like eating a water balloon of medicine.  If they resisted too much I had to cut the pill open and pour it directly into their mouths as their mothers kept them pried open.  Some of the girls were weighing babies and there are some really great pictures of our work there, I will try to get them to S to upload.

Seen some cool bats and hyenas and today for a nature walk we saw (and had to put down because of a fatal-injury, we were all very sad) a white-tailed mongoose.

Mom, Dad and Sis I love ya’ll and have been glad to Im.

My faithful friends, should you wish to talk to me, I am online most nights from 10-11 at my time (not sure exactly of the conversion… 9 hours?).  Also keep posting, its fun to talk to ya’ll!

Uhhhh yeah, that’s it here.   Talk to ya’ll later