1) Watch out! A sneaky hyena checking out a fleshy zebra in Amboseli. 2) A very pushy mama in the Oloitokitok market. Excellent saleswoman...For yesterday's non-program day we went to an orphanage in Oloitokitok. There are about 20 kids there, most of which are in 5th or 6th grade. Most of their parents have passed away because of HIV/AIDS, the main reason why there are currently so many African orphans. One boy was found in the clutches of a python, bloated from dehydration and starvation. Despite these obvious hardships they faced, these kids are amazing. They love to play and have visitors to spend time with. The orphanage was founded by a man who lost his parents as a kid. He is currently ill, so we met his wife who now runs the orphanage.
As soon as we arrived at the orphanage, we paired off with a kid and became his or her buddy for the day. Mine was Singore, but I was more of a floater as he already had two other buddies and I was one of the last to arrive. The children introduced themselves and proudly said their class standings. They work very hard in school. They said a prayer, and the woman in charge explained how they are so grateful that God loves the children so much that he sends visitors. I'm not really religious, obviously not Christian, but it was very touching to hear that. It's hard for me to explain the feeling I had during all this. Then the children sang some songs for us and showed us around. Tin played and made everyone laugh. We also did the hokey-pokey.
After all this, we went into town for a quick lunch. This time we were more aware of what we were ordering. No ugali this time! I then made my first market purchase. I got a head scarf in exchange for two bandanas and a few shillings. It was definitely needed as my hair is sooo thick here and I fear that I'm on the verge of getting dreads.
Then we rejoined our friends from the orphanage and played some soccer! It was so much fun. The field had no thorns, but instead there were paths that ran through it that got plenty of traffic by people on foot and motorbikes. These kids are really good at soccer. They are not afraid of the ball at all. It was fun to let them run circles around us and steal the ball from us. Okay, they did that no matter how hard I tried to keep up. Some other local kids also joined our game, including an adorable 3 year old who literally ran around the field shouting "YES YES YES YES YES" until one of the bigger guys would pick him up and take him to the ball. Then the little boy would pick up the ball and start running. The older orphans were not amused, but we found the whole ordeal hysterical. I enjoyed goofing around with the kids and chasing them around, even though the ball was on the other side of the field. The whole day was so rewarding.
The orphanage is funded by private donations, so they need all the help they can get. I think they told us that each kid just needs a dollar a day. In the future when I post I'll put up the web address and contact info. I urge you all to consider making a donation. It's amazing how far such a little bit goes.
Today we went to Amboseli for the last time. If we want we can go again at the end of the semester, but Amboseli isn't as special at the end of the rainy season. Animals flock there during the dry season because of the swamps, so in the rainy season they disperse throughout the region (right now it is the very end of the dry season). We had a traveling field lecture throughout the park. Our wildlife management professor Okello would stop and point out the management issues that Amboseli faces. There are a lot!
On Tuesday we leave for a week expedition in Tsavo National Park. Home of the notorious maneating lions, but they don't eat people anymore, plus we'll have KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) guards and the askari with us. We'll also see lots of wildlife that we haven't seen so far like rhinos and big cats. And the beautiful Chyulu Hills. Can't wait! So no more updates for about a week...
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