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TANZANIA - FIELD UPDATES - WEEK 2
by Catherine
Its been a successful first week on camp, with the science training getting underway, training transects for both the mammals and the birds taking place, and lessons with the Maasai starting on Friday. Everyone has been settling well into camp life, carrying out their duties with much enthusiasm, or not, as the case may be.
This week we have heard some more classic comments from Kate, there has been lots of jigger and tick removing by the lads, and toenail clipping round the table, not to mention Alex's rampage round camp last night. The week got off to a cold and rainy start, but for the past few days we have all been able to enjoy the warm and sunny weather.
On Monday we headed of in the 4x4 to the village office, only to find there was no-one there, although it did result for a rather novel toilet experience for Kate. The afternoon was spent having our first mammal ID lesson. Later in the week we all had our first early morning mammal transects, with a few of us lucky enough to see a couple of black-backed jackals, as well as everyone seeing Thompson’s gazelle, Dik-Dik and Bushbuck, which was good practice in trying to identify all the different species of gazelle. We were also able to watch three giraffe through binoculars on the hill opposite camp Osotua. Bird ID lessons also took place this week, with liz giving us crossword puzzles to make learning all the more fun. There was much competitiveness between the two teams, determined to win the prize of the fig rolls.
As we discovered, bird ID proves quite a challenge when out on the transect, with so many different species and lots that appear similar, but we have been able to identify most of the birds we've seen with the aid of the pictures and descriptions in the text books.
On Wednesday we undertook a more productive trip to the village office where we were privileged to be able to sign in as guests to Eluai village for the summer. On a different note, food has been an interesting theme running through this week, with some creative cooking taking place in the Osotua camp kitchen, not to mention last nights feast of roasted goat.
We've tried our hands at chapati making (with help from one of the Local Maasai) Mendazi's, a fantastic sore-head breakfast for Sundays, Kate and Adam even made pizza's, which were fantastic. On Tuesday we eagerly awaited our food treats from Dave’s Arusha trip, Alex thoroughly enjoying his peanut butter binge when the treats were handed out.
Natalie's light up has provided some much appreciated after dark entertainment on camp this week, with many action packed late night games taking place. These games often resulting in a mission to try and retrieve the Frisbee from a spiky bush after one of N'guvu's wrong number throws. We have also had a daytime game of ultimate Frisbee down at the football pitch, and the boys have enjoyed practising their spear throwing with the Maasai warriors. Friday saw team 1 start English lessons with the Maasai mara. They used the homework set by Clair last phase to assess the Maasai's standard of English, not that the maasai had bothered to do the homework, but it did provide a helpful starting point for the first English lessons. And finally the highlight of the week, last nights goat killing ceremony and party. Watching Bob the goat bleet in desperation as he ran confusedly round camp, unaware of his imminent death, was a sad moment for all, but it was overtaken by a feeling of awe, or for other's squeamishness as we watched the Maasai expertly prepare the goat for cooking, offering us raw kidney and blood along the way. Seeing the goat run around the camp one minute and drinking its blood the next is one experience I wont forget in a hurry. The Maasai very kindly cooked us a meal of goat, rice and vegetables, which was a welcome change from the cabbage based meals this week. With the Konyagi and beer in full flow the dancing got underway. It was great fun with everyone getting involved. The girls were trying to shimmy their shoulders like true Maasai women, (with little success in my case!) and the boys seeing who could jump the highest, the Maasai winning hands down of course. Later on in the evening Jonathan found a mouse in his rucksack, happily munching away on his ginger biscuits, so an eventful night enjoyed by all, and after a week when sickness hit a few of us on camp, it was good that everyone was well to join in.
All in all an enjoyable and memorable first week on camp. Here's to the next. :)
