Day Seven - Thursday, 11 June 2015
Safari Day!
We were all awoken by the Masai workers at the camp around 5:30 by someone standing outside our tent saying "Hello Hello Hello" and carrying a tray of coffee for us. It was confusing at first but oh-so-wonderful once we figured out what was going on. At six we all met and left for morning safari just as the sun was coming up. The sun rose within the first hour of our drive, and we saw all sorts of wildlife, including TONS of giraffe. It seemed like wherever we drove we were driving past a group, or a tower of them. The highlight of the morning drive was definitely seeing two male giraffes, bulls fight for the opportunity to mate. They do what is called necking, where they whip their necks around and beat one another. Its very violent to watch and to hear, and our guide said it is pretty rare to see. I'm not sure how long we stayed around to watch the interaction, but it ended with the younger male pushing out the older male, and earning the right to mate with the female, the cow.
We drove to a plain, I believe the same plain that we watched the sunset at last night, and the camp had set up quite a breakfast spread for us: yogurt, homemade granola, fruit, eggs cooked however we requested over a camp stove, toast, muffins, sausage, bacon, and loads of coffee. After driving for three hours and waking up so early it was a welcome meal, and just the most picturesque moment. Green rolling hills surrounding a finely set table, with everyone wrapped in bright colored Masai blankets to stay warm in the morning breeze. Thats a moment I want to remember for a very very long time.
We saw whole group of baboons, maybe a dozen or so, and watched them play and fight and fall from trees. We tried to see elephants, but had no luck. We returned around 11:30am and were instructed to go back to our tents for a nap. And trust me, you didn't need to tell any of us twice. We all woke up at 1:00p for lunch, and then had an hour or so left for rest before our afternoon tea and cake and safari.
And what a safari it ended up being. (Side note: Tea and coffee were also incredible. Carrot cake, light on the carrot and heavy on the delicious). I decided to go with the van that was going to visit a real Masai tribe. On the way to the tribe we spotted a lion eating a tomy it had killed earlier in the day. What struck me most about watching the lion were the sounds associated with the kill and devouring. The tearing of flesh and bone crunching are not something that can be captured. Also the smell of a rotting carcass. That was pretty unique as well. There were trees and trees full of vultures just waiting to feast on whatever the lions left.
The remainder of our drive out to the Masai drive was relatively uneventful, and still so beautiful. On the Mara you can see all the surrounding hills and storms with lighting rolling in.
Visiting the Masai tribe was an experience I can't categorize like anything I've ever done before, a common theme for this trip. We visited one family, which included a father and three wives. We were so warmly welcomed by them, due in part to the fact that they receive compensation for hosting us, of course, but I'd like to think that there was an element of traditional Masai culture involved as well that incorporated hospitality to our visit. The invited us into their home so that we could see what a traditional cow dung dwelling looked (and smelled) like, we did a traditional dance with the wives, and we even got to (try to) milk a cow.
Sun set (or sun down, as its referred to here) was beautiful. It was my favorite combination of cloudy and clear sky with lots of colors. The night peaked with our siting of three lions devouring a very recently killed wildebeest, as evident by the fact the animal was still bleeding and one of the lions was actively trying to choke the animal. Without being too graphic, we got a great organ lesson during the eating process.
We arrived late to dinner because of the lion viewing, but everyone was gracious about us being late. As we ate our last meal together as a team, we discussed the highs and lows and learnings of the trip. For me, the entire experience has been so humbling. I've got a lot I still need to process through, but I know that as soon as I return to Atlanta I will get distracted by my commitments there and not give this whole experience the debrief time it deserves. So I leave with these thoughts:
The world is big. So big. Too big for me to ever understand, and big enough that I always want to understand more.
The needs of people are big. Too big. And so different than something that fits into my traditional construct of design and problem solving. Sometimes people need shoes to wear. And sometimes their feet are so tough shoes aren't their most pressing need. Sometimes people need medicine. And sometimes their health is so poor that medicine is insufficient to help. Always people need love and respect and dignity. That is something I can do now. Something I can give now, to my family, to my friends, to my classmates, to my coworkers, and to myself.
Before leaving for Kenya, I told a friend that I was going on this trip to challenge my paradigms of life and people and needs and service. This trip challenged all those things. But it wasn't a trip that I am returning from with many unsettled questions. I am returning more alive. More rested. More inspired. More ready to try new things. More ready to be outside my comfort zone. More ready to fail.
And more ready to love.
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