Monday, July 5, 2010

kenyaaaaaaaaaaa

so i wrote this while i was in amboseli just using word when i was bored one day, so i'll go ahead and post that and then give you updates on it:

Oh hi guys,

Does anyone still use these things? I guess I could check in a second but I thought I’d go ahead and write this first.

So I’m in Kenya. Having a great time as usual. My favorite part about this place becomes more and more each year getting to see familiar faces and old friends here. This place is so full of amazing people.

I haven’t taken many pictures so far this year. In fact the only time I even took my camera out of my backpack was when my family was here and we got to go on a hot-air-balloon ride to see the migration. It was probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen and heard. I probably won’t be able to put pictures up until I get home because the internet is so slow here that it would cost me a fortune. We even got to see a crossing, where the wildebeests cross the Mara river. While we were sitting there watching them leap off the cliff side into the water, we even got to see a crocodile come up and snatch one of the young ones away.


Oh! My big news from yesterday! My middle toe on my right foot was feeling kind of sore, so I looked down and saw that it was a little swollen. I pushed on it and blood squirted out! I’ve seen this before, and I’m happy to say that I’m lucky enough to have more EGGS LAID IN MY TOE! Well, actually I have a jigger in my toe right now that is in the process of laying eggs. I named him Michael. I have to let him grow a little and finish laying his eggs before I can pull him out, or I may leave some eggs behind and they’ll hatch under my toenail and be no good. So I just stare at him every day now, and cuddle him so he grows up strong. I’ll probably pull him out and kill him tomorrow though. Maybe today depending on when I wash my feet.

Hm, other than that I miss all of you so much, and can’t wait to come back in august! I might write on here again later. I think I’m heading back to Nairobi on Sunday, but who knows out here.


ok, so

sadly, the jigger turned out to be a giant blood thing that we don't know where it came from. We cut it open only to find blood :( oh well.


it's really hard for me to write about my experiences here, because i can't come close to doing them justice. There are no words to describe what it's like, to be in a maasai village, lit only by moonlight, with around 40 people standing together in a giant circle dancing and singing. The dancing and singing is so powerful. It's more than just singing a melody and doing a little swaying. The women do doing very intricate shoulder moves that cause their jewelry to bounce making a rhythmic jingling, while at the same time singing and doing other types of dances. the men do a very strong powerful lunge forward stomping on the ground in different rhythms for different songs. the singing is a very loud, almost yelling kind of singing. it's all really really hard to describe, and i'm not coming close to doing it justice. While i was dancing with them this year, i was thinking how lucky i am to get to be a part of this. I have such special bonds with these people after coming here for years and years. It's really amazing to see the difference in the first year i came and they were singing for me, and now they are singing with me.


Amboseli had it's worst drought ever for the past 4 years. It's normally the driest place in kenya, and four years absent of the little rain they do get each year was devastating. The drought ended this rainy season and the land is green now, but the drought's effects are still there. The village i go to every year lost literally all of their cows to starvation, and most all their goats and sheep. They have 3 goats and 2 sheep left. On a normal year, after sleeping in the village, we wake up in the morning and go help milk one of the 100's of goats, or apply tick medicine to some of the 100's of cows there. This year, we helped fetch some water and got to see the 5 remaining animals. It was very very sad. Kaitlin and I both took all the money we had with us and gave it to them put towards getting more cows, and plan on doing a joint fundraiser when we get back to america to get them some more of their livestock back.


the drought didn't just hurt the people, it also killed off a lot of the wildlife there. For the first time ever, the kenya wildlife service actually brought in animals like zebra wildebeest and gazelle from other areas like the maasai mara and tsavo national park. Without doing this, the lions, cheetah's, and leopards would have also starved.


i miss you guys a lot each day. When i get to see/do really cool things, i sometimes think about how i wish you guys were here to experience them with me. One day! i can't wait to see everyone in august :)

6 comments:

  1. i want you to blog every day! i laughed hysterically about michael. i'm sorry that he wasn't real. i love reading your blogs and i hope that one day i can come see you there and experience all these amazing things with you. loooove you!!!

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  2. Me toooooo! Michael was hilarious! I am sorry that you were sad that a nasty nasty was not laying eggs in you!

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  3. i was laughing at your nasty toe story while holding back the vomit at the same time! at least you did your best to try and nurture him. i want to give them a cow too!

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  4. Brad, this is amazing! I absolutely love hearing about your experience - please continue to write!!! I miss you!!

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  5. i think it's very cute that you named your nasty toe nastiness after your dad. what a nice way to honor him!

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  6. it actually wasn't after him, but another guy that stabbed me with a poop stick one time

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