Background Information
Over summer 2017, I embarked on a trip to Africa. For the first portion of the journey, I did a study abroad program in Kenya from June 30 to August 4. From August 4 to August 26, I was on my own. During the Kenya program, I learned about topics such as paleontology, paleoanthropology, geology, and ecology. I met with pastoralists such as the Dasanege in the Turkana Basin and I hunted for fossils at Buluk, Africa’s oldest great ape site. From August 4-12, I was in Nairobi and Mombasa, partying with friends and swimming in the Indian Ocean. After August 12, I took a flight to South Africa. There I experienced the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg night life, Art Museums, Sterkfontein Caves, Maropeng, Balule Reserve, Kruger National Park, Worker’s Museum, SAB World of Beer, Nelson Mandela, and Soweto. In Africa, I saw impala, dik diks, zebra, lions, hyena, elephants, rhino, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, zuzu bird, nyani, vultures, and owl. Calling it a trip of a lifetime would be an understatement. Africa was wild. These four blogs here discuss my trip to Kenya. I will get my reflection on my time in South Africa up as soon as possible. Cheers.
Blog 1 – June 20, 2017
Prompt: How are you feeling about your upcoming trip? Nervous, Excited? How do you believe this trip will impact you?
I am feeling excited about this trip. I have never been to Africa before, but what I have heard from friends who have taken this trip has been nothing but heartwarming. They describe it as a life changing and world enlarging experience.
I think this trip will impact me in profound ways. It is a different culture in Kenya, much unlike that of the US, so I will deal with people who view the world different, those who think much more communally and with group orientation. That will be a culture shock. In the US, society is centered on the individual, so it will be odd to see people view life as a group. Though it will certainly be different, I am looking forward to learn from them as a Westerner. Most of the time I have travelled abroad I have not really talked with native people, but there will be greater time for that here, so I will have a better opportunity to enmesh myself in the environment. I will be talking with people, hearing them and listening to their stories, gaining insight into Kenya. I am looking forward to learning about Kenya as much as I can and what it has to offer.
Though, I am also feeling nervous about the trip. I am worried that some of my travel papers will not be in order and I cannot get on the plane. Or, something will happen and I will be unprepared to respond to it or I will get robbed. All of this scares me. But, there are plenty of rumors about Africa like I will get eaten by lions or be killed in some other way. However, I think it is also adds to the thrill of what I will experience, knowing that it is abnormal to do a trip like this. Most of my friends will have boring or what could be called lame summers. I will be spending my time in Africa.
Further, I am incredibly grateful that I get to go on a trip like. People live a lifetime and never venture out of their own country. Although I have been out of the country before, I am going to be travelling to Africa, the origin of humanity. It is a completely unique place that I am looking forward to visiting.
Blog 2 – July 7, 2017
Prompt: How has your experience been different from what you expected? What has surprised you the most about your experience so far? What have you enjoyed the most, and the least?
Originally, I was expecting that Kenya would be stereotypical Africa, meaning it would be a lot of Savanna and wildlife would be ever present. Kenya, though, has so far not been like that. The plant life is different as well as the climate. As soon as I take a sip of water, it left my body an hour later. I was expecting the animals to be larger, but they are still stunning. The diversity is much greater than that of California and the fauna is fascinating. At the Impala ranch, I saw giraffes, dik diks, elephants, impalas, and hyenas. Professor Nasa explained to me that if you head further down into east Africa, where most non-Africans get their image of Africa, the wild life get massive. They have the extra space to grow. The environment determines the size of the animals. In Kenya, there is bush, so the wildlife does not have as much room to grow. Smaller wildlife is favored over larger animals. Their smaller size allows them to more easily maneuver through the bush. They evolved that way.
Additionally, I was not expecting to be so close to the wild life (even though I knew I would be camping). At the Impala ranch, my heart jumped when I heard a lion growl at night. Once you hear it, the sound sticks in your mind. Instant adrenaline rushes through you to keep you awake and focused. If I was not awake before, I was certainly awake then. Then I realized that I was in Africa. No other animal screams Africa more than the lion. It was probably the least enjoyable thing for me because it frightened me so much. If had a diaper on, I would have used it.
Further, one of the biggest surprises to me has been the care and thought that has to go into solving a problem. At the Impala ranch, Professor Rubenstein from Princeton gave a lecture on cattle grazing in Kenya. There are two types of cattle rearing, commercial and pastoralist. Commercial ranchers raise cattle for their meat and hides to make a profit. They usually have 1 cow per hectare. Pastoralists, though, see cows as their source of wealth, rarely, if ever, killing them. They are used for buying a wife (10 cows), social status, and economic benefits. As the world is changing, the question must be asked; can wildlife and livestock live together? Climate change, a major issue, makes it such that the intensity of rainfall increases and its frequency decreases. As such, this means more droughts, which means less water for cows to drink, and greater competition for resources, which means cows now are competing for water with wildlife and commercial farmers. Pastoralists will now have fiercer competition amongst themselves. Because of problems like climate change, the pastoralist way of life is threatened. However, it is not an insurmountable challenge.
In the eyes of many cattle herders, wildlife are seen as competition, so they are killed. But in a series of experiments, Professor Rubenstein showed that it is possible for livestock and wildlife to coexist. In one instance, he had cows bunched together and another as business as usual. Bunched cattle resulted in higher cattle weight as opposed to un-bunched cattle. Even though it requires herders to be more proactive, the cattle more efficiently ate grass. In another, a zebra substitute, the donkey, was used to see if zebras can help cattle in any way. Cattle are picky. They prefer high-quality, rich grass to eat. Zebras and Donkeys, though, are much less picky. They will eat more, but they both need to graze for twice as long. Through NVDI, a technology that allows scanning of vegetation, it was shown that donkeys will eat down to the nub of vegetation. Thus, they allow better growth of plants for cows to eat. Unfortunately for the professor, he has to convince the pastoralists over other plans on how best to confront this issue. As such, he said that he has to build a rapport with them. It is very slow to build trust.
Consequently, this has many ramifications for solving issues at home in the US. We have to solve our problems at the local level, starting from the bottom upwards. People do not like things imposed upon them unless they are lead along every step of the way. We have to be very careful about unilaterally implementing policies. The Pyramids were not built from the top down, but the bottom up.
Blog 3 – July 18, 2017
Prompt: What is the most exciting thing you’ve learned during this trip? What has inspired you?
Over my course of time while camping at Buluk, I learned a lot about myself. The first day was, by far, the hardest. It was the hottest and I was not yet acclimatized to the weather. Further, I was a bit out of shape. The African sun was merciless. The fossil hunters, also, put me to shame. I would pick something up, thinking it was a fossil, only for them to tell me it was just a rock. On that first day, I saw the power of these hunters. While they look unassuming, they are incredibly skilled at what they do. They were constantly scanning the ground for fossils. Their focus, coupled with their strong eyes astounded me. As well, they were nothing but helpful. Every time I picked something off the ground, they would graciously tell me whether it was a fossil, or (more than likely) a rock. Compared to these guys, I was dead weight. From their friendliness and focused work ethic, they inspired me. If they can do it, I can also do it. I can be as focused, relaxed, and kind as them.
Further, the most interesting thing I learned so far, particularly from Buluk, was the amount of effort that goes into fossil collection and identification. It requires luck, focus, and persistence. You can go weeks, even months with no luck, but you have to keep searching. Regardless of the previous results, you have to continuously look at the ground. Then, after finding a fossil and if it’s too big, you have to meticulously excavate it from the ground. You only have one shot. Any wrong move or miscalculation could forever damage an irreplaceable specimen. You start a few inches away, carefully digging the dirt away. The bone has to then be wrapped in wet toilet paper multiple times. Afterwards and in a quick, careful manner, wet plaster of Paris is applied. It usually takes half a day to dry. Once dry, you have to carefully dig under the specimen or else it could break. Then transportation has to be meticulously orchestrated.
As well, I also found out about the effort that goes into taking down the camp. My time there was magical. In total, we were thirty four, fourteen students from De Anza and twenty crew members. The day’s tasks included taking down many of the encampments features. To start off, I had to pack up my sleeping mattress and take down my tent with my tent mate. It involved rolling my sheets, blanket, towel, and pillow into my mattress. Then, I had to take down my tent, but my tent mate, Kart, and I did not know how, so I got help from Apollo, one of the crew to take it down, and Lucy, a teacher’s assistant. In total, there were multiple camp “buildings”, two bathrooms split between the squatters and the sitters, basically a hole in the ground with a teepee; a main mess hall, kind of like a long house with a long table; a kitchen; and each person was assigned their own tent with a partner. Each person was given a task for dismantling the camp. Mine was to take down the shower, a fortunate assignment since others had the misfortune of filling in the out houses. After that, I took part in taking down the main mess hall. Then, we loaded up the trucks to return to Illeret.
Further, when at Buluk, the biggest pain I had was walking to my tent at night. I did not know this when I first got to the camp site, but I was placed at the far end of the encampment. As such, I had to make a long walk to my tent at night. Sometimes, because of the darkness, it was hard to find my tent. Never before in my life had I to worry about being unable to find my way home, but now I did. Being able to go to a home with running water and electricity is something I took for granite. Although now, I realize that it is actually not the norm. Most people do not have that advantage, but I grew thinking it was. Also, it makes me realize that toilets are a luxury. When you poop, you do not think about where it goes. You forget about it. At Buluk though, I went twice in the wild and I remember both instances very clearly. This is just another instance of the fortune I had of growing up where I did. I am a lucky man.
Overall though, reflecting on my experience at my Buluk, I have learned that I really enjoy the outdoors. No one talks except nature. Only she speaks and what she has to say is magical. The birds chirp. The breeze rolls off the trees and onto your face. Technology is gone. Only nature is there to comfort you. Time constraints fade away and, most importantly, you can now think clearly. Big stresses turn minor in comparison to the size of the sky and the vast expanse before you. Nature deserves more of our time.
Blog 4 – August 5, 2017
Prompt: Now that you are about to return home, how do you think this trip has impacted you?
For many of those on this trip, they will be coming home, but my journey has only just begun. I plan to head to Mombasa on Monday, August 8. Then I am flying to South Africa on August 12 and then returning on August 26 to the US. Reflecting on my time so far in Africa, the people here continue to astonish me. They give and give and give and give and expect nothing in return. As an American, I am surprised that they could be so happy, but have so little. It does not equate with what we are taught in the US. In America, wealth implies happiness. It is a commodity. I suppose the Kenyans realize something that Americans do not; the greatest richness can be found in others. Something that most fail to realize is that the world and one’s mind extends before us to infinity. There is always something to be explored. The same can be said of other people. No one can know another completely. The best way, though, to learn about someone is through listening. I have made lifelong friends and forged profound memories here.
As well, since coming to Africa, I have developed a greater appreciation for nature. In nearly all major world religions, every significant prophet ventures into nature at some point. Nature forces introspection. It has been rejuvenating to not worry about constant connection. During our stay, we spent ten days at Buluk and many more at internet slow TBI Illeret. I further realized the magnificence of the Turkana Basin during a day trip to Koobi Fora. On that day, we took small vehicles from Illeret to there, traversing across bumpy, dirt roads and watching the landscape shift and morph as we moved. Sunlight cut the lake, shimmering it in the process. Hills changed shape with the landscape. It was jaw dropping.
Further, all of this harkens back to our first day in Nairobi, Nia, a fellow student, made an interesting comment. “It’s so nice to see so many Black people.” The simplicity of the statement struck me. I never thought as much as I should have about what it means to be black in America. As a minority, African-Americans are not the dominant force. They are pushed and pulled to the whims of the majority. For me as a white man, it is easy for me to move around in America. I can get to where I want to go and what I want to have. Nothing is far from my reach. Everything is within my grasp. Coming to Africa and talking to my peers has only shown me the luck of my birth. In America, Nia is part of the lowest social class, while I am at the top. In Kenya and for much of Africa though, that dynamic changes, she is now treated, by and large, as an equal. For Nia, it must have been reinvigorating to come home to the “Mother land.”
In total, we came as two African-American females, an Asian female, two Hispanic males with one of Native American background, a transgender white female, two Hispanic females, an Indian male, two white females, and three white males. Though we came from different backgrounds with each of our own unique stories, we all left humbled. If you ever look up at the sky or listen to nature, trivialities fade away. Racism, stereotypes, classism, hatred, anger, and politics pale in comparison. The Earth is 4.6 billion years old and humans have been around for a fraction of that time. First life on Earth appeared 3.6 billion years ago. Since then, Mother Nature has survived all manner of attempts to destroy it. She has existed long before us and will exist long after we are gone. As such, it would be wise to listen to her. Before civilization, people wandered the world for generations with little progress. We existed aimlessly, slowly moving forward. Only recently have we made any sizeable strides. Humans are not special even though we like to think we are. Compared to the size of the Earth, its history, and the night sky, we are small.
Blog 5 – August 25, 2017
Tomorrow marks the day I head back to California. Last night, I just got back from my four day Kruger adventure. I did safaris in Balule Game Reserve and Kruger through Viva Safaris. Unlike all other safari companies, they do bush walks, teaching me and others about various features of the environment. I saw elephants, lions, rhino, leopard, buffalo, cheetah, ostrich, owl, zuzu bird, impala, zebra, baboons, and nyala. Every night I would hear the sounds and calls of different animals. The diversity of wildlife here is incredible.
Further, my safari in Kruger and Balule reserve was astounding. At one point in Kruger, we were traveling along the road when buffalo were found to be blocking the road. Our driver then stopped for a bit, eventually slowly inching forward. The buffalo moved out of the way as the car approached. If he had pissed off the buffalo, they would have charged the car. Buffalo are cows on steroids. There were five to six of them less than five meters away. They were not too happy to move out of the way, evaluating us as we crawled forward.
Additionally, people here and their world view are much different than California’s and the US’s in general. To me, they seem to have much more of tendency to live in the moment. They generally have a negative view of the US, which is understandable because of the current political situation in the US. A fact I must mention about South Africa is this. There are eleven official languages and their national anthem features all of them. The beauty of language here astonishes me. In conversation, they move from one language to another without skipping a beat. One word in one language may convey the point they are trying to get across as opposed to another. Different languages are better at communicating in certain ways than others. It is rather unfortunate that the US is opposite of that. “Why don’t you speak English?” (In a broken uneducated accent) seems to be the common response that many Americans have to foreigners. It is sad. Americans lose out on all the beautiful interpersonal skills gained from learning another language. Because South Africans speak more than one language, they can now reach a wider audience. Their message, struggle, point will touch more people.