Safari Part Three: One Final Game Drive

This morning’s game drive was a nice way to bring this safari adventure to a close. We set off and just found whatever we could see. I finally saw a big bull elephant, which was very cool other than when he started very suddenly because he didn’t hear us coming. It is rather alarming to see something that big move that fast. We also found some more lions walking in single-file down the road. It was beautiful and a lot of fun to watch the antelope get really skittish as this predatory parade marched on by. I also finally got to see a buffalo up close. I had resigned myself to it not happening because the big herd had already moved south into Tanzania, so chances weren’t good. However, 1 km from the lodge we found an old bull grazing by the side of the road. It was very cool to see this natural tank just wandering around. All in all it was an amazing adventure. I saw four of the Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, and lion, but no leopard). I also got to hang out near several elephant herds, lion prides, and my amazing experience with the giraffe herd. Also very cool was walking out my door last night to go to dinner and finding myself in the middle of a herd of zebra. First, I was very glad that it wasn’t a herd or pride of something hungrier or meaner. Second, they are such a beautiful animal and just let me walk right through the herd as long as I moved slowly. Overall, it was a great trip and I hope that I will be able to return someday.

Dad, second retirement party location: Masai Mara, you would love it.

Safari Part Two: Hippo Pools Smell Like Tillamook and Other Life Altering Insights

Well, maybe no more insights, but hippo pools do stink like Tillamook on a soggy day (if you have been there, you know what smell I mean). Since I wrote last I have gone on four game drives. They have been great and very unique from one another. The first night we went on a three hour game drive. I was paired up with a very nice British family that were on a weeklong safari across Kenya, they ending up being great safari companions. We started seeing some waterbucks, antelopes, and a well-hidden warthog. We also encountered a small herd of elephants (small in numbers of course). After this we started driving and spotted a black rhino way off in the distance. Even in the Masai Mara, spotting black rhino, especially at night, is a rare deal. At this point our driver, Wilson, went tearing off down a side track and then off the track onto the crest of a hill. We were actually tracking a rhino and the embarrassing thing was that we couldn’t find it… how do you lose a rhino? Then finally we spotted him and get within 20 yards of him. It was really cool. After this we spotted several female lions and then a den of spotted hyenas. Needless to say, a very fulfilling first day of safari.
The second day began with coffee prior to the sun coming up. I would like to say that I was well-rested, but the before mentioned hippos are quite loud when they wander by your window. Only slightly more unnerving was the lion that was growling outside the cabins. Two of Africa’s greatest killers hanging out by my room, sweet ;). We quickly tracked down some more lions and watched as they half-heartedly watched a herd of buffalo. I have seen plenty of Animal Channel shows with the buffalo posting rear guards to keep an eye out for predators, but it was pretty cool to actually watch them do it and then mock charge the lions when they got a little too close. The rest of the morning was spent cruising around looking at gazelles and antelopes and checking in on the lions again. At the end of this trip the Brits headed out and Wilson and I headed south towards Tanzania to see what we could find. What we found was the beginning of the great migration. It was pretty incredible to watch lines and lines of zebras flooding into the Mara from Tanzania’s Serengeti. There were thousands of zebras and hundreds of wildebeest everywhere we looked. Wilson said by the end of the migration there will be 1.5 million wildebeest and 400,000 zebras on the Mara! Unfortunately, our search for leopard and cheetah was unfulfilled, but other than that it was a great morning.
In the evening a gal working in Nairobi for the CDC joined us for the evening safari. This time we can upon a pride of fourteen lions lazing about under a tree. They had eaten a zebra earlier in the day and were letting that digest off. We were just feet away, it was pretty impressive. We next watched one of the dominant male lions of the area prowling about. He was quite the creature, the way he moved you could see why he was the king of the jungle. There was nothing that scared this old boy, he just wandered around. I was starting to get awful tired of watching lions though (which in any other circumstance than on a 3 day safari sounds ridiculous, I know). The evening was quickly saved when we found ourselves in the middle of a herd of 11 giraffes. It was incredible, they were everywhere. They are a beautiful creature and I was snapping pictures off as fast as I could. After spending a while with the giraffes we headed back, but stopped to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Mara. What a great full day of safaris!

The Much Awaited (Well.. Maybe...) Safari Series

Safari Part One: Sorry John, You are Wrong, Heaven Ain’t in West Virginia…
It’s in Kenya. Well I have been on safari for 3 hours and have already seen one of the Big Five (elephant). Not bad considering that was on the drive from the landing strip to the lodge. First off, the flight… my ride to the airport was a half hour late and I arrived at the airport and five minutes later got on the plane. A little nerve racking. The plane was a twelve seater in the same way that a 6 person tent fits 6 people (anorexic circus midgets maybe… maybe). We took off while looking over the pilot’s shoulder (flying through fog and clouds is kind of terrifying when you can see out the front of the plane and realize that he can’t see anything). While flying in I saw several Masai villages complete with goat and cattle corrals (just like on TV, who knew?). I also saw several wildebeest and a small group of elephants. Upon getting off the plane after landing on a dirt runway (soft landing, but a new experience), and paying $80 in park fees, I was off to the lodge. On the way we saw elephants, a hartebeest, and a small harem of impala. That was on the five minute drive to the lodge! The lodge is incredible posh with soft beds and a beautiful deck that overlooks the Mara. I have just been sitting here, watching baboons forage and birds flutter around in the acacia trees from my deck. This is one of the few lodges on the Mara that does not have a fence around it, which means there is potential to see all kinds of animals on the grounds and there are many reminders to not get yourself eaten if something hungry wanders in J. Well, I may go watch the hippos for a little while and then go on my game drive in an hour, more later.

Returned and Confused

Well, I made it back to Portland yesterday. The return flights were very long (8 hours from Nairobi to Amsterdam, 5 hours in Amsterdam, and then 10.5 from Amsterdam to Portland), but weren't too bad. Fortunately both planes had those seat-back entertainment systems so I watched like 7 movies yesterday.
The transition to being back has been odd to say the least. After the whirlwind of getting through customs, saying bye to Steve, and heading out to the car with Heather it hadn't entirely hit me that I was back. The culture shock began when we got out to the road. To see a big, wide, pothole-free road was really wierd. Plus there were traffic signals and signs, something that I hadn't seen in a while. The strangest moment was walking into Applebee's to grab some lunch (a salad and a much-missed Mountain Dew :). As I walked in the door I just said "holy crap!" (drawing a strange look from the host seating us). It was just super odd to be because this was the most white people I had seen in a month, there were no black people in the entire place. I have spent the last month being a part of a very small racial minority, so to be a part of the overwhelming racial majority was a very strange feeling. This is something that is going to take some getting used to again.
As I reflect on my journey, it was a pretty wild adventure. To make the friends that I got to make and to work with the manuscripts that I did, I feel very fortunate. I already miss the dear friends that I made in Nairobi and Addis Ababa and hope that I am able to return and see them sooner than later. If you want to know more about my travels, let me know and I will fill in the gaps that I missed in the blog. Thank you for taking this journey with me, I hope that you enjoyed reading about it. Until next time.
~Jeremy

Back in Nairobi and Preparing for the Journey Home

Well, my African journey is winding down to a close. Since I wrote you last we kicked butt on getting manuscripts digitized. When I was brought to Addis the hope was the digitize 60 manuscripts... 100 at best. When we completed processing images we had taken over 17,000 pictures and digitized 169 manuscripts. This is a great success. The Institute of Ethiopian Studies is very pleased and is amazed that so many manuscripts could be shot in less than a week. It has been an exhausting trip. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. But the pay-off is knowing that some of the most precious manuscripts are now protected in case of something like a building burning down (which is more likely than you care to think in Ethiopia. While we were there the IES's photographer, Massai, had a power strip catch on fire after a power surge during one of the day's 7 power outages).
Also very cool is the possibility to come back within the next year. I know this sounds like a glutton for punishment thing, but the friends I have made here I want to see again and the need is very great for people willing to help. This would be with the Patriarchate Library and Museum (think the Pope of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church). They have a collection of 400 of the oldest, most beautiful manuscripts in the world. They also have access to 35,000 more manuscripts in the Addis area. This is the true mother-lode!! So yesterday the library called Steve and asked him to come give a demonstration, so we booked it down there and digitized a beautiful 16th century manuscript about the Ethiopian saints. It was a great time of relationship building and we have an open invitation to come back. This would be a very different experience from my current one. The Patriarchate compound is beautiful, I would get to hang out with monks, and I bet they don't turn off the Abuna's (the Pope) power or water. I am excited for the opportunity and am amazed at the open doors from this tough trip.
All that being said, I am back in Nairobi. I was only here a week, but this feels like home. Patrick and his family are amazing and so kind and hospitable. I spent most of the evening relaxing and playing with blocks and trucks with 4 year old Baracka. It was a wonderful way to calm down after a crazy 3 weeks. Tomorrow we will spend the day in Nairobi and then we fly out at 9:50 pm to Amsterdam and then direct from Amsterdam to Portland. It is going to be a long journey, but I am ready to be home. The work has been satisfying, but it is time to go home and rest and find a place to live in Canada. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I will try to keep updating this blog about what I am doing in life, so check in now and then. Thanks, until next time.
~Jeremy
P.S. The safari posts with pictures will come upon my return to the states and to broadband internet :)

"IF ONE MORE GUY TRIES TO SELL ME A 3 WEEK OLD NEWSWEEK I AM GOING TO..." (or "my mental breakdown and recovery")

I would love to tell you that I have always maintained my cool this trip. That I treated everyone I met with love. That I exuded peace at each moment. That would be a load of crap.

Yesterday was a BAD day. I woke up pretty sick to my stomach so I didn't eat breakfast. I didn't get a chance for lunch. Now you all know that I don't miss many meals, plus I am still dealing with culture shock, so I was in a pretty bad way. Finally I got done with work and caught a minibus to the cafe near my apartment. They were out of the first two things I ordered and I got stuck eating a cheese burger covered in mayo because they were out of lettuce and tomato and apparently decided to replace those things net weight with mayo. Exhausted and ticked off I headed for the apartment while Steve went to the internet cafe. About a 1/2 km down the road I realize Steve has the only key... SO after walking back and getting the key I went up the 5 flights of stairs, opened up the door, and discovered that the power and water were off... again... for the 4th time in 5 days. I nearly went ballistic. Sometimes everything adds up. None of that was major, but I just couldn't process it all at once.

Fortunately sitting in the dark gave me some time to calm down and I am doing much better today :) Incredibly we have digitized 106 manuscripts since Monday (for those not familiar with how fast this process normally goes, don't feel bad I wouldn't if it wasn't my job, that is an incredible rate!) I am shooting about 13 manuscripts a day, my previous daily record was 12. It has been very cool to see the project come together. I have also made a few friends and have been teaching two of the guys to photograph manuscripts. It has been awesome to see their progress. Massai even wants to race me each day, which is a lot of fun and I am not ashamed to admit that he has given me a run for my money the last two days. We work for two more days and then fly to Nairobi, spend time with our friends there, and then fly home the 9th-10th. It has been a great adventure and I will keep you posted on the last bit of it. Keep me in your thoughts if you think of it, Steve and I are both pretty worn out and feeling kind of sick. Thanks, until next time.

~Jeremy

So I Thought I Was Compassionate for the Homeless...

Well, after having spent nearly a week in Addis, I can now say that I have seen more of the city than the hospital and my apartment. The parts of the city that I have been seeing are the streets of Addis (which I will talk about shortly and refers to the title of the post) and the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University. The Institute is a pretty cool place that I haven't even begun to explore yet. The entire building is former Emperor Haile Sallasse's palace which he donated to be converted to a university. It is a pretty cool, very large compound. The building housing the Institute is the former home of the Emperor and has a museum devoted to HIM (proper rasta spelling ;) as well as an art gallery of icons and Ethiopian culture. As far as manuscripts getting digitized, I am finally up to speed. Yesterday was spent photographing several gigantic books about the lives of the Ethiopian Saints (24" x 18", these things were huge). Today I photographed 9 manuscripts and I am exhausted. I am finally over my cold, but my energy level is still lower than normal. However, the Institute's normal photographer can shoot one manuscript a day, so it was pretty fun to let them know that we can get a lot done for them very quickly. All in all, everything is going well work-wise.

As I alluded to earlier, getting through the streets of Addis can be an overwhelming experience. As soon as leaving the apartment building, I typically quickly find myself surrounded by beggars. I have prided myself as being a good, conscientious Portlander who cares about the homeless, but this is an entirely new ball game. Here I am awoken by a beggar that sits below my window and is loud enough that I hear her clearly 5 stories up. As I fall asleep at night, I can hear beggars singing and talking on the street below. This is a constant part of life in Addis. It is overwhelming. You can't help everybody because there are a hundred people asking for money on every block, each looking very much in need. I can't believe the number of people missing limbs, blind and being led by friends, or with limbs so twisted that they no longer function. I find myself unable to process such need and often find myself wandering into apathy. If I saw a starving child in Newberg, I would know who to call to get the kid some help. Here I am surrounded by kids under 10 that live on the streets and beg for a living and there is nothing that I can do. It is unlike an experience of human need that I have ever had and I am unsure what to do with it. This post is a part of my processing and I thank you for reading it. Overall, this has been quite the experience and I am just trying to take it in and deal with it later. Hope that you are all well.

~Jeremy