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That's all I got. Miss you bro...

To all the friends and family I left behind, I love you all and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you.

Swahili Word of the Day: kaka which means brother and dada which means sister

bro tip: "you be who you are and people will love you for it" - Taylor Loomis
bro tip #1644
you can alwaysget back money that you waste. you can't do the same with time.

hakuna matata y'all

Hamjambo wanafunzi! Habari gani?

As for me? Hakuna Matata. Things are going well. Yesterday we visited Oloitoktok which is nearer to Kilimanjaro and the Tanzanian border. We went on a hike into a ravine, and there we found one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. There was a small river full of pure, clear water, a waterfall, huge rain-forest trees, and moss covered rocks. Pretty sure that's where Timon and Pumbaa lived.

Later we went to the VCT where we learned the stories of five incredibly strong women who were living with the HIV virus. Ya know I think Africa is rubbing off on me, considering I shook their hands without a second thought. Pretty sure I would've thought about it if I was in America. I also should have been more concerned about when I donated blood a week ago. But as the title of this blog post suggests... no worries.

After buying a few things at the clinic and the market in Oloitoktok, I got all dressed up to attend a Maasai wedding. We got invited pretty much last minute, but I was so pumped to go. Man it may be the coolest ceremony I've ever been a part of. Jumping, dancing, having fun. Patrick and I also got to see our homestay brothers. All the girls here have a major crush on him too. Gosh I wish I could give him a bid now. Maybe he can't speak English, but he is still the man.

To all the friends, family, and the significant other at home. Check out the new look! I think red is an okay color on me personally. Comment and tell me what you think.

Swahili word of the day today is actually maasai:

Maasai Word of the Day: ashe oleng which means "thank you, very much"

bro tip tomorrow!

Tutaonana
-Ian

You gotta be kidding...

 So... Hamjambo everybody

I cannot describe to you how disappointed I am in the Elon men's basketball team. Can't believe they lost... oye.. how can I defend myself from across an ocean? Shout out to my mom. dad, and sister for being there and all over the highlight video.

Anyways, I've been incredibly busy as of late. A ton of assignments are almost due and they seem to just keep adding up. Everybody is super stressed. I've suggested chilling a couple times.

Being around all these women is probably going to take years off of my life, but I love 'em anyways. They're really a ton of fun, granted they have a very skewed view of men. Maybe I can change their opinion. ....Nope....

African business is going as usual. I'm enjoying the experience and waiting for everything to fall into place. Field exercises confirm that being a wildlife manager is something I wanna do for the rest of my life. I'm even into African plants now. Who would've guessed? All I know is I love this place, and this high will probably last the rest of the trip.

I have two Swahili Words of the Day again: "peponi" which means paradise
                                                                              "pasipo mwisho" which means in perpetuity

Africa ni peponi, pasipo mwisho.

Tutaonana mzunguli!
-Ian

The White Maasai

 Habari rafiki

I'm doin pretty well as it were. The homestay was really awesome. I definitely loved being a Maasai moran for the day. It really is hakuna matata. We also went back to Amboseli to do the large mammal count. Man it's tough tryin to count a herd of almost 500 moving animals, age them, and identify their genders. Really tough. Almost impossible.

Friday was a ton of fun. At least for Patrick and I. In Maasai society, The women do all the cooking, cleaning, and house repair. All we have to do is scout around, chop a tree here, herd cattle there, maybe get some hair braiding in, and then do some dancing and jumping. Just chillin with the Maasai bros. Our homestay warrior tried his best to be helpful in learning kiswahili and kimaasai, but sometimes it was incredibly difficult to communicate, so maybe sitting around was for the best. but I learned a lot, and they were really cool.

We also went to the lodge on Sunday. A well-deserved break after a really long week of exercises. All we did was chill by the pool, go swimming, and hang out with friends. I also got absurdly close to a bull elephant. On foot. They are definitely the largest land mammals on the face of the Earth. Absolutely massive.

Swahili Word of the Day is "Sijafanya" which means "I didn't do it"

kids be sure to use that one in my mom's class. ;)

bro tip #1621
wake up, do whatever the hell you want, go to sleep. repeat.

Tutaonana
-Ian

Jina langu ni Ian

Hamjambo everyone!

Man it's been a seriously hectic week. Assignments to turn in, places to go, people to see. I think for me more than anything there has been a serious transformation, but not in the way you would think. To all you bros, I know that the way I dress and act is a bit unorthodox, but bear with me. Sometimes, what you guys do makes you look like stuck up jerks. Remember what fraternity means. I've talked to all these girls on the trip and they keep telling me how bad guys are and bros are usually the worst offenders.

However I am now admitting (publicly over the internet) that I am actually a bro in every sense. Just mostly the good ones I hope.

Sawa sawa. Man this has been an eventful week. We gave blood on Monday, went to a primary school on Tuesday, had an assignment due and a field exercise Wednesday, went to the Maasai cultural manyatta yesterday, and today we have a homestay in a Maasai boma. SO PUMPED. Then tomorrow we are going back to Amboseli to count large mammals and game birds.

Busy, yeah? That along with the fact that my girlfriend and I almost took a break (don't worry, we talked it out) AND one of my friends from the trip had to go home due to health issues. Both of which are named Taylor. So Taylor, when you read this(yes I'm talking to both of you) know that I'm thinkin about you and I hope you're okay.

Yesterday was eye-opening to me culturally. I saw how it could be used to exploit tourism and the half truths associated with it. I think that visitors need to open their eyes. And although I am critical of the "fake" villagers, I understand that they ARE Maasai and it is THEIR culture so if they are getting no economic benefit from anything else, then sometimes you resort to half truths. It was also a ton of fun jumping with the Maasai moran. Apparently there are cool pictures but I have yet to see them. Being a Maasai man today will be really cool also. Like I said.. SO PUMPED.

Oh and on a side note, I tried to lighten my hair with a mixture of like honey, cinnamon, olive oil and water. It made my hair really soft but i'm not sure if the lightening stuff worked. Either way, if you see funny Facebook pics of me with saran wrap on my head, that's why. And don't judge, I'm just tryin new stuff. So if you don't like the jewelry or hair or bandana or hat or swagger, that's tough.

The Swahili Word of the Day is "kulinda" which means "to protect" 
                                                           "msichana" which means "girl"
Ninalinda msichana wangu

Shout out to the friends and family! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while.

Jina langu ni Ian. Forever.

Looks like somebody has a case of the Mondays...

 Hamjambo wanafunzi

Just hanging out waiting to go out to Amboseli again next Saturday. Classes are going well. I've had to write some observations of animal behavior for Wildlife Ecology and a written story in Swahili. It'll  be interesting getting those things done. Tomorrow we have a Community Service day, so we are going to a primary school to teach and play with the kids. That will definitely be a ton of fun.

Sorry for the boring post but it is still school. Plus I stayed up late last night watching the soccer game. Zambia beat Ivory Coast in extra PKs.
And it's that time again...

bro tip #1597
be the person your dog thinks you are.

bro tip #1584
you shouldn't have to brag about anything, bro. if what you did was legit, other people will brag for you.

Swahili word of the day today is moja which means "one"

moja mbili tatu nne tano sita saba nane tisa kumi

The Lion King and more

  Habari za asubuhi!

I hope all of you at home are doing well. I haven't written in a few days so that I could come up with events to write about. We went on a field lecture and I took a few pics of the local kids. I was happy that I could speak with them in Swahili and I appreciated their liveliness so much. Yesterday, we watched the Lion King and boy, it never gets old. Its SO punny I think it's ridiculous.

Today we went to a nearby boarding school to meet the students. It was fun talking to the guys about America and what my favorite soccer team was(don't have one..). I also thoroughly enjoyed shooting baskets with them on their dirt court. They asked me if I was married and how many girlfriends/wives I had. It's really a funny notion, plus it's fun to watch all the girls get asked out or for their numbers. Those African men sure love the pretty muzungu women.

Classes are going well and today I had my Reflection, Announcements, and Presentation(RAP). I reflected on the things that made me laugh about today and asked a few other people to share their funny stories. Amazing how laughter brings people together. My presentation was of course on CCI and everybody found it super interesting. Glad I was able to spread the word; I even showed them "oofing", which I was super nervous about.

Anyways, the Swahili word of the day is Kucheka which means "to laugh"
Tutaonana everyone!
-Ian

The Frat-days are Mashing Together

 Hamjambo!

Today was a pretty lax day. Standard day at the office if you ask me. Learned more about environmental policy, wildlife management and Maasai culture. If it were up to me, I think I would live a pastoralist lifestyle. Sure there are a ton of risks but I feel like the simple life is just too good to pass up. Maybe that's just me. Anyways, missing my bros, girlfriend, and CCI people. I wish I could have taken you guys with me here. Also wish I could share this with my family, immediate and extended.

Here are a few more pictures from Amboseli National Park. Hope you enjoy the images and feel  free to comment.

The Swahili word of the day this time is Kusoma which means "to study/read"

Asante sana
Tutaonana

-Ian

Amboseli National Park

Sorry friends and family for not writing for several days. Recently we have been having some terrific wildlife encounters. I was finally able to get pictures of the bush babies that live in camp. They are really small, smaller than I even expected.

On Monday, we went to Amboseli National Park to see the wildlife and practice a few field exercises and techniques for observing the large mammals. It was incredibly exciting driving into the park, as we saw many of the charismatic representatives of African fauna right away. We saw many zebra, wildebeest, and antelope, as well as a Beisa oryx (of which there are fewer than ten in the whole park). Ostriches became a common sight also, as we stopped near every habitat type. Trying to identify, count, gender and age antelope can be quite a chore at times, but rewarding all the same.

As we drove closer to the wetlands, we saw hippos and elephants, including two newborn infants. Baby elephants may be the cutest thing on the face of the earth; if not because of their faces, then because of their goofiness interacting with the big new world. Breathtaking images were captured by all of us, as the herd stayed very near to our vehicles.

Driving in to and from lunch we saw secretary birds and crowned cranes, as well as the goliath heron(also a rare sight in the park; our professor told us that it would be our first and last time seeing it there). In the distance, we also spotted two black-backed jackals and I hoped to myself that we would see bigger carnivores. We drove on and took pictures of many animals. As the sun began to dim, I noticed a group of vehicles located across the plain from us. I thought nothing of it as we passed them, but we soon received a call on the radio that there was some wildlife we may have wanted to see. We turned and sped back, dust flying and wind blowing until we met our colleagues parked at the edge a road. Off in the distance was a pride of lions, waking up for the evening and walking to get a drink.

As we drove on to exit the park, we stumbled upon a small clan of hyenas, sleeping in the dust. It then became apparent to me how obnoxious, we as tourists can be. A couple of European tourists behind us began beckoning at a hyena, trying to get it to look at them. I then thought about whether or not we, even as students, should be there in such great numbers. It must be distracting and distressing to many animals(namely carnivores) to be harassed in such a way. It's impossible for them to be discrete in any way, with so many followers.

As we finally exited the park, we saw giraffes feeding in the distance. It made for a pretty good picture but.. probably not blog worthy.

Swahili word of the day today is mzungu meaning "white person"

bro tip #1572

stop waiting for the perfect moment. take a moment and make that shit perfect.

-Ian

Kwaheri

Ninakupenda wewe

The Boma and the Maasai Mamas

Hamjambo everyone!

The Swahili will probably get annoying, but bear with me. I'm trying to learn and the more I repeat stuff the better I'll get it. Today was the second true day of classes and man this stuff never gets old. We talked about Wildlife Ecology and also the history of Kenya in Environmental policy. It's amazing how tribalism corrupts the government, and yet I still like things better here. I was almost seriously thinking about running for the President of Kenya (maybe when I'm older).

Today was also the second swahili and maasai culture lesson. I can't wait to get out there and use what I've learned. The staff and other students are really encouraging as well as the common people. I'm gonna be speaking well in no time.

After classes today, we went over to our neighbors' home to see a Maasai boma, or homestead. It was an incredible experience. The women (Maasai mamas) greeted us with a song and dance, and we performed the Waka Waka song by Shakira back to them. I'll have to say that both parties fully enjoyed the experience. The Maasai lifestyle is a pretty cool way to go. Yeah they have none of the perks of being a first world people, but they are so joyful and can totally take care of themselves in any situation. Their warriors are also super badass. They are called the Moran (yeah Dad I know it sounds like moron..) but they look so awesome with all the beads and the traditional clothing. So I have decided that instead of a tattoo, I'm just gonna deck myself out in Maasai-wear, including the spear.

Anyways, the Swahili word of the day, upon Brian's request, is safi. This word means clean, or fresh. For example, if I greeted you by saying, "Habari(which means 'how are you')", you could say, "safi"like we would say cool.

Tutaonana
-Ian

"my cup of joy is overflowing!"-Moses Okello

So today I don't have any good pictures, I'm sorry to say. Once classes start up tomorrow, I'm sure I'll get some. Plus there's a nature walk tomorrow before breakfast. I'm gonna use this entry to ask people what they wanna hear about. I'm not sure if you'd rather see pictures or written entries. Try and comment too, I'm pretty bad at telling stories and if you want to hear details either comment on the post or send me a facebook message.

Today was a very good day, as usual. We had our first Swahili lesson today as well as going over our research case study. I've never been more pumped for school (including kindergarten). The problem is a very exciting one, wildlife human conflict is really different from this perspective. Americans have no idea how ignorant we are. Guess that just how well taken care of we are.

We also played soccer again today. That plus push ups has me sorer than even rowing did. I can barely move. Working out will not be a problem. The food is delicious, the people are still awesome. By the end of this trip I'm gonna be such a more well rounded person, and I can't wait. I am thinking about all of you at home and I hope things are going well.

-Ian

Tutaonana!

Orientation

This picture is from my porch. Is it not one of the coolest things ever? That's Mount Kilimajaro at around 6 in the morning. Absolutely beautiful..

Anyways, today was our first full day at camp and it was a blast. First thing we did was travel around the outside loop of camp and were taught how to react when we see a large wild animal. It's really cool how much the staff knows about the environment. I'm also looking forward to running or walking it again, hoping to see some sweet wildlife.

We also went into the town of Kimani to explore and meet new people. Maasai salesmen and women are incredibly determined. One of the farmers had camels and that was really freakin cool too. It was nice to try and interact with everyone, with what little Swahili we know. Everyone is so nice here, and I have to say I really don't mind Kenya-time. After a long hot day, we played a game of soccer. The staff say they're just learning(very funny) but dang they're good. Amazing how much fun you can have with so little technology.

-Ian