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Published: April 19th 2008
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Kids!
Clamoring for attention . . . The Mpala School, attended by the children of Mpala staff, recently won a regional competition in gymnastics, and will subsequently be attending the national competition in a few weeks. Thus, they’ve been quite eager to show me their moves the past couple evenings while I’ve been netting birds near the staff village at the Ranch House, where many of them live. It started yesterday, when a small group of children (about six, ages 5-10) approached me to practice their English and say hello. When I returned the greeting, they literally began doing cartwheels. I had my small point-and-shoot digital camera on me and began taking pictures of the cartwheeling, handspringing, backarching gymnasts. They were more than pleased to see the camera come out and quickly performed a couple moves before hurrying over and crowding around to see the replayed pictures. Each picture elicited a round of jubilant, innocent laughter from each child, and I couldn’t help but join in.
This cheerful commotion received the attention of about a dozen other kids, all of whom rushed over and clamored for camera attention. I took several more pictures, and was pigpiled each time I tried to replay the pictures I had just
taken. It’s amazing how something generally taken for granted in one culture can be such a source of awed, yet pure and simple joy in another. When we finally left, excited shouts of “
kwaheri!”, “byeee!”, and “come again tomorrow!” trailed after us.
And we did return the next evening (we still had birds to catch there), this time to witness a genuine African (bare)foot race. One boy, perhaps the oldest one in the group, or maybe the undisputed champion, lined about twenty other boys on one side of a crude football pitch, dictating the rules as he walked up and down the line. After one false-start and a subsequent regrouping, he commenced the race with a shout and wave of a stick, and twenty boys took off towards the setting sun at the opposite end of the pitch before returning to the line from where they began. It was entertaining to watch, and reminded me of something that one might see during elementary school recess back home. After the race was over, I was again rushed by dozens of eager faces, this time in a procession of flapping “wings” in recognition of my status as some sort of birdman.
Posing
Do kids get much cuter? Mother Nature has provided several highlights over the past week, as well. For starters, I finally found a chameleon - something I’ve been keeping an eye out for ever since I’ve been here. I think they’re fascinating creatures. Most native Africans would disagree, however - they are terrified of chameleons because of their association with witchcraft. When I brought the chameleon to show Jake, for instance, George (Mpala’s IT/GIS guy) freaked out and hid behind Jake, prompting Kayna to suggest I name the harmless lizard “George.” They’re also quite amusing: when held by their back, their funny little legs wave around as they try to grasp something while their mouth is agape. Thus, when one imitates stereotypical ninja sounds (“whaaa . . . hwaaa . . . yaaaaaa . . .”), it looks strikingly like a little ninja-lizard.
I also finally witnessed a termite hatch. What a remarkable phenomenon - thousands of termites poured forth from beneath a shrubby bush, their continually fluttering wings producing an inescapable rustling in every direction. Dozens of species of birds foraged around the area, and innumerable termite wings tumbled by on the breeze. Upwards of thirty falcons (primarily Lesser Kestrels, but I
I dig chameleons
You can tell by the smile on my face also noted a Eurasian Hobby) wheeled overhead, eating on the wing. It was an impressive sight.
That same night, Kayna directed my attention to some sort of small, fossorial snake she found on the smooth cement just outside the offices. Such a great find - I’m amazed at how few snakes I’ve seen here (probably because locals fear them worse than chameleons, and will kill them without a second thought). Finding a reptile that spends the majority of its life underground is an even rarer and more exciting find.
Another of Kayna’s office-discoveries was a hedgehog she found in the office bathroom. Dubbed “Mrs. Tigglesworth” by Jake (for what reason, I haven’t a clue), Kayna kept it in a box for the morning to share with passersby. Adorable creatures, though I know from experience they aren’t nearly as good as pets as one might imagine.
Later that day, during a night drive, we happened upon another one of Africa’s native mammals-turned-pets: a gerbil. Jake leaped out of the car to chase it down and retrieve it for us so that we might all have a better look. Cute thing - no wonder they’re such popular pets. Other
Mrs. Tigglesworth & Me
Sounds like a cheesy kids book . . . highlights of that drive included a herd of hippos grazing just outside the main gate (always a treat to see them out of the water), an Aardwolf, and a Greyish Eagle Owl (same as Akela!).
Finally, I just have to note an interesting dichotomy I played part in today: while sitting on a rock this morning, waiting for starlings to fly into a net, Shannon called me on my cell phone, using Skype. At that same moment, a few herders walked by on their way to work, and all I could think was:
my goodness, here I am talking on a cell phone to someone on a computer halfway around the world as pastoral Kenyans wielding spears and dressed half in tribal garb, half in street clothes wheel rickety no-speed bicycles by me on their way into the bush for a day of work. Amazing.
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Chris Anderson
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Chameleons and Blind Snake
Just saw on facebook you had this blog going. Looks like you're having a blast. Just so you know, the chameleons you have been finding are Chamaeleo bitaeniatus and the blind snake you have looks like either Typhlops lineolatus or possibly Typhlops angolensis. It could be a couple other things but you'd need to have started counting scales to ID it. If you want to find more chameleons, try looking at night with your flashlight. They get very light in coloration at night and stand out as a bright flash when you pass a light over them. -Chris