Blogs from Laikipia Plateau, Central Province , Kenya, Africa - page 2

4th of July, Kenya style No burgers, no hotdogs, no fireworks, no Texas-size family grouping. 4th of July at Mpala consisted of kickball, football (soccer), multiple small and big dance parties, and Tusker beer. After working in the morning (Saturdays are half work-days), we trooped down to the River Camp to have lunch. Currently, the Princeton crew, all of Dan Rubenstein’s students, live at the River Camp but it’s also used for large groups of students who travel through on research abroad programs. It consists of a series of tent structures with canvas walls and ceilings but permanent foundations. There’s no electricity and no running water; shower water is doled out every day to each individual. However, there’s the sound of the river, bush-babies leaping within the fever trees at dusk, and all sorts of animals ... read more

Hiking en masse Janet had the brilliant idea of actually taking a hike on the weekend. The only “mountain” is Mu Kenya, a rocky ridgeback that juts out suddenly from the flat savannah. The original plan was me and Janet, maybe a couple of other researchers and the requisite askari. Sunday morning rolls around and the whole mass of researchers, one prof, multiple grads, and a scattering of undergrads, assemble at the dining hall. The entourage consisted of a matatu-like van full of people, a land rover, plus five askaris, including the head of security, Julius, crammed into the cab of a pick-up truck. After a twenty minute drive, we tumbled out clown-car style and headed up the mountains. The askaris had the dual job of both making sure we weren’t going to scare up buffalo ... read more

Things I love about being in Kenya The fruit, passionfruit and mango especially, though sadly, mango is no longer on the diet. Tiny antelopes (dik-diks) grazing outside my window. The constant bird chatter around the Centre. Hyenas whooping outside my banda at night.* Distracting myself with birdwatching when I’m supposed to be working. The gangly, loping grace of a giraffe and the surprising enormity of them. Learning Kenya-isms (e.g., when I stumble, not an uncommon occurrence, the field assistants will say, “Sorry, sorry!” instead of “Careful!”). Hearing foreigners unconsciously mimic Kenyan English dialect when speaking to Kenyans. Every day, snapping photos on my way to work because everything is deserving of a picture out here. Trying to differentiate between Swahili and the tribal languages (just so I can have the satisfaction of at least knowing what ... read more

Cushy research life Do not be deceived by the fact that Mpala Research Centre is in the middle of the Laikipea Plateau, hemmed by group-owned ranches and enormous white-Kenyan-owned ranches, with kilometers of red, gorged dirt roads separating it from the nearest town (Nanyuki). Sounds wild, huh? Now imagine a series of green-corrugated metal roofs above sturdy stone walls, a dining hall, an office building, the computer lab (we get internet as long as the electricity is on), and two lab facilities. Hemming these are bandas, one dorm banda and the rest are small round bandas for individual researchers to stay in. Yes, you have communal showers but they all have hot water! Supplied by solar panels during the day and fires lit by staff in the evening. And there’s the dining hall with its buffet ... read more