Samburu!

This weekend was amazing! We ended up going to Samburu National Park instead of Maasai Mara because the University of Minnesota didn't like the idea of us driving through a small portion of the Rift Valley, but I loved Samburu nonetheless. On Friday afternoon, we saw one of the Mau Mau caves, which I was really excited about. The Mau Mau fighters used to hide from the British in the caves, and also used them to pray. I was happy to see the caves I had read so much about, and was also happy to see Mount Kenya (even if I am too poor and out of shape to climb it.) It was also nice to be in the historically "white" highlands just because the climate is much cooler due to the altitude. We then went to a primary school near Mount Kenya which is sponsored by Minneapolis, MN. It was fun playing with the kids and seeing where they go to school each day. They were very eager to hear me sing a song, and I'm afraid to say they heard a very poor rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

Me and my new friends in Standard 6.

After camping Friday night, we headed to a Samburu village, but first had an incredibly touristy moment when we stopped and took a picture at the equator. Four of us were wearing Wisconsin shirts, and we're determined now to get our picture on the study abroad website. When we arrived in the Samburu village, we were greeted with a song and dance by the women. The whole experience was surreal. The Samburu people are cousins to the Maasai, but were separated from them by the British when they were placed in the north, while the Maasai were placed in the southwest. We participated in a short dance with them and then bought a few things from their market before heading to the National Park.

In our Samburu jewelry after the dance

Me, Caitlin, and the Samburu Warriors

At the national park, we went on an afternoon game drive. We didn't fulfill my friend's dream of watching a lion kill a zebra, but we did see tons of elephants! Afterwards we camped in the park and I realized that after the novelty of monkeys wears off, they really are pests. One even opened my friend's tent and took her cosmetic bag. She wasn't able to get it back. A group of the Samburu joined us for dinner and we had a goat roast. I chickened out and hid while they killed the goat and drank its blood, but a few of my classmates were brave and drank the blood too. I found out that I don't really like goat meat and will most definitely be returning to vegetarianism when I return to the U.S., but I do like it that the animals here get to live life before being slaughtered.

Elephants!

Giraffe!
The beautiful view

This picture reminded me of the Lion King

Sunday morning we went on an early morning game drive and saw many giraffes, impalas, gazelles, zebras, and water buffalo, then got in the vans for the long haul back to Nairobi. It was a great weekend!