Ok, to finish the story of the touristy day, because it is quite excellent...after the elephant orphanage we went to a giraffe rehabilitation center and were able to feed giraffes right out of our hand! (Standing on the sencond story balcony of course!) They are widely known to be very friendly, and good kissers! So all and all it was a lovely introduction to Kenya. The day after we went to the Kenya National Museum, where I saw Lucy! The oldest human remains known to man found here in Kenya in the Rift Valley. The time in the museum I was around a group of Kenyan nuns (there are a lot) and we were in the evolution room and I kept wondering what they must think. I heard a couple of their comments on how beautiful the exhibit was. Other than that I just took a picture of all of them when they asked me.
Since then we have doven dilligently into our studies. We have gone to the Canadian High Commission for a conference with a Canadian diplomat regarding the political situation in Kenya. There, the security guards (minus the regular AK 47) checked all incoming cars with reflective mirrors and dogs for IUDs. And we were very fortunate to experience a meeting with a Canadian diplomat and a Kenyan ambassador.
The program I am doing is based out of a Canadian University so out of 19 in the group I am the only American, this is proving to be very interesting, seeing the different scope of interpretation from the different countries.
Last night we went to an amazing Ethiopian dinner, after I did a presentation for the class during our official school time. We are assigned topics in a debate and must present a case for defending, in this case, different explanations for violent conflict. Before class yesterday we also we able to meet with the Institute for Security Studies who told us about the different problems facing nomadic tribes in Kenya.
And today....we have a FULL day. Which I will tell you all about soon!!!!
Love,
Chelsea
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hello All!
This is my official first blog sent straight from Nairobi, Kenya. After an incredible bout of finals papers I literally ran to the Anthropology office at Columbia, turned in my last paper, and jumped in a cab to the airport. Exhausted, I slept from New York to London, then from London to Nairobi (about 16 hours in total).
Getting to Nairobi I was met by the group who will be participating in the academic program with me. They are a wonderful group of students and Professor who come from different universities in Canada.
We have already started our adventure!
On the first day after arrival, to cure jetlag, we enjoyed our only "touristy" day on the whole trip and as a surprise from our professor, Dr. King, we visited an elephant orphanage! There we saw and got to pet orphaned elephants during their feeding time and learned quite a bit about the conservation efforts to reintroduce the elephants back into the wild.
I was very impressed by the extremely mindful approach the organization had in a multifaceted approach to environmental conservation and education.
Since the elephants were to be reintroduced into the wild, the organization only exposed the babies to one hour a day to public viewing. All and all I want to stress that the operation wasn't at all exploitative and they made the uptmost efforts to preserve in the natural condition while educating society about issues like illegal poaching and environmental devestation that threatens animal populations.
An interesting note: elephants are such emotional creatures that in order for the babies to survive sucessfully they must be accompanied by, even at night sleeping, with a designated caretaker that takes the place of the maternal mothers role (psychologically) of nurturing and companionship. To avoid the aforementioned attachment to humans I mentioned, the caregivers rotate positions between the elephants to not propogate dependence on one individual. And then eventually the elephant is "weened" off of the caretaker and encouraged to develop an affinity with the other elephants in the 'orphanage'.
Most of the babies were orphaned by poaching or indirect consequences from the current drought in Kenya. People dig wells in order to find water and the babies will fall into them, forcing the rest of the herd to leave them behind.
Well, there is so much more to come but I have homework to do!
Love (and please write on my blogsite!),
Chelsea
p.s. "jambo" is hello in Swahili
This is my official first blog sent straight from Nairobi, Kenya. After an incredible bout of finals papers I literally ran to the Anthropology office at Columbia, turned in my last paper, and jumped in a cab to the airport. Exhausted, I slept from New York to London, then from London to Nairobi (about 16 hours in total).
Getting to Nairobi I was met by the group who will be participating in the academic program with me. They are a wonderful group of students and Professor who come from different universities in Canada.
We have already started our adventure!
On the first day after arrival, to cure jetlag, we enjoyed our only "touristy" day on the whole trip and as a surprise from our professor, Dr. King, we visited an elephant orphanage! There we saw and got to pet orphaned elephants during their feeding time and learned quite a bit about the conservation efforts to reintroduce the elephants back into the wild.
I was very impressed by the extremely mindful approach the organization had in a multifaceted approach to environmental conservation and education.
Since the elephants were to be reintroduced into the wild, the organization only exposed the babies to one hour a day to public viewing. All and all I want to stress that the operation wasn't at all exploitative and they made the uptmost efforts to preserve in the natural condition while educating society about issues like illegal poaching and environmental devestation that threatens animal populations.
An interesting note: elephants are such emotional creatures that in order for the babies to survive sucessfully they must be accompanied by, even at night sleeping, with a designated caretaker that takes the place of the maternal mothers role (psychologically) of nurturing and companionship. To avoid the aforementioned attachment to humans I mentioned, the caregivers rotate positions between the elephants to not propogate dependence on one individual. And then eventually the elephant is "weened" off of the caretaker and encouraged to develop an affinity with the other elephants in the 'orphanage'.
Most of the babies were orphaned by poaching or indirect consequences from the current drought in Kenya. People dig wells in order to find water and the babies will fall into them, forcing the rest of the herd to leave them behind.
Well, there is so much more to come but I have homework to do!
Love (and please write on my blogsite!),
Chelsea
p.s. "jambo" is hello in Swahili
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