Orphanage and 2nd Safari

Saturday we went to an orphanage about a half hour away from our camp in Mwatumbu. The first thing I thought of before I left was, “ I should email my mom and ask if it’s okay if I bring a kiddo home, and if she could take care of him or her for a couple years.” I then realized, that that is probably not a possibility, so I gave up that idea and moved on to “these children are going to be so adorable, just enjoy the time with them, make a great memory.” We arrived at the orphanage and were greeted by the gentleman in charge. I forget his name, but he was very welcoming and kind. He kept telling us to just “be free,” be free at the orphanage, be free in Tanzania, be free in life. What great advice that is. Sometimes you get so tied down in something, like work or school or sports, you just forget to be free. To let loose from pressures and stress and deadlines and just soak in the life around you, do what you want to do, live in happiness. Of course all of life’s aspects are essential to living a successful and happy life, like finding a job, maintaining that career, earning money, starting a family, etc., but it’s also imperative to be free from all of that sometimes. I think it’s a concept people will interpret differently, but I believe it is a concept that has truth and meaning behind it and no matter how it is understood, it promotes a sincere message.



The children were all wonderful; very loving and open. They did not hesitate to climb on top of us and get piggy back rides, shoulder rides. It was pretty entertaining. There was probably one instance where no kiddos under the age of ten were touching the ground because all of us were holding them. I threw this little girl, Joyce, up in the air close to a hundred times. She was so cute. As soon as I would lower her back to the ground she would yell, “moja, mbili, tatu!” (one, two, three), and then I would throw her back in to the air. She would smile and laugh. I didn’t want her happiness to end, so I just kept throwing until my arms felt like they were going to fall off. I think I need to do some major pushups, or lift some rocks before we go again, so I won’t have to stop throwing kids in to the air because I am too weak J . The goal of the trip was to of course enjoy the children and play with them, but to also set up a clubhouse and teeter-totter we had built, as well as mix and lay some concrete. Everything got accomplished and now I cannot wait to return. I have never had so much fun with children. They were a joy to be around and it was definitely an experience I will not forget.

We arrived back at camp around 6:30 pm from our 6:30 am departure to Tarangire National Park for our second safari. It was another beautiful day (overcast, which means it’s cool enough to wear a light jacket and minimal sunscreen…AND people don’t stink due to overheating). We started the day with an early wakeup and breakfast, packed our lunches, and drove the hour and an half drive to the park. Today was all about animal counts; we did not focus on an animals smaller than dik diks, just larger mammals like wildebeests, gazelles, giraffes, elephants, impala, zebras, waterbucks, baboons, lions, cheetahs, etc. We did a three hour count session this morning. We basically performed 2km transect marking with 500m in between each transect. We would record the number of animals seen in that particular transect, the species of the animal, the longitude and latitude of our location, and the distance from the start of the transect. In our class tomorrow we are going to input our data, calculate population densities, and standard errors; they will all be fairly simple calculations, it will just be exciting to see the results and analyze them.

During our count we mainly saw wildebeests, zebras, elephants, dik diks, impala, warthogs, and water buffalo. They are all very beautiful animals; especially the zebras. We would come upon a herd of thirty zebras or so and it is just unbelievable to see such unique animals. Their stripes and designs on their bodies are just mesmerizing; I could have stared at them all day. The way they communicate with each other is also intriguing. They brush up on each other, open their mouths, shake their tails; it’s exciting to think about their way of communicating with each and the relationships they can develop. Unfortunately, but luckily at the same time, we came across lots of carcasses: zebra, wildebeest, elephant, and giraffe. It was crazy to think about how the carcasses got there. Did they lose in a fight? Were they killed by a predator? Or did they just pass away from old age or disease? Oh how I wanted to know the story behind all of these dead animals!

After our 3 hour session, we had the chance to go after the animals we were most excited about. Cheetahs and lions. Somehow, someone in another group of ours spotted there cheetahs under a bush on a hill. We were able to get there in time before they left. I took some awesome pictures. They are such magnificent animals; their lengthy and strong build looks so powerful. It would have been a treat to see them run; hopefully Serengeti will provide that desire. We also came across a lone female lion. She was very much hidden behind logs and brush, but I still got a few pictures in which was nice. The park was very beautiful, vast, and green. Dry and arid in some places, of course, but just breathtaking as we drove along the gravel roads for 7 hours. It hits me almost every other moment, “I am in Africa.” I am still in disbelief that I have been here for two weeks now, heading into week three; although, it feels like I have been here for a long time solely because of the people. We mesh so well, the comfort level is incredible and conversations are so natural. Mind you, if I walk into the village, the short time I have been here becomes a reality because my communication with the people is minimal. I cannot wait until I can hold conversations with them.

As I am here I keep asking myself, “why am I here?” “what do I want to learn?” Of course, I want to challenge myself in my courses, learn as much as I can about wildlife management and ecology, as well as the economic policies in Tanzania and Kenya. I want to reveal my passions and dig deep into myself and find out what I want to do in life. The peacefulness of Tanzania is an ideal place to figure these types of questions out.

But you know how you ask people about their experiences abroad.. And you say something like, “was it a life changing experience?” and they respond with , “yes, it was.” Do you ask why? And if you do, do you get an in depth response? I know my response would be, “yes, it was life changing;” however, I know my response (as of now) as to why would have no depth. I want to find that depth. Whether it is in my classmates, the people around us, or in myself, I want to discover a depth of thought that I have never known before. I know, here in Africa, that it is possible, and I hope to bring home so much more than a response to your questions. I hope to bring feeling, heart, and a change of perspective back; a new outlook on life and all of its possibilities. A new sense of gratitude. I realize these conversations are far off, but it was just on my mind.  Until next time.

Be Free

-Katie