Done with DR!

Sorry it's taken so long to post these.  I've been trying to live in every day near the end and spend it with people I cared about rather than in front of a computer.  A few of the pictures for the next posts belong to other very appreciated individuals, as I rarely had my camera out the last couple of days.  Anyways, here goes:  

12/8/11

Our Directed Research projects are complete.  What better way to top off such a long haul with a very intimidating and important presentation on our findings for the local community and officials?  And that’s just what we did.  Over one hundred people sat in a room and watched as six different groups presented their findings on local wildlife populations, behavior, demographics, and susceptibility to hunting (that one’s me). 

We were all dressed up in ‘community wear’ and many of us were even wearing makeup!  Yes, again, me included.  I know you’re shocked.  We all looked so civilized.  Strange.  But it the presentations were very interesting and it felt so good to finally be done.  My group was very succinct and to the point and were asked very few questions.  I was the only one who did anything on preference so I presented my slides solo and then received the questions that were asked after.  Maybe that’s because I did a bad job or maybe that’s because they were keenly interested?  I don’t know.  Kioko said I did great though and my paper, which I worked my butt off for, definitely was top quality, if I do say so myself.  Kioko also revealed that the work we did surpassed what many Master’s and PhD students do.  Great.  Something to look forward to. 

It was really nice to have so many people there showing an interest in what we had been working so hard for.  Many of our guides showed up, including Abra who found his way there right after the presentations had ended and lunch had begun.  Genius.  He told me he had been working.  I’m not calling him a liar, but possibly a bender of the truth?  I secretly wish I could’ve missed most of it and showed up for the goods.  During the community-involved discussion people just kept talking and talking and talking.  Things like this in Africa move very slowly.  It’s their way.  Even the language is round-a-bout. 

Mama Happy, Johnson and Kelvin were also there though.  It was fantastic to giggle and laugh and play with all of them.  I think our odd little family was definitely making a scene, or at least were piquing people’s interests.  I also noticed Nuru keeping a close eye on me.  For those of you who don’t know, Nuru is a very sexy mechanic that was hired a few weeks ago and he regularly wears a pin suit that, though I didn’t think it was possible, makes him even sexier.  Though he speaks very limited English, I spent a night learning from him, Pascal, and Yori how to change out some springs on one of the land cruisers.  This was after he tried to help Emily and I catch a moth.  Any man that’s willing to look foolish flitting around after a moth with two mzungus is definitely worth my time.  After that, I would always try to say hi.  And just try to get him to smile because OMG! His smile!  But, I didn’t do anything passed that, mind you.  Don’t want someone so nice to lose his job, especially with the Dean of SFS there.  Her name is Robin and she is a very nice, very interesting person.  She also has a job that I think I would be more than happy with.  Who wouldn’t want to learn and teach science by traveling around the world to catch up with SFS programs?  I even told her that I would consider working for her if she gave me a good enough offer.  I don’t want to seem too needy. 

And then just like that it was over.  Everything slowed down dramatically work-wise but the days seemed to pass even faster.  We spent our final days packing, wandering Mto wa Mbu for the last time, and finishing up our wall paintings in the orphanage.  There is a little girl there named Hawa whom both times I’ve visited I’ve fallen in love with.  Both of her front teeth are missing.  She’s beautiful.  And she talks like an old woman.  She even admonishes me like an old nana would when I play our games wrong or try to help her with something, like how to properly braid hair for instance.  Her face even scrunches up like an old woman’s when she gets paddy-cake-like games in the wrong order, which happens a lot.  I don’t know if she maybe has some acute learning problems, but that imperfection makes me adore her that much more.  She reminds me of myself a little.  She’s so cute.  I was honestly thinking about how my life would be if I stopped going to school and adopted her.  I wasn’t going to follow through with it, just thinking about it.  Promise.  Maybe…

These are pictures of Julia and I with Mama Happy and the boys.  Pascal is one of our drivers and mechanics on campus as well as a good friend of Mama Happy's.  He has honey brown eyes that are a shockingly beautiful contrast to all of the rest of us running around with dark brown eyes, and it's also wonderful that he is constantly laughing.

All the lovely ladies.  Mom, I thought I'd include a lot of these for you :D

 

Andrew and I are practicing for being husband and wife but he won't kiss me!  On the right is a little corner of the people we presented our DRs to.  I'm sure they greatly enjoyed our Christmas arts and crafts time masterpieces as well.  

I thought I'd include this picture from when we completing transects for DR.  We came across these boys who were fixing a tire on one of their bicycles.  They each had one similar to this with wood loaded on the back.  Wood poaching is illegal in Tanzania, but just like with bushmeat hunting, everyone does it and the authorities regularly look past it because it's necessary to survive.  Woodlands and the wildlife that rely on them are increasingly threatened by the growing demand for wood from a growing human population.  

   This is Hawa and Naomi.  Aren't they lovely?

This is me getting my hair braided for the bajilionth time.  My hair is like catnip for the women.  The children had started to braid it and then the women eventually pushed them out and tore my skull to shreds.  The children aren't much gentler but they didn't attempt my whole head.  This has happened three times now and I hope third time's a charm to make it stop!