SAFARI - A JOURNEY

HIT THE ROAD – So a couple of weeks ago I finally got chance to take my first official holiday since being in Kenya. There are sooooo many places to explore and discover in Kenya and in a way I want to see them all as fast as I can, i have no patience, but living here is not about going on constant holidays, so I need to wait until opportunities arise and funds allow. Unfortunately as I am still waiting for a residency permit I have to pay tourist rates, which totally sucks as they are sooooo high compared to resident rates, but in time it will come. So myself, David and Juliet hit the Mombasa road south down to Tsavo West and then moving on to Tsavo East. Tsavo is the biggest national park in Africa (possibly the world, I’m not sure). Tsavo has always been a favourite of mine, it is vast and spellbounding, everytime I go my breath is taken away, and then you study the map and realise that we only ever really drive round a tiny part of it. Because of its size you don’t always see many animals, and for those just visiting on holiday and wanting to see the big 5, its probably not worth coming to Tsavo because you are most likely to be disappointed, but if you appreciate a stunning landscape, rapidly changing scenery and the feeling of truely being in the wild, this is the place to be. We stayed at a tented camp (quite luxurious – I managed to sneak residency rates here which was great, just had to pay tourist rate to enter the park). Our tents overlooked some hippos pools, where the hippos resided all day, splashing around, and cooling off in the water. Crocodiles also inhabited the pool, and on the last day I had a baby one just under the wooden structure on which my tent was placed. At night time we had to be escorted to the main bit with the restaurant as the hippos move from the pool and head out for their night time feasting. On the way back on the last night as my Askari walked me to my tent we spotted a Python slowly moving across the path just to go under my tent structure. In all the time I have ever spent in Africa I think this is the only situation I have come across a random snake in the wild, I have seen others, but not like this. Thankfully it was just a young one at 1.2metres long. It was white with dark brown markings. He was on the hunt and moving slowly. I knew that he wouldn’t be too interested in my tent as he looked hungry and was looking for food. Later on we spotted him again going past my tent and heading off to the bush. It was so cool really feeling like you are in the wild, with so much wildlife around you. We spent 3 days there, doing game drives, enjoying the scenery and relaxing in the swimming pool (which cooled us down from the 40 degree heat). I love Tsavo, and will always be a special place to me.

ORPHANS OF A DIFFERENT KIND – One of the most popular tourist things to do in Nairobi is visit Daphney Sheldricks Elephant orphanage where they rescue baby elephants and bring them up to go back into the wild. Now if you sponsor or foster one of these elephants you can book to stay at Ithumba in Tsavo East. Tsavo East is not as popular as Tsavo West, especially in the nothern part. Partly because the area is so dense with bush you can hardly see anything so its not a place for game drives etc. Well David and Juliet and 2 other friends Tim and Shellen, sponsor elephants, so we all booked at Ithumba for the second part of our short holiday. If Tsavo West was in the wild, this place is even more so. There are no other lodges, camps and tourists in the area, it was just us, the elephant part and the Kenya Wildlife Services headquarters. It was awesome. A very bumpy 2 hour drive off the main road, passing through tiny villages, listening to some great tunes on Ron’s stereo and waving to the kids who love spotting Mzungu’s (white people) and constantly wondering, have we made a wrong turn, the deeper we go the further it will be if we are lost. But we made it to the camp, it has only 3 tents and a large open structure which has comfy chairs, dining tables and lamu style beds for relaxing during the day. Its self catering but also not that basic so you do feel a little bit of pampering. When you book you book the whole camp, so we had it all to our selves. So 4kms down the road is where the young elephants are. Once they are old enough Sheldricks moves the elephants down from Nairobi to this camp and start the re-introduction to the wild process. There were 8 elephants when we were there, 6 older ones and 2 younger ones (one of which was quite sick and had a heart problem, also my favourite). We would wake at 5:30am drive to the ele’s and feed them with milk at 6am, which was cool. Come back and eat breakfast and sleep, then at 11am we would meet the ele’s out at a small pool. After their breakfast they head out into the wild for feeding on branches etc and go with a couple of carers, so they always arrive at the pool at 11am, where we feed them with more milk. Sometimes the ex orphans turn up as well just to say hi which is very cool. On both days they came, but that was a little scary because these ones were like 10 – 12 years old, so very big and slightly wild now, but the carers make sure us tourists are fine. The ele’s eat, swim and then move on. Then we go back and crash, laze around, have lunch, sleep, melt in the 40+degree heat and then at 5pm go back for the last feed, as the elephants come back to their camp. It was an awesome experience, sometimes tiring, but feeding the elephants out in the wild by the pool was the best bit. On the last day loads of the ex orphans came along with a totally wild elephant, I wasn;t too worried, until the head carer quietly said...”hmm maybe you should get behind that tree”... so the 5 of us cowered behind this pathetically tiny tree from this giant elephant who wasn’t too pleased to see us. But he calmed down and we all carried on. It is so different being out in the wild, on foot, not inside your vehicle, the feeling is soooo much different and special, you are not protected by some large metal machine, but standing there, exposed to whatever wildlife is around. The adrenaline, the connection with nature is fantastic and I love it. The great thing also was to see that 2 of the older elephants had decided to spend the night out with the ex orphans, the young ele’s can move into the wild whenever they want, they tend to go away for 1 night, then come back and then go for longer etc until they finally leave, it was great to see the re-introduction actually happening before our eyes. (See photos below this post)

THATS HOW IT FEELS - After the 3 days Ithumba we did our last feeding of the elephants and I felt a real sadness as we drove away. I tended to feed the sick elephant and in such a short space and time I felt quite attached. But I also reflected driving away how similar this situation is to Cheryls and our volunteers. I felt really attached to these young elephants after only 3 days, thinking that feeding them each day I had built some connection, but in truth it was more in my head than in the elephants. The carers don’t really want the elephants to get too used to people so they cope better in the wild, but you feel you do, but in reality you don’t. The elephant comes to you because you have a milk bottle in your hand, and the carer is near by so he trusts its ok. He soon leaves when the bottle is empty. I left on the last night wanting to matter to these elephants and feel significant to them, but actually thats because I wanted to feel significant and important, the truth is it’s the carers that really matter and who are important, they work incredibly hard, in harsh conditions and for long hours and weeks. They dedicate their lives to these elephants. They are the important ones and they are the ones who really gain the respect and love from the elephants. As I left I suddenly felt a comparison to volunteers I manage at Cheryls. We have a mixture of volunteers who come to us, some are fantastic, some are maybe a little hard work. But most people come with a desire to help and support us, but I know that feeling, that desire to feel significant and to matter to someone (or something) that needs help. I think this is totally natural and normal, but i guess the truth is the same here, its the staff that really matter, they are the ones who work so incredibly hard, sometimes not getting paid, sometimes being taken for granted, but they are making the long term and significant impact on these kids, just like the carers of the elephants. The sad thing is sometimes they get unnoticed by volunteers and visitors, and volunteers can occasionally come with an attitude of its them (the volunteer) thats making the impact and can change the kids lives. Don’t get me wrong, having volunteers is fantastic and a really important resource we need at Cheryls, so if you are thinking of volunteering please do come and visit, you are totally welcome and I want you to come. But what i hope visitors know and understand is that we have an awesome bunch of dedicated and hard working staff who love these kids and sacrifice a lot for them, they are here through the drought and through the rain, they are the ones making the difference. The great thing about being a volunteer at Cheryls and with the Elephants is that you get a chance to catch a glimpse of this, and in a small way support those staff who are working so hard. That can be a real priveledge and awesome opportunity. I guess at the end of the day volunteering is about sacrificing time and resources to help others in whatever way is necessary, but probably more dominantly a time to learn and experience how others are living and working, being educated, and thats awesome. For me at Ithumba, it was useful to experience that side of volunteering again (which I haven;t done for a long time) a reminder of the feelings of a volunteer, the importance of a volunteer but also knowing where the true significance and importance is, the staff. Oh and I definitely want to go back and volunteer there again!

SSSSHHHH IT’S QUIET – The school holidays are a great time, over Easter they last about 4 weeks, and we are now in the final week of hols. The majority of the residents go and stay with some relatives for a few weeks, which is great because it connects them with where they have come from and extended family. Usually these relatives can’t cope with the kids long term but can take them for a few weeks in the holidays. Most relatives are good at looking after them, but sometimes kids are here because they were abused by relatives after the parents dies. Thats why we still have about 20 kids left here, those who have been abandoned and those where relatives homes are unsafe. The place is quiet, it means the staff are given a bit of a break, the financial pressures for the this month are just a little less, because we need less food and less water etc. We run movie nights every weekend during the hols for those who remain and we have had some good times. I enjoy catching up with the high school kids and finding out how their terms have been, hearing all their stories and trying to get them all equipped for the term ahead. I think the holiday times are my favourite times, its quieter, you can spend more quality time with a smaller number of kids and I love seeing the high school ones and seeing them grow and mature, discussing jobs, careers and about their views on politics and life in Kenya. It is often sat watching a movie on movie night, with a small child sitting on your lap and seeing how happy everyone is just with a soda and a movie, that I realise I love my job, i love what I do and can’t imagine being anywhere else. Of course its stressful, frustrating and sometimes I can just despair, but the truth is what I’m doing is great and right now I don’t want to do anything else!

MZUNGU MADNESS – So over the last few weeks or months should I say, we have been checking out land for our building project. We having been popping up to Naivasha a few times to check out various places and we think we have found the perfect spot. It fits all our criteria, and myself, Samuel and Mike one of our board of directors all fell in love with it the first time we visited. Its also cheaper than the land we were looking at before Christmas. We still need to do surveys and more research but its looking good. We were quoted a price by the agents and then last week we finally met the owner. An older guy, a bit of a local tycoon. We entered his office, did the obligatory greetings, but to my surprise and joy he said, lets just get right to it, we all know why were are here. This is unusual., normally the conversation has to go around the houses before you finally get down to what you are supposed to be talking about. The sad thing though was he started on the price and he jumped from the price originally quoted, to almost double. I was so frustrated and disappointed, I could tell he had seen us, knew that a Mzungu was involved and probably thought he could try and get more money from us. I was annoyed and felt we have just wasted the last few months looking at this land. He kept waffling and I just thought whats the point of hanging round here, there is no way we were going to pay that much. But deep down I knew it was all a game. He was testing us, to see if we would pay more. I dug my heels in, knowing that at the end of the day the control is in our hands, we didn;t have to buy his land, there is always more land out there. Agents and owners always try and scare you into buying, this land is amazing (which it actually is) this land can go for a higher price, this land can be easily sold to someone else... etc. But the truth is, its just like negotiating in the markets, if you seem keen and start increasing the price you offer, the owner knows he has got you. I looked disinterested in the question, stated the original price is what we can pay thats it, if he doesn;t want it we will look elsewhere. He pressed the conversation on further, just saying we needed to add a little more. Eventually we left, myself feeling frustrated the deal had taken this course. We said we would go away and think about it and talk, he would do the same. As we left he whispered to the agent the price he would sell for which was a little extra on top of the original price, nowhere near what he was fishing for 30 mins earlier. He was obviously testing us and realised there was no dice, this Mzungu wasn’t going to roll over and just pay up. We came back to Nairobi and discussed it, my advice was to hold firm at the original price, believing that in the end he will sell. If he doesn’t we will discuss paying slightly more, because the land is good and probably worth it, but for now we are standing firm, and latest I have heard is that he will sell at the original price but wants a little extra for some fixtures and fittings on the land such as a water tank and small house, but I can appreciate that and believe that’s fair enough, so we will have to negotiate a price on those things or an addition per acre. This happens though, people see a Mzungu involved in the deal and try and squeeze more money, but I’m not interested in that, this is money donated by people from around the world, we need the best price we can get and this Mzungu ain’t just going to roll over and pay double!

IT’S STARTED – One of the things I have been working on this last few months is the sponsorship programme, it is now up and running in the UK through our charity there, CWK but also worldwide as it has been for a number of years. Our aim is to get at least 100 new sponsors by September. So we have got 4 new ones this month, its a start, but we have a long way to go. I can’t express how much of a difference the sponsorship programme will make to Cheryls and also just my working life on a personal note. If we can get 100 new sponsors we will have a regular income and that will take a massive pressure off us. At the moment we have nothing in the bank, but next week will have to equip the high school kids to go back to school, get all their shopping, pay their school fees, and on top of that get ready for our own primary school to be up and running. We need to pay salaries for this month, buy water, pay the electricity bill and cover all the general running costs. Money that is donated comes in at different times, and not always when its needed. Having children sponsored means money comes in regularly, each month and we know when its coming and how much, which means we can plan ahead and have that confidence it will be there. This is why we need 100 new sponsors. If you are reading this and you know of someone who might like to sponsor a child can you point them to this web page: http://www.box.net/shared/o96v6386is it has a child sponsorship form which you can download, print off and send to the CWK guys, it has all the information. If you are from somewhere else in the world other than the UK just email me directly and I can get an international form to you: kjbkenya@hotmail.co.uk I really want us to reach 100 by September. Each new sponsor brings smiles to the staff here, even by the 4 new ones we are encouraged, because we feel we are being supported and know there are people out their standing with us working with these children. Oh and a small request if you have or know someone who has already filled in a form but not quite got round to posting it off yet, please do so as soon as possible, the sooner it is up and running the better. Thank you soooooo much for helping with this, blog readers, lets spread the word and find 100!

DOWNWARD PRESSURE – So last blog entry I had loads of medical issues. Well the good news is that my face is back to normal (well as normal as it can be), both sides are working fine which is great, so I don’t have this stupid half face grin when I smile. Also the blood pressure is dropping back to normal and staying that way without the medication which is fantastic. I still need to keep an eye on it, but its good news. The numb foot is still there and occasional back pain but its gradually getting better, but will need more work from the physio etc. So all in all, blood pressure is dropping and I’m relieved!! I can enjoy the rest of the Easter holidays, before the craziness sets in again next week. In June, July and August I am going to have a huge number of volunteers coming and staying at the house, which is awesome but it will be a busy time too, the future looks busy, but good.