It’s now been four days since arriving at site. Today was my first day doing business at the school though it turned out to be more of a day of exploration than a day of getting any work done. As I waited in the staff room for the mkuu to finish his meeting I was suckered into two hours of transferring grades, using carbon copy paper to make two copies. Another teacher, a wildlife conservation field researcher, and I took a break outside and chatted. He told me of his Peace Corps teacher, recalling her name and the years she taught, and he spoke fondly of her. We talked about National Parks and he told me about the forest behind the school, the msito, which, I learned, is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and home to elephants, antelope, buffalo, leopards, and lions. Before I knew it we were walking towards the forest and not five minutes later we were standing on the fire line, pulling twigs off branches to make toothbrushes.
Living here is just wild. In one direction I see a dense forest; my backyard is a playground to elephants and buffalo. In the other direction I can see for miles into Bonde la Ufa, the Rift Valley, and on many days I have trouble distinguishing clouds from Lake Manyara. On all sides the hills are green, the land fertile, not flat but smoothly rolling and undulating.
In the four days I’ve been here I’ve encountered some strange things and had some very interesting conversations. I’ve been asked which tribe my tattoo represents. What many believe to be my father’s first name, Alling, has been scrutinized. I’ve been told elephants will eat the fruit of my banana tree and that if I keep a goat I must keep it indoors or it will be eaten by a leopard. I’ve made and used a Maasai toothbrush. And I’ve even learned to protect myself from the large mammals lurking in my backyard.
These next two years are looking bright.
