Today was a non-program day and we all tried to relax and save up energy for field work. Our second and third days of field work went really well but we all needed a day to recuperate. On Friday when we did animal counts in Kimana, we had 6 elephants in our transects and also encountered some frustrated buffaloes. Never a dull moment in the field! Yesterday we were in a sanctuary called Kilitome and we didn’t really encounter many animals because my group’s transects were straight through thick vegetation, but we did follow elephant tracks most of the way.
This morning a few Maasai mamas came and taught us how to make beaded jewelry - we have a lot of respect for their patience and talent now. I spent the rest of the day working on DR (reading literature to use in my final paper). I also spent a large chunk of the afternoon working out, so now if I am too exhausted after walking transects in the field in the next few days I won’t feel as guilty. Tomorrow we will work in a wildlife sanctuary called Osupuko and on Tuesday and Wednesday we’ll be in Elerei-Rupet. I am excited to go back into the field and also for Thursday, when we have a day off to celebrate Thanksgiving, Kenya-style. We aren’t sure whether we’ll have a turkey or a goat roast yet, but I know we will have pumpkin pie! Just one more note before I head to bed – the moon has been close to full and extremely bright these past few nights and we’ve been able to see Kili lit up in the dark. We can see the silhouette and the snow shining on the peak!
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