Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Day 16 - Meatless Monday
The Massacre of Meatless Mondays:
Tonight we ate at the Carnivore restaurant for our last formal dinner
as a group. What‚ is on the menu you ask? Here‚are a few of the options:
leg of lamb, leg of beef, leg of camel, crocodile tail, ox balls, ox
vegetarians and vegans there is salad as an alternative option. This
was the high point of my day. Especially since we started driving at
seven a.m. in the morning and did not eat much in the course of the
day except snacks and water, on our eight hour bus ride from Mombasa
to Nairobi. Oh yeah that was one of the other hilarities of this
trip, no traveling by air or land or sea will ever be as tedious as
the bus rides here were, but that‚It's alright, it was part of the
experience as they say. Finishing our trip with the carnivore
restaurant was very good. About five of us brave souls tried the ox
balls, myself included. They were for me, not so flavorful, and it
was not the idea that threw me off, it was actually the flavor, but
now I know. However the camel, ostrich, and crocodile tail hit the
spot. And so after finishing one all you can eat round of salad and
exotic meats, and dessert and coffee, my body is happy and in a food
coma, and it is becoming increasingly important that I find a place to
fall into a deep hibernation. Goodnight and so ‚long.
Tonight we ate at the Carnivore restaurant for our last formal dinner
as a group. What‚ is on the menu you ask? Here‚are a few of the options:
leg of lamb, leg of beef, leg of camel, crocodile tail, ox balls, ox
vegetarians and vegans there is salad as an alternative option. This
was the high point of my day. Especially since we started driving at
seven a.m. in the morning and did not eat much in the course of the
day except snacks and water, on our eight hour bus ride from Mombasa
to Nairobi. Oh yeah that was one of the other hilarities of this
trip, no traveling by air or land or sea will ever be as tedious as
the bus rides here were, but that‚It's alright, it was part of the
experience as they say. Finishing our trip with the carnivore
restaurant was very good. About five of us brave souls tried the ox
balls, myself included. They were for me, not so flavorful, and it
was not the idea that threw me off, it was actually the flavor, but
now I know. However the camel, ostrich, and crocodile tail hit the
spot. And so after finishing one all you can eat round of salad and
exotic meats, and dessert and coffee, my body is happy and in a food
coma, and it is becoming increasingly important that I find a place to
fall into a deep hibernation. Goodnight and so ‚long.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Rose Kouzoujian Final Portfolio: Pinhole Photography
Definition of Pinhole Photography:
A camera which has no lenses, but consists essentially of a darkened box with a small hole in one side, so that an inverted image of outside objects is projected on the opposite side where it is recorded on photographic film.
Questions for the Masai to Foster Cultural Understanding
How hard is it to/how do you hold onto your traditional culture in this modern world and globalization?
What is the most important traditional thing for you?
Is family an important part of your life?
Describe your family structure.
What are your religious/spiritual beliefs?
Who created humans?
Describe a typical day.
Do you have a personal connection to wild animals?
If so, do they have an impact on your culture?
What is the situation with water in your village?
Do you have guilt in your culture?
Are men and women equal?
What do you spend money on?
What is your most important material object?
How do you deal with death?
What do you do with dead people?
Do you believe in the afterlife?
Are there special traditions when someone is born?
Are there rituals depending on age?
How do young people become adults?
What is the significance of clothes, accessories and paint?
What are your biggest challenges in life?
What are your expectations for your culture?
What is the appropriate age to get married?
How is a wedding arranged?
What are the society rules?
If so, what are the punishments?
How does your culture deal with diseases or natural catastrophes?
Where do you get your “energy” from?
Do you fight?
How do you solve conflict?
Do you interact with other villages?
Do you work together/collaborate with other villages?
Do you trade? If so, what?
Are you informed about current events around the world?
What do you think about colonization?
How did you gain your independence?
What is the most important traditional thing for you?
Is family an important part of your life?
Describe your family structure.
What are your religious/spiritual beliefs?
Who created humans?
Describe a typical day.
Do you have a personal connection to wild animals?
If so, do they have an impact on your culture?
What is the situation with water in your village?
Do you have guilt in your culture?
Are men and women equal?
What do you spend money on?
What is your most important material object?
How do you deal with death?
What do you do with dead people?
Do you believe in the afterlife?
Are there special traditions when someone is born?
Are there rituals depending on age?
How do young people become adults?
What is the significance of clothes, accessories and paint?
What are your biggest challenges in life?
What are your expectations for your culture?
What is the appropriate age to get married?
How is a wedding arranged?
What are the society rules?
If so, what are the punishments?
How does your culture deal with diseases or natural catastrophes?
Where do you get your “energy” from?
Do you fight?
How do you solve conflict?
Do you interact with other villages?
Do you work together/collaborate with other villages?
Do you trade? If so, what?
Are you informed about current events around the world?
What do you think about colonization?
How did you gain your independence?
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Day 8 - Safari
We stayed in the Sopa Lodge for two nights, after visiting Maji Moto a Masai camp, and outfitter destination where ,Sankale Ntutu, our guide and a Masai Warrior Chief instructor who is about to join the elders council in the Masai community, since he’s trained three generations of Masai warriors, and is about to finish training the fourth generation. After arriving at Masai Mara and getting some much needed rest in a bed we did not feel quite as fatigued coming from the tents and basics at Maji Moto. Even though we woke up as always early in the morning to get a full day of safari from 7:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Which saw a miscellany of animals grazing or hunting. Some of those animals included: zebras, gnus, gazelles, black rhino, lions and even leopards. We were extremely lucky to see three black rhinos, since there are only two thousand black rhinos in all of Kenya, and only eighteen in the whole of the park we visited. The exact number of animals we saw was difficult to calculate. Although it was challenging to stand and shoot in the vans, we got some amazing shots and footage of gorgeous wildlife and terrain before heading back to our hotel.
After a great lunch including many native Kenyan dishes, we broke off in order to experience the second round of safari periods known as “magic hours”- (dusk and dawn)- when many of the large grazers and predators are most active. The safari started as usual with gazelles and gnus, followed by zebras and different kind of birds. We drove through the beautiful Kenyan landscape getting many good photos again. All of a sudden, our driver Felix stopped next to another car not belonging to our group. The two drivers were talking about something in Swahili. I concluded that their conversation might be about trying to locate a cheetah because right after their talk, we made a u-turn and followed the other car. Immediately after, we saw the cheetah. This was a fantastic start to the afternoon because it was difficult to find and even harder to take pictures of the cheetah, since it was hiding so well. We were able to take some nice photos of the cheetah. The driver left this spot soon after, knowing where to go next. Suddenly, we saw an animal we haven’t seen before on our trip, a leopard – the most illusive animal in the reserve. The leopard looked so amazing and stunning especially in its natural habitat, but photographing it proved to be extremely difficult. Although everyone got his or her images, I felt sad for the leopard, since we were clearly invading its space. Of course everyone wants to have the perfect images and the best views but also should respect the life of animals. We then headed home. It was dusk and so the sunset was exquisite. Halfway back, we saw something everyone dreamt of seeing but would never believe that we had the luck to see it; lions eating, and they were right next to us! The lions were eating the gazelle and making loud groans and guttural sounds. Despite this unforgettable situation, we had to leave the reserve. We left, but seconds later the driver stopped again because we saw elephants. We shot a bunch of nice images of an entire elephant family, with a beautiful pink horizon in the background. We had to leave this spot earlier than we wanted to, but the park was closing. It is hard to believe that the beginning of our day both started and ended so extraordinarily. For all of us in the group “Silent Zebras”, today was the best day in Kenya so far.
Vince and Philipp
Day 8 - Safari
We stayed in the Sopa Lodg
e f
or two nights, after visiting Maji Moto a Masai camp, and outfitter destinati
on where ,Sankale Ntutu, our guide and a Masai Warrior Chief instructor who is about to j
oin the elders council in the Masai community, since he’s trained three generations of Masai warriors, and is about to finish training the fourth generation. After arriving at Masai Mara and getting some much needed rest in a bed we did not feel quite as fatigued coming from the tents and basics at Maji Moto. Even though we woke up as always early in the morning to get a full day of safari from 7:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Which saw a miscellany of animals grazing or hunting. Some of those animals included: zebras, gnus, gazelles, black rhino, lions and even leopards. We were extremely lucky to see three black rhinos, since there are only two thousand black rhinos in all of Kenya, and only eighteen in the whole of the park we visited. The exact number
of animals we saw
was difficult to calculate. Although it was challenging to stand and shoot in the vans, we got some amazing shots and footage of gorgeous wildlife and terrain before heading back to our hotel.
After a great lunch including many native Kenyan dishes, we broke off in order to experience the second round of safari periods known as “magic hours”- (dusk and dawn)- when many of the large grazers and predators are most active. The safari started as usual with gazelles and gnus, followed by zebras and different kind of birds. We drove through the beautiful Kenyan landscape getting many good photos again. All of a sudden, our driver Felix stopped next to another car not belonging to our group. The two drivers were talking about something in Swahili. I concluded that their conversation might be about trying to locate a cheetah because right after their talk, we made a u-turn and followed the other car. Immediately after, we saw the cheetah. This was a fantastic start to the afternoon because it was difficult to find and even harder to take pictures of the cheetah, since it was hiding so well. We were able to take some nice photos of the cheetah. The driver left this spot soon after, knowing where to go next. Suddenly, we saw an animal we haven’t seen before on our trip, a leopard – the most illusive animal in the reserve. The leopard looked so amazing and stunning especially in its natural habitat, but photographing it proved to be extremely difficult. Although everyone got his or her images, I felt sad for the leopard, since we were clearly invading its space. Of course everyone wants to have the perfect images and the best views but also should respect the life of animals. We then headed home. It was dusk and so the sunset was exquisite. Halfway back, we saw something everyone dreamt of seeing but would never believe that we had the luck to see it; lions eating, and they were right next to us! The lions were eating the gazelle and making loud groans and guttural sounds. Despite this unforgettable situation, we had to leave the reserve. We left, but seconds later the driver stopped again because we saw elephants. We shot a bunch of nice images of an entire elephant family, with a beautiful pink horizon in the background. We had to leave this spot earlier than we wanted to, but the park was closing. It is hard to believe that the beginning of our day both started and ended so extraordinarily. For all of us in the group “Silent Zebras”, today was the best day in Kenya so far.
Day 13
It’s the thirteenth of March 2011, and our thirteenth day on our
safari- (journey in Swahili)- in Kenya. We started out the day around
9:00 a.m. and headed over to the Serena Hotel, Kenya’s most famous
hotel started by the nation’s first president Jomo Kenyatta. The
Serena is a stunning facility, about 14 of us (students and teachers)
enjoyed a snorkeling excursion. The rest of the students and teachers
stayed behind to enjoy the pool and beach at the Serena Hotel. I
decided to go snorkeling since, the Indian Ocean’s water is extremely
clear and its temperature is sublime. This was in my opinion a good
choice since the variety of fish was really fascinating to photograph,
and since I had some energy that that got burnt off swimming so much.
Afterwards everyone rendezvoused at the hotel for lunch and beverages.
The food here has been some of the best so far. Everybody returned
to the pool and beach areas to relax and take pictures, for an hour or
so. Around 5:45 p.m. we returned to the Mombasa Beach Hotel for
dinner and a final upload, people beginning to get worn thin, but
it’ll be worth while. For now that’s all. Goodbye.
Respectfully, Ross Kadri
Day 11 - Women's Village in Kitui
We got an early start to a pretty long day, and after eating breakfast we headed over to a specialized basket-making store where we met some of the women we were going to be spending the day with and bought some baskets. The women showed us how they dye and then weave the baskets into different patterns and styles. After we finished purchasing the woven baskets, we got back on the bus and went to a special school for learning. This school was made up of children of all ages with learning disabilities, loss of sight, loss of limb usage, loss of hearing, and other detrimental disabilities. They danced for us and were very cute, and we gave them candy and tried to engage them. Then we left for a women’s village, where we spent the rest of the day. When we arrived there, the women greeted us with songs, dancing, and other festivities. Along with women, there were also many young boys and girls– children from the school nearby. After some greeting festivities, we got to know each other a little better. Then we split off into four groups to make getting comfortable with each other a little easier. Our different groups went to all these different stations that they had, each depicting their daily routines. For example, at one station we ground flour, but this was some ceremony that initiated marriage, so every time one of us did it they asked if we were ready to get married. In another station we mashed corn, at one we got to plow the fields using this metal contraption and two cows. They also showed us their traditional songs and their farm and farmhouses. We all met back together a few hours later to have a traditional lunch: chicken, beans, bread, and lamb. It was also the first time we got free sodas on the trip. It was hard because we had to eat first and in front of all of the children, and you could tell they were so hungry while we were eating all this great food in front of them, so I smuggled them a lot of food and soda and they were so grateful. We finished eating and the women started to dance, and some of the girls (Pia, Olivia, and I mainly) joined in their dance; which consisted of sticking your butt out shaking it at the other person while moving your arms and shaking the rest of your body. If you can imagine it, it was very different than what we’re used to. Everything about these people was different than what we’re used to, and it was so cool to immerse ourselves in the culture for a day. We danced and laughed for a while, and then us Ross students performed “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, the Macarena, and “Build Me Up Buttercup” for the kids. After a very long goodbye, we gave them the donations we brought with us from New York and they were very grateful for that. We prayed and were on our way, and we got home at seven thirty, ate dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the night.
-Lucy
View Larger Map
-Lucy
View Larger Map
Friday, March 11, 2011
Day 8 - Safari
Day 8
After a great lunch including many native Kenyan dishes, we broke off in order to experience the second round of safari periods known as “magic hours”- (dusk and dawn)- when many of the large grazers and predators are most active. The safari started as usual with gazelles and gnus, followed by zebras and different kind of birds. We drove through the beautiful Kenyan landscape getting many good photos again. All of a sudden, our driver Felix stopped next to another car not belonging to our group. The two drivers were talking about something in Swahili. I concluded that their conversation might be about trying to locate a cheetah because right after their talk, we made a u-turn and followed the other car. Immediately after, we saw the cheetah. This was a fantastic start to the afternoon because it was difficult to find and even harder to take pictures of the cheetah, since it was hiding so well. We were able to take some nice photos of the cheetah. The driver left this spot soon after, knowing where to go next. Suddenly, we saw an animal we haven’t seen before on our trip, a leopard – the most illusive animal in the reserve. The leopard looked so amazing and stunning especially in its natural habitat, but photographing it proved to be extremely difficult. Although everyone got his or her images, I felt sad for the leopard, since we were clearly invading its space. Of course everyone wants to have the perfect images and the best views but also should respect the life of animals. We then headed home. It was dusk and so the sunset was exquisite. Halfway back, we saw something everyone dreamt of seeing but would never believe that we had the luck to see it; lions eating, and they were right next to us! The lions were eating the gazelle and making loud groans and guttural sounds. Despite this unforgettable situation, we had to leave the reserve. We left, but seconds later the driver stopped again because we saw elephants. We shot a bunch of nice images of an entire elephant family, with a beautiful pink horizon in the background. We had to leave this spot earlier than we wanted to, but the park was closing. It is hard to believe that the beginning of our day both started and ended so extraordinarily. For all of us in the group “Silent Zebras”, today was the best day in Kenya so far.
Day 12 - To Mombasa
Today was an endeavor. It was a travel day, which sums up the most of it, but the actual traveling situation created many memories that all of us, if not at least those in my van, hope to forget. We left early in the morning, at about 8 am, from
Machokos.
It was a happy moment – leaving the dormitories many of us referred to as “the jail”, which reminded us of something out of a bad horror movie. Tired and somewhat hungry, we loaded into our vans, packed with luggage. The first hour of the bus ride went by well. We were in the dry heat driving to Nairobi, so with the windows it was the next best thing to air conditioning. We stopped within the hour at a gas station to buy provisions for our journey (which was mostly of the chocolate and beverage nature). Back on the road, content with our purchases, we began to sleep.
One by one we passed out, hoping to possibly sleep the entire drive.
Then, the head took hold. Hour by hour, the sun rose higher into the sky, turning our vans into toaster ovens, cooking us like bagel bites. The clothing slowly became stripped down to the thinnest base layer we could manage. The sweatpants and tank tops that were perfect morning attire in the desert became a cage that trapped in the heat and prevented breathing between body and air. Hunting boots, which climbed the leg up to the kneecap with kaki pants tucked in, was the worst idea ever. About three hours from our destination, we stopped to have lunch at another gas station. The humidity could be felt on the skin like a wet cloth preventing inhalation.
Getting out of the car was almost painful. Our clothing was sticking to our bodies like a new layer of skin. Reaching for a chocolate bar would only result in sadness as the realization of the chocolates liquefaction kicked in. After hauling our burning corpses our of the buses, we feasted on cold drinks, French fries that needed salt, and chicken which has seen better days. We remained in our Eden of fast food for about an hour, only to be indecisive on the results of the bus ride to come. It was bad. There was no escaping the heat. Feeling slightly dizzy, constant throws of my arms onto Kendal’s shoulder exclaiming “I’m dying” kept the humor level at a steady level of non existent.
We kept peering at the horizon wishing that the next dark mountain was the ocean. Then, the coast was in sight. Driving through beach town slums we drove down the hotels road. We poured out of the vans hoping to feel the hotel air conditioning, only to be sadly disappointed that the hotel lobby was an open-air room. After about half an hour of meaningless waiting, we got to our rooms, which were spaced out strangely. They had Wi-Fi and air conditioning, which is really the only thing on our must haves list. Emails to family at home and FB updates took up the first half hour of our stay at the Mombasa Beach Hotel. We found out about the tsunami that hit Japan, but we were happy to hear that the Japan m-term was not affected. We had the afternoon off to go to the beach and swim in the pool, which most of us took advantage of. We had dinner at the hotel – buffet style. We are all so happy that we survived the trip to the coast, and we have high hopes for the future of this section of our m-term.
-Thomas
Machokos.
It was a happy moment – leaving the dormitories many of us referred to as “the jail”, which reminded us of something out of a bad horror movie. Tired and somewhat hungry, we loaded into our vans, packed with luggage. The first hour of the bus ride went by well. We were in the dry heat driving to Nairobi, so with the windows it was the next best thing to air conditioning. We stopped within the hour at a gas station to buy provisions for our journey (which was mostly of the chocolate and beverage nature). Back on the road, content with our purchases, we began to sleep.
One by one we passed out, hoping to possibly sleep the entire drive.
Then, the head took hold. Hour by hour, the sun rose higher into the sky, turning our vans into toaster ovens, cooking us like bagel bites. The clothing slowly became stripped down to the thinnest base layer we could manage. The sweatpants and tank tops that were perfect morning attire in the desert became a cage that trapped in the heat and prevented breathing between body and air. Hunting boots, which climbed the leg up to the kneecap with kaki pants tucked in, was the worst idea ever. About three hours from our destination, we stopped to have lunch at another gas station. The humidity could be felt on the skin like a wet cloth preventing inhalation.
Getting out of the car was almost painful. Our clothing was sticking to our bodies like a new layer of skin. Reaching for a chocolate bar would only result in sadness as the realization of the chocolates liquefaction kicked in. After hauling our burning corpses our of the buses, we feasted on cold drinks, French fries that needed salt, and chicken which has seen better days. We remained in our Eden of fast food for about an hour, only to be indecisive on the results of the bus ride to come. It was bad. There was no escaping the heat. Feeling slightly dizzy, constant throws of my arms onto Kendal’s shoulder exclaiming “I’m dying” kept the humor level at a steady level of non existent.
We kept peering at the horizon wishing that the next dark mountain was the ocean. Then, the coast was in sight. Driving through beach town slums we drove down the hotels road. We poured out of the vans hoping to feel the hotel air conditioning, only to be sadly disappointed that the hotel lobby was an open-air room. After about half an hour of meaningless waiting, we got to our rooms, which were spaced out strangely. They had Wi-Fi and air conditioning, which is really the only thing on our must haves list. Emails to family at home and FB updates took up the first half hour of our stay at the Mombasa Beach Hotel. We found out about the tsunami that hit Japan, but we were happy to hear that the Japan m-term was not affected. We had the afternoon off to go to the beach and swim in the pool, which most of us took advantage of. We had dinner at the hotel – buffet style. We are all so happy that we survived the trip to the coast, and we have high hopes for the future of this section of our m-term.
-Thomas
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Day 7 - Masai Secondary School
After a beautiful sleep in the Masai tents, a few students awoke at 5:30 am to run through the land with our Masai guide, Sankale. Everyone else sprung to life a bit later and enjoyed a homemade breakfast from the Masai cook. This delicious breakfast was followed by a trip to a girls’ secondary school. The students were thrilled to receive the donated bags. Their excitement filled our hearts with happiness.
Our next stop was a co-ed primary school. As part of our visit, the head master provided us with a tour of the school and classes. Even with a language barrier we immediately bonded with young Kenyan children. We were all inspired to take many pictures, and we so enjoy playing with the kids. Our visit to the school lasted much of the day.
When we arrived back to our new Masai home, we explored the beautiful land with our Masai guides. They showed us a cave where they train their warriors and taught us a song. We were introduced to more herbs and plants and were told of their medicinal purposes. After the walk some students played an archery game with a Masai, Tomboi.
After, we headed down to a Masai village and met the locals. We documented their living situation with still shots, audio and video. Our guides translated our questions and their answers. We came back home at nightfall and ate dinner. For some students, sleep came easy while other students visited the hot springs and others sat by the fire talking and singing to some Masai. Eventually we all returned to our tents and fell into a peaceful sleep.
Gaby and Ashley (Flamingos)
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