January 18, 2011

After watching a stunning sunrise over the Yeada Valley, the Hadza helped us roll up our tents and pack our trucks for another day of travel. The journey began with Hadza women chanting traditional versus as we bounced down the mountain road. We said our final goodbyes to our Hadza hosts, and shortly after one of the trucks found its wheels spinning in place on the muddy trail. In desperate need of some exercise, not that we hadn’t spent the last 3 days trying to keep up with the Hadza, the whole group got out of the truck and pushed. Fortunately, it took only a few minutes of effort before we were on our way again.  Following our first hot shower in over a week, we ended the day with a group discussion of the Hadza.

Hadza elder making digging stick.
Photo by: Jasmine Macies

FYI About Tanzanian Food

Ja-Z and KT have noticed many followers have been commenting regarding the food being served here in Tanzania. We thought we should clear this up. The following is a meal by meal list of what we eat:

Breakfast usually consists of toast along side eggs (hard boiled or scrambled), a variety of delicious fresh fruit ranging from mango, watermelon, pineapple, bananas and passion fruit. Often times there is bacon or sausage and always coffee and tea.

Between breakfast and lunch we take a cookie break, recipes from resident guide Truda.

For lunch we make sandwiches the typical meat and cheese or peanut butter and honey, with a side of vegetables and sometimes amazing guacamole. On special occasions we a treated to Hyrax liver, bee larvae, fresh honeycomb, bush berries or tubers.

Dinner is a standard meal. Typically rice or another starch is served with a curried meat, beef or chicken, and a vegetarian option, usually also curried, and a side vegetables.

Dessert is always BANGIN! Everyone always has seconds...sometimes thirds. So if your wondering about weightless on this trip, its not happening.

PS check back later for yesterday's adventures! We miss everyone at home, hope this satisfies your curiosities.

Signing off for now Ja-Z and KT.

January 17, 2011

­­­After an early breakfast, we broke up into smaller groups to join the Hadza for a morning of hunting.  It was a learning experience for all, as we did not have translators.  Over the next 6 hours, we followed the Hadza into the valley as the scaled enormous baobob trees to harvest honey.  Agile enough to climb one-handed, the Hadza were fearless as they stuck their hands into swarming beehives, throwing down honeycomb for us to taste.  In action, the hunter’s were very impressive as they swiftly moved about, looking for prey. Two groups returned to camp with the day’s catch; a bushbaby and a bush hyrax to cook over the fire.  It was intriguing to see how the hunter’s prepared their kill and made us appreciate how the Hadza people live off of the land.  The day ended with a hike up a cliff side to see rock art that dated up to 5,000 years old.  Although the creators of the rock art are unknown, we plan to use digital imaging software that enables us to see beneath the surface, revealing pictures in their original state.

 Hadza hunter  climbing baobab tree.

Photo by: Raechel Kaozlowski

For Your Viewing Pleasure

PS: Comment for your favorite adventurer!

Love Ja-Z & KT

January 16, 2011

It was an early morning pack up before we headed off to our next campsite in the Yaeda Valley. Instead of driving there like usual, we hiked the 7 miles to our next campsite. While the distance was long, the savanna scenery was absolutely beautiful. Walking also allowed us to see some exciting things, such as two Grey Crowned Cranes and a bullfrog so large it had to be held with two hands, watching our Hadza guides crawl into a Baobab tree full of bees and witnessing a Hadza hunt!  When we arrived at our new campsite, we quickly discovered the amazing 360 degree view of the entire valley. Although we were exhausted, the sight was just what we needed to finish up the day. In the evening on the rock we discussed the Hadza and the future of their people. Some students enjoyed the view so much they decided to sleep on top of the rock and taking star trails!      

             

View from atop our Rock

Photo By: Lizzy Baxter                                                                                 

January 15, 2011

 For our first day in the Yaeda Valley, we joined Hadza men and women in collecting two kinds of tubers (//’ekwa* and shumuko) and honey.  As we gathered, the women showed us how to eat the small, raw tubers, and later we sat around a fire to roast the larger tubers.  In the afternoon, some students learned how to make arrows and jewelry, while others learned to climb an ancient baobab tree.  Later, the group came together to visit a nearby Hadza bush camp and see how these nomadic people live in the wilderness. All of these activities allowed the students and Hadza to bond.

*//’  represents a click in the Hadzane language

PS- Ja-Z and KT we saw some spectacular views today on our hike, hopefully pics to follow!

Picture: Virginia Hall, guided by Hadza women, digs for //’ekwa.

Photo credit: Megan Krol

Photo editing: Griffin Lotz

January 14, 2011

While the rain came down we packed up camp in the Nou Forest, half the group opted for an adventure in the trucks, the other half taking a walk through the village one last time. The final hour in the forest provided some of the best bird watching the group has had in the forest spotting a Golden-winged Sunbird, the beautiful White-starred Robin and some were lucky enough to see a Yellow Bishop. Due to various truck delays the 11-mile trip to the Yaeda Valley took over 6 hours. Arriving at our new campsite the Hadza greeted us and the group got right to work. Some of the wildlife group used the tracking skills of a Hadza guide, Moshi, to set up remote cameras. The group got the opportunity to witness their guide checking for honey in a tree. The night concluded with a shared song and dance in celebration of our tour guide Daudi’s 60^th birthday.

PS Ja-Z wants to wish KT a happy 22nd birthday! It was an awesome day :)

 Video from Doudi's birthday celebration!

January 13, 2011

On our last day at the Nou Forest, we were given the option to catch up on school work or go on a surprise hike with Daudi, our guide and founder of Dorobo Tours. The hike was four hours of rigorous work, but worth the effort. Those who went arrived at an Iraqw waterfall, where the students enjoyed the view and refreshing water (yay showers!). For those who stayed around camp went on individual hikes to enjoy solitude and the unique environment around them. Some students even came across a newborn calf among an Iraqw cattle herd. We are excited to travel to the Yaeda Valley tomorrow and experience life with the Hadzabe tribe.

PS- Ja-Z and KT apologize for missing yesterday, expect another upload in the next few hours!

Students enjoy a refreshing waterfall in Nou Forest

Photo By: Katie Pusecker

January 12, 2011

We were awoken to the sound of pouring rain reverberating from the roof of our tents.  After breakfast, we began learning the Tanzanian anthem with our tent mama Maggie, as it was Union Day, to celebrate when Zanzibar and Tanganyika untied to create the Republic Tanzania.  We may have been out of tune at times, but we loved the opportunity to sing in Swahili.  Half of the class met the Iraqw and the others worked on their articles on the Iraqw and Hadza tribes.  Our day ended with a fireside chat with some Iraqw village chairmen and a forest guard. When we asked about the recent election, Karoli, the forest guard, said “if the hyena is the judge the goats fate is certain.”

Photos from our first crit

January 11, 2011

True to form, the Nou cloud forest’s lush flora faded into the morning mist as rain found its way into our tents.  However, the sky cleared up just in time for the students to start the day.  Half the group stayed in camp to complete assignments while the rest followed local forest guard, Karoli, into the nearby village to exchange cultural experiences with the agro-pastoral Iraqw tribe.  The wildlife group photographed an aardvark on the remote cameras set out the day before. After a week of planned activities, we enjoyed our freedom to explore the Nou forest in the afternoon.  Our long day concluded around the fire joined by Iraqw forest guards.
 
PS Ja-Z says hi-five to all the comments, we love hearing from everyone at home, keep 'em coming! KT would like to know where Kath is, and why she hasn't commented yet? didn't you like the lion?!

Picture: Karoli and his son play outside Karoli’s mother’s home.
Photo credit: Holley Kline
Photo editing: Meg Krol

 

January 10, 2011

Today as we packed up in Tarangire National Park, we took in the last glimpse of the beautiful surroundings; our destination for the day was the Nou Highland Forest. We paused from our daylong journey at the breath taking Balangida Lake, where children herded their livestock just a few feet in front of us. As we ate, we noticed the lake surface covered with hundreds of flamingos and other water birds. As we drove away we looked back to see isolated storms roll in creating thick columns of rain across the plains below. We continued into some Iraqw villages, ending the day with an bush whacking experience to arrive at our new campsite.

PS Ja-Z and KT like to read the comments aloud around the fire at night, so keep them coming!

The beautiful Balangida Lake.
Photo by: Sam Mancuso

January 9, 2011

Rising before the sun at Tarangire National Park, we expected fewer animals due to last night’s rain.  However, the day was surprisingly eventful.  In a rare occurrence, the photography group shared a tense hour with a pride of lions as they ambushed a pair of warthogs.  Meanwhile, the wildlife group was in awe as a bachelor group of elephants came within an arms length of the truck.  The sight left some students speechless and in tears.  As if that wasn’t enough, the day ended with another suspenseful moment as a lioness attempted to stalk a giraffe.  Although the giraffe was able to escape, a baby warthog was less fortunate. 


PS: Ja-Z and KT are tired of the slacking, please pick up the view count! Tell your friends and family to follow along.

Lion chasing a warthog.

Top photo: Katie Pusecker

Bottom photo: Rachel Kozlowski

January 8, 2011

After packing up our tents at the Olasiti Village campsite, we ventured off to Tarangire National Park, famous for its elephant populations. We arrived at Tarangire Safari Lodge, which overlooks miles of beautiful African savanna!  From the lodge terrace we were excited to see giraffes, zebra, impala, and elephants. As Tarangire has a constant water supply, it attracts a variety of wildlife; during our safari, we identified and photographed ostriches, elephants, impala, water buck, dwarf mongoose and lions! Tomorrow we will head out at 6:30AM and hope to see some elephants up close!

                   Grace Oldfield, CJ Corddry Caitlin Gormley, and Erica Capossela looking at elephants

                                                           from the top of the unimogs.

                                                                Photo by: John Stave

January 7, 2011

The children we met on our first day accompanied us in two large safari trucks to Arusha National Park, where we collaborated in teams to identify the most species of wildlife. The art students experimented with photography techniques while the wildlife group learned about diagnostic features of several species. The highlight of the day was seeing giraffes, greater and lesser flamingoes, Harvey’s duiker, olive baboons, and common warthogs. The day ended with the children receiving binoculars donated by a former UD student to continue their interest in wildlife, and everyone parted with fond memories!

P.S. Ja-Z and Katie missed blogging yesterday, look for another one soon though!

 

                           Greater Flamingoes soar over an alkaline lake in Arusha National Park.

                                                         Photo Credit: Griffin Lotz

January 6, 2011

On our first full day the photography class spent the morning at the Olasiti Orphanage where students sewed and beaded with the children. The afternoon was spent with the orphans visiting Shanga, a company that employs disabled workers who make jewelry and crafts out of recycled materials. The group also explored Africa art from ancient masks to contemporary pieces at the Arusha Cultural Heritage Museum. The Wildlife Conservation group traveled to the Asogati Plains to experience the unique fauna of the Somali ecosystem. The group searched for the Beesley’s Lark; only 50 exist in the world, and they found not just one but five. In total they found over 50 species of animals including their first megafauna such as zebras and ostriches.  

P.S. Ja-Z and Katie are awesome bloggers...yay satellites!

                                                Joy Wedge sewing with one of the children.