Relaxed after a nice long holiday....

Well, it has been a few weeks since I last wrote, so lots to report!

I have been away on holidays for 3 glorious weeks in east Africa, specifically Kenya and Tanzania! It was absolutely fantastic. I spent time with my parents, aunt and uncle and Fai, and we all had a really great time. Mornings started with safari drives in whatever park we were located, followed by a great breakfast, and then cocktail hour daily at noon, followed by time at the pool just relaxing, getting ready for the late afternoon safari drive again! No two days were the same…always seeing different animals doing different things everyday, in the various parks we visited.

This was the first trip to Africa for my family that came to visit, and so it was great to be able to experience it with them. After being here a few times in the past, and now living here the last year, you forget that some things are just so different from home…I almost forget how good roads are supposed to be for driving on, and that it isn’t normal to have hundreds of people selling things you never thought a person could need at every street light, in the lane ways of highway traffic, and just about anywhere else a person could end up, or that women use their heads and not their hands for carrying things like water, wood, food, etc for miles on end! I think the family was “impressed” with the Kenyan roads…if you call them that. Most were basically dried up river beds, 30 kms of driving took over an hour on the good roads! I think my father especially truly enjoyed the driving, not quite getting that some of these “bad” roads would actually be considered good roads in other areas of Africa (namely west Africa)! We traveled all over Kenya, from Samburu national park (named after the masai people who live there), Mount Kenya area, where I finally felt cold weather (10 degrees or so at night) again, to Masai Mara park where it was pretty hot everyday, but nothing like the 42 degree weather in Nigeria that I had left behind, to Lake Nakuru, famous for its millions of flamingos and white rhinos! We then headed for Tanzania where we visited the Serengetti and got to witness the beginning of the wildebeest and zebra migration…thousands upon thousands of these animals migrating back to water sources, for new food and water, to raise the newborns! I can only imagine what the true migration would be like! Masai Mara We then headed to Ngorongoro Crater, which is a huge crater at the base of a mountain, where the “Big 5” live (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo) freely, as there are good sources of water and food year round for them!

Now, I am not one who is known for taking extravagant holidays, where everything is catered and planned for, but this was well worth the money spent! The lodges we stayed at where incredible. It seemed the more difficult the roads were to get there, the more amazing the lodges were! Some of them were right in the parks, so wild animals running all over the place. The rooms had incredible views into the craters, and into the river beds (albeit most were dry at this time of year). The food was also pretty good wherever we went. While similar to resorts in Cuba, Jamaica, etc, where everything is buffet, it was all very high quality with a good mix of everything you want, including local foods that I have become accustomed to (ugali, boiled spinach, etc). The trip definitely exceeded my expectations in terms of the places we stayed, and the food we ate, so definitely made for an amazing trip. We even crossed the equator, and did in fact witness that water does in fact turn opposite ways…even have it on video! Pretty amazing to see…having lived on both sides, I never really thought about it, until I say the Simpsons episode where Bart asked if it was true, and then I forgot all about it…but it is in fact true!

Now, onto the animals! We literally saw everything you can imagine seeing in Africa, except for most large primates as they are mostly only in the forest, mountain areas. On the first day alone we say 4 of the big 5…everything but the elusive leopard, and from there it just got better and better!. Seeing these animals up close and completely unaware of your existence is pretty awesome experience. They just sit there looking back at you, as thought you are the strangest thing they have ever seen! The funniest/cutest are the baby elephants who confuse the safari trucks you are driving around in for their mothers! But if you were to get in the way of the baby and its mother, she would literally just flip the truck with her trunk, as we saw them do to big trees all over the place! The lions walk right up to the cars, sort of sniffing them out wondering if there is any food they could eat. But also, you see a lot of lion fornication! We learned that lions have sex over 20,000 times in their lives (with multiple partners), and the lioness is always the initiator, otherwise if she didn’t, there would be no cubs, as the lions are too lazy to do anything (and the whole thing last all of about 6 seconds!) .The rhinos slowly slaunter by the vehicles, just looking to eat the good grass or whatever it is they are looking for underneath! The hyenas are pretty dumb in that they just run in front of the vehicle, trying to “escape” this big creature following them! The giraffes are everywhere, and you would thing that at 12 feet tall that you would always be able to spot them, but they blend in so well that it is almost impossible to spot the 20 or so of them eating in the trees. The buffalos are everywhere, just chewing on cud…cant saw they impressed me all the much, as they are just like cows really, but everytime I saw one, I just thought of buffalo mozzarella! Still don’t really know the difference between the antlered deer like animals (gazelles, antelope, taupes, etc.), but still neat to see them! All in all, a great trip. And, highly recommend to anyone thinking of it, to just do it!

Apart from that, it is now back to work. It is hard to believe that I have only 3 months left to go on this current assignment! I have a few things in the works for where I am heading next, but will let you know once it is all confirmed, but it will definitely be a place more accessible to most of you out there! Polio and now meningitis is completely out of control in west Africa. While we make strides in some locations, others are exploding. The weather does not help, as right now, most days in Nigeria reach at least 43 degrees! And in the north, where I am shortly heading, it is on average 51 degrees (all in celcius)!!! So, you the heat plays a role in how these diseases are spread, but also just poor sanitary conditions.

The other thing that has caused a bit of a mess this week, is the dear Pope has paid a visit to Africa, specifically Cameroon, and after just getting off the plane, his first speech was to declare that condom distribution should be stopped, as they “increase” the incidence of HIV/AIDS!!! What the f*&k is all I have to say. WHO and UNAIDS have a clear deal with the Vatican charity, the Pontifical, that the Pope would only promote abstinence and not even discuss condoms in his speeches, especially in African countries (where Catholocism in some African countries is the primary religion – Cameroon being one of them!). South Africa in the early 2000’s refused the Pope at that time entry due to their stance on condoms. We were all in a bit of shock that he would say that, especially at such a crucial time, where there is a lot of positive work being done on combating HIV/AIDS…now we have been pushed back at least 20 years, at least in west Africa, where the message has spread. People listen to his messages and take them to heart – in Yaounde and other areas condoms were being blown up and hung on trees, or packages being destroyed, so that they would be ineffective for those who chose to use them. One thing to note, especially in west Africa is that sex is typically not a pleasurable activity – it is transactional, an exchange of services for money, often even happening between husband and wife. I am not saying this is always the case, the for a significant number of women and men (especially those in very rural, poor areas), this is how it works. Young girls are out prostituting themselves to pay for their education or to pay for families they have to support. So, the Pope’s visit has not been well received by us UN people and the other NGO agencies doing HIV/AIDS education/sensitization…hopefully, he soon returns to the Vatican and is never again invited back. There is my rant of the week….feel free to protest or disagree, just my opinion!

Well, enough for now. Lots of work to do! I am off on mission the next couple of weeks, so may not be able to post for a bit, but I will try. I plan to be away again for Easter somewhere, likely in Africa, just not sure where yet!

Hope you are all well, and looking forward to Northern Hemisphere weather!

a bientot, ange