Email from Mark to Allison:
Savour every moment as I bet you are. I know the workload is intense now but as you take your little breaks from studying/journaling, don’t forget to reflect, not on how sad it will be to leave, but how amazing and lucky it’s been to have had this experience. It’s not the last one - it’s definitely a special one though.
Allison:
I am doing my best to enjoy each moment. It is a bit stressful but you still find times to bond and enjoy one another's company. Last night we opened a bottle of wine while we worked and had some fun girly talk. I hungout for an hour in the lobby with Mel while we were harassed by a drunk guy. good times. And whenever we go out for meals, it's a chance to hangout and talk. I'm living by the adage don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
I'm late for a snorkling excursion.
Love you!! Miss you!!
Allison
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Zanzibar, Tanzania (from Mark)
(As per an email received from Allison)
Hey!
I wanted to call you last night or send you a text but I have absolutely no credit left on my phone and unfortunately roaming charges apply while we are in Tanzania and so things are expensive. I now have to pay to receive calls as well.
I'm sorry this is going to be brief but I have so much work to catch up on, every spare minute not in class is precious. We are in Zanzibar now and it is so cool. We arrived yesterday and the heat is just as oppressive as in Malindi. Thank goodness there is a breeze but there is no swimming here unfortunately. The town is beautiful! We went on a walking tour around Stone Town yesterday. It is an amazing blend of cultures that manifests itself in the architecture and the feel of the streets. Parts of the town feels like other African urban areas (and smells like it too) but then you find yourself walking down streets you'd expect to find in Morrocco, and other streets feel distinctively European. It is a really cool town and the tourism industry has absolutely exploded here in the last few years. We see a lot more tourists, way more than we're used to. It also means that we are allowed out at night and during the day. We have been given our first tastes of freedom. Up until this point, we have not been allowed to eat anywhere, wander anywhere or anything without the group. Here we are given an allowance for food and the only meal we eat at the hotel is breakfast together. Last night I went out to dinner with Jen, Marianne and Jen to Mercury's Bar (a bar named after the late Freddy Mercury who was born in Zanzibar in 1946). Our table was right on the water with a view of the park and there was a lightening storm playing off the coast into the ocean. Great company, great atmosphere and great food! It is a shame that we have so much work to do in a place like this, but the program is wrapping up so everything we've put off is catching up with us. It's great all the same. I am going to be writing my exam on a deck bar right on the Indian Ocean, so no complaints.
I wanted to call you last night or send you a text but I have absolutely no credit left on my phone and unfortunately roaming charges apply while we are in Tanzania and so things are expensive. I now have to pay to receive calls as well.
I'm sorry this is going to be brief but I have so much work to catch up on, every spare minute not in class is precious. We are in Zanzibar now and it is so cool. We arrived yesterday and the heat is just as oppressive as in Malindi. Thank goodness there is a breeze but there is no swimming here unfortunately. The town is beautiful! We went on a walking tour around Stone Town yesterday. It is an amazing blend of cultures that manifests itself in the architecture and the feel of the streets. Parts of the town feels like other African urban areas (and smells like it too) but then you find yourself walking down streets you'd expect to find in Morrocco, and other streets feel distinctively European. It is a really cool town and the tourism industry has absolutely exploded here in the last few years. We see a lot more tourists, way more than we're used to. It also means that we are allowed out at night and during the day. We have been given our first tastes of freedom. Up until this point, we have not been allowed to eat anywhere, wander anywhere or anything without the group. Here we are given an allowance for food and the only meal we eat at the hotel is breakfast together. Last night I went out to dinner with Jen, Marianne and Jen to Mercury's Bar (a bar named after the late Freddy Mercury who was born in Zanzibar in 1946). Our table was right on the water with a view of the park and there was a lightening storm playing off the coast into the ocean. Great company, great atmosphere and great food! It is a shame that we have so much work to do in a place like this, but the program is wrapping up so everything we've put off is catching up with us. It's great all the same. I am going to be writing my exam on a deck bar right on the Indian Ocean, so no complaints.
I now have to go journal. I will try to check my email again soon. I want to hear about how the new job is going!
Talk to you soon! I love you sooo much!
Allison
Talk to you soon! I love you sooo much!
Allison
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Camping on the beach - under the palm trees. (Mark)
Allison's group has made it to the coast of Kenya. They are now in Malindi and still camping, however, they are camping on the beach at the ocean. A far cry from roughing it in the rift valley they are enjoying some hot weather while they finish up session 3 courses and courses/journals that have run through the entire semester. The main lecture area the professor has secured for these 5 days is at the bar next to the beach. Allison did say the workload was getting quite intense now but I'm not sure she's ever going to enjoy a study environment quite like this ever again.
Monday, the group will travel down the coast to Mombasa, Kenya for a night before heading to Zanzibar for the last 8 days. Once again they don't have much access to the internet so she won't able to download any of the 2500 pictures that she's amassed so far. She has promised to put some on this blog when she's home.
Monday, the group will travel down the coast to Mombasa, Kenya for a night before heading to Zanzibar for the last 8 days. Once again they don't have much access to the internet so she won't able to download any of the 2500 pictures that she's amassed so far. She has promised to put some on this blog when she's home.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Discovery! (from Mark)
When most people's phones ring at 6:45am, you are a bit apprehensive. In our house though, it's a race to see who can get to the phone first because we KNOW Allison is calling and we look forward to her calls.
Monday morning's call was no different and her level of excitement (from those last posts) had not waned. Allison's group had just been a part of something quite special in that part of the world. Her group had gone off to assist in an Archaelogical survey, essentially, GPS mapping of potential new dig sites. Upon arrival on location, it was decided to move on to the next site due a group of buffalo that were currently occupying the area. It was at this second site that they discovered a site containing hydrolic stone tools from an old river bed. The group's professor is guessing that they date from the late Stone Age and according to him, it is the most important discovery in this region in the last 5 years! Important enough that the professor believes a full grant will be approved for him to return with a full archaelogical team to excavate the site.
When Allison and her group returned to camp mid afternoon, it was all they could talk about and hence, our excited phone call. I wasn't on the phone with Allison, nevertheless, I heard most of the conversation :) Obviously, she gets that from her Mum.
Monday morning's call was no different and her level of excitement (from those last posts) had not waned. Allison's group had just been a part of something quite special in that part of the world. Her group had gone off to assist in an Archaelogical survey, essentially, GPS mapping of potential new dig sites. Upon arrival on location, it was decided to move on to the next site due a group of buffalo that were currently occupying the area. It was at this second site that they discovered a site containing hydrolic stone tools from an old river bed. The group's professor is guessing that they date from the late Stone Age and according to him, it is the most important discovery in this region in the last 5 years! Important enough that the professor believes a full grant will be approved for him to return with a full archaelogical team to excavate the site.
When Allison and her group returned to camp mid afternoon, it was all they could talk about and hence, our excited phone call. I wasn't on the phone with Allison, nevertheless, I heard most of the conversation :) Obviously, she gets that from her Mum.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Stone tools and a goat
My last post was written this morning at 4am. While it is a bit excessive to write two posts in one day, this is definitely a day that warrants it.
Like I mentioned this morning, we were up early. We were on the road by 5am on our way to Kariandusi, which is the site where Louis Leakey, in 1928, uncovered the first evidence to suggest prehistoric hominid presence in Kenya. It is a home to several sites that contains thousands of deposited hand tools. It is roughly a 4 hour truck ride, but we were only conscious for the last hour after we stopped for coffee. Upon arrival, John took us to the Upper and the Lower sites where we saw some of the stone tools where they were discovered. Then the fun began!
After discussing stone tools and the various ways to identify them from regular rocks, we had the opportunity to make our own. What makes Kariandusi special is that it is one of the only sites where obsidian stone tools are found. The volcanic glass is quarried just north of the site and it is considered amongst the easiest materials to make tools with. It is easy to fracture and can be made wicked sharp.
We had a quick tutorial from our professor, David, and then we each got a chance to make our own. Using a hammer stone, and some strategic planning, one can strike a flake of an obsidian core. Getting a good flake requires some forethought and some planning. Its amazing that early hominids discovered this technique and were then able to transfer the knowledge without the use of language. Just some of the wonderful things we get to contemplate in our class.
When we were all sufficiently creating stone tools, we then put them to work. There was a goat carcass that had been freshly prepared. It was hanging, headless from a nearby tree, and with some local instruction, we tried out our tools in skinning the animal. Obsidian stone tools are wicked sharp and the task was remarkably easy. We skinned practically the whole carcass ourselves, and I got some great footage to prove it. It was surprisingly not as gross as you might expect. It was actually really cool. The process took us a while because everyone wanted to try their hand at it. Some more then others (Adri, Emily, Bianca and Anna were all over it!) but everyone tried it, including myself.
After the skinning was complete, we handed it over to the experts who removed all the fun innards, while we drank some cold sodas under a tree, complements of our thoughtful prof. About half an hour, forty-five minutes later, the goat was ready for consumption and lunch was served.
So, quick recap. We learned about stone tools, saw stone tools, made stone tools, used them to skin a goat, and then ate the goat with a hefty serving of ugali (staple Kenyan food). We also observed our cut marks on the bone, because they are the same cut marks that archaeologists use to identify a fossilised carcass that has been eaten by hominids. This is the definition of hands on learning! It creates a whole new level of engagement, comprehension and perspective that you cannot get from a classroom lecture.
We ended the day with a trip to John's house, where his wife made us some amazing rosemary chai. It was wonderful and it may have ruined all other tea for me in the future it was so good (although, Dr. Green says I should hold out for the spiced tea on the coast). It was a long truck ride back to ICIPE after that. Little did we know but we had driven right by Mt. Longonot and Lake Naivasha where we had been in session two. It is an absolutely beautiful drive up the east side of the Rift Valley, which we were all awake for this time. We got back at 7pm, just in time for dinner. All in all an amazing day!
We are heading out to Mpala tomorrow morning. We are unfortunately leaving one of our beloved staff members, Monica, behind as she is flying home soon. It's always sad when we part from professors, doctors or staff but I guess it's just a little preparation for the end of the road in Zanzibar (which is approaching much to fast for my liking).
I understand that some of you would like to see more pictures and I am sorry that I haven't provided any. We have almost no time on the computer when we do have access to internet and it just isn't enough time for me to upload pictures. Quite frankly, it's very time consuming and I do not have the patience. I do, however, have several thousands pictures (but actually, I surpassed the 2,000 mark recently), so do not fret, there will be pictures eventually!
There is now a long line of people waiting to get on this computer after me and I also have yet to pack for tomorrow. I will not have access to internet until Zanzibar but hopefully will be in cell phone range when we get the coast. At which time, hopefully Dad can post another update.
Thanks and take care!
Lala Salama!
Like I mentioned this morning, we were up early. We were on the road by 5am on our way to Kariandusi, which is the site where Louis Leakey, in 1928, uncovered the first evidence to suggest prehistoric hominid presence in Kenya. It is a home to several sites that contains thousands of deposited hand tools. It is roughly a 4 hour truck ride, but we were only conscious for the last hour after we stopped for coffee. Upon arrival, John took us to the Upper and the Lower sites where we saw some of the stone tools where they were discovered. Then the fun began!
After discussing stone tools and the various ways to identify them from regular rocks, we had the opportunity to make our own. What makes Kariandusi special is that it is one of the only sites where obsidian stone tools are found. The volcanic glass is quarried just north of the site and it is considered amongst the easiest materials to make tools with. It is easy to fracture and can be made wicked sharp.
We had a quick tutorial from our professor, David, and then we each got a chance to make our own. Using a hammer stone, and some strategic planning, one can strike a flake of an obsidian core. Getting a good flake requires some forethought and some planning. Its amazing that early hominids discovered this technique and were then able to transfer the knowledge without the use of language. Just some of the wonderful things we get to contemplate in our class.
When we were all sufficiently creating stone tools, we then put them to work. There was a goat carcass that had been freshly prepared. It was hanging, headless from a nearby tree, and with some local instruction, we tried out our tools in skinning the animal. Obsidian stone tools are wicked sharp and the task was remarkably easy. We skinned practically the whole carcass ourselves, and I got some great footage to prove it. It was surprisingly not as gross as you might expect. It was actually really cool. The process took us a while because everyone wanted to try their hand at it. Some more then others (Adri, Emily, Bianca and Anna were all over it!) but everyone tried it, including myself.
After the skinning was complete, we handed it over to the experts who removed all the fun innards, while we drank some cold sodas under a tree, complements of our thoughtful prof. About half an hour, forty-five minutes later, the goat was ready for consumption and lunch was served.
So, quick recap. We learned about stone tools, saw stone tools, made stone tools, used them to skin a goat, and then ate the goat with a hefty serving of ugali (staple Kenyan food). We also observed our cut marks on the bone, because they are the same cut marks that archaeologists use to identify a fossilised carcass that has been eaten by hominids. This is the definition of hands on learning! It creates a whole new level of engagement, comprehension and perspective that you cannot get from a classroom lecture.
We ended the day with a trip to John's house, where his wife made us some amazing rosemary chai. It was wonderful and it may have ruined all other tea for me in the future it was so good (although, Dr. Green says I should hold out for the spiced tea on the coast). It was a long truck ride back to ICIPE after that. Little did we know but we had driven right by Mt. Longonot and Lake Naivasha where we had been in session two. It is an absolutely beautiful drive up the east side of the Rift Valley, which we were all awake for this time. We got back at 7pm, just in time for dinner. All in all an amazing day!
We are heading out to Mpala tomorrow morning. We are unfortunately leaving one of our beloved staff members, Monica, behind as she is flying home soon. It's always sad when we part from professors, doctors or staff but I guess it's just a little preparation for the end of the road in Zanzibar (which is approaching much to fast for my liking).
I understand that some of you would like to see more pictures and I am sorry that I haven't provided any. We have almost no time on the computer when we do have access to internet and it just isn't enough time for me to upload pictures. Quite frankly, it's very time consuming and I do not have the patience. I do, however, have several thousands pictures (but actually, I surpassed the 2,000 mark recently), so do not fret, there will be pictures eventually!
There is now a long line of people waiting to get on this computer after me and I also have yet to pack for tomorrow. I will not have access to internet until Zanzibar but hopefully will be in cell phone range when we get the coast. At which time, hopefully Dad can post another update.
Thanks and take care!
Lala Salama!
Back to Nairobi
(Written early Thursday morning)
We returned to Nairobi last Friday to finish up classes, and it proved to be an interesting end of term. The GEOG course that I'm in had two major group projects and an exam on Saturday, and like all things at school, it was a crunch to the very end. We also had our animal reports due on Sunday and our journals to hand in on Monday. It was a crazy weekend! We were also given some time to relax however. On Saturday night, in celebration of finishing another session of classes, we headed out to Safari Park (expat haven) where we ate tons of Italian food, drank copious amounts of wine, danced and sang karoke well into the night. The whole night ended with a jump in the local pool. It was a much needed chance to unwind. On Sunday, we technically had the day off and went to Westgate Mall for the afternoon. I spent a lot of time fruitlessly trying to find a Kurt Vonnegut book.
The end of classes and then ensuing celebrations proved to be too much for me though, and I ended up with a head cold that put me out of commission for Monday's activities. I stayed in bed while the rest of the group started the urban module in Nairobi. They split into two groups and went back to Kibera to a project with Maji and another one with the Vision Sisters. I joined the group on Tuesday that went back to the UNHabitat building in Kibera and we interviewed merchants along the road about how the road had impacted their business. We later debriefed with the other groups and shared our information, so I didn't end up missing too much.
Session three courses have started! I'm am taking an archaeology course and it is possibly the coolest thing ever! I know I use words like cool, amazing and great a lot in this blog and need to desperately expand my vocabulary but until then you may have to hear them a few more times when I refer to this class. Yesterday (Wednesday) we went to the Nairobi National Museum for our first class. We essentially covered the prehistory of human origins in 1.5hours as an intro to the course. We are studying Stone Age hominids, or human origins. We also got to visit parts of the museum the public don't have access to. In the morning we visiting the casting lab which is where they make the casts of hominid fossils for the entire world. Every museum, university, exhibit that includes hominid casts, includes casts from the lab in Nairobi. It was a cool process to see and discuss. We also got to handle a bunch of the casts as we discussed the differences between them. We also visited the archaeology department in the afternoon where they house a bunch of artefacts. When I say a bunch, there were thousands upon thousands of boxes. We got the low down on stone tools and how to identify them. We are learning about hominid evolution through the development of these stone tools as human culture. It is really amazing stuff and I will probably never look at a rock the same way.
Today we are headed out to a site outside of Nairobi to find some of these stone tools. The aim of today is to learn how to identify them and even try our hand at making them ourselves using some obsidian quarried nearby. I will try to get on the computer to recap this activity before we leave Nairobi (and internet access) because it should be pretty cool.
It's now 4:22am and we are departing here at 5am so I better get some breakfast. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Elangato Waus, Kenya (via Mark)
Allison managed to call this morning dispite sporadic cell phone coverage. Actually, she and a few others hiked the closest mountain to obtain a signal! We chatted for 15 minutes until her cell phone signal was lost as they had to start down while it was still light.
She's been in remote Masai villages for the past week or so, highlighted last night with each student spending the night with a Masai family in their mud-hut homes. She slept on a goat skin bed on the dirt floor after a night of drinking tea made from goat's milk around the fire. The family spoke no English but managed with the aid of a 17 yr.old youth translator. Without much sleep, and smelling of smoke and cow dung, they spent the morning in class followed this afternoon with a Masai Olympics. Spear throwing, bow & arrow competitions and other traditional events - Allison was quite proud to hit the target with the arrow.
Following her hike down from the mountain the Masai village was putting on a feast for the Canadians. The group had already witnessed the Muslim blessing and slaughter of the goats for this feast. Allison was able to appreciate this ritual with her limited Arabic training from Queen's.
Previously in the week the group had a bit of excitement when they were hit with a hailstorm out near Lake Naivasha. She said the trip to Naivasha ended up being a 4 hour trip to a gas station. Upon return to their camp, where they've been camping out for days, her tent was the only one with the tent fly open (busted or forgotten, I'm not sure). So with her tent awash she got to sleep in one of the nearby cabins for a change.
Friday, the group moves back to Nairobi where they will have to finish up numerous assignments to conclude there session two work. After all these assignments and journals are completed and presented Saturday the group will unwind a bit in an ex-patriot bar in town. Sunday will be their first scheduled rest day in weeks. She also expects to be able get back online at that time too.
We are hoping to hear from her again on Friday and/or Sunday .............depending on how much unwinding is done!
She's been in remote Masai villages for the past week or so, highlighted last night with each student spending the night with a Masai family in their mud-hut homes. She slept on a goat skin bed on the dirt floor after a night of drinking tea made from goat's milk around the fire. The family spoke no English but managed with the aid of a 17 yr.old youth translator. Without much sleep, and smelling of smoke and cow dung, they spent the morning in class followed this afternoon with a Masai Olympics. Spear throwing, bow & arrow competitions and other traditional events - Allison was quite proud to hit the target with the arrow.
Following her hike down from the mountain the Masai village was putting on a feast for the Canadians. The group had already witnessed the Muslim blessing and slaughter of the goats for this feast. Allison was able to appreciate this ritual with her limited Arabic training from Queen's.
Previously in the week the group had a bit of excitement when they were hit with a hailstorm out near Lake Naivasha. She said the trip to Naivasha ended up being a 4 hour trip to a gas station. Upon return to their camp, where they've been camping out for days, her tent was the only one with the tent fly open (busted or forgotten, I'm not sure). So with her tent awash she got to sleep in one of the nearby cabins for a change.
Friday, the group moves back to Nairobi where they will have to finish up numerous assignments to conclude there session two work. After all these assignments and journals are completed and presented Saturday the group will unwind a bit in an ex-patriot bar in town. Sunday will be their first scheduled rest day in weeks. She also expects to be able get back online at that time too.
We are hoping to hear from her again on Friday and/or Sunday .............depending on how much unwinding is done!
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