Where to begin....
There is so much that has happened, that I have begun to loose track of my days here. As most of you are aware, I have been given a new name. I cannot deny that when the Maasai call out "Naserian", I beam with pride as I know it is my name and in my heart I am humbled by its meaning, "peaceful one". What more could I ever hope for in this experience than what I have already been given.
Every day brings with it a new adventure. No nights, no mornings, and certainly, no days are the same. As I write, a particular incident comes to mind. I was in a search of a bucket when I stumbled into the staff kitchen, not to be mistaken with the client kitchen which I frequent often. As it was nearing 5 o'clock, several Maasai had begun to queue at the counter with cups in hands. My curiosity must have been written all over my face for Douglas, my office mate, gave me his cup and suggested I try the "ugi" or maize porridge. A little apprehensive at first, as I was not sure what to expect, I decided to give it a try. What I tasted was not only hot, thick and sweet but oh! soooo good that I drank every last drop. The Maasai thought my routine of cooling down my ugi by blowing on it quite comical. With hand gestures and "ummm" sounds, they knew I was enjoying my experience. Thus began my first lessons in Ma.
This same day was also a lesson in speed and endurance. As my taste buds were being treated to a savoury experience, Greg and Libby were being dazzled by a stunning double rainbow over the African landscape. Naturally, Greg called my mobile to request a photo. While I was racing to my tent to retrieve my camera gear, I temporarily stopped to gaze upwards and that's when the siyafu (nasty little ants) started running up my legs. These ants are merciless. Their crawling causes your legs to tingle which creates a chain reaction of your itching and their biting. What had begun as a race to fetch my camera ended in a mad dash to my tent to strip off my pants. Of course the story didn't end there. The staff eventually gathered on the front lawn of the main tent for their photo op under the aforementioned rainbow. In the meantime, I had returned with new pants, set up my tripod and camera and had begun to click away. And that's when "they" struck. If you guessed ants, you are right! During the photo shoot, another colony of siyafu had run up the legs of the staff. So much swatting and beating of pants by staff may have caused a slight sympathetic chuckle behind the lens. 