Center for Wildlife Management Studies
August 8, 2007

Academic/Student News

The past few days have been nostalgic, to say the least. Reflecting on the past four weeks, the students are just starting to realize the friendships they have made, the knowledge they have gained, and all they have accomplished in such a short time. They are already beginning the process of reentry back to America as words of Taco Bell and hot showers are tossed around. The staff is, once again, astounded and proud of the accomplishments of our students and is reluctant to see them go. But, we are happy to send this group back home armed with a deeper knowledge of wildlife management as well as a greater understanding of a drastically different culture. Danielle D'Amour, Student Affairs Manager

Student Reflections

A lot of people think riding a horse is exhilarating.  Those people have obviously never ridden an ostrich in Kenya.  Imagine being hoisted on to the world's largest (and probably most skittish) bird by two strange Kenyan men and then hurdling through space at 35 miles an hour, screaming at the top of your lungs while your life flashes before your eyes.  On top of it, imagine eight of your classmates, your professor, a local celebrity, and some ostrich farm workers laughing hysterically at you the whole time.  Because that's what happened to me in Kenya - and it was awesome. Kerry Bequer, SUNY College of Environmental  Science and Forestry

The past two weeks here have pretty much been devoted to our Directed Research projects.  We split up into three different groups to study different aspects of the human-wildlife conflict in the Kitengela area.  One group interviewed the community, another interviewed the Kenya Wildlife Service and the National Environmental Management Authority, and my group interviewed various industries, schools, and commercial enterprises in Kitengela (town south of Nairobi).  The four days of interviewing were four of the best I've had.  Everyday was a surprise, since we never really found out who we were interviewing until that morning. The most memorable day began with using the internet café in Kitengela, where we also witnessed a man pull a cow carcass out of the bed of his pickup truck, sling it over his shoulder, and walk it into the butcher shop.  Next was an interview with a town councilman, followed by a trip to ride ostriches down the road.  Our next interview was the most unexpected.  Our advisor, John Kiringe, set up for us to go on a tour of Kenya Meat Commission's processing plant so that we could trick the PR lady into answering our questions about wildlife conservation in Kitengela.  None of us could have ever imagined touring a slaughterhouse during our trip to Kenya, but somehow we did.  While the tour was rather nauseating, we all shared a very unique experience, and of course laughed about the randomness of it all the whole way back to camp. Monica Foley, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill

Ok, so here we are on our last twenty four hours in Kenya, it went so fast.  This has been the craziest month of my life, and it is definitely going to be a long time before I can finally wrap my head around all that I have learned here.  I have seen hyenas hunt, buffalo in numbers too high to count, and almost been eaten by a lion.  Well, I mean not really almost eaten, but she was definitely preparing to jump in our Land Cruiser.  But, deeper than that, I have learned about life over here and been into homes of the local people.  I have seen everyday life that is both worlds away from what we have back home and fundamentally exactly the same.  I have made friends with the Kenyan staff, a friendship that we both learn from.  I tell myself that I will not take things for granted at home, which is a goal that is probably not very realistic.  Americans are privileged, and it is very easy to forget.  Lucky for having simple things like water that is safe to drink, heated water for showers, and free high school education.  However, there are many things that we miss out on in America, things that have long been paved over by parking lots.  I will not pretend that after one month in Africa I all of a sudden understand the world.  A month is not long enough to really figure things out, and I was just starting to understand the situation out here, and what it is like to be Kenyan.  But, a month is long enough to make you look at the world a little differently and give you a million memories that you're terrified to forget.  I know that this experience will change me, but, as I said, it will take some time before I figure out how.  I know this is all very corny, but, at the end, it's just too easy to get sentimental. Erin Clark, The Ohio State University

As it is our last day in Kenya, the mood here is somewhat somber.  We are all busy with debrief and packing and all of us are trying to figure out how exactly to pack our spears into our luggage.  Many of us are taking last pictures, writing letters, and trying to capture final moments of Kenya.  For some of us we will come back but for many of us this is their last time here.  As I look back and reflect on these past four weeks I, like many of the people here cannot describe what I have experienced.  I am so overwhelmed that I do not think I will figure out how exactly this program has changed me for quite sometime afterwards, if ever.  Right now there are only the things that I know.  I know that I will not stay in contact with most of these people, but I do know that there is a selected few who will remain close to me for quite sometime.  I know that vervet monkeys are sneaky creatures that love to steal jars of peanut butter and anything else that they can get their little hands on.  I know that our 20 minute bumpy driveway into camp full of zebras, giraffes, and cattle will never be something that we see back in the States.  Hot showers will never be taken for granted ever again, nor will washing machines.  I know that in a few short hours everyone here will never be together ever again, yet they will constantly remain in my thoughts and in my heart.  Maybe people back home won't understand what we have gone through, maybe some of them will get sick of our African stories, and maybe we won't even fully understand how we have changed, but nevertheless we have all experienced Kenya together and no one can take those memories from us.  As I get up to join my friends and start packing for the trip home, I am left with two quotes in my mind:

Change can be so constant that you don't even feel the difference until there is one.  ~Life as a House.

And as someone extremely wise just told me a few moments ago: You don't have to change the world; you just have to understand it. Michelle L. Senesac, Ohio Wesleyan University

This is the tale of a young Puerto Rican boy, a long way away from the city he calls home. His is a tale of self-discovery, identity and ambition. It is an epic quest to the other side of the world in pursuit of something intangible, something unique but all encompassing. This is his story…

Long after his descent from the heavens, during his first ride from the bustling city of Nairobi, along the twenty-minute drive down the dust road to the place he would be calling his driveway, he encountered wild zebra, wildebeest, baboons, and gazelles. The beasts were magnificent and they excited the naïve Bronx boy. Over time, he would come to accept them as his neighbors. They would grunt and neigh deep in the darkness of the night, causing the boy many a restless night.

Over his time in Kenya, he would come to meet incredible individuals. Many of them were from the boy's motherland, but many others were a part of this country. They taught him more about Kenyan culture than any lecture. This boy, who has always identified as someone with a different ethnic history, came to understand how somewhat superficial such differences are. His eyes opened to the fact that here, a Puerto Rican is another muzungu and we are all pretty much the same.

Although saddened by the thought of his departure and return home, the boy began anticipating the eventual and wonderful transformation of the wild beasts and the wonderful people into memories and stories. He eagerly awaited the moment when his many adventures would become meaningful in other, individualistic ways. His journey through the mists of the Ngong Hills would change in his mind, from a magnificent place to gawk at, into a place that challenged both his fortitude and determination. His encounter with a wild leopard would come to spark more than glee in him; it inspired a possible career path. These, along with countless others experiences, will become memories within him; fragments of an overall experience each with their own desire to manifest in his poetry, stories, and letters.