Masai, safari, and myself

After spending packed 6 hs from Nakuru in a car which is basically for 5 people but accommodated about 20 people (five of them are kids and 10 in the boot),

 I finally came to the place of Masai tribe.

Do Masai tribe really jump??

Yes, they do.

He is my host, Emmanuel.

hard to tell how high he jumps in the pic 

but actually he jumps so high.

  

According to him, it is really important for Masai soldiers to jump high.

Their heads have to reach at a height of full expansion of their arms.

They are trained to jump higher as grow up 

and It is true that Masai women chose men who can jump higher as a husband.

He joked like, “since Polygyny is still allowed, if I can jump higher I can get many wives haha But now that people settle in one place, few men are polygynous.”

This is their traditional house

This is their bed, which is made of a cow’s bone.

It was softer than I expected.

9 people live in this village, and they showed me traditional Masai cloth and jumping dance.

Emmanuel took me to a safari as well.

First of all, Masai people have incredible eye sights…

Can you find any animals here?

Emmanuel : “hey, there are giraffes. Can you see?”

 (from so much far)

Finally I found them through a binocular…

Did you find? 

... 

Now you can find them.

Actually it’s sometimes kinda hard to find animals who hide in nature.

How about this?

here is a Lion.

  

Anyway, It was totally the “Lion King” world.

Dozens of elephants like ants on the ground

That scale is overwhelming

And for me who is nuts about “Timon & Bumba” in Lion King,

It was so much exciting to meet Bumba. Haha

an official name is warthog(?)

The song ”Hakuna Matata” kept on repeating in my head throughout my safari.

I def will rent the DVD and watch Lion King for the first time in 5 yrs haha

Emmanuel is a president of a private school, which is built three years ago,

And I volunteered at the school for one week.

Nevertheless what I did is just helping teachers in some classes, mainly in small kids class.

Masai tribe has historical background of being deprived of the right of education.

When British colonized Kenya, British feared to educate Masai people because Masai tribe is a soldier tribe.

Not only about education, but they tried to keep the area undeveloped.

Therefore even after Kenya's independence in 1963, Masai people had so much difficulty of developing enough educational infrastructure.

and still now, Masai people have a lot of educational problems.

The number of elementary school is terribly small for its population,

I was told there were 100 students in one class at some public schools, and that many students walk to school for more than 2 hours on unpaved rough road.

Then it is impossible to receive appropriate education.

Therefore, Emmanuel decided to build a school and give children in his community the opportunity.

He has a dream

Starting eco-tourism business in safari

And using the money he would earn, building other three schools in his community.

So I told him about International Fellowship Program of iLEAP so that he is able to meet people who are interested in donating his plan.

The time I spent in Masai area was wonderful.

Literally the life that starts with sunrise and ends with sunset.

surrounded by natures and animals

sunrise

Wake up by the song of chickens and fall asleep under the stars in heaven of the south hemisphere sky.

It was incredibly beautiful.

Indeed sometimes I felt some inconveniences during my stay, like taking a shower with only a half bucket of water, countless numbers of flies over meals and so on.

The life totally without electricity and waterworks was more tough in various sense than the life I have experienced in Vietnam or India.  

However, at that kinda time, I found myself saying like ”Heck!!” and smiling.

I was enjoying with that inconveniences somehow.



"What a heck is this life!"






"but ...not bad at all"






it was rather comfortableness.

Even though there was no way to see my face in the life without mirror, 


the face slightly reflected in the side mirror of Emmanuel’s car was so fresh as children after soccer practice under a broiling sun.

Come to think of it, I had not thrown myself foolhardily into something since I entered university and stopped playing soccer seriously.

some like it hot!!

Anyway I think it was great to stay with two community leaders both in Nakuru and Masai area.

and except them, I think there are so many young leaders who try to develop their community.


I'd like to study more cases of community development.

also, love to talk with development consultants...






BTW, I found many of my friends had left Seattle during my absence.

especially since coming to the US, every parting makes me have an acute feeling that saying goodbye is such sweet sorrow...

It's indeed hard to see them again since we gathered and met from different countries,


but I truly believe our paths will cross again someday somewhere in the world.

Dinner. The Left one is Ugari, staple for Kenyan