Ngorogoro Crater

We apologize for the late entry, but we were unable to have access to wifi for a couple of days because we went to Ngorongoro Crater! We were prepared to leave for the Crater Wednesday morning by 0800, but we did not set off until about 1100 (African time was a factor)! The purpose of this trip was to clean out the clinics that Green Hope Organization is planning on opening for the Maasai community. We were unsure of what to expect for our accommodations and food therefore, we had to pack easy lunch foods (bread, boiled eggs, oatmeal, etc). There were ten of us in the safari vehicle and although it was a spacious vehicle, by the time we packed our bags, food, cleaning supplies, and paint it was very full. It was a bumpy ride but well worth the drive as we got to see some breathtaking scenery and wildlife along the way (giraffes, baboons, gazelles, and zebras). We arrived at the clinics at about 1800 and got a quick tour before settling into our accommodations, which happened to be a very close walking distance behind the clinics. There was no power in our accommodations so we sat by candlelight and kerosene lamp and listened to the many wildlife outside our doors (some of us were getting a bit “jumpy” and scared of all the foreign sounds)!

The next morning we were up bright and early to get to work. We got a lot accomplished in a short amount of time with lots of help, including from those in the community! We washed walls, swept, and painted; which was a lot of work as it was a fairly large clinic. It was apparent that these clinics are imperative to this community’s well being as their health care was very limited. There was one nurse who used these clinics for care at times. The Maasai community were very eager to help us in any way that they could.

By the end of the day we were all exhausted from a long days work. Earlier in the day, the men had chosen a goat to be eaten for supper (it was in the back of the safari vehicle). The Maasai men cooked and prepared it for us over a fire for supper. We all tried it and agreed that it was quite good! The Maasai people do not waste any food and made a soup out of the goat intestines (although this was not a favourite of ours). We were interested to see that the Maasai would have a spear in one hand and a cell-phone in the other. It was also surprising to us that some spoke English quite well. Maasai are polygamist and usually have at least five wives. Therefore, we were prepared to have possible marriage proposals throughout our stay (we were lucky to not have any direct offers, although we were informed that a woman is worth 9 cows). It was an interesting cultural experience for us all!

The next day (Friday), we finished up with some more painting and then set off at around noon. It was another rainy day but we were able to see a lot of wildlife (we saw about 9 giraffes in a group, many zebras and baboons). We arrived back at the hostel at 1730 and were all eager to have showers and rest.

This will be our last blog post as our experience here has come to an end. It has been an eye-opening and once in a lifetime experience! We have a few days before we head back to Canada, some of us are going on safari others climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and the rest of us vacationing in Zanzibar. I can speak for all of us when I say that we can't wait to come back!

Our new Massai friends!

- Courtney, Raquel and Sam