only snapshots

March 25, 2012 · 7:30 am

The Honey Drops

There are many times that I kick myself because I forgot to bring my camera with me. I think because I do not want to come off as a tourist here, I purposefully do not bring my camera around with me. Which I think is sort of funny since I would carry my camera everywhere with me in America. While we were traveling around, we would get stuck behind mini-buses, touring buses, and trucks that had awesome paint jobs and mud flaps – and I never had my camera with me to capture it. Here is my one exception.

“Honey Drops” in no way related to the name of this bus company either…I mean, why not, right?

that which is “small and beautiful”

Throughout the different cities and countries I have visited here in Africa, I have seen some really interesting businesses that are aimed at helping the most impoverished — the disabled, the diseased, the widows and orphans — by giving them work in the arts and crafts. While traveling, I visited a very beautiful handmade-bead factory that hopes to aid single mothers in finding employment. The workshop’s name in it’s native tongue means “small and beautiful.” They mold, carve, sculpt, paint, and embellish clay beads for necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. The colors and designs reflect their native land, the bright and exotic fashions, landscapes, and animals. They sell their wares in New York, LA, and London in fancy boutiques to rich clientele that want something unique. I was able to buys some beautiful earrings for a few dollars (I am assuming that this is not the price in London…)

2 Comments

Filed under Art, Travel

March 10, 2012 · 12:34 pm

my oasis

So life here can be really hard. But there is one place I can go that is filled with beauty, peace, and calm. The most important aspect is that it is not filled with people looking and giggling at me or asking me for money because I am white. For our little town, this hotel is crazy fancy. It is also too expensive for me to actually stay there – but, for a reasonable amount of money we can be members to their pool. Milli and I chipped in and found a place of retreat. There may not be good food or nice drinks but the view is beautiful and the internet, free.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

March 3, 2012 · 8:33 am

children in bloom

yes, I own a safari hat

And everyone thought it was silly of me to buy it. But you know what, I finally got to go on that safari and I totally rocked that hat. I will remember this day for probably the rest of my life. I did not see running wildebeests or watch a lion attack its prey, but, despite the lack of drama, it was still like having an encyclopedia come to life; like I was in the middle of the Discovery Channel.

I saw a great deal of beautiful animals that I wish I could show you through photographs. I was unable to purchase a zoom lens before I left, so I had to shoot with a 50 mm fixed lens. While being a great lens for portraits, it does not quite give me the ability to capture animals in their vast landscape well. Also, add the fact that you are riding – or more correctly, standing – in a topless jeep/van that is traveling off road and bumping up and down like crazy, everything did not look so great on film. But here are a few shots that can give you some idea of what it was like.

5 Comments

Filed under Animals, Landscape, Travel

January 27, 2012 · 11:41 am

beneath this bold and brilliant sun

Laura, why don’t you come on over?

So this is Laura. She is kind, soft, and, well, slobbery.

Do you remember that scene from Jurassic Park when Dr. Alan Grant wakes up with the grand-kids in that big tree just to find Brachiosauruses all around them? This was like that, except for maybe a bit smaller.

2 Comments

Filed under Animals, Nature, Travel

January 18, 2012 · 8:59 am

Under African Skies

I grew up listening to Paul Simon’s Graceland and dreaming of Africa. I grew up and studied Anthropology and read all about different cultures in Africa – I even took an African Wildlife Management course (yeah, that one was for the Honors program, who really takes classes like that normally?) I grew up with an opinion of Africa that was hot, colorful, expansive, and filled with exotic animals. Also, with a special thanks to Simon, my view of dance and music was naturalistic, up-beat, and well, African.

As it turns out, those opinions have been crushed a little since I have arrived. It seems like the one country I found myself living in, is the country that doesn’t quite fit. My country, except for the “poor” part, is totally different than what I have read and heard about. It is not quite African, not quite Arabian, and not quite Indian all at the same time.

But…I have traveled south and found myself in what I imagine as Paul Simon’s Africa, Jane Goodall’s Africa, and Richard Leakey’s Africa. Here there are large expanses of land filled with crazy, cool animals. Woman wear bright colored clothing with funky patterns. The music has that “African” beat. And as I watched baby elephants run and play in the game park, I started humming “Under African Skies.”

5 Comments

Filed under Animals, Nature, Travel

January 13, 2012 · 2:12 pm

the sound of German hip-hop

So I have these awesome new German neighbors. Why are they awesome, you may ask? Well, first of all, they listen to great music. Secondly, they have really great kids. Thirdly, they are super-chill. Despite their international status, they have made me feel the most at home here. They have me and Milli over for cookouts. They sit around fire pits and have interesting conversations. Their kids come-over to do things like bake cookies and color with me. Here are some images for a cookout they had before Christmas to celebrate the grandparents coming to visit.

4 Comments

Filed under Friends

January 5, 2012 · 5:13 am

giving might be the best present

Here, as in many third-world countries, ideas about the mentally-disabled are far from modern. There are many misconceptions about what causes it and what can be done for it. Many times, the mentally-disabled are shunned or abused; and there are very few nationally-sponsored special programs or education for those with this type of special need. But things are changing, at least in my little town. Just this past year, a school opened the area’s first classroom for students with special needs. The director of this school is adamant about educating parents and the community about the mentally-disabled. The Center that I am here with is sending its special-needs children to this classroom. A sponsor of the Center from Australia heard about the school and got together Christmas presents for all of its special-needs students. I was blessed to be one of the “workers” who got to go and distribute those presents.

The kids were so excited. They were just so happy to have visitors come to their classroom, but the fact that we had gifts for them was totally amazing. Kids here don’t receive presents often, if at all, so it was just an extra joy to be able to bless these kids with some. To give you some idea of how weird this was for them – they had no idea how to deal with the wrapping paper, they had probably never seen anything like it before. For the most part, we had to open their presents for them. They didn’t mind, and I didn’t mind much either.