In writing this I would like to begin by reminding everyone that if you were lucky enough to not have a parasite while in Africa for two weeks, maybe don’t throw away your streak the last time you get dinner. Specifically if you find yourself in airport hotel 67, DON’T order the chicken curry swahili style. For the love of all things holy guys, it’s not worth it. It just comes back to haunt you days later, in waves, with a conviction stronger than your preacher’s. Not worth it, not the swahili style. I have become a POW to my GI tract. Punishment for getting too comfortable, too confident. Just like you would see on the back mud flaps of an African eighteen wheeler I summon the words “The bible” and “Trust no one”.
In other news, “Africa? More like awesome!” – I couldn’t have said it better myself, oh wait, I did.
Never before or ever again will I come to face human history in such vivid extremes, digging up stone tools and butchered fossils which waited for my hand to be uncovered after millions of years. Where else may I linger in the frigid airs of a red, earthen caldera to see injured lions and bull elephants and pink fields of flamingo. Where else may I conjure a kill through manifestation “man I wanna see a dead animal” or experience the spectacle of the ostrich mating dance. And how else could I ever be part of such a fun group of people, or to have the opportunity to publish with a renowned scholar of anthropology. Africa, only in Africa. I mean I literally saw a several ton elephant on its knees eating dirt, it doesn’t get much better than that.
To answer the prompt provided directly (which I initiallty, acciddently neglected), I found that my travels within Africa, especially within NgoroNgoro, allowed me to better frame the very nuanced interconnected presence of nature. The volcanic ash there is red with iron and rich in nitrogens, fertilizing lush greenery, and the higher elevations of the caldera led to the increases in rainfall and drops in temperature experienced by the region. And this of course is formed by the rift valleys of Africa, of the formation of Gondwana, and of the empalcemtn of “high Africa” as a whole – geology certaintly plays a role. And at the very center of the crater, with its diameter of 20km, there is a habitat made of grasses and sparse acacia upkept by the browsing and grazing creatures. There are pools and a great lake filled with rain waters to support fish and krill, birds and hippo, even water dependent creatures such as the elephant as well. Therefore I feel that this greatly illustrates that point, that every portion of the crater from its geology to its climate to its fauna and flora interact in ways that stabilize and affect the others. And although NgoroNgoro is a national park and therefore has no settlers, I found that outside of these regions and specifically within the Maasai occupied game reserves there was a great deal of co-existence between man and beast. Though the Maasai do not hunt wild game, they have a great respect for the animals of the savanna – both predator and prey. They must defend their herds and even us from predators, while also existing in the plains which are fertilized by the migrations of grazers and browsers such as the larger “twiga” or giraffes. The plains which are upkept by their grazing as they may prune young trees and allow space for younger grasses to grow. The animals of Africa are abudnant and spectactular, dense and unqiue. And in many cases, found nowhere else in the world.
The environment has also shaped these ecological communities in many ways – itself involving the geology, precipitations, seasonality, and nutrient layers of the surrounding area, specifically East Africa. And though of course there are many broad effects and therefore my answer will have a similar scale, I feel that in general the environment of Eastern Africa is very unique and so has led to its unique ecology. The East of Africa is considered high Africa, and so alters the annual precipitation of the area. There are rift valleys which have begun to split the continent apart and produced lots of volcanic activity, providing volcanically rich and therefore fertile soils. These among other things have made the ways in which the savanna and its creatures have been able to interact and evolve, and therefore has led to traits such as having large numbers of extant predator species and great numbers of niches filled by creatures such as the giraffe. And of course these same conditions affected the production of early man, driving him toward the use of two legs in order to gain advantages in comparison to predator, prey, and the environment. Shedding hair so we might sweat, running so we might chase down prey, standing as to be cooled and see further. The paleoenvironment of Africa is specifically what allowed for the dominance of future man, its shifting from heavily wooded to open savanna forced the hand of evolution and made for a great challenge and yet calling for us to evolve to our current form.
And in terms of what were some of my favorite moments and experiences, I have a few in mind. I feel that when I had the time to merely stand and look, waiting for a while to watch creatures and their behaviors was most fulfilling – being still and feeling one with nature, so to speak. For example, when we were on foot in rthe Endoro conservation area and gazing up toward the elephant caves to see elephants on their knees eating the earth – there was nothing comparable to that. I watched for minutes as they traded positions and left. And later in the trip, I found that I loved when I was merely standing to watch over the great flocks of birds in the crater floor as they fed and swam and called. It made me feel as if I was in heaven. It was still and natural and perfect, and so of course one of my very favorite moments! And un-favorite moments? None.
I will admit that there was nothing I found to disfavor in this course, as even the tough nights of sand all up in my face or the breaking down land rovers or the GI issues I feel will only lead to better stories, stronger memories, and longer laughs.
And finally the three things which I intend to remember after learning them on this course are that hominins left a lot of stone tools (like A LOT), elephants eat dirt in order to replenish salts and electrolytes, and leopards in heat smell like corn tortillas. Of course I could go on and on, and into a much greater depth, but I think we might end up being here for a long long while.
And on a more reflective note (as this is meant to be my reflection), I would like to begin by saying that I very much appreciate the work of both professor Solomon and professor Dominguez Rodrigo. Professor Solomon was basically our dad the entire time (and was thought to be so by many turkish dudes “13! Good job, but big problem.”), making sure we were on time and safe and having fun. And of course professor Manuel graciously invited us into his site and allowed us to help with something as delicate as excavation, a pleasure and opportunity beyond words. I could continue for pages to write in thanks, but I will keep it short as we are all aware and appreciative of the efforts that they both made in order for our trip to run smoothly and for us as students to have the time of our lives – which we certainly did. Thank you both.
And in regards to my fellow students, they were fantastic and if you are reading this I love you all. Hopefully the crawfish boil and pool party reunion at Kamden’s house pans out. But truly, I feel that I have never met a more engaged and affable group of young men and women (young men being Milton). And I appreciate that we all laughed a ton and we bounced ideas and excitement off of one another. I remember being in the crater and listening to Marlo and Alex using their brains to figure out why there was a soda lake at its center, and I was thinking to myself, “Wow. Maybe Rice does make people smart.” I would consider you all close friends and I hope to stay in touch. You are all invited to the wedding of course.
In summary, which there is no good way of doing in light of the grand and indescribable nature of this trip, I find that I am content. I am thankful and fulfilled. I have stories to tell and may carry for the rest of my life. Friends I will look forward to seeing. Professors which I more greatly admire and hope to work with. And of course memories that are unparalleled in grandeur. I love Africa, I wish it well, and I hope to return.
I couldn’t have asked for more from this trip. I learned more than I ever imagined, and I experienced more than I could have ever dreamed. Thank you all.
Callsign “bravo charlie ermm what the sigma” out.
Godspeed and the best of luck to you all,
Your friend Kamden O’Connor
