In the wise words of my mom, the journey home was a “helluva trek.” We started on our way Friday morning at 7:30 am. With clear eyes and full hearts, the BIOS/ANTH 323 crowd did not know what we had ahead of ourselves. Let me take you through our final days abroad:
7:30 am (6/28) – We pack up into our Land Cruisers and depart the Olduvai campsite. It’s a teary goodbye as we leave behind our stray cat friend, Rabies.
*8:00 am (6/28) – Something is wrong with one of our vehicles. We pull over so our drivers, Crispin and Mohammed, can address the issue.
*8:15 am (6/28) – We pull over again. What’s happening?
*8:30 am (6/28) – We pull over again. What’s happening?
*8:45 am (6/28) – We pull over again. What’s happening?
*9:00 am (6/28) – We pull over again. What’s happening?
*9:15 am (6/28) – We pull over again. What’s happening? Oh! There’s black smoke coming out of the other car’s engine.
*9:30 am (6/28) – We pull over again. We’re finally informed that fuel is not reaching the engine. Crispin and Mohammed have been manually pumping fuel into the engine every time we pull over. Driving uphill out of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, we haven’t gone over 30 km/hr in so long.
*9:45 am (6/28) – We find a mechanic in a secluded area of the Conservation Area. He can’t do anything to fix our vehicle. I simply cannot fathom how tired Crispin and Mohammed must be. Back in the vehicles, we begin rolling towards Karatu.
12:45 pm (6/28) – Finally, the Land Cruisers barely make it into the town of Karatu. We pick up boxed lunches and hit the road again. We had to pull over a few more times, but the cars are driving much nicer on flat terrain.
4:00 pm (6/28) – Vehicle transfer at the AIM Mall in Arusha. We’ve been driving for nearly 8 hours and have yet to reach the border. Time to load the crew into a new bus.
6:00 pm (6/28) – 9.5 hours later, we make it to the border crossing at Namanga. They’re asking for proof of vaccination against yellow fever, but I never received that vaccine. I was unaware that it was required to enter Kenya… I’m still not convinced. I get pulled over to a separate window where they inform me I’ll have to get vaccinated right here if I want to enter the country. I don’t want to receive a shot at this border crossing, but I certainly don’t want to get stranded in East Africa. For the small price of $50, my temper, and my pride, I make it across the border.
9:30 pm (6/28) – After 14 hours in the car, we finally arrive at our hotel in Nairobi. First order of business? Dinnertime.
12:30 am (6/29) – After an involuntarily drawn-out dinner at the hotel, I zombie-walk back to my room for bedtime.
3:30 am (6/29) – Rise and shine!
6:00 am (6/29) – Our flight to Istanbul departs from Nairobi.
1:30 pm (6/29) – We land in Istanbul. I wanted to catch up on rest during the flight, but my body did not. I couldn’t fall asleep.
5:00 pm (6/29) – After stopping by our hotel within the Istanbul city-center, it’s time to explore the city. I have genuinely never experienced a city as beautiful and interesting as Istanbul. I rapidly decided I must return at some point in my life. We took the subway to see the Grand Bazaar, as well as the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosques. The city was walkable and had such incredible history — I couldn’t stop thinking about how old its origins were. However, my favorite part of the city was the stray cats. I befriended a few.
An Iconic Duo: Alex and Stray Cat
BIOS/ANTH 323 at the Hagia Sophia Mosque
10:30 am (6/30) – I am ripped from Istanbul’s entrancing aura. It’s time for the airport.
4:30 pm (6/30) – After a 2-hour delay and 3 separate security checkpoints, we takeoff for Houston.
9:00 pm (6/30) – WE LAND IN HOUSTON. I have never felt so patriotic. I can’t wait to be done travelling.
11:00 pm (6/30) – Back at Rice. I now face my final challenge: walking my luggage home from campus. It’s typically an easy walk, but tonight? This is my gauntlet.
11:20 pm (6/30) – I. AM. HOME. I was so happy to be greeted by my roommates and cat, Ringo. I boil the plane-grime off my skin with a hot shower and climb into bed. Finally clean and laying upon a real mattress, I begin to miss Tanzania. Time for bed.
Moments After My Arrival Home
The trip home may have been a long one, but it was worth it for the time I had in Africa. I can’t believe half of the things I experienced during this course. Thank you so much, Dr. Solomon and Dr. Dominguez Rodrigo, for planning and executing such an adventure!
*Time Estimate
