May 27, 2010

My days left in Botswana are numbered and I wish I had weeks - maybe months - more here. I have not seen even a small portion of the country and I am already deeply in love with it.

Since the donkey day I’ve been busy on the farm doing labor, which ironically I really enjoy. I can remember so many days that I sat in my office with aircon watching the construction guys outside and thinking about how much harder they work than us office monkeys. It’s true, they do - and yet they are paid so much less. I understand they’re lacking education, but when I try to do any labor I realize how uneducated I am at building things, so in a lot of ways it’s the same, isn’t it? Yesterday I mixed concrete and mounted the posts for what will eventually be the gates to keep Murphy inside. Right now, every time we get in the truck to leave the camp we have to try to outrun Murphy. We go crazy fast on dirt roads to try to lose him and he always catches up. When he does we turn around and go full force towards him until he jumps into the bush and then has to try to keep up with us driving the other way. We usually lose him at this point, but we also lose about 20 minutes - just trying to get out of the farm! Hence our need for a fence.

After a morning of heavy work we went up to the art collective in D’Kar (which is pronounced with a click - then CAR. “click”-Car). They have about 10 artists that do amazing works of art right there in the studio. Some of it, admittedly, looks like kindergarden drawings, but they are meant to recrate the traditional art that’s found on ancient rocks. But a lot of it is amazing and representative of the nature and lifestyle in Botswana. I bought a few small pieces and love them.

Today we spent hours working on the farm setting up motion detection cameras. We’re doing a study to look at the holes that animals, like aardvark and warthog, dig under game fences. This is a typical way a cheetah can ‘break into’ a farmers corral - by using these pre-dug holes. The objective is to find ways to mask the holes from predators but keep them usable to the other animals. The first step is understanding what is using the holes and how frequently. The motion detection cameras are set facing the holes and take photos when it detects movement. It was a lot of hard work digging holes and erecting poles to hold the cameras. It’s such interesting work. Again I have to admit - I love the labor! I think I missed my calling! :)

Tomorrow is my last day of work with the Cheetah Conservation and I plan to take time tonight to reflect on the decision I made to come here and how much I’ve learned. I am so glad to have had this opportunity and would do it again in a heartbeat.