I Felt the Pulse of Tanzania

Sunrise - Serengeti National Park

Water buffalo skull- haunting, inviting, and powerful.

For Thanksgiving and to celebrate the end of the school year at Morning Star, I escaped to Tanzania's oldest and largest national park, the Serengeti.  The park measuring 14,763 square miles is approximately the size of Connecticut and is revered as the world's best known wildlife sanctuary.

When entering the park you immediately feel its pulse knowing that man and wildlife have share this jewel for centuries.  The name Serengeti comes from the Maasai word "Siringet" meaning endless plains.  The vastness of the plains which were formed from ash blown from volcanoes 3-4 million years ago are breathtaking.  To magnify the landscape even further, one views the rolling hills and mountains laced with granite that also dot the perimeter of the park.

Viewing the wildlife is orchestrated by the rains, migration, mating, and birthing.  Fortunately, due to the recent rains the park was lush with green grassy plains, vegetation, and ample water.  Luckily my group and I had two beautiful sunny but brisk days to visit the park.  I cannot emphasize enough how truly blessed we were with the brilliant weather having experienced torrential rains the day before our departure and today, the day after, with equally incorrigible rain.  Evidently, we were on the perimeter or end of the birthing season.

Enjoy the pictures!

For the elite explorer - hot air ballooning over the Serengeti.

My group and I felt quite privileged in our pop-up roof vehicle.

Zebra, note they stand in opposite direction of each other to avoid "on coming traffic" commonly known as predators.

Wildebeest

A regal giraffe; personal favorite!

Pool of hippos

Water buffalo

Elephant - a majestic animal

Circling around their young to protect them from harmsway.

Kwa heri! / Good bye!


In addition to the animals pictured, we had the opportunity to see a lioness, jackals, hyenas, topi's, gazelles, impalas, warthogs, baboons, and a wide variety of colorful migratory birds.  It truly was a fascinating day!

Back to work!  The Morning Star students are on holiday break until January 7th!  However, several of the boarding students have remained at school for varied reasons, and I will tutor them in English to prepare them for the new school year in January.  I promised them that we would lace a few swims, ice cream, "football," and much more into their studies.  I will continue to teach math during this time at the Tawawami project and visit the Women's Center to work on varied projects.