tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170Thu, 05 Sep 2024 09:03:28 +0000BotswanaCambodia elephant Mondulkirirace relationstravel#1 Ladies Detective AgencyAfricaLost iPadModisaO'HareSirgaSouth AfricaStockholmVal Gruenerapartheidbusesindigenouswild catwomenSome thoughts by a . . . well, "middle-aged" woman embarking on uncharacteristic adventures to Africa and Cambodia to volunteer at wildlife rehabilitation projectshttp://elephantpith.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (elephantpith)Blogger155125en-usnoCreative CommonsSome thoughts by a . . . well, "middle-aged" woman embarking on uncharacteristic adventures to Africa and Cambodia to volunteer at wildlife rehabilitation projectsSome thoughts by a . . . well, "middle-aged" woman embarking on uncharacteristic adventures to Africa and Cambodia to volunteer at wildlife rehabilitation projectsAnn Eshelmanmunninghoff@gmail.comAnn Eshelmantag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-8238992434479974706Sun, 18 Mar 2018 18:07:00 +00002023-06-05T12:13:38.454-05:00     Well, that's it.  I've been home now for about 3 and 1/2 months, and life has returned to something like normal.  I'm busy.  I have working at the local food pantry, being on the school board, art class, student mentoring, trivia night every two weeks, planning the Sustainability Fair, etc. etc. to keep me out of trouble, but there's a part of me that http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/03/aftermath.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-4372015677902611659Wed, 07 Mar 2018 23:25:00 +00002018-03-07T17:25:33.178-06:00          I was again fortunate on the leg from Kigali to Amsterdam to be seated next to a Ugandan electrical engineer on his way to Haiti.  He had been working there trying to re-establish some infrastucture for several years and would come home to visit his family occasionally and go back.  He said going to Haiti was so odd for him, becausehttp://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-final-leg.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-7179293290178782023Mon, 05 Mar 2018 17:16:00 +00002018-03-05T11:16:53.516-06:00     Somewhere along the line I began to realize that my friends liked to surprise me.  So after we regretfully left Heaven, they told me we were making one last stop, but they didn't tell me where. We pulled into the parking lot of a large hotel very near Heaven, and Moses asked me if I knew where we were.  As it happens, I did know where we were--at the Hotel http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/03/hotel-des-mille-collines.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-960951192932411194Sun, 04 Mar 2018 20:19:00 +00002023-06-05T12:30:54.813-05:00                The drive from Lake Bunyonyi to Kigali is not all that long, and as we proceeded, I began to feel that odd mixture of sadness that the trip is over and I wouldn't be seeing my new friends again for a long time, if ever, and also of excitement at going home.  We crossed the Uganda/Rwanda border like old pro's http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/03/a-thousand-hills-and-restaurant.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-609932191880835326Tue, 27 Feb 2018 02:42:00 +00002018-02-26T20:42:09.843-06:00     In my mind I had rated Lake Kivu a 10 out of a possible 10 (though now that I reflect on it, perhaps I should have deducted a point or two because of the probability that it will blow up one day and kill everyone and everything for miles around).  I had to create a whole new scale when I saw Lake Bunyonyi.  10 out of 10 is not enough for Lake Bunyonyi.   &http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/lake-bunyonyi.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-2633840587196120375Mon, 26 Feb 2018 01:41:00 +00002018-02-26T09:11:27.198-06:00     We all tentatively stepped out onto the road, bewildered as we could be.  It was shocking, after all the trekking we had done, to so suddenly find signs of "civilization."  The gorilla trackers were all sitting around, and they looked suspiciously like they were laughing at the frightful, exhausted mess we all were.  "Over there,"  they pointed out,&http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/and-award-for-best-picture-goes-to.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-2748488651980688524Sun, 25 Feb 2018 03:19:00 +00002018-02-24T21:21:41.540-06:00    I felt a little smug eating dinner that night since I already had my first gorilla trek under my belt.  I also had my insider information from the Dutch lady that morning that it would be an easy short hike, since hers had only been about 10 minutes into the forest.  Here in Bwindi is where she had trekked.  So I set off in serene confidence that this would be anhttp://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-trek-of-all-treks.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-2358827970800318751Mon, 19 Feb 2018 02:43:00 +00002018-02-18T20:43:18.941-06:00    The four of us--Moses, Jackie, Emma, and I got on      very well.  I was very self-conscious, however, about the fact that we seldom ate together, and we almost  never slept at the same hotel.  They would drop me off at a hotel--sometimes with Jackie to keep me company-- and then go off to find housing for themselves and also http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/emma-loses-his-appetite-but-manages-to.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-3156586566000683908Sun, 18 Feb 2018 02:15:00 +00002018-02-17T20:15:46.709-06:00            While we were admiring the big guy's waking up process, we became aware that there was a little guy goofing around.  He was a mix of curiosity and fear.  He clearly wanted to approach us but he was also afraid of us.  I was surprised when our guide told us he was six years old--he appeared so young to me, and his behavior http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/down-mountain-and-graduation.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-5998436111401002155Fri, 16 Feb 2018 23:09:00 +00002018-02-16T17:09:09.725-06:00     The day started out inauspiciously.  I was awakened from a sound sleep by the sound of terrified screaming, seemingly just a few yards from my window.  I was simply paralyzed--couldn't think what to do.  I was relieved to hear some authoritative-sounded voices raised, and the screaming stopped.  I hoped for the best.  I asked the desk attendant http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/and-now-for-our-feature-presentation.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-5112484405072273518Thu, 15 Feb 2018 03:06:00 +00002018-02-14T21:06:33.125-06:00        We left Gisenyi mid-morning and started heading for the Rwanda-Uganda border.  The countryside was very beautiful.  I was especially taken with the TEA fields!  They were so lush and richly--well, GREEN!  Apparently it was the season to harvest tea, which is very labor intensive.  I was told that the only way  to harvest http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/over-border-and-through-woods.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-3010800043292713483Mon, 12 Feb 2018 02:02:00 +00002018-02-11T20:02:25.703-06:00     My night in Gisenyi was my last night in Rwanda, so, like Columbo in the old television series, I find I have just one more thing to say about Rwanda before, literally, crossing the border into Uganda.  More importantly, I have photos that just are crying out to be included, even though they didn't fit neatly into my narrative.      For http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/just-one-more-thing.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-7860256214551487509Fri, 09 Feb 2018 17:49:00 +00002018-02-09T11:52:19.255-06:00     If you're in the mood for some terrifying news, read all about Lake Kivu.  It is one of Africa's Great Lakes, near Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika, and about as beautiful as one could hope for.  But it sits on a huge mass of gasses, which according to historical analysis, has caused the lake to literally explode about every 1000 years or so, which wipes out all http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/lake-kivu.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-4253208911845072511Wed, 07 Feb 2018 20:53:00 +00002018-02-07T14:53:07.193-06:00     In the part of the world I found myself--near where the nations of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo come together--it is impossible NOT to think about Dian Fossey.  Her memory is so very cherished by so many people, and the impact of her life's work is so very extensive, that she seems to be at the forefront of the collective consciousness, http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/thinking-about-dian-fossey.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-9167781547159096425Sun, 04 Feb 2018 22:40:00 +00002018-02-04T16:40:53.074-06:00     One of my Mom's favorite ways of describing a pleasant event was to call it a "fine large" whatever, and let me tell you, the afternoon after the morning monkey trek was both fine AND large!      Moses had been telling me that we going to visit a local "cultural village," and I imagined that that was going to be a rather tame affair, but of course I was http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/well-that-was-fine-large-afternoon.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-2989239381161808764Fri, 02 Feb 2018 21:05:00 +00002018-02-02T15:05:00.509-06:00     I awoke that morning to the sound of men chanting rhythmically seemingly circling around the streets of the town.  I couldn't imagine what the occasion could be.  I got up and went to breakfast where a TV was playing, and the news was huge.  Mugabe resigned!  And thus 37 years of rule was ended.  Clips of hysterically joyful Zimbabweans dominated http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/02/jubilation-and-monkeys.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-8479438341228590725Sun, 28 Jan 2018 21:58:00 +00002018-01-28T21:24:20.228-06:00     It was somewhat of a relief to leave the Genocide Center, though in Rwanda you NEVER leave the Genocide far behind.  We did leave Kigali (pronounced CHigali in the local dialect) behind as Moses, Jackie, Emma, and I headed northwest.  The countryside was VERY beautiful.  There has been a bountiful rainy season there, and the grass was green, the crops were http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-road-out-of-kigali.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-7015080939105768203Wed, 17 Jan 2018 20:14:00 +00002018-01-17T14:14:48.752-06:00     Of COURSE the first stop of our upcoming week's travels was the Genocide Center. Being only about 20 years ago, the Genocide is very much in the forefront of the Rwandan collective consciousness.  I was there in November, but I understand that the time from April to July, the anniversary of the actual 100 days of genocide, is a time when Rwandans are even more http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-genocide.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-7609078450512016211Mon, 15 Jan 2018 20:09:00 +00002018-01-15T14:09:33.254-06:00     So much for the euphoria of Dancing Queen.  I am at LEAST as morose as the cowboy on the dusty road in Nevada.  My moroseness comes from the acute shame that "my" president created for the entire United States by crassly and stupidly dismissing all of Africa, together with Haiti--reportedly.  Click here if you've been in a coma the past few days. http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/ubumuntu.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-3469631345957524668Wed, 10 Jan 2018 17:20:00 +00002018-01-10T11:51:13.392-06:00     I had the hotel dining balcony all to myself while eating my delicious goat stew.  I'd ordered goat because, well, it's not every day one has the choice to eat goat, and I'm always curious about the meat that is said to be the most widely eaten meat in the world.   I sat outside in the very pleasant evening air and looked over the magnificent hills of http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/swedes-in-africa-part-ii.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-8079938629503796593Tue, 09 Jan 2018 21:09:00 +00002018-01-09T15:09:59.154-06:00     I can't say I worked hard at EDD, but my days were pretty full.  I'd made a lot of friends there, so by the time Monday rolled around and it was time for me to go, I was feeling sad.  Dalia sat and waited with me when all of a sudden, it started thundering, which was not new, because we had little thunderstorms almost every afternoon.  But this was QUITE http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/an-almost-weird-transition.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-6072548567585034379Mon, 08 Jan 2018 20:07:00 +00002018-01-10T10:17:51.713-06:00     Initially I was pretty shocked by my accommodations at EDD.  But once I bought an adequate supply of bottled water and toilet paper, I began to feel quite at home.  I got into the habit of sitting outside my door on a little ledge there, drinking coffee, "My" sitting area at "my" house and enjoying the morning sun complete with lots of bird calls, the voices http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-house-at-school.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-7717538611741153907Sun, 07 Jan 2018 17:21:00 +00002018-01-07T11:23:40.100-06:00    Some of my friends have occasionally asked me, "Aren't you afraid to travel to Zimbabwe?"  I was nervous the first time.  Seeing President Mugabe's face on display at the airport when I first arrived a couple of years ago WAS an intimidating sight.  Mugabe is, of course, the stuff from which Africa's worst legends are made, and in the 37 years he has been in http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/news-from-zimbabwe.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-2861573421892544588Thu, 04 Jan 2018 18:38:00 +00002018-01-04T12:38:37.295-06:00    I have mentioned Charles only in passing so far.  It was through Charles I had initial contact with EDD.  It was Charles with whom I exchanged emails informing me what to be prepared for.  It was Charles who picked me up at the airport late that Monday night.  It was Charles who helped me with the day to day complexities like Rwandan currency and buying http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/mr-charles-hazabintwali.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558138000668120170.post-1776256920849598368Thu, 04 Jan 2018 01:10:00 +00002018-01-03T19:10:05.041-06:00      I had the bright idea that I should take photos of each writer together with the letter he'd written, so that the kids in Rhinelander could see what their correspondent looks like.  That did so not work.  Boys came and went, and letters piled up and got shuffled around.  Anyway, I decided to feature here the two most http://elephantpith.blogspot.com/2018/01/experiment-in-international-relations.html0munninghoff@gmail.com (Ann Eshelman)