A look back.

On my way back home to the USA, I reflected on my time in Kenya with the Elephants and Bees Project and Save The Elephants... That was the craziest, most random, and challenging adventure I've ever had in my life. The majority of my time there, I had no idea what I was doing! Yet, here I am, almost...

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A love note to Portland.

When I boarded the plane to leave Namibia summer after my sophomore year, I cried. Never before had I been to a place so wild. I thought - this is it. I've found where I am meant to be the rest of my life. I belong in Africa. But as I sit here in Kenya, I find myself feeling somehow guilty for not having that same feeling of wanting to live here forever. I realize, of course, that some things...

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Finally - we're in!

As I write this post I am sitting on a couch, in an office, with desks, electricity, shelves, and SPACE... That's right; we are officially moved in to the Elephants and Bees Research Center! It is so exciting to have a defined work space, a place to slump (looking at you, couch, my love) and to...

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Precious Wabongo

Part of our many jobs as interns on the Elephants and Bees Project in Tsavo is to start laying the foundation for larger research questions about our beehive fences, such as, what makes bees happy? In other words, why are some hives or entire farms more occupied than others? So far, we haven't had...

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First raid of the season.

At around 8:00 on Friday, January 10, 2014, I sat down to the dinner table, starving and exhausted after a long day. As we dished out the servings of stir fry (a treat compared to our usual tomatoes, beans, and rice dish), Nzumu was helping Imran with one last task before he was headed home. As he worked, he casually said "There are elephants in the shambas." RIGHT NOW?! Yes, right then. We explained...

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Bees!

On the last day that Carley and I were on site by ourselves, I was about to crack. Balancing camp life (no, not glamping) with maintaining construction projects that produce an aesthetic and professional product was exhausting to say the least. I had battled simple tasks meant to take 10 minutes...

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A glimpse into the life of Dr. Lucy King

There is no such thing as a schedule in Kenya. You can make a plan for the next day and even have back-ups for your "what if" scenarios, but it's all useless. Carley and I returned to Mwakoma after our Christmas break, excited to take on the challenge of project management in the absence of Lucy....

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Innovation

In the bush of Kenya, certain tools and materials can be in short supply. Whether it's out of the budget or simply doesn't exist in the local shops, many construction workers, farmers, landscapers, and families have to make do with what they have. This is certainly the case in Mwakoma, and the innovation...

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