Out of Africa: Part 10 (Continued – E) – Full Day of Debriefing, Reflection and Relaxation

On my recent trip to Africa, I disciplined myself to keep a daily journal of what transpired and how I felt about it. These entries are from that journal.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Experience #6 – And Still More Animal Reflections

Ostrich – We were able to observe a male and a female. They run, and even walk “funny.” Since it is mating season, male took off at about 40 miles per hour after the female.

Cheetah – They are just as sleek in person as on TV. Our guide said they are very tame. They will sit on the hood of a jeep. (Actually he said “bonnet” but you know what I mean.) A cheetah will come right up to a man and lick their hand.

Termites and Ants – Hills are everywhere on the savannah and they are huge; some are as high as 4 or 5 feet. Once it was cool to see a bird sitting atop the hill as if it were a buffet.

Lizards – Prolific and everywhere. In this luxurious dining room, they are on the walls and ceiling above you.

Cows – Seems odd to talk about cows in Africa doesn’t it? If you were here it would not seem odd at all. Cows are everywhere in Masailand. The Masai do not take their presence lightly. To the Masai the cow is the most important creature on the earth. They receive them as gifts, and consider them as family member and currency all at the same time. A Masai knows his cattle by name. He may have 5 or 1,000 but he will know each of them and know if one is missing. If it is, he will leave the others to rescue the lost one. Does that remind you of any Biblical imagery?

There were some points of learning even here. As we were returning from one school visit, we came upon some cows in “road.” There was one large bull, who simply would not move. He was off the left of our front bumper with his hind right quarter blocking our path. Ole Masi told me, that this bull thought we were another bull and this bull was preparing to mate with a cow just to his left, and he was preparing to fight us for her.

Sheep & Goats – They share in the same herd and we ate a lot of each while here. The one interesting point was regarding the separating of them which occurs at one point in the year. The shepherd will separate them for a variety of reasons. Goats are loud, boisterous, and trouble makers. Goats will urinate on sheep. They have at times gone into other farmers land and caused dissention. They do not like to walk on wet land and will get on top of the sheep. They can be generally abusive to sheep if not kept in check by the shepherd. The goats are extremely loud when mating and multiplying. Sheep on the other hand are very quiet when mating and multiplying. Also, after being separated from the goats, the sheep will multiply at a much faster rate than when the herds are mixed. Biblical imagery anyone?

God’s creation is truly amazing.