An update from the bush

What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun
What a beautiful dream
That could flash on the screen
In a blink of an eye and be gone from me
Soft and sweet
Let me hold it close and keep it here with me, me

Sitting under my mosquito net bed after another long day at C.A.R.E. Once again, the sound of frogs, baboons grunting and bugs (of all shapes and sizes) buzzing and flying around are the sounds that lull me to sleep at night. What a change from home. A home that I have been away from for exactly one week!

In the middle of a busy day I sometimes even forget I am in Africa. I get so swept up in washing bottles, feeding bottles, playing with young ones and cleaning that I forget how far away I am from home. But then a baboon makes and alarm call and everyone looks up from their job and notices an enormous bull elephant slowly grazing in the bush, knocking down tree limbs and munching on the newly grown grass. It is then that you remember that you are indeed in Africa (no doubt about it). The volunteers all took a good hour to observe the elephant watch its movements and to make sure it did not get too close. This is truly an amazing place and I need to remind myself everyday (even when I am exhausted and  covered in poop) that I am lucky to be here.

Two to three times a day I am responsible for sitting, playing with, and observing the babies (this is by far my favorite time of day). There are a total number of 20 in the baby troop and slowly but surely I am learning all of their names and different characteristics. Just like my seven little babies back in Wooster, each baboon has its own distinct personality. Janey is a bitch in the mornings but loves to snuggle in your shirt and groom you (she just needs to work on being gentle). Tempe is a rambunctious little girl who loves being swung and who wants to play for hours but at the end of the day falls asleep in your arms when being carried to bed. Schmeegle (the alpha male of the group) a big baby who likes to drink his bottles in your arms and who acts tough but is really just a gentle giant. And Jonah, a timid boy with the rest of the troop but when you get him alone tramps around the lodge like he owns the place. What makes the baby time more fun is that they are starting to remember me and warm up to and trust me (not totally but getting there) everyday I make progress bonding with one of them and sharing a special moment with them. I have to say I am becoming a very good groomer and they love it. You have not lived till a baby baboon grooms the inside of your ear (yep this is what my day consists of) The best part, no one here judges anyone for being covered in poop and pee or for wearing pants that you can smell from a football field away. It is just the way it is here and any ounce of embarrassment or self-doubt you have goes out the window (a great great great thing for me!)

A favorite activity of mine when I do find a moment of peace is to walk around the grounds and try and get to know some of the other wild and housed baboons. I have found that I love the personalities, demeanors and beauty of the males. They are huge majestic creatures but look at you with these eyes that seem all knowing with hints of kindness. Although it is technically not allowed I always try and sneak some treats for them when no one is looking, I just can’t help myself, those eyes are impossible to say no to. I’ve learned from the other long term volunteers which ones are nice and which ones can be jerks and all of their individual stories and rankings. It’s an amazing thing to eat your breakfast and look out to see fifty or so wild baboons interacting and socializing with each other and just being wild yet safe. No one will harm them here or poach them or trap them as pets, it is a haven and they know it.

As much as I miss the comforts of home (and having completely clean fingernails (an impossible thing here) I try and enjoy every moment I have here. Of course my mattress is not the most comfortable thing in the world, and I spent 2 hours picking up rotten food from an enclosure for basically shits and giggles and I smell (more like reek) of baboons all day, but this is an awesome place. Not just the environment but the people. People who share my interests and who all have the same common goal: to help all creatures (except for these fucking bugs I swear to god I need a zapper and I will pay cash for it!)