updates from the farm

Right now, I’m sitting by the pool in the sun as I type. It’s about 75 (that’s 25 for you Europeans), windy, and the sky is totally clear and bright blue. The scenery around here is pretty stark, as it’s the dry season, but there are animals everywhere. Just on the drive in last night, I saw a troop of baboons, 2 warthogs, and some antelope. Apparently, there are also some baby giraffes around. This morning, we went to see an injured female cheetah that’s been separated from others while she heals.  She was already somewhat used to humans since  the cheetahs are normally fed by the farm workers, so we were able to get pretty close (with the fence between us, of course). After lunch, another volunteer, Kristiana, and I went on a nature walk in the hills around the house, and we spotted some Oryx along the trail and a warthog at a stream. It’s just amazing how so much wildlife can live in this arid environment. 

On the volunteer front, I’ve been given my first assignment, which is to draft a sustainability action plan for the guest farm. The owner has done a lot already on the water conservation, recycling and community development fronts, but he’d like to review some of the latest literature and incorporate the applicable best practices.  On Monday, the kindergarten kids will be coming back, so I’m also going to start thinking about what sorts of English learning activities we can do.

Phew, lots going on, and it’s only my first day!