Hi everyone!
One of my favorite things about serving through Tau Beta Sigma is spending time with my sisters and brothers as well as meeting and getting to know other members of the band and community.
One of my favorite things about serving through Tau Beta Sigma is spending time with my sisters and brothers as well as meeting and getting to know other members of the band and community.
I know Iʼm a little (or a lot) on the shy side, but I still like making great friends and memories! ;) This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to do just that; I spent about six weeks in Kenya as Baylor Geology PhD candidate Emily Beverlyʼs field assistant.
After a very long flight from Dallas to Heathrow to Nairobi and almost a week gathering supplies for camp in the city, we made the drive to Sori, right on the shores of Lake Victoria.
After a very long flight from Dallas to Heathrow to Nairobi and almost a week gathering supplies for camp in the city, we made the drive to Sori, right on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Photo Credit: Ulli Menz
Photo Credit: Emily Beverly
Before this trip I had never been camping before (nor had I ever been to Africa), but it wasnʼt long at all before I felt right at home on those shores, thanks to the team I worked with!
The team consisted of geologists, paleontologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and students like me who were eager to learn from the project and culture--and man, was there so much culture in our camp! There were Kenyans (from different tribes), Americans (from up north and down south), Germans, and a French professor! There were even Italians living near our camp doing mission work.. Imagine seven different languages being spoken at once; that was my life this summer, and it was amazing! I learned a lot living and working with this team.
The team consisted of geologists, paleontologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and students like me who were eager to learn from the project and culture--and man, was there so much culture in our camp! There were Kenyans (from different tribes), Americans (from up north and down south), Germans, and a French professor! There were even Italians living near our camp doing mission work.. Imagine seven different languages being spoken at once; that was my life this summer, and it was amazing! I learned a lot living and working with this team.
Photo Credit: Kirsten Jenkins
Photo Credit: Nick Blegen
We clearly had a ton of fun, whether we were working, exploring, or just sitting around the table enjoying a delicious meal and playing games. I didnʼt even mind not having internet or text messaging- it was actually pretty liberating.
After almost a month in the field, some of us returned to the city to get permits from the National Museum of Kenya for our samples and finish other important business stuff that needed to get done before we left Kenya. Sounds boring, right? Fortunately I made a good friend at camp who showed me around Nairobi while Emily finished stuff up. We went to the Masai market one day, where I was able to get some souvenirs for my friends and family.
Emily also wanted to make sure I got the whole experience, so she took me to the Nairobi National Game Park where we saw lions, zebras, giraffes, you name it. Oh yeah, and we went to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to see the adorable baby elephants!
One last thing I have to say in this blog post is how thankful I am for this experience. Iʼm glad Emily decided to take a chance on little old me :) Iʼm grateful for what she taught me (from basic field knowledge such as how to use a Brunton compass and Jacobʼs staff to understanding how to study and sample paleosols (ancient soils)) and for the laughs.. We definitely kept each other entertained! On one of our last days in the field (weʼd gone a little crazy by then) I remember telling her Iʼd never prayed so hard as when I went to the outhouse at camp (there was a bat that lived inside). We laughed so hard they probably heard us in Tanzania.
Glad I got to fling that green and gold in Kenya!
<3 Nicky
<3 Nicky
