"The Vampire Diaries"

I spent the past week high in the Usambara Mountains at the Mazumbai Forest Reserve- a patch of rainforest protected by the devious Mr. Mrecha, unknown to most Arusha city-goers, but by far one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever had the privilege of exploring. The car ride was long- 8 hours, mostly spent being narcoleptic (duh), playing car games, singing, and listening to Luke make up songs about Mary having to pee, Thea’s new haircut, and the infamous dusty cucumber. The final three hours of the ride were spent waving to villagers who seemed to be fascinated by the presence of “Wazungu”- being that it is pretty hard to access, it’s not surprising that seeing actual tourists was a new event to them. When we finally stepped out of the land rovers onto the lawn of the Swiss Chalet, tired and completely covered in dust, Baba Jack announced that it was time for boot camp. After a week of being confined to the vehicles, it was a welcome event. Boot camp continued all week, and I don’t think I’ve been more sore since field hockey tryouts freshman year, but I guess it has helped us combat the voluptuousness the camp crew is attempting to impose on us, a trait so prized in Tanzania, yet somewhat unwelcome by American standards. The next morning, we reported to the living room of the Swiss Chalet to hear what the morning’s mystery activity was. Assuming it was something academic, I was quite surprised when Baba Jack told us that he wanted us to go into the forest, completely alone, no watch, no camera, no water, and let it teach us. With that he turned us loose, and I spent three hours bushwhacking down a slope to the waterfall (later I found out there was a path…), climbing trees Mulan-style (guess there really are several uses for a khanga), and rockclimbing up the waterfall. I can’t even put into words how it felt to be so free in such a glorious place. You’re just going to have to try it yourself. The rest of the week involved learning techniques for data collection in the forest, a presentation on the concept of horizontal stratification in the tropical rainforest (I won’t bore you with the science mumbo-jumbo), trading valentines with rather colorful Swahili phrases, finally having my craving for cake satisfied, interviewing locals about traditional medicine, and realizing just what it takes to have conservation be a life mission… kind of scary. Now I described the head forester, Mr. Mrecha as being devious. That is no lie. But before I go into that, I should explain my post title. After spending the day in the village with the locals, Baba Jack cleared up why they seemed to be so interested in us. It is not because we’re tourists- no. It’s because they think we’re vampires. Yup, real blood-sucking beasts. The fact that it was daylight made it fine to be in our presence, but if they were to encounter us at night… well needless to say no one wanted to find out what would happen. I woke up early one morning to go for a run, passing by several locals on the way back. They smiled and said hello, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how they must have thought I was on my way back from the forest after a… delicious… night in the forest. Mr. Mrecha is of course, well aware of the wazungu stereotype, and used it to his advantage for forest conservation. Many years ago, he went to the local village and purchased a khanga (a traditional wrap skirt worn by women in Tanzania) and two pints of blood from the local butcher. He waited until sunset, ripped the fabric, covered it in blood, threw it near the entrance to the forest, and spilled the rest of the blood on the foliage around it. The next morning, locals found it, thought it was the work of forest vampires and, needless to say, stayed FAR away from the forest for a VERY long time. He is also known for informing locals that some of the birds in the forest are actually cameras, and that if they were in the forest cutting wood or taking plants, he would know. I never thought that conservation involved such deception, but as I learned this week, it takes a big stick, a big mouth, and a big carrot to make a difference in this field. Safari is now officially over for a while, and my friends and I are all about to head off on a three week homestay. I’m pretty nervous, but hopefully I’ll assimilate into Tanzanian life relatively well… Here’s hoping!

Colleen, Carson, and I after our hike up to the tallest peak near Mazumbai

My favorite tree in the forest

The gang's all here! (almost)