Happy New Year (Karibu Mwaka Mapya)!

It is hard to believe that I have already been in Tanzania now for two months (1 ½ at the field site), and that in just a few days it will be 2011.  The new year looks like it will be an interesting and exciting one, hopefully filled with lots of data :)

Progress with my research started slow, but things have been turning around lately, and I now already have some really good data in addition to some amazing photos from the camera traps (I wish I could share some with you here, but they are the property of many people, not just myself, so publishing them on a blog at this point is not possible).  I have encountered many kinds of animals here: bush duikers, bushbuck, bushpigs, mongooses, hornbills, turacos, baboons….I have even had some glimpses of the chimpanzees, although they like to make a habit of not staying around for very long.  My most exciting “animal story” is actually not mine, but that of one of my field assistants.  We were observing one of my patches when we heard the baboons alarm calling and barking from a few hundred meters away.  After one hour they were still at it, so my field assistant went to go check it out.  He came back very quickly announcing that he had seen a leopard! Apparently it was looking to make a snack out of one of the baboons, but ran away when it saw my field assistant approaching.  He saw the leopard and high-tailed it out of there.  Now we are always on the lookout for the leopard when passing that spot, but as of yet there have been no further sightings.

I am slowly getting used to the daily treks up and down the mountainous terrain to and from my patches, but am still going to bed each night completely exhausted and sore from head to toe.  One thing is for sure, I will be in very good physical shape by the time I leave here!  Climbing up and down mountains each day has also made me come to the conclusion that bipeds are not meant to live in such an environment; whether going up or down you are often forced to lower your center of mass (i.e. get on your hands and knees) to fight the pull of gravity.  I can offer up the many (small) bruises, scratches, and bumps that I have as evidence for this conclusion!

I’m afraid that this entry will have to be a short one, as I am running out of time (and therefore internet usage) here in town.  I will leave you with some photos of animals that I took with my own camera.

I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and that you all have a happy and healthy New Year!!

Contacting me in TZ

For any of you that are interested in contacting me while I am in TZ, please leave a comment with your email address, and I (or my mother) will get back to you with the information. Thanks!

Mzungu musings

Everywhere I go I am followed by shouts and utterances of “mzungu”. This Swahili word can be loosely translated as “white person”. While it is not meant to be derogatory, it is still something that I have not yet gotten used to. I often want to turn around and say, “yes, I’m white, thanks for noticing”, but always end up keeping those comments to myself. Being a mzungu in Tanzania can be both a blessing and a curse. It can get cars or trucks to stop and give you rides when needed, but then they expect you to be able to pay a good amount of money for their help. Traveling with one of the field assistants helps this “money problem”, as negotiations can be made to lower the price. I experienced this first hand just the other day on the way here to Kigoma.

One of the field assistants and I began our journey at 8:30am on Sunday morning. We walked for about an hour to get from camp to the main road that links the towns of Uvinza and Mpanda. There we sat by the “bus stop” (buses don’t have scheduled times or places to stop on these roads) and waited for the bus, or a car or truck, to pass by and give us a lift. And we waited and waited and waited. By 5pm we were about to give up, when a truck (transporting cases of beer bottles!) passed by and gave us a lift to Uvinza. After stopping to fix two flat tires, we arrived after dark, quickly ate dinner, and then went to bed.

The next morning began at 5am to walk to the center of town to catch the bus to Kigoma. By the time we got there the bus was already packed, so we ended up taking a car instead. At first this seemed to be the better option, but after some time the car became just as packed and uncomfortable. We made our way to the town of Kasulu, where we got out and waited for a daladala to Kigoma. This daladala ended up getting a flat tire and then completely stalling. So we waited again. And waited. And finally caught another daladala to take us to Kigoma.

It has been difficult, but I am slowly learning that waiting for things is just how things work here; people are very laid back—things will happen when they happen. Hopefully next month, the trip to Kigoma will go a bit more smoothly...or I will just be used to waiting by then!

Gombe adventures

My trip to Kigoma was thankfully uneventful, and I was hoping that things would continue that way. Unfortunately I was wrong, as my departure from Kigoma was delayed for a few days. But, this time the delay was gladly welcomed because it was due to a weekend trip to Gombe National Park! For this unexpected but great experience, I owe a large amount of gratitude to Dr. Anthony Collins at the Jane Goodall Institute (www.janegoodall.org). He happened to be in Kigoma the day after my arrival there to take some JGI guests to Gombe and invited me to come along. After a pleasant two hour boat ride, we arrived at Gombe. We dropped the guests off at the resthouse and made our way to Dr. Goodall’s house, where Dr. Collins stays while at Gombe—staying in Dr. Goodall’s house was another unexpected surprise! And there were more surprises to come….

After dinner I found out that not only would I be spending my two nights at Gombe in Dr. Goodall’s house, but that I would be sleeping in her room! This was an unbelievable experience, as I have admired Dr. Goodall and her work since I was a young child. And the next day was just as unbelievable and exciting…

Dr. Jane Goodall's house at Gombe

We found a group of chimpanzees within the first hour of our hike into the forest and stayed to watch them for a while. There were two little juveniles playing and wrestling with each other, while their moms and the other adults ate or rested nearby. While we were watching, there were a few small spats accompanied by very loud pant-hooting, which is always amazing to hear. After some time we decided to continue on to see if we could find other chimpanzees. We soon came across another small group of chimpanzees, including Gremlin (who is one of the more publicized chimpanzees, known for successfully raising twins) and her newest offspring, Gizmo. They disappeared soon after we saw them, so we decided to continue on our way. We came across a termite mound and stopped to have a closer look. This was very fortunate, because not too long after Gremlin (with Gizmo) and two of her older children approached the mound and began to fish for termites! We stayed and watched in awe as they searched for the perfect fishing tool, carefully placed it into the termite mound, and then pulled it out, bringing the termite covered tool up to their mouths for a tasty treat. When the chimpanzees were finished termite fishing, we decided to end our day with that fantastic experience and made our way back to Dr. Goodall’s house for a late lunch. I went to sleep that night still in disbelief of how amazing the past few days had been.

In front of Gimley termite fishing

Gizmo watching mom Gremlin (right) and older sister Glitter termite fishing

After the boat ride back to Kigoma, it was time to pack-up and make my way to the field site. The Jane Goodall Institute was generous enough to let me hire one of their drivers and cars to make this first trip out to the field site with all of my equipment as hassle-free as possible. We loaded up the car and started driving to Uvinza, where we would buy food supplies for the next few weeks. After stopping in Uvinza we continued on to Issa and slowly made our way up steep slopes and across dry riverbeds to the campsite. There was just enough time for me to set up my tent before it got dark. I decided that I would unpack everything else the next day.

These first two weeks at camp have gone by extremely quickly. I have been walking up and down steep slopes almost every day with the field assistants getting to know the area a bit better and have slowly started my own research project. I have been going to bed each night extremely exhausted and hoping that my body will get “into shape” soon. But hearing the chimpanzees during the day and seeing lots of other animals (a bushpig, rock hyraxes, bushbuck, duikers, birds, lizards…) while out walking are all the motivation I need to get up the next morning and do it all again.

I wish that I had the time to share more, but my time in Kigoma is limited. While this trip to Kigoma was a welcomed break, the next trip will not be for another whole month. At that time, I should have much more progress to report and more exciting stories to share! In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!

Note to readers...

Just a quick note:

The first two blog entries below were primarily written for the Institute of Human Origins (IHO) "Notes from the Field" blog, which can be found here: http://asuiho.wordpress.com/

I will try and post updates for that blog, in addition to a few more on here, throughout my fieldwork, but they will be scarce as internet access will be severely limited!!

Feel free to leave comments and/or questions, but I can't promise to respond in a timely manner!!

Karibu Tanzania! (Welcome to Tanzania)

I arrived in Tanzania last Monday morning, surprisingly still awake and alert despite not getting much sleep on the plane. I was greeted outside the airport by a former Ugalla Primate Project field assistant, who kindly showed me around the city of Dar es Salaam and helped me to begin the process of finalizing my paperwork and permits. Unfortunately, even with his help, things did not always go smoothly. I spent my first four days here back at the airport, at the cargo terminal specifically, trying to get my additional luggage. First the arrival of my bags was delayed, then when they finally came the paperwork was missing, and then an additional day was needed to get all the required signatures and pay for import taxes and handling fees. The most difficult part of the whole process was trying to get used to the laidback, “no hurry” attitude most people have in this country. In the US, everything has deadlines and needs to be done within a certain timeframe; here, things get done when they get done. I’ve heard “come back tomorrow and it will be ready” many times, only to hear it again the very next day. But now, after spending just over a week in the capital city, I have all of my permits and am ready to travel to Kigoma, the next stop before getting to the field site.

             

While waiting for my luggage and paperwork, I have had a chance to explore the city. Most parts of Dar es Salaam are just like any city in the US—lots of people and buildings and traffic; other parts contain crowded marketplaces filled with many “dukas” or stalls; while other parts, particularly those right along the coast, are calmer and quieter. As a “mzungu” (white person) who does not speak Swahili, being in the city center was a bit overwhelming, but definitely an experience worth having. Learning how to navigate around Dar es Salaam using public transportation has also been an interesting experience! For short distances, many people use “bajajis”, little brightly colored cars that you can easily hop in and out of. For longer distances there are “dala-dalas” (city buses), that are also brightly colored, but usually much more crowded!           

One of many bajajis by my hotel.

Dala-dala or "city bus"

             

While everyone has been extremely friendly and helpful, it is hard to avoid being stared at while walking through town or sitting on a bus; this is a bit discomforting, but is one of those experiences that I think everyone should have because it makes you more understanding of what it feels like to be an ‘outsider’. To better fit in, I have been trying to practice the little Swahili I know and to learn more. People here have been more than happy to help with this process and seem to find it quite entertaining when I try a new word or phrase! I have also been learning new words from the staff here at the hotel, Mapadri Waponisti (“Passionist Fathers”), which is located on the outskirts of town. It is a small, but very nice place where I am enjoying having hot showers and air conditioning for a few more days!

Welcome to "Passionist Fathers"

Entryway to hotel; the closed door is my room.

             

Tomorrow I will make my way back to the airport to get on a plane going to Kigoma. There I will stay for a few more days before making the 5-6 hour drive to Issa. I am excited to continue my journey and hope that I will be able to continue to share my adventures with you!

Kwaheri kwa sasa! (Goodbye for now!)

Spending a Year in the Field

When people ask what I do, I tell them that I am a graduate student. This response is inevitably followed by questions about what I study and where I do my research. It is when I answer this last question that many people begin to look at me like I am a bit crazy; afterall, spending a year living in a tent in a remote area of a foreign country with no running water or electricity is not for everyone! I, however, have been steadily working towards being able to have this experience from the time I decided to be a primatologist. I hope that my contributions to this blog will answer at least some of the questions people have about this ‘lifestyle choice’ and make what I (and many others) do seem a little less crazy!

           

Riverine forest patch and woodland at Issa, Ugalla. (c) Jim Moore

 First, let me answer the questions about what I study and where I do my research.  In three words, my topic of study is: “chimpanzee community ecology”. I’ll forgo the full “2 minute elevator speech” our advisors make us practice and just say that I am interested in the resources that chimpanzees are using and how their usage compares and contrasts with resource use by other animals in the same area. I will be doing my research at the site of Issa, which is in the Ugalla region of western Tanzania. This site is very open and dry, with only a small strip of riverine forest, making it similar to the environments in which some of our early ancestors lived. Because chimpanzees are often used as models for early hominins, observing how chimpanzees live in this type of environment can inform hypotheses about how our ancestors lived in similar environments. It is this connection between chimpanzee ecology and human evolution that makes my project a good fit for the anthropology department and the IHO at ASU.

          

Issa vegetation. (c) Jim Moore

While the research camp at Issa has been established for a few years now, it is in quite a remote area, so there is no running water and only occasional electricity provided by solar power. I will be living in a tent for the year and using buckets of water from the river for bathing and laundry. In camp, my only form of communication with the ‘outside world’ will be via a satellite phone; mobile phones sometimes work at a spot about 4km from camp. Once a month at least one of the field assistants, and myself, will travel for a few hours by car/bus/truck (really whatever vehicle happens to give us a lift) to the nearest town of Kigoma to renew our food supplies and buy anything else we might need.  This will definitely be a great change from how I am used to living in Arizona!!

Where I will be living for a year! (c) UPP

So, how does one prepare for such an experience? Well, most importantly, you need to be mentally prepared to be surrounded by new and different people, cultures, and experiences. You have to be content with the possibility of not seeing friends or family for a full year, or for at least a few months at a time if you can manage to have visitors. It certainly helps to be independent and have the ability to deal with issues as they arise—flexibility is a necessity for fieldwork because things hardly ever go according to your plans. Then, of course, there is the physical preparation; most fieldwork consists of A LOT of walking to get to a particular area and/or to find and then follow your study subjects. Finally, there is all of the logistical/technical planning—what kind of and how much equipment to take, arranging transportation to and from the site (with all of your equipment and baggage), obtaining research permits, arranging for field assistant salaries and food costs, figuring out what to do with the belongings you are leaving behind, and many more things. For these types of preparations, it greatly helps to get guidance from those who have already done all of these things. 

Although it is a lot of work, and stressful at times, to prepare for a year of fieldwork, it is also very exciting. Fieldwork in a foreign country provides a great opportunity to meet new people and experience new cultures. It is also a humbling experience, by reminding me that not everyone has the same luxuries I normally do at home.

             

If you would like more information about the field site where I will be, please visit their webpage: http://ugalla.ucsd.edu/  I will try my best to continue providing updates and answer any questions whenever I can get access to the internet.  I hope you’ll enjoy following along with my adventures!