The plan..

So I am now in the middle of my 7th month on my Fulbright…and I have to say, I am not happy with my progress so far. Last month I finally received the filming permit I that is required for me to make a documentary. The last few weeks I have been fixing my car up for the bush, trying to collect all of the camping gear for 2 or more people and come up with contacts for areas surrounding the parks for me to go camp at.

So far, I have a few trips in mind to go to the Esilalei district and the Tarangire buffer zone, the southeast area of the Ngorongoro Highlands, Lake Natron, Singida and hopefully the western corridor of the northern Serengeti along the Grumeti River. At this point, I have no grand expectations for the Human / Wildlife conflict project. Considering the politics and red tape I have experienced so far, I would be naïve to think the rest will be all clear. In order to afford this fieldwork, I need to apply for exemption of park fees for Ngrorongoro and Serengeti, but to even get to the western corridor in the Serengeti I would have to hire a vehicle, since my little Escudo won’t make it out there.

I am sick of feeling non-productive and frustrated, but I am DETERMINED to make the most of these next 3.5 months. Here’s a revised list of goals that I have for the remainder of my grant, some of which are consistent with my original project, some are just trips I want to make too see more of Tanzania, and build my portfolio in order to help me land a job when I get home!

-get proper KiSwahili tutoring kwasababu nihitaje kuongea Kiswahili kabisaaaa
-Camp in Esilalei and travel around the district between Taragnire & Manyara. Go to Kitete village and try to film elephants traveling up the escarpment into the Ngorongoro highlands.
-Film bizarre landscapes & time lapse at Lake Natron….(fly over?!? I wish..)
-Visit my friend Marco’s village in the Highlands and travel the non-touristy areas in the southeast. Get proper audio recordings of Maasai vocals.
-Go to Dodoma to see the ancient cave paintings in the Kondoa caves.
-Camp in the Usambara Mountains, hike to the last remaining first-growth, Magambe rainforest, take frog and insect audio at night and shoot as many birds, frogs, lizards and snakes as I can.

-Hire a car and go camp in the western corridor of the Serengeti to take the infamous shots of Zebra & Wildebeest jumping over crocodiles in the Grumeti River.

-record hippo noises
-record lion noises
-record hyena noises
-work with Shanga as much as possible in between many amazing camping trips, help create new designs, make jewelry, metal sculptures, dresses, learn how to melt glass like a pro and get to know the amazing people that work there.

I don’t think I am being pessimistic, I am trying to be practical and make the absolute most out of this Fulbright, and I would hate to walk away disappointed because I wasted my time pursuing an over politicized topic like wildlife conservation. If anything, this frustrating experience has made me rethink my whole approach & perspective on the wildlife conservation industry and pursuit of documenting it as a career.

I guess now I know, kidogo, and when I come back, I will have a bit of knowledge about the way things work here. For now, I can only maximize my time here by pursuing my aforementioned goals and enjoying the next few months to come!