On October 13th, we met up with our students in Arusha and began our safari adventure the next day. Our first stop was a Maasai village with several bomas (groups of family homes) north of Arusha. The area, Engakaret, is dry and dusty but so unique and beautiful with Mts. Kilimanjaro and Meru in the background. We spent 3 days here learning about Maasai culture and their traditional ways.
Getting ready to leave for our 2 weeks of travel.
We were warmly welcomed at Engakaret by many people in the village. We learned the proper way to say hello in Maa, the Maasai language.
We toured houses built by women of the village. They rent out the houses for overnight visitors as a way to earn money.
Inside the house – a bit dark but actually fairly cool. They are sitting on the beds, and in front of them is a fire on the ground for cooking. It did leave the house a bit smokey.
We went out for an early morning walk to watch the sun rise above Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Philip was our Maasai guide. Here he is telling us about how and where the Maasai graze their animals. He also organized many activities including a campfire talk with village elders, a chance to milk goats, and a singing and dancing event. Mount Meru is in the background.
Goats inside the acacia branch fence, in the middle of a boma. The acacia branches have many thorns which are major deterrents to predators (and keep the goats inside!). Mount Meru is in the background.
We attended a ceremony called orpul. It’s an old tradition that has many facets. Basically, the men of the village kill a goat for food and medicine, including drinking the blood, eating raw meat and cooking just about every part of the goat. We ate cooked liver and gnawed on a leg bone, and ate a medicinal soup made out of many parts of the animal.
We had the opportunity to bead with the women (mamas) of the village. The women, in addition to renting out the houses also make beaded jewelry to sell.
Lily sat by several children who all made her beaded jewelry. She was totally decked out in bracelets, necklaces and anklets!
Our campsite at Engakaret. The dirt was dark and sandy – volcanic soil from Kilimanjaro. They say in the rainy season everything is green, but it was hard to imagine now, in the middle of the hot, dry season.
We left the village on Lily’s birthday, October 16th. We all really enjoyed our time at the village learning about the Maasai people and feeling so welcomed by all of them.
SylLy Acres 
November 2, 2016 at 9:04 pm
Your life is so amazing! We should be thankful for what we have. – Michelle
November 3, 2016 at 7:28 am
Yes – it’s so important to be thankful and express our gratitude! It can be really easy to slip into thinking that our lives would be better “if only…” But that gets you no where! And I am really thankful for this opportunity to travel – something I love to do. I’m also thankful to have a great community and friends to return to. Can’t wait to see you this winter!
November 4, 2016 at 12:22 pm
So interesting that these women build and rent out these “houses.” I can’t imagine staying in one! And the jewelry is amazing. They all wear so much of it! I love that Lily got to wear so much handmade jewelry. Maybe that will inspire her to make some for herself 🙂