Yesterday I had nothing better to do in the afternoon, so I went on the cheetah feeding. I finally feel like a local. The guide, Kennedy, asked if I wanted to get in the front of the safari truck instead of jumping in the back with the tourists. The tourist seats in the safari truck are about 5 feet off the ground and enclosed up to the railing. I thought this was a great idea until I realized that the cab of the safari truck didn’t have any doors and is about 2 feet off the ground. So the ravenous cheetahs were basically prancing and fighting for food about 3 feet from my pink exposed flesh. Still, the guides seemed to be pretty relaxed about it, and since they feed the cheetah every day, I guessed they knew what they were doing. Cheetahs can be pretty tame. They have to goad ferociousness out of them by throwing the meat in strategic ways to make the cats jump and fight for it.

I had another morning at the school today. It felt good to walk out of the quiet German farmhouse and into the settlement where the locals live There was some African music playing and the smell of food cooking over open fires. It’s funny to see the guides when they are at home. They are really the big, successful men in their community and they strut around with importance and confidence. They all came to visit the school and it was great to see that side of them. When they are at the farmhouse and waiting on tourists and following orders, they seem much more introverted and hunched.

I ate lunch with the wildlife volunteer. She had just given the guides she is training a “surprise test” and was giving me the quiz just to pass the time over a lunch of bread and dried oryx meat. It was multiple choice, but I scored just as well (if not better) than the guides. I guess watching all those nature documentaries has paid off!

I’m trying desperately to get into town to buy a broadband modem so I can get connected to the internet. There is usually a shopping trip on Thursdays, but whether or not they will have space for me is another story. I hope I can go. I’m feeling rather cut off (which is a good and bad thing), but I feel like I need to be connected in case something goes terribly wrong at home. I also want to make sure my family knows I am alright. They do tend to worry when I disappear into the African bush.