Alex Haynie, nicknamed “Aliki” by some of his new Strathmore friends, is an associate at Strathmore University Foundation now in Kenya until December on a three-month exchange assignment to further the collaboration of SUF with Strathmore University.  A 2008 graduate of Princeton University from North Wales, PA, Alex is interning with three of Strathmore’s departments: athletics, community outreach, and alumni development. He is keeping a journal of his experiences and impressions.

 

On Saturday October 18, I went on a mini-safari to Nairobi National Park, and the park’s edge is less than five miles from the city center. 

 

Over three million people live in Nairobi, and Kenya’s capital is now the fourth largest city in Africa.  Despite all of the big buildings, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, lions, and other wildlife live just a short distance from the hectic atmosphere of Nairobi, and they are separated by only a fence. 

 

I safaried with two friends of mine from Princeton who are also in Africa right now.  Tom McKay works for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Nairobi, and Andy Kittler is teaching in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for six weeks this fall.  The three of us had lunch in Nairobi and took a quick walk around the city to show Andy some sites, and then we hopped in a mini-safari bus in town and within forty minutes we were watching baboons and other wild animals living and eating in their natural habitat. 

 

Nairobi National Park was established in 1946 and became East Africa’s first national park.  The park extends 117 square kilometers, which is small in comparison to Kenya’s other national parks, and the park’s environment consists mainly of open grassy plains.  While the close proximity of the animals and people has caused some conflicts in the past (in the 1900s, when Nairobi was still a small town, many residents carried guns to protect themselves from roaming lions), the park still features thousands of animals of many different species that live their lives free from disturbances.

 

Kenya’s wildlife and national parks draw visitors from all over the world, and tourism plays a vital role in the country’s economy.  Preserving and managing the country’s precious resources are among Kenya’s greatest challenges.  Strathmore’s new School of Hospitality and Tourism trains young Kenyans to meet these challenges with its core curriculum and specific elective courses such as Sustainable Tourism and Eco-Tourism, Destination Management, and Wildlife Tourism.

 

During our safari we drove on dirt roads through the national park, and we checked out exotic animals against the backdrop of Nairobi’s big buildings.  We saw baboons, giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, ostriches, gazelles, and several other species.  Though the park rules prohibited us from getting out of our van and touching any of the animals, we drove our vehicle very close to the wildlife and many of the animals didn’t mind—they just kept munching away at the shrubbery. 

 

Four of the animals in the African “Big Five” are said to be present in the park: meaning lions, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo all reside very near Nairobi—elephants, the fifth of the Big Five, must be seen elsewhere.  We didn’t spot any simbas (Swahili word for lion) rhinos, or leopards, but I hope to when I make it out to some of Kenya’s larger national parks and see more of the country’s beauty.  Some of my Strathmore friends are planning a trip to Amboseli National Park, so I may have the opportunity to really get out into the bush soon.  Either way, hanging out with giraffes on a Saturday afternoon was pretty cool.