Keeping the home fires burning...

I'm sure sabbatical trips to Africa 40 years ago were very different than my experience this year. We have email, blogs, internet phones, CNN, and the like. It would have been different to just wave good-bye and hope to catch up with everything in the States when we return!

But, in reality, my time in Africa has consisted of a lot of work with folks back in Nebraska. Three graduate students working to finish their theses/dissertations, 4-5 former students working on publications, and four students working on field projects in a variety of places, including Mexico, the Sandhills of Nebraska and National Parks across the Great Plains.

In the spirit of reminding those students I do still think about them from time to time, amidst rhino watching and such, I thought I'd post some links to a cool project that has hit the news in Nebraska.

I collaborate with project leaders Steve Dinsmore (Iowa State Univ.) and Joel Jorgensen (Nebraska Game and Parks Commission), as well as the real worker--Cory Gregory (ISU MS student), on a long-billed curlew ecology project in western Nebraska. It's based at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and we're trying to learn more about the secretive nesting ecology of this species--nest survival, nest habitat preferences, and movements of chicks after they leave the nest.

We found money to attach satellite transmitters on two adult curlews, and things have gotten really interesting now that they are migrating south (yes, already...). Joel has created a web site, where you can see maps of the birds' movements and check for updates. In addition, you can click here to go to a Nebraska Public Radio story about the project.

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Photo property of Cory Gregory

The oblivious ant

Readers of NTN may have to bear with me on this one. It's the first poem published on the blog. Maybe the last...

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Here's the background information/story. During our recent survey trip (see older entry on the blog) to a communal conservancy, we happened upon a group of farmers meeting to discuss how to better manage their rangelands. We were asked to join them as they discussed the new technique. Essentially, they have all been sending their individual herds out untended and the herds go wherever they want. The result is drastic over-grazing...not a blade of grass to be seen for 3-4 km around the village. The new system will employ a herder who will take all cattle from the village to new areas each day. It should result in better rangeland and also reduce losses from predators.

The men were sitting in the circle you see in the photo, and as I listened to them talk I saw an ant walking across the circle carrying a grass seed. It struck me that the Holistic Management that the farmers were discussing would most likely affect the ant, even though the ant didn't realize its fate was being determined at that very moment. So, it's thoughts about those connections that sometimes go unnoticed in nature.

Now, the poem...

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The Oblivious Ant

It was an ant.

Carrying a grass seed late in winter.

Lucky to find the seed on the bare ground.

The men sitting in a circle around the ant did not notice the struggle to carry the seed.

The ant, also oblivious, saw their legs as giant tree trunks in a forest that needed traversing.

But, the trees were making decisions.

Decisions about grass.

Decisions about ants.

Although the trees said their decisions were about cattle and goats.

The trees shuffled their feet, debating.

The ant dodged their feet, worrying only about its cargo and final destination.

It was the mouths of the trees (not their feet) that decided the ant's fate.

The ant heard only the wind as the trees talked and talked.

The ant left the circle with its seed.

Only 12,654 steps to go to reach its mound.

The trees decided that the ant, next year, would have more seeds.

Then, everyone went home without saying good-bye to the ant.

"I found a seed," the ant said to its friend as it reached the mound.

--L. Powell, on the Ehirovipuka Conservancy, Namibia

Etosha trip with friends from Nebraska

The year has become so busy that we are scrambling to get items posted on the blog before we have too many new adventures. Recently, the chronology of blog events has not been in the right order, so we hope you can 'play along' as we try to add comments here and there as we have time.

When we came to Namibia, we knew the year would be divided into two sections--the mid-point being the time when our friends from Nebraska would come (May/June) and Larkin's parents would come (June/July). We had planned trips with both groups to different parts of Namibia. It seems the year is going fast, as the Nebraskans have come and gone, and Larkin's parents get on the plane to come to Namibia in a couple days.

The Pegg's and the Hygnstrom's are professional colleagues and friends from the University of Nebraska. We all work together and enjoy similar ventures, so it was no surprise when we announced our trip to Namibia that we soon found we would be having house-guests.

Our trip started with a trophy hunt, after which we went to the coast for fishing and dune tours, and then concluded with a trip to the Etosha area. It was hard to watch our friends get on the plane to head back to Nebraska, and even harder to keep Tristan from going with them! But, we thoroughly enjoyed showing them some of our 'finds' near Windhoek and on the coast, and we had a good two weeks' worth of adventures. Click here to go to the photo story of our trip on the Picasa photo site.

Lazar Wolf: Tradition!

Tristan recently had his acting debut in the Windhoek International School's production of "Fiddler on the Roof". The troupe used 'minimalistic theatre'--very little in terms of set and props--to encourage the imagination in the troupe and the audience.

Our aspiring thespian first set his sights on helping with the set, but was convinced by the show's teacher/sponsors to try out for a part. He was assigned "Lazar Wolf," the butcher who wants to marry one of the daughters.

Here is the video the grandparents have been waiting for. Scene Four. Lazar and Tevye discuss Lazar's interest. As the narrator points out, they seem to be talking about different things.



Click here for a few photos of Tristan in the musical from our Picasa site.

Birds and houseguests

I just returned from 4 days in northern Namibia (just west of Etosha NP) at the Ehirovipuka (pronounced Eee-hero-vee'-puka) communal conservancy. I traveled with Uapii, our friend and Polytechnic student, who translated my survey on ecotourism to the OshiHerrero-speaking farmers. We were also joined by Aaron Price, a recent graduate of U. Nebraska, who has just arrived in Namibia for a 6-month stint with World Wildlife Fund.

We performed 36 surveys in 2.5 days--not bad considering travel time and the fact that each survey takes about 30 minutes to complete. The survey documents opinions about the value of conservancies to the resident farmers, as well as the level of their participation in ecotourism activities. Last, the farmers (both men and women--heads of households who make management decisions) are presented with 10 photos of wildlife species in Namibia, and they are asked to share how much they value each species. A "10" indicates "I value this species highly" while a "0" indicates no value, with the range between 0 and 10 available for ranking.

I included photos in the survey of 3 predators (hyena, cheetah, leopard), 3 meat animals (kudu, zebra, oryx), 3 animals who can cause damage (elephant, warthog, rhino) and on 'control'--a bird called a hornbill. It causes no damage, but is too small to eat. I was interested in how people felt about a species that doesn't harm but doesn't really help them. You can see a photo of a hornbill from a previous camping trip here.

We learned that no one like hyenas and everyone loves hornbills. My first favorite quote of the trip came from the farmer at right. He had worked for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in the past in Etosha, so had an appreciation for wildlife. He still gave predators low rankings, but said this about the hornbill. "Ah, I like this one. You know, the veld* without birds is like a house without children."

On our last night, we ended up camping at Uapii's uncle's house. The family didn't know we were coming, as our plans for camping changed at the last minute. We arrived after dark, and they arrived home from town soon after to find they had guests camped in their front yard. They were incredibly hospitable, and we had a great evening talking. His uncle is a principal at the local primary school, and his aunt teaches 1st Grade.

While talking and sharing our supper with them, his uncle commented, "We have an African proverb...it says 'Sometimes the guests to a home rescue the host.' "

It was his way of thanking us for sharing our food. Thinking of how glad our family had been to see our recent visitors from Nebraska, I had to agree.

I'm adding these two quotes to my list of all-time favorites. Photos of the trip start here on our Picasa photo site.

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*"veld" is the word folks in this next of the woods use for 'range'--we teach 'veld management' instead of 'range management'--it essentially means the habitat around them with bush and grass.

When the tree gives you lemons, make ... well, you tell us

OK, so our lemon tree is working overtime. We literally have buckets full.

We thought it would be fun to ask for recipes from our loyal blog followers. Help! We can only make so much lemonade, and lemonade just doesn't taste the same when it is only about 50 degrees.

If you have recipes that use lemons, feel free to send them by clicking on the little comment icon below this post. We'll let you know how the recipes work out.

We also have lots of guava, in case you have guava recipes...

The only ground-rules are: remember (1) we're in Namibia and (2) we have no mixer and no blender. Just strong arms.

Investigations into invigilation: exam time at Polytechnic

June is final exam month at Polytechnic. Because the African system is so different than the US system, I thought I'd share a bit about how Namibian final exams work.

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For starters, at University of Nebraska all students take 'final exams' during one "Finals Week" at the immediate end of each semester. Some instructors choose to make the "final" a comprehensive exam. Others choose to make it a regular test that covers the last unit of the semester.

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At Polytechnic, the system works quite differently. Students can only take the final exam if they have over a 50% average on the rest of the tests and assignments during the semester. While that sounds fairly benign, grading scale is different here, and it is not unusual to have up to 1/4th of the class not qualify for the final exam. If you don't qualify, you have to take the course over the next year.

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Students also have to pay to take final exams. Some students have spent all their money on tuition and food, so they elect to skip the final exam immediately after the semester, and they take the exam during the next exam period in about 5-6 months (after the next semester). A student who fails the final exam can also take the exam again--up to 3 more times. So, it is common to have students taking an exam for the 3rd or 4th time for a course they took two years ago. The educational ramifications of that seem a bit of a stretch to me, as the new exams might be set by new instructors who teach very differently--and the student doesn't actually take the course over...just shows up for the exam.

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Tests and exams are different in Namibia...the words are used by me to mean the same thing in Nebraska. I have a course with 3 tests or 3 exams...use whatever word you want. But, in Namibia, "tests" happen during the semester and "exams" happen at the end of the semester. I learned the hard way that students get a little freaked out when you tell them the 'exam' is next week...

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During the semester, let's say a student misses the first "test". In Nebraska, we'd make up a make-up exam if they had a good excuse (death in family or personal illness). At Polytechnic, the student just misses that test. No re-do. But, the lecturer now has to create another test for the student sometime during the semester. The rule is that each course has to have at least 2 tests during the semester. The expectation is that these are 'traditional' tests--not group project reports or other experiential learning type of assessments. So, most instructors make 3 tests for their course, so that each student has the opportunity to get 2 tests taken. Then, the third test could be optional for students if they have taken the first two. Again, from my perspective, there is a lack of connection to educational objectives--some students may not be tested over a portion of the material covered (until the Final Exam). But, it appears to be an adaptation to a system in which students sometimes have odd reasons for not being in class--like the fact that their transportation from their home 8 hours away didn't materialize for them to come back after the weekend.

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OK, so now the semester is over. Most students have taken at least two tests, they have passed the semester portion of the course, they have paid their examination fees, and the Final Exam is upon us.

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Well, actually, we have to back up about a month before the semester is over. Lecturers have to submit a 'memo' for their Final Exam to a moderator, who is an off-campus person assigned by Polytechnic to make sure the Final Exam is suitable for the course. The memo consists of the questions to be asked and ALL possible answers that will be accepted as correct. For open-ended essay questions, this can be a bit hard to think of all possible creative ways students might answer a question. And, what do you do if the final month of semester is altered and you cover different material than you previously placed on the Exam? Last, lecturers actually have to submit TWO memos--one for the current semester's exam and a "supplement"--which is the exam that will be given 6 months from now, if students elect to skip or if students fail the current exam.

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Again, at first glance, this moderator system appears to be a real educational boondoggle. The moderator never sets foot in the classroom during the semester, and they are supposed to know if the Exam is suitable? Furthermore, the moderator will look at the marked exams, after the lecturer grades it, to be certain that appropriate points were given or deducted for each question. I chuckle when I think what my colleages at UNL would do if they were told we were switching to a moderator system. "Academic freedom" is a foundation of the American system, and the notion of tenured faculty members letting someone else change their scores given to students would be enough to make some people resign on the spot.

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As with all things, it is good to look behind the system to see why it exists, however. African education, like other things in Africa, has a record of bribery and corruption. Polytechnic has tried extremely hard to make their system immune to this, but you hear of other institutions who routinely instruct their lecturers to stop taking bribes for grades. Also, there are few PhD lecturers at most institutions--making a system that provides checks and balances somewhat sensible. However, it has been hard for me to adapt to the system.

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So, now we have our Final Exam accepted by the moderator, and the Final Exam time is upon us. Rather than a week of exams, Polytechnic students have a month of exams. June and November are examination months. Lectures stop in late May and October, with about a week between the end of lectures and beginning of exams. Exams are scheduled to accomodate student and lecturer schedules. But, if a student ends up with two exams on one day, they can elect to just wait to take one of the exams 6 months later. No policy to let them take it on a different day or reschedule.

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Today, I attended the final exam for my Natural Resource Management course. I arrived at 7:30, prior to the 8:00am exam. Students were in a queue, being bodily searched by security guards to check for cell phones and other items not allowed in the exam rooms. After the security check, they presented their paperwork to show they qualified for the exam and that they had paid for it. The students entered a large hall, which was actually a parking garage at one point--cement floors and ceilings. It was well-lit, but open in several places to the outside. Today's temperatures at 8 am were probably in the high 40's or low 50's, so students took the exams bundled in coats. Exams are 3 hours long.

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All students scheduled for the same day--in many courses--take the exams together. So, our Natural Resource Management students were in one long row of chairs (front to back to prevent cheating--no side views), right next to Consumer Law and Business Communication students. This is depicted in the photo (sorry for cell phone photo) on this posting. Each student got the appropriate exam paper, and examination booklet to write their answers. They were given final instructions, and started to write. Invigilators (a new word to me--proctor is the word we use at UNL) walked the aisles to keep student eyes on their own paper. Lecturers hovered for the first hour to see if there were any questions. Three hours after it began, the students handed in their exams, which were whisked away to a secure site to be collated and bundled.

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I arrived at the examination office in the afternoon to pick up the exams to be marked. I went through 2 locked doors to get to my examination officer, who handed me my exams after I signed to show that I had picked up 21 exam papers. They also gave me the official memo, which I had helped construct a month ago, to help with my grading. Lecturers mark the exams in red. Moderators mark their comments and revisions on scores in green.

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So, maybe my UNL students will breathe a sigh of relief when they read this. I want to emphasize again that there is a reason for the really rigorous attempt to make the exam rigorous, comparable to other universities, secure, and immune from cheating. But, it is definitely a different system.

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Kelly says that the system reminds her of the examinations shown in Harry Potter, so perhaps there is a European influence (or influence of witchcraft...?!). There are movements afoot at Polytechnic to change the system to make the assessment system used directly reflects educational objectives and insure that students re-taking an exam have studied under the lecturer who wrote the exam. But, my guess is that those will be a long-time coming.

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In the meantime, I now have a new title I can add to my resume: invigilator.

Camping trip to the Brandberg (with Namibian music)

Another Namibian excuse to camp! A five-day weekend, centered around Ascension Day and Africa Day. Namibian is officially a Christian country, so Christian holidays are officially observed. Whatever the reason, it was a great excuse to ascend to new heights in the great outdoors. This time the goal was the highest point in Namibia--Brandberg Mountain.

We didn't actually climb the Brandberg, which can only be done by mountain climbers. But, we camped at the Brandberg White Lady Lodge at the foot of the mountain with our fellow Fulbrighters, the Bates family. Brandberg is about 4.5 hours from Windhoek in northwest Namibia, on the edge of the mountainous Damaraland region. We had gone through quickly on our trip with our friend Uapii in April, but didn't get to explore the area thoroughly.

It was a relaxing weekend, with the end of the semester looming at Polytechnic and multiple trips with visiting friends from the states at hand. So, it was great to just go to one place and stay there--with time to sit and relax. One of the thrills we had was falling asleep on two different nights to the sounds of native Namibian music. One of the 'people-mover-camping lorries' (see photo on previous blog here) at an adjacent site hired a local group to come sing around their campfire. Click the links below to listen and imagine being under a spectacular Milky Way and the Southern Cross, drowsily falling asleep to their music. It's beautiful and really made a great end to the day. I recorded it as a video on my cell phone, so I apologize for the scratchy quality. There is no video--it was pitch dark when I recorded it.

The Lodge is near the 2000-year-old White Lady rock painting, partially depicted in the photo here. It turns out that the white lady is neither white nor a lady. It was thought to be a visiting female from the Nile area originally, but is now thought to be a local man with ash on his legs from dancing around a fire for too long.

More photos of the trip, with more details of adventures, at the Picasa photo site.

Sacred morning

A quick photo of our recent trip with our friends the Pegg's and Hygnstrom's from Nebraska. We hunted and traveled to the coast and Etosha. It was wonderful to see old friends, and adventures were many. Stay tuned for more details!

Our hunt with a professional hunter, Claude Thorburn, was an exciting experience in a beautiful area of Namibia, near Kamanjab. I was fortunate to get this nice kudu bull early one morning in an accessible area (after walking miles through much less accessible areas). Claude zipped back to camp to get other hunters and the ladies to help load this beast in the truck. It was a great opportunity for a group photo of a moment I'll always remember. Fortunate to share it with such good friends.

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A quick story about this kudu...Claude, Scott, Tristan, and I woke early to be at a waterhole at 5 a.m. It was Tristan's first morning (ever) to sit with me while I hunted, and we were a bit nervous about his ability to hold still. He was motionless, perhaps asleep, for about an hour. As day broke, I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Dad, can I go to the bathroom?!"

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"Not now!" I whispered.

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Claude leaned over and asked him quietly, "Do you need to pee?" Tristan nodded and Claude told him to walk softly behind us and return quietly. As soon as Tristan left, out stepped the kudu. The kudu was walking slowly, so Claude whistled at it, to make it briefly stop. Didn't work, so he yelled. Kudu stopped and I shot. It was a heart-shot and the kudu dropped quickly.

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That is the story from my perspective. Here it is from Tristan's: "I leave quietly, like Claude told me. Then, I hear Claude whistle and shouting, which I thought was odd--because he told me to be quiet. Then, BANG! I forgot about going to the bathroom..."

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I enjoyed the morning with Tristan and was grateful that Claude was accommodating and so nice to him. It provided a perfect opportunity to talk with Tristan about hunting. We both spent time with the dead bull, as I do with each animal that I shoot. Killing an animal is not something to be done lightly, and the sacred moments that follow the kill are not easily talked about. It is always an honor to realize one's place in nature and to reflect on the value of life and death.

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Participating in sport hunting in Namibia gave me a chance to experience ecotourism first-hand, and I'm sure I will reflect more on this in the future with other stories. The meat from our hunted animals, including intestines, tongue, and many organs that would be discarded in the States, is processed and eaten by the farmer and the 4-5 families of native Namibian workers that live on the farm on which we hunted.

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In this case, Tristan learned that things can happen quickly during a hunt!