BEAM Kenya: Healthy bodies....and minds?

Well, we promised we'd bring them back. We didn't promise we'd bring them back the same...

I don't know if its the stress of final projects coming up or too much time spent in the bush, but we've been seeing some very odd behavior from our previously seemingly sane students. (Or maybe they were all really good at hiding their true nature in the interviews....)

We took them to a nice area to watch the sunset and hang out on their last day at Mara Leisure (before we went to the other side of the Maasai Mara). They seemed happy enough...if a little too happy?

Well at least Katie is enjoying herself...

No idea what is happening here.

Or here.

Jack and Aaron took the beautiful lighting as an opportunity to try their hand at modeling. They're lovely boys, but I think I will encourage them to stay in school.

Later, things got a little morbid. Apparently, running around collecting animal bones on the savannah is also a great way to enjoy a beautiful sunset?

They seemed like such sweet girls...

Needless to say, we decided it was bed time for the students. I figured maybe after a good night's rest they'd be a little more normal.

Unfortunately, they didn't go straight to bed after the sunset like I was hoping. Instead, they embraced the Maasai culture a little more than I was expecting and decided to try their hands at Maasai dancing and chanting...oh and raid my tent.

The little hooligans preparing for war with Michael, one of the ever patient staff at Mara Leisure

Suspicious

I think here they are trying to get on rhythm with their chant. Alas, they weren't all naturals.

Anyways, fortunately I'm extremely quick thinking and threw candy at them from my tent and they went away surprisingly fast. Still, I can't say I had relaxing, sweet dreams that night.

Today we traveled to another lodge on the other side of the park, and everything seemed to be going well until this happened:

See?! They're completely out of control

Just wallowing in the mud...because you know. That makes sense.

Okay okay. Actually our car got stuck and we had to push it out of the mud. And they're wallowing in the mud because I told them I'd give them extra credit if they found my shoe, which unfortunately was sucked off my foot while we were trying to push the car out of the mud pit. (They never found it. Bad students!)

Well, at least they're good for something!

Anyways, my point is that I'm dealing with a bunch of maniacs. I mean, even the cheetahs are concerned and checking up on them.

Cheetahs sometimes will climb up on tourist cars for a better vantage point. I'm pretty sure these guys just climbed up to gawk at our weird students.

Cheetah on the roof.

Cheetah checking up on Jordan for us.

He seems happy enough at least.

I send my condolences to any parents or loved ones who are reading this blog. You certainly have a lot to deal with raising this bunch. On the plus side, they are great sources of amusement, and now they're pretty darn good at getting cars out of mud pits!

I'll leave you with pictures of a student attacking Julie, my poor, innocent co-instructor.