Grooming!

[amalthya]

Shege has taken to extensively grooming me, and I can only imagine that she's trying to curry favor with other females in the group in order to ally with her against Okeysha, otherwise known as the Tiniest Badass Chimpanzee.

Since I didn't really write about it, when we moved to the new house here in Goma, and Shege doesn't have TB (false positive), we mixed the chimpanzees all together, otherwise known as integration.

It's usually somewhat of a sticky proposition since, as I've mentioned before, chimps are pretty territorial and unfriendly to new chimp faces. Luckily for us, the fact that most of our chimps are infants helps us a lot. Even if there IS a chimp rumble in the (artificial) jungle, there can't be much bloodshed with tiny chimpy teeth.

Even so, our 5 year old female, Shege, had probably never seen another chimpanzee before. And, if she had, it probably hadn't been since she was poached as a baby. I guess it was understandable that she was absolutely terrified for the first 20 minutes. Eventually, she decided to beat up Etaito, because while he may be the biggest asshole, he's definitely the biggest coward.

In the wild, chimpanzee males may have the biggest balls fights, it's really the females who have the hierarchy and rule the roost.

So, Okeysha, who might be tiny, controls our group. Also, don't try to take food away from her -- she'll bite you. And Shege is too terrified even to sleep in the same bed with her.

I'm ergo Shege's new best friend. She spent about an hour picking through my hair, squeezing every bump, lump and spot on my back until I did have to let her know that perhaps pulling my shirt all the way up in front of the (male) caregivers was not quite the most polite thing to do.

It was still quite relaxing (when it wasn't somehow painful. That's a mole. It can't be scratched off) and I ended up falling asleep in the grass, Kanabiro sleeping on my chest, her face cute and smushed, while Shege went through and detangled my hair.

It was slightly embarrassing when Ben and Simon drove up and I was lying in the mud. I sat up, but I'm pretty sure I had leaves in my hair and looked "Field Chic" ...

I should write about the mass confiscations that are supposed to happen tomorrow... Simon is coming over in the afternoon but I'm not really sure where to even start with all that. Not even sure if it's happening right now!

Besides, I think many mass-postings for one evening are enough.

Comments

[shaysdays.livejournal.com]

I love these kinds of posts- keep writing!

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

I always wonder if people are all chimped-out after my first three months in Congo ;)

[leighbug]

not me! i love reading them. it's like reading about children. always good! and these are your children, thus you are allowed to write about them no matter what anyone says!

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

haha. I've already got a photo album on my computer that might as well be in my wallet!

It's so hard not to over-show!

[leighbug]

there's no such thing as overshowing.

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

haha. A sentiment typical of any mother, I'm sure ;)

[leighbug]

yep! and with your chimps, you're a surrogate mom, thus allowed to use any and all rules of motherhood.

and i just tried to use the far right side of my iBook as the trackpad...it didn't work.

hiya

[stayhuman-.livejournal.com]

I have a non chimp related comment, although I like hearing abotu them as well!


For my internship this summer will be working with mostly congolese refugees from katanga area. I am trying to figure out which will serve me better: congoloese swahili or french. I would really prefer to learn soem swahili b/c it is easier for me or I spit out funny spanish when trying french but I am going to spend a month and a half in a refugee camp and would also prefer to be able to communicate as much as possible. sorry for the long and unrelated post but I figured you would know:)

Re: hiya

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

Hmm, probably swahili. Do you have a background in French too? It helps because people here tend to mix stuff together.

At least with Swahili, though, you'll have some basis for the local languages too that people will speak, since tons of words sound the same as they do in Swahili.

Be prepared, as a warning, that some people will ONLY speak local languages and neither Swahili nor French.

Re: hiya

[(Anonymous)]

thanks for getting back to me. I have done a few interviews (w/ interpreters) and I think I am going with Swahili. All the interview have been done in an albeit "funny" swahili with some french mixed in. I know I won't learn a lot but i would like to try a bit! Anyways, thanks for the help. I might have to ask you some more stuff at some point. All the refugees I have seen so far are Congolese.

Re: hiya

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

No problem! Yea, I was trying to reference the weird swahili-badfrench hybridization that happens here.

Good luck, though!

Re: hiya

[amalthya.livejournal.com]

I forgot to mention too -- I'd definitely recommend The Rosetta Stone for learning swahili.

I used it (though stupidly didn't finish it or bring it with me to Uganda) and learned TONS of stuff.