Where the wild things are

In the midst of being in a place where everything around me is bigger than I am, we went to Akagera National Park in northeastern Rwanda. Here, everything is bigger than me in a different way.

Quick personal history: When I was younger, I secretly wanted to be a marine biologist, even though I did not particularly like science. The only science class I really liked was astronomy, and that would not help in my potential marine biology profession. I also was not a very good swimmer. I never learned how to properly dive, and the swimming instructor always had to hold my ankle and flip me into the water so I wouldn't belly-flop.

Don't ask me why. But I wanted to be a marine biologist. Kind of. I also wanted to be an actress and a singer and a writer and a humanitarian.

I love animals. That's what it is. When I'm running on the treadmill at the Rec Center, I watch "River Monsters" on Animal Planet. When I see a random dog on the street, my voice transcends octaves into a horrifying baby-screeching: "Awwww doooggiiieee!" It's embarrassing. When I went snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean, I almost hyperventilated when a bat ray swam under me, its movement so effortlessly cool.

The trip to Akagera was my first safari. It goes without saying that my voice was looping in and out of soprano ranges.

The drive to Akagera was beautiful. We saw rice fields and sorghum fields and cassava trees and banana trees. We passed through villages where women carried their babies wrapped in scarves around their waists, men balanced planks on their topheads and children chased each other in the yards. At this house, Emmanuel asked the driver to stop so he could buy two bunches of sorghum for 4,000 francs. The photographs that follow are little capsules into my car ride view.

When we reached the park, we doused ourselves with bug spray and set off with our guide. The terrain was jostling, but this was the real deal. We opened the windows and did not blink. First, we saw impalas, which are like deer; this is where it began. Then came baboons and boar and hippos and zebras and a grand, graceful giraffe that lumbered off after staring at us -- the strange white boxy creature in front of it -- for a few minutes.

Disclaimer: Please note that all of these pictures are of animals running away from us, but that I actually think they were very happy to see us. Except the boar. They didn't move an inch. Couldn't be bothered.

Then there was this moment. The moment when a hippopotamus appeared from behind the bush, scooted in front of us and then slipped into the lake. It was unreal at first, the fact that a hippo was in my presence -- was this a character from one of my favorite children's books? No, it was not 2D, it was 3D and it was here with me.

And how could I forget the water buffalo, creatures who stick closely together and stare at us as we stare at them. Here, the last of the wild things.

And finally, here are the other wild ones. I hope you've enjoyed your virtual safari tour! Ijoro ryiza.

Yanna