Day 2
We woke up quite early today, and we were soon on the road.
Oh! I forgot to tell you how last night went.
After the professor told me that I could have the tent for myself, I actually didn't believe him at first, so I was so uncomfortable all the while.
Not long after, though, we were called in for dinner, where all our food was served, and we all sat around a campfire.
It was so refreshing, even though they asked us not to sing so loudly so as not to scare the animals or attract their attention to us.
We were all ushered to bed by nine, with the professor explaining that we have to leave as early as possible if we want to make it to our next stop point in time.
Even when I got into the tent to retire for the day, I couldn't sleep as I was on the lookout to see when he would appear, but he didn't.
He only came to say goodnight to me and then left.
So, here I am, standing in front of him.
"How was your night? I hope you slept well?" he asks so lovingly.
If he weren't my teacher and a little bit, no, much older, I would have been swayed by his affection.
"It was good," I answered, almost in a whisper.
"I know the mosquitoes are unbearable, right?" he asks, smiling.
Awn! He looks so cute when he smiles, and more handsome as well.
Hey! I cut it out, and I stopped myself.
"Excuse me, sir." I excused myself from him and rushed away.
What is wrong with me today?
I'm sure some insect must have bitten the sanity out of my brain.
Soon after, the attendance was called, as if someone would be insane to run away, and then we had our breakfast, and now we are on the way.
I just hope there will be no explanations regarding animals or plants.
I just want us to be on our way and out of here.
But I guess I spoke too soon.
Soon enough, we spotted an African jacana.
Yeah, we all know it as the bird with many legs, so there is no need to start explaining.
"Well, I am going to explain to you about this wonderful bird now, so make sure to take notes," said the man from yesterday who spoke about the rosy-throated long-claw bird.
I guess he might be the best bird expert around.
"The African jacana, scientifically known as Actophilornis africanus, is a wader in the family Jacanidae, identifiable by long toes and long claws that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, which is their preferred habitat," he started.
"Jacanas are found worldwide within the tropical zone, and this species is found in sub-Saharan Africa."
"African jacanas are conspicuous and unmistakable birds; they can measure 23 to 31 cm long; as in other jacanas, females average larger than males. Males can weigh from 115 to 224 g, averaging 137 g, and females from 167 to 290 g, averaging 261 g," he continues.
"Alongside the similarly-sized Madagascar jacana, this appears to be the heaviest jacana species; they have chestnut upper-parts with black wingtips, rear neck, and eyestripe; the underparts are also chestnut in the adults; only in juveniles are they white with a chestnut belly patch; the blue bill extends up as a coot-like head shield; and the legs and long toes are grey."
"African jacanas feed on insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetation or the surface of the water."
"They breed throughout sub-Saharan Africa; it is sedentary apart from seasonal dispersion; they lay four black-marked brown eggs in a floating nest," he continues.
"The jacana has evolved a highly unusually polyandrous mating system, meaning that one female mates with multiple males and the male alone cares for the chicks, and such a system has evolved due to a combination of two factors; firstly, the lakes that the jacana lives on are so resource-rich that the relative energy expended by the female in producing each egg is effectively negligible," he paused to take a break.
"Secondly, the jacana, as a bird, lays eggs, and eggs can be equally well incubated and cared for by a parent bird of either sex. This means that the rate-limiting factor of the jacana's breeding is the rate at which the males can raise and care for the chicks. Such a system of females forming harems of males is in direct contrast to the more usual system of leks seen in animals such as stags and grouse, where the males compete and display in order to gain harems of females."
"That's fascinating; I wish humans were like this," Nina whispers to me.
"Then we can share the professor," she adds.
I gasped at her bluntness.
"Sorry," she whispers.
Well, I am not the one she should be apologizing to.
"The parent that forms part of the harem is almost always the one that ends up caring for the offspring; in this case, each male jacana incubates and rears a nest of chicks. The male African jacana has therefore evolved some remarkable adaptations for parental care, such as the ability to pick up and carry chicks underneath its  wings.
I wonder what it is that we missed.
"African jacanas are very vocal birds, using a selection of raucous shrieks, moans, and almost barking noises."
"In flight, they issue a loud and fast staccato, ‘kreep, kreep, kreep’, almost like a nasal trilling sound; their alarm calls are, by necessity, extremely loud and consist of sharp single notes similar to 'kaakup'," he tries to explain.
"I hope you are getting what I'm trying to explain," he asks.
Some said no, and some said yes, so he took his time once again to explain about their crying sound.
It was really funny, though.
"Ok, let's continue then, shall we?" He asked no one in particular.
"While African jacanas are non-migratory, they are relatively nomadic and will often seek new habitats, particularly during periods of drought or flooding."
"Their ability to appear to walk across water as they nonchalantly step across lily pads and other flimsy floating vegetation has resulted in them also being known as Jesus Birds and Lily Trotters," he pauses for a while.
"Their chick mortality rates can be extremely high but are counteracted by very productive females who have the ability and frequently the urge to breed every few weeks," he says.
"The fact that male parents undertake all the usual female care activities allows for this rapid egg production; obviously, the unique plumage of the adult bird, coupled with its preferred habitat, is an excellent aid to positive identification, and this, coupled with some of its more bizarre antics, can lead even the most casual observer into correctly naming the species."
"Don't you think this is too much? I'm tired of righting already." I whined.
"Me too," Nina agrees.
"You should stop talking," one of the instructors warned us.
We both kept quiet and continued with our note.
"It is generally believed that the life expectancy is between five and ten years."
"Like all members of the Jacana family, African Jacanas are not very good when it comes to flying; they are weak and only capable of short-distance flight. The feathers of these birds also moult all at the same time, which makes them unable to fly until the new feathers have grown in. This ensures the feathers stay clean and in good condition, which is particularly important for water birds."
"I think that's enough for now," he says.
Finally, he is done, and now we can move on.
"Good morning everyone, I am Miss Cynthia, and I will be talking to you about the Tarchonanthus camphoratus," some lady starts speaking.
Tarcho what?.
Are they for real? It's almost noon now, and we haven't gone too far.
"Tarchonanthus camphoratus, also known as the camphor bush for its scent, or leleshwa in Kenya, is a shrub or small tree, widespread in Africa south of the Sahel; look at it over there," she pointed at a small tree.
It's cute, that's for sure.
"The camphor bush can reach up to 6 meters in height; the twigs and younger stems are white-felted, as are the undersides of the leaves, and the upper leaf surface is dark olive-green."
She walked over and plucked some of the leaves from the tree.
"The bruised leaves smell strongly of camphor; smell it." She distributed the leaves amongst us, and she is right, they do smell like camphor.
"It smells nice, doesn't it?" she asks.
Yeah, if she puts it that way. "Tarchonanthus camphoratus is known to be a dioecious plant; their flowers are usually present from December to May, with cream-colored panicles on a discoid head. I would have loved for you to see them; they are beautiful, really," she says with admiration in her eyes, as if remembering the flowers.
"The male flowering heads have several flowers, while the female has only a few, and the fruit is a dense and woolly achene."
"Tarchonanthus camphoratus wood is fragrant, fine-grained, attractive, durable, and rich in aromatic oils. It is used as a wood fuel and a source of charcoal. It is also used as a traditional building material, in horticulture, and in tribal papermaking. Leleshwa is also a source of aromatic oils used as fragrances. Its leaves are used by the Maasai to scent their homes and persons," she says.
"Maybe you should even try it," she tries to joke.
"No, we'll pass, ma'am," one student says, and the rest laugh.
"Ok, if you say so, but I assure you, you'll love it," she adds.
"Back to business then, Tarchonanthus camphoratus is also used as a traditional remedy for respiratory illnesses, and the species has a wide range of local uses, including dental hygiene," she continues.
"You see, it can even give you white teeth without using your toothpaste and brush; how is that for a tree? You're loving it, right?" she asks.
"Ok, let's take a break now, you all, and then we can proceed," she adds.
Finally, we finally have time for ourselves.
I and Nina, along with her other two friends, whose names I realized I still didn't know, walked over to a tree and sat there.
"Hey girl, why don't you go over to your husband? He is sitting all alone," one of the girls says.
Sure enough, he was sitting all by himself, and by the looks of it, it seems like he is in deep thought.
I guess he is also tired.
"I've always been meaning to ask you this question: how did you guys meet?".