May 23, 2008 - Journal Entry 2

"I just finished a two hour shift. The first was in nursery and the second was in smalls (9 month - 1 yr olds). Today was better than yesterday. I'm starting to get used to the flies, filth and hay...and screaming babies. I guess that's a good thing. Anyway, I was in the hoks with Zurika- a native south African who has been working at the centre for about two years. She yelled at Jasper a few times in the beginning and after that he stayed away from both of us. I'm learning to be more relaxed around the babies and they are also getting used to me. There was a little less hair pulling, even though its still unnerving when they jump on your head. The second hour in smalls was even better because they're older. The downside is that they are bigger and heavier so it hurts more when they jump on you. But they are also a bit more mature and are beginning to form their troop rankings. So there is a little less play facing and more grooming as far as how they interact with us. As soon as I walked in, one of the babies named Fiore (flower in Italian) started grooming me. It was a strange experience but it felt good to be accepted by her as a friend. After about ten minutes of her grooming me, she sat on my lap and I groomed her. We switched off like this for most of the hour long shift. It was nice.


"I started reading a new book today called 'A Primate's Memoir'. It's about a zoologist who joins a troop of baboons in East Africa. It's an interesting telling of their behavior and it might even be helpful as I learn the body language and vocalizations of the babies. So all in all, I'm feeling a lot better today. I'm hopeful that I will be able to enjoy this experience and get to know each of the baboons. Afterall, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and an amazing, albeit challenging adventure.