Sonia Gloss, a senior majoring in Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst, is conducting research in Kenya for her senior thesis. At the end of May she traveled to Mombasa, then to Mariakani, and on from there all over the country. Here is an excerpt from her wonderful travel/research blog at http://soniamombasa.blogspot.com/ ::

“I have done some research this week. Although I am focusing on the lives and sexual lives of truck drivers, I am not limiting my focus and am open to interviewing and talking with all Kenyan men. I spoke with about 5 different non-truck driving men this week. Actually I was speaking with one regarding the stereotypes that certain people hold about men of different tribes, specifically Luo and how people view them as promiscuous because they are uncircumcised. As I was walking around my street a little bit later that day, two men called me over saying they had heard I was asking men about these issues and they wanted to talk to me about it, primarily about why men want to be with so many women. It was great! I was being asked to research, so I was very excited. I talked about many things with those men, it is incredibly interesting to hear oral histories and the things people talk about.”

Sonia will be writing up her findings under my direction this year. I look forward to seeing her work and practicing my Kiswahili with her. This is not her first time doing work in Africa. Here’s an excerpt on her from Maasai International Challenge Africa  http://www.micatz.org/staff.html where she previously worked:

Sonia Gloss – International Program Manager
Sonia has a big heart for the poor especially the children; Sonia was first exposed to travelling the open road while on a cross country trip around the United Republic of Tanzania at the tender age of twenty. Sonia plays a role of conducting orientation seminars for the students and individual people from USA and others near countries who want to come to serve in Tanzania…She’s very excited to be working with Maasai Challenge to provide once-in-a-lifetime travel and conduct volunteer opportunities seminars and feels like she’s finally able to make a difference in global conservation.

SAFE TRAVELS SONIA! TUTAONANA!