A Day in the Life: Kilimanjaro Driver Edition

   So after my last post, Nicole commented and said she wanted to know more about my day-to-day life. I have no idea why; my day-to-day life is really boring and repetitive. However, I aim to please, so I decided to keep a record of what I did all day today. The following is everything I wrote down during the course of the day; enjoy!


 8:23; Wake up way before my alarm because apparently I can't sleep in long after 8:00 anymore.

8:30; Get informed by Bernice (roommate and other Kilimanjaro driver) that someone decided to take a bath last night, and now our shower head isn't working. She has work at 10:00, so she lets me know she left a bucket in there for me to use as a shower and leaves to catch a bus. Excellent start to the morning.

8:58; Think about having some cereal, then realize I haven't had a chance to buy milk yet and the roommate who promised to buy two gallons for everyone has yet to do so. Settle for oatmeal instead.

9:05- 9:25; I shower with a bucket. Verdict: it isn't nearly as adventurous and charmingly rustic as it sounds. It's a pain in the butt. Two stars.

10:05; Leave to catch the bus for work. My shift doesn't start until 11:30, but our CP bus system is awful and you have to take a bus that is at least an hour ahead of your shift in case the bus is late/breaks down (both happen frequently).

11:30- 12:05; I clock in and wait in the break room for a little while. Most attractions have an automatic assignment system, but since our trucks don't run on an exact schedule and there are often unexpected  animal stops, coordinators manipulate our system to give assignments. I am put on a truck first thing that day.

12:06- 1:35; I'm on a truck for about 3 rounds; the first two are uneventful, while on the third round there's a foreign man with a camera who refuses to sit. We're required to tell them to sit at least three times, and then of they stand after the third time, it's at their own risk and we're not liable. So about halfway through the safari he had already stood two other times, and I tell everyone to remain seated at the beginning of my spiel, so he was pas

1:35- 1:50; fifteen minute break. Nothing eventful occurs.

1:55; I am sent out on another truck. People obey the rules pretty well, so I zone out for a bit. Baby white rhino is spotted and there is a giant chorus of 'AWWWW'. Baby white rhino owns everybody and he knows it. When he runs it's like he doesn't know how his legs work. Adorable.

3:25; Time for my 45 minute lunch. There is a news story about Kate Middleton on the tv, so I get into a discussion of her style with a bunch of other female CPs. This somehow develops into a conversation about the Olympics and we spend the rest of break Googling the most attractive male gymnasts.  Break well spent.

4:00; I am assigned a land position as my last spot of the day, loading people into rows before they get on the truck. This is easily my least favorite position, but as the park closes at six I won't be here too long. I try to start an enthusiastic conversation with a little blond girl, but I find out she only speaks French and so I end up feeling like a moron.

6:00; Last safari loads, so I am free to hop on the next truck to get a ride back to base. I contemplate taking a picture of the triceratops painted to resemble a bongo (the animal on our safari, not the instrument) that sits on the side of the road backstage, but decide I'd rather not be fired. No Bongosaurus for my blog.

The majestic bongo.

6:05-6:33; I'm off at 6:45, but there's nothing else to do around base so I get an early release to catch the CP bus.

6:35; My fellow safari driver Brooke and I have just started walking for the bus when it starts pouring. Both of us have no raingear, so we're forced to keep walking and make sure we make the bus, rather than wait it out. Obviously we end up getting soaked, and we enjoy a freezing cold bus ride home.

7:27; I arrive home, change out of my costume, and make some frozen chicken alfredo. Remember that I had planned to do this blog, and get on the internet. Make vague plans with roommate Bri and friend Andrew for my day off tomorrow. Eat more things. Eventually sleep.

See, this is why I didn't talk about my day-to-day stuff...it's boring! Tomorrow is my day off though...maybe I'll do a Day in the Life; No Work Edition. Oh! And I forgot to mention the Safari Stampede! Tomorrow pretty much everyone who works at KSR is participating in this thing called the Safari Stampede, which is a 'Great Race' type event with physical and mental challenges. There's a bunch of teams of four, so Bernice and I and our friends Christian and Franki are the Bangin' Bongos, and it's going to be awesome! It's taking place at Fort Wilderness at about 6, and there's going to be food and then afterwards we get to stay over at the Fort. Pretty cool stuff; I'll make sure to take lots of pictures!

Kwa herini!