Mary McClay '13

Written 5/5/12

Throughout the semester I became known as the dramatic one who nearly lost her marbles on every exciting game drive.  Whenever we would receive a tip on a leopard in the area I would flip out only to be disappointed at my horrible luck with leopard sightings.  But when other students started spotting cheetah – my greatest passion – my drama level escalated.  In a quest to find my holy grail, I woke up at 4:45 each morning of this last week for every game drive.  On the last morning, we encountered a massive double-decker bus full of British tourists with their cameras working overtime.  They informed us there was a leopard lying in the grass.  Moments later, it rose from the grass and lo and behold – a gorgeous cheetah (the tourists were quite mistaken) was staring me in the eyes and I lost all composure as the tears began streaming down my face and my fellow classmates proceeded to laugh at me.  I admit, it may sound ridiculous that I cried, but for me it was the perfect moment at the end of an incredibly challenging, rewarding, and unforgettable semester.  Everything I have been working for has been fueled by the dream of working with cheetahs and big cats in the future, so to have this moment on the final day of the semester justified every struggle.

Later that day we presented our final research to the Kruger Park scientific staff – a day I had been dreading since I was accepted into the program a year ago.  Each presentation I gave during this semester was difficult for me.  I got through them but I could have done a lot better and was determined to do a stellar job for the final presentation.  But, when I saw the cheetah that same morning, I knew that nothing the rest of the day would stop me and that was all I needed to give me all the confidence in the world.  I felt amazing when my group stood in front of everyone to present.  We had a fantastic project and some fascinating (and significant!) results.  Much to my surprise, my turn came to speak and I was amazed at how comfortable I was.  I could have spoken forever.  I can honestly say that was one of the greatest days of my life.

After our final dinner, the staff awarded each of us with a unique “award” and I was given “The most dramatic game drives award…I would like to thank the academy!”  While I may have been a little overly dramatic at times, I think my unexpected reactions to many of my experiences with OTS in South Africa have shown me my intense love for wildlife and proven to me that this is where I am meant to be.  I would strongly encourage every one who may be considering applying to this program to do so.  It was a completely different semester than you would ever have on any college campus.  We spent every day outside in the African bush doing fieldwork and research that went right into the hands of South African National Parks staff.  I accomplished things I never thought I could.  From hiking along the mighty Mutale River searching for Nile crocodiles (and nearly getting taken by the rushing water several times) to conducting behavioral research on 16 different species of African mammals and presenting that research, I have come away from this experience a stronger person and a better scientist. 

Our last days of field work have ended and we are neck-deep in data analysis and writing our final papers.  This last week has by far been the most enjoyable and memorable week of the entire semester, but before I tell you why, I’ll tell you a little more about my final project!

An oft-studied and very intriguing concept called the landscape of fear attempts to explain the circumstances under which prey species operate each day, specifically under the threat of predation.  Studies suggest that the fear of predation alone has a more significant impact on the lives of herbivore prey species than the actual killing of prey.  This is due to the fact that herbivores must always be alert and aware of their surroundings and they do this through the practice of vigilance.  However, vigilance comes at a cost as it interrupts daily activities, particularly foraging.  In order to increase their safety, some animals will form herds.  This gives them extra sets of eyes to watch the landscape for potential threats (meerkats are a great example of this where they have specified watch-dogs to keep an eye out for danger).  However, now that you have others to look out for you and therefore, have more time to dedicate to eating, you know have to share your food with your fellow herd members.  These trade-offs between ensuring you don’t get eaten and having enough time to dedicate to foraging each day are what make the landscape of fear such an interesting and frequently studied phenomenon.

So, with that said, our project is looking at the effect of herbivore body size on their vigilant behavior.  To do this, we played a lion’s roar to different members of 15 herbivore species over a 5-day period.  We then recorded their responses for two minutes.  A slew of different variables also come into play that we are examining in addition to body size, such as herd size, sex, and presence of babies.  So far, we are finding some pretty strong results supporting the hypothesis that larger bodied animals spend less time being vigilant than smaller-bodied animals.  This is likely because larger animals, like elephants and rhinos are nearly impossible for all but the most skilled prides of lions to take down.  It has been a fascinating project and we are still in just the beginning stages of data analysis.  We essentially had 5 days of game drives that had us out sometimes 10-12 hours each day!  Aside from our research, we had some amazing animal sightings and all throughout the southern half of Kruger National Park, allowing us to cover more ground and see more animals than many of our fellow students have.  Here are some of the highlights!

Gorgeous male kudu. We collected data on many different family groups of these large antelope from lone males to larger groups with adorable offspring.

We had a blast watching this adolescent giraffe stoop down for a drink!

We were ecstatic to find an African wild cat!

A perfect display of induced vigilance in a herd of impala, our most abundant study species.

This adorable scene is just after we played the lion call. What a great older brother!

Nile crocodile!

Just had to share these photos from one of the most memorable days yet.  I went on two game drives today: one in the morning just for fun and one in the afternoon to conduct some preliminary tests for our big final project (details coming soon…)  Enjoy 🙂

The greatest treat of all was seeing the pack of wild dogs.  Many a tourist has come to Africa seeking the rare African wild dog (also known as the painted dog) and many have left disappointed.  Wild dogs are exceptionally hard to find, but if you’re lucky enough to come across them it is amazing.  We came upon them as they were surrounding a wildebeest.  As the wildebeest walked away unscathed, we sat in the vehicles with our jaws to the ground.  They then proceeded to play just as your furry friends at home do.  I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Tawny brown eagle

Baby and mama white rhino

Adorable youngster

Enjoying the sunset

As promised, here is the story of our wonderful homestay!  In the interest of space, I will only go into the details of the first day as that was the most exciting day!  Hamakuya, meaning town of chief Makuya, is made up of 19 sub-villages.  We were all divided into groups of four or five and sent to five of these lovely villages for a 4 day, 3 night stay.  Myself and four other students, three girls and two guys, stayed in a village tucked in the green hills of Hamakuya called Khavambe.  We were dropped off at the home of Regina, a warm and vibrant woman, and head of this homestead .  Before we could introduce ourselves we were whisked away by countless children and within minutes we all had a child clinging to our backs with gleeand our watches, sunglasses, jewelry, and cameras were the objects of fascination and instantly removed from our bodies.  The next moment, we were covered in a gaggle of girls fighting for the chance to braid our hair.  With our cameras and other various possessions running around the homestead, we were lead into the tiny hut in which we would be staying and we could hardly contain our awe.  The hut walls were lined with gorgeous traditional Venda skirts (“muenda”), jewelry, and headpieces.  In the fading daylight, the children introduced us to countless games and songs.

As the dinner hour approached we were summoned into the cooking hut for our first cooking lesson.  The boys were permitted to watch but could not participate in the cooking.  In Venda culture, women are responsible for the cooking, while the men do the dishes following each meal.  Our first lesson was making a South African favorite called Pap, with which we were all familiar by this time.  Never underestimate the work it takes to mix maize meal and water over a hot fire.  Our host mother had quite the laugh as each of us attempted to stir the Pap in just the right fashion, trying to duplicate her speed-of-light expert strokes.  Our first real culture shock of our stay came at supper time when we found ourselves on the floor surrounded by all the children, separated by gender, and in complete silence without utensils or plates.  All the food was separated into two communal bowls each, one for the boys, and one for the girls.  We looked to our translator for guidance on how we were supposed to eat our meal and within seconds, hundreds of tiny hands had dug into the food.  We quickly realized we were expected to follow suit and with some hesitation, began to eat our meal.

The next day, with the children all at school we were able to have a quiet morning with our host mother and sought relief from the searing heat in any spots of shade we could find. Part of our task during these homestays was to interview local homesteads about water use for another faculty research project in the area.  I could go on for hours on just this experience alone and how desperate an issue water is in this area of the world, but if you’re interested to hear more about this specifically, let me know!  Here are some extra pictures from our stay in Khavambe!  Be sure to check out the newly uploaded pictures to the last few posts!

grinding peanuts

drawing "tattoos" with gel pens

Showing off the goodies I brought for them

Returning for a visit...

...they were very excited to see me!

Today we are leaving De Hoop and with it, we leave behind the beautiful coast, a jam-packed academic schedule, rogue baboons, breath-taking sunsets , and torrential rains.  In many ways this middle portion of the semester has been my favorite all thanks to the beach – our first stop when we arrived in De Hoop.  Thinking the water would be as frigid and uninviting as Cape Town, I opted to go sans bathing suit.   A quick toe-test, however, revealed the warm, luxurious waters of the Indian Ocean!  I couldn’t help but go in fully clothed and bask in the gentle waves.  Our beach outing was brief as we had a great deal of preparation to do for the conservation lectures each student was to give, as well as the corresponding debate series of conservation issues and the corresponding final exam.  On top of all this, my FFP group was due to complete and turn in the final draft of our crocodile report.

With our nerves on overdrive, we each lectured the class on a topic within conservation biology covering such areas as ethics, the state of biodiversity, protected area design, and hierarchical patch dynamics.  After several days of cramming island biogeography and metapopulation theories, the history and creation of conservation, and the drivers behind the current paradigm shift occurring in the field, we wrote a 3-hour exam on Easter Sunday.  That morning, dreary-eyed and overloaded with study material, we awoke to discover an Easter egg hunt spanning the entire grounds.  The Easter Bunny had come to South Africa!  It was a great way to get us all to unwind and wake up before our exam and the chocolate definitely helped boost our morale.  We ended the day dying Easter eggs and watching movies as the rain pounded outside.

Perhaps the most exciting part of our stay in De Hoop was the rambunctious primates with which we shared our camp.  For those of you who have never been directly threatened and chased by a baboon, which I would reckon is probably most of you, there is really nothing that gets your blood flowing than staring down the beady eyes of a fellow primate who just so happens to have 3-4 inch razor-sharp canines.  These suckers have figured out how to open doors and can let themselves it at their leisure if not secured properly.  We had a good 5 large male baboons raid our dorms throughout our stay, chasing us around our rooms screaming before breaking through windows or being chased out by our program director.  Truly an unforgettable experience and a great way to tear our brains away from studying!

The other component of our time in De Hoop was field work for a project in the rocky intertidal zone !  We surveyed 20 tidal pools for their plant and animal speciesas well as pool size and distance from the shore to see if spatial distribution affects species diversity.  The most exciting moment came when we found a charismatic octopus!

Our last day in De Hoop was a day off and we got to visit Cape Agulhas – the southern-most tip of the African continent! What a day!  We were all overcome with elation realizing how close we were to Antarctica and the sheer joy of hopping back and forth between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

We are now on our way back to Cape Town for a one-night stay before hopping on a plane to Johannesburg and driving back to our home base in Skukuza.  With only three weeks left to go, we are all gearing up for our final projects.  But, it is still too soon to think about leaving Africa, although it is truly amazing to look back at how far we’ve come since arriving.  There is still so much left to experience, many more game drives to go on, many more laughs to be had, and many more animal encounters to experience – after all, TIA!  This is Africa!

Today marks the end of our wonderful stay in Cape Town. As with all of our departures, it is bittersweet knowing that we must leave such a beautiful place but also knowing we are headed to yet another unforgettable experience elsewhere. So much has happened in the last few weeks, it’s hard to try and summarize it all and give each experience the time it deserves, but I’ll do the best I can. Whatever I don’t mention, I’ll be sure to say in pictures.

Upon leaving Hamakuya, we drove to Johannesburg where we stayed for two nights before our flight to Cape Town. My first impression of Jo-burg, as the locals call it, was a cross between Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, San Francisco, New York, and London all rolled into one. Our first stop in Joburg was the Apartheid Museum where we were confronted with the realities of segregation in the most brutal sense, but also the amazing triumph that allowed the equal “Rainbow Nation” of South Africa to be born. Unfortunately, our cameras were not allowed, so I have no pictures to share.

Next, we went to Constitutional Hill where the old state prison used to be. Now, the new Constitutional Court rests on its grounds and a portion of the prison was converted into a museum. In the prison, blacks, whites, and coloreds were together, but the treatment of each was drastically different. Whites were given more blankets and sleeping mats and better food while the black inmates were given less than scraps on dishes that were washed but once every two months. If the guards saw fit, inmates could be placed into isolation cells for extended periods of time where prisoners were left to go mad. Because of the horrors that took place here, the new post-Apartheid government decided to build the Constitutional Court on top of the prison as a symbol of the new beginning from a difficult past.

The following morning we flew to Cape Town; my long-lost home! The city is so similar to San Diego, I instantly felt at home. Over our 5-day break we watched the sun set at Camps Bay swam with seals, experienced the local shopping scene, had lunch on the water at a fantastic seafood restaurant in Kalk Bay, saw national jazz legend Hugh Masekela in concert, and visited Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. Today, we spent the day driving along the peninsula of the Cape. We drove along a winding mountain road called Chapman’s Peak along the coast before stopping for a quick lecture on the fynbos (pronounced feign-boss) ecosystem. We took a break for surfing lessons at the beach before heading to Cape Point. We rounded out our whirl-wind day with a visit to the Cape Penguins.

In the morning we are headed to a place called De Hoop where we will have an intensive study of the fynbos. I will have limited internet access while I’m there, but I will post as soon as I can. After De Hoop we head back to Skukuza where we will have our final three weeks to implement and complete our final projects! But, it is far too soon to be thinking about the end! Until next time…

Leading up to our arrival in HaMakuya, we all experienced varying degrees of anxiety over what it would be like.  We knew Western privileges such as electricity and reception would be lacking, but we were unsure what the bathrooms and showers would be like.  We knew only that we were staying in tents at a place called Tsulu Camp.  At one point, the tar road ended and we found ourselves barreling down extremely rocky dirt roads.  With everyone in our game drive vehicles jostling around and bumping into each other, our nerves spiked and waned as the turbulent ride continued for an hour.  We came to the end of a road and hopped out into the hottest, driest heat we had ever felt and found ourselves surrounded by bright orange dirt.  We made our way towards a large covered area and realized we were in an African paradise.  Our tents were overlooking the Mutale River and the view rendered us all speechless .  Our tents were large, permanent zippered tents with 6 mattresses and a bathroom in the rear.  The shower had a nozzle hanging directly above your head and a concrete square with a drain in the middle.  For all intents and purposes, the shower was open air as the bathroom was simply made up of sticks and mesh.  Little did we know that this shower would give us some of the best showers of our lives!  As our awe slowly waned, we had a nice dinner and passed out for a comfortable night’s sleep.

The next day had everyone up early for a full day of field work.  We had two Faculty Field Projects (FFPs) running simultaneously (and a third added during our homestay!), one of which was my crocodile project.  While the majority of our group went with the other project, 10 of us geared up for a hike along the mighty Mutale.  We hiked about 10 km upstream, collecting habitat information along the way and water samples every 500 m.  Our goals were to assess the habitat suitability for crocodiles, survey the current croc population, and interview local fishermen all with the hopes of determining the feasibility of a conservation plan in the area.  Throughout our hike, we were forced to cross the river many times (yes…we were crossing the same river in which we were looking for crocodiles) as the river lies in a gorge with massive walls.  We crossed in the rapids and it was no easy feat.  We all fell in a few times each and struggled to keep all of our data and equipment dry!  It was a grueling day, but in one of the most spectacular settings I’ve ever seen.

The following day, I went out with the other project to conduct interviews with the local people about their water use.   In Hamakuya, water is the single most pressing issue.  I could go on for ours on this topic, so if you’re interested I’d love to tell you more about it.  In short, many of the sub-villages of Hamakuya have communal taps from which residents can get water.  Sounds great, but the trouble is, more often than not, these taps are not working or are only turned on once a week, sometimes for only a few hours.  This leaves residents to supplement by purchasing water from donkey carts who fill 25 L water containers at a hand pump or to travel the log distance to the hand pump themselves.  Interviewing the people here was one of the most spectacular, enlightening experiences I’ve ever had.  In the US, if you walk onto someone’s property with a clipboard and start to ask for a few minutes of your time, you are often met with annoyance and blown off immediately.  Here, you walk through the gate to a homestead and are welcomed with open arms as they scramble to bring you chairs and mats to sit on before you’ve even stated the reason of your visit.  It was amazing to experience such a warm, inviting atmosphere where people are more than happy to sit with you and answer your questions.  The day I participated in this project we visited a town called Musunda and Mbuyuni.  When we sat down for lunch in Mbuyuni, we instantly found ourselves surrounded by a throng of children screaming “Makuwa!” “white things” in Venda.  We amused them and ourselves by taking pictures and throwing around a pebble.

I apologize for the long post, but this last two weeks has been choc full of so many great moments!  As soon as I get a few more pictures from my fellow students, I will tell you all about my homestay in Khavambe , a beautiful town tucked in lush, green hills.

It looks like this will be my last post for the next 12 days or so. We are heading to Hamakuya, a rural village of the Venda people. While we’re there we will have electricity only from a generator turned on as needed and no phone reception of any kind. Three of our nights will be spent on a homestay in traditional Venda homes where we will assume the gender roles of their culture and learn to live in a whole new way. The men will bring home food while the women will collect firewood and cook. I will be sure to tell you all about it as soon as I have cell reception and can post, which will be on our midterm break in Cape Town!

For the last week we have been staying in a camp on the north western edge of Kruger called Punda Maria. It is a luxurious camp where we each share a room for two, complete with our on bathroom, shower, comfy beds, and air conditioning! Since I last posted, we’ve done field work for two Faculty Field Projects. One studied the effect of geology on savanna vegetation structure and the second looked at the bark thickness of savanna trees and how that protects them against fire. Both projects gave us the opportunity to work with visiting faculty that are well-known in the field of savanna ecology. Having the ability to learn from them and pick their brains is an incredible opportunity for us to grow as students and scientists.

After Hamakuya we go to Cape Town where we will have a 5-day break and the opportunity to visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. We will also hopefully be going to a rugby match and so many more amazing activities that can only be found in South Africa!

Until next time!

Believe it or not, amongst all this excitement, we actually have some work to do! This is “study” abroad after all! So far, we’ve had two essays, some statistics assignments, and our big research project. The final draft of the project is due in just a few days! My group has been working great together and we’ve produced a great paper on large herbivores and the influence of stream order.

Another pending assignment is a paper in our History and Culture course. I am writing about the evolution of violence in South African politics through the analysis of two works of art.

Typical days here consist either of lectures, field work, designated days for working on assignments, and the occasional day off. So far, we’ve had two days off. Our last day off had us rafting down the Sabie River! I had never been rafting before, so what better way to start than the hippo and crocodile-infested rivers of Africa! Tomorrow is our next day off and we’ll be going to a wildlife rehabilitation center where we will be able to interact with some of their animals and learn about how they care for sick and injured wildlife. I cannot wait since I am most interested in animal behavior and helping individual animals thrive. I volunteer at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in San Diego called Wild Wonders, so I’m sure I’ll feel right at home tomorrow!

Until next time!

I have now been on about seven game drives and the last two have been the most memorable. A few days ago we came across a small family of elephant complete with a little calf! We also managed to spook a rhino hidden in the bushes next to the road and he galloped along right beside us! The highlight of that morning, though, had to be the hyena eyeing a small herd of zebra.

This morning’s game drive, however, was more than we could have asked for! We saw several elephants walking in the road throughout the first minutes of the drive, but the last elephant brought some surprises along with it and we were greeted with this incredible scene. The elephant proceeded to turn on a dime and charge these young male teenagers, trumpeting and driving them into the brush. A little further down the road, the playful males sulked out of the bushes to greet their brother. We watched the youngsters horse around for a while  before deciding to turn the truck around and get another view. Little did we know who was ready to greet us around the corner . The one with the lighter mane was breathing quite heavily and looked quite tired . The other appeared very skinny and still when he rose to walk . We think these guys had a tough night of unsuccessful hunting. As the time for breakfast approached we decided to head back and leave these guys alone, but not without saying goodbye to the gang!

Hello!

With three grueling days of field work in the hot South African sun, we have collected all our data and are ready to analyze! My group was interested in studying the possible effects of stream order on large mammal distribution and abundance. Stream order is a mathematical classification for river systems and the faculty and their colleagues are trying to assess whether that mathematical classification has any biological significance. In order to do this, we sampled 8 different streams and counted dung and tracks along different transects at each stream. While counting dung might sound a little….well, strange, it was actually a fantastic project! Every day we went out with our faculty advisor and a game guard. Our game guard, Phillip, was our savior when it came to identifying the tracks and dung of different species. It was wonderful to learn so much from someone who grew up in the bush and had so many stories to tell! The people here are so friendly and full of joy, it’s impossible not to be happy here and listen to their stories! The next few days we will be analyzing our data and writing a full scientific paper on our research! We’ll also be going on our first game drive tomorrow morning, so we’re all ready to see some amazing African animals!

Until then, enjoy these pictures of a pair of lions resting in the shade , some baboons wandering casually along the road , and a spectacular rare eagle we have yet to definitively identify

Hi everyone!  Howzit?? (That’s South African for “What’s up??”
Today we made our way into our new home in Kruger National Park!!  We saw so many amazing animals in just a few short hours – it was unbelievable!  We saw 3 of the Big Five, which are lion, leopard, rhino, water buffalo, and elephant.  Here’s the total list for the day:
Elephants
Rhino
Kudu
Impala
Waterbuck
Hornbill
Warthog
Giraffes
Wildebeest
Baboons
Hippo
and 2 lions!!!!  (just their ears…but they were still lions!)
It was an unforgettable day!  We are in a town called Skukuza where about 2000 people actually live, including some of our lecturers and our program director.  The next few days will be composed of field work for our first independent research project.  We will be in groups of a few students each studying something different – topics will be decided tomorrow!  But, one of our other big projects, the Faculty Field Projects, which are based on the faculty’s research, have been set and (don’t read this, Mom….) I will be doing the project studying crocodiles!!  One of the faculty is a herpetologist and she’s studying crocodiles, so I’ve spent a great deal of time talking to her.  We found a baby rock python nearby and I nearly melted from excitement, so it has been fun having an expert herper!  For our big research projects that we’ll be presenting at the end of the program, I’m REALLY hoping to do something with big cats, so fingers crossed!!
I finally have the ability to post a few pictures!

A few zebra running away from us in the hills of Pullen Farm - we didn't realize we had gotten so close until they started running!

Giraffe in Kruger!

Our first elephant!! This one was young, but there was another just behind him further in the bushes!

Beautiful European Roller

Written on 1/31/12

Hi Everyone!

The work has officially started, but so has the excitement!  We’ve had several days of history and culture lectures and we have finally begun the science!  Yesterday we had a lecture on the ecology of savannas, but the real treat from yesterday was in the walk I took…

Nelson Mandela had his long walk to freedom, well I had a long, very trying walk to animals.  Several students have come back from going for a run and claiming they found a zebra standing in the pathway in front of them, others saw a buffalo, and one of our lecturers claimed to have seen three giraffe.  Four of us decided that our lack of animal encounters in Africa was just unacceptable and we took matters into our own hands.  Equipped with cameras and binoculars (and soon to discover we wish we had brought water…sorry, Dad…) we set out in search of some African fauna.  Well, I am proud to say that my superb binocular skills saved the day.  I scanned the valley across from us and found three kudu running!  Not to be outdone by the kudu, several zebra came into view and we were beside ourselves with glee!  By the end of our 2 ½ hour walk around and into the valley, we were completely parched, but elated that we had seen so many cool animals.  Our total count came to about:

  • 3 wildebeest
  • 30 zebra
  • 1 waterbuck
  • 3 kudu
  • 2-ish impala

Needless to say it was an awesome experience!!

Sunday we were given our first taste of what our long lecture days will look like.  After a 7am breakfast we started history lectures at 8 and went straight through to lunch at 12:30.  After lunch, we had a statistics intro lecture before heading right back into history until 5pm.  It was really interesting to learn a whole new country’s history.  My history education throughout primary school consisted of topics that directly affected the US and significant world events.  Being exposed to the history of an entirely different country has been fascinating!  South Africa’s history is certainly rich and complex and definitely worth Googling or better yet, researching!

When the last history lecture ended, we were all shocked to find that the only item left on the day’s schedule was dinner at 7!  A small group of us went for a walk and found a Monet-esque pond complete with lilly pads and small dragonfly-like insects.  We also found a rather sketchy bridge made out of a couple of logs that led to yet another gorgeous view of the game reserve!  Today has been rainy and cold, but a nice refresher after several hot, sunny days.  Tomorrow is another solid chunk of history and stats, followed by yet another identical day after that.  Wednesday we start getting into more science, so I think we are all anxious for the real fun to start!  I know I keep promising pictures, but I promise they are coming as soon as my internet connection allows!  Not many to share yet though, so hang in there!

With all our course introductions out of the way, we are finally starting to get into the meat of the course.  We had our first lecture on Saturday on the biomes of South Africa.  It was a great reminder of why I love ecology and nature.  It was fascinating for me especially since the climates of South Africa and San Diego are so similar.  Both are Mediterranean climates that are driven by winter rains and fire.  It is both interesting and comforting to feel a level of familiarity with a country that is so foreign and distant from home.

We haven’t seen many animals yet as we’re in a game preserve that does not contain large predators.  We saw some impala driving in and have seen their tracks on our walks.  At one point on a walk, we thought we heard dogs barking and as we looked around us like idiots searching for the source of the barking, one of our professors quietly and nonchalantly remarked that they were baboons.  It took us all a moment to realize what he actually said and were shocked that we were so close to such amazing animals!  Other than that, we have seen several gorgeous bird species, like bee eaters.  I don’t have any bird pictures yet as my binoculars have been my main tool for looking at birds and we don’t have strong enough internet to upload pictures, but I’ll do so as soon as I can!  The view is absolutely incredible – it would be foolish to even bother trying to describe it without a picture.  Until next time – Totsiens!

After 21 hours on planes across the globe, I made it! Miraculously, my bags made it safe and sound, although some of the contents are a little worse for wear. The damages include a shattered mirror and exploding face wash, but all in all, I can’t complain! After arriving at our hotel for the evening (there are 9 of us here so far) and buying adaptors and phone cards, we went out to dinner at Mimmo’s Italian…wait, aren’t I supposed to be in Africa?! Well, the South Africans get my official Italian stamp of approval as they made great pizzas and pasta. Today, we are having a leisurely morning waiting for the rest of the group to arrive – 24 students total. We have a long drive ahead of us today to our first site, Pullen Farm. Hopefully I’ll have internet there and can email home!

I’ll be writing bits and pieces as I go and I’ll upload posts as I have internet available to me, so here’s an update! We are at our first site in Pullen Farm, which is just south of Kruger National Park. The sounds here are incredible – lots of bugs and frogs and birds! The stars tonight are completely breathtaking. Hopefully my camera and I will get along enough for me to get some sky shots.  That’s all for now – just lots of driving so far!!

Well, it’s official!! I am packed and ready to leave bright and early tomorrow morning! I have an early morning flight from San Diego to Washington DC and then it’s straight on to Johannesburg, South Africa. The packing process was extremely difficult, to say the least. Saturday was my official packing day and it was incredibly overwhelming. I was determined to fit everything into two small-medium suitcases as a huge suitcase would have been difficult to manage for 3 months! I am proud to say after 2 ½ full days of packing, culling, re-packing, and culling again I have made it! I have a backpack (which still needs to be packed, since that’s where my computer and other things I’m still using are going), a small carry-on suitcase and a second suitcase that is being checked. Now I just have to sit back and hope that the checked bag makes it all the way!

The 17-hour flight from DC to Jo-burg is extremely daunting from this perspective, but I’m hoping to sleep away many of the hours! Otherwise, I have my Nook loaded up with tons of books, a couple magazines, iPods, and movies on my computer! I’ll also admit I’m bringing my Gameboy! I can’t wait to post pictures from my first few days in South Africa!! Until then, please send good thoughts my way for a safe and seamless trip!

Hallo!  I’m studying in South Africa for about 3 months with the Organization for Tropical Studies’ South African Ecology and Conservation program. I have been in love with animals from the very beginning. I always wanted to be a veterinarian growing up until I realized I wouldn’t be able to save all the animals that came to me! Now, I’m pursuing a broader avenue for saving animals in the hopes that studying conservation will save entire species and, by extension, ecosystems. I am a native of San Diego, CA and enjoyed a spoiled zoological upbringing with the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park in my backyard!  I’m hoping that studying abroad in South Africa will give me a real-world look into the problems conservationists are faced with every day and that I will gain experience working on solving those problems!  I want to work towards solutions to problems where humans are in both direct and indirect conflict with nature and use the science of the interactions between organisms and their ecosystems (ecology!) to educate people. More specifically, my true passion lies in big cats. At the risk of sounding a little nuts, cheetahs make my mouth water! I could go into my whole rant about why I love cheetahs and their dwindling numbers in the wild and humans’ role, etc. but I’ll spare you the details (for now at least!)

Now that the formal introductions are out of the way…I leave in a week and a half! It seems like it’s still six months…three months…one month away, and now it’s only days away! Going to school 3,000 miles away from home has been challenging enough, but 10,310 miles away (yes, I looked it up…) from home seems inconceivable! I pretty much have all the supplies and clothes that I need. The last two weeks I have been focusing on figuring out how I’m going to communicate with home! I seemed to have some idealistic idea that I would easily be able to call home whenever I wanted, but I’m quickly learning to come to terms with the fact that that will not be the case! It’s a tough reality to accept that, in such a technological country, I will have to relinquish my beloved cell phone and trust that email will become my best friend! Worries aside, I am so ready for the chance to visit the places I have been watching on TV my whole life (yes, I’m an Animal Planet and National Geographic addict!) and see the wild cousins of the animals I’ve seen and cared for behind bars. I know this experience will challenge me in so many ways both academically and personally, but I will come out of it a completely new person! In a few days, I’ll have pictures of all my crazy packing and the suitcase I can literally fit my entire body into…

Totsiens!