I think traveling for a whole year was the best decision I have ever made. I am learning so much each and every day, it has been life-changing.  The downside- I don’t think I every want to stop traveling.  I crave adventure and seeking out new experiences.  Going back to Dickinson for my senior year will be rough (thankfully I have like 7 months to worry about that).  But my year has taught me that I really can do anything that I want with my life.  Maybe I am a dreamer and have my head in the clouds some days, but at least it is possible for me to pursue my passions and someday get a career that I love.  People really due live in exotic places, like Indonesia and Papua New Guinae to research and educate people about marine conservation.  I think that is what my dream is. Screw the medical field, I just am not in love with that path.  Yeah, I would have a much more stable job and get paid more, but I think it is important for me to do something with the ocean. I don’t need a lot of material objects, give me a beach, a shack to live in, a bike, scuba equipment, and surfboard and I will be the happiest human.

Anyways…Africa. Such an incredible place.  So so so different than Turks and Caicos, so there is really no way for me to compare the two.  In TCI I had the ocean as my playground, here, I have the wildlife of the savannah.  Yesterday, February 12th I had my first game drive.  It was honestly surreal.   No words can describe the joy and excitement I felt.  We were feet away from incredible wildlife, and they were in their natural habitat.  The cars we drove had pop-up roofs, to get great views of the environment.  Mind you this was class!  I don’t think I could have a more educational classroom.  We identified all kinds of animals and wrote down behavioral observations.  It was a perfect day.  We saw like every African animal I have been dreaming of at Lake Manyara National Park.  Baboons. vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, zebras, hippos, wildebeests, impalas, mongoose, giraffes, elephants, dikdiks,warthogs, and water buffalo.  SO COOL! I think photos are the best way to describe what I experienced, so brace yourselves: