Author Archives: juj126

Arriving at SFS

So much traveling! Once I got to Nairobi and waited all day for the rest of the group to arrive, we took a little plane over the border to Tanzania. Then we drove for an hour to a hotel. Since we boarded at dusk and drove in the dark, I was unable to see anything that surrounded me. The next morning, we got up early to leave and when I stepped out of the room I was so amazed by what I saw. There was a beautiful mountain and trees, mist was rising up from the ground and there was a cute bright colored caf�. My first real sight of Tanzania. It was perfect. Then we took the 4 hour drive to our camp site. On the way we saw giraffes and baboons and buffalos along the road. We stopped at a lookout over Lake Manyara and saw flamingos in the distance and so many flocks of birds. Everything was so amazing. And then when we got to the Center–SO AMAZING! It’s in this tiny town which is beautiful and when our land cruisers pulled in there were all these people waiting and waving to us. The camp is still under construction since it is the new site. But it’s incredible. They are making everything perfect for us. Our bandas are big, I only have to share with two other girls. We have our own bathroom with hot water. A volleyball court is being made. The chefs and cleaning people are all local and are so nice to us. I just can’t believe how wonderful it is here. Totally surpassed my expectations. Most all the students are great too. Still getting to know everyone. My roommates are Carrie and Arima and they are so much fun. We spent last night writing in our journals and chatting and laughing together. Today we had orientation for our classes: Environmental Policy, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Ecology, and Swahili Language/Culture. It all seems very interesting and our teachers are very nice. We will be going out into the field a lot with them too. Our first trip is to Lake Manyara National Park. We are doing that Saturday. Should be awesome. After orientation today, we went into the village to try our hand at greeting people. That was an interesting experience. We went off on our in small groups and practiced what little Swahili we knew from today and yesterday: hello (in a couple of ways), how are you?, I’m a student, what’s your name?, my name is… I was very nervous since I don’t like this sort of thing. But it was a lot of fun in the end. The townspeople are extremely nice for the most part. They like to smile and wave and help you with your Swahili if they can. They also like to laugh at you when you look stupid. But they are well natured. They are actually excited for us to be here. Foreign people pass through this town on the way to tourist spots like Serengeti, but they don’t really stay here. Our director and staff have worked really had to prepare the people for our coming, to ask their permission, to join their community board, and all that. So we are the first students ever to come here. It is so exciting. They keep telling us what an effect we are going to have on these people and how we are trailblazers for every other group of students that come here. So we have to make a really good impression on the town. We live so close to them, we are literally their neighbors. It won’t be like that in Kenya. That site is much more of a field station, we are told. Its surrounded by animals, not people. Which I am excited about. But it will be a downgrade in comforts. No hot water, apparently the internet is way worse there, and stuff like that. I’m excited to find out but I already know I will be sad to leave here in like 6 weeks. This place is beyond my wildest dreams. It is called the Moyo Hill Site, because we are located at the very top of the hill of town. Moyo means heart. Which is so fitting. Everyone has such a happy heart here 🙂 


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Location: Karatu, Tanzania

So close!

Days until arrival: 1

Here it is. The time I have been waiting for for SO LONG. My flight into Nairobi leaves tomorrow night. I’m already in Africa– Egypt actually– on vacation, so I don’t think my flight will be terribly long. Once I arrive in Kenya I have to get my visa, somehow manage three suitcases, and meet the rest of the students and staff. From there, we will take another flight to Tanzania. There are two groups of students in the program; I am in group 1. So I will spend the first half the semester in Tanzania and the second in Kenya. That also means I will be doing my research project in Kenya. 
I don’t know what I am most excited about. Meeting the other students in my program is definitely up there. And meeting people in the Maasai village. I’ve learned a couple of Swahili words so far, and will be taking a language/culture class, so it will be so cool to communicate with the local people. Which brings me to something else I’m really excited about– at the end of the program, the students get to present their research findings to the people in the village. Its amazing to think about sharing your work with people who are actually effected by what your studying, and to be a part of change in a community. Finally, I’m just so excited to BE in that place. To smell the air, to see the herds of animals, to feel the dirt on my feet. Definitely tired of waiting. 
Well, my wait is almost over now. I’ll be posting again within the week… from Tanzania! 🙂

Location: Cairo, Egypt

A Wild Dream: An Introduction

Days until arrival: 115.

So, this is really happening. I just keep telling myself, “this is really happening…”

It has taken a long time – over a year – and a lot of work and stress to make this dream come true. Sometime in the fall semester of my junior year I discovered SFS (The School for Field Studies) and after a bit of research, I was completely in love. The SFS Kenya program was everything I had ever hoped to find in a study abroad program and more. I applied, was interviewed, and was accepted for the fall semester 09. Not long after, I was crushed to find out that Penn State would not apply any of my financial aid to this program. So I could not afford to go.

Well, it’s just not in my nature to take ‘no’ for an answer. Over that year and into my senior year, I devoted myself to finding a way into SFS. I would need to get Penn State and SFS to officially affiliate with each other in order for Penn State to hand over my financial aid money. This meant working with the Study Abroad and International Programs offices at Penn State, my advisors and professors, and the director and staff at SFS, writing countless emails, making phone calls, and setting up meetings. It meant small accomplishments and big setbacks, hoping, crying, dreaming, pushing. And finally in the end… Success. Mine is a story of never giving up, of never letting go of a dream just because it was hard to achieve or because someone said it was impossible. Getting to Kenya will be proof of this. It will be everything to me.

So now, the program has changed a bit since I first applied. Now it is a two-part program with half the semester spent in Kenya and the other half in Tanzania. What was a Wildlife Management program is now a Comparative Wildlife Management program. It still encompasses the same main topics, we just get to experience more of Africa now, visit more parks/reserves, and learn from more people. Here are some of the highlights listed on the SFS site:

  • Learn about social organization, basic taxonomy, and conservation status of charismatic common large mammals in African savanna ecosystems.
  • Travel on field lectures to study changing land uses among pastoral communities and implications of these to wildlife management and rural livelihood.
  • Field research methods learned in this program include large mammal identification and behavioral observations, landscape mapping, game counting, rangeland condition assessment, and participatory rural appraisal.
  • Develop recommendations and potential solutions to conservation challenges in these ecosystems.
  • Presentations of research findings to community stakeholders.
  • Visits to local markets and a neighboring boma (Maasai homestead) for traditional Maasai celebrations, a lecture on culture and artifacts, jewelry making with Maasai mamas, and to conduct interviews for research work.
  • Community service work in local schools, hospitals, orphanages, and with a local women’s group.

 

And here is a cute video slideshow of the program:

 

 

So that’s about all I got for now. I’ll keep this thing updated as the weeks go by.

Enjoy sharing my dream and my journey,

— Jackie

 


Location: State College, PA