Hello Everyone!
So I believe it’s been a few months since I have last
posted, but I am off on the adventure of a lifetime!
As I write this now I’m sitting on the deck of our Bungalow at Lion Sands Resort and Reserve in Sabi Sands, Kruger National Park, South Africa listening to birds with the coolest butterflies and luminescent beetles, and tiny lizards joining me. It’s winter here in South Africa so on our Game Drive this morning we were bundled up in 2 jackets, hats, scarves, and blankest while drinking hot coffee so that we could enjoy the early morning collections of wild Elephants, Antelope, Giraffe, attempted tracking of leopards and lions, and so much more. It’s now warm enough to enjoy the deck with a tank top and sweat pants, so life really couldn’t get any better.
In June I finished up my 4th year at UCSC with
Marine Ecology Field Study (my senior thesis/senior exit class), Biology of
Marine Mammals, and Introduction to Photography.
My Marine Ecology class was probably one of the most
challenging things I’ve ever accomplished, but we did manage to carry out an
entire scientific observational experiment.
We looked at river sculpin (a small bottom fish) habitat
distribution (where we found the fish) throughout the San Lorenzo River in Santa
Cruz. We managed to prove that river sculpins in the San Lorenzo are found more
frequently with more rock fragments and in deeper (0.5 meters to 1.5 meters)
water. It was challenging in that we had
to come up with an original study, collect all the data, write a scientific 15
page paper, and present our findings to our class and professors. I’m glad to
be done with it!
My Marine Mammals class was relatively boring compared to
similar classes Invertebrate Zoology and Fish Zoology, but we did have some fun
times out whale watching and hiking Ano Nuevo to see elephants seals.
Introduction to Photography was probably one of the best
classes I had the privilege to take at UCSC. I learned how to operate my Nikon
DSLR completely on manual and ended up with some pretty amazing photographs. It’s
strange to see my improvement throughout the quarter, but I think I’ve gotten
pretty good now! I really enjoy taking good photos so I think this is a hobby
that will follow me throughout my life.
I spent the rest of June trying to get as much California in
as I could because on July 14 we departed for South Africa!
In a few days we will fly out of the bush back to
Johannesburg, SA where we will have our closing ceremonies. Our visit to South
Africa is only half over and we’ve completely fallen in love with everything
about this country. While it does still have social and economic issues, South
Africa has grown so much in these first 20 years of it’s democratic government.
The people are so kind here, so while I was feeling awkward about being a
relatively rich American being served by probably very poor native Africans,
they surprised me with their kindness, hospitatlity, and joy to show off and
share their country rich in culture and wildlife. I can and will go on, but
hold on until the next post. My next post will be all Africa, so sit tight for a few more days!
After we say goodbye to South Africa I will say goodbye to
my family in Amsterdam where they will transfer to their flight back to LAX and
I will meet my friend Miki for our European adventure!
We will be spending 2 weeks traveling around the
Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, and England by EURail.
After those 2 weeks I will say goodbye to Miki and will
start my Study Abroad at University College Maastricht in Maastricht,
Netherlands where I will study and travel until December. I'll be home in time for Christmas, and should be graduating from UCSC in either March or June. (Definitely walking in June).
Overall, this adventure is so much more than I ever thought
I would have the opportunity to do in my entire life and I feel so grateful and
happy for it.
Thank you so much for reading!
Love,
Emily
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