As I am about to leave my amazing study abroad family, I wanted to share three of my favorite memories from my trip:
1) The first time I ever saw an elephant in the wild we were driving through Lake Manyara National park. As we came across a bend in the road we spotted a female elephant off to the side. When we stopped to look at her we realized further back in the trees were more elephants. We were so excited, and then they walked out of the trees and surrounded our car! They were so close we could have reached out to touch them, but they were just going about their lives. It was such a privilege to witness and it was one of the most magical experiences I have ever had.
2) DR was a long, difficult process. Collecting data, writing a 23 page paper and then rewriting it, and creating a presentation all in the span of a month was no easy feat. However, after we presented to the community I got a message from an alum. They had heard of my work and wondered if I could send my paper to them so they could read it. I was so so happy! Not only was my work something I could enjoy, but other people were interested in it as well. It made me feel incredibly proud
3) Lastly was when my cohort visited Kenya and watched the sunset over Mount Kilimanjaro. Not only was it beautiful, and a sight I might never see again, but I was also surrounded by the most amazing people that really made the experience one of a kind.