Day 2

OUR BAGS CAME!!! So finally I am able to change my clothes and shower so I’m a happy person. One thing I forgot to do in my last blog was to explain the plane ride from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro, one of the bumpiest planes that I have ever been on, I wasn’t positive the plane was going to land safely. It was a small propeller plane and it was all SFS students and older couples taking a vacation. Considering I had no sheets or blankets last night I actually had a pretty good nights sleep and I only woke up once. At 6:30 I woke up for breakfast crew and I was in charge of making the pancakes, I’m a pro now to say the least. After breakfast we had a lot of orientation and spent time going over all the rules. Then we went to walk around to see the town and a really cute little church. One thing I want to do in town is have a skirt made form the fabric and also tire shoes, so many things I need to do. What is really nice about school is we have a two hour break after lunch to do what we want and now we don’t have anything to do until dinner at 7. Things are going really well, and this weekend we have our first trip into a National Park!!! I just have to get through three days of class until I get to have the real fun. Most of the professors are natives and one of them is from Germany. The hangout has become a gazebo that is elevated off the ground so we have a great breeze coming through while we read, blog, and do homework. It is has been pretty hot, but it’s only bad when we are walking for a long time with the sun beating down on us. The weather is honestly beautiful. I’m thrilled to be here!

Arrival

Well I have finally arrived in Africa after 3 days of travel, and no showering. Since we were having so many problems with our baggage we were not able to go out and see London, but this was probably for the better since we have been getting so little sleep. Everything is so beautiful here and I think I'm really going to love it. I haven't gotten more then 5 hours of sleep since Friday so normal daily functions have been a struggle and I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. Unfortunately I have breakfast crew in the morning so I will have to be up at 6:30. We drove all over today through towns and such, it was a scene of random cows and goats and children. Also Tanzania has a lot more speed bumps then I would ever think. Also as everyone in my jeep was starting to fall asleep on our 3 hours drive one of the girls woke us all up because there was a family of giraffes walking along the road. So for the rest of the drive I was on the lookout for more. In Tanzania we have a little cabin and there are two other girls with me. The bathroom is also inside and we have hot water! Plus all the water on camp is drinkable so I don't have to worry about that. We stopped in town today to get some water and I also got ice cream since none of the food sounded that great since my nerves were full blown. Now I'm just ready to go to bed and start orientation tomorrow!

2 Days

Well I have two more days of living in the US which means today was packing day, and it seems near to impossible. One suitcase is 44 pounds and the other is 47 pounds, things aren't looking good with this 50 pound limit. My last Rabies shot was Tuesday and today I start my Malaria medication. It's been a week of rushing around and seeing family and friends. Everyone has been trying hard to make my last weekend fantastic so thanks to all my family, Aaren, Sarah, Sara, Kayla, and Mike for doing just that. My group has been communicating for the past month and so far everyone seems great, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the airport on Saturday. Things are great and I think I am actually more excited than nervous at this point. I'm giddy for Saturday to come so I can head on my way to London Sunday morning and then leave for Africa on Sunday night!

Count down begins, 10 days.

Well since this is my first blog, and I'm awkward enough as it is, this shall be interesting. So far I have had a polio shot, Hepatitis A, Yellow fever, and two rabies shots. Yesterday I finished my Typhoid pills and I have my last Rabies shot on Tuesday.  I will also start my Malaria pills a couple days before I leave. My "Africa Pile" is growing a little more everyday and it is going to be a challenge to fit everything into my 2 suitcases. I'm excited to get out of the cold, but also nervous about what the next 15 weeks is going to bring me. If my blog does suffice your need to speak to me my e-mail is jspista@purdue.edu and I would love to get letters! No packages please, they are too hard to get to our camps! I hope everyone enjoys my blog, I'm sure it will be awkward and nerdy, you have been warned.

Student Name 

Center for Wildlife Management Studies 

P.O. Box 27743 (Nyayo Stadium) 

00506 – NAIROBI, KENYA 

East Africa 

Student Name 

SFS Center for Wildlife Management Studies,  

P.O. Box 304 

KARATU, TANZANIA 

East Africa 

I will be in Tanzania first, then Kenya half way!

Hope you all enjoy!!