South Africa Trip

So on May 6 at 2pm I will be on a plane to South Africa! Well, actually I guess I will be on a plane to Atlanta, where I will meet a connecting flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, but still. Anyways since that is only oh, 42 days or so away I am really excited. I have been going to a class for this trip since January and I have really learned a lot about South Africa and conservation in the country. We have focused mostly on Kruger NP since Kruger has the best documented history and studies.

This trip is what I hope to be the first in many more trips to Africa. I absolutely cannot wait until it is time for this trip, but it's a good thing I have some time since I am still collecting and purchasing the remnants of my gear for the trip. So far for recording my trip I have a camera, a camera trap,a video camera, a couple special tripods, my field journal, field notebook, safari journal, sketch book, and pencils (colored and sketch) and pens. I have bought and received several really great hiking and safari clothes that can be washed in a sink if need be so I am all ready on that front. The only other gear I absolutely need would be my sleeping and washing stuff and since for Christmas I received some really great micro towels and such all I need now is my sleeping bag and pillow. Of course these are some of the largest items I will be packing so that's always fun.

So I have a ton of stuff going with me on this trip, well it seems like a ton but since most of it is small and light weight it packs down really nicely.  Good news is that I plan on keeping all of this gear and using it on all my trips to come, which should be many. I decided to invest in my future so when I bought all my stuff I made sure it was all top quality so that it would last me for years. I also plan to take care of everything because trust me I do not want to repurchase something down the road or worse, have it break when I need it the most.

Be sure to stay tuned as I get closer to my trip!

First Time Post

    So this is my first post on here, hmmmm. Well I guess I 'll start by elaborating on the welcome and telling you a little more about me.  So my name is Kelly and I am a Wildlife Biology major who wants to focus on the conservation and study of large exotic feline (big cats; think tigers, lions, cheetahs, etc.) I love all animals but there is just something about the big cats that quite describe.  Anyways, since I am a US citizen that means there are few big cat species I can study in the field, we are pretty much limited to cougars, Florida panthers, and bobcats.  This means I get to travel if I want to do field work which I have absolutely no problem doing.
     In fact I just recently got into a study abroad program to South Africa for this upcoming May 2013. I am super excited to get to go to one of the countries I might be living in in the next decade!  I'll be there for 3 weeks during which I will learn how to survive in the African bush and how conservation works in the parks down there.  Although I have traveled to many places in my lifetime I have never gone on a trip like this one and cannot wait until the time arrives for me to board the plane. Actually, strike that, I am NOT looking forward to the plane ride since the last time I took an overseas plane ride I got airsick. However if that's what it takes to get to my dream I will gladly do it.
     Anyways I hope you enjoy reading my blog, whoever you are, and hearing more about my adventures and the stuff in between.  I doubt I will be able to post super regularly, especially with the holidays coming up but I will try to be better next semester especially when I start meeting with the other students and professor who are going on my trip with me. We will meet once a week to discuss the trip and do some advanced research so we won't be hopelessly lost when we get over there.
    I'll leave with a quote, "Life is either a great adventure or nothing."--Helen Keller.