reflections

As the prefield class comes to a close, I can't help but to think about how much I've learned about Namibia. When I went to the first class nearly ten weeks ago, I pictured Namibia as some far magical land off in the vast desert across the world from us.  I had no idea what to expect, beyond hoping that I would make amazing new friends and see things I had never seen before.

 Now, after amazing presentations on everything from fairy circles to lichen to ostriches, I have a much better understanding of all the life and of all the complexities living in that desert. And that better understanding makes me all the more excited to go. I can't wait to think about (and hopefully) see many of the big 5 and not only LOVE watching them in person, but also think about the implications of the different national park and tourist systems Namibia has in place to make viewing optimal! I can't help but be excited to take awesome photos and think about how my budding interest in photography can apply to my interests in storytelling and in design.

More than anything, I can't wait to be on the ground with the class. It's one thing to start getting to know each other in a classroom, but it's such a special bonding experience to be in a place so different from campus with such a small group of people in the second least densely populated country in the world! It's going to be an amazing adventure and I'm grateful to have had the pre-field class to better prepare me to make the most of my experience when I'm in country.

Post by Ellie Chen