Spring Break!

Now that finals are over, we're going on expedition!  While other students back in the US are heading towards warmer weather or community service, we're going to spend the next five days in the bush (the African wilderness) camping out in Serengeti National Park.  When you see scenes of Africa in magazines or on TV, this is where they're from!

We had a risk management briefing this morning.  Here's what I learned:
1.  The students are in a U-shape of tents with up to six people in the middle of the campsite, surrounded by staff tents, and finally surrounded by Land Cruisers that keep the lights on all night.
2.  Showers don't usually happen because the forty of us are sharing two small bathrooms, and the elephants like to knock the water tanks over.
3.  5:30 AM wake up call every day...jeeeez.
4.  Do not go beyond the short grass.  You will find snakes and scorpions, and who knows what else.
5.  The whistle means there is a dangerous animal in the camp.  If you wake up in the middle of the night disoriented and hear a car running, it means the staff are trying to scare the animal out of the campsite.  No, you are not missing out on a night game drive.
6.  The Serengeti is LOUD.  You can hear lions from 15 km away and they will sound as though they are right next to you.
7.  Don't leave any food in the tent!  The animals WILL break in. 
8.  From 12-2 PM each day we get a break because it is so hot that all you will want to do is complain about how hot you are.
9.  Expect to see animals migrating, copulating, eating other animals, etc.  Up close and personal.  And feel free to stay up until midnight in the Land Cruisers watching the animals come near camp.
10.  If you encounter an elephant, stand still.  A buffalo, lie down.  A lion?  You back away.  And a hyaena...PANIC.

Rest assured, we have guards with guns and lots of safety protocols.  It should be an amazing experience!  I'll post about my adventures and lots of pictures when I get back!