One Month Marker

One month from today I leave for Europe/Africa! That is simultaneously exciting and scary. Also, I have decided that I want to research the Honey Badger because they seem really fascinating.

Flight Change

One of my Iberia flights- the one from Madrid to Dusseldorf- canceled. My lovely travel agent (Lindsay) called me and offered me several options and so I decided to take a later flight out of Madrid. This means a layover from 7.40 am to 3.50 pm. Airports make me nervous, especially after the hell of a time I had trying to fly into San Francisco last October, and foreign airports in countries I have never been to make me pretty wide-eyed with terror. I am not exactly great at handling things like airports and finding my way around and dealing with strangers. I'm not really a people person....despite my communications major. Oops. Anyway, this long lay over time allows me to figure things out and have time to explore a little. I even have time to leave the airport and set foot in Spain if I so choose. Or I can safely hang around the terminal and buy airport things. Oh, the possibilities. Thanks Denver airport, because of you I am experienced in the ways of lay over entertainment!

Getting Ready

The first post. I'm not in Africa yet, not by a long shot. I am here in Madison, WI working and preparing to be gone for four months. Truthfully, at this point the work of trying to organize one's self to study abroad has slowed for the moment as the paperwork is in, both to my home university of Edgewood College, and the required CIEE paperwork. CIEE is the middleman- the institution which is facilitating my trip. I have been working towards this since August, when I first walked into the study abroad office at Edgewood and began to tackle the mountain of paperwork and planning. Before that even happened I had to make up my mind to even begin, and once I did I had to chose a country. Let me just say that I am one of those people who dilly dally over making decisions all the time.

But I am done with all that. I still have some hurdles however, such as getting my Yellow Fever inoculation(it's the big bad shot nobody ever wants to get), getting adequate outdoor covering to protect against the elements and the bugs, and of course, trying to mentally prepare myself.

The fun all begins on July 22 when I take off from Chicago and fly into Madrid, Spain. From there it's on into Germany for a brief excursion, and then to Johannesburg, South Africa. The last and shortest leg of the journey is into Gaborone, Botswana on July 25 to begin orientation. Whew, that's a lot of airports and flying!

The purpose of this blog is to keep a record of my experiences in Botswana. I also want to share my photos and stories with friends and family back home whom I will miss very much! This blog is my written means of communication as well as a way to organize my thoughts so that I can look back on it all when I come home in December. The last month and a half will probably have no more than a few posts from me (trust me, you don't want to hear about more paperwork) but be sure to follow along and check back in from time to time. I would love to hear from you! Oh yes, that reminds me; if you want a postcard just email/facebook/post me your address.