A Week Away!

Hey everybody!

So, in exactly 1 week, I will be on a plane to South Africa! I'm getting very excited, but also very nervous. I have never flown for more than 2ish hours before, or been out of my timezone. So this is going to be a huge deal for me. In the past week or so since my graduation from Siena College, I've been focusing on getting ready for my expedition. I've scouted out things I'll need, like a 3-season sleeping bag, hiking boots, safari hat, lightweight cargo pants, a head torch, and first aid materials. And I've also been studying up on my Bush Craft Training Manual, which teaches us how to survive in certain situations, such as if needing to find water, or if confronted by a dangerous animal such as a lion, a rhino, or a hippo. I've also been acquainting myself with the animals and organisms that I will be encountering and studying while at Kruger. I think it's important to be able to identify all of the organisms by common and scientific name, and be able to recognize them by appearance, unique characteristics, calls or behaviors, typical locations, and tracks (if applicable). The organisms in Kruger are quite distinct from the organisms we encounter every day here in the Northeast United States... but there are some commonalities amongst lots of organisms, which has helped me in my studies.
One of the scariest parts of my preparation for my expedition, is the health preparation. I'm currently 3/4 of the way finished with my typhoid vaccination! It was really scary for me to start the vaccination because it is a live oral virus, and I had heard of some really bad side effects, like hallucinations, or small bouts of typhoid fever. But thankfully, it has been smooth sailing! *knock on wood* I'm finished with the rest of my vaccinations, and the last thing I have to do is start my malaria medication. It was a lot to deal with, and a lot to take, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Also, I wanted to tell you guys that one of my graduation presents was a ridiculously beautiful, professional camera... a Nikon D-5000! I have been experimenting with it for the past couple of weeks because I'm going to bring it with me to South Africa. I cannot guarantee that I can take pictures all of the time, because I will be working, and I also have to be certain not to startle animals (although it's one of the quietest cameras out there), but I promise that I will get a bunch when on breaks, or on safari, or when I'm in Johannesburg the week before my work begins!

I'm going to see if I can post a slide show on here from previous expeditions so you can get an idea of what I'm going to be doing/seeing. But in the meantime, feel free to ask me any questions!

Talk to you all soon! 1 week!!!

~Bianca