Africa

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to go to Africa. Watching all the National Geographic shows as a kid really stuck with me. I was always fascinated by the episodes that had to do with the savannas and jungles of Africa in particular. It seemed like such a different world to me out there and I could only imagine experiencing it firsthand. There was a time that I had wanted to become a field biologist and study animal behavior in Africa. It is funny how life takes you down a different path but I have never lost my desire for the experience. When the opportunity came for me to join a group of my friends on a safari through Kenya and Tanzania in July of 2007, I jumped on it. Nothing was going to stop me from seeing my dream place. I know, some people would not consider Africa to be their dream place but it definitely was for me. One of my favorite places to go when I was a child was the zoo and Africa felt like a 24 hour zoo that had no boundaries. Africa was like none other: from the baboons I followed on my way to breakfast in the morning, the Maasai village I visited and gave out candies and pens to the children, to watching the hunt, sitting in the front seat of a jeep 12 feet from a lion eating, watching the wildebeests migration, sunsets over the Serengeti, sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara, and the long drives on the badly paved roads that ended with numerous mysterious empty bottles of wine in the back. I had so much fun and I enjoyed all the excitement feeling like I was right there when everything happened. I can’t wait for the opportunity to go back again.