Hello from London, Heathrow! Excited to be on the way to Kenya!

Only 1 week to go before departure!

Hello everyone! This is my first post here. I am incredibly excited because in exactly one week, I will be departing the United States and traveling to Kenya for BioEE 265: Tropical Field Ecology and Behavior! I have been studying up on my mammalian and avian identification, and can't wait to see the African wildlife for real. I think I will end up studing much more on the very long plane flights which are looming ahead of me.

It is shocking to think that what once seemed an endless amount of time in which to prepare for this trip has rapidly diminished, but I feel (almost) ready. This past January, when the course was cancelled due to the political instability and violence in Kenya, I realized just how much this trip meant to me, and how badly I wanted to go. In the winter, I was nervous about the trip, because it was going to be such a new and uniqe experience. However, this time around, I am nothing but excited. Sometimes, it takes almost losing something to really appreciate its value! This week, I have to start packing and making final preparations. Among other things, I also plan on sleeping a lot, to make sure I will be healthy and energetic when I arrive in Africa!

-Jess

(be sure to check here later this week; I hope to post a few more times before leaving!)