Safari fieldtrip

Each Thursday my biology class goes on a fieldtrip, and this week we went on a safari! It was the first safari I've ever been on, and I had so much fun getting driven around in the big jeeps with my classmates and learning about the animals and vegetation in the area. That day was my first time seeing zebra, kutu, nyala, white rhinos, ostriches, hippos, and giraffes too which were the biggest highlight among many highlights, since giraffes are one of my favorite animals (tied with elephants)!

We drove around for hours, getting extremely close to many of the animals, and closest to the rhinos who I was worried were about to charge our jeep at any second. The game reserve we were at did not keep any carnivorous animals that might be predators to the other animals in order to create a peaceful reserve, which i thought was interesting.

The fieldtrips are not purely for enjoyment, and we actually do biological studies and research while we are out in the bush. On this day, we studied the different grass species indigenous to that area, and after taking samples from 2 different sites we developed data charts and formed hypotheses about the differences in soil and grasses. So yes, I AM actually working for these class credits :)

and of course... what would this blog be without the pictures!

i am also in the process of trying to put ALL the safari pictures on my facebook, but the internet here doesnt have much uploading capabilities so it takes me much longer than usual!

As for me, I'm doing so good and falling more and more in love with this incredible country every single day. I miss my family and friends and nate too, and im starting to really miss mexican food too! The hardest thing at this point is the time change, and because it is pretty much night/day difference in time between here and California, it is so hard for me to find time to talk to people back home!
My heart has been very full with joy in just realizing all the ways God is blessing me during this time of my life, and I am definitely learning alot about myself and about life through prayer and inspiring conversations with the people here. I just feel so happy and so full of life and passion, and I have felt a change in myself as far as how I see the world and what my perspectives are now as opposed to before!

... I am also developing a hatred for monkeys, a tolerance for heat, and a slightly bigger fear of spiders. I have NEVER seen spiders like these.