SIT Study Abroad: Tanzania: Wildlife Conservation & Political Ecology

Traveling to Africa was always an experience I was looking forward to, however, I never thought that I would be able to immerse myself in the culture for a whole semester. I was able to learn a completely new language, live with a host family, see animals I have dreamed about since I was a little kid, and I made so many lasting connections. We were also pushed academically to complete and independent research project. Mine was on wildlife veterinarians so I was able to interview veterinarians and even got to shadow a sanctuary veterinarian. I would do it all over if I had the chance.

This program may not be appropriate for the faint of heart or health. However, if you're looking for a real-life adventure, I think few programs would measure up as well. The country's beauty, the richness of the culture and the thrill of studying African wildlife out in the field make the entire trip worth it already, while the challenging and difficult times did more to strengthen me as an individual than any other experience in my life ever did. The ISP is academically challenging, but the program leaves you a lot of time to focus on exploring and learning things hands-on rather than spending all your time studying. I especially recommend it for those wanting to do conservation and field biology: the techniques and research abilities you will develop will be incredibly useful in a later career. I decided that I wanted to work in wildlife conservation after doing this program; I have SIT and the people I met in Tanzania to thank for that.

I went abroad looking for experiential education and not classroom based education and that is exactly what I got on this program. Classes were sometimes held in classrooms, but were also held on nature walks or in a national park or sitting in the grass. The idea of everything being your classroom was really fun and let you learn all the time. This is a program that will push your comfort zone in terms of how you live. For example, my clothes were washed by a machine once during the whole semester and probably about half the semester was bucket showers, as opposed to a wall mounted shower, but these were never a problem. I think that in order to get the most out of this program, you have to be open to experiencing life in a way that you've never experienced it before.

I did this semester in Tanzania way back in 1995. In addition to opening my eyes to real-world integrated conservation and development, it helped me grow as an independent learner.

From the start, the program helped us build basic field skills- from getting around in Arusha and elsewhere to doing wildlife tracking and walking transects. The program had a good curriculum to complement the field components as well.

Just under a decade later, after graduate study at Brandeis and some environmental work, I returned to Tanzania to do my PhD field work in Dar es Salaam. I even remembered how to speak Swahili (with a little practice with strangers on buses ("dala dalas").

The practical skills and emotional resilience that the SIT semester taught me helped me get through all the roadblocks and setbacks I ran into. I knew the country, the language, and the culture by then. Adapting to difficult situations and working with people to overcome challenges was critical for the completion of my PhD fieldwork. My SIT semester was priceless.

I'm now an independent water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) professional who provides research and proposal writing support to NGOs and donors (USAID, World Bank, UNICEF). I write about all things water, sanitation, and international development at my blog. Feel free to say hello.

Ed
http://www.edbourqueconsulting.com/blog/

The Experiment for International Living came to my school in Connecticut and I was very interested in becoming part of their summer program. I chose Tanzania because I never would have thought to go there on my own. On the trip I not only learned more about Tanzanian wildlife, ecology and culture but was able to experience it all first hand. From living with a host family for a week to driving through the glorious Ngorongoro Crater, the adventure never stopped. Another aspect of the trip I thoroughly enjoyed, was the last week and a half of traveling through different tribal villages and national parks and being able to camp and learn with the traditional tribes of Tanzania. Everyone on the trip was very friendly and welcoming to us and this was a trip I will never forget.