Into the Crater!

Following our three nights in the Serengeti, we headed for the famous Ngorongoro Crater where we were to spend our last night and day on Safari. The crater pictured below is the remnants of an old volcano which collapsed inward on itself more than 2.5 million years ago, following a major eruption. It is worth …

The Watering Hole with Farting Rocks

Following a week of intensive Swahili instruction, our quest for the big five brought us to none other than Serengeti National Park! You probably recognize the name Serengeti, and with good reason as it is one of the most famous national parks in the world. The Serengeti contains the largest intact mammal migration in the …

Quest For the Big Five

Following our stay in Mweka, we had a night of recuperation back in Arusha at Klub Afriko before heading to Randilen Wildlife Management Area (WMA). We would end up spending 3 nights there before skipping over to Tarangire National Park for two days, and one more night. During this five day period, nature was our …

Brewing Coffee the Right Way

Following our week-long quarantine in Arusha, we headed off to the mountain town of Mweka at the foot of Kilimanjaro. I say that it is at the foot but in reality, Mweka is still situated 1374m in the air (comparable to Arusha). The goal of our trip was to spend a couple of days studying …

Prep Week in Arusha

I left for Tanzania, flying out of O’Hare International Airport, Friday, the 5th, and arrived late on Saturday, the 6th. Following almost two hours of waiting in customs, due to me having been asleep on the plane when they handed out the required paperwork, I was finally able to retrieve my luggage and rendezvous with …

T-minus 3 days ’til Tanzania!

Hi Guys! My name is Reese Yount, and I am a senior at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. I am a Biology major with an Ecology focus. I love the outdoors, and frequently spend my free time kayaking or hiking the dunes around West Michigan. I have had a passion for travel for as long …

Halfway Point thoughts

I’m sitting on the train, eating one of Joanne’s Bagged 24-hour Baked Scones (4 for 2 euro, how could I have resisted that?) and staring at my screen. It’s 16:25 and the sun has already disappeared, dark purple flowing over the sky to fill the empty space. Past the reflection of myself and the Irish …

A Day in the Life of a UCT Student

When people ask how study abroad is going, it is easy to send them pretty pictures and tell them about all the cool things I am experiencing. And don’t get me wrong—I am getting to experience lots of new and exciting things. I have already explored multiple local markets. I walked across a suspension bridge …

Where’s the Spera in Deo? A look into religion of Modern Ireland

The place demands attention. Controls it, in a sense, the way a preacher must have controlled the attention of his flock in years past, spitting in their faces warnings of hell and brimstone. That was then, but in 2020 the scene plays out a little differently. Both the preachers at Christchurch Cathedral and the Dublin …

The First Hike of Many

Today was the day I finally got to hike up a mountain. To be fair, I have only been in Cape Town for about a week and a half. However, the second I stepped out of the airport I saw mountains and immediately wanted to be on top of them. The city of Cape Town …