ENVS 446: Reflections on the summer field course in Southern Africa

Naturi Scott 25C

It’s been nearly two months now since I’ve stepped back into the U.S. from studying abroad, and wow…I was really in Africa! I got the chance to explore two beautiful countries, Namibia and Botswana, and get to know them intimately in an immersive class setting. There is so much to say and show. I learned so much during the trip and took nearly 400 photographs. There was something new to see every step of the way, and I couldn’t help but document my travels. I had never been outside of the U.S. before this field course, and for my first time to be 15 hours away in the southern tip of Africa, with other Emory students, it was special.

Namibia is a country with vast and striking geography unique to the country alone, with diverse plants, animals, and people that inhabit it. All of which I got to experience on the ground. We started the trip off in the Succulent Karoo, made our way to the Namib Desert and the Sand Sea, passed through ephemeral systems, the gravel plains, and lichen fields, from there Swakopmund Beach, to Walvis Bay, then on to arid grasslands and the Savanna, where we visited Etosha National Park, after that, we traveled through woodland to reach the Okavango Delta in Botswana. All this traveling we did in Jon, our tour guide’s, safari vehicle. In addition, for most of the trip, we camped, which is something I’ve never done before.

We spotted lions, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, buffalo, a honey badger, all the antelope on our species list (dik-diks are the cutest), crocodiles, baobabs, zebra, giraffes, pachypodiums, hyenas, lots of bird species (my favorite being the lilac-breasted roller), and so much more. For those students who want to study abroad, do it! Even if you have to use the bush bathroom, catch three flat tires, have to fight off the desert cold, have sand in mysterious places for weeks, get kept up by grunting hippos and lions having a screaming match, and get stung by a killer bee, it will all be worth it!

Acknowledgement: I would like to thank the Lester Field Course Grant committee for making this once in a lifetime trip happen. I also want to thank Dr. Larry Wilson, my classmates, our tour guide Jon, and my friends and family.