Exciting News! - South Africa

I have been officially accepted to study abroad next semester in South Africa! I will be leaving around January 16th and returning around March 31st. While I am there, I will travel along the southern and southeastern coast of South Africa along with 15 other students. We will be learning about the culture of South Africa as well as human/wildlife interactions and conservation in the country. We will be spending the majority of the time at the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Here is Penn State's official overview and goals of the trip:

"Addressing Global Challenges Through Long-Term Integrated Undergraduate Research, Education, and Service Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa: The program integrates teaching, research and service across the multiple disciplines relevant to the management of protected areas, the economic development of communities surrounding those areas, and public education in ecosystem services and natural resource management. The program encompasses disciplines from conservation and land use management to community relations and education, livelihoods assessment, sustainability and entrepreneurship. In cooperation with university researchers, national parks services and other government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector businesses, the project seeks to integrate these areas of expertise through a semester study abroad program offered to a cohort of 16 Penn State students and located in one of the coastal Nature Reserves of the Eastern Cape Province. Students take three 3-credit courses related to the Parks and People theme. Six more credits of independent study will be organized around individual or group research and service projects in the Nature Reserve or the surrounding communities."

Masked Weaver from my last trip (in 2007) to South Africa

Best of all there will be tons of birds!