Starting off my essay I want to address my program choice as I am the first one to have attended it from UTC. I was greeted by Sara Grillo who helps coordinate the Round River programs. She discussed the goals of their work and the type of work you’ll be doing and from that point on I was hooked. Round River has a mission surrounding conservation as well as interaction and knowledge from locals which really is something I’m directly interested in since I’m studying environmental science. All of the programs they offer have a very similar focus. The reason I chose Botswana was due to the megafauna and overall interest of mine in the way of life there and emphasis on conservation in these communities.
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While in Maun and the surrounding area we visited a few key places, namely camps around the Okavango delta region which have a base community which has developed to live here. Some of these being Mababe, Sankoyo, and Kwhai. They are all slightly different in ecology with each giving you a different perspective on your surroundings and the types of flora and fauna you’ll be introduced to. For example going from Kazikikinni to Mababe was almost like a culture shock in kaziikini it was very dry the middle of the dry season with little to no vegetation and the only animals really being seen were those like elephants and steenbok; however, once traveling to mababe with a river flowing right beside camp the diversity of animal life was crazy along with the super drastic change in flora from these drier environments to the more wetlands type of habitat.
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Now that I’ve hashed out some of the basics about how the program is set up I want to focus on the experience of being there. I can’t say this enough but it is so crazy the difference in being in Maun to the bush/ passing the wildlife fences. Once you enter these fences it is jaw droppingly beautiful like nothing I could ever imagine or any picture could do justice along with the animals? The whole time I was filled with compassion and shock when seeing an elephant trumpet or hearing a lion roar or hyenas cackle at night. The difficulty of having to explain this by typing is through the roof.
Moving past the animals and overall scenery to more classes and the people I would say I learned more on this trip than any semester of UTC classes. The classes were structured fantastically with readings and discussions for each class allowing questions and talking between all participants. Also, very eye opening discussions especially when being educated by locals like Dix or Pabablelo who grew up there. When talking to them or your instructors for a Round River it’s always so nice as they are just a wealth of information and so easy to open up to and access.
Which leads me to another thing: the leadership-instructors that led us were incredible. I can’t speak enough on how great they were in a teaching sense, parent sense, and even as a friend. Which leads me to my last point, friendship. The 11 people that joined me from all across the States in this expedition were some of the best friends I will ever make in my life and this trip allowed us to bond even more. I already have plans to visit some of them this upcoming spring break to catch up! This was probably my favorite thing I wasn’t even expecting from the program was the tight knit connections I made with all my fellow students.
Colin Moody (BS Environmental Science) spent the Fall 2023 semester studying abroad in Okavango Delta, Botswana through Round River Conservation Studies. Colin had the following to say about studying abroad, “Studying abroad is the best decision I think I have or ever will make;
it is the most eye opening experience and humbling experience you could ever
ask for and if you’re thinking about it don’t hesitate DO IT!”
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