Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Final Game Drive

     Yesterday was our last non-program day of the semester. About half of us decided to spend it doing one last game drive to Amboseli National Park. It was a wonderful day, despite the almost unavoidable sunburn most of us suffered (I am currently rocking a pretty sick headband burn line). I hadn't seen cheetahs since the first full day in the Serengeti, but our group got to see three cheetahs, a mom and her two cubs, early on in the day. Of course, we also saw tons more of the famous Amboseli elephants (I seriously do not get sick of watching them stomp around through the mud), lots of gazelles, zebras and even some eland and waterbucks. The day was an amazing way to end our SFS adventures, but it was also bittersweet knowing that I won't be setting foot in another national park for a game drive in East Africa again anytime soon. At this very moment, my mom and sister, Lindsey, are on their way to Tanzania for some exploring before our epic climb begins, and I can only hope that their game drive experiences are as fantastic as all of mine have been.

My old friend, Mr. Elephant

Stuck at a dead end- not too shabby of a view

 A cheetah mom and her two cubs
So majestic 
 IT'S SOOO FLUFFFYYY!!! I just want to die.. 
(Despicable Me reference for anyone wondering why that sounds so damn familiar)
 Well hello there you wonderful extra large kittens
 Staring longingly at the shade


Kwaheri Amboseli


     As we approach the final two days of our time here in East Africa, most of us SFSers are dealing with a waterfall of emotions. I am beyond excited for my next adventure climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with friends and family and I'm also happy that I will get to see the rest of my family (that's you dad, Marisa and princess pambs) back home very soon, but I am also extremely sad to be leaving the company of the amazing people (both student and staff) I have met on this program. I wish there was some way I could explain to those of you reading just how special and life-changing this experience was; I've tried so many times to put words to it, but I've realized that the best I can do (and have done) is to just share my many stories and adventures from this semester abroad and hope you can grasp some understanding of it. I know that when I get back home life will go on, but East Africa will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm in the process of writing a final goodbye, which I promise to post very soon. I just hope I can make it through the next two days with minimal tears, although I know they will be unavoidable.

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