By Christian Soychak of the University of Vermont
My journey to Botswana started early at four in the morning on September 20th. Having always wanted to visit Africa, I was worried that I wouldn’t get enough sleep due to excitement, but thankfully all the last-minute preparations and packing tuckered me out enough where it wasn’t a problem. I arrived at the Burlington airport shortly afterward for my 6:30 AM flight, only to find my small local airport busier than I had ever seen it before. The process of moving through check-in and security usually took less than thirty minutes, but today of all days it was a more than a two-hour endeavor. To the defense of the workers and security, they were always cordial and did everything they could to get me and the rest of the passengers on our flight on time, but nothing could calm my nerves as the boarding time crept closer and closer. When I finally got through security at 6:32, I assumed the worst. But as luck would have it, the flight had been delayed an hour due to repairs needed for a flat tire. It turns out I was going on my trip after all.
After a three-hour flight I was the first of our crew to land in Atlanta, which gave me time to scope out the airport for the best spots to eat and rest. Being the first one there made meeting each new fellow student as they arrived even more special, as I was able to point out my findings and help others adjust just as I had. Before long we were once again in the air, this time on a flight that would last fifteen hours to cross the Atlantic into Johannesburg, South Africa. I’d been on a similarly long flight once before, and it was just as pleasantly arduous as I remembered it. Two full meals, hundreds of movies to pick from, and a pillow to sleep on, if a bit awkwardly so. Overall, the trip flew by, and before we knew it, we were once again on the ground in a brand-new country.
With over a twenty-hour layover in Johannesburg we had more than enough time to meet up with the remainder of our crew members and eat a lovely meal at a high-end restaurant. Following a much-needed night’s sleep at the airport hotel, we boarded our last flight heading into the city of Maun, which will operate as our home base during our time in Botswana. After a short and bumpy ride, we arrived at our final destination, right on the edge of the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
We made our way through customs easily enough, grabbed all our luggage, and headed to the entrance of the airport where our instructors were waiting to greet us and help load our bags into the trucks. Very quickly we were on the road, traversing heat and dust and watching donkeys amble alongside the street. Before long we’d arrived at our campsite right on the edge of a river and began setting up our tents. We received an overview of life at camp, more introductions by our instructors, and even began learning Setswana, the local language (“Dumela” means good morning!). Within camp we also saw a huge variety of wildlife, including fruit bats sleeping in the rafters of the local bar, a crocodile resting directly opposite our camp, and a couple of vervet monkeys determined to rifle through our trash bin. We would later see even more animals during a sunset boat tour led by Lee, a kind and incredibly knowledgeable guide. These comprised of dozens of bird species, a hippo, and even some elephants, all in the first few days! Beyond spotting wildlife, our initial stay in Maun has included meeting influential and insightful individuals such as Cosmos and Dineo, beginning our classes, and visiting a local brewery based in conservation and collaboration with local farmers.
These first few days have flown by, yet they will be undeniably unforgettable. Everyone we have met has been incredibly friendly, and our continued efforts to learn the local language has already done wonders in improving those relationships. We’ve seen so much wildlife, and we haven’t even left on our first transect to the bush yet! With a whole three months ahead of us, it’s hard to imagine what might be in store next, but I can say for sure that it won’t soon be forgotten.