By Lu Lobón of Colby College
A set of names, universities, phone numbers, and emails were all we were to each other just a month ago. One hour-long zoom and some Instagram stalking only gives you so much information on the people you’d spending three months in the “bush” with: a place you’ve never been and can only begin to understand through photos.
I remember squeezing my bag shut, saying goodbye to my parents at the Boston airport, and taking a leap of faith into the most incredible journey of my life. While we’ve only been in Botswana for approximately three weeks the impact this experience has made on me has been insurmountable. When you all “buy into” the idea of being offline and disconnected and dedicating your energy to each other and building relationships you form friendships that are quite rare.
We arrived in Maun on the afternoon of February 7th and nervously chattered about what our instructors would be like, where we would be living, and how the next three months would play out. Sweating from the heat, we met our instructors; Dom, Gabe, Dix, and SB. We loaded our bags into the trucks and immediately headed to the grocery store, Choppies, and to Aquarite for water. Not a minute was wasted. We then arrived at our home base, Island Safari Lodge in Maun, to set up camp and begin orientation and classes for the following five days.
Before we knew it, with our bodies slowly adjusting to the heat and the time difference, we were already packing up to head to our first concession: Mababe-NG41. The paved road soon turned into dirt as we neared the boundary of the Okavango Delta. I was in Dix’s car, Mowana, with Aden and Hope where we fired questions at Dix about the landscape, vegetation, and what animals we might frequently see. Dix, being from Sankoyo village and a member of the Bayei tribe, grew up with the Delta as his backyard. He answered our questions along with teaching us some Setswana names for what we’d see. Upon entering the Okavango Delta boundary, a car that was exiting stopped us to let us know there were lions up ahead. With a loose set of directions and following some truck tracks, Dix led us to our first sighting of the semester: a pride of 12-15 lions laying under a Bluebush.
I sat in the car with my jaw on the floor as I tried to capture the beauty of the lions with my iPhone camera. Seeing lions on the first day set the pace for an incredible following 13 days of our Mababe concession. While the animals are astounding, what is making this trip so incredible is the people I’m here with. The 11 of us clicked immediately upon meeting up in Johannesburg, South Africa for dinner the night before we flew into Maun. It was like meeting with old friends to catch up. Since we spend our concessions off the grid, it gives us the free time to explore new creative outlets and pick up hobbies. I’ve always wanted to learn to play an instrument so when I saw that Annabelle had brought her travel guitar I jumped at the opportunity to learn. Every night we dedicate some time in the evening to practice chords and learn new songs. While I can only confidently play two songs, we’re excited to get back to WiFi and download some more sheet music to ultimately create an album of songs we’ve played and sung together and maybe even write our own song inspired by our surroundings.
The Power of Proximity means to me the ability to be present and take risks by letting your guard down and being your true self. We have the opportunity to get to know each other in all aspects of life whether that be learning how to cook for 18 people, how they like to spend their free time, how they study and approach academics, their nighttime routine, etc. An integral part of the day is when the sun starts to set and the dinner plates come out. We move our camp chairs out from under the big, blue tarp and circle them around a fire pit. Whether some of us were on transect or some of us were back at camp we reconnect over a meal and debrief the day. Our dinner typically ends with a journal and reading session where we all coexist as we take the time to refuel physically and mentally.
This adventure presents us with the opportunity to step out of our comfort zones and be present in a way that none of us have been before. For the past three weeks until May we’ve committed to spending 24/7 together sharing a space and learning to live with each other, cook with each other, and learn with each other. This adventure has not only helped my personal growth but is also encouraging us to grow as a unit of 11. We’re facing the heat, adjusting to the hippos, elephants, and lions putting us to sleep all while absorbing an incredible amount of knowledge of the place we call home: the Okavango Delta. I’ve learned so much about what conservation can look like on a smaller scale and how our data collection via transects impacts the local communities. I’ve been able to put the pressures of life in the U.S. on hold to be with these incredible people and allow the proximity of living and learning continue to bring us together.