A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E - Colby-Sawyer College

Zebras graze in Lake Manyara National Park. It was incredible how close we
were able to get to the wildlife and study their physical details through a pair of
binoculars.
As we plunged headfirst into classes and began to build
relationships with our faculty and staff, I realized our classroom
had no boundaries. Our classes were held in the designated
classroom, outside, in town, in the surrounding areas, and—the
best place—in the national parks. In Tanzania, we visited Lake
Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Parks, with
a final stint in Serengeti National Park for a five-day expedition.
The following is from a journal entry about our first safari
in Lake Manyara: y
Sept.16, 2010
The first time we saw an elephant, I really wanted to
cry. I’m excited to see everything here, but for some reason
I’ve always had a soft spot for elephants. Entire families of
elephants walked right next to our Rover, passing by like
we weren’t there. I could have reached out and touched
them. Words will never come close to describing how
beautiful they are, and how adorable their clumsy young
are as they follow in the lines. Someone said they don’t
know how to use the muscles in their trunks yet, so they
just kind of wobble their heads back and forth to get them
to move.
When we got to the park, we drove through thick forest
for a long time and came to a clearing with a stream
and hippos. Our jaws dropped as we stared out into the
distance, because leading to the shore of Lake Manyara
were hundreds of grazing zebra, wildebeest and impala. It
was so unreal to see so much wildlife interacting together
in the same place, calmly grazing. I’m glad I brought my
binoculars, because even when we are close to the wildlife,
zooming in on their faces is remarkable. I had no idea how
beautiful zebras are; I want one.
We watched giraffes on the move in Lake Manyara National Park. These gentle
giants had no fear of a L and C ruiser driving beside them. One kick from their
powerful legs can knock off a lion’s skull.
This photo was taken in front of the banda I stayed in at the site in Tanzania.
To the left is Katie Kurtz, recently graduated from Santa Clara University, and to
the right is Chris Amstutz, a senior at Brandeis University. Singing show tunes
into the wee hours, crying from laughing too hard, and being taken care of
when I was sick is how I remember these girls and how we helped each other
adjust to a new culture.
This is the view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the site in Kenya. The professors
believe that this view helps students to forget their homesickness or troubles,
remembering to live in the present moment. They are absolutely correct.
SUMMER 2011 29