Saskia on the shores of the Netherlands

This is taken at the Oosterschelde, a swampish area in the southwest of the Netherlands that consists of a series of islands and sea inlets that were created during the great flood of 1953. Part of the Building with Nature research group (where for my internship I'm meeting all the scientists, studying their research projects, and summing it up into an online wiki page) is making these natural flood barriers, one of which I'm standing on. Rather than using concrete, though, they're growing new oyster "reefs" there that will also hold back the tides. I hope the oysters don't mind that I ran out there ;)

Lye-Ching's European Family

Two Italians, a French, a German, and a Malaysian-American sit at a table, enjoying French quiche lorraine and sangria, while chatting in Spanish. This is more or less how many of my meals have been during my semester here in Spain. Little did I know that when I came to the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón, Spain, I would meet more than local Spanish people and discover more than Spanish culture. Living with a host family, my Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds, and I have learned how to live like a Spaniard. However, from the other Erasmus and exchange students here that I´ve met, I have learned how to make real Cabonara pasta from an Italian, how to greet people in Dutch, how to make Congolese rice from a French-Congolese girl, and how to Latin dance from a Ecuadorian.

Most of the students that I´ve met here are in the Erasmus Programme, the EU student exchange program to encourage more communication and intercultural understanding within Europe. I love the fluidity and ease with which this program allows European students to study in a foreign country and immerse themselves in a different culture. The Erasmus students and the other foreign exchange students here are like a big, assorted, extended family here. It puts a smile on my face to think about how much we have all learned from each other and the good times that we have shared.

Spanish may not be out first, second, or even third language for us, but we somehow manage to communicate and connect with each other through this foreign language, albeit sometimes with the help of Spanglish, Itañol or creative sign language. Our conversations range from our families back home and the different education systems in our countries, to the Las Fallas celebration in Valencia or the impossible exam in our Spanish class. When I look at the motley group of students gathered together, all from such diverse backgrounds and culture, it always amazes me how we can all be in the same room laughing out heads off. Half of us didn´t speak the same language a few months ago! But thanks to Spanish and our semester in Spain together, we now have lifelong friends and homes where we are always welcomed all over Europe.

Erich's Insights on China

Before Rick Perry decided he needed a security detail to accompany him to his next hair appointment, there was an emperor who decided he needed hundreds if not thousands of life-size clay soldiers to accompany him to next life. Fortunately they decided not to follow his commands and instead stayed in this world and became what we know today as the Terracotta Warriors. I recently visited this wonder of the world and was awestruck by the awesomeness of it all. What seemed like an endless army of clay soldiers stretched out in front of me, each one unique and yet each one part of the whole. The dim lighting and positioning of the soldiers in a sort of bowl below the viewing area only served to create an even more eerie experience. There were three pits to explore as well as plenty of museum exhibits that helped teach the ways to spot the difference between a lowly archer and a commander in this clay army. Sadly, some of the warriors were severely damaged and a large portion of the pits had to remain underground as the Chinese government has yet to develop a strategy for fully preserving the warriors that they do dig up. Still, the ones that were dug up not only served as a fantastic tourist spot, but also served to bring to life power and richness of Chinese history.

Erich takes on China

Before I arrived at Tsinghua University, I had always wanted to participate in a school sport. I missed the competitiveness and team bonding that I had experienced in high school and sorely missed while attending UTD. Never would I have imagined that the sport would have been football though. It happened by complete accident as I joined a business club and got recommended to the football team by a player from last year’s team. The first practice I had no idea what to expect, as I had no idea that Chinese people knew what football was and had no idea who would show up for tryouts. The medley of students that showed up was quite surprising, as it became obvious pretty quickly that most of them had never played before. There were a couple of other foreigners, but for the most part the team was composed of Chinese players. They proved to be very quick learners, as well as an extremely enjoyable group to be around. Most of the players had not known each other before, but we soon formed many friendships as well as a rather formidable football team. I began to look forward to practice every Tuesday and we generally would play for much longer than our 2 hour practice required. They quickly became my family in China, as I would frequently spend my free time with them, whether that be going skiing, going to karaoke, or eating Thanksgiving dinner. As good as our relationships were off the field, they may have been even better on the field as we went on to have an undefeated season as we captured the Beijing citywide flag football competition. In a country full of familiar food, familiar language, it was football that ended up making me feel right at home.

Tanzania – Ngorongoro Crater

December 17, 2010 - Day 5 of safari in Tanzania – Ngorongoro Crater

Yesterday, we left the Serengeti to set up camp at our next national park: the Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is the world’s largest caldera (formed by the collapse of a volcano) at 600 meters deep and 265 square kilometers. Last night, we arrived at Simba Campsite to set up our tents for the night. Mary and I share a two-person tent during this seven-day safari as we move from place to place in our safari vehicle with our guide, cook, and another traveler. I was admittedly nervous about this particular campsite because Edgar, our guide, said that elephants and bushbuck are known to visit Simba camp and attack the tents. Dave, the other American traveler in our group, assured me that “attack” was too strong a word, but I was apprehensive nevertheless. The camp was beautiful, though, like most everything in Tanzania. The campsite is situated on the rim, so our tents overlooked the landscape of the Ngorongoro Crater itself. As a bonus, I was able to charge my camera in the dining area at dinner – an opportunity I did not think I would have in the African wilderness.

The night at Simba Camp passed without much disturbance, though I did not think so at the time. Earlier in the safari, I realized that this trip was my first time camping since my McDermott class went to Santa Fe in August 2007. As a senior going on my last semester at UTD, I thought this was an interesting way to bookend my experience as a scholar. On this particular night, though, I was less reflective and more focused on the situation at hand: lying in a flimsy tent at a campsite known to be visited by the world’s largest living land mammal (the African elephant). Additionally, Ngorongoro Crater is known for its high concentration of lions (hence the name Simba Camp, simba meaning “lion” in Swahili). So several times that night I was convinced a lion was right outside the door, mistaking the other tourists’ snoring for snarls and growls.

We woke early this morning (though woke is a loose term for me since I did not sleep much to begin with), and today has been my favorite day of the trip thus far. Our group set out to make our way to the bottom of the crater before the 6:30am sunrise. The sun began rising up over the edge of the rim just as we had found a spot in the crater to keep the car idling. We could see the sun beginning to shine on the west side of the crater, though we could not see the sun itself. When it did rise, I was half expecting an Elton John inspired soundtrack to queue up. All animal anthropomorphism aside, Disney got it right in its portrayal of African wilderness in The Lion King.

The diversity of wildlife and scenery in the crater is perhaps what made this park my favorite, even over more famous locations like the Serengeti. We drove through forest area, plains, and saw multiple lakes. The animals we saw that day were many and varied. Among them were:

-Lion cubs. Although we had seen many lions and lionesses up until this point, these were our first lion cubs. One of the cubs even played with his father, a site we were told is very rare.

-Lionesses sniffing for pray. If there is anything that can make a person feel inferior, it’s observing the power and strength of a lioness. During one humbling situation, I made eye contact with a lioness who felt threatened by our presence. Despite any ability to reason on my part, I could tell which one of us nature would have deemed superior had it not been for the barrier the safari vehicle provided.

-Lions lounging about. Although the female lions demonstrated the species’ physical strength, most of the lions we saw were lazily sleeping, trying to stay out of the heat. In media, predatory animals are often depicted as killing machines when in fact most of the time these animals are pretty docile.

-Many zebra and wildebeest interacting. So comical! Edgar told us zebra and wildebeest are “friends,” which is why they are found together frequently in migration. Zebra detect water while wildebeest create tracks in the ground.

-Cheetahs standing on rocks ready to hunt. We actually saw one cheetah start after an antelope but gave up in the end.

-Giraffes, though only on the rim of the crater.

-Hippos, which are animals that make the most bizarre snorting noises.

-Black rhinos. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the best places to see these rare animals, even though there are only twenty-two in the entire crater. These rhinos are victims of serious poaching since their horn is very valuable on the black market. Edgar told me that poaching a black rhino can lead to a prison sentence of twenty-five years. We were able to see four rhinos from a distance through binoculars, which is actually a very fortunate sighting. It is rare for people to see black rhinos in the wild at all since they are very threatened by humans.

These experiences are a half a day’s worth of adventures on a trip that has already given me enough material to write a book. I could go on for pages about what I am learning about wildlife management, Tanzanian culture, or myself while in Africa. I look forward to having these new perspectives as I continue studying and working in the field of managing human-animal relationships.