AFRICA!

From Florence to Huntsville to Philadelphia to Doha to Dar es Salaam, we finally arrived at our destination– both extraordinarily weary and uncontrollably excited, we forced our legs to move outside of the plane and into warm, humid tropical air. We left Florence around 12 noon on Saturday and stepped off the plane in Dar es Salaam around 3 pm Monday. Needless to say, our group was exhausted physically and mentally after the extensive travels. The only objective for May 12 was to find our accommodations (The Uplands Centre near the University of Dar es Salaam). A choice of fish or chicken with rice was served for dinner, and it was very tasty. Bottled water was a welcomed sight for most of us who were slightly dehydrated from all of the flying.

Rain has accompanied us for most of our waking hours– both Monday afternoon and evening and Tuesday midday. You think your hair frizzes in Alabama humidity? Try waking up for breakfast at 6:45 with nearly 100% humidity– it doesn’t vary much from that all day long. I jotted down a note in a sleepless hour last night– “The rotating blades on a struggling ceiling fan slice through the dense humid air as if it was constantly stirring a pot of gumbo.”

Robby Thompson

Robby Thompson received his diploma in the morning and jumped on a plane in the afternoon bound for Tanzania. He received his Bachelor’s in Business Geography and will begin his Masters of Science in Geospatial Science at UNA this summer. Robby studied in Schmalkalden, Germany in 2012 with the Magellan program, then Paris over Spring Break with UNA Study Abroad. Follow his next Study Abroad adventure, will it be his best?

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