Time to begin again?

Hello again, if anyone is still reading this then I do apologize for not updating in quite some time. Being back in the states took some getting used to and with classes and everything else back in full swing at JMU I have found myself ignoring the promises I made to "fill in the blanks" of my African adventures. At present I would like to go back to the beginning and write as much as I can in a narrative sort of form. I find this method much more interesting than the random babbling in my journal (although I'm sure some of those entries will also be added). Who knows, maybe I'll even do a weekly update as I organize my chaotic thoughts into something slightly more substantial.
... I make no promises.
Also, consider yourself forwarned that random bits of Mammalogy or Ornithology info will probably be inserted when the odd mood strikes. I would apologize for that as well but those of you who know me should be well aware of this by now...

"My jaw hurts"
"Do you mean your your mandible or the dentary-squamosal articulation?"
"What?!?"
"It's a mammalian trait you know, allows for greater efficiency..."
"You need to get out more"

Alrighty then, I'm off to a group meeting but perhaps something worth reading will appear on these pages before too long.
All my love,
~Mia

ps- As I write I will finally be able to post some of those awesome pictures... if you would like any then please email me so you can get the full file instead of the terrible resized one if you do the right click method.
xoxo

Today is Sunday... 1535hrs to be exact... Which means it is about half 8 for (most) of you back in the States reading this. And in exactly seven days I'll be at Dulles Airport (or slightly above it) making my way back to Burtonsville. Woah. I'm definately not looking forward to 7 hr jetlag.
Anyways, the reason I was able to write today is because today I'm on base duty. It means that today I (and one person from each of the other two teams) get to clean up base, cook the meals, and input all my data from yesterday (when I was on data duty).
...it also means that if the meals aren't too intensive (which this evening is Mac-n-cheese... aka. pasta and cheese sause which is uber easy to make) then when I'm finished my data then I can get on the internet! YAY!
I'm actually almost sick of the computer cause I've been working on a prey count excel worksheet for the past three house and I think my brain has been fried from the screen. Blah. Prey counts are kinda fun though, well... at least (mostly)easy if not heaps of fun. You pretty much drive along a specific route in the North or South of the reserve and count every prey animal that you see. Sounds good. The only problem is when you hit the Northern herd of impala which is somewhere around 70+. Then everyone scrambles to count, sex, and age the herd as they run away. :p Meh!
We also are doing "Safari Spot" which is a game (of sorts) where you get points for spotting the most species on your drives. There are both individual and team awards for most points and certain species (like rhinos) get more points than others (like impala). It's fun and hopefully I'll find a pangolin or something really rare so my team can win.
Anyways, I still haven't heard anything about Shiloweni's root canal as far as dates are, but apparently Discovery Channel and National Geographic (as well as some other people) will have t.v. crews at the operation so I'll still be able to see it.
And yes Laura, you shouldn't be suprised that I want to pet a leopard. He is my baby. There is actually a "Wish List" of all the things the volunteers want to do during this last week (ex. Have a sundowner on Beacon Rock, Watch the Eles all day...etc) and the only thing I wrote down is "Pet Shewie... preferably during his root canal but I'm up for whatever." :D
Hehehehe.
This week is going to go by way too fast. Tuesday we have a volleyball tourney with EcoTraining (they study trees and stuff)... we beat them last time so I'm looking forward to it again. Alost there are plans for party night on Wednesday and the staff and volunteers from all the other lodges and training facilities (we are the only research team) are coming over to GVI House (that's here) and we are having a international world cup of sorts. There are only three Americans here (Shannon, Jake, and myself) so I think we are coloring white t-shirts with Sharpies and drawing American Flags... and lots of "Team America" quotes. :p Then Thursday I'm pretty sure that we are going to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center to check on the baby rhino that we sent them almost four weeks ago after it was attacked by jackels. Then Friday I have a lovely six hour drive to Joburg (and my closest amigos here- Shannon, Chris, and Mark) are leaving me half way through to go travelling. Bah, I'm jealous. Oh well, at least Patty (a girl in my group who lives in Ontario) is gonna chill with me at the airport till our flight at 10pm. Then after a solid day and a half of travelling and obscenely long flights, I'll be back in MD. Give me a day or two to recover (I'm almost positive I'll take a small coma upon my arrival since I really can't sleep on planes) but then I can't wait to see you all and sort out my pictures.
Ok, well it's now 4 so I should start checking things for dinner and making sure everything is prepped.
All my love from the bush,
Mia

The beginning of the end...

Hello again.
This may or may not be my last post while I am in Africa but since I haven't written even half of my misadventures in here then when I'm back in the states I'll probably start again and attempt to make some swnse of the gibberish written in my journal. Meh.

Anyways, tomorrow is the start of my last week in South Africa and it comes with very mixed feelings. On one hand I can't wait to see everyone and show them my pictures because Karongwe has been an amazing experience and I wish I could have had all the amigos from home along with me. Then again, I have come to think of this place as home and will be sad to think that when I wake up at 0400hrs that it is not to go off in search for the lion pride or leopard that may or may not have escaped last night. I'm not even sure how I'll sleep upon my return when I don't have the hyenas and jackal calls lulling me to sleep and the "go away" grey lorrie to wake me up in the mornings. I imagine that it'll take a bit of adjusting to the noises of cars or glare of street lamps in the evening before I feel once more at home with "modern" living. (elecricity all the time?!? weird!)
Hopefully during this last week the leopard I have been talking about will be darted because I would really like to pet him before I go. That is pretty much the only thing I have unfinished here as I have seen (and gotten some amazing photos) of all the animals, both adults and cubs.
... and while I think it would be awesome to be "mock charged" at by an elephant or cheetah, my group has not had the good fortune (misfortune?) to wittness such events and have instead prided ourselves on getting the most sightings of the big male lion Zero in his mating endevours of Lisa. Poor girl.
We shall see what the week to come brings.
Right now the entire camp is pretty empty, majority of people sleeping off last night's partying at the pub "N the boss" (in the bush). As true to my fashion I remained sober (with only a few rum and cokes thrown in) and yet still joined the rest of the girls (and some of the staff) on the top of the bar for the "CROC"... which is where you dance on the bar then the bartender lifts you up by your ankles so you can reach the huge 15 ft mounted croc. Scary like all mad but it needed to be done. "No regrets, no fear" seems to be the theme of this trip for many here at Karongwe. Last night we also celebrated Shannon's (my roomie and best amiga here... who goes to VT, sweet!)21st birthday which I think encouraged many people to act as though it was theirs as well. All in all, it resulted in a fun night with many pictures being shared this morning that only a select few remembered being taken in the first place.
Ok, I have to run now because some other people wish to use the internet before the battery runs out.
I look forward to seeing you all in a little over a week and hopefully I'll get around to updating all the in between bits you haven't heard about yet when I get home.
All my love from the bush,
Mia

Bless the rains down in Africa... and my favourite thing ever.

Hello again!
It's got to be an uber fast post this time cause I'm off on evening drive (and possibly a wild dog darting!) in about 30 min... Normally I write during my day off since most people go out on trips or whatnot that I can't really afford so I don't have to compete with them for internet time. Well this time I went on a trip! YAY! Before I start with all that, I have to answer Laura's questions from my last post...

1) I'll be back the 21 June... although I really really really want to go travelling with some of my mates here for a week after the expedition is finished, I don't think it'll happen cause changing plane reservations is expensive. :p
2)So far I have eaten some ostrich, Kudu, and later this week we are having Nyala on the braai (fire pit). I could have eaten some croc but I could never eat them cause they are too cute. Also I have an awesome recepie for bobuti which I'll make for you all upon my return. :D Give Pooh my love and I'll see you both in a few weeks.

Ok, so rewind to last Wed...
It is the last day of the week (Thursdays are off days and Fridays start the next week) and has thus been dubbed "Party Night". This party night we were going to the Blyde Club which is an outdoor bar with a huge thatch roof over it and a pool... complete with a sound system, big screen tvs (which seems strange after not seeing tv for so long), and pool table. Awesome place.
Unfortunately Wednesdays I also am on Telemetry duty. Which means I get to stand on the back of the truck in the freezing cold weather trying to make myself as tall as possible, holding a metal antennae, in order to attempt to pick up some beeps from the animal's radio collars. As you can tell I'm not a fan of doing this but it's totally worth it when you drive up and see the lions with the cubs or the elephants at the water hole. So Wednesday was going on forever and we were out on Elephant Focus (watch Eles for 6 hr shifts and record their behavior) and couldn't find the Eles anywhere. AHH! For 20 hugangous animals, you think they would be a lot easier to find! Anyways, just as Lo (the staff member driving us and the camp director)pulled up to see two males fighting across the (dry) river it begins to rain. He calls into camp saying "It's raining, half of my right arm is getting wet! I'm coming back!" all the while I (and my fellow team members in the back of the truck) are getting soaked. He speeds down the dirt roads in order to get back to base faster but it only makes the rain hit us harder and my mates hide under the seats in a vain attempt to stay dry.
... I on the other hand find it utterly wonderful (if cold as all heck) that it is raining during the dry winter season and sing "Africa"in the back as we speed home. Hehehe. You can't be in Africa when it's raining and not think of that song... so even though I am getting sick now, it was totally worth it.
Party night was nice if uneventful. Some of the staff from a nearby reptile park (that we visited my first week) were there and so I talked with them most of the night and was content with rum and coke or waters while some of my fellows spent the night downing shots and spending more money then I would care to imagine. Meh, to each their own.
Thursday, Mark (I call him Shaggy cause there are three Marks here)and I were up early because we rented a huge van (10 seater!) and organized a group of people to go to Hazyview for some sight seeing and horseback riding!
Happy Happy Happy.
Only six of us went riding, the other four went to a nearby mall, and yet I find it obscenely funny that I was the unspoken leader of the group. Perhaps because I've been riding the most? Who knows, I just think it's funny when people turn to you to figure things out when you have just about the same idea of what is going on as they do. :p
Riding was lovely, mostly slow walk and trotting because there were people in the group that have never ridden becfore, and we went through farms and rivers (mostly dried up) and I even ate an orange right off the tree. The best was at the end when Kirsty and I stayed back and let the group get a few hundred meters in front of us... then we all out cantered up to them. ~Happiness~ :D I missed riding so much and was worried about falling off. I think a combo of my previous skill resurfacing and pride at not to be embarrassed in front of my mates held me in and I regained my seat in no time.
Hmm, I wonder if anyone wants to go riding next week?
Meh, if not then riding when I return... Pooh bear, I'm looking at you!
Ok, I'm off now for drive.
All my love from the bush,
Mia

ps- there are a few pics on facebook that I put up when I was in town so check those out if you can. xoxo

Bless the rains down in Africa... and my favourite thing ever.

Since this apparently was never published....

Hello again!

Just a quick note because I'm at an internet cafe today and it's uber expensive...

so instead of my usual rant of all the mischief I've been getting into, here are a few pictures of the hundreds (literally) that I have thus far. Enjoy

*Shannon, Emily, Sandra, Me, and Mac telemming on Beacon Rock*

*First evening drive in Africa.... and we found the new leopard!!!*

*Ele tracks in the river bed*

*Walk-in with Savannah.... she just ate an impala and was quite fat and sleepy*

Missing Mariepskop

Hello again!
It is about 1pm and week two is almost over (the week starts on Fridays here at base). I had an amazing week up in the Mountains of the Blyde river canyon... Mariepskop Mountain to be more exact. We were split into groups of six and went with Kim (the staff member who runs the Mountain phase of each expedition) and Mickalea, and intern here, to the Cottage about half way up the mountain. Mariepskop was used as a Special Forces base previously (it hasn't been used in at least 10 yrs though) and so we would have to pass through a security check point every morning and afternoon when we drove up the mountain to check the traps. No, not evil TRAPS, little boxes that we bait with oats and peanut butter and when the mouse (or whatever) steps on a trigger plate, the door closes. Kim's research deals with a small mammal diversity study in different environments on the mountain... so mostly shrews and mice. Mariepskop was used for logging a for a while and so a lot of the natural forest was cut down and pines and eukalyptus (I am almost postive that that is spelled incorrectly but I can't be bothered at the moment) were planted. The issue is that now logging has stopped (yay!) but the introduced species are terribly hard to get rid of (boo!). As a result Kim is looking at the species found in different areas of unaltered habitat versus recovering at varying altitudes. Good times, although the massive amount of felled trees in some areas makes me sad.
There is so much I would like to tell you about the mountains... but in all honesty words hardly suffice. Even the pictures that I have (not online yet will be posted eventually) are mere substitutes for the real thing. I an not eloquent enough in my writing to capture the fear of getting lost in the maze of the grasslands (even when you are only 20 meters from the jeep), frustration when pulling your leg out of a 3ft deep hole that engulfed your leg and left permanent mud stains on one pant leg of your jeans. The joy when jumping through the fynbos (really rocky area at the top of the mountain) imitating the cliffspringers that seem perpetually out of reach. And sheer feeling of awe when you walk through a cloud, and see a waterfall of fog pouring off the tops of the mountains into the canyon below as the sun sets. It was and amazing five days and I only hope that one day I can return and show my favourite spot in South Africa to others.
For now I am happy to be back at Karongwe base.
Scratch that, I'm stoked.
While I was up the mountains it seemes EVERYTHING happened down here, my roomates got to see a pangolin (coolest mammal EVER!), the lion cubs, the leopard Shoulini's surgery, and the baby elephants. BAHH! It's cool though because tomorrow Shouie (because even a leopard deserves a cute pet name) is having a root canal and I think the vet is gonna let us watch! The reason so much surgery is being done on the poor guy is because he broke his top canines when caged (before he came to Karongwe) and they were starting to absess. It's gonna be a long road for the poor guy and about three or four more surgeries before he is all decked out with titanium teeth! I feel bad for him but since he gets easily stressed in captivity this is the best option that still allows him to hunt on his own. Right now, however, he is being a bit of a pain for the reserve manager because he escaped out of the recovery encosure (a smaller fenced in area within the reserve) and they are worried he may try to jump the main fence.
... maybe it is because he is such a pain in the bum that I like him so much. Hehehe.
Meh!
Well tomorrow will bring what it will. All I know is I'll be up at 4am to start the telemetry tracking and see what data we can collect. I feel like an old person cause I haven't stayed up past 10pm two nights since I've been here. :p Ok, I'm off to rummage up a late lunch and let someone else try to contact the outside world.
All my love,
Mia

ps- Apparently I don't have access to facebook at base here (it is blocked by their firewall or something) and so all comments and whatnot on that won't be looked at until I get back... this also means that I can't put any of my pictures up online which is insanely frustrating. Blah.

pps- lion eaters don't get presents... if we even get to go to a market or something.

*Correction*

I am having a blonde moment melt down and forgot how to add pics to the posts. AHH! Check out facebook, I'll try to add some there.
~Mia

Just so you know I haven't been eaten... yet

Hello everyone!
It's the end of week one in Karongwe (care-ong-way) Reserve in South Africa. It's odd because part of me feels like the week has gone by in a flash (minus a few lectures that were uber boring and wouldn't end) and another part feels like I've been living here forever. I'm even pretty good at game tracking and now comfortable while walking through the bush instead of keeping my head down, afraid that I'll trip over some nasty branch or fall into a collapsed termite mound. The house and my mossie (misquito netting) covered-top -bunk-bed feels like home after a long day of tracking, and I'm even used to walking everywhere with my headtorch or a parafin lantern since the electricity here is generator run. The only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the cold showers. Hot water exists but is hard to come by which means I'm down to about three to five minutes of a freezing trip to the nth level of Dante's Hades (Kate, I'm sure you'd be able to figure out which one that is). I am not a fan but that's how things go.

I'm having some issues adding my pics to the comp (one of the staff Sandra is gonna help me in a bit so they will be up eventually... but since I pay by the hour for internet time I'm gonna make the most out of it now and add them later) so I'll put up some of the pics that the staff have taken through out this post.

Thus far I have seen a rhino (and her calf which was attacked by jackles and had it's ears ripped off- and is now at a wildlife rehab center getting them fixed), hyenas (the cubs are ADORABLE!), zebra, giraffes (including a baby suckling!), wildebst (stampeed!), leopard, cheetah (two "walk in"s where I was less then 10 meters away!), and lions, as well as a ton of different types of antelope and other game.

Imagine if you will waking up at 4:30 in the morning, lighting your way to the kitchen with a headtorch and making a cup of tea on a gas stove so you have something warm in you for the drive ahead. Then about seven people pile into jeeps with a staff member (one in the front, six in the back) and shiver as you head out into the blackness of the reserve at about 5am. As the sun rises you begin to telem (telemetry is a method that picks up the radio signals from the collars on most of the animals), hands go numb and shoulders ache as you keep your arm high in the air searching for the newest leopard's signal whilst using your other hand to balance on the jeep and dodging three inch thorns on sickle bushes and other trecherous plants that have over grown into the dirt path that is the road.

Eventually you find beeps... not for the leopard who is being as elusive as their nature implies, but the lion Maggie. She has three (we think) cubs. Off through the bush for about an hour and the sun begins to rise... so why does it feel colder? You can see the breath rise from all in the back of the jeep - mildly jealous of the one who gets to sit in the warm(er) cab doing data recording. Right when you feel as though you'll either go mad from the excessive ammount of static on the telem equipment or freeze to death from the cold who walks out onto the road right into a patch of sunlight but Lisa. Another lion. She is beautiful and exudes power as she walks around the road, looking for a patch of sunlight in which to warm herself in. Not only does she lay down about 15 meters (tops) from you but soon after the big male Zero and Maggie appear out of the bush and they all lie down together. Zero himself is enough to make you lose your breath. He is huge. With a mane that is golden rimmed with black he is an imposing sight and it is no wonder that he is world renowned. They all look hungry and head off into the bush to hunt, we attemt to follow suit but are stopped by a fallen tree (thank you very much bull elephants)and have to head back to the road. Hopefully they will make a good kill and we can see them and the cubs (only a few months old!) later on.

It is now about 8:30, time has flown by just looking at those amazing animals, but now it's time to get back to tracking Shiloini (sho-lou-en-y) the leopard. The reserve manager is afraid he will escape and so it's our job to find and track him as much as possible. Back on telem you pick up beeps pretty strongly right away, but the static is loud and so it is difficult to tell the directionality. There are clues enough in the land....

Not even 100 meters of driving off the road into the bush do we find an impala (type of antelope) half eaten and up a tree. It pretty much is a neon sigh saying "Shiloini is here" and not 15 meters past that do we find him, lying in a shady patch beneath a grove of trees. He looks away from you, watching the heard of impala that still dare to graze near the hungry leopard, then straight at you. He is a bit more dangerous then other leopardsd because he is habituated to humans. Good for the tourisim that funds the conservation here, but dangerous because he has no fear of humans. Sandra (the staff member driving) has a rifle but it is behind her seat so it isn't much good. Shiloini gets up and streaches, looks around, and begins to trot towards the jeep. Everyone's heart stops as he comes nearer and nearer, his easy loping strides eating up the distance between you. Then, at what seems like the last second, he goes around the jeep and off into the bush on the other side, perhaps to do some more hunting.

Only then do you realise that an animal that can carry an impala in it's mouth about 40 ft straight up the trunk of a tree (no low branches to jump on) could have easily lept into the jeep if he felt like it. Adrenaline rush sets in and you only then realize that you were snapping photos the whole time. Hey, if you're gonna get eaten, might as well have some awesome shots of it right? All joking aside, it was a memorable morning drive and as you head back to the GVI house for breakfast (it is now about 10am-ish) you know that you have a new found respect for this big cat... and that you can't wait till evening drive to see him again.

This was my morning today. It's now almost 2:30 pm here, which means in half an hour I'll be heading back out to do it all again. Sweet.

I probably won't be able to write again for another week as I am going into the mountains till Thursday tomorrow for that phase of my trip. Please continue to leave a ton of messages as it makes me laugh and feel like I'm back home again. Also if you have any requests for pictures, well, I'll do my best considering my zoom is wretched.

All my love from the bush,
Mia

ps- I will haunt anyone who hurts any lion, you know who I'm talking to. :p
pps- I tried ostrich steak... it tastes like a really tender filet.
ppps- Hyenas ate our super soaker.
ppps- TWIN! Hope your exams went well and you kept up your over achiever tradition. <3

*Nap time before evening drive*

Off to Africa

It's my last day (hours really) in England... kinda sad really.
I've had a lot of fun around the Sussex countryside with my cousins and have met some pretty cool people. Although I am loath to go, I am on my way to Africa so I can't be too down. Unfortunately there is about a 14 hr plane ride between here and there so I am not a fan of that. Oh well. It's time for lunch and then off to Heathrow. I'll write more about London later when I get a chance... and hopefully put the hundred or so pictures I took up online. :D
All my love from across the sea.
~Mia

My feet are black...

Just a quick note (I'll write more about today later tonight or tomorrow morning)...
1) I LOVE the Globe and want - make that need- to see a show there next time I'm in town. *insert sighs of happiness and swooning here*
2) London is a very dirty city. After spending the afternoon / evening there, Becky and I both had black soot all over the tops of our feet. Gross gross gross.
3) Becky and I mastered the London Underground. WOOT for rocking the Tubes!!!! (and yes, it's the Tubes... the Subway is the underpasses beneath the motorways. This made me laugh... a lot.)

Ok, that is all for now cause my feet are still dirty so it's time to break out the baby wipes! Then on to dinner and some pub or another for my send off from the Southwater crew. Lovely!
Kisses from across the sea!
~Mia

ps- A, thanks. If you can get me published, maybe I can get someone to sponsor my next series of adventures! :D I miss you too and good luck on your exams. xoxo

Happiness is: Australians, Crunchies, and David Tennant

*MWAH*
Hello to all of my loves, both friend and fam back in the Sates and wherever... I'm sending a ton of hugs from five hours ahead (yay England!).
The flight over here wasn't too horrid, although the plane was delayed about an hour because of baggage loading issues... but I spent about three hours talking to a lovely Australian, Richard, who had just traveled the Shenandoah valley and D.C. area for a week with his mates. (For all you JMU people, he is a big fan of "Daves" downtown and thinks it was the best pub in VA.. HA!). Wonderful conversation (him being attractive with pretty much the best accent in the world helped too) about all sorts of things... but as most amazing Australians go (*cough* Hugh Jackman *cough*) he was married. Too old for me anyways but fantastic to talk to instead of being bored out of my mind waiting.
On the plane he sat a few sections back from me so we said goodbyes at the gate and I was seated next to the window in a three seater row. Unfortunately the guy in the middle was very tall and decided it would be best to leave his elbows hanging over the arm-rest poking into my side for the hr trip. Ugh. Needless to say, I didn't get a ton of sleep but I was able to watch an old Dr. Who episode (just from a few seasons ago with Kylie Minogue, the Christmas special thinnger) and a few other movies as well as listen to some Michael Buble to get my mind off of Elbow Boy.
Random happy note: The food on British Airways was surprisingly good... dinner was at least... the brekky muffins were a bit off.
After landing (now it's Sunday morning) Rich (aka. fave Australian after Hugh Jackman ever) and I found each other again and walked to customs together... but being a resident of England we parted ways there. All in all, I was extremely grateful we met in line for baggage drop off as he made my whole trip over rather enjoyable. Then I had a bit of an issue getting a visa into the UK cause apparently they aren't as family oriented in the South of England as they are in the North so when I said I was visiting my cousin (really my Grandmother's - sister's - daughter's - daughter) they looked at me a bit off and I was put under a few more extra questions. Thankfully I had my (Great) Auntie Patsy's telephone number so I used that to verify my business. Soon after I was all through customs (nothing to declare of course) and saw Becky (the cousin) almost as soon as I got into the waiting area. Lovely!
*Random Note 2: This is getting quite long... sorry!*
Sunday around noonish Becky and I made it to my Auntie Patsy's (aka. Nanny) house and we had tea and sandwiches with Patsy and my cousin's Steve, Deb and their kids. It was wonderful to see her again as I hadn't seen my great aunt in ages. Then we went to Southwater (in Sussex county) to Becky's house... she's living back with her mum Sue and sis Abby, so I have a lovely room here (from which I am writing to you now!). Her dad, Trevor, came over and we all had a wonderful BBQ (although I didn't eat the lamb... no way Jose!) before Becks and I nipped out to the pub. I don't remember the name of that one (there are literally pubs on just about every street corner here) but I got to meet a bunch of Becky's friends from around the area and they we enjoyed having a "you say what like that?!?" contest. Good times.
We didn't stay out late at all (back definitely before midnight) and yet I still slept till about 1pm... granted, that is about 8am back in the States but still terrible none the less. Once I got my time-warped butt out of bed, Becky and I went to the village of Horsham and walked around the shops (JMU people; think the Valley mall but older architecture and mostly outside... MD people; think Burtonsville Crossing x 2 with an open market feel). It was absolutely beatuiful and the park where we sat and was wonderful... I wish I brought my camera but I was a spaz and forgot it at the house. That evening we went back out the another pub with Becky's friends, this time it was a place called Bax Castle, and I had some chips along with a lemon - lime and soda (not at all like a sprite). Chips = steak fries, Crisps = potato chips... and there are bacon flavored ones... weirrrrrd (although I'm sure you'd love them Pooh Bear).
Today (as in yesterday since it's now about 2am over here) was chill and Becky and I went to the pub where her boyfriend Dan works, The Red Lyon, for lunch ("PUB LUNCH!") and I had ham, eggs, and chips. Good stuff even if it tasted more like breakfast with fries. :p We chilled at the pub a bit and talked with Dan and his two co-workers (another Dan and a "little" Dave) and they got a huge laugh out of my "MADISON SPOONING" T-shirt. Hehehe. Then we went back to the house and chilled with Abby for about an hour after she got back from college (aka. High school).
This evening we dressed up and went for dinner and drinks in Brighton (WOOT for Jane Austen references!) with two of Becky's friends from University, Charlotte and Frankie (Francesca). They were running a bit late now so I was able to explore the pier (like the O.C. boardwalk) and the beach a bit... it is all stones!!!! They are great girls and I had a TON of fun going around with them... especially to the Australian bar called "The Walk About"... completely staffed by Aussies! BRILLIANT! It was loads of fun and Charlotte and I discovered our mutual love for David Tennant ^_^ ... although I do now have a rather nasty blister from walking around in Abby's heels all night. MEH!
Ok, my Crunchie is now gone (this is the most amazing candy bar ever and I'll bring a bunch back for everyone if I can find a pack in the Duty Free) and my contacts are dry so I'm going to head off to bed now . It's a bit of touristy business in London tomorrow so a ton of pictures will probably be taken then and I'll post them on Facebook or possibly here if I get a chance.
For those of you who have read all my rambling so far, thank you and I miss you like mad. And for those who haven't and skipped to the bottom... well, I probably still miss you too. :D
All my love,
xoxoxo~ Mia

ps- D.C. at night looks like glitter on black velvet, and England in the morning looks like a green patchwork quilt... and I've never seen the stars as bright as when flying over the ocean with all the lights in the plane gone out. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

pps- funny sayings I've learned; "I just couldn't be asked" = "I'm not in the mood", "I'm not bothered" = "I don't care" ... hehehe, expect these to be used when I'm back at Jamoo. :p

ppps- thanks for all the comments on Facebook and here, you all are wonderful!

Adieu

Tonight is my last night in the U.S. for the next 6 weeks.
This time tomorrow I'll be on a plane for England, then on Thursday I'll be headed to South Africa.
None of these things are a surprise... so then why does it sound so weird?
Perhaps because I'm still not completely finished packing yet. Oh, I've got all the items I'll need (and probably a few things I don't) for my time in England and Africa... but they still are all in piles next to the bags in which they will soon be packed.
Maybe it's because I haven't really said goodbye to anyone yet. I've received a few phone calls from family members telling me to take lots of pictures and wishing me luck, but the only person I've hugged goodbye was my older brother... and it seemed more like a hug goodbye that you would give to someone you had lunch plans with tomorrow then someone whom you wouldn't see for quite a long period of time. Hmm.
I would have loved to have seen everyone before leaving; but most around MD are still in classes, those from JMU are scattered all over the coast, and family members have their jobs and busy lives. So instead, this is my goodbye for those who may happen upon this page. I will miss you all, the list is too long to type but if you find yourself reading this (and many more who I'm pretty sure won't) then count yourself as sorely missed.
Hopefully upon my return I can talk the fam into having a little party over here at the house - but who knows. Regardless, I will take a ton of pictures and regale you with stories of my adventures abroad. That is, actually, what this lovely little piece of the internet is for... yet its usefulness is in question. You see, there are two possible sites that I can go to for my expedition in S.A. - one has internet and electricity, and the other does not.
I don't know which one I will be assigned to until I (and the other team members) arrive at the base camp, and so I really have no idea if I'll be able to keep this up or not.
If I cannot get any internet access then I will still chronicle my stay in Africa in a journal that I am bringing along and probably just update this whenever I return to the states. I have no control over which site I'm placed at so there is no sense in worrying about it now. Just know if you don't hear from me for a while, I'm probably enjoying the escape from the teathers of email and facebook... no matter how overloaded my inbox may be on my return. Yet, feel free to leave messages to remind me of home and you... I'll love reading them whenever I am able and will write back to any question in the next post.
Well I suppose I should get back to the piles which still need to be packed.
Goodbye and I will miss you dearly.
All my love,
~Mia

Rabies is Hot Pink?!?!

Hello again!

Haven't written in a while because things have pretty much been absolute madness. I'm about half way finished this semester at JMU (it's gone by a bit too quickly), and when I've escaped from Burruss (the Biology building) and the genetics lab for a while I still enjoy swing dancing to de-stress. Nothing too terribly new here is going on, the same old stressing with classes and grades while trying to scavenge some sort of a social life is an interesting balancing act but one I seem to manage with a few ups and downs.

Today is the first day back to classes after a lovely week off for Spring Break and while I enjoyed not having to pull any all-nighters or cram sessions for a week. Unfortunately, I also realised just how little of the semester is left and the prospect of my Chemistry and Calculus grades frightens me like little else can. Also with the end of the semester drawing near, so does the trip for Africa... and the impending doom of however am I going to pay for all of this. True, the program itself is cheaper then many summer abroad or internship programs... but three grand is still a ton of money for an unemployed college student. Plus airfare, spending money, equipment, and vaccinations... Let's just say I'm a tad bit worried.

Personally, I think that people who are afraid of needles shouldn't have to shell out a lot of money to be tortured... but that's just me.

This past Thursday I went on a lovely trip around the Beltway to the Passport Health Clinic. Actually they had wonderful service. The nurse Jackie talked me through everything from mosquito netting and bug spray to rabies vaccinations to make sure I understood everything and was well informed. I learned something new: The area of South Africa I'm travelling to has a high risk area for Malaria and also provides a lovely home to new virulent strains of Polio and Tuberculosis, as well as a plethora of other parasites and diseases I can contract by something as simple as food or water. Wonderful!

What is a trip across the world without a little bit of Russian Roulette thrown into every meal!?!

The thing about my vaccinations that really got me was the price of the preventative Rabies vaccination. Shouldn't there be some sort of insurance for people who work with animals that they can write this off or something. I mean, rabies is not something you want to mess with... so it's pretty much required for my line of work. I think Blue Cross should have my back on this one. Three shots over four weeks = rabies antibodies all in my lovely immune system = empty bank account. I'm not a fan.

On the plus side, while I was being turned into a human pin-cushion Jackie told me she was using the "pink" version. Yes, because that makes it all better. I came out of the classic rock trance I put myself into when attempting to fight the phobia to needles - and was actually surprised to find the vaccination a translucent hot pink. Weird.

Later that day I went to visit my twin (fraternal) Allison at UMD and told her of this awkward fact concerning my rabies vaccination.... I'm not exactly sure what type of response I was expecting, but "OHHHH! So your blood is PINK!" was definitely not it.

So this is for my twin. No matter how stressed I am with school, finances, or social issues; I can always rely on you to say something that will make me burst out laughing four days later in calculus class.

~Mia

~ The Twin and I at a Maryland football game... yes, the height difference is a little redic. ~

Victory is sweet...

First off Happy (belated) New Years and whatnot to you. I apologise for my delay in writing but this past week was the first week of the Spring semester here at JMU. To all of my Terps who are reading this (you know who you are) I am extremely jealous you have another month of relaxation and I miss you all madly.
Anyways, this semester should prove to be a challenging one as I attempt to tackle Calculus, Genetics, Chemistry, and Ornithology... the number of classes isn't as large as last semester but I also am participating in "Biological Literature Research" with my favourite professor of all - Dr. Keffer. It is more or less and investigation of the Evolution of Religion and is pretty much my favourite hour or so of every week. Anyways, more of that to come once things settle down and we start meeting again. I am also very excited about Ornithology as we get to participate in field identification of various birds found in the area and also assist in field research of behavior and tagging of specimens! Sure it involves that I spend from 7am - 11am on Wednesdays in the field (then followed by a two hour break prior to another four and a half hours in Burruss - the Biology (and some Math) building) but being in the field is on of my favourite things so do so it is totally worth the early mornings.
*Note: This past week had beautiful weather and felt more like Spring... next week however, it may be back to Winter weather and so consider yourself forewarned if I whine next time (I really do love it though).*

So why write now? Other then the fact that I know you all are absolutely dying to hear from me, I am continuing my search of items to check off of the long list of things I need for South Africa. Current prey: Mosquito netting.
While looking online at travel stores and similar websites I was shocked to find that mosquito netting is upwards of $40! Yes, I understand that this is something incredibly valuable and worth finding one of good quality but come on! I'm a college student - and a very poor one at that! So I did what all good college students do when they can't afford something and it is impossible to download it on Limewire....
EBay.
First of all, EBay is one of the best inventions ever. When the campus bookstore only wants to give me $20 for that $130 GWIRT (general writing) textbook at the end of the semester I can always rely on some poor kid to buy that textbook back from me online if I make it only $100. Sweet. Second, wherever you can get a $50 leather iPod case for $5 - simply because the seller forgot to put a minimum bid setting - is a wonderful place by my standards.
So I take my self to this site in search of the elusive (inexpensive) mosquito netting. A ton of hits come up - some of which have no bids on them.... and even some of those with only 30 minutes left before closing.
*insert happy dance here*
That previously $40 mosquito netting I just "won" for $0.99. Plus shipping and handling it's about $6 (give or take a penny). Victory is sweet.
Now to remember what else I need for this adventure to see if I can get some more wonderfully inexpensive items on my favourite shopping site ever.
Alright. Time to hit the gym and tackle some calculus work. Lovely.
~Mia

PS- Apparently the word of the day is "favourite". Don't ask me why, I just write this mess.