Author Archives: Abby Colehour

Well I finally have been able to plug back into the cyber world. Our group is now staying in our field research site near Tarangire National Park, living out of tents, dodging scorpions, trying to stay cool, playing a lot … Continue reading →

From the tropical rainforest of the East Usambara Mountains, where three friends and I have spent our week-long fall break before going into the northern Serengeti plains where we will spend the next six weeks sight-seeing and doing research. I … Continue reading →

This weekend our ACM group went to Zanzibar—the famous island off the coast of Tanzania, reached by a 2 hour ferry ride. I saw (and tasted) a lot of incredible things—a night market featuring the day’s seafood catch, a spice … Continue reading →

I guess I haven’t really given a very comprehensive description of daily life here. Here’s a typical day: This morning, after waking up several times in the night to bush babies, frogs, and the security guard’s music (Lady Gaga and … Continue reading →

Yesterday for kiswahili class we took a daladala to Mwenge (a market) with the assignment to practice bargaining and learn the names of things that are sold there. I wandered into the wood carver’s market, and got a tour of … Continue reading →

This program, Ecology and Human Origins, attracted a mix of biologists and anthropologists. The different perspectives have made for some very engaging and thought-provoking conversations.  From one point of view, every living thing is solely a collection of adaptations for … Continue reading →

Everyone does it. I like doing laundry by hand. It puts us all on equal grounds. My clothes are dirty, just like yours, and I’m scrubbing them clean, just like you. And as long as we are here in the … Continue reading →

Habari gani za Tanzania! I feel very much like a sponge. Every day, new sights and sounds to absorb, more culture to sink in and try to understand. I’ve been here a week now, and definitely am starting to feel … Continue reading →

(So I thought I succeeded in posting this blog last week, but apparently I didn’t. This is as written from Day 3, sorry it’s late. Also, I forgot to explain the title–our first orientation involved a lot of late and … Continue reading →

On Saturday I depart for Tanzania! 45 hours in transit. 8970 miles covered. 22.5 hours in Zurich, Switzerland. Whew! I will be there until December 18 on a study abroad program called Ecology and Human Origins. I’ll be learning Swahili … Continue reading →