Friday, February 26, 2016

Module 5: Conservation Academy, Basil, & Amakhala (Part I)

Work hard. Play hard. 

Our time at the Conservation Academy has been much different than the weeks leading up to this point. Dr. Robert Crane joined us and taught a few lessons on climate, and Wayne (the Conservation Academy owner) and his two dogs took us on a hike to explore the farm’s biomes.




Most of our time at the Conservation Academy has not been scheduled, giving the students time to work on assignments and rejuvenate a bit. Personally, I have appreciated the pool, making time for workouts, and having free time for my own assignments! Professionally, I have enjoyed helping the students through their assignments. Neil recognizes that his teaching style will challenge some learners, and I am a great example of someone who would be challenged. When given the choice, I prefer structure, deadlines, and details. This program does not cater to those preferences. 

All assignments are due on March 27. Students should be drafting and revising throughout the program. I am a resource for students with assignments, but it took me until Grahamstown to feel comfortable in this role. While we were in the Karoo, we split the groups into two, so half of the students had work time with Neil daily. In order to facilitate this, I was in the field daily, missing most of the assignment instructions and explanations. Sitting down with all of the drafts helped me fill in the blanks and allowed me to feel comfortable giving feedback. Now, I am trying to figure out what Neil is looking for in each assignment so that I can provide better, more relevant feedback.  

On Sunday, we met a man named Basil, and our time with him was a highlight of the trip for me. Before we met Basil, we had been told that he has a pet crocodile, which he refers to as a “flat dog.” Disappointingly, we didn’t get to meet the crocodile, but Basil was plenty entertaining! We spent just a few hours with him, but in that time we learned so much about baboon paths, the biome, snakes, the Xhosa and their weapons, and the colonization of South Africa. All of this information was shared with gusto and jokes. Basil had a few helpers with him, and together they served us beef stew prepared over fire for dinner. The meal reminded me of Hobo Stew from Britt (Iowa) HoboDays.



We also spent a day at the Amakhala (Private)Game Reserve. Unlike Addo or the Karoo, Amakhala was founded as a tourist business, but also plays an important role in conservation. Some farmers who were struggling with hard times decided to put their land together and form a game reserve. The families collaborate to run the reserve, but have independent lodges on their respective land. Each lodge has a different flavor and reaches different audiences. Game drives are pretty well limited to lodge guests and school groups. Amakhala was willing to work with us because of our educational goals. Before we started the game drive, we got to learn about the history of the reserve, the business’s challenges, and ask some questions. Then, we went out to look for animals. We didn’t have high expectations because of the heat (104 F), but were pleasantly surprised to find: a giraffe named Timmy, the back end of an elephant, ostriches, antelope, zebras, a monkey, and more!





While drafting this blog, I managed to deleted nearly all of my (100+) Grahamstown photos. Thank you to Connor for sharing photos with me!

3 comments:

  1. There is more diversity than here in Omaha!
    Dad

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  2. Laura, Thanks so much for providing this blog. I am the mother of the young man in the horse selfie above. It is so very nice to read about the adventures of your group and to better understand the amazing experiences that Connor is living this semester. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Was the front end of the Elephant there? Had it lost it's head? Hope it was just hidden from sight!

    ReplyDelete