Triumphant Return

…to blogging. Triumphant return to blogging. You thought I was going back to Tanzania didn't you? Fooled ya! ;) I realized it has been several months since a blog update so I thought I would share what I've been up to.  

My last month in Tanzania was magical. We spent all of our time on our directed research projects and spending as much time with each other as we could. We became a family and how are you supposed to say goodbye to family? But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

My directed research project was "Calibration of disc pasture meter and estimation of grass biomass in the northwestern grasslands of the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania." Yea. Say that three times fast. What all that means is I got to spend over a week in my favorite place in Tanzania collecting bags of grass with my best friend. It was actually pretty sweet. 

We listened to a lot of music (because let's face it. Clipping grass can get boring even in the most beautiful place in the world.) It's a pretty surreal moment when you are jamming to some T Swift and a wildebeest trots by. Talk about culture shock. 

Saying goodbye was impossible. I was in the first group to leave our home at Moyo Hill and it was impossible. Every one I was with truly become my family and even months later, I don't understand how I am surviving with out seeing their faces every day. 

Coming back to school was hard. Harder than expected. There were so many people! The dining hall was a scary place full of strange faces. Not to mention I miss my rice and stew and cabbage and fresh fruit. 

By now I can safely say I've gotten used to the way college works again but things aren't back to the way they were. They never will go back. Too much has happened for me to go back to my old way of thinking or my old way of doing things. I laugh at the conversations around me because my priorities are different. The little things I used to think were important, don't even make it on my radar anymore. I don't wear makeup or nail polish, I wear clean clothes but couldn't care less what they look like, and honestly I don't freak out if I don't shave my legs for over a week. TMI, I know but seriously people. There are better things we can be doing than obsessing over our looks and changing them so drastically that when you take it all away, you don't even recognize yourself any more. 

Well that was quite the tangent. The point is I am happy to be back and I am back with a greater appreciation for life. I will never forget what I learned in Tanzania, from my teachers and friends. Thank you to everyone who supported me while I was away. I love you all. Stay tuned for my latest adventure, the Adirondacks!