Hello! We are leaving for Tanzania tomorrow, and I still need to run to Target. I took a long nap today and missed my Target-running window. However, I am super excited for this trip, and (besides my Target run) I am pretty well prepared!
After having read the textbooks and made my presentations, I expect this trip to be an extensive dive into the dynamics of African savannah ecology with a slight emphasis on paleoecology and evolution. I also expect that we will be moving around a lot in order to see some of these concepts in action. When preparing for this trip, I most enjoyed making my presentation on biomarker analysis in soils. As someone who is studying biochemistry and loves to dabble in organic chemistry, it was very interesting to hear about the potential of biomarker analysis while connecting it to methods I was already familiar with, such as GC-MS.
I hope that while in Africa, we get to see some of the animals I studied in action. My presentation is on giraffids, manids, and orycteropodidae, and although some of these species can be quite elusive, it would be very cool to observe them in the field. I also hope we get learn more about hominid evolution and excavation, especially while at Olduvai Gorge. I have always been extremely interested in paleontology, so I really hope that there is a strong emphasis on hominid evolution for a good portion of this course.
I am slightly uneasy about my packing skills. As you could tell from my Target spiel, I am both a procrastinator and a chronic overpacker. I am planning to pack way too many pairs of pants, and I need to calm down and figure that mess out. I also have never been to Africa and I have no previous experience in the tropics, so although I am excited to see what it’s like, I am a little nervous about what it will be like once I am actually there. I am also anxious about the number of hours we will be on planes because it seems like a lot and there are only so many episodes of Bridgerton that I can download. In order to cope with being home alone and preparing for such a big trip, I have been baking cookies that I have never baked before. Attached is an image of some delicious cookies:
I put way too much powdered sugar on my crinkle cookies
I think I am most excited about seeing an entirely new type of environment and getting to know more about hominid evolution. I am eagerly awaiting tomorrow afternoon!
Excitedly,
Kacey Chapman
