What I did on my summer vacation

Hwange National Park

July 7, 2013. Monday morning, 3 am Eastern time. 

Sunrise on the horizon three hours out from our JFK destination. This 16 hour flight began at 9 pm in Johannesburg, South Africa last night  and we'll arrive in NYC at 6:15 am, wait several hours for our daughter and son-in-law to arrive from their flight through London, jump in the car and drive 8 hours to Orono.  A relaxing day or two!

Our first four days in Zimbabwe were on safari in Hwange National Park in the northwest part of the country. Two hours into the bush by an open air Land Rover at no more than 30 miles an hour. Absolutely incredible. We saw hundreds of elephants, giraffe, buffalo, birds of all types, warthogs, ostrich, kudu, Impala, baboons, crocodile, zebra...and yes, several lions. Our last morning in camp we woke up to a lioness not more than 50 yards from our lodge. Because elephants were everywhere we could hear them at night rubbing up against our buildings, eating the vegetation, and trumpeting frequently. In the dry season they come right down to the small swimming pool to drink and actually empty it every night.

The last half of our holiday was spent moving around a bit more. We stayed in Victoria Falls to see the falls (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world). It makes Niagara Falls look like the Kenduskeag Stream. We drove into neighboring Botswana to overnight and take a great cruise on the Chobe River where we saw many hippos and two groups of elephants swim across the river; a spectacular sight with the baby elephants being towed by their mamas. We stayed away from the crocodiles!

The last day we spent in Johannesburg and Soweto touring and visiting two museums including the Apartheid Museum, a sobering and astonishing experience. I had no idea how great a role education played in this critical period of history. The curriculum that the Afrikans imposed on the native population caused the protests that led to eventually overthrowing apartheid. The power of the curriculum.

Many, many highlights, but the absolute best part of this experience was the fact that our group of ten was our family—our four adult children and their spouses. What a great opportunity to spend that much time with each other and share these amazing experiences.

And not insignificantly, thanks to all of you students in EDC 533 who were patient with my absence. My ability to stay connected while in Africa was about what I expected, not much access. A bit of email, but connecting to Moodle didn't happen. I promise to get caught up in the next couple of days.

Now, back to EDC 533 and the excellent work you all are doing.