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Her experience included an intensive introduction
to the Kiswahili language taught in the
classroom and through immersion during
homestays; a course on Tanzanian life
and culture covering everything from colonial
history to contemporary politics and economics;
and plenty of experience conducting research
on biodiversity and conservation issues.
Her group of 18 American students traveled
through the countryside by truck and on
foot, examining the effects of wildlife
management, animal behavior, and environmental
law. They witnessed the damage done by
poachers and the unsettling effects of
human incursions into animal habitat.
Forced to rely on each other's good sense,
the students found ways to impress the
value of common wisdom on those who misplaced
it. If someone left the zipper on a sleeping
tent open even an inch at dusk, to give
one example, the resulting bites from
dive-bombing mosquitoes might seem insubstantial
to the culprit compared to the certainty
of scorn and fury from the group. Despite
this blunt approach to behavior modification,
the students quickly coalesced into a
team of collaborating scientists.
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