Author: Parker Conquest

The first night at Opuwo was when I really got to know everyone else on the trip, and where I made my friends from other schools. We set up our tents (by now we had gotten the hang of this) and walked down to the pool for a swim. Now I was expecting an average hotel pool, but instead, the lodge had an infinity pool looking out off of a clip. I had never seen anything like it. The pool was freezing cold, but we braved the ice-cold water in order to get a better view of the valley. We hung out around the pool for the entire afternoon, and enjoyed the most beautiful sunset that I had ever seen. To quote a famous, modern philosopher (@pwithers): "It's impossible to caputure the beatury of an African sunset. But you can try your best."

After the pool, we had an exception dinner, cooked my the master chef (Colleen). All the students played our own version of "never have I ever", without drinks of course. Later, I went with four of my friends back to the pool to look at the African night sky (one of the best views of the trip).

The first night at Opuwo was when I really got to know everyone else on the trip, and where I made my friends from other schools. We set up our tents (by now we had gotten the hang of this) and walked down to the pool for a swim. Now I was expecting an average hotel pool, but instead, the lodge had an infinity pool looking out off of a clip. I had never seen anything like it. The pool was freezing cold, but we braved the ice-cold water in order to get a better view of the valley. We hung out around the pool for the entire afternoon, and enjoyed the most beautiful sunset that I had ever seen. To quote a famous, modern philosopher (@pwithers): "It's impossible to caputure the beatury of an African sunset. But you can try your best."

After the pool, we had an exception dinner, cooked my the master chef (Colleen). All the students played our own version of "never have I ever", without drinks of course. Later, I went with four of my friends back to the pool to look at the African night sky (one of the best views of the trip).

Wow, there is absolutely no way that I am going to be able to accurately capture the experience of Etosha, but all I can do is try my best. After a (relatively) short drive, we arrived at the huge, stone gates of Etosha. Upon arrival, we were disinfected for "foot and mouth disease." Then, we set off for our camp. Almost immediately, we saw herds of different types of antelope, zebra, and birds. It wasn't too far to our camp once we were in Etosha. The drive was entertaining, what with all of the animals, but everyone was exhausted from waking up early. Finally, out of nowhere, we saw the camp in the distance. The camp was fairly large, maybe the size of the Collegiate campus. There was an observation tower, a curio shop, a general store, and my favorite feature of the entire trip: a watering hole. The watering hole was just outside of the walls, about twenty feet out. there was an electric fence separating us from the animals, but they didn't pay any attention to us anyways. My favorite memories of the trip were  made staying up until the late hours of the night with my group of new friends, silently observing the watering hole. During our three nights there, we saw: giraffe, elephant, white rhino, black rhino, jackal, hyena, and many different types of small game.

The next three days were spent doing game drives with our excellent field guides where we saw: giraffe, elephant, rhino, jackal, bat eared fox, antelope, zebra, lions, wildebeest, and more! Rob (the chaperone of Head-Royce) even saw a caracal! Our favorite pastime was playing hacky sack at bushy-bushy stops.

Etosha was undoubtedly the highlight of my trip, and I hope I will one day be able to return!

Wow, there is absolutely no way that I am going to be able to accurately capture the experience of Etosha, but all I can do is try my best. After a (relatively) short drive, we arrived at the huge, stone gates of Etosha. Upon arrival, we were disinfected for "foot and mouth disease." Then, we set off for our camp. Almost immediately, we saw herds of different types of antelope, zebra, and birds. It wasn't too far to our camp once we were in Etosha. The drive was entertaining, what with all of the animals, but everyone was exhausted from waking up early. Finally, out of nowhere, we saw the camp in the distance. The camp was fairly large, maybe the size of the Collegiate campus. There was an observation tower, a curio shop, a general store, and my favorite feature of the entire trip: a watering hole. The watering hole was just outside of the walls, about twenty feet out. there was an electric fence separating us from the animals, but they didn't pay any attention to us anyways. My favorite memories of the trip were  made staying up until the late hours of the night with my group of new friends, silently observing the watering hole. During our three nights there, we saw: giraffe, elephant, white rhino, black rhino, jackal, hyena, and many different types of small game.

The next three days were spent doing game drives with our excellent field guides where we saw: giraffe, elephant, rhino, jackal, bat eared fox, antelope, zebra, lions, wildebeest, and more! Rob (the chaperone of Head-Royce) even saw a caracal! Our favorite pastime was playing hacky sack at bushy-bushy stops.

Etosha was undoubtedly the highlight of my trip, and I hope I will one day be able to return!

"Westerners arriving in Africa for the first time are always struck by its beauty and size - even the sky seems higher. And they often find themselves suddenly cracked open. They lose inhibitions, feel more alive, more themselves, and they begin to understand why, until then, they have only half lived. In Africa the essentials of existence - light, earth, water, food, birth, family, love, sickness, death - are all more immediate, more intense. Visitors suddenly realize what life is for. To risk a huge generalization: amid our wasteful wealth and time-pressed lives we have lost human values that still abound in Africa" - R. Dowden

"Westerners arriving in Africa for the first time are always struck by its beauty and size - even the sky seems higher. And they often find themselves suddenly cracked open. They lose inhibitions, feel more alive, more themselves, and they begin to understand why, until then, they have only half lived. In Africa the essentials of existence - light, earth, water, food, birth, family, love, sickness, death - are all more immediate, more intense. Visitors suddenly realize what life is for. To risk a huge generalization: amid our wasteful wealth and time-pressed lives we have lost human values that still abound in Africa" - R. Dowden

Wow, as I prepare to board the flight to Johannesburg, I cannot contain my excitement. But after prepping since January with mini research missions on the Namibian economy, government, and conservation efforts, I feel more than ready. The long flight is really intimidating, and I am really bad at sleeping on planes, so I hope that I am not to tired when I arrive. I am most looking forward to doing independent research at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which will build off of my classroom knowledge with real world experience. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and I thank Collegiate School and my family for making this trip possible

Wow, as I prepare to board the flight to Johannesburg, I cannot contain my excitement. But after prepping since January with mini research missions on the Namibian economy, government, and conservation efforts, I feel more than ready. The long flight is really intimidating, and I am really bad at sleeping on planes, so I hope that I am not to tired when I arrive. I am most looking forward to doing independent research at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which will build off of my classroom knowledge with real world experience. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and I thank Collegiate School and my family for making this trip possible