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Hi Mom!

As I packed and prepared a playlist for this trip, I never could have imagined what would be lying in store for me in the coming weeks. Already the first week was filled with amazing sights and experiences like I have never seen before. So far my favorite day was Friday. We drove about half an hour to Lake Manyara National Park, and drove around all day looking for wildlife. We collected data on the wildlife we saw for two of our assignments, such as data on population density and social structures of different species. We saw more large mammals than I have ever seen in one place, such as elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, and baboons. I look forward to many more game drives like that one.

Today was our first non-program day, and most of us started the day with an amazing hike to a waterfall. It was a beautiful sight, and a very fun hike. After that, we split into groups. My group went to a nearby city, where we had our first experience at the Maasai market. Unlike our stores in America, nothing has a set price, so we all had fun haggling to get the best deal that we could. Overall my first week has surpassed all of my expectations, and my only fear is that I might regret not having stayed for longer.