Self-Assessment

The Magellan Project has granted me the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful places in the world while exploring how rural societies and modern tourist economies intersect to create jobs, uplift some of the poorest parts of the world, and preserve wild places and endangered wildlife. I researched and observed how villages have been incorporated into the national parks and conservation efforts. These villages predate the national parks, and in many cases, their close proximity to predators have made their existence difficult. Prior to the practice of community conservation, lodges and foreign investors have exploited tourism in the region and relegated the native people to a spectator role; they see money being made but don’t make much of it themselves. This situation has been exploited in turn by sophisticated poaching operations and led to the wide scale killing of the Black Rhino and Elephants. I found out that the role of public-private partnership play in stopping commercial poaching of endangered species by including native people in a larger portion of conservation economy through tourism; where the benefit of saving an animal outweighs the risks and rewards presented by poaching. I saw a wide range of peripheral industries supporting tourism and the broader conservation effort; bush mechanics to fix 4x4s when they break down on rough roads, and trackers helping travelers find and interpret animal behavior to name a few.  I saw all of this first-hand and learned by talking to the local population and actors in the conservation effort.
Through this experience, I learned that I have become even more of an independent person than what I was before. I believe that I have gained more confidence within myself and that I am more capable of overcoming all types of adversity and situations with looking through another point of view. I knew that going forward with my Magellan project would be difficult, but that the knowledge I would be gaining in all aspects would outweigh the difficulty of navigating in a different continent. This was my first real experience outside of the United States besides going to Mexico for a week. As the trip approached it had not set in that I was off and out of the country for the next three weeks in an environment that I would learn to appreciate more than before.
I had noticed that us as Americans value more materialist things than those from Botswana and Zimbabwe. The people of Botswana and Zimbabwe value the importance of friendships and making the most of everything that they have. What we as Americans would view as only having one purpose to them have several uses. For example, one of the villages I visited had a leader that had showed me around their community and helped me to understand what everything within their barrier was used for. There was a tree that was not only used for wood to burn, but also the palms were used to make roofs and to help tie sticks together. The roots of the tree are crushed into a powder which are then used for medicine. Just this tree example amazed me when I was talking with him, because I realized just how wasteful we are as Americans with all of resources we use.
Living in these two countries for three weeks helped me to gain the sense of independence in a whole other way. Each day was a new journey with not only learning how to drive stick, but on the other side of the road! I also learned how to navigate using maps that did not have as much detail as maps we typically are used today. I also learned how kind and helpful everyone is there. It is in the nature of the people to help whoever it may be whether it be directions, money, or with labor. For communication, the people that lived in the bush used the bush telegraph. The bush telegraph is the process by which the people spread information to all who approach them. For example, if I had seen animals or I was lost I would stop by any village or group of people and say "hello" in their language which is "dumela" and then you would procede to ask your question or relay the information you have. By sharing this information by word of mouth it helps others find lost members of their group, tell them where they have seen particular animals for the tourist cars, but also helps give directions. 
It was a unforgettable experience and I am so glad that I took this chance to apply for the Magellan Project. It has touched my life in ways that I'll never be able to forget. It has shown me that we don't need to have many things to have a full and happy life. Life is better with less and you worry less about what you have and focus more on who you have. Relationships mean more to me than they did before I left because I saw in Botswana and Zimbabwe how much they rely on others to help each other.