by Thomas Elliott As today represents a month since my return to South Africa, it’s time to take stock of what I’ve done so far. A string of days in the office followed my excursions into the field to fix … Read more

by Thomas Elliott I’m back in South Africa! After a month of suffering in the bitter northern-European cold, it is a wonderful feeling to spend entire days sweating in hot and humid Lowveld conditions. My trip home would make for … Read more

by Thomas Elliott Aaaah-woooee, Aaaah-woooe. I will never get used to the sound of hyenas at night. There is something unsettling in the cries of that animal. I saw a few the other day; they are strangely beautiful. Their backs … Read more

by Thomas Elliott Note: This is Thomas’s first blog post from the field, written on Sept. 16, 2014. Over the course of my first few weeks here, people have often asked me, “How is South Africa?” and I quite frankly … Read more

by Thomas Elliott 9/10/2014 Avuxeni! Mi njani? Ekaisa! (Hello! How’s it? It’s hot!). The experts over in Norway (tip: Norwegian website yr.no is considered world’s best meteorological website out here) say it’s about 38 C, or 100 F. Fortunately, I … Read more

by Thomas Elliott Everyday my departure for South Africa comes closer. I wait, I pack, I try to control my excitement, mitigate the anticipation. My old friend David Bowie helps me along, as I alter the lyrics to “Space Oddity” to … Read more

What amazed me the most about Orientation weekend was the atmosphere; you could almost feel the excitement in the way people spoke, thought, and acted. It was intense in an indescribable way, not implying physical intensity but an emotional sense … Read more