Studying abroad is something I have always wanted to do, what I did not realize was how life changing it could be. Having just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime journey through Zimbabwe, I know realize how important having the opportunity to study abroad can be for students of all ages. Our journey through Zimbabwe with the amazing team at EDU Africa started in Zimbabwe where we had out initial briefing on the history of Zimbabwe and the culture that we would experience over the next 2 weeks. A tour through the local veterinary school was eye opening to see how a country that has such few resources compared to what we see in the states, is able to provide the best care they can for their animals while learning how to improve their practices. We meet such amazing people along the way from the passionate people working at the conservations at Antelope Park and organizations like ALERT, to privately owned camps like Iganyana. While they may have different goals or plans, each group that we met was working to contribute to conservation efforts in their own way.

Not only did we get to have up close encounters with local wildlife, we also had many opportunities to sit down with local professionals who were able to explain in detail how their organizations are contributing to their society in addition to the conservation efforts. While the most exciting parts of the trip for me including feeding the elephants and drawing blood from a hyena, I came away from this trip with much more than some cool photos (although I do have plenty of them). This journey allowed me to learn about a culture that is different from ours in many ways, but still has people who are just as passionate about animal care and welfare as we are here. The work that these groups put in to not only protecting local wildlife and endangered species, but also to ensure the inclusion and safety of local villages was absolutely remarkable to witness. I am so thankful to the professors at SPC as well as our guides from EDU Africa for taking me along on the amazing adventure that I will never forget!
– Megan , SPC Zimbabwe Vet Tech Program, June 2022