A Day in the Life – Studying Abroad in Tanzania

Occupational Therapy major Courtney Westman ’23 studied abroad in Tanzania, Africa during the spring of 2022.

It’s hard to explain what a typical day in the life looks like during a semester with School for Field Studies in Africa studying Wildlife Management because every day is so different from the one before.

In the beginning of the semester, a lot of the classes take place on campus. From Wildlife Management to Environmental Policy to Swahili Language, a few classes a day aren’t too bad. A plus to staying on campus means more time to cook in the kitchen, learn local African meals, and hang out with the SFS staff, who are all from Tanzania. The incredible people of Tanzania are part of what makes the country so great. On days that classes take place on campus, a volleyball game or a walk to town usually takes place in the afternoon.

The local coffee shop or tailor down the road were some of my favorite places to visit. When classes finished for the day, we had the opportunity to do an activity with a local business, like painting or wood carving, which was a fun way to support the community that welcomes SFS into their town. Painting was one of my favorites! The days that students are only on campus are pretty limited to the beginning of the semester, then they’re few and far between once the semester takes off. After a few weeks into the semester, camping trips begin to happen, and suddenly, you’re observing Africa’s Big 5 for class. 

One of my favorite days abroad and one of the best days of my life was February 12, when my classes took place in Lake Manyara National Park, and we spent the day observing baboons and watching animals on a game drive. Our morning started on campus with breakfast prepared by students and our amazing kitchen staff before heading out to the national park about 15 minutes from campus!

After we spent the morning watching baboons swing through the trees and climb on one another, we had lunch before setting off on our game drive. Our game drive included seeing warthogs, mongooses, giraffes, zebras, lions, buffalo, and my favorite, elephants. A female elephant approached our parked car and stood 15 feet away munching on grass and saying “hello.” We observed this herd of elephants for over an hour, and watching the 3-week-old elephant stumble around in the grass is one of my favorite memories.

After our game drive, we headed back to campus where we shared our photos and stories from the day and watched a movie on campus with the staff. One of my favorite activities on campus was sharing some of our favorite movies from home with the SFS staff from Tanzania.  

Whether it’s camping in Serengeti National Park watching cheetahs run around, or playing soccer at the primary school in Rhotia, Tanzania, the days in Africa are full of fun and lots of incredible moments that make it my favorite place on earth.