The Botswana trip continued up northeast until we arrived at Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders). The Zambezi River begins near those same Angolan highlands that create the Okavango and travels south through Zambia until it hooks east, serving as the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Eventually it hits Mozambique, then proceeds to curve southeastward and dumps out into the Indian Ocean. Its most notable feature, however, is a magnificent waterfall. If we measure the tot

Last winter I was in Kruger National Park and was fortunate enough to see a pack of wild dogs. That was a big moment for me. I'd wanted to see a pack of wild dogs for as long as I could remember. In a similar way, the Okavango delta remained a place I had my eyes set on. It is a seasonal inland delta north of the Kalahari desert in Botswana, right in the middle of southern Africa. The wet season of the Angolan highland forests and jungles up north eventually creates runoff in

A combination of Easter weekend and Mozambican Women's Day gave the staff and students a nice 5-day weekend at AISM. Considering Sol and I stayed put for spring break, we were geared up for a drive across the border to Eswatini. Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) is a small, landlocked country that remains one of the last legitimate monarchies. The culture remains rich, as are the efforts and successes in environmental and natural conservation. Eswatini borders South Afri

It is mid-March and the neighborhood is quiet. Our southern hemisphere's fall break arrived and people are on adventures. The beach, the wetlands, the safaris, back country camping are on the menu. There are so many great places around here the options seem endless. In a way, they are. We are fortunate people. My break, however, has taken a more mellow path, occasionally broken up by the thrashing the ocean sets upon me as I learn to kite surf. I teach my students about opera

It was a busy year for me, like most all of you. I wrapped up my time in Maracaibo (and still miss my wonderful students), got married over the summer, then transitioned to Mozambique to work at a local international school. I'm ready to take it slow and check out my new environment. Holiday season sprung up and without a lot of resources, we (Sol) made the house festive. Thanksgiving Christmas came around soon enough and it was time to switch from pumpkins to red and green.