I often find it hard to answer the question "how was your trip?" Something so special simply can’t be put into words. See, I grew up on nature documentaries, Animal planet, and National Geographic. On Sundays my parents and I would eat dinner in front of the television watching "Planet Earth." Sitting on the basement floor I fell in love with the outdoors. My dad took me on fishing trips before I could walk, then I became a boy scout, and by 16 I knew that I wanted a career in the outdoors. I had spent my childhood creating aspirations for adventure and that is how I ended up in South Africa.
At the beginning of my freshman year, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in Africa. I chose the Makuleke trip after a discussion with John Carroll and a meeting with a few students who attended the year prior. Nine months later I boarded my flight to Johannesburg, unable to comprehend the 5 weeks that were about to follow. After two travel days I set foot in camp for the first time. Surrounded by nothing but trees, rutting impala busted through the bush as vervet monkeys watched from overhead. The world around me was alive. The people I had travelled with were strangers, meeting in the airport roughly 40 hours before. We ate, talked, and tried to take in all the sounds of the bush. Our guides were kind, and it was apparent how excited they were on our behalf. As days passed there were no more awkward interactions, everyone in camp became fast friends and I was continually amazed at the level of connection. Despite this trip’s focus on wildlife, I often found myself learning more than sampling techniques or tracking, I learned from the actions of my peers, guides, and instructors. They taught lessons in empathy, hard work, and resilience. I was infatuated with the people surrounding me. People with stories and passions, with humor and love to share. I have never laughed as much as I did during my weeks in Makuleke.
Read the rest of Caden's story and see more of his pictures at
More details at: https://snr.unl.edu/aboutus/what/newstory.aspx?fid=1076