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Tropical Biology Association - My gateway to international studies by Patience Mayaki
By the time I was getting ready to graduate from my undergraduate studies, I knew I was set for my first International experience. I was therefore very excited when I received the mail that informed of my selection to the Tropical Biology Association (TBA) field expedition in 2003. TBA is an association that promotes education and early career training among young students all around the globe who are pursuing studies in various fields of conservation and biodiversity management. I had been selected to participate in the one-month field training programme in Kibale, Uganda. Being my first trip outside the shores of my country, you can understand my mixed emotions of anxiety and excitement. Though I was impatient for my first adventure, I was at the same time unsure of what to expect. The coordinators had been very helpful, providing all the relevant information that would make my trip pleasurable and stress-free. Arriving at Entebbe International Airport just before midnight, I was unable to get my first glimpse of the city. Nonetheless, as the car raced through the night, the feeling of being “home away from home” settled deep inside of me. This is the heart of Africa, I told myself!
I spent the first few days in the company of my programme coordinator, Dr Rosie Trevelyan of Cambridge University, England. Picking up other students who were also arriving, we all did a bit of sightseeing in Kampala, the capital city and visited the famous Makarere University, where we had the privilege of spending a night. As the days passed by and we moved to the Makarere University biological station in Kibale where the courses were scheduled to take place, I knew I was in for an interesting and memorable experience. I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with some of the other students who will be part of the programme on our travel hinterland. It was unbelievable, the different countries they represented; Madagascar, England, Benin republic, Austria, Zambia, Kenya, Germany, Ethiopia, Ireland, Sudan, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Tanzania. I was understandably very curious to know what experiences these fellow conservationists brought with them to the heart of Africa. It wasn’t long before we all got acquainted and got to know one other. Our teachers were also of international repute, drawn from different fields of environmental studies across Europe and Africa. Over the next weeks, we were introduced into different studies in ecology and tropical forest management. In-door presentations coupled with day and night field trips to the forest formed a major part of our learning process. We were exposed to the dynamics of biodiversity and tropical forestry as we chased after butterflies, studied various tropical plants, measured different fish species, watched Chimpanzees, Colobus monkeys and Mangabeys glide gracefully through the forest and generally absorbed a lot of relevant information about the interrelationships that existed between forest flora and fauna. It was amazing to see how in the space of a few weeks, we had become so engaged in the different studies that revolved around the forest ecosystems that we were becoming familiar with.
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A visit to the Queen Elizabeth National park and crossing the equator formed the highlights of our field expeditions. The warthogs walking at ease close to our accommodation, lying in the grass and watching the Ugandan kobs carrying out different activities, the sight of hippos and the giant stork bird with its incredible beak gave that natural feeling of living in the midst of true nature. We also paid a few visits to the crater lakes where you can see stretch and stretch of beautiful mountain and hill sides all covered in greenery. Not forgetting that apart from studying, we also enjoyed the food hospitality of the Ugandan people. “Matoka”, the mashed African plantain is one dish that has remained embedded in my heart many years after this spectacular experience. At our international evening which was on the eve of our departure, it was quite emotional to hear the voice of one of Africa’s leading reggae artist singing “different colours, one people”. I looked at the wonderful people around me and knew at that moment that even though we came from different parts of the world, surrounded by different cultures, we shared a vision – the vision of protecting our biodiversity and making our world a better place.
Boarding my plane back to Nigeria, I turned back a last time with an overwhelming smile to look at the land which has given me the rare opportunity to take a step away from my enclosure and view the world as a budding conservationist. I guess nature approved of my travel experience because as the plane soared into the sky in the early hours of the morning, the golden rays of the sun covered the entire sky in the most beautiful colours I had even seen and with a magnificent rise to usher in the dawn of a new day.
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