Canoeing down the Zambezi river, which borders Zambia and Zimbabwe, we paddled past crocodiles sunbathing on shore, while elephants mock charged us from the reeds. Snorts from a family of hippos carried upstream over the rapids, warning us to keep our distance. Suddenly, I heard a scream. Jennifer, the head of school, and Liz, one of my best friends, were sinking in their canoe, after a hippo had risen under their boat and punched a hole about 10 inches in diameter. Terrified, for we had learned enough to know to be terrified of hippos, everyone paddled away toward the crocodile infested shore. And I can tell you, I’d much rather be in the midst of all that danger than go back to regular classroom learning. That’s how much I loved my travel abroad experience.

How’d I get there? I was on a semester abroad in Southwestern Africa through The Traveling School based in Bozeman, Montana. I explored and learned in Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa (an area over half the size of the continental U.S.) with seventeen other women: thirteen students and four incredible teachers. Together, we took six challenging courses and each earned eight high school credits.

During this time, I…

Lived out of a duffle bag for three and a half months; gained two new father-figures, Samukange and TK, our cook and driver from Zimbabwe, with whom we learned and laughed daily; climbed Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town; stayed up until 2 a.m. studying by headlamp; prepared raw horse meat to feed sanctuary-based cheetahs from a truck going 35 mph; chopped down trees with a shovel to help Big Blue (our truck/bus) out of a foot of sand in 111 degree heat; aced an Algebra II test in an air conditioned bathroom in Etosha National Park; survived a midnight sand storm on the banks of the Orange river without tents; was interviewed on national television in Zambia; gained confidence while bartering in markets full of colorful crafts; cart-wheeled down the world’s largest sand dune; interviewed strangers about their lives in South Africa for a history assignment; repelled down a cliff under a waterfall; beaded necklaces of berries, beans, and ostrich eggshells with a San woman; and woke up at 4 a.m. to go on 5-hour bush walks.

I ate mac and cheese in Denis Goldberg’s living room while he shared stories of his years as a freedom fighter during apartheid in South Africa. A close friend of Nelson Mandela, Goldberg was the only white man convicted in the Rivonia trial in which Mandela and many other African National Congress (ANC) associates were also convicted.

Each of these experiences changed me in some way. I don’t mean changed my personality, but tweaked my perspective. I see the world differently. For me, “differently” means with less judgement and fewer assumptions; with more understanding and patience, and with more interest.

I’ve been bitten by the travel bug. Our week long homestay in Cape Town last fall helped me to realize how I love to connect with people. Being immersed in the life of another through a homestay enabled me to connect richly in a way that just felt right: we both gained an understanding of each other’s lives. A couple days ago I applied to a six-week summer program in Indonesia, which includes three long home stays. I can’t wait to continue exploring our world.