West to East: Tall Tales from Istanbul to India

Skidmore student David Schlenker is spending this semester studying with Duke in Istanbul in Turkey. He is recording thoughts and impressions in the blog, West to East: Tall Tales from Istanbul to India. David writes about his blog,

“From February to June, 2012, I will study with Duke University at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. Following my stint on the Bosphorus, I will travel to New Delhi, India to teach English and History to Govindpuri slum children with the NGO, Project Why, from June until August, 2012. Stay tuned for pictures & reflections (but mostly pictures) recounting my experiences at the intersections of West and East, Developed and Developing, Familiar and Foreign. Should be quite an adventure!”

Here are some of David’s first visual impressions of Turkey – check out his blog for more!

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Charlee in the Jungle

Charlee Corra, a Tufts University student spending a semester with the Duke/OTS Tropical Biology on a Changing Planet in Costa Rica, is keeping a blog, Charlee in the Jungle, of her adventures studying plants and animal life in the various ecosystems of Costa Rica and environs. Pura vida!

Early in her blog, Charlee observes, “The greatest part about this program so far is being able to go into the forest and make observations, have a discussion and a lecture about it, and then go back out the next day and actually understand what you’re looking at and start being able to piece together different concepts and information. It’s like having an epiphany, when suddenly a light bulb goes on and little by little your surroundings make sense. It opens up your mind and brings up a myriad of questions. And that’s how ecological research questions start to form.”

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To Madagascar and India

Duke junior Anne Johnson is spending the spring 2012 semester in Madagascar where she’ll study biodiversity, environmental issues, and conservation. Once the semester is over, Anne will travel to India for summer work in an eco-village near Pondicherry. Anne plans to update her blog, To Madagascar and India, weekly.

Here are photo highlights from Anne’s earlier posts:

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Discovering the Colors of the Rainbow Nation

In fall 2011, Duke biology major Faith Robertson blogged about her semester with the OTS/Duke African Ecology and Ecosystems program based in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Faith’s blog, Discovering the Colors of the Rainbow Nation, is a great mixture of fun and science. Read the blog and you’ll learn a LOT about elephants, as well as the OTS South Africa program!

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The Wild Niche Blog

Duke University evolutionary anthropology and environmental science major Ben Finkel spent the fall 2011 semester with the Duke/OTS African Ecology and Conservation program in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Ben kept a blog of thoughts and photos throughout his semester, calling it “The Wild Niche“. Check out Ben’s blog for a glimpse at the Duke/OTS program in South Africa!

From Ben’s “About Me”:

Hi there, I’m Ben. This blog follows my ecology research experiences around the world. I write about my daily life, matters of biology and where science meets social issues . I’m a passionate conservationist, educator and researcher who’s pursuing undergraduate degrees in evolutionary anthropology and environmental sciences at Duke University.

Topics of interest that I may write about include science and the media, conservation psychology, evolution of Homo, primate behavior, evolutionary ecology, vegetarianism, endurance running, field research life, secular humanism, and science education and objectivism.

Field Dreams Photoblog

University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign student Claire Butkus spent the fall 2011 semester with the Duke/OTS African Ecology and Conservation program in Kruger National Park, South Africa and kept a photoblog of her time there. Claire’s photoblog is called Field Dreams: A Recounting of My Semester Abroad in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Be sure to check out Claire’s blog for beautiful insight into what it’s like to be a student on the OTS semester program in South Africa.

Just to whet your appetite, here’s a sample. Thanks for sharing, Claire!

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My Days in Turks and Caicos on Study Abroad

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Duke student Kirsten Moy documented her fall semester with the School for Field Studies program in Turks and Caicos at her blog, “My Days in Turks and Caicos on Study Abroad”.

Kirsten’s “about me”: As a senior at Duke University pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science and Policy, I had yet to study abroad in my undergraduate career (excluding those seven months spent at the Duke Marine Lab). It seemed like I was neglecting a very rare and special opportunity to go anywhere in the world and do what I love: study marine science. Duke didn’t have any program offered through the university, but this little known gem among its Non-Duke Approved Programs caught my eye and six months later I was on a plane to a tiny tropical island with no knowledge about the days to come except that the ocean passing under my feet was the purest blue I had ever seen in my life. Here are my adventures, from a hurricane evacuation to rocky seas and lionfish envenomations. My life in Durham was on pause and for three glorious months I was something I had yet to feel: complete.

Learn more at Kirsten’s blog!