Final Reflection

As we get closer and closer to leaving for Lusaka, I'm beginning to find my research to be both enjoyable and frustrating. Not only is researching climate change shedding light on multiple issues faced by the country, The wealth of information concerning current and previous climate change initiatives has truly given me a broader outlook on the effects of climate change. Although I find the topic to be very interesting, the amount of information currently available on my research topic can be confusing and condescending. For example, There are many articles and statistics from three to four years ago that explain that Zambia is aware of the climate change issues. The papers site various initiates the country has implemented in order to reduce rates of deforestation as well as other factors which contribute to climate change. Because there has been so much work done concerning climate change, a simple search online for my topic yields hundreds of reports from climate change organizations in and out of country. The preexisting information is extensive but the real challenge will be to see if any of the previous studies are correlated as well as check the status of previously implemented climate change initiatives. My goal for this project moving forward would then be to assess the quality of current initiatives, pool past climate change reports together to create a clear portfolio that depicts Zambia's current climate change status, and contact the organizations which focus on direct climate change interventions. After accomplishing these goals, the focus of this research will be to create a more effective method for reducing climate change, especially in poor areas being that poor and underrepresented communities are most affected by climate change.

Looking back, I have thoroughly enjoyed the pre-departure seminar. After becoming close with my cohort of students, learning about Zambia's history, and learning about my own position as an outsider in the country, I can confidently say that my mind set towards this experience has definitely evolved. At the beginning of the semester, I was very lost. I was not sure of what all I was getting myself into, was not aware of my research topic, and (most importantly) was not aware of how many mental adjustments I would need to make in order to succeed during this experience. Not only did the seminar leave me feeling more open-minded about my field experience, it gave me a lot of the guidance and direction I  needed to understand the importance of my research and the implications it will have for Zambia.

To be honest, I am very nervous about going to Zambia. At the beginning of the semester, it felt as if we would never get to this point. This experience will be a huge step outside of my comfort zone but I feel ready nonetheless. I am extremely excited to get to the country, meet my host family, and make life long connections with my cohort and the people I will be working with in Zambia. My research topic is very engaging and not something I would normally look into. I can not wait to see how this experience changes me and how my research impacts Zambia.