Gotta love research!

Hello all! I wanted to share a little something that I have been working on this semester.  With my program, each student does an independent research project that is finished up right around this time.  We ended our research with a little presentation that was hosted in the library!  Rather than posting my 8000+ word paper, I figured I would just direct you to the ACM website, where you cannot only read about my research (which I hope you all do), but also some of my peers' work as well on our fabulous posters we all made.  There is an article about our presentation and then if you scroll on down, you will find some linked pdfs.  Take a gander and enjoy!

Click here to expand your knowledge on all sorts of things!

Expect some more reflective posts coming soon! I only have 10 more days in Botswana.  I can't believe this time has flown by so quickly! 

DURBAN DURBAN DURBAN

Rather than spending the Easter holiday stuck in Gabs, I decided to venture back into South Africa and head to the beach.  Myself, along with 3 friends hopped in a taxi, then a bus, then another taxi, then a plane, and finally an airport shuttle to make our way Durban South Africa.  We stayed in a fantastic hostel, Happy Hippo.  If you ever find yourself in Durban, stay here, it was great!

Durban Skyline

We did not get in until late at night, so we didn't actually see the city until the next morning.  We all really wanted to go see the botanical garden, so we woke up pretty early so we would have time after the gardens to visit the aquarium.  To our surprise, the owner of our hostel not only offered to drop us off there, but also so us a really cool flea market! We of course jumped at the idea of going shopping and spent an hour and half doing that.  We saw some really cool things.  We then ate at a delicious bistro and walked on over the the botanical garden.

Botanical Garden

The garden was pretty.  There were so many people there just eating lunch and hanging out, oh and getting married.  Between the four of us, we probably saw at least 5 brides.  They were all quite beautiful and chose an ideal setting to get married.  Once we finished up there, we headed to the aquarium, UShaka! This was conveniently located 2 minutes away from our hostel and also had a bunch of nice stores and restaurants.  The aquarium was huge and so neat.  I was also able to get my first glimpse of the Indian Ocean! There were a lot of cool fish and SHARKS! It was great.  We at dinner at a great restaurant, and made sure I had some sort of seafood!

Prime picture spot at UShaka Aquarium

Another great photo opportunity

The next day we hopped on a city bus and we made our way to the Indian market.  For those of you who don't know, Durban has the largest population of Indian people outside of India.   The market was quite fragrant and not as crowded as I would have expected, but it was Easter and a Sunday, so maybe that was why.  From there We finally made our way to the beach.  Before we found the perfect spot on the sand, we went to lunch at a place called JoeCools.  It was a really funky restaurant with a dj and just a great atmosphere.  I ordered a huge drink (it came it a little bucket) and it was only 5 US dollars.  I was very excited.  The beach was great.  I went swimming in the Indian Ocean and had a blast.  We ended out night at a delicious Japanese restaurant!  The next day we dreadfully headed back to Gabs.  This was an amazing trip and I loved mostly every minute of it. 

My first look at the Indian Ocean!

My drink from JoeCools

The beach!

Now it is crunch time here at school.  I have so much work, but it has been nice to be busy.  I can’t believe this experience is winding down.  I have a lot to reflect on and a lot more souvenirs to buy.  Wish me luck!