Thankfully, whilst coming back was a tremendous shock, my mum and sister came and picked me up from Heathrow airport. They managed to get a car and come and pick me up which is great because I do not want to have to get a bus back!
Yesterday, I got a call from Emma, I am leaving. The Conservation Research Africa Trustees have said staff need to return home. This is crazy. We all have a teary tipsy evening of packing and cant believe what is going on...
We also had a braai night on Sunday night, but sadly this will be the last for Tom as he is going back to the UK, due to all this crazy virus stuff going on... We are going to be a musketeer down in the bat team.
We managed to get an extra night in of surveying and managed to go down to the banana plantation for one last survey attempt…but the rain halted that and back to camp we went.
Daniel and Bridget arrived this week from the Bat Conservation and Research Unit in the UK for a scoping trip with African Bat Conservation. I was super excited to have them hear as I was working with them both in England!
After Emma’s departure and a few days off, Tom and I spent a few days scoping out a new site for a potential new African Bat Conservation project, with bats and farms.
Our mission though is to get the weather station amongst the other office bits we can cram into the car. We have a good tetris session getting as much in Troopy (white Land Cruiser) ...
Been so busy since I got here, getting to know the Teams and trying to catch these Straw coloured fruit bats Eidolon helvum, and adjusting to the new lifestyle...
I can get so carried away with doing that I forget to sit back sometimes and just take it all in, let alone write about it and get it online. It is November and I have just uprooted and moved myself over 5600 miles to Lilongwe, Malawi...
Over the last few weeks I have been meeting up with people, saying goodbyes and getting this last bits packed up! Very excited to start this new chapter and I am sure the year will pass by so quick ...
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