On the bright side, the destination is Kenya. That means the Great African Rift Valley! African wildlife - giraffes, rhinos, lions, flamingos! Salt lakes! All these exciting things aside, I think I can really put what I learn in school to use. The aim of the module is the study of conservation in the local context, which I have found to be overlooked in current strategies for 'sustainable development'.
(Did you know that many 'eco-cities' and goals for 'sustainable development' in practice are either unjust or ineffective? But that's a story for another day.)
On the dark side, the destination is Kenya, which means concerns about safety, founded or unfounded. To go, I have to convince my parents that I will not be eaten by lions or shot to death or mugged or kidnapped or anything-else-that-might-happen.
Sometimes I wonder if my parents' plan to capitalise on my (book) intelligence backfired. They pay for my education and I am thankful, but I get this sense that university's encouragement to explore and reflect critically is the antithesis of what they (or what Singapore society) wants. I'm pretty sure a profession like a doctor or lawyer would better suit their tastes.
Anyway, I have finals to study for now. 2 days to my first paper! And 8 days until exams are over!
