2010 Southern Africa Exploration Seminar Participants

Rachel  Abbott	Sophomore
Alicia  Clarke	Junior
Sean  Cox	Junior
Jordan  Dacres	Junior
Catherine  Donnelly	Sophomore
Jennifer  Dunne	Sophomore
Michael  Furgason	Junior
Carly  Glenn	Junior
Joe  Hamm	Sophomore
Joyce  Han	Sophomore
Danielle  Jacobson	Freshman
Bezza  Kifle	Senior
Jana  Koch	Junior
Lisa  Ly	Junior
Kelvin  Mansfield	Senior
Christina  Moncrief	Sophomore
Yara  Moosa	Junior
Hardy  Mowe	Freshman
Lisa  Nguyen	Junior
Vance  Roush	Junior
Christopher  Sawyer	Junior
Paulos  Shiferaw	Freshman
Chee Wei  Tang	Sophomore
Tessa  Trudeau	Sophomore
Corddaryl  Woodford	5th Year (+) Senior
Emer Dooley	Faculty
Tod Bergstrom	Faculty

NAME: TOD BERGSTROM
Nickname: At the UW -- "Professor" (bc it's not true"
Hometown: Medina, Washington (I've relocated all of 15 blocks from my childhood home)
Married? Children: Single
Major(s): History, then an MA in history before law school
Furthest Distance Traveled: Tashkent, Azerbaijan (a FULL 12 hour time difference)
My favorite place to have visited is: I'm lucky to have travelled extensively so there are various highlights for different reasons. Diving the Great Barrier Reef; watching the sunset against the Alhambra in Spain; peering into North Korea at the DMZ; crossing Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin; Rome, with students on a 2005 Exploration Seminar; zip-lining through a cloud forest in Costa Rica...it goes on an on.
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was... running into an elementary-school friend in Athens; a co-worker in Venice; meeting hundreds of relative in Norway, when I was 10.
My Favorite Movie is: The American classic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
My hobbies or interests are …Travel, tennis and the New York Times
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be Nelson Mandel so we could talk about:. His life's work, and how he was able to move South Africa from a racist state to a democracy with minimal bloodshed.
In the early morning: .I scan the New York Times over coffee at Starbucks.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Meeting people who made a difference by contributing to the founding of a new country.
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: The prospect of getting sick on some food not sufficiently skeptical of, and mistakenly consume.
One more thing you should know about me is: I've found teaching to be the best counter-weight to my sometimes-stressful day job, and it keeps my young, though my body often tells me otherwise when I'm on the receiving end a twenty-something's tennis shot.

NAME Alicia Clarke
Nickname: Alicia
Hometown: Federal Way, WA
Married? Nope Children: Someday!
Major(s): Communication, minor: Architecture
Furthest Distance Traveled: Czech Republic/Hungary
My favorite place to have visited is: Belize, Switzerland, Italy
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was: Hitting my head on the rocky roof of a Salt Mine in Austria during a group tour and getting knocked unconscious
My Favorite Movie is: #1: Moulin Rouge, tied for #2: Across the Universe, It’s a Wonderful Life, Into the Wild, Elf (can literally quote every line)
My hobbies or interests are: backpacking, baking, exploring secret places, architecture, festivals, hiking, grocery shopping…
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be________ so we could talk about: I would sit in between Ellen DeGeneres & Theodore Roosevelt... Teddy because he was the best president & founded the National Park system, and Ellen for comic relief! On the way home, I’d sit next to Tom Hanks… because he just seems like an amazing, funny, and brilliant person to talk with!
In the early morning: During the school year, I hope I’m not still doing homework I procrastinated on. In summer, I hope I’m getting up early to travel somewhere exciting. Either way, I hope I’m getting breakfast in bed
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: shark diving, bungee jumping, hiking, safari-ing, and everything else new and adventurous!
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: Arriving and realizing I left some essential item at home due to my awful packing skills
One more thing you should know about me is: I ‘m always the person who takes the joke “too far”… and I have a talent for staking out free samples.

Sean Cox
Nickname:
Hometown: Sterling VA/Hardyston NJ
Married? Nope Children:None
Major(s): Finance
Furthest Distance Traveled: Mexico
My favorite place to have visited is Burlington, Vermont
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was
My Favorite Movie is: Ocean’s Eleven
My hobbies or interests are …Soccer and swimming.
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be________ so we could talk about: Drew Brees, so we could talk about all his experiences in life and his career as well as how he’s overcome so much adversity.
In the early morning: I’m sleeping.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Going on the Safari and seeing a completely new land.
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: The plane ride.
One more thing you should know about me is: Like I said before, I’m really not a morning person.

Jordan Dacres
Nickname: “Toast”
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Married? Nope Children: Not yet
Major(s): Business Admin. / Accounting
Furthest Distance Traveled: From Tampa, FL to Lakewood, WA
My favorite place to have visited is Philadelphia / Los Angeles
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was my brother wetting the seat asleep on our flight home.
My Favorite Movie is: The Wood / Top Gun
My hobbies or interests are … Poetry, Playing Saxophone, dancing, “Hood rat stuff”
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be Nelson Mandela / Didier Drogba so we could talk about: Invictus / World Cup
In the early morning: I’m a “slow riser”
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Building the basketball court for the kids
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: getting sick / not going in the water
One more thing you should know about me is: I I’m a very active person!!

EMER DOOLEY
Nickname: Emer
Hometown: Limerick, Ireland
Married? Yes Children: Yes : 10 &12 yr old girls.
Major(s): Electronic and Computer Engineering, MBA and PhD completed
Furthest Distance Traveled: Hmm..Either Irian Jaya (West New Guinea) or the North Pole.
My favorite place to have visited is: I have been pox lucky (Irish expression) and have traveled a lot, so I have many favorites for various reasons : The North Cascades, Southwest Ireland, Nice, Iceland, the Brooks Range in Alaska, Belize….good for an evening trip discussion.
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was: Getting snowed in with David Attenborough and a BBC film crew at the North Pole this year.
My Favorite Movie is: Tanguy by Etieine Chatiliez. Hilarious: About a 28 year-old eternal student, still living with his parents. They decide to throw him out.
My hobbies or interests are: Running, Skiing, Water skiing, Hiking –anything outdoors. Reading, Cooking, Seattle Sounders…
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be________ so we could talk about: Famous brilliant people intimidate me. I think I would choose Bono to talk about his efforts on poverty and developing-world-debt relief.
In the early morning: I am a morning person, so I usually run.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Seeing the South Africa through the eyes of 24 amazing students.
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: Seeing the vast differences in wealth and the ongoing effects of apartheid; the horror of AIDS up close.
One more thing you should know about me is: I don’t do a great job of self-profiles J

JENNIFER DUNNE
Nickname: Jen, Jenny
Hometown: Homer, Alaska
Married? No Children: Someday for sure
Major(s): Business Administration, Finance
Furthest Distance Traveled: So far to Peru, on a boat down the Amazon River
My favorite place to have visited is: Costa Rica, it’s beautiful there and I would love to have a house there someday.
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was: Meeting Katherine Heigl in a small airport in Mexico, she was really nice and took some pictures with me, I was surprised that she reeked of menthol cigarettes.
My Favorite Movie is: Saving Silverman
My hobbies or interests are.. Being in the sun, visiting friends and relatives, camping in the summer in AK, playing with my dog
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be________ so we could talk about: Kobe Bryant, so we could talk about his basketball career and the Lakers.
In the early morning: I am definitely sleeping.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Meeting new people, getting to know the culture and people there, seeing the big 5 animals in Kruger park, laying on the beaches in Cape Town!
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: Seeing the poverty and worrying about mosquito bites because of malaria.
One more thing you should know about me is: I am hard to get up in the morning, but I want to do as many things in South Africa as possible so someone is going to have to pull me out of bed!

NAME Joe Hamm
Nickname: Sir (note: may not respond to Joe or Joe Hamm)
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Married? Ladies...? Children: See married.
Major(s): Political Science
Furthest Distance Traveled: Luxembourg
My favorite place to have visited: Brussels, Belgium.
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was: In France I would attempt to speak French sometimes.
My Favorite Movie is: Moon, Solaris, The Proposition, and A River Runs Through It
My hobbies or interests are: Arriving five minutes early, sitting quietly at my desk, reading dictionaries.
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be: Upon asking myself this question, I pondered "Would you have a drink with you? (Stoli ®)" and answered "Why yes, yes I would."
In the early morning: Get back to me around the crack of noon.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Helping out in Soweto with the cleats/basketball court/whatever else we plan on doing.
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: The threat of mosquitoes.
One more thing you should know about me is: I am the most serious person I know.

Joyce Han
Nickname: Ahra
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Married? No Children? No
Major(s): Business (Marketing) or International Studies
Furthest Distance Traveled: Paris, France
My favorite place to have visited is: Seoul, South Korea
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was: My roommate and I overslept and missed our train from Paris to London. A 45-minute emergency plane ride back cost each of us $300 and a whole day stranded in an airport. The only thing we could afford pay for was a bag of chips to share and a phone call to our home-stay families, asking them to save us dinner.
My Favorite Movie is: “ Taeguki: The Brotherhood of War”
My hobbies or interests are … playing the piano, doodling, and reading. I am really interested in the arts, whether it is watching musicals, visiting galleries, or just listening to my IPod.
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be________ so we could talk about: I prefer to sleep on long plane rides, but I would definitely want to meet Bill Gates some day and thank him for funding my education.
In the early morning: I am hibernating!
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: meeting new people and trying things I have never done before.
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: mosquitoes!
One more thing you should know about me is: I am both really nervous about traveling so far and super excited to experience a different culture!

NAME: Jana Koch
Nickname: Jana
Hometown: Vancouver, WA
Married? No Children: No
Major(s): Economics and History
Furthest Distance Traveled: Australia
My favorite place to have visited is: Australia and a week-long rafting trip in the Grand Canyon
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was.. When my family was featured on Bondi Rescue television show when my dad separated his shoulder body-boarding in Sydney. Also: We met Brian Dierker (Rainey) from Into the Wild on our raft trip. He works on the Grand Canyon and isn’t an actor, Sean Penn just liked him when they were there filming the movie and asked him to be in it. The guides found out that I was a fan and the whole next day they tracked him down and told him I loved the movie. My dad was taking pictures like the paparazzi. It was awesome to meet him but pretty embarrassing.
My Favorite Movie is: Titanic (and I can’t wait for the 1oo yr anniversary when it comes out in 3D!) Also, Gone with the Wind, Into the Wild, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Dumb and Dumber
My hobbies or interests are … Watching movies, learning about animals (my favorite is the gorilla), camping, going to fun events such as concerts, rodeos, Monster Jam etc., watching The Office and Modern Family, playing The Office trivia, and playing other board games especially Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples, Bananagrams, Scene It, and Boggle.
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be Daniel Tosh so we could talk about hilarious things and he could entertain me the whole way there
In the early morning: I’m not usually awake..
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: SHARK DIVING, and all other adventures to come in a place I am so excited to visit
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: Possibly being attacked by said sharks..also being bitten by a tsetse fly and contracting the sleeping sickness,
One more thing you should know about me is: I’m not a picky eater but I hate hot beverages, marinara sauce, and eggs. Almost everything else is fair game.

Hardy Mowe
Nickname: Hardy
Hometown: Bellevue, WA
Married? Children: No and No
Major(s): Business - Marketing
Furthest Distance Traveled: Stockholm, Sweden
My favorite place to have visited is: New York, NY
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was: Walking the Washington National Mall at 4 in the morning with my friends last week.
My Favorite Movie is: Gladiator and Pulp Fiction
My hobbies or interests are … Reading, playing basketball, and golfing.
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be so we could talk about:. Jose Rizal so we could talk about his leadership and teachings in the Philippines.
In the early morning: . I am grumpy and usually in bed.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Seeing the different culture and shark diving
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: Seeing some of the townships and the hardships the people who live there go through.
One more thing you should know about me is: I want to go skydiving

Bezza Kifle
Nickname: Bezza Kifle
Hometown: Seattle
Married? Children: 0
Major(s): Accounting
Furthest Distance Traveled: Ethiopia
My favorite place to have visited is Disney World
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was I took mixed up my luggage with someone else's
My Favorite Movie is: Kung Fu Panda
My hobbies or interests are hanging out with friends, consolidating spreadsheets, auditing financial statements (interim not year-end) and protecting mother earth from pollution.
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be Steve Ballmer so we could talk about how we are going to manage to get the Sonics back into Seattle :.
In the early morning I am asleep.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa is playing with baby lions! I absolutely love wildlife and at the top of this love for animals sits the lion:
I am looking forward to least in South Africa is free time being taken away from me.
One more thing you should know about me is I have a lot of energy and a passion for traveling so when I am in new environments I tend to attempt to do everything. I go hard!

TESSA TRUDEAU

Nickname: Tess, Shmess, and my bestest friends call me Toosa.

Hometown: Lake Tapps, Washington.

Married? Children? No, and no, but someday.

Major(s): Communication

Furthest Distance Traveled: The Bahamas and Key West on a Caribbean cruise.

My favorite place to have visited is: Hawaii, I have been to Oahu 3 times and Maui once. Hanama Bay on Oahu is the most amazing place I’ve ever been. I highly recommend it.

My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was: While in Cabo for spring break this year, I was unaware that the waves & current are strong enough to easily take down a person with the stature of Shaquille O’Neal. So when I ventured down to the water for the first time, I was taken by surprise and knocked down by a wave, sucked into the ocean, and found myself having to make the decision between drowning or emerging from the water naked (my strapless bikini had just about fallen completely off), and all of this occurred in front of the entire UW Greek system/various passersby/Mexican vendors watching on the beach.

My Favorite Movie is: Garden State, I have watched it a million times and could watch it a million more.

My hobbies or interests are: traveling, working out, animals, camping, meeting new people, saving the world, animals, attending concerts, shopping, taking pictures, going on adventures with friends, animals……

If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be________ so we could talk about: someone excruciatingly funny, like Will Ferrell or Ellen, to make me laugh and not be scared because I am TERRIFIED of flying. Or Reggie Bush, that would be nice too.

In the early morning: I am not a functional human being.

I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Safari, shark diving, baby lions, elephants…just animals in general.

I am looking forward to least in South Africa: BUGS.

One more thing you should know about me is: My top 3 fears are spiders, elevators, and seaweed. Absolutely terrifying.

Chee-Wei Tang
Nickname: Jerry
Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Married? No Children: No
Major(s): Economics, Computer Science(Still Considering)
Furthest Distance Traveled: Surprisingly, from Kuala Lumpur to Seattle. After this will be from Seattle to Johannesburg
My favorite place to have visited is Never been to many places in my life. From what I remember, it will be Seattle (the only place from home that I have stayed long enough to have any memory of it).
My most embarrassing or interesting thing to happen while traveling was getting a warning ticket for speeding from a police officer in Minnesota during my U.S. coast to coast trip last spring break.
My Favorite Movie is: I am not a movie person. I can’t even remember when I last watched a movie.
My hobbies or interests are: Reading, Badminton, Writing to my penpals, Languages, Travel, J-Pop, Chinese Classics.
If I could sit next to one famous person on the long plane ride to South Africa it would be Master Chin Kung(well-known figure in spreading Buddha’s teaching in Asia countries, Australia and parts of U.S.) so we could talk about possible ways of using appropriate Buddha’s teaching to solve any ongoing effects of apartheid in South Africa, or any other social problems in Africa.
In the early morning: Listen to podcast and get ready for the day.
I am looking forward to most in South Africa: Expanding my world view by getting to know the people there, and learn, learn and learn.
I am looking forward to least in South Africa: Getting sick or injured
One more thing you should know about me is: I am confused whether to use Jerry or Chee Wei when introducing myself to someone new.