Hello everyone!  Welcome to the 2025 South Dakota State University "Education Abroad" Blog for our trip to South Africa!  I am excited to lead a group of 16 students to South Africa over SDSU's Spring Break.  Above is a map of South Africa.  We will be traveling in Gauteng, Limpopo. and North West Provinces.  We will post regular updates about our trip every day with photos.  Below is a brief syoposis of the trip:

Friday March 7th            Leave Sioux Falls, SD for South Africa

Saturday March 8th        Arrive in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa

Sunday March 9th           Visiting Ann Van Dykh Cheetah Center, Lesedi Cultural Village, and Apartheid Museum

Monday March 10th        Lectures and demonstrations at the Agricultural Research Council, Voortrekker Monument

Tuesday March 11th        Farm Visits, Cotton Gin Visit, and night game drive at Inkanyezi Game Farm

Wednesday March 12th    Trekpad Safaris Day (Game darting, Crops, and Livestock)

Thursday March 13th        Farm Visits

Friday March 14th            Entomology and Forage Plants Research Center Visit, Stud, Farm Visits

Saturday March 15th        Game Drive at Pilanesburg National Park, Leave for USA in evening

Sunday March 16th           Arrive in Sioux Falls, SD

Group Leaders: The group leaders for the tour are Dr. Michael Gonda and Dr. Beverly Cassady.  Dr. Gonda has led the tour to South Africa four previous years.  Dr. Cassady is new to education abroad but has quickly become a valued member of our traveling group.  Dr. Gonda and Dr. Cassady are faculty members in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences at SDSU.

Students: We have 16 students traveling with us.  One student is a graduate student in Agricultural Communications.  The remaining students are undergraduate students studying agriculture.  Fifteen students are US citizens and 1 student is a Brazilian citizen, traveling from her home country to visit South Africa with us.  It is an excellent group and you will learn more about their adventures (and see pictures) during our trip!

Friends and Family:  Keeping in contact is a priority for us.  If you have not been able to reach your loved one while we are in South Africa, please leave a comment for us on this blog.  We will reach out to them for you.  In the meantime, we hope you enjoy reading this blog and learning about our adventures in South Africa.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Gonda, Professor, Department of Animal Science


 

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