Two Continents, One Book: An Artistic Recount of Oxford and Tanzania
Most people who know me will say that the first thing I do after returning from a trip is make a scrapbook. Some may call me a hoarder for traveling the world with an ever-growing bag of snack wrappers and ticket stubs, but I love giving a second life to things that I would otherwise discard. Hence, this scrapbook is a love letter to my travels in Oxford and Tanzania, with an emphasis on the people who made my experiences so memorable. (Fun fact: All of the colorful labels are made from old birthday card envelopes I’ve collected over the years!)
The first six pages focus on my time at the University of Oxford, where I prepared for fieldwork in collaboration with faculty and graduate students at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU). Apart from including snippets of my work with WildCRU, I also include findings from museums, gardens, and exhibitions that enriched my study of conservation, Kafkaesque literature, and the arts. You’ll notice some tangible items as well, such as napkins from various cafes where I quickly grabbed sandwiches after a long day of work, gems from the guidebook I read and reread at the Oxford Museum of Natural History, the tag from the UV-resistant pants I purchased near my dorm, and yes, an empty bag of Walkers sizzling-flame-grilled-steak-flavored crisps (I had to try them!).
The final twelve pages are an ode to Tanzania, and the immersive, confusing, and wonderful experiences it brought. Once again, the tangible items each have histories of their own: You’ll find the sleeve of my T-shirt that ripped while I was doing fieldwork (the rest of the shirt has since been converted into a tote bag), the crinkly plastic labels of bottled water sourced from Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, the packaging of the cashews my host family shared with me, and every single bus ticket I could scrounge — including one where my name is spelled so differently that you wouldn’t know the ticket was mine.
I hope you enjoy this recollection of my travels as much as I enjoyed creating it. The memories came flooding back to me as I pieced these stories together…and they will last with me for the rest of my lifetime.
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SO COOL AND CREATIVE!!!!
This is amazing!
Wow I'm amazed! The video looks great and informative!!
I love this. Have you seen this post @Princess Agina and @Susanna Kempe?
Yes, love this!!!
This is so incredibly beautiful and detailed!!! And what a wonderful way of capturing what an inspiring change-maker you are!!! This will be in a museum someday I'm sure!!
This is incredible! What a phenomenal work of art Trisha! Love the Walkers crisps feature in there too ahah