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#DispatchesDNLee: Dressing for the field

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Hello from Tanzania!

To me time is flying. I have less than 3 weeks left in this beautiful place and a few more trap nights to log under my belt and then I head home.

 


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Today I share a video post and my recommendation for acquiring cost-effective field clothes.

But be mindful of context and color. I brought my scrubs - a Khaki set and a bright orange set. In the United States bright orange is a safety color. In Illinois, where I worked before, this was important. I didn't want to get in a hunter's cross fire. However, bright oranges ALSO look like county jail uniforms, which I knew that. I re-purposed my orange scrubs for Halloween. It's not funny in Tanzania. They actually do wear bright orange outfits like this for jailers...and the hand-written numbers don't make it obvious it is a joke. I changed clothes after one of the APOPO trainers told me I could get picked up as an escapee. He wasn't kidding.

I'm learning, LOL!

Badaaye!

DNLee is a biologist and she studies animal behavior, mammalogy, and ecology . She uses social media, informal experiential science experiences, and draws from hip hop culture to share science with general audiences, particularly under-served groups.

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