I feel like
I was just packing up my bags back in Texas, just boarding my plane out of
Atlanta to Johannesburg, just getting settled at the White Shark Projects
volunteer house, just arriving here at CARE Baboon Sanctuary. In less than two
weeks, I’ll be saying goodbye to the amazing sharks, baboons, and people that
I’ve come to love here in South Africa. I keep wondering where the time went.
Ever since summer of 2014 ended, I’ve said that it was the best summer of my
life. Spending my free days camping, hiking, kayaking, cliff jumping and more
in the gorgeous Grand Teton National Park made 2014 a summer I’ll never forget,
and gave me the experience of a lifetime. However, I can no longer call that
the best summer of my life. This incredible summer here in South Africa has now
earned that title. Cage diving with white sharks, catching the brown shyshark
with my bare hands while snorkeling in Hermanus, serenading the white sharks
from the cage with the other volunteers on the vol exclusive trip, nearly getting
swept out of Devil’s Cave at high tide, meeting Yolo and Darcy by the river,
and falling asleep to the sounds of hyenas whooping and lions roaring have been
just a few of the experiences that I’ll never forget and that have made this my
favorite summer yet.
The past few
days at CARE have been busy and fun, as usual. It seems like we’re getting new
people in all the time! As new people arrive, though, it means other people
leave. Holly left to return to Missouri on Wednesday, and Sarah and Brittany
both head back to the states on Monday. So many wonderful people have come in
and out of my life here in South Africa, and I hope that I’ll see at least some
of them again sometime. Since a lot of new people have been arriving and some
of the more experienced people are leaving, I’ve been training a few of the new
volunteers. Two hours of my day today were dedicated to introducing new
volunteers to Patats. I think that if I were to focus my time here at CARE on
studying one animal, it would be her. I love all the little ones, but the fact
that she was so mistreated for years, but can still be so sweet to people is
absolutely fascinating to me. She’s definitely a very special animal, and I
stop by to see her for at least a little while just about every day.
This morning
I was in the nursery from eight to nine with all five of the little ones. Out
of the four volunteers in there, I’d been at CARE the longest, so Princess
spent most of the hour cuddling with and grooming me. If I’m in the nursery
with Chelsea, Stephanie, or someone else that’s been here longer than me,
Princess pays hardly any attention to me. She always chooses the most
experienced volunteer to cuddle with and groom while in the nursery.
I just
looked at my schedule for tomorrow, and it looks like another easy day. I might
spend my time off going around with my camera and taking some more pictures of
the sanctuary. I’ve already taken hundreds of pictures of my time here at CARE,
and when I get home I’ll have quite a job of going through all of them.
A few days
ago, I got some interesting news. During my time with White Shark Projects, I
got a request to write a blog post on shark cage diving and the controversies
that surround it. After I wrote that post, I sent it to White Shark Projects,
and they liked it so much that they’re including it on their website. I’ve been
told that I have a gift for writing since I was about ten years old, maybe
younger, and I love being able to use that gift to speak out about things I
love. Hopefully that article will be able to help clear up some of the many
misconceptions that people have about shark cage diving.
That’s
enough for tonight I guess. Listening to the baboons calling outside my window,
I just can’t believe that soon I’ll have to say goodbye to this amazing place.
South Africa is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, and I big chunk of my
heart will always be here. This post’s food for thought: “Wherever you go
becomes a part of you somehow.”- Anita Desai
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