An Unforgettable Year

Hanging at the harbor in Gansbaai

One of my favorite pictures I took with White Shark Projects

Serving as a play structure for Mr. Darcy and Yolo at CARE

My first wild rhino sighting, by the Olifant's River! 

            A year ago today, the day before I turned 22, I made a blog post reflecting on the past year, and thinking about what the next year would bring. Now, the day before I turn 23, I’m going to make a similar post. I wrote a year ago that 21 was the best year of my life up to that point, which it was. Spending the summer working up in Grand Teton National Park was definitely the highlight of that year- I still think about my time in that park every day. Now, though, looking back on this past year, I honestly think that 22 has topped 21. The highlight, as you can probably guess, was accomplishing the dream I’ve had for pretty much my entire life of going to Africa to work with wildlife. I went abroad for the first time in my life. I survived the 16-hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg. I swam with great white sharks in the Atlantic Ocean. I caught a brown shyshark with my bare hands while snorkeling off the coast of the South Africa Shark Conservancy. I climbed across the sharp, precariously placed rocks along the cliffs of Hermanus to find Devil’s Cave, and nearly got swept away at high tide. I visited Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, and the spot where the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean meet. I stayed in hostels for the first time, and took a tour of the gorgeous city of Cape Town, which ended in a delicious braai (South African barbecue). I cuddled many baby baboons at CARE. I visited the Cradle of Humankind, a historic digsite near Pretoria where some of the first hominid fossils in the world were found. I saw my first wild elephants, hippos, lions, giraffes, rhinos and more. I also was reminded of how working with wildlife could be downright heartbreaking when I learned that poachers had found their way to one of CARE’s release sites and killed five of the baboons from the released troop. Long story short- it was an absolutely unforgettable summer.

            Now, about nine months after returning from Africa, I’ve got just about forty days until I fly out to Bolivia for another summer abroad working with wildlife. The trip is getting more and more real every day, and I can’t wait to set foot on continent number three! Twenty-two, you’ve been absolutely incredible, unforgettable, and life changing. Twenty-three, let’s see what crazy adventures you bring me! I’m sure it’ll be another amazing ride!

            This post’s food for thought: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”- Mark Twain

Fifty Days And Counting

            It’s been way too long since my last blog post, but with work and trip planning keeping me really busy, I’ve hardly had time to do anything else. With some free time today, though, here we go. The biggest news since my last post is that I’ve officially paid off my project costs for the ten weeks at the Bolivia Wildlife Sanctuary this summer.

            I returned home from last summer’s adventure in South Africa over eight months ago. As someone with a serious case of the travel bug, my feet are getting very itchy! Every time I see a calendar I find myself thinking about how many days until I fly out to Bolivia. The planning for this trip has been so different than the planning I was doing this time last year, and I think this adventure in South America will be very different than last summer in Africa. First off, I’ll be gone longer- last year I was off volunteering in South Africa for about nine weeks. This year I’ll be volunteering at the wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia from June first to August tenth, but that won’t be the entirety of the trip! When the volunteering fun ends, the backpacking fun will be just beginning! I’ll spend the rest of August and at least part of September backpacking my way along the western coast of South America, taking in all that beautiful area has to offer. After traveling solo in South Africa last summer without any problems, I decided that this summer I should try to see as much as I can of the South American coast while I’m down there. A few people have suggested that I sign up for a tour with a group, but honestly I really prefer to travel independently. A lot of people probably like those guided tours because they feel safer in groups and because some people want others to be in charge of the itinerary, but I’m pretty much the exact opposite. As I’ve mentioned before, traveling solo is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself, and one of the reasons for that is because when I travel alone, I’m in charge of my schedule.

            I remember last year, the last month or so leading up to my Africa trip just flew by in a flash, and it kind of feels like that’s happening again. With a combination of work and planning keeping me really busy, this next adventure seems to be coming up so fast! I still can hardly believe that in less than two months I’ll be the first person in my family to set foot on three continents. Here’s to another summer off exploring foreign lands!

            This post’s food for thought: “Nostalgia in reverse, the longing for yet another strange land, grew especially strong in spring.”- Vladimir Nabokov