One last post to share some final memories!
It's been a few weeks since I've been back in Canada, but there hasn't been a single day where a memory from Africa hasn't popped into my head. I'm wondering if that's how every day will be?
There were so many amazing moments, many of which I have already shared with you all. Walking with the elephants, playing with the lions; they are all things that I never expected to do so early in life! It's a great thing achieving some of your life goals when you are only 21 because it means that I can now add more goals to my list.
Some of the other great moments were our Wednesday night drives when we would drive to somewhere on the farm to have a campfire. In our second week, this also included a lantern lit dinner in a fake African village that is on the farm. It was a perfect way to eat a delicious dinner!
We also go to do some excursions off the farm including a trip to the Lesedi Cultural Village, river rafting, and a visit to the Lion Park. Lesedi was nice because we got to learn about many different cultures in Africa and take a tour of what a typical village would have looked like. We we were also treated to a song/dance performance!
At the Lion Park, we went on a safari tour with a man named Alex who would get out of the caged truck we were in and walk around with the full grown, adult lions!! At one point, he even did "This Little Piggy Went to Market" with a male lion! How many people can say they have done that before?
One of the highlights of the Lion Park for me though was when we got to spend a little time with some 2-4 month old lion cubs! Sure, we had Sasha and Shumba back at the farm, but these cubs were still so small! When we were sitting with them, they would grab onto the girls hair or try to bite onto it! They also liked to try and bite (gently) any arms or clothing that were moving around them.
Another interesting thing was that there were a couple weddings at the farm while we were there and we got to wrangle some of the animals together to be in the background of the ceremony. We would do this by driving around shaking a bucket of rocks to get the zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, donkeys, and warthogs to follow us to the wedding tree where the ceremony would take place. Then, we scattered grass and other food behind the tree so that all the animals would stick around while the ceremony was taking place! I bet the bride and groom would have some pretty nice wedding photos!
Some other fun facts:
We would have to be escorted from supper (at the top of the farm) to our living area (at the bottom of the farm) after dark because of the hippos that wander around at night! Hippos can be very dangerous animals, and since these ones had a baby, they were even more protective! We did get to do a hippo feeding when a bale of grass would be scattered and the hippos would come right out of the water to feed! They are huge!!
I got to meet people from all over the world including Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, England, the USA, Brazil, and more! Volunteer programs like this are a great way to meet new people and make friends from countries far away! I also got to spend time with our awesome volunteer leaders who guided us through each day and made the experience what it was - AMAZING!
I can't forget to mention my two little mongoose friends that we got to hang out with all the time! They were always very playful in the evenings and would run around, and love having their bellies scratched! As you can see in the picture, they will also jump up on your shoulder and lick your ear!
I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life! If any of you are ever interested in taking part in such a program, check out the websites below! I can promise you that you wouldn't regret it! My only regret from the entire trip was only staying 2 weeks! When I go back (which I know I will some day), I will be staying for at least a month!
http://www.amanzitravel.com
http://www.volunteersa.com
Also, you can view many of my Africa photos on my photography page on Facebook, or my personal photos which should be able to be viewed publicly!
Also, find the first 3 parts at the links below in case you didn't get a chance to read them!
I hope you have enjoyed the stories I have shared with you all! I know some of it was brief, but it is hard to transfer so many enjoyable moments into writing. I think I have covered the highlights, and the most interesting things!
I hope you have enjoyed the stories I have shared with you all! I know some of it was brief, but it is hard to transfer so many enjoyable moments into writing. I think I have covered the highlights, and the most interesting things!
Remember, just because you are from a small town, it doesn't mean you can't get out there and see some of this big world!
Thanks for reading,
Wesley
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