Good bye Kariega

My volunteering times are over. When originally reading about the program I thought we would be working and helping with the animals, doing manual labor by digging and cutting alien plants etc. But it was much more than that. When going out onto the Reserve it was like going into freedom, seeing all the wild animals so close when they were moving by the vehicle, learning about their backgrounds, threats, the ecosystem etc. And thanks to Jaco it was always an adventure being out, he is enthusiastic about everything, may it be mushrooms, beetles, butterflies - for him everything has its place and its purpose. It gave me a whole new perspective on nature.
Living with a 'family' for 8 weeks was great, even though sometimes quite challenging, so was cooking for 10 people, even during loadshedding. There were volunteers from Europe, Australia, Canada, the US - all with different values and beliefs which in the end had to work together as a team. It was a wonderful experience and I'm really sad its over now.
Nevertheless I will enjoy another 3 weeks of vacation in Cape St. Francis, before going back.
Thanks for all your comments and likes, I hope I was able to share a bit of this amazing and special time.Read more