Soul Of A Lion

  I thought it was time I paid tribute to what inspired me to travel to Harnas. The book I found, frankly by pure dumb luck at the library. The book is called Soul Of A Lion written Barbara Bennett, a professor at North Carolina State University. I read this book back in August of 2011 and it has stayed with me ever since. Being a professor of english she has a slight advantage in the writing department but this book is exquisitely written. I could not put it down and even now am anxious to read it again. She writes so vividly that you can see all the stories she describes, even though they are like nothing you have ever heard of before. I read in awe of her close personal stories with the animals at Harnas, very jealous and dreaming of a day that I could get similar experiences. This book also tells the story of how Harnas was founded and about the life of the woman who started it, Marieta van der Merwe. 
   Throughout this book it is clear to see how hard Marieta worked to help the animals that could not help themselves. She is truly inspiring. I am so excited to have the opportunity to meet her and watch how she interacts with animals. I encourage anyone who has a love of animals, adventure, Africa or simply great stories to read this book. 
    My mom ordered Soul of A Lion and it arrived in the mail this week. It has been so much fun remembering the stories as my mom reads it. I don't think anyone can read it and not be in awe of what is taking place there. I am forcing myself to wait until right before I go to reread it. I think it will be the perfect way to psych myself up even more and prepare my mind for what I am about to experience. Though I highly doubt anything will really make me mentally prepared. I just wanted to pay tribute and HIGHLY recommend this book because it alone has done so much to encourage me and give me passion to pursue the life and career I am. I guess you can say just reading the book changed me a little, I can only imagine what going there will do. 

Wow!

  I keep finding things that make me even more excited. This particular one will more than likely be one that I will be excited about after it is done. When I leave JFK to go to Johannesburg, South Africa I will be embarking on one of world's longest flights, according to the article on Yahoo News this morning! A couple glasses of wine, hopefully a short 8 hour nap and maybe a movie or season of Gilmore Girls and if I'm feeling a need to fill the rest of the time maybe I can read a couple books. :-)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/worlds-longest-flights-211655905.html

What a Day!

   Today was somewhat of an eventful information day as far as my trip goes. I had to postpone getting my vaccines because of a reaction I got last week on my hand, no idea what caused my hand to freak out but hopefully it will be solved soon. 

   The rest of my day was much more enlightening. For the first time since I had the idea "I want to go to Africa" I actually paused for a minor second and thought "what did I do?" Okay, so not that drastic, I'm not rethinking my plans and I am still excited beyond belief. I was speaking to my friend and she told me about a blog she read saying that the policy regarding volunteer interactions with lions has been changed somewhat due to a young male volunteer claimed to be a "lion whisperer" and snuck into the kitchen at night dousing himself in animal blood and going into the lion enclosure. Needless to say it did not end well. We cannot confirm this but it is quite a story to tell around the campfire.

     I also read about needing to boil warm for a warm shower. Now I know this is an obvious thing but for some reason it really never crossed my mind. I have a feeling there are many things that I have assumed but should not assume. We all know what they say about when you assume things. I also read a blog talking about the "extremely precarious and unsafe transport-balancing on firewood/cans/rocks on the back of a van going 90 miles an hour through the bush!" It is interesting to see what different people's points of view are. I have no doubt it I will come across many things that will change me and make me stronger. I can overcome anything and will have the time of my life...and as long as I don't run around covered in blood should return safe and sound to pursue a very exciting career!

Is It May 9th Yet?!

      I am getting so anxious to go I can barely stand it. I have confirmed my reservation at the hostel and it looks so nice! I am really hoping that other volunteers will be there when I get there, or even friendly tourists like me who might want to look around. I don't feel confident enough to walk around by myself but I would really like to see Windhoek. From what I have seen and heard it is a pretty city. Everyday I look on the facebook page for Harnas and see updates on Merci and Beaucoup, the two cheetah cubs that Pride delivered last week. They are so precious, I truly hope I may have the chance to see them. They should be opening their eyes soon! 

     One obstacle that I have come across in preparing for my adventure is one that I am thoroughly dreading. That horrible fear of needles has apparently not gone anywhere. I won't ever let it hold me back but I did ask my mom to come with me in case I pass out... So far, on tap for Thursday is Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio, and Rabies. That upside of the rabies being pink is slightly less exciting as it was a couple days ago. However, once in 10 years it's that bad I suppose.

      I can't wait to go. It seems like it is forever away but at the same time with each passing week it seems like there's a lot left to be done. Now all that I have to do is get "disposable" clothes and some boots, and other odds and ends. Then pack it all in a baboon proof suitcase, if there is such a thing!

Getting Ready...

  It seems as though I'm in good shape getting ready for my trip. I have all the deposits paid, the airline flights booked, with the help of Allen Michem, I will be flying on South African Airways I'll be leaving Charlotte at 6:00 am on May 9 and heading to JFK. From there I will be taking a 14.5 hour flight to Johannesburg! Yes, you read that right...14 hours  and 30 minutes!! Looks like I'll be taking a couple seasons of Gilmore Girls and a good book to keep me occupied. I'm thinking War and Peace should be long enough. 

   It's a little too early to start packing, though I am getting anxious to put everything in my bag and go. But for now I have what seems like a mile long list of things I need to bring with me. 

   On the front burner now is making a reservation at the hostel in Windhoek for the night I arrive. Then going to the Health Department to get vaccines... so far the list is up to 3 but it may possibly grow. The needle-phobic part of me is dreading this part of the planning. The only upside of the shots so far? My new friend who is also going to be there in May has told me that if I need the Rabies vaccine it is magenta! I guess we will see how it goes, I for one am just hoping to make it through the appointment without passing out!

   

HARNAS

   Harnas Wildlife Foundation was started by Marieta Van der Marwe who has always loved animals and tried to care for those who could not care for themselves. She took in injured and orphaned animals and cared for them, releasing them to the wild when she could. Today she takes in volunteers and gives them the chance of a lifetime as they help her care for the animals.

   There are many types of animals at Harnas. The cheetahs and lions most capture my heart. Some of the most exciting news in the last week has been that Pride, one of the cheetahs in Harnas' life-line program gave birth to two baby cubs. There are also lions, servals, leopards, crocodiles, meerkat, baboons, tortoises, bat eared fox, African wild dogs, giraffe and many more.

   Their motto is "expect the unexpected" each day is filled with the unknown and full of extraordinary challenges. I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to take part in this wonderful cause for 3 weeks. I am sure I will not return the same as I am now. I hope that one day I can find myself in a career that makes me feel as truly fulfilled as I am sure she must.

Where it all began...

          In the summer of 2011 I moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina from West Lafayette, Indiana where I was attending Purdue University. I recently graduated with a bachelors degree in Animal Science with a focus on behavior and well being. I moved in with my parents hoping to find a job and a career path that would inspire me. After arriving in Hendersonville, my sister and I found ourselves looking for things to do and soon found our way to the library. I began checking out books from the library, 10 to 15 at a time. I read just about anything from biographies, to stories of schitzophrenia to fun fiction stories but the stories I got into the most were ones about a far off land and the amazing animals that lived there, as well as some pretty amazing people.

         After reading Anderson Cooper's book, I began feeling anxious to start doing SOMETHING after hearing that out of college he printed a fake press pass and went into war zones to pursue his passion. Now, I wasn't about to do something that intense but I kept reading about people who had helped shape wildlife conservation as it is today. I then read Born Wild by Tony Fitzjohn who was somewhat of an apprentice to George Adamson who is best know for helping return Christian the lion to the wild. I was in awe at how care free he was in his pursuit of his dream and became slightly jealous of the close interactions he had with the lions.

        I then stumbled on a book that would lead to a series of major decisions in my life. I found a book in the library's catalog titled Soul of a Lion  written by Barbara Bennett, ironically enough a professor at North Carolina State University. Once I got this book home I could not put it down. It is a story centered around a magical place called Harnas, a wildlife rehabilitation camp in Namibia. Every chapter is filled with heart wrenching stories of success, loss and determination to help those unable to help themselves. I was immediately in awe of the work being done there and began fantasizing of being able to do it myself. I found myself talking about going to Africa to volunteer, maybe do an internship. It seemed like a pipe dream, something to put on the bucket list and one day many years from now I might go on a safari or two. The more I began talking about it the more it seemed like it could be possible. Soon I found myself discussing options with my parents and found that they didn't think the idea was too crazy either. I started finding information everywhere. I looked into options in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania but none of them seemed to fit. That is when my mom told me about an article she read in the newspaper. It was about an event being held at the library. It stood out because the gentleman who was speaking spoke of his love for Africa and the many trips he had taken there and was scheduled to speak about his experiences and how to take a trip yourself. I put it on the calendar. When the night came my dad and I went to listen to Allen Mitchem. At the end of his presentation I was even more anxious to go after seeing his gorgeous pictures and wild stories of his adventures.

           It was still a very hypothetical scenario but we began throwing around dates and trying to figure out how we could make it happen. In February, I had decided that I would be going but couldn't decide if I would go in May or September. After a couple weeks of going back and forth I decided that I would be going to Namibia in May 2012 to volunteer at Harnas for 3 weeks. After I made the decision it was as if I hit the ground running, It has been a whirlwind of visa applications, and many trips to visit Allen Mitchem to ask countless questions and booking my flights.

          It is all starting to sink in that I am actually going. Today was the day we booked my flights...South African Airways...and I have met someone on facebook who will be there when I am. So much still left to do but the excitement is building and only 7 weeks left before I leave on my next big adventure.

The Bucket List

       A few years ago when the movie The Bucket List came out it became one of my favorite movies. I had not heard of a bucket list before the movie came out, at least not by that name. I have grown up being told that nothing is impossible and if I want something bad enough and I'm willing to work for it then I can do anything. Having a very active imagination I always let myself get carried away daydreaming of what the future might hold. I've always been the type of person to get an idea stuck in my head and then have a hard time letting it go. When I become passionate about something I get somewhat singularly obsessed with making it happen. Not everything ends up becoming what I imagined but in the end I have been able to look back and see how it was for the best. When I was 13 I read a book about a teenager with cancer, part of the story included a plea from the girl's sister begging people to become bone marrow donors as it can be a lifesaving last option for some patients. I thought about and talked about it for 5 years and before my 18th birthday I announced that on my 18th birthday I would go to San Diego and join the National Bone Marrow Registry. To this day this is one of the leading things on my bucket list, however finding a match is out of my control.

       Before I graduated from high school I sat down and wrote out a formal bucket list. It has grown over the years and changed somewhat, become a little more realistic (I no longer want to own a litter of 7 Rotty puppies at once, and realize that owning a 20 ft yacht might not happen) but as I get older I realize that as my bucket list is not so crazy.

It won't happen over night and it definitely won't be easy but life is too short not to live it to the fullest. I never want to stop dreaming and I hope that I never finish my bucket list. So, this is a blog started after it was suggested that I blog about my experiences as I begin the journey to experience a major part of my bucket list....a trip to Africa.