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.