A walk on the Wild Side

“ ……FROM A VEHICLE YOU SEE AFRICA;
ON FOOT YOU FEEL, HEAR AND SMELL AFRICA….”

Living in Africa, I’ve been lucky enough to go on more game drives than I can count and I’ve definitely seen some amazing and wondrous things… from a vehicle. However, there is something really special about taking a walk on the wild side of the fence. Suddenly, being at the mercy of Mother Nature and all her beautiful creatures has a way of really putting me in my place in the grand scheme of all things strong and unforgiving. On foot, all of my senses become heightened and I am suddenly very aware that a well-camouflaged lion hiding behind the next bush could easily take me out or that walking into a herd of elephant when the wind is not in your favour can be potentially life threatening. Fear and exhilaration mix together but when I feel the ground beneath my feet, the wind on my face, and hear the rustling of dry grass as I walk through the bush I feel alive and there is nowhere else I’d rather be. The singsong of birds, the sound of hurried hooves hitting the dry earth as wildebeest and impala sense our arrival, and the musky, earthy smell of elephant grounds me in this place, this moment in time. Looking down at my feet, I see tracks and trails made by thousands of different animals and I am reminded how we are far from being alone, far from being the most important living being on this great planet. We are only a thin thread of an intricate web encompassing all creatures, big and small, dangerous and unassuming, a web we must take great care of before it disintegrates. The bush I walk through here in South Africa is a home to all of these amazing and interesting creatures and the game trails we follow have been leading them throughout this vast country for millions of years. I am so thankful that they allow me to be here, that they share their wonderful world with me and that they let me walk the paths they’ve created. It is truly a privilege for me to be able to set foot in this untamed, wild land where I am truly able to feel, hear and smell Africa.

Wild Symphonies

When I moved to Africa, I traded the sounds of ambulance sirens for the haunting wail of a jackal, clunking garbage trucks for roaring lions, and car alarms for the whoop of hyena. Moving from the city to the African bush has exposed me to a new and interesting array of sounds that are certainly a far cry from the nighttime noises of the concrete jungle I grew up in.

There have been many times out here where I’ve fallen asleep to lions roaring in the distance; one might think it loud and aggressive, not a sound that can lull someone to sleep, but the roars we all know from the Lion King are not the deep rumbling vibrations carried by the wind to my little house. More than once, I’ve been woken up in the middle of the night by the unusual grunting sound a hippo makes when it is feeding and the screams of angry elephants chasing lions away from their young. A hyena will wake me from a deep slumber and I will anxiously await the next melodious bellied howl-like call emitted from these strange-looking creatures.

This may all seem like a peculiar symphony of sounds to listen to, but it is truly music to my ears and I look forward to hearing a whole new world unfurl on the other side of the fence after the sun has set. I relish these moments and often find myself thinking that hearing an animal can sometimes be more spectacular than seeing one. Spotting the elusive leopard on safari in Africa is definitely lucky enough, however a female leopard letting us get close enough to hear the short throaty calls she makes to contact her nearby cubs is a rare and special experience. Hearing a lion growl on the other side of the fence at night yet not being able to see it strips you from the sense of comfort that comes with sight. Being woken up in the night by two prides of lions roaring, letting each other know who owns this part of the bush is something that is both chilling and alluring.

All of these sounds are part of what makes a sojourn in the African bush complete. After hearing a jackal’s mournful wail echoing into the dark night, ultimately one of my favorite African animal sounds, it will be hard to go back to the cacophony of the city. I’ve recently told myself that I want to live where I can either hear loons calling, wolves howling, jackals wailing or lions roaring, therefore severely limiting my geographic locations down to a handful of countries. However, these are sounds that I could truly be happy and satisfied hearing every single day and night, sounds I would never grow tired of, would always be excited to hear, sounds that bring a sense of peace, comfort and curiosity about the wild world out there.

The wildlife chorus that I am lucky enough to experience more often than not has truly become a highlight of my life here.

Fire in the sky

Whenever someone asks me about Africa, I never fail to mention the amazing sunsets that set the skies on fire. You will never in your life set eyes on a more beautiful sunset than the ones in the African bush. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing sunsets here at the College in South Africa and in my travels through other wild parts of Africa that have never failed to amaze me. As the sun falls below the horizon, the sky seems to melt along with it, leaving beautiful streaks of reds and pinks and various hues of orange and gold.
Throughout my journeys, I’ve often debated with fellow travelers (especially those who have been in Africa with me) about what our preference is between sunrises and sunsets. Although I’ve also seen beautiful sunrises and even though they hold a promise of a new day, sunsets, especially in Africa, mean the start of a new world; a world that begins and ends with the sun. After the sun creeps below the horizon, lions start roaring in the distance as they defend their territories; the haunting wail of a jackal resonates through the blanket of darkness and hyena singsong back and forth as they lead each other to a fresh kill. As the last colours vanish, twilight appears and the Milky Way emerges, painting the sky with diamonds. For me, with the setting sun comes the hope of an exciting nighttime world.
There is also something special about actually watching a sun set as well as looking forward to what will happen after it sets. Although the sun disappears completely in sometimes less than five minutes, the colours in the sky last for much longer. They seem to linger with the intent to burn the image of that setting sun in your mind. These lingering colours make me think of memories that stay with you for years after a moment has passed, even when that moment might have only lasted less than five minutes. Speaking now of moments passed, sunsets can symbolically represent not only the end of a moment, but the end of an entire experience. A sunset represents closure and with closure often comes a sense of peace and satisfaction. I have no doubt in my mind that my last sunset in Africa will certainly be bittersweet; the sun setting on my time here in this particular African wilderness, closing this chapter in my life. However, just like the vivid colours lingering in the sky, my memories, my experiences, both the good and the bad, will linger with me for the rest of my life. I will always look back on this time, satisfied and at peace with myself that I took the opportunity to live out my dream.
At the end of the day, I realize that there really is no finality in a sunset. It may represent an ending and it may lead to darkness, but then again after an ending there is always a new beginning, after darkness there is always light, and with a new day there is always a new adventure.

Just Living a Dream

This blog started out as a blog about my volunteer efforts at the Southern African Wildlife College and how I was trying to make a difference here. Yet, as I reflect on it, I think I am mostly living out a dream of mine. A dream of being here, living here and learning here. That’s what I wanted and that’s what I’ve done. I think “making a difference” involves something more than that.
Yet, as you all know, there are countless people who travel to Africa every year to “make a difference” and I am sure, without a doubt in my mind that many of them end up doing this. They come to Africa to volunteer in rural communities or in animal rehabilitation centers and leave with a warm fuzzy feeling inside that they have, in one way or another, “made a difference” while they were here. I guess I was guilty of that (as I volunteered on a wildlife reserve in South Africa in 2007) and it brought me to the country that I hold so dear to my heart.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with a good friend from library school about “smart career choices”. As soon as I completed my Masters degree, I took off for Africa and what was supposed to be a five-month volunteer stint turned into a year and half. To be honest, I have asked myself on more than one occasion: Was moving to Africa (as a soon-to-be 28 year old) and working on a volunteer basis a “smart career move”? Some people may not think so, but I think that living and working in a library in Africa sets me apart from other librarians and puts a spark on my CV. My experience here is, as you call it, a once-in-lifetime opportunity and I plan on embracing it to the fullest extent. Eventually, I will find a job and settle down, contribute to my RRSPs, my pension plan and an education fund for my future children. But for now, I am just living a dream.
This is why I’ve decided not to only write about life as a professional librarian volunteering in the African bush, but to also write about my life in the African bush—a beautiful, exciting and potentially dangerous place. So, for those of you who dream of Africa and for those of you who have left a piece of your heart here, I will do my best to paint you all a picture of the beauty that surrounds me and the exciting adventures that accompany it.
I truly hope you’ll enjoy reading my posts.
Until next time…

This post can also be read on A Hopeful Sign: www.ahopefulsign.com

A Hopeful Sign

Ok ok, I’ve been absolutely terrible at blogging. I guess it’s harder to sit down and write out your own blog, but blogging for someone else? Well that’s a different story! I am now writing for my friend and fellow librarian Carolyn’s dad. He just launched A Hopeful Sign, a new magazine blog coming out of Western Canada. Now I have deadlines- something that is fairly flexible in Africa, but I am trying to keep to those North American standards and will be featured monthly in the blog! This magazine blog will be inspirational to say the least and I urge everyone to follow it!

Earth Hour at the SAWC

 

 As many of you know (and hopefully participated in), last night was Earth Hour and the SAWC was one of the millions of organizations that switched off all their lights at 8:30pm. Not only did we switch off our lights, but we celebrated by having a marshmallow roast. We set up braais (bbqs for you North Americans) and lanterns at the soccer field and a group of students put together a presentation for Earth Hour. They explained what the event is all about and where is originated, sang a song they made up about saving energy and then recited a poem in spoken word style about Earth Hour. After all the lights went out, we roasted marshmallows under a beautiful African starry sky

For more information on Earth Hour: www.earthhour.org

Students roasting their marshmallows over the fire.

Bookmarks we made with tips on reducing energy consumption

 

Information literacy reaches the African bush

I started with a basic information literacy class this week here at the College. I found it sort of challenging in the sense that I knew that many of the students probably wouldn’t know what referencing was or how to evaluate whether a website was reliable or not. So, I first concentrated on introducing them to the books we have in the library and about using the Dewey topics to browse the shelves. Then, I explained what referencing was and how important it is when writing assignments and showed them the Harvard citation style for books and journal articles for both in-text citations and bibliographies. I then discussed the different ways they can check website reliability such as looking at the site domain, the publication date, author information, site design, and sources. Next, I dealt with the ever-so popular topic of Wikipedia and introduced them to Google Scholar. Many of the students gave me good feedback and told me that I opened their eyes to issues that they never dealt with before or didn’t really know much about. All in all, I think the first information literacy class at the Southern African Wildlife College was a success!