Earlier this summer, right after a math exam in the morning and a bio exam in the afternoon, I took my first flight out of the country to South Africa. I was to spend one of the best months of my life at a wildlife rehabilitation center. I kept a journal and since I didn’t have regular access to the internet there, I’ll share what I wrote now.
5/11
As with many stories, this one starts with a boy. No worries, this isn’t a love story and the plot… well that’s unbeknownst to me at the moment too. Back to the boy. I met this charming adventurer at the start of my first year of college. Soon we spoke of his adventure at a wildlife rehabilitation center called Moholoholo and an unforgettable summer in South Africa.
Fast forward to the end of our final exms and Kelly and I are embarking on our own journey. Kelly is a classmate that shares my love for animals and adventure, so it is fitting that we share this experience together. Besides, travelling alone in South Africa, as beautiful as it may be, is probably not the brightest idea; we would obviously be lonely.
Our journey began at 4 am and having survived possibly the most treacherous part of our trip, airport security, we find ourselves on a 14 hour flight, the second of three, to Johannesburg. From escapades in being lost in the JFK airport, almost losing our water-filled Nalgenes because we unknowingly had to pass through security again, to having my first Kosher meal on a plane… that wasn’t meant for Kelly nor I, we will greet sweet solid ground and fresh air under a shining African sun and start playing with the wild things.
