Leap of faith

So finally on the 20th December, after a 22 hour busride, endless stops and a long wait at the border post, I finally arrived at Harnas!

Those 3 months was an experience I won’t exchange for anything in this world. I met the most amazing people, some of whom I am lucky enough to still call friends and I would never have imagined myself working so closely with animals straight after University. A normal day involved tracking tame but rehabilitated cheetahs, taking naps with a baby vervet and baboon, milliepap fights, chopping up endless amounts of fruit and veg and witnessing breathtaking sunsets. How could one not feel at home?

The plan was always to stay longer than 3 months, because to be honest, 3 months was just not long enough. So the night before I was to leave, the manager asked me if I wanted to come back. Without hesitating I agreed, how could I not? I was living my dream. I couldn’t imagine going back to “normality” back home.
Unfortunately I had to wait 2 months at home for my next working visa. Those 2 months were without doubt, the worst time of my life as I was so used to a routine back at Harnas that I couldn’t adjust to being back home. I’m sure I was a nightmare to live with, my poor parents.

Finally I received my visa beginning May and my bus ticket was booked for the 9th.  I was finally heading back to what felt like home at the time. 


So after going back to Harnas and working as a volunteer researcher for another 3 months, I was finally employed:D I remember feeling so chuffed after getting my research shirt...I was officially part of the team:) 
A few things changed at Harnas, some for the better and some definitely for the worst, but overall I was still having the time of my life. How could I complain - I was working with animals where cheetah licks and baby baboon cuddles was the norm. I never even got home sick because I working with some amazing friends, but I was starting to feel stuck as if I wasn't learning anything new. As some of the other coordinators started resigning, I started looking around for other opportunities. 

After almost a year of living my Harnas dream, I said goodbye to pursue wildlife research opportunities. Ok so maybe at the time, I was thinking with my heart and not logically with my head, as I resigned without a definite job to fall into back home. I did however have an offer on another wildlife orphanage in Zimbabwe so I was heading there for an interview a few days after being home. Rather rash I know, and I had to buy my own plane ticket, but I had saved enough at Harnas to be able to do that. 
One thing I didn’t anticipate was the longing I had for my harnas family, the daily routine, my carefree-self and just working with some amazing friends. But I knew I had to leave that comfort zone if I wanted to gain more experience in wildlife research. Believe me it was not easy, it ached just seeing old photos of us all together...luckily I had the anticipation of Zimbabwe to keep my mind off missing the old days


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