Skukuza Planning Stages

I've settled in to my living situation here in Skukuza, Kruger National Park and am quickly checking off things from my To-Do list. It feels so good to finally have whole days devoted to planning the actual project. Every time I check something off my list a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders. I think I've been much more tense about this project since I started fundraising than I thought I was.

Of course, being on vacation before the project really got underway with my mom and brother was definitely not "stressful." First, we went to Kenya to the Maasai Mara, a park known for the local community of Maasai people and the great migration that comes through every year. The wildebeest that take part in the migration come from Tanzania to the Mara during the dry season where there is more water. We only saw the beginnings of the migration (still thousands of wildebeest), but when it is in full swing apparently the entire horizon is black with millions and millions of the funny looking animals.

Zebras join the giant herds of Wildebeest on the migration, using the large numbers for extra security from predation. 

Photo: Eleanor Kenimer, 2014

After the Maasai Mara we headed back to South Africa, dropped my brother off in Johannesburg and then my mom and I flew to Skukuza to begin our stay with Jock Safari Lodge in Kruger National Park. It was really nice to get a reintroduction to KNP by being given tours by profession game drivers and rangers. All of the names of animals and plants started rushing back into my brain and I think those few days of intense game drives and walks at Jock will be invaluable for my confidence when I start teaching. The environment and the animals that exist here are just incredible. Even if you have seen an elephant or a big cat in a zoo, seeing them out in their natural habitat is a whole different feeling. It's hard to explain how you get a sense of true wilderness, how humans aren't meant to be such a huge part of the ecosystem and how much we've disrupted the habitats of these much more nobel beings.

Two young leopards hanging out in a tree while mama is off doing the hunting. 

Photo: Eleanor Kenimer, 2014

On the last day of our vacation I said goodbye to my mom in the Skukuza Airport and was picked up and brought to our site near the staff village of Skukuza. Immediately I was greeting with enthusiasm and brought back into the OTS/Nsasani family. Being in a familiar setting and getting my bearings is so wonderful. It instantly felt like all the worries I had about whether this project was actually going to come to fruition were gone. My first night here was a huge braai* with everyone currently doing work with the organisation I am here with in some way or another.

So now I get to the logistics planning stage of the project. We've selected the students that are going to come on the course, we've booked the accommodations and catering for them, and a vision is starting to form. And that feels amazing.

Thanks again to everyone that helped make this project a reality. This is where the donations from everyone are starting to be put to good use. Your money is invaluable for booking accommodations for students, for getting food for them, and for providing an experience these students would never get otherwise.