Coleman's Gap Year

Hello all, I have just finished my first week of work here at Kwantu wildlife reserve, and it has been a very rewarding experience, I've held tiger cubs, and even riden elephants! The land here is beautiful, sprawling hills crawling with antelope and wildebeast, and the living quarters are great. The dorms here are not the rustic huts commonly associated with Africa, but modern, clean collectives with a kitchen and a TV. However, It's not just fun and games on Kwantu, the work is taxing and the weather drastic. So far I've dug holes for planting trees, shoveled Elephant dung, Weeded fields, Patroled perimeters (farthest i've ever walked, and it was super hot), Tallied animals, Fed Lions and Tigers, and cut down invasive trees. Keep in mind that it was always either really hot, or pouring rain. But every day after work I settle down and socialize with the other volunteers, a nice group of people (mostly from Britain, but also the U.S. and Australia). Now that the week is over we are heading to Jeffrey's Bay for the weekend, I'm very exited to visit the beach and local restaraunts, but also for the first time i'll be headed to the bar to test out the South African drinking age of 18. Cheers as everyone here says, il check in next week.