Life of an African Impact Volunteer

From the minute I told my family and friends I was going to be volunteering for African Impact the most repetitive question was, why? From the minute I walked across the stage at graduation I instantly thought, well whats next? Of course the inevitable happened; I moved home, got a job, and started paying off my students loans. Within four months of living back home in Mars, PA I started to realize that I needed to do something more; I needed to help impact lives other than my own. My search for the next adventure in life began with an extensive Google search, ending with finding a Wildlife Photography and Conservation of the Greater Kruger Area through GoEco. Little did I know then, that by choosing African Impact and spending a month at Dumela Lodge, I was about to make some amazing friends and experience some of the most incredible sightings in my life to date. Upon arrival to the airport I was greeted by two of the guides from African Impact, Katie and Ang. They immediately put a smile on everyone’s face, with their exchanged banter and overall excitement in meeting each and every volunteer coming through the gates. It made the perfect first impression. Within the first week, Tim, the photography manager, had taught us the basics of our camera settings and how to edit our pictures in Lightroom. Once we had all the primary knowledge, we gathered our cameras and headed out onto game drives to BuffaloLand and Klaserie. On my first trip to Klaserie I experienced sights and sounds I never imagined in my wildest dreams. While out on the first night drive our guide, Rey, drove us to a newly deceased Buffalo in hopes of sighting hyenas. The buffalo had passed earlier that morning from an open infected wound to her right hind area. Within minutes of arriving to the carcass, two female hyenas showed up and started to gorge themselves on the buffalo. By no means was this a pretty sight or have a pleasant smell, but it was an unforgettable one. Just being able to experience their immense jaw strength from a few feet away was phenomenal. From my first week to my last week here this was not the only memory I was going to be taking away from this experience. From watching animals behave in their natural habitat to helping create the butterfly garden for the lodge, I have not only brought light to my physical strength but also my mental strength and how much I have yet to still learn. After a month spent with the staff of African Impact and its volunteers, it was extemely hard to say goodbye and to close that chapter in my life. I can only hope that I will be able to return to Dumela Lodge in the near future and continue to add to this amazing journey.