All that came before

I can remember the first time that i said i wanted to be a game ranger...I was 9 years old and had just arrived back from a game drive through the Pilansberg Game Reserve. I can remember how much i had learnt and how amazing it had been to see all the beauty of the african bush. I told my parents that day that i want to be a game ranger.

As life drifted past, this dream faded into the background, money became a priority and i decided that i wanted to persue a career that would be both meaningful to the planet and fruitful to my pocket. I studied a BSc degree majoring in Geography and Environmental Management and worked as an environmental consultant for 4 years. During this time a realised that everything i was doing in my job was a paper exercises to keep big corporate companies and mining houses noses clean while they all carried on with total disregard for the environment. Their motives were as fikkle as mine...it was all about the money.

Eventually after typing hundreds of reports, deadlines and dealing with clients shit all day, i decided to get out before i became just another cog in the system. I made this decision nearly 2 years ago and this was just after i had broken up with my girlfriend at time. The 2 of us had always discussed moving out if the city to "make a life" rather than stay and "earn a living". After the break up i felt compelled to move to the bush and follow my dream.

So in the next couple of days i researched the idea, found what seemed to be the perfect place to get the necessary qualifications, applied, got accepted and proceeded to make the necessary plans for the move. My house went onto the market and i resigned from my job.

My new life started almost a year and a half ago when i arrived at my new home in the middle of Makakali Game Reserve near the Kruger National Park. As i drove down the airstrip towards the farmhouse i could feel the butterflies floating inside me. I had no idea what to expect, all i knew was that i had finally started my life long dream...

I spent the next 6 months learning, under 2 very experienced guides, all about the bush and all its intricacies. At the beginning of the course I started this blog, but never follwed through with it. Today I start again with the hope of following through and letting people in on the amazing life that I am fortunate enough to enjoy.

After my course I went to work for a lodge called Tinga in the Kruger National Park. I LOVED IT!! Without a doubt I had made the right decision to move away from the corporate world and follow my passion. There is truely no feeling in the world like waking up in the morning and being completely excited to go to work. The first few months were bliss but the recession started to take its toll and the lodge started to quieten. As it did I was more involved in doing menial tasks such as maintenance and digging holes. This was a far cry from what I had left my job in the city to go do and so the job hunt was put into overdrive.

From the moment I got the call to go see Sabi Sabi for an interview I had a good feeling about it! I went for the interview with a positive out look and was again very excited. Two days after the interview I was told I got the job and 2 days after that I had left Tinga.

I have now been with Sabi Sabi for three months and and only started driving guests a month ago. So this is where the rest of the story begins...