An Adventure of a Lifetime!

I went to South Africa with ISV to volunteer on the Zingela Game Reserve not knowing anyone. Now I have 30 new friends from all over the country! Everyone on the same trip is basically on the same boat (not knowing anybody and ready to make an impact), so it was very easy to make friends. Volunteering was so much fun. I felt like I was on a safari every day. I also felt like I was laughing for 2 weeks straight. The project leader (Leti), and our host always made us feel like we were right at home. So much so that I didn't get home sick even once. They also teach you very valuable lessons on the environment you're in and on sustainability and the environmental impact we have every day. The volunteer part of it was collecting data from the camera traps and then identifying all of the animals on them, game drives, bird counts, and VCA's (which is basically collecting data on the environment). The Zingela Game Reserve was out in the middle of nowhere with no wifi and very limited cell service. I had never experienced the sound of only nature and no cars or planes or machines anywhere and a night sky full of shooting stars and the milky-way. I loved Zingela so much that I cried when we left to start the adventure tour.
The adventure tour is definitely worth the extra money if you can afford it. It was 2 weeks full of adrenaline rushes and humbling experiences like visiting the orphanage and getting to donate food, clothes, and toys in person. We did activities like cliff jumping, caving, surfing, elephant encounters, petting a cheetah, snorkeling, scuba diving, cultural villages, and a ton more. I will never forget this trip, all of the experiences I had, all of the people I met, and this beautiful country!