*Disclaimer: I don’t really know how to start this

Zoé Dillman or better known as Zoébles

26 February 2018

Stories are normally told from beginning to end; but this one in particular is an adventure that must be lived from start to finish.

Figure 1 YOW-YYZ-IDA-ADD-CPT-GRJ

5 flights and 2 travel days later I landed in George, where a two-hour drive in the one and only “Patricia” (also known as the project car) awaited me. *Cue background road trip music: “This is the start of something new, it feels so right to be here with you ohhhh.” * A few mini heart attacks later from driving on the left side of the road and I was finally in Nature’s Valley.

My first few days spent in the Valley were a little rough considering I was armed with a killer jetlag, a soon-to-be-found lost luggage, and last but not least a daunting vomiting cold. Who would’ve known that this hiccup was just a little bump in the road that would lead me on a once-in-a-lifetime-experience towards education, self-discovery, and friendship.

Figure 2 Point Hike, Plett Game Reserve, Radical Raptors

This Internship with the Trust provided me with a strong base for effective communication, gave me the necessary skills needed to multi-task, to work efficiently, and helped me further improve my writing about a diverse range of topics from blog posts to scientific research articles. Little did I know you could pack so much into a 3-month experience!

Working with NVT allowed me to experience everything from early morning bird-ringing, to coastal clean-ups and marine debris surveys, to conservation education and community greenings, to wildlife conservation and penguin releases, to not only seeing what a non-profit organization can really do, but also understanding the positive impact NVT has on its community.

Figure 3 Robberg Beach Clean-up, Kurland Greening, Point Hike, Raptor Ringing, Bird Ringing

This internship with NVT has been one heck of a wild ride; an amazing experience that I will never forget, along with all the fond memories that I will surely cherish forever. Thank you to everyone at the Trust who made my journey just how I like my coffee: super sweet!