This blog was written by Ryan English, a Bushwise International Field Guide student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is part of the experience.
4 min read
For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to work with animals, but I've never known exactly how. The idea of working in an office surrounded by walls and cubicles sounds like one of the layers of hell, so I have set out to find a way to be outside with animals for a living.
After finishing school, I decided to study zoology and natural science in university, but I had an itch to scratch with being back in the bush. Then it hit me when I spoke to my friends and family. Since you love telling people about animals so much, why don't you do that for a while and see how you like it? Since that moment I knew being a guide in Africa would be my next adventure.
Starting the process
The first step to following my aspirations of working in the bush was to leave my home city of Sydney, Australia, for South Africa where I would travel six hours from Johannesburg to the foot of the Klein Drakensberg, in the Limpopo province. More specifically, the Mahlahla campus at Bushwise.
Out here there are no streetlights, paved roads, noisy planes flying overhead or noise through the night. It's peaceful from the onlookers perspective. After spending some time here you'll soon realise how much is really going on. The walk from the dining room to my bedroom alone is an adventure at night with eyes flashing back at me, bushes rustling and figures seemingly disappearing into the pitch-black night.
The day is filled with birds calling to each other, antelope running around while keeping an eye on you and the honey badgers waiting in the termite mounds or in a hole for a chance to raid the fridge.
The more you listen to all the sounds, the more you realise how complicated and intertwined it all is. Then you are hit with the sudden reality: “I need to know every little sound out here and what it all means.” This is when I was almost hit with a slight wave of panic.
I only have 6 months to learn as much as humanly possible out here. I need to be able to educate and answer questions for guests who may have spent their whole lives wanting to come out here. And it needs to be entertaining! I don’t know what every bird sounds like or what the trees are, let alone the types of grass or the differences in footprints between animals we only hear about in Australia. This is going to be a huge 6 months of intense learning. It feels like everyone around me somehow knows more than me in every subject despite most of the group I'm with also being from other countries and continents.
Then one night, I realised: “This is a great thing, I can learn from everyone here, not just the instructors.” This realisation quickly sparked my competitive nature. I can and will become the best guide I can be and I’ll do my best to take the best parts of my peers around me to make Frankenstein's guide.
There was a catch, it's not all just about animals when you are a guide in the bush. We need to be a driver, photographer, host, protector, medic, comedian all while being a beacon of knowledge.
Our first two weeks of class have been composed of classes that I would not have guessed when I began this path of leaving Australia. We did wilderness first aid courses, a hosting class on wine, and a photography class to help our guests. We need to be a multitool in the bush and we need to be good at it.
Once our people skills have been learned we can start to scratch the seemingly bottomless pit of knowledge about our environment. We need to navigate the stars at night, understand the weather without a forecast, predict where animals are by the shape of the land and the colour of the soil. This depth of knowledge is intimidating but I'm up for the challenge.
Just as I think I'm on top of the workload, we are given weekly prep tests that instantly humble me. With a minimum pass mark of 75%, this course might be the death of me but, I’ve spent too long wanting this and too much money to fail so it's time to put my head down and work until I have achieved the best I possibly can. It's not just about the mark, though, it's about being the best I can be, even if I don't top the class in test marks I’ll still be able to say I did my best and will shine when I'm finally in the bush with people who want to learn and look to me for the answers. This course is hard, but all the best things are.
Explore Bushwise programs today and apply now to start your journey in the South African bush!
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