Week 5, it’s time to look alive!
I cannot believe that we as an Apprentice field guide group are already halfway through the course.
This week was very intensive, we spent a lot of time out on Amakhala Game Reserve and said goodbye to our apprentice trails guide friends who graduated on Friday.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this week’s topics which were arthropods, fish, and amphibians, and for the first time, I conducted my own guided experience. It was an amazing and responsible experience. During the experience, I realized how much knowledge I have gained in the past 5 weeks about nature and the reserve in general. Although this experience came with some serious challenges such as a flat tire and rainfall the night before, I’m glad about the developments and happy with the drive. The sunset coffee stop with the roaring lions in the background was my favorite moment of the drive.
Furthermore, I am enjoying spending time with our group. We have so many different personalities while still having so much in common with each other. We all realize that we are here for different purposes and helping each other out with studying for the weekly exams. On Friday night we had the graduation for the apprentice trails guide group and had a great party. They worked so hard to graduate and it was wonderful to see that they really enjoyed their time at Ulovane. I hope we as a group can also graduate and celebrate all our achievements in 5 weeks’ time. Until then I am looking forward to enjoying the rest of the course and creating special and experiences that will last a lifetime.
- Jorn
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. – Edward Everett Hale
Week 6, its time to learn new tricks
Ever since attending my first Open Day at Ulovane back in 2018, I knew that it would become my home away from home.
Being the first batch of online students through Ulovane in 2020 just after the hard lockdown was interesting and challenging, however, I would not change a thing about it.
My first week of the 5-Week Practical Onsite course was… there are no words to describe it other than; challenging, exciting and terrifying all at the same time! The mentors and other students have been nothing but inviting and some of the most amazing people I will ever meet.
Every morning, afternoon, and evening is jam-packed with something new and exciting! I have already experienced many things that I thought I never would. Every meal is amazing, the cook is the best I’ve ever known other than my mum!
There is no better place to be other than right here.
- Sam
The first week of our 5-week practical course really flew by. Because you do everything together, you quickly make new friends. You also have a connection with most people because you are here together for one purpose.
It’s also great that you can now study together and help each other. That makes it more fun and a bit easier than studying online by yourself.
Being really focused on your subjects throughout the week, you learn so much faster. The amount of information you get during the lectures and game drives is out of this world. They are now much more in place and now you can also form a picture of the theory that you have learned.
During the game drives, we had a very nice meeting with a bull elephant who chose to walk by right in front of the car. We have seen the full herd with babies too.
We were lucky enough to see a male cheetah and it was also the first time for me to see antelope so close, that was really special. Now is also the season that the baby antelopes are born, every drive we can marvel at super cute baby animals.
Driving a large car was very easy for me. I expected it to be harder. Once I was sitting in the car, I realized that it drives just like a normal car, only now you have more people sitting in the back.
I am looking forward to what the next few weeks have in store for us.
- Nathalie
In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous. – Aristotle