Welcome to My South Africa Blog

 

Hi all!!

I am a level 6 Archaeology and Anthropology student at Bournemouth University and have been preparing for my 2 week placement in South Africa to engage in wildlife conservation. This may seem irrelevant to my course but in fact one of the most prominent discussions in conservation is its impact on people and the relationship between ecology, human communities, and economics. Here, anthropology and an understanding of local cultures is valuable and attending the placement will give me insight into a side of the discipline that I have not yet explored. I have completed other placements whilst being at university, many with less organisation than this one, so felt comfortable with the process and knew that this would be an opportunity for me to learn and grow personally and professionally.

After seeing the placement advertised by Bournemouth University through a friend and lecturer, Stephanie, I knew this was an opportunity that I could not turn down. I received all the information required through meetings with the uni, other students and the organisation that would be receiving us – African Insight Academy. It was confirmed that I would receive Turing Scheme funding, which is ultimately what facilitated my trip, so thank you to the university for that!


Travelling to South Africa 

I first met my new group of friends, albeit only half of them, on the coach journey from Bournemouth to Heathrow. I took my seat next to Courtney who I very quickly realised would become a true friend, this filled me with confidence for the trip and made me excited to meet the rest of the gang. Upon arriving at the airport, our group grew in numbers, and I got the pleasure of meeting the rest of the group who I would share not only an 11 hour flight with, but the next 2 weeks of my life. Bonding went well at the airport and although our flight was delayed by an hour or two the journey went relatively smoothly.

After landing in Johannesburg and collecting our bags, we were met by our guides Mike and Zama, who would also become new friends. We were divided into 2 groups for the bus journey to our first stay at Ezemvelo Game Reserve. On the way I spotted my first zebra and ostrich, not realising how many more there would be to come!


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