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Saturday, April 24, 2010

I'm home.....






Well the journey is over...for now. I have to say that this trip was one of the best experiences so far in life. I had fun, learned a lot, met many many great people from all around the world, and I believe an even better sense of how lucky we really are. One last thank you to all of you for keeping in touch with me and being so excited about my trip before I left, while I was there and the amazing greetings when I came home. So much happened over 2 weeks that it's hard to capture it all at times which makes me so happy that I was able to share this blog with you. The person who invented this was genius!! That's for you Suzanne.

Highlights:

As an animal lover you can't imagine how it is to wake up every morning and spend it with lions. At times you are walking with them and you lose sense of what you are really doing and then you realize it again and you say "Wow". These animals are big and can be dangerous and powerful but also very loving, affectionate, graceful (most of the time) and oh so beautiful. My time with them has given me a great respect for them.

Spending time at the orphanage and with Virginia's family on the last Saturday was amazing. Tough emotionally at times but you realize that it is such a special moment that you need to pay attention. These people live with so much less then us but at no time do you see them unhappy. They laugh, they dance, they smile. Many thanks go out to Sam, Simba and Virginia for giving us this opportunity to experience things that I have only ever seen on t.v. on my comfortable couch.

To the friends I made...simply amazing. A bunch of crazy people from different parts of the world, different ages and different reasons sometimes for doing this trip, come together and work long days and share the experience of a lifetime. Oh did we laugh!! Sadly the biggest laughs probably came from my African dancing skills!! Hege I imagine that you are still laughing at my video even if you can't see it live. I miss you guys and wish we were all waking up together again for our first morning walk. For those of you still there I hope you are still having an amazing time. For those of you who left I hope you all got home safely...Desna I hope you finally made it home. Joyce you are simply my hero.

Cheers everyone...Bird out!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Last Entry

Hey everyone, so this is my last entry here at Antelope Park. Yesterday was an amazing day at Virginia's parent house. Luckily it was only across the road from one of the exits to the park so it was only a 10 minute drive. It was a little tough though because they are very poor by our definition so some things are a little unbelievable. We danced, sung songs and ate. We started off by just taking a tour of their house and there is very little place to stay. Going to the washroom means going in the bush. Their custom is that men are the superior and can have multiple wives so we met Virginia's 2 mothers. There were 15 children that we played with and I even had my hair braided by one of them. Next we started to dance all together. It was really cool to be a part of their traditions. When it came to the next part of eating the men sat on benches and the women all had to sit on the floor (they wouldn't like our world!!). Two women walk around with a basin for people to wash their hands. The women have to be on their knees. That will be the only time I do that!! We all had a hand in cooking the meal and serving it. Next we went back to playing the the kids and dancing. Oh right that was after the dish washing and wood gathering by the women and children. We also tried a traditional alcohol called Scud...one of the worst things that has ever touched my lips. When we were leaving we all showed our appreciation by giving some money to the man of the house. Oh yeah...there are videos of me dancing and playing the drums.

Today we did bountry patrol on horse back for 2 1/2 hours. Might I say that my backside is a little tender and my arms have wounds from torn bushes....all in a day in Africa. I have been able to spend some time on my last day with the lions too. I made toys for the little cubs today which consisted of plants and elephant poo...yes poo again. Tomorrow I end my morning with Tsavo, Thulani and Meggie before I return to Bulawayo.

Thanks so much everyone for sending me your comments over the last 2 weeks. It was great to read them all. Jordan you made me cry twice!!

Cin, my flight arrives on Wednesday at 6:20 p.m. on AC7693. Please let me if that is o.k. by e-mailing me at v_lalumiere@sympatico.ca.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Well I got sick...


Sorry no update yesterday, I came down with the stomach bug. I spent most of my day in bed but managed to get out for the orphanage visit again. I was taking Imodium for the whole day so I managed to get through the orphanage visit which I was happy about. The older kids this time were at school so we spent time with the younger children. I taught them how to play fish and they basically got it with a few variations! We went to the grocery store afterwards which is always an experience. It's funny to see that all of us end up buying candies, chips and alcohol mostly...great diets. After spending most of the day in bed I was feeling better at the end of the day so I was able to go to dinner which was a special BBQ dinner for us set up outside for just the vols (that what we are called here). They invited a traditional Zimbabwe group to come in and sing and dance for us. We all ended up dancing at the end in traditional dance which is basically swinging your arms and stamping your feet a lot. It was really fun.

Today we are heading into town to visit the house of Virginia. She works in the laundry here and has invited us all over so that we can experience and real African family atmosphere. Now here is Zimbabwe it is custom to have more than one wife so the man of the house actually has 3 wives. They will all be there with all of their children. I think in total there are 15 kids. We are going to eat traditional food and also dance. I'm very excited for this.

We received some good news last night. One of the females started to deliver her cubs last night. As of last night she had one and another was on it's way. We are not sure yet how many cubs she will have but I am hoping that I will get a chance to see them before I leave. I will surely keep you posted.

The picture is of little Meeka...the clown of the group.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

A little news..



Well I thought I would introduce you to a few new characters. First it's JB. His name is actually Jabulanie but we all call him JB. he is one of the lion handlers here and he is fantastic. He is so good with the lions and has taught us all so much. He has been working with lions for 20 years. He is actually trying to make me something to take home...I hope he has time. JB is the one with the feather hat.

The other day we did some of the feedings and we met Milo. Now Milo is one of the angriest lions here!! He is 6 years old and he is a hilarious character. When we were at his enclosure the other day he started to dig to get at us...very scary stuff. One of my friends here Suzanne was challenging his manliness by having her arms over her head and he went nuts and charged the cage. It was funny but I can't imagine what it would be like if you met one of these in the wild. You can see the anger in Milo's face in the picture.

Our last session had to be cancelled yesterday so we played polo on horse back instead. It was so much fun and I hope we get the chance to try it again. We looked a little pathetic but we managed.

This morning we got up at 4 am to listen to the lions roar. We took a drive down to the breeding program where there are 52 lions. It was amazing to hear them all roar at the same time. The ground was shaking it was so loud. The cool thing was that it was still dark so you couldn't see them but when we lay on our backs you could see millions and I mean millions of stars. Around 5:30 the sun started to rise so it was a pink sky and then you started to see their silhouettes with their mouths wide open and their breath. It was so cool.

Well I only have 3 more full days here and then I will be heading home. I am sad about that because I enjoy the days and spending them with the animals but that's life. We just had our evening meeting and the next 2 days are going to be great so stay tuned....bye

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Be prepared for grossness



Ok so this trip isn't all lion bonding, horse riding and elephant training....sometimes it hits a low note. This being meat prep! I don't think that I need to explain this but seeing how many of you like to share in my experience, how can I deny you! Yesterday I had meat prep in the morning which consists of basically cutting up a whole cow into pieces that are managable for the size of the lions that you are feeding. Yesterday we fed a lot of animals so we used the whole cow. We had it a bit easy because the stomach of the cow was removed because they had to see how he died before feeding it to the lions. After the head was removed and each leg and then the rump we were a little bored waiting for transport so we played with the head a little. I must say that I gaged a few times during the proceedure. Mostly at this little piece that somehow I could not handle very well but I was o.k. with playing with the head. The picture is of Hege (from Norway) and me with the head that a lion will eventually eat except for the bone. I have one picture where I made the cow head smile!! That's what happens in Africa.

During the evening we went on a night encounter which is why I didn't have a post yesterday. I only got back at 11 and went straight to bed. You cannot believe how cold it has been during the evenings here. I would say just a few degrees so when we were out last night it was cold. I actually almost fell asleep at one point because I was so bundled up in a blanket and we drive slow so the motion almost made me nod off (sound familiar Jordan). We took 3 lions that are 30 months old out of the enclosure at night for them to hunt. We are in the truck but in the back on benches in the open air. Basically they are full grown females so they are huge. We thought the night would end on a dull note but in the end they caught an impala. I blocked my ears during the screams but it didn't take very long for it to be over.

Jordan,

I'm so glad that you had a great time in NY and Philly. I read your note and got teary eyed that morning. Glad to see that you are able to read everyday. I might try to call but it's a little hard with the time difference.

Sydney/Madison, go to your blog and I will answer your questions.

Bye for now everyone...

Monday, April 12, 2010

The Orphanage





Hi everyone,

I thought I would take the time to send you a few details on our morning at the orphanage. This was incredible. You can't imagine the faces on these kids when we arrived and spent time with them. They were so appreciative of all the things that you all contributed to them. I signed a book to log what I broght which is in the picture. One of the things that I bought with the money was bubbles. 12 bottles to be exact. I handed them out to the other volunteers and the kids went crazy with them. It was a great way to enter into the orphanage and make them feel comfortable. I ended up letting the kids take picutres with my camera and the took around 200. I think I mentioned that before but here are a few examples. I can't wait to show you all a video of one girl who can sign like Alicia Keys...just fantastic and made my hairs rise on my arms. The sad part is that most of these kids lost their parents to Aids and probably have it as well. The amazing thing is that they all smile and laugh when they have so little. When we were leaving one boy called for me through the window and said...Bye Vicky. When I said...see you next week...he gave me the finger gun and winked at me. He is no more then 7 years old. We all laughed so hard in the truck. You will notice as well that one boy took his own self portrait..it ois one of my favorite pictures.

After leaving we got stuck in a huge rain storm and ended up soaking wet. The reason being that 12 of us sat in the back of a truck with matresses layed down for us....very safe!! The truck also got hit but a bus which ended up us sitting at the police station for a bit. I wasn't in it at the time. Might I add this is the same truck that usually holds the dead animals used to feed the lions....nice smell! Anyhow we made it home in one piece.

Well I did meat prep today so stay tuned tomorrow for that update!!

Enjoy!

To Sydney and Madison



Hi Girls,

Thanks for your questions. My favorite thing to do here every day is to walk and pet the lions. We do alot of other things too but that part is the best. It's hard to have a favorite lion because they all have something special about them. The baby cubs are very cute but Meka in particular is a clown. She talks to you every time you walk in by doing this little scratchy roar. She is in the first picture. The other lions that are very friendly are the Tsavo, Thulani and Meggie. They are very used to walking with people and they rub thier head on you just like a cat would except they are big. That is them in the other pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

Bye....Picky

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Here are a few pics...




Thought I would send along a few more pics

Thanks

Thanks for all of your comments. It's great to get them when I check in the mornings. just a little comment makes me smile and feel a little close to home. John/Mike, you will never guess what I'm being called here...Bird. We talked about nicknames one night and my project leader liked it so it's now on the board. Other people are starting to call me that too. The Norwegians call me Wicky though!!

So far today it's a big chilly and misty rain. It's 8:30 and I just got back from a lion walk with some 11 month old cubs who are just getting used to human contact. It's great to see the little progress each time as they are developing. Today I was about a foot behind the male which doesn't seem like a lot when you can touch some of the other ones but it's actually huge. Also just them following and not having to chase them is a big thing. I will be working on fencing for the new enclosure after breakfast and then I'm supposed to be off for the afternoon. You soon learn though that be off is worse then cleaning poo. You kind of feel useless so everyone ends up still doing something. The nice thing is that you then get to choose what you want to join in on....of course it's always with the lions.

I will try to post a video or pics later. I can only do that from one pc and its occupied at the moment.

Talk later.

Saturday, April 10, 2010




Hey everyone,

I had a great day today. We woke up at 4 a.m. and went on a lion hunt. Basically we let out 4 of the big lions and we follow them in a truck to see if they kill on their own. There were some definite possibilities but no kill today. Usually these guys get a kill but not today. Amazing to see them in hunting mode. Afterwards we went over to the local orphanage and visited with the children for 2 hours. It was amazing to do but I did get a little misty eyed at one point. I ended up giving them my camera, video camera and ipod and they went crazy taking pictures...230 in total. This one girl could basically have a contract for signing tomorrow that's how good she was. Some of the kids did have signs of nasal infections and Scabies but they all were smiling and playing. I can't wait to go back there next Saturday.

We've been having a really good time as a group as well. We also have 4 cats here that we feed everyday and sometimes they sleep with us. We have Taz, Fatty (he's ok with this!!), Isabelle and Anti-christ. AC is a little crazy and unpredictable hence the name!!

We off to a lion walk..i think. We are being pelted on by a rain storm again so we will see.

Vick

Friday, April 9, 2010

Hi Vicky,

Your stories are amazing, can not believe that you are playing with so much poo! I hope you have good access to a washing machine. Can't wait to see other pictures. We all looked at your blog today and we are eager to hear more stories. What was the name of the lion that slept in your hands? Good morning to you and the cubs. Big hugs Lucie and Angelique

Just another day in Africa...


Hey everyone,

Well the weather at night has improved so we have had now 2 days access to the internet. That is huge here :) As you can see I can also add in some photos so enjoy. I have to say that so far the one consistant thing in my day is poo...that's right poo. Elephant cleaning on the first days which resulted in having it up my back and in my eye...I know sexy! Horse poo yesterday and lion poo today. Now according to everyone here lion poo is the worst. Apparently when you eat just meat and then the carcases are laying around it sticks. That's what I look forward too today...is anyone jealous right now??? It's 8 a.m. right now and I have already worked with the elephants. Needless to say i managed to stay clean for a whole 10 minutes as I am sitting here typing with ele spit all over me...just another day in Africa.

Yesterday was wonderful as I worked with the horses and then we went out for a ride in the afternoon. On our ride we saw wilderbeasts, antelopes and zebras. Well spiders too but I don't want to talk about that. During lunch I managed to spend about 10 minutes with the babies which is always wonderful. One of them slept in my hands. We also went out with the big lions yesterday which was unbelievable. I'm not sure how we do it but we do. You do have to very careful now and these 2 lions are now retired as they are too big and too dangerous now for that.

Anyhow, breaky time and then off with the babies. Just another day in Africa.

vick

Thursday, April 8, 2010

I'm still alive...this might be a little long!!

Hi Everyone,

o.k. to start off we had a wicked storm 2 days ago that took out the power. We have been running on generators but we couldn't use the computer so everyone has been going a little willy ever since!! BTW, you may see me use British slang now because I have been engrosed in it.

To recap: Since arriving in Bulawayo, I ended up staying with the mother of the lodge owner because he didn't have room that night at the lodge. It was interesting but I couldn't stay awake after 6:30 so i headed off to bed. The next day I had to jump on the local bus to get here. A whole 2 white people and man did we stick out with our luggage. Needless to say I sat in the front out of fear!! In the end it was fine and i made it to Gweru. At the stop I was hoping to see someone and sure enough Simba was there. Not the lion from the Lion King but my group leader. It was only a 10 minute ride to base camp so all was good.

Now what have I been doing: Well every day we are up at 6:00 and get ready for our first job of the day which is at 6:30 sharp. Everything is very punctual here which feeds my OCD very well. We eat at 8:30 and then we have another task from 9:30 to 12:00. We eat lunch and then we have two more tasks in the afternoon. We have a staff meeting at 6:30 to know what we will do the next day and then we are done for the day. The evening usually consists of supper which we all dig into and then sitting by the fire or in the volunteers lounge. Staying up is a challenge since the days are long and tough.

What have been some of my activities so far: Elephant cleaning, elephant rides, horse training and riding today, tour of the phase 2 site, and snake training. Did i mention that during the elephant cleaning I got some in my eye and all the way up my back. It's a story that i keep thinking of. Now the lions....I have lion walks everyday and sometimes a few times a day. I have been with the little cubs that are only a few months old, 11 month old, 15 month old and today I will be walking with full grown lions. It is incredible!! It's actually unbelievable that you walk and touch these lions. With one group, which we call the TM's, you can walk with them and have their tail in your hand. We sat with two lions that are new yesterday and not quite used to people interactions. Basically we call this cub sitting and we want to get them used to human contact so that they eventually go on walks.

Well there is a big cue for the computers so I will sign off now and get one again later with hopefully a few pics.

Bye from Zim

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Reading you

Hi Vicky,
Happy to know you finaly got to Zimbabwe. Be carefull and enjoy. Can wait to hear some more and see pictures!
Big hugs
Lucie

Monday, April 5, 2010

I'm still alive....

Hey everyone, I have made it safely to Gweru, Zimbabwe. 5 flights, 1 night stay with a lady in Bulawayo and a community bus right to the park...phew! Although there were many flights they all went farely easy. It only cost $25 on Air Canada to bring the box but no other charges the whole way through. I arrive today at the park and settled in. I had an orientation and a tour around the breeding grounds where I saw about 25 mature lions. Some we could even touch...not many though!! I am off soon to do my first walk with lions that are about 15 months old. I'm a little nervous but I'm sure it will be fine...I hope (keeping my fingers tucked in!!). The grounds are beautiful and I will try to post pictures shortly. it's very hot and sticky but many ways to cool off.

Friday, April 2, 2010

The day is finally here...

It's 8:00 a.m. on Friday and I am just finishing my packing. It has become apparent that I will probably have to pay money for the weight of my baggage :( I don't care though because I am so excited right now. The excitement was a little side tracked last night when disaster struck for a several hours in the evening. The story goes....Jordan is leaving for the US for the long weekend and I am dropping him off at Vanier college in St-Laurent. After getting there early (shocking I know) and sitting 45 minutes in the car Jordan realizes before getting on the bus that he forgot his passport at home. That's right...you can pretty much forget clothing on your body but you cannot forget your passport. We do not have enough time to get home and get back to the bus. What happens next you ask??? Well I have to drive him to the US border to catch up with the bus!! I then realize that I have to pass Canada security and I don't have a passport!! Oh my....my poor little nerves. They were really nice though and understood...phew! After leaving the house at 7 and returning at midnight I just passed out. Oh yes and my tank becomes empty on the way just around the point where civilization doesn't exist for awhile.

Oh well....I made through and I can giggle now...sort of.

See you all in Africa!!