So soon

Mole Cricket

So last week was a few game drives and the botany practical, it came out to about 25 different trees, grasses, flowers and shrubs that we had to go through. Aside from that we had a Kruger trip and we spent 8 hours in the car driving here and there, my group saw all the big 5 so it was a good week all in all.

This week has been the start of the main exam for this year, level one starts Friday morning and covers all the modules and material we've gone over these last three months, so most of these last few days has just been going over this material. We've had a few game drives this week and a few good sightings, and this week will end with a few of us going down the day after finals to watch Avengers 2 at the cinema, which is about 2 hours away but should be worth the trip. It's almost the end of this coarse and the start of placement, so alot is riding on Friday and the practical drive the Tuesday after. As much as I like reading about the bush it does take quite a bit of the time I would spend out in it exploring so I'm really looking forward to moving on and being able to experience as much as I read. But nothing really beats going to sleep hearing lions roaring in the evening, and waking up to them again in the morning.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Third Week Off

So this is almost the end of this off week, I went up with two friends up to the coastal city of Durban which is a 9 hour drive away. We stayed at a great hostel about 20 minutes from the city center, it had two rock swimming pools next to a balcony that looked out over the beach.

The main reason for this trip was to jump into the water with these oceanic black tip reef sharks, we got to spend a full hour with them in the water and it was just the three of us and the guides. We jumped quietly into the water and hung onto a wooden beam that had a chum bucket dropping like an anchor about 5 meters below us, this bout them around us and some times the skipper would toss in sardines and this kept them happy enough to stay near waiting for a snack. We had a underwater camera and video camera so a video will be coming soon. This was one of the best things since I came out here.

Besides that we just went to the mall and enjoyed a movie in a real cinema, and some nice home cooking or grabbing pizza to sit on the beach.

This next week is a tree focus until the practical exam which is on a list of 60 different species we need to ID and know the scientific names. And the week after is the start of major studying for the final FGASA exam which is what we've been working towards. After that it's not all over though, there is also a practical drive to complete in early May and at the end of May is the Trails guide exam which is the last test and the last thing I need to complete for walking safaris along with the Rifle certification. So getting ready for the final sprint.

Rifles and roadtrips

This week was the Advanced Rifle Handling (ARH) tests, which is a timed and accuracy based test for walking safari guides. It's hard enough by it's self but a bit harder being left handed using a right handed rifle. There was a blind folded exercise of loading and unloaded, three rapid shots at 15 meters, 10 meters and 5 meters. Then if you do that then it's a misfire simulation and then a mock stationary buffalo charge at 12 and 8 meters. And all that ends with a mock lion charge being reportedly pulled at real time speed.

The video is posted here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GoFWIHIL3E

During a night drive

This marks the start of the next off week which make only about 4 weeks left until the final exams, all the pre-tests are finished now so it's revising and getting ready for the practical drive assessment. Really just three more things to finish and then off for placement on reserve, the place lined up is called Leo and it is research based meaning instead of guests it's volunteers and it's alot of animal tracking, ID and monitoring, if it's half as good as it looks it'll be very very good.



This week it's down for a few day in the coastal city of Durban, hopefully for some shark swimming.

The end is nigh

 This past week has been, yet again, very busy, but on the plus side all the bookish exams have finished as of yesterday morning. All that is left is the practicals and the one final in a few weeks and then it's off to work. This week was SA history and culture along with conservation into and fresh water fish; on top of that was a few mock assessments and some rifle practice getting ready for the ARH (Advanced rifle handling) that we do this coming week. If I get the ARH then I can do walking safaris and take guests or volunteers out on foot, which is a completely different experience from the vehicle. So I am hoping it all goes well, but it is one of the more difficult guiding qualifications with blindfolded exercises, dummy rounds and a mock lion charge (which is pulled towards you at real life speed of 10 meters per second, and you get one shot).

Black Shouldered kite

So it's now basically a month of revising and study until the final but hopefully a little more free time to add in a few hobbies here and there. Still lots to learn but hopefully I'll be able to get through at lease a chapter in a novel or actually have time to sit and watch a movie.

Have a few more pictures to go through since so much time was taken up this week. My team won the birding contest with 136 ID in 4 days.