Category: Student journeys

Camp Manager Week: Tyre Changes, Returning Birds & A Broken Foot

This blog was written by Jess Lind, Bushwise Professional Field Guide student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is part of the experience Read time: 3 min And so it begins on Monday morning and at 4:30 am. The alarm goes off, and somehow I manage to crawl out...

Wild Week as Camp Manager: Exams, Game Drives And Sleepouts

This blog was written by Julian Payne, a Bushwise Professional Field Guide student, during their week as camp manager. Read time: 3 mins This week was a very big week for us on the SAWC campus. It was full of game drives, a big exam, a sleepout and the start of the new semester. This...

Wildlife Adventures and Leadership Lessons

Read time: 3 mins This blog was written by Goodwill Manzini, Bushwise Professional Field Guide student, during their week as camp manager. A little about me  My name is Goodwill. I come from Cottondale Village near Andover Nature Reserve. My passion for wildlife started at a young age because my childhood was surrounded by natural...

The Bushveld Has Its Own Time

This blog was written by Bradley Blouw, Bushwise Professional Field Guide student, during their week as camp manager. Read time: 3 min. A freak cold front passed over the Lowveld this week; apparently it is extremely rare for temperatures to reach below 10° C. I had thought that I’d escaped the harsh Free State winters...

Embracing Change: My Journey to Become a Field Guide

This camp manager blog was written by Ryan Sakinofsky, Bushwise Professional Field Guide student. 3 min read Leaving the City Behind for a Big Adventure Driving down the long, dusty, corrugated road to Mahlahla campus, I felt my life was being shaken up literally and figuratively. I left Johannesburg’s bustling, noisy, dirty streets for a...

Life in the Wild: Embracing Adventure and Discovery in the Bush

This blog was written by Joel Wicks, Bushwise Professional Field Guide student, during this week as camp manager.  The day began at 4 in the morning when my alarm blared throughout my tent and of course woke my roommates long before it affected me. I woke up with my duvet completely off and in shock...

Exploring nature: Change will start with me

This blog was written by Edward Tivana, during his turn as camp manager on the Bushwise Professional Field Guide course. My name is Edward and I’m from Timbavati village. I have been passionate about nature (guiding) since I was young. It started when we used to watch 50/50 on SABC 2 “where you belong” in...

Unveiling the Art of Tracking and Sign: My Experience on Trail

My name is Maddy, I’m 23 years old and from England. Like most people reading this blog, I first fell in love with Africa, its landscapes and wildlife while watching documentaries on TV. And then I was lucky enough to experience it for myself on a safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara in 2009. After leaving...

From South Carolina to South Africa: One Big Adventure

This blog was written by Ashton Thomas, during his turn as camp manager on the Bushwise Professional Field Guide course. My name is Ashton, I am from a small town in South Carolina, USA and I’m eighteen years of age. I came to Bushwise because I have always loved animals; and loved learning about, teaching...

Yours in Conservation: A Story by Kutlwano Mahube

This blog was written by Kutlwano Mahube, Bushwise Professional Field Guide student. 5 min read. How it all began From early as I can remember, I have been surrounded by trees and animals as far as my legs could carry me. See, my father was an administration manager and my mother a tutor at the...