The Cirlce of Life

I love the Lion King. My sister and I even had matching Simba and Nala t-shirts when we were little; we wore them to do our Barbie Workout exercise video...but that's another story. The only reason I mention the Lion King is because there will probably be a shameless reference to that movie somewhere in this post. I thought you should be prepared.

So with with that said, I give you my trip to Kruger National Park:

My mom and brother came to South Africa to tour around a little before I had to return home. The Kruger National Park was top on our list. This park is big. Really big. 7,523 square miles big to be exact. We were only able to see a small part of it; but even so we were introduced to some of the greatest beauties of my life.

Whenever I say the word "safari" I assume that your minds will conjure images of big trucks and men in hats, khaki shorts, and long socks; and those tour options are available. However, the majority of our trip was spent in our own car driving down whichever road caught our fancy, and hoping that we would see something wild or exotic as we went.

We were royally fortunate.

I do not have the time to recount each wonder that we were a part of. I will focus on the highlight of our trip instead. On our third day after hours of driving and seeing nothing but trees, rocks, and impala the frustrations of being in a car with the same company were beginning to take a toll. We were nearing our destination for that evening and it seemed as though we wouldn't see much before that point. Then an old man drove past and motioned for us to roll down our window, he told us that up the road were three lionesses hunting.

We hadn't seen a single lion yet and the news alone was enough to change our mood, and fill us with new excitement. Another three minutes of driving and we saw the first lioness on our left side. She was close enough that if I really wanted to I could have thrown my muffin out the window and hit her, and I have terrible aim. She was strong, focused, and absolutely captivating. Every muscle in her body was tense and every move she made calculated. For me the most impressive thing was to watch her walk. I instantly understood why lions are considered royalty. She walked with power and command. She knew her purpose and nothing could distract her.

Eventually we left her and drove up a little further to find the game she was pursuing. Our hope was that if we were patient enough we may be audience to the grand event, the chase. Another few minutes passed before second lioness appeared on our right. She was equally as determined as the first. The row of cars were not to annoy her, in fact she used their camouflage to her advantage. Slowly and meditatively she made a large circle around until she was facing the unknowing zebras from the opposite side of her partner. She kept low to the ground using her surroundings to hide herself. Her movements we so quick and perfect that if you blinked you would lose sight of her.

All that was left to do was wait. The row of cars had turned off their engines, the cameras had stopped flashing, everything was silent. The anticipation was tangible. Then it came, the roar. You think it would sound familiar after all those discovery channel specials, but it didn't. I can't even explain the sound. It pricked my heart more than it did my ears. It was the part that lingered as the scene in front of me became a blur. The zebras reared and bolted with the lioness at their heels. In a matter of seconds their direction led them to a small valley which concealed them from our sight. A sort of gurgling sound followed, confirming their death, and the end of the chase.

It was an emotional experience. One that all of us felt the need to retell over and over in different ways before our minds and hearts had fully processed it. For me the roar is still the part that stirs me most, the signal that the chase had begun. It was issued with a type of confidence and tenacity that I was unfamiliar with. There was no doubt that she would kill, but even so it wasn't a violent or hateful sound like a war-cry. It was just bold confidence that filled the space.

The next night was our last in the park, and I found myself sitting outside wrapped up in a blanket thinking about all the different things I had seen and been a part of. Not just on the trip, but in my time in South Africa on the whole.

(Now is where I shamelessly incorporate Disney into my life) As I was sitting out there I noticed that Pumba was wrong in his description of the night sky in Africa. It is not bluish-black. It is utterly and completely black. The darkness of it made the stars seem brighter. The stars are different as well. I started by looking at just one star; and at first I thought it was an airplane because it was blinking so frequently. Not so. The stars in Africa don't just shimmer, they truly twinkle just like the song says. I have admired many different night skies, but this was drastically different. I didn't even realize that such a sky could exist outside of music, movies, or literature.

It was a little overwhelming to be surrounded my so much beauty. Especially when my next thought came in the voice of Mufasa:

"You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become."

Try putting that phrase to context in your own life, it's a little trippy and disheartening. But, as I was coming to the end of my grand adventure it was nice to be reminded that I have so much potential to be great. I don't have time to be distracted and forget who I am or what I am capable of becoming.

So in that moment I decided that I want to be like Simba after his glorious self-actualization when he's running through the desert to claim his rightful place and destiny...a choir singing me on wouldn't be too bad either.

Somewhere in my childhood I must have done something good

Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what I possibly could have done to deserve all the amazing things that happen in my life. I am a truly blessed girl and am tremendously grateful for all the wonderful experiences I have had during my first month here in South Africa.

Yesterday was another one of those times when I had to sit back and wonder why I am so lucky. I woke up, got ready, and was out the door with Christine before the sun was up. We were heading out on my first ever game drive. I was specially invited to join a group of older people from the church for this activity. This may seem a little bit lame to some people, but I adore older people. They’re cute, kind, and always have the best stories. This group was no exception.

As we got to the park we were promptly greeted by a scavenging warthog. Then we boarded a huge safari truck and were off. Now don’t get too excited, this wasn’t the true wild, it was a game park. The animals all had their specific areas, and though each area and the park itself was vast we could still see the electric fences. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was exciting.

We saw ostriches, wild dogs, lions, cheetahs, white rhino, buffalo (which are nothing like bison), and then some zebra were in the backgrounds in some of the areas we drove through.

DID YOU KNOW?

- Female ostriches are grey and male black, this serves as camouflage for their shifts to guard the eggs (females during the day and males during the night).

- Wild dogs are led by a bitch (not my word, the safari man’s), the alpha female. She is the only female of the pack who is allowed to mate and her pups are the primary concern of the entire pack. Everything they do is to cater to the pups.

- White lions are the result of a recessive gene, they are not albino. They only differ from brown lions in their fur and eye color; and because of the different eye coloring they do not have night vision. There are also no white lions in the wild. Brown lions kill them almost immediately after birth because their distinct white fur gives away the location of the pride and makes hunting difficult. That’s right ladies and gentleman, lions are racist.

- Cheetahs can run fast, shocker. The fastest recorded time is 117 km/h. However they can only maintain their high speeds for a very short time. Cheetahs are also kind of weak. Apparently you can wrestle one to the ground no problem.

See how fun that was? Now don’t you want to endorse “Jari’s Safari” as a children’s TV show? I would.

Anyway, other highlights of the day included playing in a “den” with lion cubs and watching a cheetah run at top speed. These animals are all so gorgeous it’s a little overwhelming. When you see them up close their eyes are so big it feels like they’re looking into your soul. Their fur is so thick and so matted, but for some reason it feels soft. They’re just majestic, no way around it. So there you have it. I think I can officially say I’ve visited Africa.

(Stay tuned, I may find a way to put my pictures on facebook. This is an exciting day!)