My journey to as a volunteer in Cape Town, South Africa: The time of my life.
From September to November, I was a volunteer at DARG, a rescue center for neglected or injured dogs and cats. I chose this project on the one hand of course to help, but on the other hand for the experience to help me . I had dream of becoming a vet afterwards, so I was also seeing whether I would enjoy working the whole day with animals or not.
And yes, I did! I enjoyed it very much! I handled every single difficult dog: the one who doesn’t like women, the one that bites you when you give it treats, and also the dog with the record for biting the most people. I learned so much about the way dogs think and their behaviour and I am sure it will contribute to me becoming a good vet! I basically found my passion in working with dogs.
And of course my adventure was not just working, but also enjoying beautiful Cape Town, my new home. At least it is where my heart is. I had an awesome host mother that helped me organize trips and who gave me many ideas. Also, I found amazing friends, the kind of friends you know you will visit in the years to come. People from all over the world have been part of my journey: South Africans, Brazilians, Swiss, Italians, Polish and Germans.
With those people I had so many adventures, for example driving the garden route, shark cage diving, bungee jumping, safari driving, snorkeling with seals and standing face to face with cheetahs, elephants and eagles.
I ran my first half marathon, hiked Table Mountain three times, climbed Lions Head two times and all the twelve Apostles. These are just a few examples – I was busy day and night! I only missed Devil’s Peak, but I did this on purpose: I still need something to do on my next stay in Cape Town! I had the best three months of my life, and I can recommend South Africa to anyone reading this. It is a wonderful country and has so much to offer. You won’t regret it, for sure!