My journey to the elephants

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Hello everybody,

A travel blog...where do I start? Let me start with a quick introduction! I am Anke Bakens and I am 29 years YOUNG and I am from the Netherlands but currently living in South Africa. That is done and now over to the real work....
As so many I always stayed in the comfort of my comfort zone, it was not that I did not have any goals or ambitions, I was just scared. Scared to leave my security, friends, my job and well....all that I knew. After dreaming for all these years I took matters in my own hand and I made the decision to go for it!
I have always known that I wanted to make a difference in the world of wildlife and living in the Netherlands that meant moving to another continent. Making the decision is one thing but actually making the right decision is a whole other thing. Once my mind was made up I found ideas coming to me as much as there are raindrops falling from the sky in the Netherlands.
It is strange that as soon as you make that decision everything will fall in its place and you wonder "why did I wait this long?" It is easy to say that the time was not right yet but how did I know it was the right time now?
It is not that I wanted to run away from home nor was I looking for a party holiday....I was ready to chase my dream! I had the worst flight ever but landing on South African ground soon made me forget about the last 14 hours and I felt (besides the sweaty travel smell) on top of the world!
I arrived at Cheetah Outreach in Stellenbosch with the lady how had picked me up from the airport. I don not think there could have been a better person to pick me up and to welcome me into South Africa. Cindy is the person who I want to be when I come to terms with all that I still have to deal with (becoming ME has been a bumpy journey).
From day 1 I felt welcome and a part of the Cheetah Outreach team, a dedicated bunch of hard working people with a huge love for cheetahs. I stayed here for 5 months and had a fantastic time working as a volunteer and actually giving back to these amazing but highly endangered majestic big cats.
I have to go, I am being kicked out of the office, but I will keep you updated on my travel adventures!
Lots of Love Anke

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