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Up until the end of November 2019, the furthest I had been from my island state of Tasmania, Australia was the North Island of New Zealand. However, despite barely having left my small corner of the world, I always thought I had a decent understanding of it, in its entirety. I thought reading a few books on philosophy, watching reruns of David Attenborough and taking a few legal classes gave me the right to make judgments in the state of the world. My problem, which is now blindingly clear, is that I was living in a cage of ignorance. So, I did what any self-righteous, middle class Australian does when they too make this discovery. I signed up for a volunteer program. A flyer on the back of a toilet door at the University of Tasmania was all I need to take the leap into the unknown. For nine months I worked harder than I had ever worked before. I was determined that in November I would be on a plane and on my way to the other side of the world. It was important that the program I went with gave me the chance to make a real impact; it had to challenge me and, it had to be in South Africa. The volunteer program I chose was the South African Project with Reach Out Volunteers. Not only did it give me the opportunity to live and work on a Big 5 Game Reserve, I was also able to make a lasting impact for a community near St. Lucia, a beautiful town on the East Coast of South Africa. My team consisted of five other wonder women! On Somkhanda Game Reserve, we helped find and remover poacher snares, track and monitor endangered Rhinos, measure boar holes, and even do a spot of gardening for the workers who live on site. On project we spent our days building the foundation of a classroom and making hundreds of bricks by hand, in order to provide shelter and a free education for the most deserving children. From beginning to end we were completely immersed in African Culture. We visited a Zulu village where we were introduced to one of the oldest cultures in the world. At night we evaded the local Hippos, whilst trying the local cuisine. For fun we swam with Sharks, and took a lesson on how vital they are. We would fall asleep to the sound of Hyenas and wake up to the roar of Lions. It was the ultimate African Experience and I can guarantee it will be one of the most rewarding trips I will ever take. The discovery of my own ignorance was both enlightening and astounding. It turns out that the world is not in a book, or on a show, or in a classroom. It certainly wasn’t in my dreams. And it is abundant in complexities that I may never fully comprehend. Which is okay. I have much to learn, this is true. What I do know is that I am very eager to begin.