The Nomadic Veterinary Nurse!

First of all I need to apologise for the blog post,  I have no idea how it will look since I'm writing from my phone. ..Internet on the computer didn't work...yaay!

 

Where shall I start...well Friday afternoon came after alot of last-minute things had to be fixed, and I got a ride to the central station in Uppsala, Sweden by my lovely housemate Lovisa! I hopped on the bus to Arlanda airport and went to check in. For some mysterious reason my luggage was only booked to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. ...lovely. so after a.few technical fixes it was fixed but I was told to double check while in Ethiopia. 

 

The first flight was around 9 hours and normally when I flight over night I can sleep decent, but this time? NO! So I watched movies, listened to music and stared in front of me...

Arrived in Ethiopia and went straight to my gate! Border 30 min later and got it confirmed that my bag was on board!

This flight was only 5 hours and I ended up next to a really nice guy from Austria named Ben! We talked the whole way about traveling! Landed in South Africa at 13.15 local time and got my luggage really quick. Was picked up by people from the farm and drove for 2 hours, stopped at the supermarket Spar so I could buy washing powder, cream soda (omg I have missed it so bad!), coffee and other essentials!! Went to the farm and when we open the gate Zaheli is right there. I just jumped out of the car and called her. She looked up right away but sceptical, she moved away at first but then something clicked and she came a date let me pet her!

 

I went to my chalait (got the same one I always live in) and unpacked. It's a strange feeling , feeling at home and falling into routines immediately. 

I had dinner, showered and went to bed, I was so tired!!

 

Today my alarm went off at 6, I went up, made coffee and oats and ate it to the sound of lion roaring! Then I went for the morning meet-up and started my day. It's a lot of new animals now and I'm trying to grasp who is getting food when! So in the mornings I feed Zaheli, then the Kudu babies and the blesbookies and the impalas. Then I go on with giving the Liger his milk and cuddle a bit with him and the 3 leopards. 

I feed the monkies oats and fruits, clean the ostriches enclosure,  check on the bigger cubs, give tortoises food and water and pet the dogs!

 

Then it's tea time! I have a cup of coffee and relax, updating Facebook haha!

 

After tea-time it's cleaning time!! I clean with all the meerkats, nosebears, mongoose, leopards and guinea fawls. Change all the water and look so everyone is fine :)

 

Then I usually have time to cuddle and brush Zaheli, play with the leopards and the dogs for a bit, then I eat lunch cooked by a lady at the farm!

 

After lunch we go to cut fresh lusern with the tractor, rake it up and put into bags. I feed Zaheli and the kudos with lusern and the rest goes in the walk-in fridge!

 

We feed the liger, Zaheli and impalas milk again and take some of the animals in for the night.

Then feeding the meerkats meat, clean the kitchen and voila, day over!

I'm so tired after a workday that I could fall asleep standing up...but that shower and dinner is the best thing ever!!

 

Now I am going to bed before I fall asleep outside my chalait!!

 

At the moment I can't upload pictures due to crappy connection...hope to fix that soon. If you want to see pictures of what I do please feel free to add me on snapchat: girlonfire1215 or on facebook: Filippa Hertzberg!

 

 

LOVE / F

Everyone says they envy me, they too want my energy, my drive, passion and determination. They too want to live a nomadic life.

 

So I stand infront of the mirror, yet I can´t find any of those characteristics. All I see, staring back at me is alost soul in search for who she is, but that is well hidden under a fasade of strength, courage and determination. I can´t show the truth to anyone - but one, the woman in the mirror. She knows, she feels and she cries. 

 

I´m only 23 years old, and yet I sometimes feel I´ve lived a lifetime... or two. I´ve known sorrow, losses, heartbreaks, failures, mistakes and regrets, but I have also had happiness, freedom, laughter, love and trust. All of that one is supposed to experience in this game called life.

 

Sometimes I miss the times when it was okay to just be me, when I would have the peace to just sit and read a book, take a walk or write, today those things I loved the most, are becoming a rarity in my life. And it feels like all I can do is sit by and watch.

 

I see all of my friends plan for their lives, and it hurts me because I know I probably won´t be a big part of it because of my lifestyle. Sometimes I envy their stability, their longing for a house to settle in, for pets and even kids. I envy their love for a normal life, yet I know that if given the opportunity to a life like that, I would suffocate, and drown. 

 

I know of the saying "wake up tomorrow and be who you want to be, no matter who you were today", and by any higher powers I need that to be true. I need to know I´m making my life, not that my life is making me into someone I might not want to be. 

 

I wonder how many sunsets in different corners of the world I´ll see and will I ever grow tired of that majestic by Mother Nature created phenomena?

How many oceans´water will cover my body and how many winds in other continents will blow through my curly hair?

How many lips will I kiss before I find the lips I want to kiss forever and how many full moons will I see, before I know who I want to be?

How many places will I come to call home and how many animals will leave their print in my heart?

Will I do good in this world, will I bring happiness to people and animals? Will I make a difference, maybe leave my mark?

 

None of these questions can be answered today, tomorrow or even in a few years, yet this is what is going through my mind while packing up my life...once again.

 

I´m leaving another place I´ve started to call home, but this time it´s different, I´m not only leaving a place, I´m leaving people I love, a life as a student and 95% of my belongings behind. All this to take a chance at a life I want, but don´t know very much about...and THAT scares the living crap out of me!

 

 

And I also have the best of friends, that comes with ideas,help me figure stuff out and supports me when I doubt myself, without these people in my life I would be nothing of the woman I am today!

 

Love / F

Hi guys and SORRY for the complete worthless lack of updates. I have my last big course at the moment (advanced anesthesiology) and it takes up every moment of my day.... I have a huge written exam the 22nd and I really need to pass it since I won´t be in the country to re-take the test in april.

 

It´s only 12 days until I board a flight back to South Africa and I will stay for around 6 weeks, which will be so amazing and hopefully I´ll learn a lot this time to, and best of all is that I´ll get time to spend with my giraffe <3

 

I have booked my flight (and paid for it so my bank account and I are officially not friends), I have packed my bags, and the last of my stuff and will send 5 more boxes down to my mother then I´m done!

I have nothing else, I now own 1 HUGE suitecase (a new and pretty one that I bought 2 weeks ago), 1 old a bit smaller normal suitecase and 1 backpacking backpack haha. That´s it.... and when I´m done with the work this summer I will only have the backpack when I go back to South Africa. It´s crazy when I think about it because I have NO idea what use I´ve had for all of the stuff I had...I have almost nothing left, some study books, a few novels, clotes and some skin and hair products. What did I need all other stuff for?? It truly is a relief to not have shelves and cabinets full anymore...

 

I have ordered an international drivers license so i can drive legally down there and I have booked a time for boosting my rabies vaccine and I think I am done. now all I have to do is try to find more ways to get money for traveling and wildlife vet courses!

 

It feels so great to finally have a plan, and the fact that I will soon be finished with my university studies for now does feel damn good :D!

 

I will try and post more during the week but it will be the most hectic week of my life....

 

/ Love F