The real deal

Aloha,
I just wanted to update you all properly, which at the moment involves a rather radical turn of events (that some of you already know about)...

While working at the Sea Life Park I quickly realized something was amiss and I felt kind of out of place, a bit like this giraffe...

I wasn't enjoying myself at all, not because of the staff or other interns (who are all great)- I simply discovered that marine mammal work just isn't for me, at least at a place so commercial.

So I left.

That's not it though. Still wanting to make the most of my time here, have new experiences and get skills, I now do voluntary work at the Honolulu zoo in Waikiki, and I love it. I don't regret my decision to change directions because I am so much happier now, I just didn't tell anyone for a long time because I was ashamed of myself for dropping out and didn't want anyone to judge me. Plus I wanted to get back on track before telling anyone. And now I am.

I work in many areas of the zoo, mainly with the education department, visiting schools, giving tours to children, adults and students, helping out with activity days etc., teaching about conservation, natural history and ecology, etc. Last week we had a Japanese group of animal care students who were with us for 3 days and we did a lot of behind the scenes tours and activities with them, such as doing enrichment stuff for the animals and hand feeding the rhino and giraffes!! I got to feed apples to Kruger, the white rhino, and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done!!!! He is MASSIVE!!! You cue him to open his cake-hole by rubbing his top lip and horn (below).


I'm really enjoying the odd encounters with big animals and I love the feeling of not being able to help grinning (at SLP it was more like work to be grinning maniacally at all the visitors, because my heart wasn't in it)! And I feel like I'm making a difference. On thursdays I work for a brilliant man named Jamison, with some of the reptiles, including all the crocodillians, some of the (huge!) monitors, tortoises and lizards. On fridays I run an education kiosk (with artifacts and stuff on it) in the walk-through African bird aviary where I tell people all about the birds and help them spot them (I can name them all! Below, a buffalo weaver I sketched).

Some of the edu programs are twillight tours and overnight camp outs, and we tour the zoo with red flashlights, it's well cool!!

Anyway there it is. Pics (inc. zoo stuff, bird illustrations, and more 'nalo snaps) will hopefully be on the way soon. Also I apologise for difficulties some of you are having leaving comments on the website, I will try and tweak the settings so you don't have to have your own blog to leave comments.

Oh yes! also last friday we went to a 'white trash bash'- a themed b,day party of one of the SLP trainers, it was really funny seeing everyone dressed up in wife beater vests, baggy jeans or hot pants, fake pregnant bellies, gordy tattoos and trucker caps!! Danielle and Dev picked me up from work at 9.30pm and I got changed in the car on the way (see below)- I smelled so bad 'cos I'd done the morning and night shift at work and in between had bussed downtown to go to a free zoology lecture at the university (free zoology lectures every friday- brilliant!)!!Check out the double mohawk I cut in for Keith!! He loked like he looked just like Keith out of the Prodigy!!

Lots and lots of aloha,

G xx

PS- Mahalo to everyone who has written and emailed me since I've been away, it's great to still be in contact and I love being updated on all the goings on. I'm really missing the changing of seasons, even if the weather is getting scummy in England!