Africa is where the heart is...

So, you think you know Africa?

That was me. I thought I knew. When you know what you don't know, you then realise, you knew nothing.

I’ll let you into a secret, Africa is why I’m here right now, in this job, enjoying my life, feeling happy, healthy and traveling the globe. Might sound a little dramatic, but it’s the truth. I always worked in busy, reactive industries, eventually took their toll on me. I pressed pause in life. I had no forward plans at the time I gave up my employed job. I didn’t stop there either, I decided to sell my house, be a nomad and figure myself out perhaps for the first time ever, away from society - off the grid. That lead me to my first adventure - South Africa working with the big 5 on a Game Reserve in Sidbury (not far from Port Elizabeth).

I arrived a stressed, slightly erratic British girl who had zero control over the day, no idea how to relax or turn it down a notch and to just enjoy the moment! Arriving and wondering what on earth I'd signed up for, for 6 weeks, the real adventure began.

Why am I telling you all this? Because this here became my reason, my why, my game changer!

You don't just visit Africa, you feel it. Living in the moment and opening my eyes for what felt like the first time. I lived out there for 4 months continuing my travels, I of course went for the animals, I mean doesn’t everyone? It’s all about the big five. But, I promise you this, when you return from Africa regardless of the country you decide to visit, you will talk about so much more than the big five

So, you think you know Africa?

Now traveling around 11 countries on this magical continent as a solo female, it became less about the big 5, more about, well everything you see around you! The birds, insects, landscape, stars, sunrises and sunsets, the people, the culture, languages, simplicity of life. We're very good at over complicating, erm, well, just about everything here in the western world. Someone once said to me, ‘the more we have, the more we want’… amen, isn’t that the truth. So, I started to learn that actually, to us looking from the outside at those that have 'nothing', seem to have everything. 

I've never felt less stuck/trapped at life, since. I realised very quickly out there everything can change to your life in a blink of an eye. By that, please don't think I mean for the people of Africa, that's another story, and not mine to tell. But for you and for me (I'm the proof), if you put the work in, you can make anything happen. No more victim attitude, no longer being employed or hell lets put it out there, staying in the dead end relationships! Yawn.

Suddenly my whole life back home became clearer – what I wanted and who I wanted to be. The simple fact is, life should be lived, it's our choices and our own control over our lives that bring us right here to this moment. If you're unhappy, change it. I can hear it now you're already creating the reasons, the excuses that you 'can't'. I'll let you talk to yourselves about that, back to the story.

There’s more to this story of course, but for the sake of characters left and your attention spans - I'll say my business was being born, every minute and day that past me by - I just didn't know it.

Skipping forward some time, many countries and experiences later. Last December my adventures took me to Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar. I want to tell you more, but for now, I wanted to say that, I hadn’t seen nothing yet! This continent just keeps giving.

I slept under the stars, in the wild... in a tent! Wondering what I'd let myself in for yet again - there's a theme here, I turned into such an impulsive person, or perhaps I always was, I just learnt to trust myself more. I'd wrongly assumed there would be armed guards, even a dart gun to hand, but no - completely wild - man vs the night. We had everything you could imagine outside the said tents, from Lions, Buffalo, Hyenas and I dread to think what else. It was exhilarating. Hyenas eyes looking at us the other side of our fire, circling us in the Serengeti, looking for food. The crazy human tourists testing boundaries certainly caught their attention, but as scavengers and wild animals, we were there for the taking. We might be top of the food chain, but we were fair game in their homes.

There are more stories, but for another time... all you need to know is I lived to tell the tales.

So, there’s a saying in Africa ‘for every season there’s a reason’, I went ‘out of season’, and I saw everything! The plains came alive, the soil was drenched in rain fall, the lions were the fattest I’d ever seen, babies being born everywhere I turned, life was relaxed and flourishing. No starvation, dry lands in sight. I even witnessed Wildebeest stroll past 3 lions who were laying down sleeping - so full they just wanted to keep sleeping. I saw very old Elephants who go down into the Ngorongoro Crater to ‘retire’ and be left in peace. Some of the longest tusks I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to Chobe in Botswana, so this was incredible!

Like I say, I want to tell you so much more, but for now, please hold onto these words - you won’t remember the pennies you spent on these once in a lifetime experiences, but you’ll remember how it made you feel and everything shared with the people you love and all you saw.

The best investment and education you give yourselves is to travel, especially to Africa. I hope when you visit you too will come home and think a little differently, be grateful for all you are and all you have.

For more of me - you can also find me on Facebook and Instagram to see where my travels take me to next.

@shara_travel_counsellor