So what am I actually doing?

In just over a week I will be hopping on an absurdly early plane and flying all the way to Johannesburg, South Africa. From there I will travel an hour or two to a place called the Dell Cheetah Centre, just outside the town of Parys, which is where I will call home for the month of February.

I'm lucky enough to be participating in a Cheetah Re-Introduction Project run by African Impact. I will live at the centre with other volunteers and be responsible for cleaning and maintaining the enclosures, preparing meat, exercising and feeding the cheetahs and monitoring any cubs (fingers crossed!!). On top of that, the most exciting part is the daily 'cheetah time' where I will get to spend time interacting with the resident cheetah every afternoon.

The project has been established to help save these amazing creatures. It was initially set up as a breeding facility but has now been expanded to a reintroduction programme to try and combat the rapidly declining wild cheetah populations.

I'm hugely excited, if a little nervous, about setting off on this adventure. I have set up this blog as a platform to share my experiences and photos with my family and friends, as well as the children and teachers at HVS :)

Please feel free to comment and question as much as you like - I'll enjoy the virtual company! However bear in mind that the internet service may not be quite what I'm used to, so I'm not sure yet how regularly or thoroughly I'll be able to post. Also, this is my first blogging experience and I'll be learning on the go - so be kind!