Alone in Africa

By Jessica Teare

Cape Town, South Africa, March 29th.

What was I thinking... booking a flight to South Africa alone? At the age of 18? Honestly, at that point I didn’t know what I had voluntarily got myself into. But now, I can hand on my heart say, that it was the best thing I’d done in my life.

I booked a 3 weeks volunteering course with the WhiteShark company, collecting data, cage diving and helping on boat trips with clients in a town called Gainsbaai. I hardly had an idea what I was signing up for. All I knew is that I wanted to educate myself on Marine Life, the Environment, and the Culture.

I booked my adventure on the first of January 2019, “New Year, New Me” and all that. Only one emotion was present at the time and I was SO excited. A month went by and reality started to kick in, I was one month closer to embarking on the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done. To travel alone, way out of my comfort zone, to one of the top four most dangerous places in the world. Don’t always believe what you are told.

When it came to packing, I was blind, and had NO idea what to pack, what to wear, how much money to take... I had barely any advice at all and all I knew was that it was their summer period so heat was definitely expected! Bonus! I packed plenty of tops I didn’t really care about, a couple of day dresses, shorts, a few trousers, some jumpers and all my toiletries. I knew that I’d be working on the boats most days so waterproof’s were compulsory, even though I did look like a bin bag. I also took a mini first aid kit, containing plasters, a couple of bandages, and some anti-bacterial wipes just incase! You can never be too careful. When in Cape Town, I stayed in a little hostel about a ten minute walk to the seafront, and it was Calle Atlantic Point Backpackers. This was before my trip to the quieter part of Africa called Gansbaii.

I have so much more to add to the story of my time alone in South Africa, so stay tuned for more!