Caitlynn

How many people do you know can say they’ve potty trained a wombat?  Not many, I suspect.  Several years ago, I did just that.  I dropped everything, booked a flight halfway across the world to Australia, and spent a month and a half in the bush volunteering on a wildlife reserve. 

The days were long, and I started working before sunrise and ended well past the sunset.  My duties included nursing orphaned wallabies and wombats, cleaning pens, preparing food for several hundred animals, cooking dinner for other volunteers, and assisting in the medical treatment of several injured animals.  After only a week, I was awarded the responsibility of being in charge of the other volunteers as well as taking human and animal food inventory. 

The bush definitely lacked the comforts of home.  I slept in a hot, sweaty room in a tiny trailer while hundreds of bugs I’d never heard of swarmed around and bit me in the middle of the night.  We were a good two hours from the nearest town, and at least four hours from a real grocery store.  Internet and phone reception were nonexistent, and showers were limited to three minutes and only allowed every few days.  Poisonous spiders and deadly snakes lurked in the tall grasses, ready to bite.

The animals on the reserve, aside from the endangered wombats and wallabies, included black cockatoos, galahs, sugar and squirrel gliders, red kangaroos, wallaroos, several species of lizards and snakes, chickens, cows, horses, dogs, and cats.  The other volunteers were from all over the world, so not only did I learn a lot about animals I’d never encountered before, but also about different cultures.     

It was one of the most random experiences of my life, but I think it says a lot about who I am.  I can sometimes be rather impulsive, and love to experience new things.  I’m also very independent, and an extremely hard worker.  I’m extremely fascinated by animals and nature, and truly enjoy volunteer work.  In addition, I think it shows how easily adaptable I can be. 

Attached are two photos.  The photo above is of me and two eight month old baby wombats, Fox and Sleep.  The photo below is of a baby wallaby joey named Scooter, sitting in my lap.