Thorn Amongst Roses.
– Steven Kiley
As I am approaching one month since I’ve left the United States, many great opportunities and adventures have come and gone. From anti-poaching watches in bitter cold overnight conditions to blistering hot rhino tracking, our group has experienced some of the greatest scenarios when it comes to helping protect the rhinos. Some of the adventures were great and some of them I look back on and think, man I’m glad that’s over with. Some of the most inspiring and motivational groups of people I’ve had the privilege to encounter are the rhino orphanage workers.
This team of mostly all young girls and one local man who helps out put their hearts and minds toward helping the orphaned rhinos on a day-to-day basis. My group and I were lucky enough to visit the orphanage and volunteer a day worth of work. We were tasked to split off into two groups with one group cleaning a rhino stable and the other walking the fence line of the orphanage picking up trash and what not. The exhaustion and mentality involved in completing the needed tasks brought a sense of pride in our team and myself. As I was shoveling chunks of moist sand full of urine and feces into the wheel barrel, I caught myself smiling. I take in the fact that at that moment, I am the only guy in the orphanage given the privileged task to help prepare the rhino’s current place to stay. As I would take more and more trips of shoveled sand to the garbage pile, I notice the girl workers walking, feeding, cleaning and shoveling in all corners of the facility. When I would notice the expressions in their eyes, it was always a smile and a laugh. At that moment, I started to smile and forget all of the physical pain and discomforts stepping out of a comfort zone for the day. If all of these girls can dedicate their entire summer to the orphanage, I can absolutely spend a day there.