My experience abroad was unlike anything I could experience here in the United States. I was able to fully interact with caracals, servals, ferrets, meerkats, lions, and of course cheetahs. The staff at the conservation were so welcoming that they immediately felt more like a family than coworkers. Additionally, it was incredible how well all of us students got along on this program. The experience was not only great for networking and career-related connections, but I truly feel like everyone on this program is now a close friend.

Our typical day was set up as follows: participate in husbandry for one of the conservation’s animal groups from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, have lunch and a break from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, and then finish husbandry tasks for the other animals from 3:00 pm until 5:30 pm. We would then have dinner and relax before having an early bedtime after a heavy working day. Animal husbandry included preparing meals, walking the animals, cleaning their enclosures, and playing with them as enrichment. On some days we received lectures about cheetahs, learning important facts and history about the species. On other days we would do more fun activities such as watching the sunset, swimming, or hiking.

This program helped me better understand what I want to do with my degree. It was a great way to see what kind of opportunities exist in the environmental studies field, especially concerning animals.

I also was able to work through obstacles and improve on some struggles I deal with quite often. For example, I am a lot less scared of bugs now compared to before I left for my program. Due to my depression, anxiety, and OCD, I did experience some struggles on this program, but I am happy with how I managed them. I was able to speak up for myself as well as work through difficult things when possible. For example, my contamination OCD made it hard to clean enclosures, but I still did my best with it and if certain tasks were too overwhelming, I let the staff know so I could be given something else to do.

The culture in South Africa seems so much more relaxing and slow-paced compared to the U.S. and I really enjoyed that. For as much as we were doing daily, that cultural aspect made it seem way less taxing compared to if we undertook it here in the states.

Overall, my experience is something I will forever treasure. The animal interactions I had as well as the ones with people were never something I personally thought I would experience. I was skeptical that studying abroad was as special as people made it out to be, but they really are. I hope I can return to South Africa and volunteer again someday in the future.

Name: Chloe Frye-Anthony
Status: Senior
Majors: Environmental Studies and Sustainability; Psychology
Hometown: Ypsilanti, Michigan
Program: Cheetah Conservation Internship in South Africa