Deepest Darkest Africa

At the moment I am completely undecided about almost everything in my life, mostly because of the uncertainty of my job. I know I have about 6 weeks left on my current contract, but after that I have absolutely no idea. There is a good chance that I will be able to stay on with the Devil Program, but I feel like I need to move on and do something different before I get completely trapped in it. I'm applying for jobs all over the country, but I have no idea where I'm going to end up. The job is more important than the location for me at the moment. I've been looking at the current holes in my resume and I've decided that I need to focus on getting some demonstratable experience with public interaction/public education so I'm applying for jobs that will fill that gap, but they are the sort of job that I can only imagine wanting to stay with for 6 months to a year and then I'll be applying for jobs again.

But applying for jobs is boring, and your mind (and your internet browser) inevitably wander. So, now I find myself seriously considering doing a short term volunteering trip to Africa. Its going to take me a while and some serious discussion with my family to make the decision, but I found some really cool sounding wildlife conservation volunteering oppurtunities covering most of Africa. The one working on a wildlife reserve in Swaziland is particularly appealing. The only thing that is holding me back at the moment is that I'm a teensy bit nervous about travelling through Africa on my own. I'd be going with the support of the volunteer organisation, but its still a little bit daunting. Ok, its a big bit daunting, but I'm trying encourage my courageousness.

Will my desire for travel and adventure win out over my fear of traveling through deepest darkest Africa on my own, or will I chicken out? Watch this space for the answer.

Oh, and new thing I discovered- there are tigers in Africa. I've always scoffed at people who thought that lions and tigers could be found together in Africa, but it turns out that there are tiger breeding facilities in some of the African wildlife reserves. I would have thought that the Africans would have had enough to do with all of their endangered species, but they are a generous people. Also, it would be good for all of the tourists that are stupid enough to think that lions and tigers both belong in Africa *scoff*!