Twister the movie

One of my favourite movies…

I can’t believe this movie is 18 years old already!! This was one of the main reasons why I studied Geography 😉

Arbor Week 2014

Arbor Week: 1-7 Sep 2014

This week in South Africa is Arbor week and I could not write something about it as I love trees! I hope all of you out there plant a tree!

 

Check out my article I wrote for the National Zoological Gardens newsletter:

http://www.nzg.ac.za/newsletter/issues/24/12.php

 

Cool facts about trees

• Well-maintained trees and shrubs can increase property value by up to 14%.
• Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30%
• A mature tree removes almost 70 times more pollution than a newly planted tree.
• The shade and wind buffering provided by trees reduces annual heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars.
• Each average-sized tree provides an estimated $7 savings in annual environmental benefits, including energy conservation and reduced pollution.
• A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year. That means two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four!
• Water originating in our national forests provide drinking water for over 3400 communities, and approximately 60 million individuals.
• One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces while driving 26,000 miles.
  Over the course its life, a single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide.
• An average American uses about 750 pounds of paper every year, and 95% of homes are built using wood. That means each person uses the equivalent of one 100 foot tall, 16 inch diameter, tree every year for their paper and wood product needs.
• The average tree in an urban/city area has a life expectancy of only 8 years.
• The tallest tree is a Coast Redwood growing in northern California’s Redwood National Park. It is 369 feet tall and over 2000 years old!

Tanzania Trip

Even though I live in Africa, experiencing Tanzania felt like I was really seeing how Africa is and has made me appreciate a lot that I have in my life! I am back now from my trip and armed with photos and stories to tell.

Camping in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania

Camping under the stars

South African Airport

I would love to be a tourist visiting South Africa – there is so much to buy to take back home!! Even being South African, it is easy to find some cool things to buy 🙂

The call of Africa is calling

I can’t wait for my African camping trip to Tanzania 🙂

Jacaranda season

Driving to work this morning was like driving through a drizzle of jacarandas… 

Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda City (we even have a radio station named after it – Jacaranda FM). It is a beautiful time of the year where the city is scattered with giant purple lollipops. The season begins with a few blossoms at the end of September and is in full blossom by mid October. There is a saying here in Pretoria, that when you start seeing jacaranda blossoms it is time to start studying (as this is the time of exams in South Africa as the academic year is ending for our summer holidays). They even say you are going to pass your exam if a Jacaranda blossom falls on your head…AKA…lucky! Sadly, one can see that the jacaranda season is coming to an end now as the purple lollipops are starting to turn green with leaves, however – a jacaranda shower this morning made my day 🙂

I know I am luckily enough to see jacarandas in full bloom once a year for a month or two – but I am sure this is something someone would like to tick off their bucket list…. See jacarandas (giant purple lollipops) in full blossom ✔

So true…

Don’t you agree?

Holding a Spotted Eagle-Owl

Working at the Zoo, I got the chance to learn to handle Hoot and Toot – the two Spotted Eagle-Owls that do the walk and talks around the zoo, where you educate the public about owls.

Working at a zoo

Working at a zoo… was never really on my bucket list to tick off – but honestly I always wondered how exciting and rewarding it would be to work in one…

Then one day, the opportunity crossed my path and I have been working at the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria, South Africa for over 10 months now! And believe me, it has been exciting and full of opportunities that has given me the chance to tick off some experiences on my list and has even given me new ideas to add to my bucket list. I even believe that my path crossed with working at a zoo for a reason 😉