Project Walter Mitty – Day 1:

Suggestion: Listen to Dela by Johnny Clegg while reading this

“I’ve been waiting for you all my life, waiting for redemption. I’ve been waiting day and night. I burn for you.” Johnny Clegg

Why hello there. How are you going? My name is Monika, you can call me Mon or Moni if you like, and I’m a 23 year old animal lover from Adelaide, Australia.

What is this “Project Walter Mitty” thing you ask? Well, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a story that strongly resonates with me. The story of a man who breaks away from his regular life and does something crazy and amazing! This is my project to live life and do just that. But I’m doing it a little differently and am incorporating my passion for animal conservation.

I was a zoo keeper in Adelaide but quit my job to travel around Asia to volunteer with a number of incredible animal organisations. Today I flew from Adelaide to Phuket to volunteer with the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project. The GRP is a beautiful grass roots organisation that gives white-handed gibbons exploited by the pet and tourist trade a home. They are taken care of and rehabilitated, with those that can being released back into a forest where the species used to live. Since 2002 GRP has successfully re-established a breeding population of wild gibbons back into the wild. My understanding is that to date 9 families have been successfully released, had offspring as well as grandchildren.

This is the outline of my journey:

• The Gibbon Rehabilitation Project – Phuket, Thailand
• Marine Conservation Cambodia – Kep Province, Cambodia
• The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre – Sandikan, Malaysia
• Save Vietnam’s Wildife – Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam
• The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre – Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam
• The Red Panda Trust – Kathmandu, Nepal
• Animals Asia – Cheng Du, China

The flight over was pretty easy and quick. My favourite part of flying is that time when you descend down through the fluffy, white clouds. It’s so blinding when you’re flying through it and then all of a sudden everything becomes clear and the place you’re arriving at is revealed to you.

I land in Phuket and it feels amazing to be back. The heat, the shabby shops on the side of the road, the way the locals drive, the many taxi drivers yelling at me as soon as I step out of the airport. LOVE it!! I could go on and on.

I was picked up in a van by a staff member at the GRP and as soon as we got on the road I couldn’t help but smile. I crave the feeling I get when alone in a foreign place, I find it so liberating and exciting. I, pretty much, need to rely solely on myself to make my way through this place where nearly everything is different. It’s bloody scary but my god such a buzz.

He took me to Tesco which was crazy! Probably because I have never been to a Tesco before. They had everything in there!!! Anyway, I needed to buy supplies and breakfast, and I got to meet the 4 girls that I will be volunteering with for the next 4 weeks. This group of girls have already been together for at least a month at the project so it was kind of like meeting the uk sisterhood of the travelling pants. Maybe those baggy, colourful Thai pants will change size to fit me also. I still get anxious before starting somewhere new and having to meet new people. It’s the same feeling I use to get when starting at a new school and having to make new friends.

I’m feeling pretty knackered and would love to get some food but I’m not sure if the girls are going to go across the road for dinner anytime soon. So I’ll bid you good night and chat tomorrow.

Lots of love and happiness

Mon