About Me — Sandra Lynne
An Expat, Falconer, Marathoner, and Runner’s Mindset Empowerment Coach who grew up in Africa and has a love for the African bush.
Hello, my name is Sandra Lynne. I am an Expat and now a child of the world. I left my home country in 2007, and my home continent in 2015. I’ve always been the child looking for adventure.
This is officially my 1st blog post ever, and I have to admit it’s both wildly exciting and frightening at the same time.
Why do I want to start blogging, you may be asking?
Well, truth be told, its because I’m curious.
I was never a strong writer in school, but have always loved journaling and capturing my life stories.
I’ve been told that the more you write the better you get at it, so that’s why I’m here, to experiment and satisfy my curiosity, you know that expression that goes:
“Don’t knock it, till you try it”
So, what am I going to blog about? I have no clue yet, although I know I do prefer the “old school” style of blogging.
I want to share my personal life stories and adventures. Being an African, spending many nights around campfires ( and bonfires), with friends and family, it was normal for each of us to share our tales, this was back in the days before social media and all this modern social networking stuff came about. When people spoke and bonded with one another in a physical social setting.
This is what I would like to recreate with my blog posts. “Tales around the campfire”.
The journey begins…
I was born in South Africa in the early 80’s. A time just before all the big changes happened. And yes Nelson Mandela, is one of the legends I will forever admire.
Growing up I have always had a strong pull to nature and animals. A perfect holiday for me is going on Safari. In fact, I loved it so much that I worked in the tourism and safari industry for many years before I moved to Europe. Through my work, I was able to explore 4 different African countries and cultures.
One thing is definite: nothing in this world can match an African sunrise or sunset in my opinion.
The excitement of an early morning game drive, never knowing what you might see as you come around a corner. Drinks at sunset on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, with the sound of hippos calling in the distance. You may leave Africa, but she never leaves you.
Another passion of mine is falconry, this is something I stumbled into and never dreamed that one day I would call myself a Falconer.
There is something magical about working with these majestic creatures.
I left my beloved African continent behind for another love, this time a human one. I never imagined that I would find myself in Europe one day, I had always advocated against leaving Africa, but I guess love makes you do crazy things.
It was here in Europe that I first heard the term expat.
Definition: a person who lives outside of their native country
It was also here in Europe that I stumbled into a career in Falconry, and WOW what an adventure this has been.
As I mentioned above there is something so incredibly magical about working with these majestic creatures. I have had the honour and privilege of working with Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Vultures, Owls, Storks, Ground Hornbills, Ravens, Caracara, and numerous other little birds. I’ve even trained birds that have been featured in TV advertisements and documentaries.
I’ve had to learn 2 different languages, this has been by far the most challenging. Learning a new language has not been easy for me, and it is a daily work in progress.
Moving to a foreign continent comes with all its challenges, especially when the country you are in does not speak your native language, there are moments of unspeakable loneliness and unfamiliarity. The reverse of this is it’s made me incredibly strong and resilient.
In South Africa we have a saying “ ‘n boer maak ‘n plan” and that couldn’t be truer when you are living in a foreign country and unable to speak or read the language.
Forever a Runner
My love for long-distance running developed from a very young age. It probably started with my dad as he was a runner, he was always training for one marathon or the other, and a memory that especially is dear to me was when he was training for The Comrades Marathon in 1991.
The Comrades Marathon is an iconic ultra marathon of 89 km run on the road and that has been held in South Africa every year since 1921.
It is a legend in the road running community and a bucket list race for many marathoners, myself included.
I would join my dad for part of his training runs, he would include jogging past my friend’s house as part of his training route where he would stop and collect me, to run with him back home.
It wasn’t very far for my little 9 year old legs, but those moments are treasured as it was just me and my Daddy, running together.
Later I went on to run cross country at school and continued until the end of high school. The longer the distance the better.
After school, I went through phases but kept returning to running. I’ve run eight marathons to date and 2 ultra marathons. I’m still a runner now, and my goal is to fulfil my dream of running The Comrades Marathon. I’ve never been a fast runner or a slow runner, I consider myself a middle-of-the-pack runner and I’m happy with that. I run for me, no one else.
It’s because of my love for running that I started my Runner’s Mindset Life Coaching business, as running is not just about physical running, your mindset plays a huge part in your success and achievements.
“Running is 90% mental and 10% physical”
This phrase highlights the importance of mental strength, focus, and determination in completing a marathon.
Speaking from personal experience your body will follow where your mind allows it to go. It’s as simple as that.
New adventures
I’m now at the beginning of a new path in my life both personally and professionally. Writing this blog is just one of the 1st steps on my new path.
I’ve walked many paths in the past, each one teaching me something as I have journeyed along, I wouldn’t change not one of them, as they are what makes me who I am today.
Thank you for making it this far. I appreciate the time you have taken to read a little about me.
As my blogging journey continues and you choose to travel with me, you will learn a lot more about me.
Until we meet again…
