Child ByAlexandraTett

SAFARI STORIESFROMA ZIMBABWEAN TRIP PLANNER’S CHILD

By Alexandra Tett

I’m more than certain that getting two young children through a 15-and-ahalf-hour flight to Africa is nothing short of a hellacious experience. Even as a six-year-old child, with no patience or bladder stamina, the tedious flight was made more than worth it when I saw an elephant in the wild for the first time.

I felt pure bliss during the entirety of my first safari experience. I would get up at 6 o’clock in the morning, despite the jet lag exhaustion, and scurry to the safari campfire for a cup of tea and some biscuits with my little brother before our morning game drive. Why would a six-year-old drink tea? When your Zimbabwean father sets the example of daily early morning and afternoon tea, you tend to want to be like your dad.

One incredible wildlife experience after the other, I was hooked. Lions, leopards, and giraffes were even more magnificent than in the children’s books we were read every night before bed. Africa was a place I never wanted to leave for the animals, the incredibly warm and welcoming people, and breath-taking landscapes. The cheeky baboons danced in my head for the long flight home. I remember sleeping almost the entire flight, content and warm with all my epic memories I would dream about for months.

Fast forward ten years later and I am on a horseback safari in Botswana. All the magical feelings come swirling back just as they did the first time. We come cantering up on a large herd of wildebeests. There is one that seems to be falling behind as the herd takes off in response to the group of horses coming out of the bush. After one second, a baby hits the ground. After two seconds, the baby is up. After three seconds the mother and newborn are catching up to the herd. I was stunned to say the least. If the saying “hit the ground running” was a moment, that would be it.

A few days after our return stateside, I walk into the Bushtracks Expeditions office, which at the time was Alex and Porter (Courtesy Bushtracks Expeditions)

Alex on the Plane (Courtesy Bushtracks Expeditions) Alex and Water (Ccourtesy Bushtracks Expeditions)

Alex and Water (Courtesy Bushtracks Expeditions)

Lioncomes up close on safari. (Courtesy Bushtracks Expeditions)

a garage building just 30 feet from our house. My father was on the phone with a client telling him about their recent trip, both giggling every few seconds. As a 16-year-old without a single clue of what to do with my life, I felt clarity in that moment. I wanted to help people feel the joy that I did when experiencing Africa. I wanted to help parents give that experience to their children and to themselves. Fast forward again to my early 20s, I am working for my father’s company, Bushtracks Expeditions. I get to help others experience the joy that Africa brings. I am living the dream. What is so special about Bushtracks is that the staff is extraordinarily family-like. Granted, some members have known me since I was in diapers. But I think that it says something that some staff members have even been around that long.

If you’re wanting to explore Africa, but have no idea how to get started, Bushtracks has a wonderful, caring staff that will iron out every single detail. Know that our team is comprised of people like me who only want to share the joy we have experienced for ourselves. I hope to help you and your family share in the joy that is Africa.

Learn more about Bushtracks Expeditions at www.bushtracks.com or telephone their Northern California office at 1/800-995-8689.

Qmulus Aviation Set for Growth

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started from scratch without any training at all. We have an apprenticeship program here to help them learn from experience. Growing up here, I didn’t hear much about aviation, but there is so much here, and we want to bring students into the field.

QA (CO): We plan to acquire a new training facility to teach our students. Qmulus Aviation is very interested in working closely with local high schools, colleges, and universities to bring more students into the field of aviation. We also work with organization who have seen what we’re doing and who can bring youth into aviation. It’s good to get them when they’re 16-and-a-half because by the time they graduate high school, they can be eligible to get a maintenance certificate. They can be making really good money right out of high school. They can go to college at their pace and be able to afford it. We also teach the business element of aviation, which is tangible and hands-on in life. This equips them to go on to become entrepreneurs if they want to. We give them a platform to invest in their future and see the different options.

IFUSA: Do you have anything else you would like to add?

QA (CO): We just want to emphasize how important maintenance support is. You have pilots who fly airworthy planes and bring them in when they need maintenance. Then you have mechanics that return the planes to airworthy condition, but the support staff in between those two jobs is really where the rubber meets the road. They are essential communicators who make the system work. We want to train and develop people for these support positions that will be very necessary in the future.

IFUSA: Thank you!