Wow!
Where to start?
Still alive. How’s that for starters?
And.
Absolutely loving it.
So mind-blowing.
So lost-for-words-and-don’t-want-to-use-my-thesaurus.
So need-to-write-and-don’t-know-where-to-start.
So privileged.
A privilege given to me.
Simple me.
Simple, super-intelligent, super-classy, silly me.
Of course.
My apologies.
To each and every single one of yous.
Not been in touch.
But internet and phone issues.
Down here.
Out here.
I mean we are not out in the sticks.
Seriously.
We are in proper wildlife territory.
In the middle of nowhere.
Yet in the middle of so much.
Properly.
So mind-blowing.
So lost-for-words-and-don’t-want-to-use-my-thesaurus.
So need-to-write-and-don’t-know-where-to-start.
Anyway.
Anyhoooo.
Let’s give this post some structure.
Let’s try and write in full sentences.
Which I don’t do.
Too boring.
Gonna have to.
Wrote previously that Husten’s style doesn’t go with bears.
It doesn’t.
Fucking hate full sentences.
Anyway.
Anyhoooo.
Just let’s.
The Set-Up
We were warned that amenities were going to be rustic.
Not so.
We have a fully equipped kitchen, the Cook Shack or Biscuit’s Cafe, which has more appliances and cooking utensils than I ever had. With three large fridges. Laminate/fake wood flooring. Comfy seats and all. Just that microwave is missing. Can’t get too greedy. (Note: Biscuit being a famous bear, pics to follow, see below)
Food supplies are plentiful. A pantry it is called apparently. But it is huge. Massive. Like walking into your local shop. And you can choose, cook and eat whatever you want.
My cabin is carpeted which I share with Buddy, from the Twin Cities, David from California and Ben from Philly. Two pairs of bunk beds with decent mattresses and thank God I have the lower one, it being less prone to insects and the heat/cold. We sometimes have electricity, well, a single light bulb powered by a car battery.
There is also a trailer, in which I am in right now, which is supposed to have internet access, which is supposed to have a phone line and electricity plugs with enough juice to charge laptops and my Macbook.
You see.
Out here.
It is not always that easy.
For one.
You have to go … and … fuck it … why do I even bother to excuse myself?
Outhouses are dotted around and must surely be the best hygienic invention since, hmmm, well the toilet.
The thing is, me being from Europe, you’d expect Biscuit’s Cafe, my cabin and the trailer to be close to each other. Silly me. Silly European me. This is America. Welcome to America, Husten. The sanctuary is massive, vast, about 4 miles between where we cook/eat and access the internet. I sleep somewhere in between. And not easy to get to and from. We have lots of vans to our disposal. Sorry. Silly European me. Trucks. Pretty much take your pick. Take your pick-up. I have a favourite. Truck. A Ford. Had a lick of paint once, doors don’t close properly, the engine sounds like it doesn’t feel like it wants to do what it is supposed to do on start-up, but then gives you an almighty ride. Like a Bukowski whore.
Getting to shops, to the store, getting to town, to Orr, MN, is out of the question. Unless someone gives you a 15 mile ride. Which rarely happens. Coz us Europeans can still drive whatever truck we want, just not outside the Sanctuary. Insurance and all that. Another reason why it is so difficult to get in touch.
The weather is weird. It snowed in my first week to then suddenly rise to the high 80’s (35C), then turn cold again. I got effing sun-burnt while presenting the Sanctuary in a parade giving candy to kids. Like carnival back home without the fancy dress.
Overall, they look after us really well. Insist on relaxing after our shifts and taking our day-offs and are particularly watchful for burn-outs. I have played football (soccer) quite a lot. Why are American girls so good at soccer? And we go swimming in Pelican Lake as much we can.
I also drink quite a lot. But about that, my role here and possibly a new love in my life, that will be in Week 2, my next post, yet to be written. Coz in week 2 and 3 things properly kicked off.
The First Couple of Days
Were frustrating. Very. Coz on the first two days I had to go through this wild bear safety training. Which meant. On Day 1: not allowed outside; on Day 2: not allowed outside unless I was accompanied. And I wanted to go out to be with my so beloved bears. But not allowed.
On Day 3: I got bluff-charged. Bluff-charging is a bear pretending to attack you. For getting to close to her/him and she/he letting you know it. By pretending to attack and going to rip you apart.
Nappy-time. Or. Rather changing nappy-time.
When it happens the first time, despite all my knowledge about wild bears. Well. Seriously scary.
I mean.
Seriously.
I nearly shat myself.
Nearly.
Maybe a bit.
My Fellow Volunteers
All ages and mostly American. Some just drop in to cook us a meal with expensive and/or fresh ingredients, or to fix something, others like me stay for a very long time. Needless to say that I get on best with the young’ns. Sometimes a bit too best. But more about that in later post. Everybody is really nice. Met some great people. And the Americans love me. They always have done and here even more. Tho I had my fall-outs with people. Shit happens. What can I say? Sometimes my fault, sometimes not so. What surprised me the most is the number of long-stay volunteers. Only 10. And all do or hold a wildlife, ecology, biology or conservation degree. How lucky am I to have made it through the application process?
The Bugs
Are unbelievable. Searched high and low for long-sleeved T-shirts and light jeans/pants back home. No point. They sting through jeans and even boots. And forget the mozzies. Yeah, on my left hand alone I have 27 bites. Not a biggie. It’s the effing black and horse flies and the wolf spiders you gotta be careful about. As Buddy said, “some awkward, bad-arse bees flying around.” And I always thought they liked me in particular. Not so. Americans and those that are from around here suffer as bad.
The Wildlife
I wanna record the noises at night. Spectacular. Hearing the wolves howl is so incredibly beautiful. Animals seen so far: wolves, about a million chipmunks and American squirrels, groundhogs, a porcupin and of course
The Bears
More about them later.
But.
In the meantime.
For now.
Wanna see what a trained wild American Black Bear caretaker looks like?
Cool as fuck. That’s what he looks like.
