things what i have learned being a bushcamp manager....

we are just about to leave the Valley.
we have bags fit to bursting, a computer bulging with photos, and a plethora of happy memories. our final farewells have been said at camp a few days ago, and we have just now enjoyed our last sundowners on the deck at the lodge. and, as i feel has now become customary, as we move onto the next part of this whirlwind journey, i am considering what important life lessons this most recent stage has taught me.

and unlike most of my previous blog entries, i think i can condense these ruminations into a few important succinct (ish... well it is me!) points.

the first, that the husband is a really wonderful, patient human being.
i didn’t think it would be possible, and all logic points away from it, but after spending the past 5 months working together every day and living together in a teeny tiny tent, i actually love him more than I did when we left the UK. he unquestioningly picks up my slack, does the complicated jobs that i don’t fancy, takes responsibility for dealing with tricky issues and he even pushed me in front of him when we were being charged by the bull elephant. he fetches me gin and tonics when i whine that i’m thirsty, and he even puts fish goujons on the brunch menu, even though he hates them himself, just because they remind me of my favourite Bird’s Eye fish fingers. he has calmly put up with my many strops and freak outs since i’ve been here (over variously, snakes in the bathroom; the tent being forever dusty and full of leaves; and our useless and beligerent trainee waiter), he has hugged me when i’ve been sad and missing home, and he has held my hand at beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
i know now more than ever just how lucky i am to have him as my husband, my best friend and my partner. i feel closer to him than i ever have before….. and not just because we’ve been living with no toilet door for 5 months.

second, i have realised that (clichéd as it sounds) ‘Home is where the heart is’.
and perhaps more importantly, i have learned that my heart is at home, in England with my family and with my friends. i have missed certain people so very much, they know who they are, and their constant support and enthusiasm via emails (when i could pick them up) and occasionally by phone has reminded me how lucky i am to have such wonderful loyal gorgeous people in my life. their enthusiasm for our adventures, and their concern when i’ve been struggling with elements of bush life has been so touching, and undoubtedly kept me going through tougher times. they’ve kept me up to date with their lives, and just hearing their voices resonate through their words about their day to day trials and tribulations has been so grounding and reassuring. their joy and excitement at our imminent return has really moved me, and i am so very grateful to have them waiting for us to come home. rest assured you beautiful people- i am just as excited to see you again too, and counting down the days.

and third, perhaps the biggest revelation, is that buttocks have an incredible capacity for sweating. i hadn’t realised it until the heat out here really picked up, and i found every time i sat down on a car seat, dining chair, bean bag, etc, i’d get up five minutes later with a soaking wet arse.
it was worrying initially, but after realising i hadn’t developed incontinence overnight when i turned 30, it is just now incredibly annoying and uncomfortable.

so, those are the three biggest lessons i am taking away from my time as a bushcamp manager. (i have outlined other things i have learned out here in the Valley in previous blogs, but i think these are the most important truths i can take away.)

one, that I have a fantastic husband at my side, and two a love filled family and group of friends waiting for me to set up home back in the UK, and three that i have both of those things despite having a rather sweaty arse.
so i think that i’ve learned that i’m a very lucky girl.