Holy shit.... I got offered a job working with lions in Africa...
The other day, I received an email from the NPO that I've been communicating with (and recently visited) in Zambia. They offered me a job... and not just any job, a job as their research supervisor. This basically means I'd be in charge of heading their research department... an incredible and admittedly intimidating responsibility. For those that
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But I probably have at least a decade on you, and you did ask, so I'll offer some thoughts. First off, do think about what will make you happy. This is a big deal, and it's natural to be excited, and apprehensive, and doubtful, and freaked out. I've had at least a couple of occasions where the choice was between giving up much of what I knew, what I felt was comfortable, in some cases, what felt like home, to go in a direction I suspected would make me happier. In the long run and with hindsight, those turned out to be the right choices for me. But it doesn't make the next one any easier; I have a couple of big choices I'm mulling right now in fact that, while not as dramatic as yours, involve completely uprooting myself and doing something completely different. They're still scary.
Living in Africa, I'm sure (I've never been) will both exceed your expectations and be harder than you're guessing. But I wouldn't let that necessarily get in the way. You'll have a rough couple of months there, I'm sure as you get used to things, and some of the comforts we take for granted here (basic things like safety and acceptance) are things you'll have to get a new baseline for. Still, I'm sure you'll find new friends in the researchers there and in your local village(s), and you'll have the support of the agency behind you - you're going to be important to them so they will do what they can to take care of you, I'm sure. I suspect that, even with what little I know of you, you're not going to lack for things to do. You'll have some lonely days, I'm sure, but you'll have the lions to keep you company, and, I assume if it's a research facility, you'll have the Internet as well. My mate and I are separated by 8 timezones, and while I miss him terribly (terribly!), being able to talk to him every day and tuck him into bed at night makes a huge, huge difference. It makes the long distance workable (much more than when I was in college and paid $300+/month for the phone to my then girlfriend). Oh, and I promise you you won't be the only fur in Africa. Probably not even the only gay lion fur.
The work you're doing is going to be important. Although there are many zoos, there are very few wild lions left. Some estimates suggest that there won't be any in Kenya in the next decade. No lions... in Kenya. The work you do with this group really could make a huge difference in changing that, and I know how incredibly attractive that can be. The animal community is fairly closed - it's hard to break into it, which you've already found, so while I'm sure you'll get another opportunity, it's likely to be different, so it's going to be hard to compare. And, of course, you never know when that opportunity will be. This one is right here.
I'll leave you with one more thought... if you ever think you might want to do something like this, you're much better off doing it when you're younger. Once you settle down and you have your own place and your own car and all of those things that you mentioned, picking up and going somewhere - even for a few month research sting - gets a lot harder. You'll want to be there for your aging family; you'll be reluctant to give up some the material things that you've accumulated through the years. I don't want to sound like an old tiger ("Get off my lawn!") but if you think you might want to take a risk, you're going to be much better off doing it now. The car and the motorcycle will still be there when you get back.
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These turning points in life are ultimately the ones that define who we are. But even the important ones aren't completely irreversible. I imagine your research will give you opportunities to interact with folks far beyond the continent, and, well, you're a lion - like I said, you'll have the lions to keep you company.
Best of luck in your decision. And take heart in the fact that you can't really make the wrong choice. Despite the uncertainty and sacrifice and potential for regret, when you make your choice, you're making the best decision you can based on the information and feelings you have. That pretty much guarantees that it will be the right choice for you for right now.
* hugs *
-GT
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