elephants – Educators of Excellence Institutes

“Hello Skukuza!”

July 26, 2025 - 3 Comments

In our time at Skukuza Rest Camp in Kruger National Park we have had two game drives and a bush walk. We have seen the spectacular Big Five multiple times over – elephants, rhinos, leopards, lions, and water buffalo.

However, the real magic is not only the Big 5 – it is in the balance of all the species in a community. Today we also sat behind a bird blind at Lake Panic where we saw acacia trees, kingfishers, blue waxbills, an African fish eagle, Retz’s helmetshrikes, an Egyptian goose, water monitors, nyala, impalas, a warthog, and too many hippos to count.

Enjoying the diversity of the ecosystem at the Lake Panic bird blind.

“In nature nothing exists alone.” – Rachel Carson

With at least 40 species in just an hour, our checklists were on fire!

At Lake Panic, we watched as hippos moved in and out of the water and displayed territorial behaviors.

After the bird blind we went back to camp and were asked to write about anything for 45-minutes. One of our African-American colleagues wrote, “I know as an American I have more, but here in South Africa …. I have never felt so free.”

Hearing her share this took us by surprise. It made us reflect not only on what she is experiencing personally, but how our students may feel at home. What if every teacher and every child felt they belong? Imagine how they would flourish and contribute to a better North Carolina.

Sharing American and South African dances with each other during midday breaks.

In Kruger National Park the African fish eagleneeds the lake and the hippo shapes the land. Nothing is superfluous, everyone is needed for the system to thrive.

South Africa

“What the Bush Gave Us”

July 23, 2025 - 8 Comments

Sunrise Game Drive-Day 1 Kruger 5:00 AM

“Do you have time to….just be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world?” Mary Oliver

For the lioness and her cub

For the giraffe and her baby

For the elephant chasing his mama’s tail

To watch the sunrise over Southern Africa?

This morning, our driver Peter warned us that we may not see what we wanted. We would only see what the bush would give us. And this morning, the bush was incredibly generous.

There were so many moments on our first game drive that stole our breaths from our lungs. We held on to each other, eyes big, looking at each other. Asking “is this real?” It was real. This morning we entered their territory. We breathed their air. You could feel the rumble of the mama lion in your chest as she chided her too playful cub.

Many of us were shocked to find that we weren’t incredibly disgusted to watch a pack of wild dogs consume an impala in under 5 minutes.

African Wild Dogs (or Painted Wolves as they’re becoming known) eating an impala carcass.

We squealed as an elephant family walked toward us, the tiniest baby chasing mama’s tail, and catching it. Some of us even got chastised for leaning too far outside the vehicle (even teachers forget the rules, sometimes).

A group of female elephants and their young paraded by our vehicle.

Several giraffes surprised us, seemingly out of nowhere, their majesty overtaking us. We celebrated small rhino families, that are slowly taking what has been stolen from them.

We were so alive this morning. Together, in one place, in a broken world. Taking time to just be…16 strangers holding hands and sharing a once in a lifetime experience. Falling in love with South Africa and Kruger.

Jane Goodall said “there is a timeless quality to the African wilderness, a sense of peace and belonging that I haven’t found anywhere else in the world.”

It was peaceful to let the world steal our breath in a good way, for a moment. When was the last time you stopped and watched and waited and let life tell you what you needed? When you took only what was given and didn’t ask for more or what was next?

Take a chance and be open. You may find exactly you need, even if you thought it wasn’t what you wanted.