Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Life's too short to play it safe

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The Elephants That Came to Dinner

July 12, 2018 by Sonia Marsh 1 Comment

 

How would you like to meet the elephants that came to dinner? It only happens once a year, in November, at Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia.

Wonky Tusk and her baby, Wellington, stroll through reception to feast on the fallen fruits from the large Wild Mango(Cordyla africana) tree in the lodge grounds. The fact that a large safari lodge is built around this delicious food store is of no concern to them. Why not take the shortcut up the stairs, through the tiled reception lobby, and into the garden? (Watch the video below)

Wild Mango(Cordyla africana) tree

This year, I’ve put together a Safari to experience, not only the elephants at Mfuwe, but also the largest mammal migration which happens to be the 4 foot wing-span bats in Kasanka, Zambia.

Here is the digital itinerary for 2018 “Iconic Zambia: Flying Foxes and Homecoming Elephants.”  I plan to offer this Safari, which also includes Victoria Falls, in November 2019 for a small group of 10 people. Please watch the video below which shows the elephants and baby Wellington when he was just two weeks old. Incredible video that shows the level of trust between the camera crew, and the elephants.

Any interest in joining this amazing trip?

Please let me know.

New Life,New Career,New Passion

January 28, 2018 by Sonia Marsh 15 Comments

They often say that it takes a while to get re-settled into life after returning from the Peace Corps. For me, it was all about finding a career, and I honestly had no clue what to blog about during that process.

My life back in California was the same as most of my friends, and not as eventful as my adventures in Lesotho. I needed to feel comfortable in my skin, and find a new compass to follow.

In one year, since my return from the Peace Corps in January 2017, I have done some major changes:

  • Career
  • Travel
  • Passion: Women Travel With a Purpose (see below)

Career

I had no idea how to write a resume, and spent hours stressing over the latest formatting options, attending “Free” classes on how to write an effective resume, and lamented over why I wasn’t getting interviews.

I started taking classes in Excel, Outlook, etc, and a grant writing course. I updated my LinkedIn profile, and thought about anything I could  potentially do:

  • Become a flight attendant
  • Work at a French cafe (since they require French speakers)
  • Work for a non-profit
  • Work at a University in the international students department
  • Fund-raising

Strangely enough, I did not need to stress, as my career found me. In fact that’s not quite true, my hairdresser shared my blog with a Zambian guy, Jim Holden, who just happened to be looking for an international person, who had lived around the world, and who could network, and create social media content for his Safari company. He was fascinated by my childhood in Nigeria, and my recent Lesotho life. Like me, he had lived in Nigeria, attended school in the U.K., and settled in California.

My new video reflects the focus of my updated website. No longer Peace Corps, but back in Africa.

Travel

Vivienne, Jim Holden and Sonia meeting the reps from the Blue Train at Indaba conference, May 2017

Within my first month of working for Holden Safaris in Newport Beach, I was back on a plane to Johannesburg. I was thrown straight into the world of Safaris, and wildlife conservation, meeting 30-50 suppliers, lodge owners, eco-tourism reps and flight operators at the annual Indaba Conference, held in Durban, South Africa. At the end of the first day, I felt mentally numb from information overload. We ran from one end of the convention center to the other, without a lunch break, and I took notes on Botswana and the gorgeous lodges we send our clients to on the Okavango delta, absorbing as much information as I could retain from the rep in twenty minutes, before rushing over to our next meeting with another supplier.

On safari in the Okavango delta, Botswana. Elephant having a mud bath.

After a week in Durban, our team went on a site inspection of Kwazulu Natal Province. For those interested in history, the Zulus and the battlefields, and elephant and rhino conservation, we put together an exclusive safari here.

I’ve been back twice since then, in August 2017, to Zambia and Zimbabwe, and in November, I experienced gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Passion: Special Tour I’m Leading to Kenya for Women Only who want to travel, feel good, and make a difference

I’ve put together a special tour for women only called, “Women Travel With a Purpose.” September 30th– October 7th, 2018.

Women Travel With a Purpose. Visit the African Child Foundation schools in Kenya.

I’m leading this trip to Kenya with Roz Berry, a Newport Beach resident and Director of the African Child Foundation: a non-profit run by volunteers to meet the needs, and transform the lives, of orphaned and vulnerable children in the slums outside Nairobi, Kenya. We have openings for 10 like-minded women. You can click on the link below, and hit the enter button to view the digital itinerary.

Women Travel With a Purpose-Exclusive Itinerary Specially Prepared For Women’s Group.

I hope you join me on this amazing trip to Kenya in October 2018, and e-mail me at: SoniaM@holdensafaris.com if you would like to find out more about this trip, or have an exclusive custom safari planned for you.

 

 

My First Holden Safaris Blog Post

June 4, 2017 by Sonia Marsh Leave a Comment

 

I’m inviting you to run over and read my first Holden Safaris blog post where I plan to share exciting stories and photos about my exploratory trips with Holden Safaris to different countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Please ask questions and leave comments. I’ve introduced you to our team of experts on Africa, and I look forward to reading your responses. I’d love to hear your thoughts and other concerns I may not have thought of.

Next week, I’ll write about my first trip to Kwazulu Natal in South Africa, where our team took an “off the beaten path” safari in order to prepare an authentic and unique safari for those looking for an educational and memorable experience. I’m so lucky that my next safari will be in Zimbabwe in August, and I will finally get to see Victoria Falls, and celebrate my 60th birthday in Africa!

Other topics I plan to write about as I’m now connected with researchers, scientists, game managers, lodge owners and non-profits helping with education, conservation and job opportunities in local villages are:

  • Methods being implemented to stop rhino and elephant poaching in different parts of Africa
  • Wildlife management in National Parks and private concessions
  • Village life and job opportunities being created within communities
  • How taking a safari gives back to sustainable community projects
  • The latest in gorilla trekking and why Uganda is less expensive than Rwanda
  •  What you may not know about Africa: it’s about history. Visit the Zulu battlegrounds in Kwazulu Natal.

 

I hope you sign-up to follow my new adventures on the Holden Safaris blog and I promise you’ll get the latest news and discover new “off the beaten path” educational experiences such as our meeting with David Druce, in charge of the “Wild dog project and Black Rhino monitoring program” at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park in the heart of the Zulu Kingdom, and feeding the elephants at Bayete Zulu.

(Photo above is Jim Holden, President of Holden Safaris, and myself with Rambo at Bayete Zulu.)

Click here to read my first post on Holden Safaris.

 

 

 

 

How I Landed My Dream Career at Holden Safaris

April 30, 2017 by Sonia Marsh 22 Comments

People kept telling me, “Sonia, you need to create your own career, your background doesn’t fit the jobs listed on career sites.” I knew that, but I continued taking classes in Excel, grant writing, and attending workshops, so that I could fit the traditional job slots. As the days turned into weeks, and then into three months, I put a ton of pressure on myself to “fit the mold.” As my friend Sylvia said, “Sonia, I cannot see you sitting at a desk filling out Excel sheets, that’s just not you.” She was right, yet I didn’t want to feel like a failure, nor did I want to use my age as an excuse for not getting hired.

So when my British friend connected me with Jim Holden, a man who was born in Zambia, and who has traveled, worked and lived all over the world, it took me a while to realize that maybe I no longer needed to look at Indeed.com job offers, and that I should focus on my contacts who may find value in my background and experience.

I stopped searching for jobs online, and started listening to those who told me to create my own career. As a result, I’m now embarking on the career of a lifetime as an independent affiliate of Holden Safaris. This is a dream come true as it combines everything I love: travel, adventure, networking, making presentations, motivating and inspiring people to discover the wonders of an African Safari, social media, writing, helping with fundraising for wildlife conservation and the education of children in Africa. I am fortunate that everything I’ve done has come together in this 3rd chapter of my life, and is bringing me back to Africa, where I was ‘almost’ born, and lived for the first six years of my life.

So why would you want to go on a Safari, and what exactly is it?

“A Safari is like no other vacation! A safari is on everyone’s bucket list. At some point in your life you have to visit the place from which all mankind originates. It is not uncommon for visitors to Africa to be overcome with emotion, observing the wildlife of Africa, living as it did at the time of our ancestors. There is a feeling of coming home.”

Holden Safaris  is a boutique and exclusive safari operator offering East African Safaris in Kenya, Tanzania, gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda, and Southern African Safaris in Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. The furthest north of Southern Africa is Zambia, bordering Tanzania. The furthest South is South Africa at the tip of the Africa continent where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Don’t forget the Indian Ocean Islands of Seychelles and Madagascar.

On May 12th, I’m attending a travel conference called Indaba, in Durban, South Africa. After that I’m going on a one-week trip to discover lodges, Safaris, and meeting the wonderful people who give back to their communities helping with animal conservation. What I love about working with Holden Safaris is that they make it possible to fund animal conservation, children’s schools and local communities when clients book one of their custom boutique Safaris. Don’t forget I served in Lesotho as a Peace Corps Volunteer, where many of you donated supplies to my rural school, and now I feel like I can continue this in many other locations, thanks to all the lodge owners we use, who make a difference.

To follow my new adventures, please sign up here (by adding your e-mail on the right side of the front landing page) to receive automatic e-mail updates about my new travel adventures in Eastern and Southern Africa. I have added Step off the Beaten Path with Holden Safaris, as my next Gutsy Living mission in life. I’ll describe each lodge with my personal touch, sharing lots of exciting photos and videos from all the countries I visit, as well as the wildlife I encounter, and of course, fascinating stories about the people and children I meet.

Please ask as many questions as you like regarding my blog posts or anything else you would like to find out about African Safaris.

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