Day 7: The Final Countdown

I can’t believe that we’re all finished! We spent the morning doing mostly standing in the cold, finishing up the final touches on the fences. In between bolting the clamps, a few of us got a chance to drive around the rickety trucks that they have around the compound, and hey, no one got hurt!

Lunch today was provided by the reserve. Tacossss!!!!!! Because it was Lent, I thought I would try to leave my comfort zone a bit and try the Veggie Crumbles in place of taco meat, and I couldn’t tell the difference! If being vegetarian was that easy, I think I could do it! But then again, I do love me some steak.. Maybe the veggie lifestyle is not the life for me.

Regardless, a large taco salad and two brownies later and I was stuffed and ready for the tour! I excitedly got out my purse from my backpack and noticed my camera was on, so I turned it off and back on. And nothing happened. So I tried again. And nothing happened. I was about in tears; my camera was DEAD! I had bought this camera purely for this trip, and we were finally getting a chance where I wouldn’t be yelled at for slacking off and trying to take photos, and my camera was DEAD!! I was heartbroken! Luckily, I had my phone for backup, but IT’S NOT THE SAME!

Aside from the fact that my camera was done-zo, I got some decent pictures and really enjoyed the tour. We got to meet Jellybean, the white lion. White lions today are ALL RELATED/INBRED. This explains Jellybean’s crossed eyes. When the first white lion was found, they bred and bred the same lion with its children until more white lions were produced. Then they bred those white lions with the others to produce and produce more and more lions until they were getting offspring that were “white enough for their liking,” even though they may have complications. It’s so sad! The animal was very beautiful, and it was good to see the caracal, bobcat, and one of my favorites, the Ocelot!

After the tour, I hit the gift shop and picked up my long sleeve shirt that I finally committed to. We said our goodbyes, took some photos with Terry, and returned to the hotel around 3:30pm. We showered and hung out until we headed to the restaurant that Dan recommended in Pittsboro, Virlies! I ordered the Fried Salmon sub, holding true to my Lent that day, and later tried some of the red velvet cake that Hannah ordered. The meal was fantastic, and we had so many laughs with eachother and in the GroupMe conversation. Before dessert, Steph started crying because the restaurant didn’t have sprinkles, so OBVIOUSLY we had to hunt down the nearest ice cream shop after we left.

Unfortunately, the frozen yogurt shop nearby closed an hour early, so Sonic was our only option. Because they also don’t have sprinkles, Steph got a cone with chocolate syrup, mixed it herself, and we all ran to Food Lion so everyone that wanted sprinkles could go fulfill their cravings! I sucked down my hot fudge shake in no time, and we came back to our room for some charades, Theresa Caputo impersonations, and Scattegories. I don’t think I have played before tonight, but I think I found a game that I am pretty good at! We laughed until we had headaches and bellyaches, and we actually stayed up until around midnight (its 12:06 now!), which is HUGE for us!

It’s sad to say, but we check out tomorrow morning. I’ve got to wake up just as early to give myself time to pack and get everyone checked out, gassed up, and ready to head to the North Carolina zoo! I really hope my camera holds out for me tomorrow, because I want to make up for the photos I missed out on today! This trip has really taught me a lot about what I am capable of as a leader and as a worker. I can organize meals for 23 people, and I can carry an 80 pound bag of concrete on my own! Sometimes, all it takes is a step outside of your comfort zone to realize who you really are. I find myself being so much more wild of a personality when I’m not around people that I know, and I want to try to bring that self into my life, because I laugh a whole heck of a lot more when I feel like a weirdo! I’m excited to return to Cincinnati with lots of fun stories and memories, but most importantly, 22 strangers that I can now call close friends. I hope to travel again with them soon!

#CTR