Vicovia (Vicky) is a trainee facilitator who has been working with Educo Africa for the last year. She was born in Valhalla Park, Cape Town and currently lives in Delft. She is trained in Child and Youth Care, and has developed a passion for mountains and truly believes in the restorative and healing power of Mother Nature. This is her story of the beginning of her love affair with the mountains:
It is believed that the wilderness can heal, rejuvenate and help you find calmness, perspective and help set your goals and objectives in life. This is so because Mother Nature has a natural way of holding whatever we want to leave in the mountains, these include stories of joy, pain and suffering and everything in between. So – welcome to my personal experience of the wilderness.
For me, stepping into the unknown brought a lot of fear, uncertainty as well as some excitement; it was these mix feelings that kept me going through the process. The first thing that drew my attention was the beauty of nature, and how nature takes care of itself. One thing I found fascinating was the number of all small rivers running individually, but yet all connected to a bigger river, and it symbolize how we as individuals all lead separate lives, but yet we are all connected and inter-dependent on one another. Secondly, the freshness of the air and not to mention the beauty of the stars at night, these are all natural gifts we get to enjoy at no fee. At first I had a fear of seeing wild animals, but once I saw some, which was a snake and wild Bok, the blessing of witnessing wildlife at its best flushed away my fears. Thirdly, another fear I had to deal with was the fear of the dark and being by myself, the Solo Nights have provided me with an opportunity to deal with those fears. What made me overcome my fears was that I knew that I was not alone, I had Mother Nature who was looking over me, and watching the stars really brought calmness over me. .
When I step into the wilderness now, I know what I lead my participants into, I know whatever weight they are carrying on their shoulders, whether it is the backpack, emotional weight or any other challenges they are faced with, Mother Nature will provide relief – and this I say because of my personal experience with Mother Nature. I remember after Solo Night getting into the circle to share my story – I shared it with tears and bits of laughter. After sharing, my heart felt free and I could feel a sense of moving forward and leaving the baggage that has been a barrier keeping me from living the life I was destined to live. What I enjoy now is to see how the wilderness opens that opportunity for all the beautiful young people that I work with. It moves my heart when they realise that the wilderness is a secret place where you can just be who you want to be.
The mountains and the wilderness have now become a home away from home for me. I no longer have any fears around it, instead when I’m not there; there is emptiness in my heart. I feel a very strong connection between me and nature now and there is always excitement when I know I will be visiting the wild. The work that I do in the wilderness feeds my soul and I feel blessed knowing that I get to see the beauty of the mountains often.
Our wilderness has a lot to give to us as people – physical, emotional and spiritual upliftment. Through continuous education, we can help others to see that we can learn so much from Mother Nature.
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