Anna's Story

 

My name is Anna Von Hollander, labeled the “Princess of Germany” by many of my newfound friends at Aspen Valley. My journey began two years ago in search of a direction in life. Experience new things, meet new people and find my true self. The use of the internet lead me to the Travel Works web site, an organization that helps young individuals to experience foreign countries and their cultures.

With the urge to travel, Travel Works provided me with many opportunities across the globe. Having an interest in animals The Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary caught my attention. Having traveled throughout Europe, experiencing the vast Canadian Wilderness seem to fit within the next chapter of the life of Anna Von Hollander. Although my English was limited, I felt very comfortable making the trip.

The trip began with a four-week stay in Toronto at the Global Village Language School to further my English speaking skills. A month of city life, crowded streets, never ending noises, blinking lights, cars and people wherever I went, became very overwhelming for me. The day finally came to head north to Aspen Valley. I was met by an older gentleman named Tony at the front of the school; he was driving one of the largest pickup trucks I had ever seen. With the high gas prices in Europe, not many people drive such vehicles. I didn’t really have a clue what to expect for the next two months, but non-the-less I couldn’t wait to get out of the city.

In the time that it took us to drive from Toronto to Rosseau (2.5 hours) I could have crossed half of Germany, the never-ending landscape became a reality. The countless stories from Tony about the Sanctuary only increased my excitement towards the adventures over the next two months.

When we arrived at the sanctuary it was five o’clock that evening, six people I’ve never seen before where sitting in front of a wonderful old barn just enjoying the end of another working day. I was excited and curious about meeting them all. Three German volunteers who had been here already a month and three Canadian’s who all worked for the wildlife facility. I felt like a little rookie in the middle of nowhere, a quite nice middle of nowhere. It seemed as though they were just as anxious to get to know the new volunteer, as I was to meet them. After the warm welcome the other volunteers gave me a quick tour of the facility. Trying to take everything in at once became very overwhelming. So many things to remember, everything was all new to me but very interesting.

Although I grew up in a little village and was always surrounded by nature this was not comparable. The first thing I realized was the unbelievable silence at this time of day, I could almost hear a pin drop. Not really having the chance to take it all in, I tried to settle myself in the simple cabin which should be my home for the next two months. That evening I was so thrilled about everything I had experienced on my first day, and waiting to see what will happen over the next two months, getting to sleep that night was difficult.

The next day they threw me in the middle of a common working day at Aspen Valley. But to me it was anything but common. Having the chance to bottle-feed an orphaned racoon that would fit in the palm of my hand or using a syringe to feed a black squirrel no larger than a chicken egg was an eye opening experience. And that was just a small part of my daily work and my daily adventures with the Canadian wildlife at the sanctuary. Everyday was different. When I woke up in the morning I never knew what to expect for the day. Would somebody call to bring a bear or a racoon? Would we build a new moose enclosure? Would we release the groundhogs? I could tell so many stories about my work this article would turn into a 20-page thesis. So I have to stop and ask myself, “ what makes Aspen valley so special to me?” That was one of the most asked questions from my family and friends home in Germany when I decided to go back to that place I had spend three month in summer 2005. Three months at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. Three month of Canadian nature. Three months of an extraordinary experience with animals, people and life. First of all, of course, all the work with the animals and all its different species of Canadian wildlife. I remember the first time I touched a raccoon, fed a baby bird with a pipette and watched a little beaver discovering his new cage. First time I saw a bear and was amazed by his intelligence and capabilities. Everything I saw was new and exciting to me. I just walked around like a little kid in front of the Christmas tree.

But Aspen Valley would not work out as a rehabilitation center for wildlife if there wouldn’t be all the work behind it. We had to clean cages every morning, feed all the hungry animals, change the water in the beaver pond, and sweep and mop the floor of the nurseries. And after we were ready with all our choirs in the morning it was probably so late that we could start feeding the little animals in the nursery again. And than there is all the other work has to be done away from feeding and cleaning. New cages have to be build, old ones have to be fixed. There are always things have to be changed to make work easier and more efficient.

Aspen valley wouldn’t be Aspen Valley if there wouldn’t be that specific way of working together and living together. There are always four German volunteers at the sanctuary at one time. We share a simple cabin behind the barn for a couple of weeks. Not only we share our accommodation than also all the duties have to be done like cleaning dishes and cooking. We are working together every day.

During my 2 visits to the Sanctuary I learned about myself and other people as much as I learned about the animals, about how to feed then, handle them, their behaviour and the differences between the species of the Canadian wildlife. Aspen valley wouldn’t be Aspen Valley if there wouldn’t be that specific, intense way of working and living together. It is not always easy to be with a certain group of people at one place day and night. Not everybody could fit in my expectations. But in that special situation all of us tried to have a good time and get along with each other. I really liked the way it worked out. There was almost always a peaceful and harmonic atmosphere between the eight people working together. The days where filled with joking and laughing. I think the biggest part that creates such a magical situation are Tony, Ben, Jai and Janet, the staff members who always tried to make us feel as comfortable and happy as they could.

Another important reason that makes Aspen Valley so special to me was the nature around me. Sitting on the rocks looking over the sanctuary and the endless forest, walking over the crooked troll bridge with the pond on the right side and mama bears big enclosure on the other side or just lying in the grass at Subira’s lion pen. Sometimes the pure, simple beauty of the nature seemed unreal.

After a while I started standing up at 6 o’clock in the morning. I took the truck to drive the four kilometres up to Audrey’s lake in the middle of the wonderful Muskokan woods to check the minnow traps for the otter. Her dock at her lake was the place to be at that time of the day. I was alone with all this morning wonders in the Canadian wilderness. The fog over the water surface was just like a mirror, a loon with her baby and the breathtaking silence.

Now that I’m sitting in the airplane on my way back to Germany. I feel sad to leave the sanctuary. But on the other side I feel happy and proud. Proud that I made the right decision. The right decision in my search of direction in life. And happy because I can take my memories home.

 

This is the end of my article about my volunteer life at the sanctuary but not the end of my princess story at Aspen Valley. I will return to the Valley for new memories and to help the animals.