Florida

I remember seeing a video of a guy running around in the Everglades National Park catching critters and I thought that'd be an interesting thing for me to try. So I sold some of my belongings (note being 17 at the time, I didn't have much of those) and decided to fly to Florida. Landing in Orlando, I remember feeling rather underwhelmed – this isn't the Florida I remember from the videos! Nevertheless I decided to visit some of the places that were recommended to me and had a great time. I talked to just about everyone I met and have learned much about the redneck way of life.

Notably though I met Dave, who worked at the Serpentarium in St. Cloud. I was enamoured by all the different types of reptiles they had in their facility and I let him know. I´d like to think my genuine enthusiasm was a refreshment compared to the usual clientele of this roadside attraction, so much so, that I got to see much more of the whole operation than I would´ve initially guessed.

The next summer and the summer after that, I was invited by Dave to go work at the very same facility, alongside him and the owner George. There I was involved in the animal welfare and handling of the most venomous reptiles known to man and I was privy to the whole antivenom production operation.

Returning back to my highschool, I might have gotten too carried away with the whole ordeal and while trying to do my own pseudo-research on said venom, I caused much distress both to my educators at the time and local police authorities. I've learned to be slightly more careful nowadays.

Despite never arriving to the Everglades, this experience shaped my life in many different ways, firstly, I realised just how far one could get just by asking around! More importantly tough, it showed me how interesting life could be if you allow yourself to be genuinely curious.

Thanks Dave and thank you George.