Baboons

A few years ago, I volunteered for a month in South Africa at a baboon rehabilitation center and sanctuary. I have no idea when or how I will be able to return. I loved those little (and big) guys. They giggle, they look deep in to your eyes, and they'll even comb through your hair. (To find bugs, but it feels good, so I'll take it.) They're brats, no doubt. They pull hair, they throw food, they bite, the throw tantrums. I miss all of those things about them too. I have pictures and I have videos. But I can't smell them. They're musty stink mixes with the surrounding contributions of hay and, well, poop. Which may sound like a nightmare, I know. But the most comforting aspect of the experience was all of those smells combined, which is actually quite sweet. Imagine it's a rainy South African day, and you are sitting with a bunch of baby baboons. Missing home, thinking "how did I GET here?!?" Quite surreal on it's own, but the sweet smell of baby baboon is on that I miss every time I look through my pictures.