WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE A... (FIRST OF 10 PARTS)

Hunter Graham gets a faraway look as he talks about life as an explorer. He hopes someday, he will have the chance to travel the globe tracking animals and exploring jungles.

"I want to be an explorer," said the first-grader from Carol Reimann's class at Clippard Elementary School.

For the next two months, the Southeast Missourian, along with first-graders, is exploring occupations.

"I want to hunt animals in Africa, elephants and rhinos," Hunter explained.

Exploring the world, he said, would be the best job imaginable.

"You get to wear camouflage," he said, "all green and brown and black. You wear that in case a lion or tiger is getting too close, and so you can spy on them."

Explorers need other equipment, guns and maps and tents and trucks. "You might need an assistant to help get all the stuff ready," he said.

Young Hunter wasn't quite sure how explorers make their money. Such a concern was far from his mind as he talked about the adventure that lies ahead.

"You have to get up very early," he added. "You might have to hide if a lion or elephant was running after you."

Being an explorer takes a lot of training, Hunter said. "You have to learn about animals. I think I would start learning about animals at the zoo."

Explorers also must know a lot about geography and maps so they can find their way around the world. Explorers also must know how to find their way into and out of woods, deserts and jungles.

Learning those skills, he said, will take a long time.

"You have to go to school," Hunter said. "That's the best way to learn. "You would have to be 16 years old before you could start."

But he said explorers could stay on the job until they were 80 years old -- at least.