Internship Programs in Bali

My Experience Volunteering at the Bali Sea Turtles Conservation

“I’ve seen a real commitment and devotion from the entire team who do an extraordinary job to conserve and rehabilitate the lives of sea turtles in Indonesia” Brice, Marketing Techniques, University Institutes of Technology, France

First of all, I wanted to do a month as a volunteer with the Turtle Center association in Bali, Indonesia. I desired to travel and discover a new culture even as taking part in a project that became important for me: the preservation of animals. The project executed through the Turtle Center, given the situation of sea turtles in Bali tradition and even more significant in Indonesia, which over the years, has grown to be one of the essential black-market places in the world. I have seen a real commitment and devotion from the entire team who are doing an extraordinary job to fight and enhance the current situation in Indonesia. The results of their struggles have shown through my first impressions and made me want to get more involved in this voluntary work project for the lives of sea turtles.

My first volunteer training day

My first day in Bali was filled with a lot of information about the lifestyles in Bali and also about the turtle project. I got to meet on my first day, the Bali Internships team, the conservation staffs, who welcomed me warmly. On that day, the Bali Internships team shared the volunteers useful suggestions and advice also on supplied us the basic things such as SIM Card, working garments, approach transportation and how to get around Bali. the volunteer introduction day was perfect, not too lengthy and useful. I felt more assured after the first week due to the fact I used to be very able to get all of the information about the turtles, the conservation’s schedule, activities and I felt prepared to do a tour for the visitors.

website image

Volunteer daily activities in the center

As a volunteer, my daily routines start in the morning, we clean the turtle tanks and clean the center in general, do the tour for the visitors (mainly international tourists, marine life enthusiasts, students and so forth). Outside of my duty to guide the visitor, I assist on other useful tasks such as painting, cleaning baby turtle’s tanks, feeding turtles, etc. Once a week, we pick some seaweeds for feeding the green sea turtles.

During my volunteering, we received a lot of information as the Turtle Center team enjoyed us about the current situation in Bali and in Indonesia in general, what is the current condition in regards to conservation matters, the lives and local traditions and so on. They have also been very present during the off-task time, and thanks to this, the communication turned straightforwardly. It has allowed me to become more familiar with the customs and way of life of the Balinese Indonesians and to challenge the western standards from my daily life. What I learned during my volunteer travel in Bali was simplicity and respect. The simplicity of the activities with the locals, and in general, the simplicity of day by day lifestyles. As a foreigner coming to volunteer in the local community, my advice would be do not be afraid to ask questions they will be glad to support and help you.

website image

My appreciation during my volunteer service

What I appreciated in Bali is the diversity of landscapes that Bali has to offer, the lovely daily sunsets on the seashore, but additionally and specifically, a dense and green nature in the center and north of the island. We went with the other volunteers to the north of Bali near Git Git to go to some of the cultural points around, and it changed into an excellent experience. We spent a night in a Hostel, it was a great experience. I would like to thank the team of Turtle Center and Bali Internships, who supported me on this adventure. Maybe I will come back when the global situation gets better.

Did you get inspired by Brice's story?