Internship Programs in Bali

Volunteer Support in Bali Sea Turtle Conservation Center

"My two months at Turtle Center completely flew by! It’s the kind of place where you go to work each day, and you have no idea what the tasks will be, which means every day is always different!" Hebe Ibbotson, Medical Engineering in Cardiff University, Wales, UK

My time in the turtle conservation center

My two months at the Sea Turtle Conservation site completely flew by! It’s the kind of place where you go to work each day, and you have no idea what the tasks will be, which means every day is always different! All of the permanent members of the staff are so friendly and welcoming and most of them are locals so I can talk a lot about the history which I found really interesting. Some of the days when it was quiet with tourists and there weren’t other tasks such as beach cleans or releases, the day could feel a little slow as by 10 or 11 in the morning the only tasks left at the centre were tour guiding the visitors and supervising baby turtle adoptions and souvenir sales. However, it was nice to not be rushing around all of the time and to take the time chatting with staff and other volunteers. For days like this, the centre could do with having an office-based task such as writing something for social media or taking photos/videos for some marketing or just something else which could be done if somebody ever started to feel a little bored. It’s just as somedays for me got a little bit boring and it was because there was nothing to help out with at points, and it was a little disheartening to feel like the time was being wasted.

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During my volunteering in Bali, I have learnt a lot about different interactions with people from many nationalities from doing tours around the centre. This was one of the biggest challenges for me, staying motivated when some people were negative about the centre or when people seemed a little disinterested was hard. Doing the tours each day gave me confidence though and taught me lots of different people skills, and how best to interact with, for example, children, elderly, and people from different cultures as well. And that’s not to mention all the facts which I now will know forever about turtles!

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The most enjoyable things in Bali

I loved the food in Bali, the exotic fruits, the different nasi campurs and gado gados, the traditional drink jamu, terang bulan with chocolate and peanuts, grilled seafood in Jimbaran...! The locals are so friendly and helpful, the beaches around the whole of the island are all so different to each other. I loved seeing the ceremonies everywhere, they always seemed like such a beautiful and special event! I think I enjoyed everything about Bali. one last thing I can say about my volunteering experience in Bali, make the most of every moment because it will pass so quickly!

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Did you get inspired by Hebe's story?