What inspired you to go abroad?
Being a Zoology student and interested in travel, I decided that going abroad would be one of the best experiences I could offer myself to learn more about nature and seeing another part of the world that I had never visited before.
Why did you choose Operation Wallacea?
I had never heard of Operation Wallacea until a friend of mine at university told me that some Opwall reps were coming to our university and that I should check it out. I really loved what they had to offer and the idea of an expedition to the jungle, so I very quickly organised my trip.
Group photo at Rock Landing
What was your favorite part about Guyana?
In Guyana, we spent most of our time deep in the rainforest, in an extremely isolated area. We had no access to phones or internet, which was extremely refreshing. The guides and the locals were all extremely sympathetic and we were able to experience some local life and learn some local knowledge.
What made your experience abroad unique?
I was able to handle animals I would never have imagined seeing in real life, let alone touching or holding. A list of the number of animals I saw would take days to type out. Not a day passed without me seeing something new. I was never bored: there was always something to do, whether it be participate in a survey or play a game of cards! No phones meant that no one spent all their time texting their friends and we had a good time as a whole group spending time together and having interesting conversations.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
The local staff were extremely helpful: the guides, who taught us and helped us set up our sleeping areas in the forest (we slept in hammocks) to the kitchen staff who always made sure we were well catered for and looked after. Everyone always made sure that we were safe.
Bat!
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?
I would have taken a proper light sleeping bag, as I only took a sleeping liner which proved to be insufficient as I would get slightly cold at night.
Describe a typical day in the life of your program.
In the last two weeks (out of four), I would generally wake up between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m., at which point I would go to breakfast which was often served between 7 - 8 a.m. I, personally, most often went on mammal surveys, upon which we would either walk transects and note down any mammal/large bird tracks (or occasionally sightings), or look for camera traps that had been placed in the jungle the year before. This could often take quite a lot of time to find them again as the jungle is quite a large place and there are a fair amount of trees!!! We would most often go on one survey in the morning, come back for lunch then go on another.
In the evening, I would often go on the bat surveys, which consisted of catching bats in the mist nets, untangling them and bringing them back to camp in order to process them. Other surveys included bird surveys (we would get up early in the morning and spend it catching birds in the mist nets, bringing them back to camp and processing them); herp walks and boat trips in the evening or sometimes early morning (try and find any amphibians or reptiles by looking out for eye-shine when a torch was shone on them); beetle surveys (setting traps, then coming back a few days later in order to process them); forestry (densitometer readings, touch pole, DBH Diameter at Breast Height, counting the number of trees in a given quadrant).
View from Turtle Mountain
What did you enjoy doing in your free time?
We played a lot of card games, I read, general conversation and socialising with other members of the group. We were able to talk with the scientists which was extremely interesting.
What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?
It depended on the site, but one thing was undoubtable: you would be sleeping in a hammock. I absolutely loved my hammock, and I always slept extremely well. The food was very good. In some camps, we would have to take bucket showers using river water: never expect to be 100% clean! I loved the whole jungle experience, from no electricity to getting soaking wet quite regularly from the rain.
What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?
It isn't advertised as extremely physically demanding, but this doesn't mean that you will be spending all your time sitting down: a shorter hike is at least an hour long and you always have to be aware of where you are treading and your surroundings, you never know what could be hiding away just under that tree!
Caiman!
Now that you're home, how has your program abroad impacted your life?
I think about it every day and would go back without hesitation. I now believe that I would like to do field-work as this trip taught me that I loved it. I feel that I have learnt so much from this trip and I have met amazing people! I think differently about nature and the way we live. However, my only problem is that I must annoy my friends a lot as I cannot stop talking about my time in Guyana!
Would you recommend your program/provider to others? Why?
100%. You will not regret it. All the staff are extremely helpful and it will provide you with an insight and experiences you never had before.
