Seychelles Environmental Conservation Short-Term Internship

Perhaps a few day's off and group activities with all volunteers and staff together will be a great addition to the program. I felt there was a little divide and feel we could have been stronger if we were more involved together. No food on the weekends was disappointing and especially since the staff did not offer lifts or transport to local shops in their large seating vans? Don't get me wrong.. there were a few things I wasn't expecting but what I learn't and came home with was invaluable. I had the adventure of a lifetime and gained everlasting experiences. I did things I never dreamed I would and GVI allowed me to become a better more adventurous version of myself. The lectures given by the staff were interesting and useful, and the community work with the local children and marine biology lessons we gave opened my eyes to how exciting educating the public and important matters are. I have returned home rejuvenated and excited about life. My 1 month experience made me a stronger, fitter and more independent person eager for more. More from life, more from people and indefinitely more from myself. So thank you GVI, I will spread the word and promote your good doings. Keep up the good work.

As an intern in the Seychelles, you truly have some once in a lifetime experiences. I still have to remind myself that it wasn't all a dream, it was in fact reality! I was involved in a massive range of projects during my time on Curiuse island. One day we'd be tickling tortoises to keep tabs on their progress, the next we would be wading swimming through the mangroves taking soil samples to measure the salinity and temperature. It's safe to say no two days are the same on this program! I never felt out of my comfort zone when I was there too. The staff are all experts in their fields so they know the limits and have been doing it for years! They also know great places to go during your free time, so on the weekends we weren't short of ideas. They'd even treat us to an awesome barbecue on a Friday night which went down a treat with everyone. Cycling around La Digue, relaxing at the Paradise hotel and eating all of the ice cream on Praslin were just a few things we got up to as a group at the weekends.

The best part of the program for me were the people and the research. I love the staff and other volunteers and the work that we have done has encouraged me to pursue conservation work as a career.