Under 18's Costa Rica Wildlife Awareness

This GVI experience made the summer of 2018 one to remember! I made new friends and learnt crucial life skills that made me more independent. It has made my future brighter as I can say that I have had this experience on my personal statement and on my CV. I witnessed moments that the majority of people would never have the chance to in their entire lifetime, such as seeing a green turtle lay her eggs on the beach during the night, under the stars, which was a truly unforgettable and spectacular experience. Additionally, by the end of the experience there was a great sense of accomplishment after we had overcome the smell of our dirty clothes, the harsh thunder storms and the humidity in order to help conserve the magnificent wildlife of Costa Rica.

I was just a normal teenage girl who enjoyed normal teenage stuff, I loved to dance in fact I was pretty good at it. I can remember when all that changed like it was yesterday. Me and my mum sat with the UKs top othorpedic consultant who told me I had a genetic condition in my feet, which in the worst case scenario would change my whole life. I was in constant pain, pain which over the years grew to be excruciating! I was unable to do normal things - I couldn’t focus on school, friendships and certainly knew I would never dance like I used too. The pain was to much. I became withdrawn and depressed and was under many teams who tried to help me cope. After a few years of surgery, the worst case scenario happened - I was to have the joints in both my feet fused together. I am lucky to have an brilliant mum and dad and three crazy sisters who was with me every step of the way! The first foot was operated on and I was in a wheel chair no weight bearing for a long long time. I felt more and more isolated, my mum often gave me things to focus on. We spoke about the world and it’s issues. I began to read and read and learn about animals and conservation! My mum forever telling me this part of my life will one day be over and I could dare to dream again. I eventually learned to walk again with help from amazing physio team . My mum decided I needed a hobby and took me and my sister Bella to kayaking lessons. I didn’t have to use my feet and so felt free and at home. Soon it was time for the next foot to be done. This one didn’t go so well. I got an infection in my foot and spent a long long time in hospital. I remember being re-admitted to the hospital on New Year’s Eve and didn’t believe this would ever end. I was on endless medication and my parents could only take me out of the hospital for a few hours at a time as I had to be back on the IV medicine to control the infection in my bones. As my mum said, day by day I got better and better and was able to use my wheel chair less and less! From such a dark place, my interest in conservation was born. Me and mum would often visit the GVI website and dare to think maybe one day I could actually do a program because you see, me and family are not from a financially privileged background and so we know it would be a mission impossible And guess what... with help from my mum, dad, grandparents and my Sunday job, we did it. I visited Costa Rica and met the amazing most inspirational people from GVI team. I didn’t let my condition stop me - sometimes I couldn’t keep the pace of the rest of the team but they stayed with me and kept me motivated. I dreamed of seeing amazing animals in the wild - and i finally did. I was felt like I was at home and a part of a team who shared the same the ideas as me. And what we did actually counted, for example we did rainforest servays most days and the data we collected went to local people which can helped them improve there growing business. I also took part in a beach clean - and I was absolutely mind blown due to the amount of litter we picked up on the beach near GVI’s base. 215Kg of litter was collected in just over one hour! Collecting the litter made me feel even more determined to dedicate my life to conservation. I did it! I actually did two weeks without my parents my wheel chair or waking aids! So if u are reading this and life had thrown you a curl ball - like my mum says these days will pass and if it’s something you dream today - GO FOR IT