Thalassophile

Hi, just a little lover of the sea here!

It has now been three weeks that I have been at the program, digging away at the sand, hoping to give some baby turtles a safe place to sleep. I was (and still am) one of the two first volunteers here this year at the program! While I have been here I have seen just how much hard work this program takes to get started and prepare for the season of little ones to come.

Being part of this world has shown me lots of dedication, motivation and especially lots and lots of animals! I have fallen in love too many times with the creatures that live in the trees surrounding this paradise. I have planed too many times how to take a dog home with me without the plane's pilot knowing and have thought of all the little things I could gift to the beautiful, smiling children of this small town called Progreso. This project is helping educate the community about their possible future and how they can help themselves through the project, but for this they need more volunteers and helpers (hint), so any of you reading this that have not looked into coming over really should! I can now say that I have lived the culture through my experience here both through dealing with locals and the project and also by living as one of them in the homestay! I really have felt so much love from my family and am giving a shout out to Migue and his beautiful family who have shared everything they have with me.

There are so many things to say that I have no way to explain how I feel now on my last night here and what I have felt while being here! I feel like these words make no sense right now and so I will simply cut it short (no I am not trying to find an excuse to run away to play with the dog at my house, even if that is what I will do after this!).

So, in simple terms: This project is perfect for people who want to really live a culture and learn from their ways, animal lovers as you are literally surrounded by jungle and its inhabitants, and for people who simply want to disconnect from their reality at home and do good for the world, you may not be changing the whole world but you are changing the turtle's world and expanding this town's possibilities. And the best part is that the people you meet here both as fellow volunteers and locals are all working for the same cause, They are all putting their time and effort into a future that each year gets closer and closer; a place where turtles can expand their numbers in peace and freedom.

I leave you with this beautiful word from the Nguni language in Southern Africa to think about!

UBUNTU: the belief that we are defined by our compassion and kindness towards others

Lots of love, peace and Pura Vida

A fellow sea lover from Spain x