Hi everyone! I’m Tessa and I’m currently a biologist student. I decided to take part in the program of ESS to discover the various aspects of wildlife conservation ant to work with animals (what is my future objective). It was also a perfect opportunity for me to meet people coming from other backgrounds than mine. Furthermore, it was the best place to practice my English, what is essential in this job for which we are often required to work abroad.

Once I arrived in Zakynthos, I immediately very much appreciated the place. The island is beautiful and people were so nice to me. As a volunteer you are much closer to the local people and thus learn more things than a simple tourist. When I saw nests and hatchings for the first time, I knew that I had made the good choice by coming there. It is just impossible to remain indifferent and inert in the face of those animals. I felt useful because I contributed towards their protection. It was very gratifying to be able to answer the tourists’ questions and to inform them.

By working for the center, I discussed with many people and discovered other cultures and ways of thinking. The atmosphere between the volunteers and the managers was very friendly and we had very interesting conversations, in particular about the different aims of the association, during our evenings. Everybody explained its point of view and provided ideas to improve the project. During 4 weeks, I gained much knowledge, which will be useful for my studies, and I got quite a bit of experience.

And if for you, just as for me, English is not your mother tongue, don’t worry about that: nobody will blame you there and you will even make progress! 😉

Thus, if I can give you a piece of advice: forget your shyness and just go! You won’t regret it!