Didn’t I only just get here? As always, time has flown by, and it’s crazy to think I’m almost halfway through my Design and Communications internship here at Reef-World.
I feel so lucky to be able to call this country home.
I’ve found the role to have huge variety – in a given day I can go from editing blog and social media posts or updating and creating materials on Illustrator and Photoshop to running around town organising printing needed for field work. On the other hand, there are often days where I buckle down and focus on more long-term tasks. But I love that, besides the most urgent tasks, I can pretty much plan my working day how I like.
Officially a certified freediver now!
When thinking about what I’ve learned so far, I’d have to say my time management skills have grown a lot. I’ve finally been able to admit to myself that I tend to be unrealistic and overambitious in my goals, and this internship is teaching me that it’s ok if everything isn’t done in one day. Pacing myself and setting smaller daily targets is a much more effective use of my time.
I’ve also realised there are so many free online resources to help you develop skills of all varieties – so I’ve been learning lots from webinars and YouTube. It’s important to remember taking an hour or two every so often to pick up something that may come in handy for a lifetime is totally worth it.
Weekend fun with the team
My independence has grown a little more, which I think often comes from living in a foreign country that is different to your hometown in so many ways. For the most part, the Philippines feels like nothing but organised chaos. But having worked or studied in a small handful of countries now, I think it may be my favourite. Foreigners are often pleasantly surprised by the excellent English skills of Filipinos, which makes it so easy to get around, build connections with locals, and more.
Working my way through all the vegan menu options in the city
More specifically, being based in Dumaguete is fantastic. ‘The city of gentle people’ has such a friendly vibe with its fair share of expats and tourists, yet it still holds great authenticity and charm. A key highlight has been attending the city’s annual beauty pageant – Miss Dumaguete! I’ve used my free time here to work on my hobbies, some old and others new. Having an insane variety of dive sites practically on your doorstep doesn’t hurt either ;)
Working as a part of such a small team has been pretty new for me but it makes communication very easy and feels like a little family. Mel has been an incredible manager, and has really nailed the balance of offering her support and expertise, whilst giving me the independence to manage my own tasks, which I feel very lucky for. There’s never a dull moment in the Dumaguete office.
As for the next three months, we have some exciting projects in the pipeline. With our directors, Chloe and JJ, visiting from the UK in mid-January, it’ll be awesome having the whole team together and, on the design side of things, I’ll likely be getting lots of pictures and content together to strengthen our online presence.
Can’t get enough of the stunning sunsets here…
I’m still honing my design skills, and I want to learn even more to prepare me for the next stages of the internship; hopefully, creating some infographics and animations in the near future, as well as new member packs for the next countries we’ll be launching Green Fins in.
I’m also currently working on an inventory and audit of ALL of the materials we have created as a charity – no small task. It’ll be interesting to use this to be able to better organise our resources, ensuring our members and stakeholders are able to easily access the latest Green Fins content. Finally, I’ll be setting up some things to make sure there’s a smooth transition for the next intern when they arrive in March.
…and the awesome dive sites on my doorstep!
2020 looks like it’s going to be a promising year (and decade) for marine conservation. The time to take action is now, and it seems like, at last, the world is slowly but surely waking up to the climate emergency. The messages of The Reef-World Foundation and the Green Fins initiative (which Reef-World manages internationally in partnership with the UN Environment Programme) seem to be spreading further with each day – with our team and active regions both hoping to grow even more this year. It’s so rewarding to be a part of a team that focuses on such a fundamental aspect of marine conservation and I’m sad to be ending my time here soon. Nevertheless, it’s extremely exciting to see where the journey will continue for such an amazing organisation, and also my own next steps.
Thank you to my incredible, unstoppable colleagues for this invaluable experience so far, and I hope I can deliver my best performance for the next half of my time with Reef-World!