§1.  At the age of 14 I have already decided that I want to be a vet. So, last summer I convinced my parents to spend our summer holidays volunteering. I really wanted to deal with sea animals, so when a friend told me about Archelon, the sea turtle organisation in Greece, I was really excited because I would leave the UK for the first time and go to a perfect destination, but I had no idea how amazing it would really be or how many new friends I would make. Now, I would recommend volunteering to any student who wants to get job experience, or simply have fun and meet great people.

§2.  Turtles have been on our planet for millions of years but are dying in large numbers because of fishing and pollution. This was a shock to me when I spent a few days at the Rescue Centre in Athens before leaving for my first project. There, I found out that the majority of the centre’s turtles had been injured on the head by humans. Some were by accident, from speedboats, but a lot were done on purpose, often by angry fishermen, as these creatures get caught in their fishing nets while trying to eat the fish which are part of their natural diet. For the fishermen, however, this has a cost, as fewer fish mean less money, so they view the turtle as their enemy, even though these turtles are a protected species. And as if this isn’t enough for these unlucky creatures to deal with, they also face the problem of eating plastic bags, thinking they are jellyfish, which are a key part of their diet.

§3.  The following months were spent learning and having fun in five different locations, but the most memorable was the last project, where we camped in an old museum with no electricity or water. However, the main problem was the insects which shared the museum with us, especially those that bit. But even that could not stop me from enjoying the daily contact with the turtles, and relaxing around a campfire sharing stories after sunset. Volunteering is a life experience I really recommend for any student.