An introductory blog for me may prove to be a challenge to write! As a fourth year geography student from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, I have been here at El Refugio de Potosi for two months now, which is the half-way point of this summer long volunteer opportunity.

I choose to volunteer at El Refugio because wildlife conservation has been an educational and career interest of mine. As an outdoor orientated person, the thought of spending time on a ecological park in a dry tropical forest of Mexico was very appealing. So far, the outdoor experience has been wonderful. The diversity of flora and fauna at El Refugio offers a wide diversity to any visitor, be it those who are interested in the species of host plants for butterflies or the reptile enthusiast who wishes to come face to face with a green iguana living in a closed, but still natural environment. For me, my interests are more broad and they have yet to develop within the scope of wildlife conservation and so for now, I am open to just experiencing the daily activities that go on at El Refugio.

Some of my daily tasks include: feeding and caring of the animals, guiding English speaking tours and helping with schools that come to visit El Refugio. Wild animals are constantly arriving to and leaving El Refugio so my exposure to new species is ever expanding. Being a tour guide has been an experience in itself. Public speaking is a great skill to master and guiding a tour is very different from doing a public presentation. Tours are more interactive, so this gives the visitors a chance to talk as well, which makes for a less formal environment. In addition to all this, I am researching possible grant opportunities that may offer funding to El Refugio in the future. This project, I hope, will give me some insight into the grant seeking process.

Not only is this volunteer experience beneficial to my academic goals, but it also offers the opportunity to experience a new culture and language. I had never travelled to Mexico before this summer, so everything has been new for me! And living in a rural area of Mexico has made for many exciting adventures. Taking the public buses from Los Achotes into Zihuatanejo was a daunting thought at first so I ended up going with a fellow Canadian who was more fluent in Spanish than me. Aside from needing to use the language to talk to the bus driver or ask pedestrians for directions to a bus stop, my prior experience with city transit paid off and the whole experience turned out positive. When I stayed in Morelia for two weeks to study Spanish at a language institute called Baden-Powell, a lot of Pictionary work was going on between my host family and I. Regardless, this home stay experience was a great jump start to learning Spanish and the Mexican culture, most specifically the cuisine. I generally prefer food with mild spiciness, but my taste buds are slowly adapting and I can now tolerate stronger chilies.

Signing off for now,

Karilynn DeWolff