By Ida Karlsson
The best coincidence of my life! – How did a twenty-two-year-old girl from the Swedish countryside end up in the middle of the Peruvian jungle?
Honestly, it was a coincidence, but it is the best coincidence of my life! Writing has been my passion ever since I learnt the alphabet. That is why I ended up studying media and communication science at Jönköping University. During my university years, I got introduced to the wider concept of multimedia and a new interest was born.
When my graduation started closing in, I casually scrolled through LinkedIn in search of ways to jump-start my career. My mind was set on landing a job; the idea of an internship abroad hadn’t even crossed my mind. Suddenly, an ad for an “Environmental Multimedia Internship” caught my eye. One click later, I was hooked. At that time, I was on the verge of beginning my final university internship at an ecolabel, which had already ignited my passion for environmental communication. The program with Crees offered the perfect combination—a chance to develop my practical multimedia skills while working in an exotic environment for a worthy cause. It all seemed too good to be true. Before I knew it, I had applied and found myself in Peru, ready to embark on the biggest adventure of my life.
My first boat ride into the Manu Reserve remains unforgettable, with rainforest-covered hills lining the river in a mesmerizing display. Enchanted by the scenery, I marveled as we ascended the stairs from the beach into the jungle. There, nestled among the trees, was the Manu Learning Centre—a collection of houses with bamboo walls, leaf-covered roofs, and a garden buzzing with hummingbirds. Upon being shown to my room, a smile spread uncontrollably across my face. The walls, only a meter high, opened up to reveal the vastness of the neighboring jungle. That day marked the start of three months filled with mornings awakened by sunlight filtering through my mosquito net and the calls of macaws and titi monkeys greeting the new day. It was a wonderful way to begin a series of jungle adventures.
I did not know what to expect when the internship started. All I knew was that I wanted to learn, both about media, but also about the jungle and the amazing rich biodiversity that thesurroundings offered. But I could not have predicted how much I would actually learn and how many things I would experience. My photography and videography skills increased rapidly, and so did my writing in English. What came as a positive surprise was the amount that I learnt about the work they do at the Manu Learning Centre and the impact on the ecosystems. For example, I did not expect to be able to identify several different frogs with their Latin names or differ between the calls of three different types of macaws.
Before I went to the jungle, I wondered what my favourite animal would be. Maybe a sloth, I had heard rumours about the residence-sloth Gavina who usually came around camp. She was adorable, but not my favourite. Not even the tiny squirrel monkeys jumping around the trees with their cute babies on their backs stole my heart completely.
The animal that took my breath away was the humans, so ordinary, but yet so extraordinary. The people of the Manu Learning Centre, staff, interns, volunteers, they all share an interest and a passion for conservation which is contagious and inspiring. In an enclosed environment like the Manu Learning Centre, you grow close quick and build strong relationships. So, watching monkeys in the jungle is cool, but doing the same thing with people you love, sharing that experience, that is amazing.
I thought I would leave Crees just as an environmental communicator, but now I am also partly a conservationist, all thanks to the amazing field staff who taught me new things every day. It became clear to me early in the internship that my future was in environmental communications. I need to work with something I can put my heart into, and I really want to try to make a change by using my words and my pictures. Doing my internship with Crees has made me more confident with my career choice, and it has also made the way their easier by providing me with valuable experience.
Even though I do not know where I will end up next, I am certain that I will work with sustainability, and I would not be surprised if I would find my way back to the jungle once again.
As you might understand, I do not regret clicking on that LinkedIn ad for one second. It was three months of pure joy, even the days when tropical storms were raging, or mosquitos were tormenting me. I will always remember the beautiful sunrises, the long days surveying butterflies in the field, the candle-lit dinners, and the sing-a-longs while doing wash up. It was an adventure from start to end, probably the biggest challenge I have ever faced, but also the most educative and fun months I have experienced.
With huge thanks to Ida for sharing her experience with us and we look forward to seeing more from her in the future in her quest to communicate about the conservation of our planet.