Lorie, from Belgium, has just left for Spain, with an ESC project supported by VIEWS International as sending organisation. She will spend a year in Andalucía, volunteering with SEO/BirdLife to help restore ecosystems and protect biodiversity. In this blog, she shares what motivated her to join the project, details about her future work, and how it is going so far.
I’m Lorie, a 27-year old nature lover from Belgium who just started a volunteering with SEO/Birdlife in the south of Spain, near the beautiful city of Sevilla.
After studying Electrical Engineering and beginning a career in research, I felt a bigger call and the need to get closer to nature. This lead me to volunteer in various places across the world, including in a rehabilitation centre in the Bolivian jungle and in a research centre in South Africa. These amazing volunteering experiences taught me a lot not only in terms of ecology and conservation, but also about myself and how to live and work in a multi-cultural environment.
Back to Belgium, I felt even more the urge to help protect biodiversity. I wanted to live a similar experience closer from home, to further deepen my knowledge and get a better understanding of the opportunities that exist in conservation in Europe. The European Solidarity Corps program came as the best way for me to get involved in a project I care about, doing something meaningful while learning skills that I will use both in my personal and professional life.
SEO/Birdlife is the oldest conservation NGO in Spain and is part of BirdLife International, a world-famous organization dedicated to the protection of birds and nature. They work on different nature reserves across Spain, with both local and international volunteers, and their work includes monitoring the population of birds, nature restoration and outreach programs. I took the train from Belgium to the Basque Country in Spain, where I enjoyed a beautiful hike, then another one straight to Sevilla, where I enjoyed delicious food, beautiful architecture, as well as the orange and lemon trees that grow everywhere. Finally, a bus brought me to Almonte, a small town where I’ll be living for one year. It’s located near Doñana park – a UNESCO World Heritage – where I will work along with the other ESC volunteers.
Everyone I met so far has been extremely kind and welcoming and I feel very lucky to be here. I’ve only just arrived, but I can already feel I will learn a lot about birds and plants, improve my Spanish skills, learn about the local culture and make memories I will cherish for life.
