So you’re looking through your email. There’s the typical junk mail, usually consisting of a sale on something you don’t want or need (it is on sale though…). The forwarded emails, which you probably won’t even look at. Those “terrible consequences” for not passing the message along won’t happen if you don’t read it at all, right? And then of course there are the important ones that you can only get to by searching through all the other junk. Bills, messages from friends, and the opportunity emails, which are easy to come by when you’re still on your colleges email list.
Being a recent grad, I have to pick through the undergrad only and campus oriented opportunities but every now and then I come across something amazing. On one particular day, as I sifted through my email, which was mostly junk, I came across an email about Kalu Yala. At first glance I thought, “Kalu what?” Having never heard of it, my curiosity was piqued. I read through the email and was hooked. Three months in Panama, doing an internship of my choice during the dead of winter in Pennsylvania?! Why yes, I’d love the opportunity.
So I applied, got accepted for the Spring 2013 agriculture internship, and in no time at all I was in Panama soaking in the beautiful weather and culture. I’ve been here almost 2 weeks now and the experience has been amazing. Being a valley intern, you have to hike in and out for each stint. It’s literally an uphill both ways type of hike (thankfully it doesn’t snow in panama). I didn’t expect the beauty that I saw once I got to the top. It made all the work worth it. Every where you turn here there is something else to explore. It’s a beautiful jungle play ground. I definitely can’t wait for our next valley stint and the adventures I’m sure it will hold.