I
decided to take a gap year for different reasons, the first think that I wanted
to do was help animals, so I search information and I founded a website who offers
the opportunity to contribute to bottlenose dolphin, whale & porpoise
conservation whilst gaining hands on field and laboratory experience. When I
read this I thought that it was an excellent idea so I write and email to them.
When they answered me I was so nervous, I was afraid of receiving a reject
mail. Thanks god it wasn´t, they accepted my help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not
believe that it was real!!!!!!!! I immediately search for an airplane ticket
and here I am helping dolphins in different cities.
I
really needed to escape my routine, I wanted to do something meaningful, change
my days and the days of someone else’s. When I say someone else’s I’m referring
to dolphins, many people say “Someone is for humans only” but I think that
those people are wrong. The animals have feelings and they deserves a better
life, be save in their own home.
First city: Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is the
capital of United Arab Emirates, when I arrived I was happy. I knew that I
went to this wonderful city to help dolphins, to fit into different cultures,
to travel de world and found peace in myself. When I arrived to the center
of the organization they told me that they have three centers, one in Abu
Dhabi, one in Emirate of Dubai and another one in Sharjah.
Then
they give me the first and best talk I ever had about dolphins and what we have
to do to help them.
Asad (the man wearing a
check shirt), the owner of the non-profit organization give us the talk.
He told us that we will
assist with data collection while on board the research boat, help to locate
and keep track of dolphin groups and collect environmental
information. Back in the lab, we will assist with restocking field
supplies and transcribing data sheets. He said that boat cleaning and
maintenance will also sometimes be required, I don´t like this so much but
well, I know that it’s necessary. Also he explained us all the things that we
were going to do.
Here we are searching
dolphins!
I
spend 2 months in this city; I learned so many things that I can’t even count
them. It really helps me to escape of my world. I needed more of this, so I
asked if I could stay few months more… They said that I cannot stay more
because there are more people that wanted to do this. My heart breaks in the
moment when I heard the horrible “no”. The only words that came out of my mouth
were “Okay, I understand”. I was about to leave the room when Asad told me that
if I wanted to, I could go to the others centers to help there. I was sooooooooooooo
happy, I even hugged himJ)))))
In
my free days, I visit the city. And all the days after work I went out for a
walk, bought something to eat and did “current life”.
There
are some pictures of this wonderful city:
Second City: Emirate of Dubai.
Well,
this city is fabulous and very luxurious. I had more time to visit this city
because the days that the specialists gave the instruction of how things work
to the volunteers they said that I was free to do what I wanted to.
THIS
WAS AMAZING. LOOK AT THE VIEW!!!!!!
I
loved so much this city, I meet new people who are very important to the
organization. We were so lucky but unlucky at the same time. I had the chance
to analyze a dolphin; the sad part was that he was dead cause of a low tide.
It was abroad to Dubai, but we arrived very quickly in the
boat.
After
this chance to analyze this dolphin we decide to paid attention to the low
tides. We figured out that it wasn’t all the days at 6 pm. We search a lot of
information about what we can do for avoid the dead of dolphins. After days and
weeks of search we found that there is nothing that we could do. I thought to purpose something with the
Echolocation, also called bio sonar. (The biological sonar used by several
kinds of animals to emit calls out to
the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that
return from various objects near them.) I wanted to invent something to emit a
call of attention or something like that but I didn’t thought that the
organization had the resources to do this at it’s also tooooooo complicate. So
I purpose something easier, put a network to prevent the dolphins cross the
limit (when the low tides arrived the point that they are in risk of get stuck
in the sand). They approve my idea!!!!! IT FEELS SO GOOD!!!! I FINALLY MADE A
CHANGE; IT WAS MY OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE LIFES!
Here
you have pictures of this city:
Third City: Shajah
I
came to this city because I wanted to have more experience with dolphins. I wanted to found new thinks about them. I was very excited when I arrived. At the beginning I was happy, I had to
supervise the new volunteers, and I felt important. But then I realize that this “job” is very
boring. Luckily the girls that were assigned to me
were very nice and I spend good time with them.
The
girls working:
The
interesting part of being in charge of the girls was that at least I learn
something, to be patient. Also I had to fill grids with the information about
where were the dolphins and others with the information about how the girls
work. Maybe there are hidden benefits.
I had some time to visit the city, I couldn´t take so many pictures, but there are some:
