Work with tourists

I have been in Italy for three months already. Thanks to my development during these three months, I work more and more with people. It is not just sharing basic knowledge about popular sea turtles with kids during school lessons, it is also spending time together with students and adults by talking and sharing all my aquired knowledge and skills.

In the past few days, I have worked with two tourist groups from the United States and Germany. During these days, I applied everything that I have learnt in practice. First step was to talk with people (with presentation or without) about the Sorrento peninsula, which is a local environment, and showed them what we deal with. Our team involved them in activities to understand different cycles of life by asking questions and leading a discussion. For example: what is biodiversity? How do plants breathe under water? Why are underwater plants different and how are they important for life on Earth? How devastating are anchoring boats for plants? How devastating are specific fish nets for bigger animals like turtles or dolphins? What is the difference between turtles which live on land, in fresh water or in sea? What is the human impact on the environment and how can we support enviromentally friendly activities and reduce negative ones?

But theory is not enough. It is better to practice what you learn so that in time it becomes a natural habit. Because thoughts without action are just impressions not habit changing. Thus, after Mimi´s presentation we go snorkeling or kayaking with people and show them the local environment. My role is to explain to them how to use a mask with snorkel, how to breathe properly, how to paddle in a kayak and generally be helpful to Francesco and Mimi. Last week I also coped with a situation when a couple of participants fell into the water from a kayak and could not get back into the kayak. Also one of them sank a kayak. In that case I should be fast and able to help them. But my colleagues and I feel most satisfied when we see participants pick trash up from the sea without asking, because they know that a better world is not built by words but by actions.