The Intern Dispatches: Field Notes from the Island of Owls and Oranges
Diane Li (C’26) is part of the inaugural class of the BS in Environment & Sustainability, a degree offered by the Earth Commons Institute and the College of Arts & Sciences. Diane just completed two months working at the Labs and Collections for the Natural History Museum of Crete, Greece (NHMC). There, she helped the Vertebrates Department gather data through owl pellet dissection on the populations of small mammals in the Mediterranean.
I am happy to finally be back home to see my family and friends. But there is no doubt I miss the life I lived in Crete. Sometimes, when I’m sitting in my car, I’ll get flashbacks to memories of walking around Herkalion’s city center, eating 4 euro gyros, or peacefully admiring the mountains from the windows at work.
End of carousel collection.
I enjoyed a quiet life there in Crete, far far away from the constant activity of Georgetown. There was no GPA to worry about, no school clubs to manage, no homework to grind. I was simply there to learn and embrace a new culture and atmosphere.
I’ve learned to embrace the feeling of discomfort and push myself into social situations that have led me to connect with new people. I’d like to think I’ve made some long lasting friendships, even in two short months.
I feel I accomplished a lot, learned even more. While I recognize it’s sort of a niche (and maybe seemingly useless) skill to be able to point at some bones and say, “Ah! that is a Rattus rattus bone,” I know that this practice I’ve had in Crete will help prepare me to adjust and thrive in future roles. With the help of my advisor, Nikos, I worked hard to learn new fine motor skills so that I could skillfully dissect fragile skulls. I also learned how to identify small mammal skulls, which entails a tedious process of examining a skull, reading a key, and making important decisions based on teeny-tiny-minute details. During my time there, I also got to learn about other labs at the museum like the Geology, Ornithology, Arthropod, and Genetics department. Additionally, being a foreigner to Greece, cross-cultural communication is a vital skill that I tested and expanded in this experience.
End of carousel collection.
This was my longest period abroad alone, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Of course, with any travel, and even with any new job, there were challenges I encountered: language barriers, navigating public transportation, feeling isolated, and overall just being an introvert alone in a foreign country where I knew nobody! But as a result of those challenges, I’ve learned to embrace the feeling of discomfort and push myself into social situations that have led me to connect with new people. I’d like to think I’ve made some long lasting friendships, even in two short months.
End of carousel collection.
As issues surrounding the environment continue to grow more complex, further interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches are necessary. I believe that makes my internship abroad all the more valuable. It expanded my understanding of the world to include a look into a new culture, new philosophies, and different concepts of biophilia. Greece—especially Crete—was the perfect location for this experience: I got to observe unparalleled nature and wildlife that exists on the island.
Who I am today is just an amalgamation of all the people I’ve met so far and I will carry these memories I’ve made with me for the rest of my life.
As I look back on the experience, I’ve thought a bit about what I would tell future Environment & Sustainability students looking into internships abroad. Here’s what I have to say:
If you have the chance to explore Greece through the Earth Commons, GO FOR IT! I am so excited to see what’s in store for you all and I know it will be a life changing experience as it has for me. Say yes to as many experiences as possible and I can’t wait to hear all about it back on campus!
On the plane leaving Crete.
If any of my friends from Crete are reading this article and made it this far, I just want to say thank you for making my time there so special and I know one day I will definitely be back to see you :). Who I am today is just an amalgamation of all the people I’ve met so far and I will carry these memories I’ve made with me for the rest of my life. Goodbye for now as I move onto my next adventure!