Praktika Jūrų apsaugos institute “Archipelagos”, Graikijoje

Last year I graduated from Vilnius University. After graduation I wanted to get internship for new experience, as well as, to get more practical skills in my field. So, I got accepted as a Marine Mammal researcher in Archipelagos, Institute of Marine Conservation which was based in Samos Island in Greece.

During my internship I was doing various tasks and were able to participate in many different projects including cetacean population monitoring which involved boat-based and land-based surveys, cetacean acoustic survey , monitoring Mediterranean monk seal population, managing stranding database, doing “Eco navigation” project, monitoring environmental factors from boat, photo identification project, as well as, writing reports.

During our free time we were planning and organising themed parties, movie nights, hiking or just exploring the island. Because of that, I was improving not only my analytical skills required for work but communication and orienteering skills as well.

I am happy that I had an opportunity to participate in Erasmus+ traineeship program. I gained a lot of experience and new knowledge that improved my professional competencies as a biologist/ecologist. As well, during my stay in the institute I met many wonderful and interesting people from all over the world, improved my English, got to know Greece culture better and got a chance to see a beautiful island and visit few more islands which were close to our island.