1. Where the Journey Began
From the moment I joined the Laidlaw program, I had looked forward to the Leadership-in-Action project. Unlike the engineering-related internships that are common in my field, this was a chance to immerse myself in conservation work, something outside my academic training, yet naturally connected to my interest in environmental challenges. After hours of searching through opportunities, I chose Osa Conservation in Costa Rica. The NGO’s flexibility with dates, which was essential given my exams in August, and its strong focus on biodiversity made it the ideal destination.
The journey itself was part of the challenge. It was my first long-haul flight, and as a long-time follower of Air Crash Investigations, I was really nervous about crossing the Atlantic.
The next day, I boarded a ten-seat plane to Puerto Jiménez, not knowing it would become one of the most memorable moments of my journey. Flying over the rainforest canopy felt surreal, and from that view I sensed that this experience would test me in ways I could not yet anticipate.
2. Beginnings and Adaptation
I arrived at Osa Conservation with Cyril Barthelet, another Laidlaw Scholar from EPFL who, like me, was on exchange in Zurich. Having a familiar face by my side eased the transition into this new environment. Only a week later, however, Cyril suffered a snake bite and had to leave the campus. Thankfully he recovered well, but his early departure meant I had to continue the project on my own. Though difficult at first, it pushed me to adapt more quickly and find confidence in navigating the experience independently.
The first challenges I faced were cultural and linguistic. Most of the volunteers and interns around me came from backgrounds in biology or conservation, while I arrived as an engineering student with little prior knowledge. Especially in the beginning, animal names, ecological terms, and conservation practices were unfamiliar to me, and I felt somewhat behind. I spent my first week asking endless questions, learning not only from fellow volunteers but especially from the local staff, whose patience and generosity left a lasting impression.
Spanish was another challenge. At first, I practiced only occasionally, switching back to English when possible. Later, however, together with a group of volunteers and interns, we made a collective decision to speak as much Spanish as possible. We even chose to sit with non-English-speaking staff at meals to make sure we practiced. Slowly, through daily conversations, I became more confident. On my last day, still aware of how much I had to improve in spoken Spanish, the Uber driver told me my Spanish was really good and easy to understand. It was a simple but powerful reminder of how far I had come since those hesitant first days.
Living in the rainforest also required its own kind of adaptation. Now and then, I would come across a scorpion, a snake, or even a chameleon, sometimes in the bathroom and sometimes on the path back to my cabin. Encounters like these were unsettling, knowing that some species are venomous, but they reminded me each day that I was only a guest in their environment, a perspective that shifted how I understood respect for nature.
Adaptation was not only about nature but also about culture. The philosophy of Pura Vida, literally “pure life,” is more than a slogan; it reflects a way of living centred on presence and gratitude. Personality-wise, but also after three years in Switzerland, I had adopted a very structured approach to work. At first the more flexible rhythm in Costa Rica felt unfamiliar, but it soon felt refreshing, showing me the space it opens for joy and genuine connection.
3. My Work at Osa Conservation
At Osa Conservation, I was able to contribute to many areas of ongoing work. I joined the sea turtle team, where I took part in night patrols, helping nesting females, relocating eggs, and most significantly, working on the construction of the hatchery. This was one of the most rewarding projects: building the structure that would protect future nests from predators gave a sense of continuity to my contribution. Knowing that turtles will hatch safely in months to come made me realise how tangible and long-lasting even a volunteer’s work can be.
I also worked on the organic farm, where harvesting vegetables or collecting eggs often meant eating them the next day at dinner, a direct link between labour and nourishment. I assisted with wildlife monitoring, installing and collecting camera traps to track species presence, and later checking the data they captured. This variety of activities also gave me insight into how a conservation NGO operates day to day, balancing fieldwork, education, research, and community engagement.
In addition to these ongoing projects, I initiated English classes for the staff, which became one of the most memorable parts of my stay. Preparing bilingual slides and adapting to very different levels of English in the same room was not easy, and at times I had to improvise when I lacked the words in Spanish or when explanations did not land. These challenges, however, taught me patience and creativity in communication. What struck me most was the enthusiasm of the participants: some joined lessons even after long workdays, others connected by Zoom when they were away, and several asked me to continue the classes once I returned to Switzerland.
4. Growth and Leadership
Working with the community reminded me constantly of the importance of humility. Teaching English showed me how difficult communication can be across levels and languages, but it also revealed the power of patience and encouragement. Farming alongside others gave me a new respect for the effort behind food production. Night patrols with the turtle team showed me the fragile line between survival and loss in ecosystems under pressure. Even lighter moments, like the daily foosball matches with staff that became a campus ritual, proved that teamwork is as much about shared laughter as about responsibilities.
This experience also developed my leadership skills in unexpected ways. Communication became central, whether adapting explanations in English lessons or bridging language barriers in Spanish. Teamwork was essential in every activity, as most tasks were too demanding for one person alone. Problem-solving became second nature, whether finding ways around my limited Spanish or adjusting to changing class attendance. Above all, these weeks demanded adaptability and endurance. Long nights of patrols, the relentless humidity, and the physical intensity of manual labour all pushed me to confront my limits.
5. Reflections and Gratitude
I often questioned how my short stay could have a lasting impact. Yet I realised that even small contributions matter. The hatchery will protect nests long after my departure. English classes equipped staff with skills they can continue to build upon. Media posts will keep raising awareness among audiences far from the rainforest. The vegetables we planted will continue to sustain the community, and the trees we restored will grow for decades. Beyond these concrete results, the most profound lesson was a stronger awareness, as a future engineer, that innovation and environmental sustainability must go hand in hand.
Before arriving, I naively saw predators only as destructive. A workshop on biodiversity taught me that predator–prey relationships are vital to ecological balance. In the same way, this experience reshaped my view of balance in life: between efficiency and patience, ambition and humility, technology and nature. I return with gratitude for the rainforest, for the people I met, and for the chance to learn through immersion. I also return with a new question: How can I reconcile being an engineer while ensuring that my work does not harm the environment? Even tools like the new Meta glasses, which can instantly translate conversations, made me reflect: they may solve language barriers, but they also take away the joy of struggling to be understood, the gestures, the laughter at mistakes, the small victories when a word finally comes. Without that effort, the experience would have lost much of its richness, its reward, and its humanity.
This experience also deepened my awareness of the richness the Earth has to offer, the urgency of protecting it, and the vastness still left for me to discover beyond my Switzerland–France–Tunisia bubble. I am deeply grateful to the staff of Osa Conservation for their guidance and hospitality, to the volunteers and interns who became friends, and above all to the Laidlaw Foundation for making this journey possible.