Croatia: Adventure, Exploration, and Connection

Haylee Hinton Start Date: Jan 16, 2024 - End Date: Oct 15, 2024
  • Omiš, Croatia

My Travel Story

by: Haylee Hinton Start Date: Jan 16, 2024 - End Date: Oct 15, 2024
This volunteer program is a return to a childhood passion, an opportunity to broaden my personal and professional network, and another step in a lifetime of learning and relating.

I have always loved marine life, even though I've never lived near the ocean. Even as a child, I dreamed of working with marine animals. I remember choosing to be a dolphin biologist one year for the "What you want to be when you grow up" day in my elementary school. Whether I'm on a beach or a rocky shore, or just listening to the sound of the waves, I still feel that pull towards the seas.

Conservation is a cause close to my heart. In the past decade, I've been more invested in land-based ecology and conservation, and finding avenues to help others - especially children - find ways to connect with the surface world. Recently though I've found myself increasingly drawn back to this mysterious other world that I had such a passion for when I was younger. This opportunity offers me the chance to immerse myself in both a meaningful conservation project and a rich educational environment.

I chose Croatia because its complex history, culture, and language drew my curiosity. This will be my first international trip, and I am beyond excited about both the possibilities and the challenges that arise when jumping head-first into a new culture and geography. I know this experience will help me further develop my sense of self-sufficiency, compassion, and curiosity and help me create more essential networks within the international conservation community.

I would greatly appreciate any and all help to raise the funds I need for this amazing experience!
  • Omiš, Croatia

Updates

5

  • Language Learning

    Dobra večer. Kako ste? In my downtime, I've been working on learning more of the Croatian language. Did you know that Croatian is a Slavic language? It shares a common root with Russian and Polish, but is considered part of the Southern sub-group. Unlike Russian, it uses the Latin alphabet, with special accents to indicate different sounds.

  • On To The Smaller Details

    At the rate this summer is going, I feel like I'm going to blink and then it'll be time to leave for Croatia! I've been working on more of the every day details as of late, since I've already got the biggest pieces - passport, flights, accommodations - taken care of. My next goal is sorting out what clothing and extras I'll need.

    I actually just bought my plug adapter, since outlets are different in Croatia than in the US. I knew outlets were different in other places, but I didn't realize there were so many vastly different shapes around the world!

    I'll share more about my quickly-forming list of Places to Go list next update.