The Experience of a Lifetime: Biosphere Stewardship Program

My experience at the International Biosphere Stewardship Program was absolutely incredible. I had the opportunity to be part of group of 15 students from Bali, India, Cambodia, Puerto Rico and the USA. The varied cultural perspectives we each brought to the program helped create an experience unlike any other in my life. Although we came from different cultures and backgrounds, and didn’t all speak the same language, we quickly became a team. We built our friendships on our shared goal of preserving our precious blue planet.

Our daily activities centered around learning about the ecosystems of Bali Barat National Park, as well as the environmental challenges facing the region and our Earth as a whole. Snorkeling on Menjangan Island’s coral reef, we discovered the beauty of the underwater world but were also struck by the alarming signs of human destruction caused by anchor damage and plastics pollution. I loved having the chance to work together as a team on coral reef and other community conservation projects Biosphere Foundation is doing in collaboration with Friends of Menjangan. We worked with local Balinese on beach cleanups, reforested a mangrove, weeded a plot for a sustainable farming project, and cleared the invasive species lantana from the monsoon forest to promote reforestation. We also learned how to repurpose Styrofoam trash to make cushions and how to recycle plastic to make wallets and bags at a local waste recycling program.

Since many of the local Balinese students spoke little English, one of my favorite parts of the experience was learning how to communicate and connect deeply without words, especially during times when we were not with the whole group and our translators. Although in these moments we couldn’t find the words to express what we were feeling, emotions became our new language: laughter, happy tears, nostalgic tears when the program ended, and smiles.

The most memorable moment for me was on the last night when we walked down to the jetty and released little boats made out of banana leaves with a candle inside onto the water, and made a wish. Over the ten days of the stewardship program our group became unbelievably close. We not only made friendships to last a lifetime, but we also individually made vows for how we were going to bring change to our own communities to fuel the healing of our Earth.

I absolutely loved this program and would recommend it to every person in the world if I could. It pushes you out of your comfort zone in the best possible way, opening your eyes and heart to new and moving experiences. It has inspired me to wish to always seek profound connection with others in service of our world for the rest of my life.