Outstanding internship and experience

I interned at the BDRI during the summer of 2013 in Golfo Aranci. I did not have the opportunity to study abroad during the school year at my university and I really wanted the experience of living and researching abroad. This was my first experience studying wild dolphins and I was very impressed with Bruno's patience and trust in me to complete the tasks that needed to be accomplished, as well as his willingness to help me learn. Bruno is very knowledgeable and was a great resource for learning during my internship. I can honestly say that this experience taught me more about marine mammals and ecology than I could have ever learned in school. Bruno was always willing to answer any question I had because he is very dedicated to helping his interns learn as much as possible. He was very accommodating about completing forms for the career center at my university and he was very helpful and supportive of my learning objectives and the project I completed for school based on what I learned from this internship. When working in lab, Bruno would often show us informational documentaries and teach us about other marine conservation issues, besides just dolphins, which was very helpful.
There often would be several days or even an entire week that we would not be able to work in the field due to poor weather conditions. This takes patience on the part of the interns because working in lab all day for several days may not be ideal. However, our safety was always put first and that's what was most important. We would always be given several breaks during the day and given different tasks in order to keep the work from getting monotonous. Although lab days were not always as exciting as working in the field, I enjoyed doing photo i.d. or transcribing data because I could see all of our previous work coming together.
This internship was also an outstanding cultural experience for me. Golfo Aranci is a small town and everybody was very kind and accepting of us. The majority of the interns did not know Italian but it was easy to communicate because many of the people knew Bruno and tried to be as helpful to us as possible. Aside from the village people we met, this was an amazing opportunity to meet and work with other students from around the world. I still remain in contact with several of the interns I worked with during my time at the BDRI. I have also remained in contact with Bruno and he continues to be an outstanding resource for helping me pursue a career in ecology. Although I do not plan on pursuing a career studying marine mammals, this internship experience and everything I learned about ecology and ecological interactions have shaped my future as a scientist. I would definitely recommend this to anybody who is seriously interested in marine mammals, ecology, and conservation.