Growing as a person 101 - Wilderness Internship
During my internship, I made lots of memories. During my internship, I learned many new skills and immersed myself in untouched wilderness.
My story begins in Germany. I had just graduated from high school and wasn’t sure about my future. So I decided do an internship with Chilcotin Holidays in the Canadian wilderness. I hoped to have the time and space during my internship to learn about myself and to experience the beautiful wilderness at the same time.
There I had a wonderful month. During my internship, I got to meet many interesting people – both staff and guests. I also spent time around the horses all morning, and learned how to drive the snowmobile, the tractor and the bulldozer. On top of that, I cooked for a big group of people, went riding bareback and chopped wood for the first time. The other community members also taught me about native animals and their habitat when we explored the remote wilderness.
My main internship responsibilities, however, were in the office, where I first got to learn more about social media marketing – something I already had some experience in. Furthermore, I researched the foundation for a few different projects, for example I learned how online magazines work or how the wildfires last summer impacted local communities.
But my big project during my internship was developing the website for Fortress Press, Charlie’s very own publishing company. Together we set up the technical part, like the domain and the DNS record, and then I started designing and adding content. At first, it was weird to have so much freedom and responsibility but I felt that I could always ask for advice and that my input was genuinely appreciated. Besides, everything I learned and the insights I gained into WordPress as part of my internship will hopefully help me in my future career.
In my free time, I read Charlie’s current book, titled Lead Like a Lead Mare, took pictures of the amazing scenery, went horseback riding, and explored the wilderness of the South Chilcotin Mountains during different trips.
This internship taught me a lot about perseverance and handling pressure. And it showed me how important taking responsibility, initiative, ownership, having commitment and a good attitude are. Thanks to Trails to Empowerment, I grew into a more stable, calm and self-reliant person. Furthermore, I became more independent and empowered during my journey. I also increased my consciousness and awareness levels to be a strong member of this community. Eventually I will, even at home, continue to grow into a Lead Mare – especially once Charlie’s online course is ready.
Emily, 18, Germany
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