Hi all!

As previously mentioned, my group traveling to Trinidad is working with Nature Seekers with the objective to ultimately improve their website’s integrated booking system as their booking system is not currently viable. 

Nature Seekers is an organization that works to protect the environment, specifically in relation to sea turtles. Originating in 1990, before Nature Seekers, the slaughter of sea turtles, in particular the egg-bearing females, led to a rapid decline in the sea turtle population pushing a national concern. Beginning as an environmental training awareness program, now Nature Seekers patrol and ensure the safety and preservation of the turtle nests. With their efforts, the slaughtering of turtles is now zero.

From my group and I’s interaction with the organization, Nature Seekers is very friendly and open to our collaboration which is strengthened from the ten year partnership they have with the University of Pittsburgh. They are excited for our experience, and they look forward to what potential solutions and insights we can bring to them. So far, there has not been any obvious miscommunication or barriers that have kept us from communicating. The Nature Seekers team has been receptive to any questions we have, and we are very much anticipating meeting them in person on site!

The scope of our project and the specific issue we are addressing is the aforementioned integrated booking system. At this time, anyone looking to book a service with them must call and book, leading to a more manual and taxing effort on both the customer and Nature Seekers. This aspect is less efficient with time and not as cost-effective. The lack of a proper booking system makes it harder for potential customers to book, so customers may opt not to book due to the inconvenience or uncertainty in how to proceed with the booking. This also leads Nature Seekers to spend more time planning these bookings when the time may be more useful and productive working on other areas of Nature Seekers.

With the current website, there is no way to see what specific dates are available for certain services, and overall can be improved. With this in mind, our group also aims to deliver recommendations and insights on Nature Seekers’ audience and for how to best engage them on the website as well as Social Media. For example, there is currently a turtle tracker on Nature Seekers’ website that could be further elaborated on and more frequently updated. These turtles could even be given names or have been updated on social media to keep volunteers or those visiting invested in these specific turtles and curious where they may travel. 

Nature Seekers is important to Trinidad and the local community in Matura because they truly have made a change in the environment with their work to stop the slaughtering of turtles. They have turned poachers into conservationists and in turn are providing the community with the knowledge, awareness, and opportunity to impact the environment as well. Members can volunteer and assist as Nature Seekers also work on beach clean ups and other environmental activities and experiences. 

During the international component of the program, our team hopes to be able to figure out the specific needs of Nature Seekers, the community, and those who Nature Seekers service in more depth. We are aware of the basic needs that we have been told and that are visible from the status of the website and our research, but in country we will be able to have more thorough conversations in what they are struggling with and what aspects are most vital to them in both the deliverable booking system and overall as an organization or community. 

This will also aid us in gathering insights for the customer from the real life conversations we can have with potential volunteers and other Trinidadians as well. We also hope to be able to learn more of the history and how Nature Seekers’ work has personally impacted the community and the people’s perspective to gain a better understanding of how they are perceived and work with the community. 

The cultural norm of the host country I anticipate being a challenge to conducting the business that I need to conduct would be the idea of island time. Although this is not something that I find to be a huge barrier, it is definitely something that may take some time to adjust to. Especially since we are only there for one week (less than that considering the travel time), there is a possibility that I will want to make sure that we are very kept up with the schedule and able to obtain any information as soon as possible to get the most immersive and in-depth experience while in the country as well as inform the deliverables. 

This way, we would be able to ponder and then continue to ask questions and gather information in person that is readily accessible in a quick manner rather than receiving this information later on once we are out of the country. In short, since I desire to learn all I can in such a short amount of time with the unique experience, I may feel rushed to move along and push forward. However, I believe this aspect of island time will also allow me to settle into the present and truly value the connections and conversations that I am having naturally. I will be able to learn a lot through other cues from my observation and patience that may be equally as valuable. More technical or numerical aspects also may be much more accessible and available when we are out of the country compared to the words, conversations, and time with Nature Seekers and the people of Trinidad, so it will be important to live in the moment and value the more qualitative and cultural aspects while in country. 

The class discussion and reading that has impacted me most is most definitely the “Points of Discomfort: Reflections on Power and Partnerships in International Service-Learning” reading that we discussed last week in class. This reading really made me consider the perspective with which I am entering Trinidad and the stereotypes that I may be bringing in. The idea that we are helping this organization because they need help and we have the resources can have a thin line that can easily seem like there is a sense of superiority and inferiority between groups. This also goes along with how there can be distinctions between the “other” or those of the host country and how this idea negatively impacts service learning.

The points of discomfort led me to question what my perspective was and how my actions may be perceived even if I am not intending to appear in such a way. The point of discomfort that most stood out to me was the Meal Time story as it gathered feelings of uncertainty in what was right and if the level of reciprocity was correct. This article definitely left me to think deeper about my actions, especially as we approach departure. 

I also found the “Comparing the effects of community service and service-learning” reading to also be insightful from more of a research perspective, and it was interesting to see the different impacts and how they were measured.

With all that being said, I am really looking to learn more from the experiences and knowledge I will gain from my time in Trinidad coming up!