It's Happening Mi Gente!!!

Because studying for finals is a total drag, I've decided to fill you guys in on the latest news in the life of Gabby:

As those closest to me know, I've always been passionate about both poverty alleviation and natural resource conservation, and my goal come end of my master's program was to find a way to piece these two together. Well people... it's happening!!! A little over a month from now your Gabby will be off to work on her dream internship! As part of our master program it is required to write a master thesis by your third or fourth semester. A month or so ago, one of the PhD candidates in our department came to class to offer a position for a master thesis in the Amazonian forest in Peru. The thesis involves working with indigenous communities in the Amazonian forest to ensure environmental conservation and sustainability for the purpose of improving the well-being of these farming households. My heart skipped a beat. This was exactly what I wanted to do for my master thesis! I applied, and to my surprise and delight, I was the selected candidate for this amazing opportunity. This is HUGE in my book people!

Field work starts beginning of March and goes on for 6 months until the end of September. Initially, I will be stationed in Lima, where the main office is located. Then after summing up what my research is going to be about and developing the needed questionnaires, I will head out to the jungle to work in the villages. Since this is a research project my main job is to first brainstorm with our team a super creative way to improve these communities' conservation efforts. Then I will collect data, and last draft my master thesis as well as a report for the sponsoring organization behind my internship. Pretty darn cool!

I've already spoken to the team in Peru and they seem like such an excellent and supportive group to work with. The project is organized by three different organizations: GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), University of Goettingen (my university), and the Federal Ministry of Environment in Peru. Since the project started about 3 years ago, I am very excited to learn about what has been done and what can be done to preserve the Amazonian biodiversity. Goes without saying this is an incredibly exciting learning and challenging experience that I'm anxious to begin. Oh, and yes, definitely super grateful that all costs will be covered by the sizable scholarship offered along with the internship. Hurray to that!

So why do you care?
Pretty much because this is definitely your chance to visit Peru. Seriously guys, mi casa es tu casa. Peru is a beauty and definitely a country worth a visit. Plus, I'll be there to show you around! ;)

Here's info on the program plus master thesis:
http://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/13301.html

Con amor,
Gabby