Feelings on the internship at Lazy Seal Diving Company :)

When I first heard about an opening as an intern in Thailand, I was obviously thrilled and excited, because who wouldn’t have been? I have only been in Thailand once before so my knowledge on this beautiful country was limited to endless hours of browsing through pictures of picture perfect beaches and crystal clear waters. As in everything you do in life, you have expectations that can sometimes be set to be a bit too high based on limited knowledge. Not in this case. When the plane was gliding towards Krabi airport and the sun hit these perfect waters I knew I was in for a treat. This is what I had always wanted to do – take off from my regular life and set of for an adventure not knowing what to really expect, doing the thing I love.

 

It’s funny to think that something you’ve wanted for so long can feel so scary. I’m not going to lie to you, I was petrified at the airport as I was about to take off. It was only then when it hit me that I was actually about to leave everything that was familiar to me and fly to the other side of the planet to work at Koh Lanta with people I had only seen on Skype briefly. As they say, the hardest part is leaving. Emotions run high and you think to yourself ‘Why am I doing this?’ ‘How on earth will I survive when I don’t know anyone?’ I’ve always thought that the absolute best thing you can do in your life is to take these chances and leave everything familiar behind and just jump on the opportunities that are given to you. When I was introduced to diving, from the very first moment I jumped into the water I was hooked. One of the best things about this internship has been to learn that I now know that I really do want to pursue a career in the diving industry and that this is really what I wanted to do with my life. I just never expected that I would be granted this kind of an opportunity this fast. And even though I experienced some doubts at the airport, I can honestly tell you that this has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

 

I once read a quote that has stuck with me ever since: ‘In the end you won’t regret the things you did in life that didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to, but the things you never tried because you were scared.’ I try to keep this in mind in everything I do, including applying for an internship across the planet. You can never know what awaits you and what you really love before you go ahead and try.

 

When I was younger I said I will never work in an office but will want to work outside with water and people. Now I have seen that by incorporating something you love into your work, even office work can be fun! No day is similar to another and once I got used to the work at the office, I have been granted more and more responsibilities also outside of it. I have been lucky to go abroad and out to sea with snorkelers and conduct tours for them on the surface. In the office I have learnt so much about what it really is to work in the diving industry – it’s not just being in the water but takes a lot of ‘behind-the-scenes’ activities that make all of this possible. I have learnt to reserve and book diving tours for customers and update customer database, and how to communicate with other dive shops professionally. I have now actually learnt to be excited about coming to the office because I know I will learn something new every day and with this set of colleagues the office feels more like a living room, where work is done professionally but where you can be yourself, ask questions and show openly what you would be interested to learn and be granted the opportunity to learn these things.


And, now I am happy to tell you that I have completed my Divemaster course!!! I could not be more thrilled! I can't believe we made it happen, another dream come true :) With this course I have been able to spend more time in the water, helping out with student divers ang learning myself. I have been lucky enough to witness peoples' first breaths underwanter and seen, how they learn to trust water as an element along with their skills and abilities. I tell you, there is no better feeling than seeing someone enjoy and fall in love with the same thing I once fell in love with myself - the ocean, diving and continuing to learn. This course also has given me so much. Not have I only learnt more about diving, but also more about myself. I had an amazing instructor who kept me focused and helped me through even the tougher parts of the course. I am so greatful and so incredibly happy :)

 

Still now, when there is only 6 days left until my departure, I am still trying to grasp the idea of what I have experienced, how many wonderful people I have already met and how absolutely excited I am to be here. I still wake up every morning surprised at seeing the sun and clear blue sky and wait with excitement of what the day has to offer. When I left Finland I really had no idea of what to expect. Once I arrived I was greeted with the warmest welcome I have ever had – hugs, smiles and a generally warm and safe atmosphere. I am still startled how quickly these people took me into their little family and how open they were to helping me with everything I needed help with. I truly am lucky to have found such a company where everyone is treated similar and more as family members than just colleagues. My second day here we took scooters and drove across the island and did some exploring and was shown around our little town. It’s these little things that these people have done to me that show how much they care and how incredible people they are.

The atmosphere here at the office is so relaxed and warm but at the same time professional and the work is done with dignity and precision. Here you won’t have to worry about having a boring day at the office because there is so much to do and learn in great company. I still can’t express how incredibly happy I am that I took this chance and was granted this opportunity, because without it, I would not be so sure that this is what I want to do, this is what I was born to do and I would have never met these people that have already in only three month’s time have become a huge part of my life.

 

For me this internship has been a huge learning experience, not just professionally, but personally. I have learnt things about myself that I didn’t know were there and have gained so much self-confidence by being here on my own and getting responsibilities from the company that show trust and confidence in me. I can’t even put to words how valuable this internship has been to me. Professionally I have gained so much experience in working in the diving industry from office work to actually being out at sea helping divers and snorkelers set up and enjoy the secrets of the ocean. I have loved diving ever since I first started, but this has also been a really good measure for me to see if this is something I really want to do professionally and build a career on, or would it have been better to just keep diving as a hobby. During my time here I have realized how much I love working with diving and it has been such a great gift to have been able to see also the background and what it really takes to run a dive shop. I will be forever grateful that I got this opportunity and have had the chance to work in the field I love with these incredible people.

 

-Maria

Take those chances and live your ife

 

When applying for an internship either at your home country or abroad there are a few things to keep in mind. Number one for me has always been to keep an open mind for new challenges and opportunities and to push yourself that extra mile and go for it even though the thought of leaving everything familiar behind would seem scary at the time.  I have always felt that you can look at life in two ways: take it as it comes and live a safe, secure life or affecting the way your life plays out by taking chances and stepping out of your comfort zone. In the end it’s the chances you never took that will cause regret, not the things you did that might not have gone exactly as planned.

 

I spent my year 2013-2014 as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile and after an amazing year abroad once again, I thought to myself that now would be a great time to stay put, finish school and continue at my job in Finland. But one day I was fortunately looking through the work placement ads at my school and one in particular stood out: Lazy Seal Diving Company. It has been my dream to pursue a career in the scuba diving industry and when I saw that there would be a possibility to apply for an internship at the Lazy Seal Diving Company, I ditched all my plans of a stable and steady life in Finland and chose to take on this opportunity and send in an application. Another dream came true when I was informed after interviews that I in fact had gotten the spot as an intern and you can only imagine the smile on my face - I looked like I had slept with a hanger in my mouth for months!

 

Life in Finland continued to be the same while temperatures went down and days got shorter. In the back of my mind I didn’t feel down as much as I could’ve because there was that little voice in my head telling me that come January and I’d be happily flying away from the cold and sleet and on my way to sunny Thailand. But reality didn’t strike until January 14^th when I was standing at the airport with my bag and scuba gear ready to embark on a new adventure. It was a scary and pleasant feeling at the same time because I had no idea of what to expect and that was both the thrill and nerve wrecking part of this new experience about to happen. But I felt ready, I was ready and while it was hard to leave home again after only being back for 6 months I felt so incredibly grateful that I was chosen for this position that it’s hard to put down as words, and that's why eagerness to see what was going to happen beat the nervousness that had lifted its head.

 

From my previous experiences from living abroad I had learnt that no matter what, you should always take an opportunity that presents itself to you. I have once come back way before I was supposed to because I had attachments back home that felt at the time as the biggest commitment of my life and I have also been guilty of not living in the moment when being abroad because I have always had my mind on things and people back home and I used to keep one eye on the rear-view mirror and did not know how to live in the moment and enjoy what I had while I was experiencing new things. But now as I was saying goodbye to my regular life in Finland again, I made it very clear to myself that I had to look forward, seize the moment and enjoy what I have while I have it. Home will always be there, things might change but the most important things will always be there. My mom has always courage me to do and experience things and when I am about to leave, I always hear her words in the back of my mind: ‘You can always come home, all you need to do is try your best’. These words are at the same time both encouraging and reassuring – not everything is for everyone but we only do have one life and when an opportunity comes along, it is important to take it and live your life with a little bit of adventure and uncertainty, because that’s how you make memories and get content to your life, not by sitting on the couch watching others live their, and your, life.

 

As the first week has rolled by, I still sometimes can’t believe that I am actually here. Waking up to sunlight and warmth with a view of palm trees from your window still feels like a surreal dream, but little by little I am starting to believe that this is really happening. I am so thankful for my previous experiences, because even though they might not have played out like planned, they have thought me so much and now I know how to keep myself focused on today and the opportunities that present themselves to me. Seize the day, seize the moment and enjoy your life as it comes. The future will come and it will play out like it will, so don’t worry, be happy and do the things you want to do. One day it may be too late and as said earlier, it’s not the things you did that you end up regretting but the things that you dreamt of but never did.

 
Yours truly,

-M-

Winds of change and new adventures

Hello hello again my peeps :)


This time I'm writing to you from Koh Lanta, Thailand! Yes, I'm here now :) One thing I have noticed about myself during the years is that I apparently can't stay still for very long. Either I'm tapping my foot on the bus while listening to music or going around the apartment singing to my favourite songs while cleaning or then just to annoy my dear neighbours. Or then I decide to take up on new challenges and adventures and change the location of myself :)




A bit over a year ago I was in the same position in my life and was about to fly off to Santiago de Chile to spend an exchage year over there. While the experience was amazing and I met a ton of amazing people and made life-long friends, I felt like it would be nice to stay in one place for a while and 'settle down' and live my life in Finland without too many changes for a while - go to school and work and enjoy the stable life back at home.




Well.. that lasted for about six months :) I changed school in August, I spotted an ad in our work placement Facebook group for an intern at a diving company here in Thailand. Needless to say, I needed to get the place. Along with my application went my plans for a stable life in Finland, but I felt like this was an opportunity of a lifetime and exactly the kind of work I wanted to do in the future so I couldn't pass on this and would probably forever hate myself for not applying if I didn't. So I applied. And a few days later got an email confirming a date for an interview! You can only imagine how extatic I was!




Once the internship place was confirmed my life's course changed again - in a good way :) I didn't fully comprehend what was actually happening since I had just come back from South America, gone to work and changed schools. But what would life be without a bit of adventure and doing things that you know nothing of and have no idea what to expect? Boring.




So the summer came and went, I was happy at work , went to school and and lived my life in Finland. Time seemed to pass by so fast that I didn't know what hit me when January 14th rolled around the corner and I was supposed ti fly off that evening. I had just spent 3 weeks in the States with my family over there and thought that 2 days in Finland would be plenty of time to experience the lovely finnish winter with its sleet but when those 2 days were over it was again surprisingly hard to leave home and important people behind, even though I knew that I was about to have another amazing experience ahead of me. And I have to be honest with you, because that's what I've promised, and have to admit that even on the plane I had a few tears in my eyes. Not because I didn't want to leave and because I wasn't thankful for this opportunity, but because in those two days at home I got suprisingly comfortable with being home and having my own routines again. It was hard to think about leaving the comfort of my own home behind again when I felt like I had just done that not too long ago, but once we were half-way through with the flight, reality struck and I decided that instead of being upset about all the things I once again left behind in Finland, I would be positive and excited about the things that were waiting for me and all the amazing people I would meet and get into my life from this trip. And it was a good decision because along with the sad thoughts went the nervousness and along came excitedness and hunger for new adventures.




Now it's my fourth day here and I couldn't be happier. I'm still in a state of awe about everything that I have encountered and already experienced and I won't even begin to explain about the weather ;) I can't believe what a difference sun and a blue sky can make in the mental state of a person. Let's just say that I feel like myself again and could not be happier that I took the chance and leap of faith and am sitting here at our office with an amazing team of colleagues :) More about the work and these few days here soon, now it's time to have some Pad Thai for lunch ;)




Hasta pronto, see ya later, take care of yourself and others :)


-M-