By. Gabriele Natalia (Panda Mobile volunteer)
 

The wind rustling against the leaves provides the perfect overall mood. The warbles of the cockatoos together with the trumpeting Sumatran Elephants harmonize a mesmerizing orchestra. The majestic Sumatran Tigers and the glorious Bornean Orangutans sit on their respective thrones. These splendors linger within the lush paradise of the most diverse rainforest. The vast blue sea serves as the dwelling of the largest living animal, the sanctuary of 6 out of 7 species of sea turtles and the safe haven for majority of world’s coral species. Such beauty and fortune, flattering. Here’s to the emerald of the equator, Indonesia.
 
It all started with my curiosity, on trying to find out more about Indonesia’s environment and how to contribute to it, that I decided to sign up for volunteering in WWF Panda Mobile activities. Being a WWF volunteer has taught me plenty of insights. Nevertheless, there is one thing that I am dying to tell you. My experience has opened my eyes to the value of Indonesia’s ecosystem. A lot of us, including me, understand that it is important to conserve our environment, but we still have not fathomed how important it is to actually do it. A lot of us are aware that Indonesia is prosperous in nature, but we are oblivious to how much it is truly worth. Now to be able to unravel its significance, to be able to know how to respond, and to be able to actually share these ideas was an honor. Being a WWF Panda Mobile volunteer was an honor.
 
I have discovered that Indonesia is beyond rich, and its ecosystem is worth everything. Indonesia is a home to countless varieties of living organisms that are possessions of only a few countries. Not to mention that these living organisms are also extremely vital to human lives. Every single day, conscious or not, we are affecting them and thus, our ecosystem. Our actions, as little as washing our hands or ironing our clothes, somehow make an impact all the way to the lives that are thousands of miles away.
 
The very first day as a volunteer, I had to present these ideas, together with other volunteers, to several classes of junior high school students. All throughout the presentation, I was excessively nervous. I was terribly afraid that these children, the key to a better future, do not understand me or perhaps think that what I am informing about does not matter. However, to my surprise, at the end of our visit, there were a group of students that came to me in order to ask how to be a WWF volunteer. In that split second, it never occurred to me how elated I would feel. I may never know if they were genuinely interested, or if they would eventually apply for WWF or if they took my information to heart. But to know that the thoughts I shared, has once crossed their minds or at least caught their attention, it is unquestionably priceless. This is what fueled me, daily, on being more active in attempting to develop a more environmental-friendly lifestyle and to also share my knowledge.
 
Someday, I may no longer be a part of WWF volunteer or join any of their events. Despite so, I’ll promise to continue to carry the experience and lessons with me. We all definitely have things to do but upon sharing my experience, I wish that we would all have the curiosity to pay more attention and be more sensitive to our community. Let us seek for the holes in our community, and see how we fit in to fill them. Because with curiosity, a will is born. With the will, comes commitment and from commitment, actions are generated. Only then, change is possible.