Meet our Interns: Martina Decina

Writing about Greenpop reminds me of the good old times during primary school, when the teacher made me write papers answering the question “Write something about your family”. During the three months I spent in Cape Town, Greenpop has gradually become a second family, a second home that took me in and made me feel part of a big project I could contribute, too.

I have never really believed in destiny but sometimes, when I look back at how everything started, I almost change my mind. I remember that day as it was yesterday. I was walking around in my university in Milan and I run into two of my colleagues. It was winter but they already had clear ideas on how they would have spent the summer: applying for internships in corporate, traveling the world, enrolling to universities abroad and other amazing stuff. When they asked me what I was going to do I said “well, I’d like to do an internship in an environmental NGO”. That was everything I knew.

I went home, googled information about environmental NGOs around the world and immediately run into Greenpop website. I decided to apply on the same day, feeling somehow that it would have been a great experience. But I could never imagined it would have changed my life that much.

I started my internship working in the accounting department but then, I do not really know how and when, I started collaborating with the fundraising department and in the end, I stayed there. My days at work were never boring, I always had a lot to do in the office, from creating the donors’ newsletters to the inventory management. My supervisor has been a fundamental part of my internship; I have learnt so much working on her side, both from a professional and personal perspective. Because in the end Greenpop is also about discovering ourselves, our abilities and our limits that are never as close as we imagine them to be. During those three months, I have become more self-confident, improved my soft skills and built amazing relationships that I will never forget.

Together with the work in the office, I also took part to many planting days where everyone has the chance to step out from his/her own comfort zone, connect with new people and with the environment and sharing the beautiful moment of planting trees together.

And then there is of course Cape Town. The most beautiful city in the world, where fun, extraordinary people, good food and stunning natural beauties meet. Everyday, there was something to do in and around the city: hiking Lion’s Head or Table mountain, watching the sunset at Signal Hill with some pizza and drinks, going out in Long Street at night, chilling on the beach, eating good food at The Old Biscuit Mill or just driving a car and exploring some of the many stunning national parks around Cape Town.

Now that I am back home, no day passes without thinking about all the beautiful adventures I have had and all the beautiful people I met. “There are little things that I will never forget. Little nothing details that say more to me than anything else”: this is what Cape Town means to me.