June 9, 2023
By Anna Norrby Andersson, Swallows Fellow, Climate Change Programme
Mid-February, I left snowy Sweden for the cool hills of the Nilgiris. Now, four months later, it is time for me to head home. During my time as an intern at the Climate Change Programme here at Keystone, I have picked up new knowledge, skills, and friends.
At the Keystone Campus there is always something happening. During my first week here, I had the privilege of attending a media festival. Since then we have also held workshops and climate change camps. During my first months, I was seated in the library above Mandaarae, the main meeting space on campus. It gave me insight to just how many events are held by all programmes on campus, which can sometimes be hard to keep up with. It is especially exciting when there are international conferences held at Keystone and the campus is filled with experts form all over the world, such as during the COVID-19 Observatories Workshop in March.
A highlight to any internship at Keystone is without a doubt going into field. My favourite field visit was when we organised a climate change camp held in Sigur, where students learnt about beekeeping, tree phenology and waste management, all tied in with a climate change perspective. The field stations offer a fantastic opportunity for interaction with the field staff, but also with the communities in that area. I mainly contributed with the planning, basing the content of the camp on some lesson plans we had developed for the Climate Smart Schools project headed by the Climate Change programme.
Throughout my internship I have had immense support from my colleague Vidya S. who is the project associate of the climate smart schools. Working in and around Kotagiri is easier if you have some knowledge of Tamil, but thankfully Vidya was able to help with translations. We spent many hours working on the Climate Smart Schools together and I have really enjoyed learning from her and taking part of her knowledge of the programme. I also appreciate the rest of the staff at Keystone, they are always friendly and helpful.
In my free time, I have banded together with the other interns to explore the Nilgiris by visiting the nearby hill stations of Coonoor and Ooty. During tourist season these can be quite crowded, so we were happy we got a chance to visit before the heaviest traffic set in. We have also joined the Nilgiri Natural History Society for a bird-spotting trail which I highly recommend, leeches and all! Kotagiri may be small, but it is very beautiful and we have also enjoyed just walking around town and checking out the scenery. We will miss all the people we meet on a daily basis, from the friendly akkas on our way to work, to the family running our favourite grocery store. The best part about Kotagiri is that it is small enough to form connections wherever you go.
And so, with four months of memories tucked into my already overflowing luggage, I say goodbye to Kotagiri and Keystone Foundation. It has been interesting to see all the work that Keystone does all around the Nilgiris, and an even better experience getting to know all the fantastic people who work here. I hope we meet again!
