Teyo Broers

 Teyo Broers in the nursery of the native herbal tea's at Ekoto Farm
 
Name: Teyo Broers 
Nationality: Ecuadorian - Dutch 
Internship period: May 2021 - July 2021 
University: HAS University of Applied Sciences 
Study Program: International Food and Agribusiness 
Type of internship: Work Experience Placement 
Responsible projects: Tea nursery & E-commerce category introduction 
  

Teyo's story: 

"My Internship at this amazing farm, made me realize that Ekoto is not only about sustainability, but also about teamwork, diversity and even culture. Throughout my 2 month Internship a lot of work was done, as soon as we got to the farm there were projects to be done, daily activities to fulfill and more often than not, some unplanned events. All of which showed me the real experience of working in a Dutch farm. When I first got there, I thought my only job would be working in the e-commerce and online web shop development, but I was so wrong. Each week I got a new project to handle, or a new variety to test trial, and sow. After just 8 weeks I had worked on several test trials including buckwheat, oca's and Soybeans, Pumpkin sowing and probably the most time consuming one, growing of tea varieties. After all I must say it was so fun to get all this projects simultaneously , however I have to admit I wouldn’t have been able to manage all of them without the help of a team. It also made me learn the hard way that at Ekoto it really isn’t about the hours or the time, but more about the projects and the activities to be done. 

In the other hand, one good thing about having many tasks at the same time is that you can take a break and do another one. For example, weeding took ages, so when I got tired of weeding I usually went and watered the pumpkins and tea in the greenhouse, and then went to the asparagus fields and harvested some of those, which by the way are delicious. After that I went back to the initial activity I was doing. This way I was always entertained doing something different every hour. In bigger companies you usually get one single job or task for weeks, at Ekoto all jobs are diverse and when you get bored of doing one you can always do another, it is for sure something I appreciated, especially those cold days when being inside and doing some online work was our break. During my experience here I met new friendly people at the farm, who taught me their cultures and their way of living. I shared a lot of new experiences with the team: Kiran, and Ivar. We even made a road trip and we learnt so many things together about nature, sustainability, but also about our own personal beliefs. My time at Ekoto not only brought so much knowledge, but also turned out to be a unique experience where I got to meet new friends, I got to appreciate diversity and where I also tried the best vegan dishes of the country, certainly an experience I would repeat."

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