I am on a computer in an internet place in Tulear and the keyboard is foreign enough to make it difficult to type so this will be short. So after 48 plus hrs in transit I finally made it here. I met some cool people traveling, including a Canadian soldier on leave from Afghanistan who told me a lot about that and also an Austrian businessman who got me hooked up with free stuff on the flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg. He also offered me a free place to stay anytime I'm in Austria.Upon arrival in Tana I met a guy named Merlin (whom I will not be calling) but whose name is obviously way cool. I knew this place would be magical.
So far today, I have been walking around the 'city' of Tulear all morning with the ReefDoctor project coordinator Alana who has been filling me in on a lot of stuff about ReefDoctor and Ifaty and Madagascar in general. Three volunteers who have been here a month left this morning and they had nothing but good things to tell me. One even goes to Clemson, imagine that. I haven't met anyone else yet. We are going to the site after lunch so I will then. I'm thinking I probably won't be able to access the internet that often, as there is one dial up connection at the site between a good number of people. That will be good for me, but I apologize if I don't get to update this too often or respond to emails or other messages much. However, keep 'em coming! And anyone who wants a postcard, send me your address! I bought a bunch already.
I am excited about getting really involved with the education program in Ifaty as well as the kids club, which I think will be what I focus on documentary-wise. I'll tell more about that when I know more. I'm gonna go for now but I'll be back hopefully soon, pleae email me!
Alex
Sorta Beautiful
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Pre-Departure Overview
Well, I am still in Charlotte, packed to within an inch of my life, and about to head to the airport where they will probably tell me I have to get rid of half of my stuff, in which case I will be totally screwed. I tried to pack light for Madagascar, and I still think I did, but I guess 4 ginormous suitcases say otherwise. Dive gear is large and heavy, and coupled with all the manuals and study guides I have I really don't think the amount of luggage I have is a testament to my dependence on 'stuff.'
Anyway, my trip to Madagascar is a volunteer trip through the British organization ReefDoctor which I found on the internet when I realized I needed at least a year to breathe before law school. I have always been really passionate about climate change and the human rights issues that go along with it. I also love children and want to see how I do at teaching because I am considering teaching abroad for 6 months when I get back. So when I found the ReefDoctor program it seemed tailor-made to me.
I am going to be doing 1-2 ecological dive surveys a day about 5-6 days a week in order to log data about the marine life and thus be able to monitor the conditions of the coral reefs. The reef system in Madagascar is the third most important in the world, i.e. its health is a huge factor in the balance of the oceans which in turn is necessary to successfully feed all of the millions of people that live directly and indirectly off of this reef. Because of increased water tempatures in the past 10 years due to climate change, the reef system in Madagascar has undergone a series of reef bleachings, meaning large amounts of the reef have died. Due to the death of much of the reef, fish populations have relocated to the parts of the reef that are still alive, putting too many in one place, resulting in overfishing, and consequently major issues with the village fisherman as far as their livelihoods and even feeding their own families.
Besides just monitoring the reefs, ReefDoctor aims to help teach sustainable fishing practices to village fisherman and conservation to the lcoal school children. That is basically as much as I know about what I'm going to be doing right now. I'm sure it will be a lot different once I arrive, so I guess I'll have to find out when I get there and keep this blog posted.
My internet service isn't going to be the best, so I'm not sure how much I'll be in contact with people or able to update this blog; again, I will have to wait until I get there to find out. Phone contact is going to be painfully limited. I can receive texts for free, and send a few. But if you text me, I'll probably just email you back. The best email to reach me at is alexjcotter@gmail.com. Hope to hear from anyone anytime!
Alex
Anyway, my trip to Madagascar is a volunteer trip through the British organization ReefDoctor which I found on the internet when I realized I needed at least a year to breathe before law school. I have always been really passionate about climate change and the human rights issues that go along with it. I also love children and want to see how I do at teaching because I am considering teaching abroad for 6 months when I get back. So when I found the ReefDoctor program it seemed tailor-made to me.
I am going to be doing 1-2 ecological dive surveys a day about 5-6 days a week in order to log data about the marine life and thus be able to monitor the conditions of the coral reefs. The reef system in Madagascar is the third most important in the world, i.e. its health is a huge factor in the balance of the oceans which in turn is necessary to successfully feed all of the millions of people that live directly and indirectly off of this reef. Because of increased water tempatures in the past 10 years due to climate change, the reef system in Madagascar has undergone a series of reef bleachings, meaning large amounts of the reef have died. Due to the death of much of the reef, fish populations have relocated to the parts of the reef that are still alive, putting too many in one place, resulting in overfishing, and consequently major issues with the village fisherman as far as their livelihoods and even feeding their own families.
Besides just monitoring the reefs, ReefDoctor aims to help teach sustainable fishing practices to village fisherman and conservation to the lcoal school children. That is basically as much as I know about what I'm going to be doing right now. I'm sure it will be a lot different once I arrive, so I guess I'll have to find out when I get there and keep this blog posted.
My internet service isn't going to be the best, so I'm not sure how much I'll be in contact with people or able to update this blog; again, I will have to wait until I get there to find out. Phone contact is going to be painfully limited. I can receive texts for free, and send a few. But if you text me, I'll probably just email you back. The best email to reach me at is alexjcotter@gmail.com. Hope to hear from anyone anytime!
Alex
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