Blog Entry Three

Week 3:

This week was a new and exciting experience that makes me look forward to the beginning of the week tomorrow. I begun my week traveling to Curieuse and moving into my new home. The volunteers living on this island (to my surprise) live inside the buildings on the old Leper hospital. Living conditions are minimal, my section of the hospital that I live in has no doors, but I am not complaining because there is a wonderful ocean breeze at night that the more fortunate people with doors miss out on. The days begin with waking up at six, eating breakfast and heading out.

Monday (just my luck) I got scheduled to stay on base to cook, so I missed out but the following day, we trekked to Grand Anse to find the success rate of the turtle nests that should've hatched in the previous week. This was exciting because out of the 197 eggs laid, 195 of them hatched, which is an extremely high success rate in comparison to the 65% hatching success rate in the hawksbill sea turtle in the Seychelles. The interesting thing about the sea turtles in the Seychelles is that they are the only hatchlings in the world that hatch during the day due to the fact that their only predator is the land crab which is primarily nocturnal. I did get the chance to see some of the hatchlings make their way to the ocean and I've seen something so adorable! (pictures to come)

On Tuesday, I spent the day in the mangroves, learning the different species and how they live and adapt with the change in sea water temperature. Next week, we will be putting in a Quad where as we measure an amount of space every 6 months to determine the change in species in that space to see those that are successful and those that are not.

On Wednesday, I began my day with waking up at four o'clock in the morning in hopes to go catch a shark in order to tag it for the first time with a tag that allows you to track their movement patterns. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful, but we plan to go out again on Monday morning to attempt on another shark. We did, however, get the chance to dissect a shark that didn't make it through the final stages of birth.

On Thursday, I spent my day measuring more beach levels on four on the different beaches on the island. Finally, on Friday, I spent my morning with a few other volunteers walking the Giant Tortoises back to their pen for the weekend and if you thought herding cattle was hard...

In the first week alone on this island I've learned so many things already. Not only am I learning about the wildlife and ecosystems but the other volunteers that I am working with are from all over the world so not only am I learning Seychellois culture but I am also getting a global education in a way. I am definitely excited to see what the next week has to bring.

Blog Entry Two

Week 2 (Jan. 30- Feb. 3)

This week was one for the books. I spent the week on the island La Digue which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. On this island I had the chance to submerge myself in the Seychellois culture. I spent the week living with a local family, having the chance to discuss the changes they have seen over the years. On this island there is no cars. Transportation is strictly bikes and carts pulled by oxen. I learned the way that the amount of trash was getting so out of hand that the local fishermen were finding suffocated sea turtles and fish scattered over the beaches everywhere. Recently, the island has become much more strict on the littering because the oceans are such a cherished gem for the local people. Some of the locals who have never left this island, 9 kilometers long, took the time to show me the hidden paradises on this island, including Anse Coco, a beach that was a four hour hike there but such a stunning sight. Its burdening to learn about the chance that has been noticeable, like the changing water temperature that has killed much of the fish population and bleached most of the coral reefs. I was able to measure the change in water levels here and the amount of beach lost in the last 10 years was roughly six feet. I learned that almost 90% of the corals reefs in the Seychelles have been declared dead due to the rapid change in water climate. I met so many wonderful people when I was there, being able to pick up a game of soccer on the beach with the local kids. I learned the common art of how to fish for octopus, although I was unable to catch any.

This research project, although only a third of the way done, has become so much more to me than just researching the wildlife on these islands. It has given me the chance to learn and grow as a person in a totally different culture. The many people I've met so far have been beyond nice in helping me and making my experience in the Seychelles the best it could be. I also made more canine friends than I could ever imagine!

Tomorrow I embark on my next adventure to the island Curieuse, where I will be spending the majority of the rest of the time I have left here in the Seychelles. This island is a national reserve so it will be just me and the other people accompanying me with conducting all this research. I got a brief history lesson about Curieuse from the man I was staying with. On that island is where the French used to send those with leprosy. There is a hospital on the island built for the patients that is now preserved as a historical marker. Many of the locals never travel to the island due to the legends of it being haunted.

I think the next four weeks contain a unique experience for me and I look forward to what will come next.