7th March - James

Awoken by the screech of the cockerel at six thirty Jake, my roommate, and I both got ready for the day ahead. A far cry from the looming snow of England, we prepared to go snorkelling in the marine protected area (MPA) close to the Oceans Alive office. 

On arrival we were given a short briefing on how to keep our damage on such a fragile environment to a minimum. Once we reached the MPA, the moment your head submerged you felt as though you had been taken into a new world, full of both colour and strange shapes, putting us all in awe. The clear highlight of snorkelling was Emily catching a glimpse of a swordfish and also as a group seeing two zebra eels.

Just before lunch we had an hour of learning Swahili, though as someone who has struggled with studying languages, it was definitely and enjoyable time, allowing us to hold a common discussion with someone without having to resort to English.

After a hearty lunch we were given a traditional cookery lesson on how to cook Mahamri (a bit like a doughnut or mandazi) which was very enjoyable and interactive.

After this we all came down to the beach for a surprise labelled “Juma’s party time” in which we did some team building exercises such as tug of war - something my team did not fare so well in. This was most definitely a highlight of the day and a perfect way to begin the team competition and a healthy rivalry.

Another lovely meal done we settled down to watch the movie “Seaspiricy” shedding a light on the gross issues caused as a result of commercial fishing across the world including slavery and bycatch. This rather stark imagery was a certain wake up call for the group and led us all to think about the fish that we eat.

To round the day out we had a game of cards out on the dining table and then went to bed excitedly with the thought of the next day.