5th June - Maddie

Monday, June 5th - it’s been a jam-packed and satisfying day here in Kuruwitu. We woke up and had breakfast all together before getting ready for the day. We started at 830am with Swahili lessons! It was excellent learning with a class of four because all of us got a chance to practice pronunciation. We did greetings and how to ask people how they’re doing, which is bound to be useful in our day to day. After about an hour we went back to our rooms to grab snorkel gear and head out!

At the office, we got to meet the people that make Ocean’s Alive and the Leap possible, and we got an introduction into what OA does. We got a tour of the gardens and then Tati took us out to look at the coral gardens! I’ve never seen so many sea urchins or starfish in my life. The water felt amazing even though it was a bit overcast. 

After an excellent lunch, we piled into the pickup truck (think of a clown car-esque scene) to go buy our Kenyan SIM cards at the mall about an hour away. After successfully getting new numbers and setting up Mpesa, we grabbed coffee and pastries and got back in the car to head home. 

After a bit of time to chill out, we had dinner and then sat in the common room chatting. I’m going to bed a bit early (still recovering from jet lag) and I can’t wait to get up tomorrow fully rested and ready to do it all over again! Thanks for reading!