Fri, August 13: Heading Home

I woke up a bit later than I planned, saw Cedric and Amelie one last time and had my final emotional goodbye. Once that was done I tried to clean up the apartment for a bit before deciding to go catch a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge.

After a brief view of the bridge I hustled back to the apartment and realized I was running short on time. I quickly showered, packed my bag, and did an online check-in.

From there I ran to the nearest subway and made my way toward the airport. I arrived at the Delta desk at 2:20 for my 3:15 flight. I was shocked when they informed me that I was too late to check a bag and that I would have to be rescheduled.

In order to be rescheduled I had to stand in a massive line and then argue with an employee at the desk for a long time. Eventually I was able to get the last seat on the 8:00pm flight to PDX. It also cost me an extra $50…

The flight was uneventful as I was super exhausted and slept most of the way. I arrived back home in Oregon just before midnight. I rushed out of the terminal to find my beautiful girlfriend waiting for me. We had a glorious reunion and then made our way to collect my baggage and head home.

THE END

Envirovet was one of the most amazing experiences ever and I believe it has had a huge impact on my future. I made wonderful friends, great connections, and had some mind-blowing experiences. But right now it is good to be home! 

Thurs, August 12: Bronx Zoo

 6:30 am: Early wake up

I woke up early this morning to say goodbye to my cousin Emily and her boyfriend Casey. They are leaving for Switzerland! I also had to plan out the subway route to the Bronx Zoo, where Val had arranged for us to meet with the staff veterinarians and Wildlife Conservation Society bigwigs.

7:30 am: Leave for Zoo

The subway took about an hour to get me from Brooklyn to the Bronx but I think I am starting to get the hang of the system. 

9:00 – 9:30 am: Meet Group at Zoo Entrance

We made a plan to meet at the Zoo’s main entrance. Unfortunately the Bronx Zoo has 3 main entrances! I got there early and talked my way into the park an hour before they opened. From there I set about trying to find my classmates. By 9:30 I had not found anyone and I had no phone to try to contact the other envirovets so I went to the wildlife health center on my own. None of them were there. I let the veterinarian meeting us know what was going on and then returned to the park to find my classmates.

At about 10:15 I asked to borrow a phone and began trying to contact the others. While I was on the phone Amelie and Cedric ran up to me and apologized for being late. I could not reach David or Thalita. 

10:30 am – 1:00 pm: Tour of Wildlife Health Center

By 10:30 I decided that it would be impossible to find the others in such a large zoo and that we should go begin the tour. Dr. Bonnie L. Raphael, DVM, Dipl ACZM gave us a brief history of the zoo and WCS before showing us the hospital. The facilities were impressive. Midway through the tour David arrived! He had gotten lost on his way to the zoo.

Near the end of the tour we got to watch as the team worked on a fruit bat suspected of having cardiomyopathy. 

1:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Free time at Zoo

While we explored the zoo grounds we miraculously found Thalita. The Bronx Zoo is quite large and we spent a long time checking out its exhibits. One of the highlights was seeing the Kihansi Spray Toads that we had heard so much about while in Tanzania.

Eventually everyone started to leave. First we all said our goodbyes to Thalita as she had to go catch her flight back to Brazil. After we visited the Gorilla exhibit it was time to see David off. It was then down to me, Amelie, and Cedric.

5:00 pm: New York Exploration

I made plans to meet back up with the couple but first I had to go try to see the Empire State Building. Sadly, I made a wrong choice on which subway train to ride and instead decided to check out the World Trade Center site. From there I walked to the waters edge and saw an Irish heritage monument and then caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty before heading back to the apartment.

8:00 pm: Dinner

I met back up with Amelie and Cedric for dinner. We sampled a Mediterranean restaurant near Emily’s apartment and then spent the remainder of the evening exchanging photographs. 

Wed, August 11: Arrive in New York City

7:45 am: Arrive at JFK

We got into JFK at our scheduled time, collected our luggage and made our way through customs. Because we had been working on livestock in a country with TB and FMD we had to go through a few additional security measures. Nonetheless, it was not that difficult. Almost as soon as we had completed screening many of the remaining envirovets had to scramble to make their connecting flights. The goodbyes were much more rushed than normal! 

In the end only a few of us remained in New York. Myself, Thalita (Brazil), David (India), Nate (California) and Amelie (Canada) along with her boyfriend Cedric. We made a plan to meet up later and explore the city. 

10:45 am: Subway to Brooklyn

All alone for the first time in months I navigated the subway toward Brooklyn and my cousin Emily’s apartment. Without a phone or any way to check my location, I relied entirely on Emily’s emailed directions – which were perfect. 

It took about an hour but eventually I made it! When I arrived at the apartment building I found a note to call Emily or Casey. Without a phone I had no idea what to do! Eventually one of the apartment tenants noticed me looking lost and confused and let me use his cell phone. I made contact with Emily, she came home from work and let me into the apartment.

After a quick shower and my first shave in almost a month, I headed for Thalitas hotel to meet up with the remaining envirovets. 

2:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Explore New York

After a bit of confusion we all managed to meet up near Time Square. We walked around the city on foot and saw as much of the area as we could. 

8:00 pm: Dinner

I had a quick dinner with the envirovet group and said my final goodbyes to Nate before heading back to see Emily and Casey. Once there the three of us went out for a couple of beers and got to spend some quality time together. Its always good to see family.

Central Park

Shaqs hand is much larger than mine

Times Square

Tues, August 10: DEPART ZANZIBAR AND TANZANIA

7:00 am: Breakfast and time to pack

8:00 am SHARP: Depart for Airport

10:10 am: Flight Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam International Airport. 

On the flight many of us watched a National Geographic special entitled Animals on the Edge. We were overcome with delight when one of the topics was conservation of the Sumatran rhino. The narrator was one of the lecturers we had at White Oak Conservation Center and our envirovet classmate Nia was featured in the show! 

10:40 am:  Arrive Dar, assemble luggage and transfer to outbound flights.

Once we arrived back on the mainland we were greeted by a vehicle with the rest of our luggage. Everyone sadly packed up the rest of their belonging and began saying the dreaded goodbyes. 

We had over four hours to sit with our luggage and reminisce. Asabe (Nigeria) spent some of the time attempting to braid my hair. She is one of the nicest ladies ever and gave me a bracelet to remember her by. The first group that we had to say goodbye to were the Nigerians (Asabe, Kemi, Ademola, and Ayo), Sridar (India), and Sukuman (Thailand). It was an emotional event.

The rest of us were on the same 5-hour flight to Dubai. I slept for most of the flight. When we arrived in Dubai I was horrified to find that somewhere between security in Dar Es Salam and our new gate that my iPhone had been stolen. Already sad about saying goodbye, it put a real damper on my spirits.

10:00 pm: Depart Dubai for JFK

Before getting onto our next flight the group had to say goodbye to our Marcella and the Indonesians – Lia and Nia. Surprisingly, I stayed awake for a large portion of the 12 hour flight. I chitchatted and played a variety of games unique to Emirates Airlines. 

Mon, August 9th

 7:00 am: Breakfast

 8:00 am-12:00 pm: Field Activities: Snorkeling or Spice Tour/hike

Leader(s):  Mmochi and IMS faculty

I chose to snorkeling to observe Zanzibar’s coral reef diversity first hand. Others traveled to a spice farm and learnt about the exotic spices produced on Zanzibar, and why it is known as the Spice Island.

 12:30 pm: Lunch

 1:00-4:00 pm: Visiting Bweleo village in Fumba Peninsula

Leaders:  Dr Nariman Jiddawi, Senior Lecturer & Head of Section, Marine Biology and Resources Management, IMS

We got to see first hand the pearl farming and the shell polishing enterprises that benefit women and local communities, got to talk with the producers, and ask additional questions.

5:00 – 7:00 pm: Free time For Shopping

I ran through the narrow streets of Zanzibar with Vincent to get some last minute shopping done. He took me to the famous spince market and then we worked our way back toward the hotel.

 7:00 pm: Envirovet 2010 Course Wrap-Up

Leader: Val Beasley, Envirovet Director

We were all given certificates signifying that we had completed the envirovet course. As a special treat, Tricia performed a song that she had written about the experience. It was based on the popular world cup song by Shakira.

7:45 pm: Leave Stone Town for dinner

8:00 pm:  Special end of course dinner

For our final night we shared an amazing seafood dinner on the beach. It was a spectacular setting with great food and even better company. There were many pictures taken and tears shed as people began to realize the envirovet experience was coming to an end. 

Sun Aug 8: ISLAND CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE

7:00 am: Breakfast

7:30 am: Depart Stone Town

8:00 am – 12:30 pm Seaweed farming in Paje village

Leader: Flower E. Msuya, Laboratory Scientist, Marine Biology and Resources Management, IMS

Seaweed farming was a strong initiative of Prof Keto Mshigeni of the University of Dar es Salaam started in Paje village in Zanzibar Island in 1989. The mainly women livelihood activity has grown to make Tanzania the 3^rd in combined mariculture production of Eucheuma denticulatum and Kapaphyicus alvarezii and the leading producer in E. denticulatum. Dr Msuya has been working with the Tanzanian farmers since 1989, took us on a tour and allowed us to talk to farmers and buyers. Msuya highlighted traditional seaweed farming methods, gender participation, strategies to combat seaweed die-offs and development of new techniques of seaweed farming. She also discussed innovation of the seaweed industry – using the seaweed in the country and how to increase the production and the future of the seaweed industry. 

 12:30 pm: Lunch (Paje)

At lunch Vincent (Canada) and I made rings out of plastic bottle tops and decided that we would form a captain planet club. Those who asked to join were Dana (Wisconsin), Sukuman (Thailand), and Amelie (Canada).

2:00-6:00 pm: Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park

Leaders: Park guides, WCS Zanzibar program representative (tentative)

Jozani Forest is the largest remnant of the indigenous forest that once covered the island, and is at the center of the island’s only terrestrial nature reserve. The park also contains swamp forest, evergreen thickets, mangroves and salt-tolerant grasslands, and a wide variety of wildlife including, Ader’s duiker, suni antelopes, blue monkeys and the endangered Kirk’s red colubus monkey (Zanzibar endemic). We hiked through this unique area, learnt about local conservation efforts and got the chance to see rare species like the colubus. Though we were able to get some amazing photographs of the monkeys, many of the envirovets were concerned that the group had become too habituated to humans and that there was a high risk of disease transmission.  

 On our way back to town we saw a sign for the Sea Turtle Center and since we were slightly ahead of schedule we decided to stop. It was a great lesson on how ecotourism is not always what is best for the wildlife. There were seven green seaturtles being held in a small pool fed by the mangroves. We were invited to touch the turtles (zoonotic disease alert!) and feed them. Everyone came away from the experience slightly disturbed.

 7:30 pm: Dinner 

After eating I went with some of the other students and Val to sample the local Gelato. It was fantastic! Once done we headed back to the hotel and I spent a good amount of time on the hotels roof, watching the city and the ocean.

Sat Aug 7: MARINE ECOSYSTEM HEALTH, ECONOMICS AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS

7:30 am: Breakfast

9:00-9:30 am: Welcome & Introduction to the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS)

Instructor: Dr. Margareth S. Kyewalyanga, Director, IMS

Kyewalyanga described the activities of IMS and the general effect on the ecological, economic and social development of the coastal communities. The Institute has had a long history of interaction with both governments especially on policies and environmental assessment and more recently this has moved to local communities. A number of small-scale ecological and economic initiatives have been developed and some of these are in full-scale economic implications stage.

9:30 -10:30 am:  Water quality and Marine Pollution in Tanzania

Presenter: Aviti Mmochi, Lecturer, Physical and Environmental Marine Sciences, IMS

Mmochi highlighted the world status of water, definitions of water quality and marine pollution and the state of pollution in Tanzania. Case studies on the agricultural, sewage and tourism pollution in Zanzibar were presented.

 10:30 am: Tea

10:45 am – 11:45 am: Marine Mammal Talk

12:00 pm: Lunch Archipelago

 1:30-6:30 pm: We were given free time to go shopping

Instead of shopping, Nate (California), Andrea (Illinois), Colleen (Wisconsin), Tricia (Canada), and I decided to go scuba diving. It was a great choice. We got to do two dives and have a beautiful boat-ride along the coast. While underwater we saw numerous fish, coral, an octopus, sea cucumbers, and several nudibranch.

 7:00 pm: Dinner (Mercury’s)

Our scuba group met up with the shoppers at a nice restaurant on the water. While the food was good, the portions were quite small. Naturally, I decided to get some more food at Stone Town’s famous night market. I teamed up with Sukuman (Thailand) to try some of the more interesting dishes. We sampled octopus, crab, jellyfish, squid, and breadfruit. Surprisingly, the worst tasting item was the fruit! For dessert I had a banana and nutella pancake, it was delicious!

Evening: Once done at the night market I joined some of my fellow students at a local shisha bar to sample the local culture. We had a few drinks and chilled at the bar for a while before a small group of use decided to try the more energetic bar across the street from the hotel. It was a fun night.