Monthly Archives: August 2008

The First Days in Andavadoaka

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“A Recipe of Perfection”

By Dannie & Yiannie

Ingredients:

Using the most peaceful and beautiful landscape of the world

Begin by never-ending blueness of ocean,

Adding plenty of fine and silky – almost silver sand.

Break into this a perfectly rounded golden sun

That sets below the blue horizon

Leaving a rose-petal and lavender sky.

For tradition, gently stir in pinches of native flavours

Imperative to any recipe of perfection -

Robust colours of red earth, black vanilla pods

Leaf shaped coconut biscuits – “bonbon coco”

And a community life abundant with smiles and songs.

Sieve into this a large tablespoon of Western individuals -

Mixed nuts of origin and profession

When these are crushed together under one “Nosy Cao”

They provide the salt required to nurture this recipe’s pureness.

After mixing well, finally heat the mixture for no less than three weeks.

While the flavours bind and work together

Serve on a night like tonight -

With a full moon of pearly white

A perfect garnish to a culinary delight.

It depends on the wind

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From our outgoing expedition manager, Ruth Rosselson

It’s the end of our June expedition, and the end of my time here as Expedition Manager. I’ve had a fantastic year but it’s definitely time to say goodbye to Andavadoaka and move onto pastures new. Those pastures won’t, I’m sure, be as beautiful as Andavadoaka. There’s no sea in Manchester, and no goats either. There’ll be some aspects of being here that I won’t miss and many that I will. I will most certainly miss the stock answer to almost any logistical question. Questions such as…. “How long does it take to get to….?” or “will we go diving at 007 tomorrow?” or “where are going?” …. the answer to all of these questions is the same. “It depends on the wind.” Indeed, I’ve been using this answer myself several times this week whenever the volunteers have asked us what our plans are for leaving here – where we’re going and how we’re getting there.

There’ve been many highlights of working here. Far too many to list here in this blog. I’ve worked with some excellent staff and brilliantly enthusiastic volunteers. It’s been especially rewarding, after having worked towards changing the world on a big scale for ethical consumers, to try and change a very small part of the world, working on a small scale. Changing the world through these small steps is especially rewarding because you get to see the steps being made – though of course it’s still a slow process and while the seeds are being sown for a marine protected area, we won’t reap the rewards for a while yet. Still, it’s been great to see the motivation of the local communities towards changing their environment for the better and towards preserving what’s left of life in their oceans. I’ve loved singing with the Women’s Association and I’ve been particularly impressed with how well they’ve responded to BV’s input this year. I’ve also been impressed with BV’s family planning project and how it has grown in strength over the past six months. The last two groups helped paint the project a huge sail. It’s so large – you can’t miss it, or its message.

I love the way that each of my seven expeditions has been completely different to the one before. Each group has its own dynamics and the events and experiences have all been unique to each expedition. This is most definitely one of BV’s strengths. Most volunteers tell me that they come here to make a difference and my motivation for coming here was the same. I hope that they feel, as I do, that we’ve made some positive impact whilst we’ve been here.

So, a final blog and a final big thank you to BV for the opportunity to work here, to the BV staff for their support, hard work and enthusiasm, and to all the volunteers from the past seven expeditions.

It’s been a great year. Thanks

Sleeping under the stars

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From our new Field Scientist, Nikkita Lawson

Humpback whale season in the region has officially started! 17 whales were spotted by two lucky volunteers – Ali and Roger – during their shift on our whale watching platform. We even watched a humpback whale whilst eating our breakfast on base! I was lucky enough to have a very close encounter. As we emerged from our dive, our boat marshal pointed out 2 whales that were very close by – a mother and calf. We watched them for 20 minutes as they passed by; they came within 100m of our boat. They didn’t seem at all disturbed by us and the baby calf even breached as we said farewell, but unfortunately I wasn’t looking!

I also had the opportunity to stay overnight on a nearby island – Andragnombala – for a BVCO solar stove demonstration. The voyage there was rather cramped as we had to fit 3 large stoves, all our kit and 5 people into one pirogue. I was surprised at how tiny Andragnombala was – it took us less than 30 minutes to walk round the entire island. We spent the night in our sleeping bags counting shooting stars under the most amazing night sky I have seen. The light from the stars was so bright that we didn’t even need a torch. The following day we painted solar stoves that had previously been bought by villagers on the island.

The people of Andragnombala were extremely friendly, like all the other Malagasy people I have met. We were offered bok bok (a bit like doughnuts) and moukari (rice cakes) as well as a plate of 6 fish heads. I am afraid to say that I could not manage to eat my share of fish heads, so Al had to eat all 6 – I am still feeling slightly guilty. At least we didn’t have to bite the heads off the fish like Alex did during her village stay! I made the mistake of getting my camera out and was completely mobbed by children. They absolutely love having their photo taken and looking at it afterwards. It was extremely hot - 30 degrees – due to the fact the wind had completely dropped, which unfortunately meant that the pirogue ride back took over 3 hours, rather than the normal 45 minutes! However, that did give me a chance to read a book and relax before getting back to the chaos of base.

My Last weekend in Andavadoaka

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From Rebecca Hill, Expedition Medic.

What a way to leave Andava! It has been an action packed weekend, starting with the second STI awareness drama competition so far. Up until Saturday, one group from the village had submitted their entry, and come that morning a message reached me that a second group were entering. This time I was not nervous, I was just filled with excitement and intrigue as to what the day had in store for us. To my absolute delight, both performances revealed an ever-increasing awareness of STIs, their transmission and consequences, with well-scripted detail. Both performances had their audience in peals of laughter, especially at the increased number of cross-dressed actors! The performances were nothing short of superb, and both had created a song and dance for their finales. The songs were originals, describing the importance of condom use, and so brilliantly delivered that again it proved a tough call in choosing the winning group!

Finally, a decision was reached by the judges. The prizes included t-shirts embroidered with condom awareness logos, an inspirational idea by Amy, one of the volunteers. The winners proudly donned their t-shirts, proof in itself that the last six months’ efforts to de-sensitize the subject had been a great success. As the crowds dispersed we headed back for dinner and to prepare for the evening’s event – a Women’s Association party in Chez Dada. All togged up in our best attire, we danced the night away, and a great night was had by all!

This leads us onto Sunday. The morning was a momentous one for FISA (family planning): a fomba (blessing to the ancestors) was held for Angelo’s new pirogue and the new FISA sail. At last Captain Kapoty, in all his colourfully painted glory, had his maiden voyage. This first trip will be followed by many more, as the sail shall be used by many, including visiting medical students who will travel around Velondriake promoting FISA and STI awareness.

The morning was a taster of the afternoon’s activities, as a pirogue sailing race had been organised. The weather was more than perfect for this event – clear blue skies and a gentle wind. Each pirogue had a Vazaha (foreigner) on board, and there were plenty of people gathered on the shore, eagerly waiting for the 20 pirogues to start. What a sight to behold as we all took to the high seas! The gracefully billowing sails really were beautiful.

The FISA sail did us proud, and we were in second position for most of the race. Monsieur Roger and his crew were the triumphant winners, and at the very last stretch big Al gained on us by inches, leaving the FISA pirogue in third position. My crew and I were more than happy with this result. Much excitement abounded in the village, even amongst one unlucky crew who sank, who still managed to laugh and joke at their misfortune!

As if this were not enough, some members of the Women’s Association came to my hut, in the midst of my chaotic attempts to pack, and sang me a song to bid me farewell – a moving song entitled Veloma (goodbye). I went on from this to my final dinner at Coco Beach and became increasingly emotional at the many speeches/poems given. It was an overwhelming climax to such an amazing weekend. My night ended with a visit to Chez Lyon, to bid my farewells to members of the plays and village. Another speech, delivered by Lyon, tugged at my heart further.

I left Andavadoaka with many a tear shed. The warmth and kindness of those from the village touched my heart so deeply; I shall forever cherish my amazing time here.