Updated on October 31, 2016
Latvian family in Italy
I am in a train with my family. We are on our way to Rome. It is a strange feeling to have all of them here with me. To be so involved in my old life, in my native language when all of these months I have been blocked out of it. Also, to joggle with three different languages. Of course I have been asking them if they see any change in me. In fact, I probably asked this right after greetings consisting of hugging and screaming. In my mind I expect that they will say something from the chapter of “You have changed so much!” or “I can not recognize you!” Obviously. I have been releasing turtles and I have been speaking in Italian and I have been facing my fears. In reality however it is more like “Wow. You are very blond and very brown!” I expect more. I want to be a new person. With this I engage in a conversation with my sister. She says: “I know that you want me to tell you that you have changed drastically, but it is not true. Of course you have changed but it is not visible from outside, but deeper inside. But you have become stronger, braver and you take initiative. You have always had something special. Independence. But it is something that you did not really have a chance to practice in Latvia. Here, however, you are all alone and you are faced to adapt to the changes. “
On our way to Rome we also engage in a discussion about recycling differences between Latvia and Italy. My family is surprised how much Italians care about recycling. About the fact that everywhere are garbage containers for everything. This, however, does not go along with the fact that in Italy everything is packed in layers and layers of plastic. We do not have such a big problem with plastic in Latvia but we do have a problem with recycling. My sister, who is a journalist, says that she knows only two persons who recycle. Me and our mother. And if someone does recycle, mostly beer bottles, then it is only because the previous day they have had a big party. Suddenly we start to discuss how to solve this problem. We become very passionate about this subject and I feel how I really have become a lot more green thinking person in these months. In general, how a Latvian family likes Italy? They are impressed that Italy is so green and so stuffed with small houses which are often very old but it fits to the Italian style. It is charming. So charming that our Latvian artist draws some sketches to later make paintings.
We spend some time in Naples and Rome. My sister also participates with me in cleaning in Sant’Agata with kids and she says that she is pleased to see how much motivation we and the kids have. I want to show my life, my job here so much. I want to show Ieranto bay. I want to prove something. I am not sure what exactly but in the end I realize that they do not need anything more because when we go snorkeling in Marina della Lobra the facial expression that my sister makes is better than anything we experienced before. She looks for a second underwater, then screams “Oh my God! I saw fishes!” and her face is filled with expressions. Shock, curiosity, happiness and shining eyes. It is an expression that I have never seen before. Meanwhile, my mother is somewhere off snorkeling for more or less two hours and then later returns saying that if we spend the rest of the vacation snorkeling all day then it is absolutely no problem. In the end we spend amazing time together and they all agree that with this much sun it is impossible not to smile and my mom is already making plans for the return trip!
Updated on October 26, 2016
The release of sea turtles on Ischia
Friday brings a great mission. Úíáó, úíáó. The morning. The first step. Wake up, boy. Be a man, boy. Get up. Damn it. I squint at a watch. It shows 4:30 am. What to do now? Take a camera, bus tickets, money and a jacket and go. I walk up to Massa Lubrense centro. The second step. Take a bus to Sorrento and after that, a train to Naples. It is 6:00 am and a bus is nowhere to be found. What else? Think. Unexpectedly some bus is going to Naples. In Naples there is a traffic jam. I ask the busdriver to open the door, then I jump out and run to the meeting point with others while it is raining. At 8:00 am I meet with my colleagues Mimi and Alba.
Hooray for the ferry, where our colleagues from Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Sea Turtle Rescue Centre) already are. We begin our one hour long voyage through the fog and the light rain with only one goal – to release ten turtles back into the wild on the Island of Ischia.
We are on the iron board and we leave the Bay of Naples. First we pass by the small islands and later also the Island of Procida, then we watch now so distant Capri in the gap between Procida and Ischia and finally the ferry reaches the shore. We are warmly welcomed by local workers of Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn subdivision on the Ischia. A van with ten turtles drives out from ferry´s interior, we make two formations and we escort the van with two other cars to Negombo sand beach.
It is around 10:00 am. We bring all crates with turtles, we stand tables and put all colourful flyers, samples and CDs upon them. Next two hours our team (of approximately twenty persons) gives information to people who come and also to several classes of elementary school pupils and our leaders have also their presentations and speeches. The speakers from Stazione Zoologica, Sandra Hochscheid and Fulvio Maffucci talk about plastic waste and polluting of the oceans and also about the procedures of Stazione Zoologica since moment when somebody finds a turtle through curing it till a turtle is released in the sea. Cristina Maria Gambi introduces us to the work of Stazione Zoologica in Ischia and Domenico Sgambati talks about work of Park Punta Campanella and different possible activities depending on the type of zone. Among other speakers is also member of Coast guard or Fabio di Nocera, veterinary consultant at the Institute of Mediterranean zooprophylaxis in Portici, led the assembly his experience on sea turtles and the role of Stazione Zoologica in charge of examining the animal carcasses found dead on the beach or sea and understand what were the problems.
After the presentations all attentive children take a look at the coloured information leaflets contrasted with our grizzled heads and then they walk around passing by the plastic crates enthused by turtles.
Then finally the time has come. People line up by the ropes on the beach. We bring our clients who beat their flippers on the plastic walls with eagerness. We consider a grey sky and passionate sea by a glance, making a sign to the Coast guard ship on the sealine. Have a good journey. New horizons have been opened and only flippers prints remain in the sand for a few moments.
We spend afternoon on the beach and after a break our team -Mimi, Alba, me and our local guide Cristina – goes to visit a subdivision of Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn on the Ischia where they also study Posidonia oceanica. Cristina shows us the research institute where she, with her colleagues, work on a special project evaluation of the effects of acidification of the sea by using six stations “naturally acidified ” on Ischia because of CO2 emissions. Objective is to evaluate the impact of an acid environment on marine ecosystems. With the coming of the night we return to Naples before 7 pm.
How to get home? Of course by train. But railway workers are on strike. It is cold and starting to rain. By ferry to Sorrento, by hitchhiking or by bus? Fortunately one train goes to Sorrento at 7:11 pm. I am in Sorrento but no bus in sight, no good luck during hitchhiking. But I still have legs. I am coming home at 10 pm. It is time to sleep. But cards wait for my fast fingers. Card by card, turn by turn. Night. No time. In any case is too late. It was only one day, tomorrow begins another adventure.
Updated on October 23, 2016
A Conference in Nice
After a summer full of work in the sea, and monitoring of Ieranto Bay, we had a big chance to participate in a conference about marine preservation in the Mediterranean, we were so excited because we will have the occasion to meet a lot of associations who works in this field, so we will have the chance to know about a lot of other projects from different countries. At the same time we enjoy the beauty of “cost azzur”
So Me(Akrem), Nuria, And Mimi, we prepare a presentation about our project, and we chose the monitoring activity as the principal subject of our presentation, also we prepared a presentative poster of our work
Monday night, we left Naples with a big motivation to live this new adventure, also to know more about the activities of the other associations.
When we arrived to nice, we found a lot of people, a lot of spoken languages, nearly all the nationalities of the Mediterranean, for us it is a great opportunity for exchange of ideas, knowing more about the activities of the other association, and meeting new friends.
The opening conference it was from the president of CDMM (centre de decouvert marin du mediteraneen), the topic was the objective of this meeting, that it was the marine preservation, in that moment I felt that this topic is so interesting for us, because it is the same topic that we work about it, Later we took the dinner all together, and we started to know each other more, we talked about different topics, generally I found that all the participants were sympathy, also I felt that they have a strong relation with the environment in general, Specially the Sea.
The Second day, we went to the room of trade and industry of nice, it was the place of the conference, where they are a lot of important persons, like the mayor of nice, the president of CDMM, the president of the room of trade and industry of nice, and two specialists in marine biology, when I saw these persons, the conditions of the conference I felt how important our work , I’m feeling so proud with our work as environmentalist, at the same time I’m feeling a big responsibility.
So they spoke about the challenges of the Mediterranean against the pollutions, they showed us some statics, and some indicators of pollution, in the last part they spoke about the consequences of pollution for biodiversity and eco system.
After lunch, we played a game to discover the place where we lived, we did a walk all together to discover the see the beauty of this place, the amazing view of this cost, it was a nice game, and the thing that I like it the most that we spoke all together, and we knew more things about each others, after this discovery tour, we went to Savon factory to see how they do Savon because that part of nice is famous by Savon Production.
The last day for me it was the most important one, because is the day of presentations, in that day we saw all the posters, and presentations, I felt that everybody was interested about all the posters and the presentations, so we presented our poster, and we spoke about the marine park, about our project, we showed them how our project is a marine preservation project, and cultural exchange project at the same time.
Later we presented our work about the monitoring of the bay, we showed them all the process, and we explained them all the details, in that moment I felt a great sensation, because I saw that everybody liked our presentation, our project, our way how we do the monitoring, Really I can’t describe this great sensation.
After this conference, I feel so proud by our work, by our project, by everything we did it to protect the nature
Updated on October 18, 2016
Thousands of Galaxies
In your pools, thousands of galaxies shine
The way to another worlds they guard
In your pools, deep and divine
Suns don’t drown, but I might not be right
And the dark flow carry those suns away
Carry them to places unknown
I know I must keep sailing the way
But I know I won’t be alone
Updated on October 6, 2016
My first impressions about ex MARE volunteers
In MARE generation 2016 we are just four volunteers so for this we needed a help. The help from volunteers of previous years. Me as a calm, shy Latvian who enjoys her own space (Although. What space? I live with two other persons in the same room.), I had my doubts. Naturally. Are they going to replace us because they know our work better? Are they going to occupy our beds? Are we getting fired? I did not have much time to think about it because suddenly some girl came into our terrace and introduced herself in Latvian language. It was a very surreal experience and I almost spit my coffee out. It turned out to be Latvian volunteer Valentina from two years ago. In the end she didn’t steal our beds or food but she taught us to cook together because by her opinion us not cooking together was “strange” and “Why would you do that?” We also saw dolphins for the first time in our lives and I did my first monitoring in kayak with her while she was like a teacher.
Then later we met with Marion. French girl from the last year. Even though I lived with her in the same room we did not speak for a whole week. Then one day suddenly we started to speak about French music and ten minutes later we were already singing along to an old French group called Indochine and also some very cheesy Italian music. Marion cooked for all of us but she cooked the strangest dishes (Pasta with green peas and onions? Really?) I was always scared but in the end it always turned out to be really good and she looked at us with a proud smile on her face and said “I told you so!” In the free time she spoke about Andris. A lot. He is a famous guy. People around the project say “Latvian genius” because he learnt Italian in one month. Really there are legends about him! Later I understood. He speaks with intelligence and calmness, reads a lot and always cooks tasty food for everyone and without a t-shirt.
Also other people came to our small house – Mikus and Sonia. Mikus doesn’t seem like a typical Latvian. He speaks a lot, he certainly isn’t shy and he always has a lot of stories to tell while Sonia is a beautiful artist, with long hair like Disney princess Rapunzel (only a brunette) and I think I can say that she draws better than all four of us together. Also we met with Max. A French guy, who in the first moment seemed very serious. However, later at the dinner he turned out to be very funny and sweet. This guy makes jokes and changes accents whenever he wants. And he does it really good! He can speak like a American rapper. We are still waiting for Joakin, volunteer from Spain. But in the end we really have learnt a lot from previous volunteers and we have spent a beautiful time together.
