Snorkeling, some Sand, and a bit of Sewing

THURSDAY, July 4

On the way to Chumbe!

The day was spent on an excursion to nearby Chumbe Island, a marine protected area and forest reserve. It was an amazing day where we experienced so many different biomes and explored many ecosystems! 

As we waited to embark the boat for our journey, we explored the mangrove forest that was exposed due to the low tide. There were many small propagules that were just beginning to sprout, as well as mangrove 'knees' - the specialized roots that stick up above the water that help the tree to breathe. In the shallows of the beach, we could find many pen worm holes as well as the swirling egg clusters of some type of mollusk. "Keep your shoes on!" we were warned as we waded through the ankle-deep waters to reach the boat - who knew what was hiding in the algae-covered mud.

The exposed beach at low tide

After a short 45 minute boat ride, we arrived at Chumbe – the receded tide exposed the undercut limestone coastline of the island. This really spotlighted the vast difference between high and low tides, as well as the power of wave action. We waded through the water to get ashore, keeping our shoes on since there were hidden sea urchins, poisonous cone shells, and jagged coral rocks. We even found a sea hare, cleverly disguised to look just like the rocks, who had squirted his purple-black ink in defense when he’d been stepped on. 

(As an added bonus, as we walked to the Education building I saw a Speckled Green Tree Snake on the path!! It was a gorgeously vivid emerald - Rashid said they eat primarily geckos.) 

Ready to snorkel!

After a quick tour of the facilities, we set off for our snorkeling tour. Just off the western side of the island is the marine protected zone, and one of the most pristine coral reefs in the area. While we did see signs of coral bleaching, the clear waters made it easy to see the vibrant colors of the amazing diversity of fish and coral species. There were schools of sergeant majors, colorful parrotfish, and pointy headed unicornfish. The water was warm and clear - a nice and easy place to snorkel!

African paradise flycatcher

After an absolutely amazing lunch (where we saw an African paradise flycatcher, with its turquoise eye ring and long elegant tail), we heard from the Education department – the funds from the ecolodge allow local children to visit the island and learn about the environment for free. 

 

Atop the lighthouse

We then had a quick walk through the terrestrial forest, interesting because of the coral rag that makes up the foundation of the forest floor. Many crevices pock-mark the ground – a great habitat for the coconut crabs that live on the island (sadly, we didn’t see any since they are primarily nocturnal). We also climbed up to the top of the 112 ft tall lighthouse, built in 1904 by the British to help aid in navigation around Zanzibar Channel. There's a great view from the top, looking all the way across to the mainland!

High tide - that overhang we walked under is almost submerged!

Something not often discussed when we talk about climate change is that the changes and effects don’t necessarily cause negative impacts for everyone. We learned today while snorkeling around Chumbe Island that the coral reefs undergo bleaching events, which lead to a change in the surrounding ecology. This can be caused by various factors such as warming seas, pollution, ocean acidification, etc. Coral has a symbiotic relationship with tiny algae called zooxanthellae, who use photosynthesis to produce food. The coral provides a safe place to live, while the zooxanthellae provide nutrients with the coral. Zooxanthellae also give coral their vibrant colors. During a bleaching event, the zooxanthellae are expelled by the coral polyps, causing the coral to essentially starve to death. And when the coral dies, different algae begin to grow and take over the reef. But nature always tries to find a balance, and to combat algae, herbivorous fish are attracted to the area. If left untouched, these fish eat the algae - allowing the coral to return, and when there isn’t enough algae, the fish disappear. But fishermen like when there are lots of these fish, so they equate bleaching events with a better harvest. It becomes difficult to explain to them why climate change is a negative thing, when on a local level it is a boon for their economy. Definitely something to think about! 

FRIDAY, July 5 

We had the morning free before our afternoon Kiswahili lesson, so Ruben, Allie, Ann, Nicole, and I went with Rashid to the nearby sand bar to see more of the intertidal ecosystem. From the busy beach in Stone Town, we boarded a boat to take us the 30 minutes to the Pange Sand Bar. 

Before the arrival of the crowds

Pange – as with many of the other small islands and sand bars – has been taken over by tourists. (in fact, it has recently been renamed Nakupenda sand bar - "I love you" - and is a common destination for engagements.) It’s easy to see why – the pristine sands, clear aquamarine and cerulean blue water, and the shallow intertidal on the west side make for a relaxing and interesting day excursion. Dozens of hawkers were starting to set up their large canopy tents in preparation for the influx of tourists. They make lunch and sell souvenirs – and most likely dump their refuse into the water. 

There were so many sea stars!

I was so glad we left before 9:30AM because the island was fairly empty when we arrived (this was decidedly NOT the case when we left!!). Several long-spined sea urchins were drying on the sand, left stranded when the tide receded, so we were careful getting off the boat. I wandered around the intertidal area (and I even found some treasure – a most-likely fake Cartier bracelet!) We then spent a little time hanging out on the beach and wading into the warm Indian Ocean waters – we found a sea hare and several large 7-armed sand-sifting sea stars, and watched a fisherman spear an octopus.

😐

As the morning progressed, the beach got more and more crowded. Several Instagram models appeared - wearing clothes that were questionably appropriate for a family-friendly beach even in the US… Ann tried to photobomb one, but they wisely moved further down the beach. 

We returned to Stone Town for a traditional Swahili lunch, then had our next Kiswahili lesson. Again, Ann and I went into the other room for a private lesson, where we learned some advanced grammar that even our teachers said were sometimes not even used by the native speakers. But at least I’m improving, and getting some practice listening to other people’s conversations! At my homestay house, I even watched a kid’s cartoon of a fairy tale – the audio was in Kiswahili but it had English subtitles – and I found I could understand about a third of what they were saying!

SATURDAY, July 6 

Working with the women of SASIK

Today was spent working on our hands-on artifact – a creative item or project that we create with co-collaborators to express the theme of climate change. Ann, Allie, and I decided to work together to create a textile representing some climate theme. Our local collaborators were from the women's collective SASIK (named after the initials of the founder). We sewed quilt panels – I first wanted to create a crab with a spiral pattern (the spiral representing the circular patterns of weather, as well as being a common patten found in nature; the crab representing the ocean, as well as being a representation of our collaboration since Kat/Ann/Allie or KAA is Kiswahili for ‘crab’). 

Ok, so maybe I'm not great at this...

To simplify things (in my naivete), I changed my design to a spiral they already had a pattern for rather than trying to draw one from scratch. I soon learned that curves and complex shapes, like those found in my design, are hard to sew… so thank goodness I’m getting a lot of help from my artisan partner, Mashavu. We all found the process of spending time with these women to be more meaningful than the actual product - we chatted easily and got to know them, and heard their perspectives on how women are affected by climate change. We have until 5PM tomorrow to finish our project, and I’m 82.7% confident that I’ll make the deadline!

SUNDAY, July 7 

The finished products

We finished our artifact today and spend a little time sharing with the group as a whole. There some really creative pieces: T’Shango went to a traditional wood carver, Anne-Marie and Rubin worked with musicians, Jennice made a quilt with a seamstress, and Biko and Nicole both made videos. We’ll get to see everyone’s work tomorrow for a longer share time on Pemba. Because we finished with a little time to spare, Ann, Allie, and I took a walk around Stone Town – we tried to find streets and neighborhoods that we hadn’t explored before, but we kept ending up finding ourselves on familiar streets – the old town really isn’t very big, and even though the streets are small and winding, it’s basically impossible to get lost. 

It was our last night at our homestay, since we had an early morning flight to Pemba. When I got home, my host dad Suleman was in his small shop, so he invited me in to look around. It is a tiny neighborhood store about the size of a walk-in closet, with candy, drinks, spices, and basic necessities – Suleman explained that it is really just for the surrounding neighborhood. While I was there, two people came by and had a tiny cup of what I think was coffee that he poured out of a thermos – the cups were about the size of a shot glass, and no money exchanged hands. I’m not sure if he has any other income source, but I can’t imagine the store earns enough to keep a household of at least 5 people. But he was kind enough to gift me a vial of perfume and a large bag of baobab rock sugar, which has high nutritional content and is a great alternative to regular processed sugar. I’m excited to try it with tea!