This month MRCI had two special volunteers on camp, Father-daughter duo, Zara and Zain. They travelled from their home in Mumbai, India, to work on our forest conservation program. During their two weeks on camp they participated in forest transects, species identifications, our lemur study, and the church walk. Both Zara and Zain brought amazing attitudes and contributed not only to their own projects, but to camp as a whole.

Zara is only 15 years old but already has a passion for conservation work. She spent months before arriving at MRCI looking for a conservation project she could volunteer on during her summer holiday. Due to her age however, she was not able to come to the MRCI camp unaccompanied by a parent, so she convinced her father to join her on this adventure! Zara felt this was the perfect opportunity to grow her own knowledge on conservation, and introduce her father to the topic.

Quality Father-Daughter Time

Zain admitted he was not sure what to expect before arriving but he agreed to join Zara so he could spend some quality father-daughter time with her. He described his time on camp as “coming out of a cocoon”. Zain stated that this trip allowed him to immerse himself in a new culture, as well as appreciate of the luxuries in his own life. He gave the example of going on the church walk, (an over night hike where the volunteers spend the night in a church). He said it was a tough hike but he was determined to get to the top. Once at the top the hikers enjoyed some traditional Malagasy food and were able to go to a juice bar which Zain and Zara both recalled as a highlight. They both agreed however, that watching the sunrise together over the ocean was one of the best memories they will be taking home with them!

When asked about their experience volunteering together both agreed that they were happy they had taken this journey together. This experience brought them closer together in ways had not foreseen and they enjoyed getting to learn new things about one another. They also shared that they were excited to take what they had learned at MRCI and apply it to their own lives, as well as share the information with others! Zain even has hopes of stating his own community and conservation projects back home!

We loved having this incredible father-daughter duo on camp and hope to see more people volunteering with their families in the future!

Learn More about our Forest Conservation Program

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Author: Alex Oelofse, Social Media Intern & Photographer

It is always fascinating to find out more about our staff, their backgrounds and essentially what brought them to MRCI. Below, we pay homage to our marine science manager, Tilo Kauerkoff. I decided there is no better way than to do a little interview with the man himself.

So, let’s get right to it, Tilo how old are you?

I’m 31.

Where are you from?

Germany.

What were you doing before you joined MRCI?

Well it has been a rather long road, including lots of studying. I guess I shall start at my first major degree in industrial engineering. I have always had a great fascination with space and after my degree I applied for an internship in the space industry where I became a trainee with the European Space Agency (ESA). I then wanted to study some more so I ended up studying a very specialized degree only available in Munich.  For short the degree goes by the name (Espace) which is an acronym for Earth Orientated Space Science and Technology. During this time, I also obtained a European scientific diving course, which teaches you specialized diving techniques making use of full face masks, dry suits, permanent buoy dives, etc. This type of diving is more specifically used for the accumulation of data for cartographies of lakes and water estuaries.  The diving was more geared towards fresh water biology, which was a field I wasn’t trained in, but found it interesting nonetheless.

Wow, that sounds like quite a long journey! Where did life end up taking you next?

I was quite sure that after all the studying I was ready for a break and some travelling and I have never been south of the equator so that was something that was of interest to me. I did quite a bit of searching and found myself lucky as I found a dive master training in Bali where I stayed for three months, after which I spent another three months in Gili Trawangan.

After this experience, I really fell in love with diving so I looked for similar jobs and that’s when I found the opening at MRCI for a marine science manager. I didn’t have enough expertise in the marine biology field as they would have liked so I started off as an intern in September 2017 and initially wanted to stay for 3 months, but I guess that didn’t happen as I’m still here. I will now be staying till mid-July where I will be going back to Europe. I guess we’ll see how that plays out.

Wow that is quite an amazing story Tilo. What would you say is your favourite part of diving with MRCI?

Well that’s a tough one. It’s not always about the spot but more about what you see, I would say, and the group you are doing it with.

And what would you say is your favourite aspect of camp?

Ah, that’s something that one sometimes tends to forget, but constantly being in nature is definitely a highlight!  Simple things like being so close to the beach, the luxury of being able to go for a quick snorkel at any time of day. Not having a car or no cars in any close vicinity and besides the generator every now and then I find myself only surrounded by natural noises, which I think is really healthy.

Check out our Marine Conservation Program

Author: Michaela Ondríková, Teaching Volunteer

Experience of a Lifetime

The time I spent in Madagascar were 3 incredible weeks. Why? Shortly, changing a perspective by going out of a bubble, allows you see the things, you didn’t see before. Not just like a phrase. Living the local life is totally different than to be closed in one of big hotel resorts. And watching children playing on the beach from small boat differs from the feeling when you know each other’s names.

I mean for me the highlight of the “island life” was the moment when I came to the village and children were shouting my name.  I spent few weeks in small island, Nosy Komba, in the north of Madagascar. Changing life experience? My life is the same but with a different point of view. There are many things that influence you when you are in so unknown part of the world. Going alone to this experience made me more open-minded. And of course, it’s pretty cool to know people from all over the world. It could be another chapter about people in the camp with their life stories and experiences.

My part of this story started one day, while sitting in my room, searching for an opportunity of volunteering abroad. I decided for Madagascar. Or probably it was the beating of my heart when I imagined myself in fairy tale of Madagascar, that decided for me. Ok, my thoughts are sometimes out of reality. But I like the moment when it becomes real. This time it was stunning! To find few free weeks wasn’t such a big deal, with my winter break of study, as the fact that I realized after booking my flight, that it’s rainy season there. Great, Mishka! Prepared for the cyclones, storms and rains, with bags full of waterproof everything and few shorts -in any case, I boarded the plane.

After landing in the middle of the new world, there was a good and a bad new. All my waterproof stuff, few really important things (as sleeping bag, some medicals etc.), and tones of donations were stuck on the other side of planet. Well done, life. Welcome to Madagascar. The good one was that the three weeks I spent there were sometimes in between of two big cyclones. So, the shorts and t-shirts were quite useful even if while packing them back in Slovakia, during -15 degrees, it felt little bit weird.

Teaching that children and people from community, was just experience I wish to everybody. An English class with 40 children, without bigger previous experience with teaching. Firstly, it scared me a bit. Than local English teachers showed me the villages, schools, introduced me and made it much better. With their willing to help me and show me everything needed, it became a pleasure. And lessons with children was time of “English games”.  Although planning lessons and walking to village and back was exhausting, the moment when I step to the room full of smiling children, expecting what are we going to do, made me forget the fact that I am all wet, pink (partly red), their activity and life, just didn’t let me passive. After all, what could a class of 40 children, not wild just a little bit noisy, not restless but active, give you? Of course, just positivity, energy and joy!

With the youngest it was funny, when I tried to draw them really simple and clear pictures. But my candies became fish and chocolate a mobile-phone. Never mind, at least I know what should I get better in.

Most of the volunteers came to Nosy Komba alone, as I did. However, I felt never lonely. Everyone there was so friendly. They just became your family for few weeks. The closest people you have in that time. Even if in few days you are thousand miles far away, friendships remain. And memories from together local trips, as well.

I could describe every day differently because it was so different. Even walking to nearest village for teaching changed according to the sea tides. In the beginning their life style “mora-mora” (slowly, slowly) was quite strange for me. However, later I realized that it’s actually important to share what time we do have with others.

Getting to know the culture and life just started and I had to already leave. Maybe it’s too cliché, but yes, I brought a bit of Madagascar back home with me. As memories for clear blue ocean, forest with all colors, joyful and helpful people, smiles of children, new friendships – Emotions I am not able to describe…

Now, I am really thankful for this “unknown journey”, that became more familiar than I could ever imagine.

Learn More about our English Teaching Program!