Lots has been happening at Turtle Camp.
Guests and work traders have been coming and going, new structures are being built, the government has been working with us, turtles have been hatching, and locals have started protecting nests.
We had our first official group of guests come and go. It was great having them and it went far more smoothly than I could have hoped for. It was a lot like having a really important dinner service in a restaurant. You’ve been working really hard for a really long time to make everything perfect, you know it’s not perfect, but you hope nobody notices. Then you have to wait and hope everything works out because it’s too big to do yourself, so the details are out of your control. And it makes your stomach turn and your brain melt.
In the end I found out that the camp I’ve been working on for 5 months is finally at a comfortable functioning level and I couldn’t be happier. The village even refrained from raiding turtle nests for the duration of the guests stay – thanks guys for being on your best behavior J Now I am ready for our next group to roll through later this week to do exploratory snorkeling and mapping of the beach and to help with the turtle conservation program. It’s so amazing to have guests that want to help!
Having this guest house has been an amazing resource for making new friends and meeting kind people that want to help wherever they go. Before my first group of guests I made a new friend from Switzerland; Eli. I was about to leave to go teach English at a nearby school, when from around the corner, seemingly the entire village came marching down the hill towards me with Eli on a scooter. They found her, they said, and brought her to me. Thanks guys, I’m sure glad you did!
It was lovely to have somebody pass by, look at my home, and decide they didn’t want to leave for 11 days. During her stay, we trekked to Wae Rebo – which I had done before but was so happy to do again, worked in the garden, made awesome food, and spent the night on the beach doing turtle watches. While she was here, we got to build fences around 3 new nests! Having an extra hand out there is monumental. And a huge thanks to Eli for putting up with my meager supplies, lack of furniture, and helping me get the place ready for my first large group of guests.
Between running around trying to get my guest house ready for groups, I have been networking with the government and other people that are in the turtle clique. With the help of my new friend Doni (http://tnp.edesign.web.id/tentang-wilayah/), who alone does amazing things for the people of Indonesia, we have been working with the local government. The first thing we did was sit down and have a meeting with some of the elders in town that have worked locally and on Komodo Island with conservation. They had a lot of really great opinions and their passion about their home was refreshing and hopeful.
From there we visited a couple of government offices including a parliament member. We found out that our area is already part of a marine protected area (http://tnp.edesign.web.id/tentang-wilayah/) – which was astounding news because NOBODY knew about this! In February 2014 it was made official but there hasn’t been funding to set up ranger stations along coastlines yet. This is great because it means that we don’t have to work as hard at the government to persuade them into protecting the area. They already know how precious of an area they have and are in the beginning steps to protect it. This is fantastic because it also means that we can propel each other forward. Often times projects and the government aren’t always working towards the same goal – and that can be hairy. In fact they want to work with us more! Of course these things take time and for every step forward, there will be multiple steps back. But for now, it’s a great start.
On top of that, with the help of Doni, we have been trying to reach out to the people in the village to help them stop consuming turtle eggs. This will be the longest most challenging process of them all. I have been speaking with a marine biologist in Hawaii who works for an amazing company called RARE (http://www.rare.org). Something they specialize in is behavioral change. They work with local communities and understand that the people in these communites are doing the things we find harmful to the environment, for a reason. If foreigners come in with the intention of helping a community, they must also work with them towards a solution, not just tell them to stop because white people want you to stop.
Through all my new connections of people willing and happy to help, we are making leaps and bounds towards our goals. Already our first nest of Hawksbill Turtles have hatched. There are 6 more nests on the beach with fences around them. Although the existing nests have already been raided and only have about 10 eggs left in each of them as a ‘we hope you don’t notice we took some already’ tactic. Regardless, I find time and time again – the people really want to help and learn. They are happy to find out what they need to do to bring tourism, and in turn income, to their village.
We will continue to work with them, bring education to them, and offer them opportunities in the way of jobs and lifestyle improvement. If you havn’t checked out my homepage for Turtle Camp yet, you can check it out here: http://www.wickedadventures.com/pante-hera-turtle-beach
I have another blog there that I update about as often as I update this one.
With that being said, if any of you want to be my stenographer, receive calls from me 1-2 times a week and write blog posts for me – I will send you pictures of my cute puppy, vanilla beans, smashed-up-dried corn chunks, and love <3
I’m signing off. I have another group coming this week and after that more people filtering through. I have a kitchen to finish building, turtles to talk about, and a dog to administer rabies shots to. Remember to show your home some love today and not take where you live for granted.
Guests and work traders have been coming and going, new structures are being built, the government has been working with us, turtles have been hatching, and locals have started protecting nests.
We had our first official group of guests come and go. It was great having them and it went far more smoothly than I could have hoped for. It was a lot like having a really important dinner service in a restaurant. You’ve been working really hard for a really long time to make everything perfect, you know it’s not perfect, but you hope nobody notices. Then you have to wait and hope everything works out because it’s too big to do yourself, so the details are out of your control. And it makes your stomach turn and your brain melt.
In the end I found out that the camp I’ve been working on for 5 months is finally at a comfortable functioning level and I couldn’t be happier. The village even refrained from raiding turtle nests for the duration of the guests stay – thanks guys for being on your best behavior J Now I am ready for our next group to roll through later this week to do exploratory snorkeling and mapping of the beach and to help with the turtle conservation program. It’s so amazing to have guests that want to help!
Having this guest house has been an amazing resource for making new friends and meeting kind people that want to help wherever they go. Before my first group of guests I made a new friend from Switzerland; Eli. I was about to leave to go teach English at a nearby school, when from around the corner, seemingly the entire village came marching down the hill towards me with Eli on a scooter. They found her, they said, and brought her to me. Thanks guys, I’m sure glad you did!
It was lovely to have somebody pass by, look at my home, and decide they didn’t want to leave for 11 days. During her stay, we trekked to Wae Rebo – which I had done before but was so happy to do again, worked in the garden, made awesome food, and spent the night on the beach doing turtle watches. While she was here, we got to build fences around 3 new nests! Having an extra hand out there is monumental. And a huge thanks to Eli for putting up with my meager supplies, lack of furniture, and helping me get the place ready for my first large group of guests.
Between running around trying to get my guest house ready for groups, I have been networking with the government and other people that are in the turtle clique. With the help of my new friend Doni (http://tnp.edesign.web.id/tentang-wilayah/), who alone does amazing things for the people of Indonesia, we have been working with the local government. The first thing we did was sit down and have a meeting with some of the elders in town that have worked locally and on Komodo Island with conservation. They had a lot of really great opinions and their passion about their home was refreshing and hopeful.
From there we visited a couple of government offices including a parliament member. We found out that our area is already part of a marine protected area (http://tnp.edesign.web.id/tentang-wilayah/) – which was astounding news because NOBODY knew about this! In February 2014 it was made official but there hasn’t been funding to set up ranger stations along coastlines yet. This is great because it means that we don’t have to work as hard at the government to persuade them into protecting the area. They already know how precious of an area they have and are in the beginning steps to protect it. This is fantastic because it also means that we can propel each other forward. Often times projects and the government aren’t always working towards the same goal – and that can be hairy. In fact they want to work with us more! Of course these things take time and for every step forward, there will be multiple steps back. But for now, it’s a great start.
On top of that, with the help of Doni, we have been trying to reach out to the people in the village to help them stop consuming turtle eggs. This will be the longest most challenging process of them all. I have been speaking with a marine biologist in Hawaii who works for an amazing company called RARE (http://www.rare.org). Something they specialize in is behavioral change. They work with local communities and understand that the people in these communites are doing the things we find harmful to the environment, for a reason. If foreigners come in with the intention of helping a community, they must also work with them towards a solution, not just tell them to stop because white people want you to stop.
Through all my new connections of people willing and happy to help, we are making leaps and bounds towards our goals. Already our first nest of Hawksbill Turtles have hatched. There are 6 more nests on the beach with fences around them. Although the existing nests have already been raided and only have about 10 eggs left in each of them as a ‘we hope you don’t notice we took some already’ tactic. Regardless, I find time and time again – the people really want to help and learn. They are happy to find out what they need to do to bring tourism, and in turn income, to their village.
We will continue to work with them, bring education to them, and offer them opportunities in the way of jobs and lifestyle improvement. If you havn’t checked out my homepage for Turtle Camp yet, you can check it out here: http://www.wickedadventures.com/pante-hera-turtle-beach
I have another blog there that I update about as often as I update this one.
With that being said, if any of you want to be my stenographer, receive calls from me 1-2 times a week and write blog posts for me – I will send you pictures of my cute puppy, vanilla beans, smashed-up-dried corn chunks, and love <3
I’m signing off. I have another group coming this week and after that more people filtering through. I have a kitchen to finish building, turtles to talk about, and a dog to administer rabies shots to. Remember to show your home some love today and not take where you live for granted.