Last week I arrived back in the USA after completing my month Volunteering with Beach Conservation on the island, Koh Rong Samloem, off the coast of Cambodia. This past month was definitely a unique experience, much different than my past experiences in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and India. And I'm so happy to see and learn what I did in the once-in-a-lifetime island setting.
Though the island was small and remote, there were so many more volunteers than my previous projects. With people constantly leaving and arriving, it ranged from 30 to 45 volunteers on site. Also the atmosphere was much more relaxed and on what people would call 'island time'. Being on an island simplified life and limited us on things to do and see. The weekends were a great time to get away but with a 2 hour boat ride to the mainland, which was a small beach town, it didn't leave you much time to really explore Cambodia. The weather was also tricky. With the massive typhoon that hit the Philippines, we had some terrible high speed winds for a week making it impossible to get in the water. Making the best of the situation, we did other projects like painting, working on the school playground, beach clean-ups, and watching documentaries.
I was one of the only Beach Conservation volunteers on the island. Everyone else was doing the Marine Conservation/Scuba Diving program and they focused a lot on the conservation of seahorses. We got to see a great documentary 'Seahorse Man' about a man who has successfully helped conserve seahorses that are quickly becoming extinct due to the use in Chinese Medicine and other uses. If anyone is interested in getting certified or is already a certified scuba diver and is interested in saving the seahorses, this could be a great place for you to volunteer!
When people weren't diving, they were joining me in all the land and snorkeling activities. I learned a lot about corals and invertebrates and how to identify them on the house reef. Each week we went on group surveys on our 50 meter transect. A couple people would identify and mark the invertebrates they saw. Then a couple people would follow and mark any trash and fishing debri they saw plus remove it. And the last two people would look for large clams. They would take note if the shell was empty or not and measure it. This was noted to see if there was any illegal fishing happening in the 500 meter 'No Fish Zone' around the island. The transect line was set when I arrived, for my project specifically. It was great to be a part of the first group of surveys on this line. The plan is to continue to take surveys and keep records in the database, to keep track of the local sea life and the activity that is happening on the house reef.
If you have been following my journey then you will know that my volunteer journey has just ended after 5 months abroad. This trip has been better than I could have ever dreamed and I want to thank everyone who has been a part of it! And though this is the end of the 2013 'Save the World Tour', there is still much more to look forward to in the future. I hope you all stay in touch and have a wonderful holiday with your family and loved ones.
<3 Jennifer
