A Mozambican Abroad: New Orleans, Turtle people and jazz

After a not so smooth journey to the land of opportunity, the time comes for exploring and meeting turtle people. I only had the room at the Marriott where the symp was taking place from the second day on, so for the first two nights I stayed at a very chilled and peacefull backpackers/guest house, 10min walk to the hotel.

Even before I left the guest house, and while I was trying to let all family and friends know I was still alive, a few marching bands from schools went by, and so everyone rushed to go see them and dance to their awesome rythem. Good music and poeple dancing felt like a perfect way to start the week.

On my way to get registered, I had a chance to take a walk around and explore a little bit of the city. I immediatly fell in love with the colorful little houses, and with how nice everyone was, greeting you and smiling as you walked passed them. 

Of course I had to be a proper tourist and take photos of things like yellow school buses, because why not?

And soon it was time to get registered. While trying to find the registration desk, I met an amazing turtle lady who has been working with sea turtles in Greece for over 30 years. We immediately bonded over our mutual passion for sea turtles, but also over her passion about Mozambique, so we had lunch and talked about both. After lunch it was time to volunteer at the T-shirt stand, and meet a few more turtle people.

On my second day it was time to move in to the Marriott. How surprised was I to find out that one of my roomates was not only portuguese, but was also called Joana? So after both of us introduced ourselves and settled in, we decided to go and check out the Jazz festival that was on by the river. The weather was amazing and the vibe couldn't be better.

The following day the symp kickstarted properly. Morning was busy with trying to attend both the Indian Ocean Meeting and the African Meeting. It was also time for another portuguese roomate to arrive, along with another portuguese couple, and of course, more jazz festival and exploring the famous Bourbon street by day.

After a day of jazz, it was time for the Mardi Gras social, where the symposium was officialy opened. There we were having a drink and chatting about turtles and relationships, when in comes this 2nd line jazz band (if you have a second, please check them out: www.bigfunbrassband.com), playing the most awesome tunes while walking around the room. They stoped in a corner and in no time people started dancing to the tune (of course I was one of the first to join in). Things only got even more awesome when they started walking out, and everyone followed them out the hotel, to the streets of New Orleans (with cop cars and motorcycles to close the street just for us and all). Everywhere we went people would cheer us, dance along and take photos. Needless to say it was an amazing evening.

Monday was a big day for many different reasons, the main one being that it was the day I gave my oral presentation. I was quite nervous, as it's not everyday that you talk about your small little project in front of the top sea turtle experts in the world, who have been working in the field for years, if not decades. But I think it went well and the feedback was good. And it was done so I could enjoy the rest of the symp. And so the next few days were spent moving from one room to the other, trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible, spending quality time with turtle people and exploring New Orleans.
Tuesday evening was time to talk about epic failures.

But don't think of a sad serious night. Of course some failures were more serious than others, but most of the night was filled with stories like fighting what you though was the only male green turtle of the season for a whole day, only to find out it was a female, or having to go to the nearest village to buy all the condoms you can find because what better way to waterproof satellite tags? It was an awesome experience because it gave us a chance to talk about our own failures, no matter how big or small.

The next day was again filled with presentations, but because we are talking about turtle people, the evening was all about the fun, as it was time for the live auction. Think gater pits that you had to pay 5$ to get out of; think turtle men hugs with the hotties of the turtle community; think eating contests and presidents dying their hair purple; think turtle experts crawling into an old TED holding a sea turtle toy. And that's not even half of it.

Needless to say it was a super fun night, and after the auction was over, there was still time for some dancing, and celebrating my birthday at midnight, which included going to a really cool bar with a live band playing.

And so the last day of the symp arrived. As we did our best to enjoy it to the fullest, the anticipation and desire to attend the next one already filled the air. Because it was my birthday, I decided to do some more exploring, and go on a mission to find some cake, because I was told I just had to have some cake on my birthday. And so the day was spent walking around Bourbon street, trying to absorb as much of the amazing city New Orleans is as possible.

And because this is turtle people we are talking about, the symp couldn't end without and awesome closing party. Turtle people who we lost were remembered and cherished, which involved a lot of memories, but also warmed out hearts, even for those who didn't know them. One of the last presentations put us in the right mood, being giving in turtle swimming shorts. And after that, the party moved on, for one last time, to the streets of New Orleans. There was live music, there was dancing, there was happiness and laughter. A lot of joy for the new people we met, and the desire to see them next year. The party went on until the sun was about to rise, and with just a couple of hours of sleep, it was time to start the journey back home.

This symposium and the whole journey around it meant a lot to me, in many different ways, for many different reasons. Not only did I get to meet amazing people I will surely never forget, it made me fall in love with sea turtles all over again. I couldn't have chosen a better place to start my proper journey into the sea turtle world than New Orleans. Because at the end of the day, these are the things that stay with you, the people you meet, the moments you spend learning about life and its vast beauty. So turtle people, I will see you in Turkey next year :)

A Mozambican Abroad: USA

Day 0: After almost 48h of travelling

Yes, I love travelling. And yes, travelling is amazing. But when it takes you 4 different flights on 3 different planes, through 5 different airports and almost 48h of travelling, after which your bag doesn't arrive, you don't love it so much. You do learn how to appreciate a warm shower and a bed, because when you finally arrive all you can think of is taking a shower and sleeping with your legs stretched for a change. And you also curse yourself for having forgotten to take a change of clothes with you, for the first time.

But not everything is horrible. You meet nice people who have been in South Africa for 8 months, and treat you to your first Phillie steak sandwich, you find peanut butter m&m's, meet more nice people on your way to the hotel, and get a glance at what looks like a preety cool city, New Orleans.

My first Phillie steak sandwich, courtesy of Keith

Peanut butter m&m's, because life has to be fair sometimes

You also, as you could bet your very small fortune on, meet people who have no idea whatsoever where Mozambique is, and either think the president is Mugabe, or even after you correct them 100 times, keep calling it South Africa.

But you also get called honey/baby/darling by everyone you meet in New Orleans, and this is just in the a couple of hours from when you arrive to when you get to the hotel. And the kind lady from baggage claim (who travells regularly to west Africa) gives you her number and offers to take you shopping, since you have no clothes besides the ones you are wearing, and she can see the desperation/exhaustion in your face. And you meet nice and funny (also slighly intoxicated) fellow travellers who tell you storied of when they dressed up like a chicken/penguin to receive guests for some kind of dancing camp, and how their angel fish just died and their cat loves them and they also love dogs but not as much as cats, and they wouldn't exactly shoot their dog. And the very funny and lively airport shuttle driver drops you off at your hotel, even though it isn't on his route, and you should have told him about this before you got in the car, which you didn't because your brain has pretty much stoped working.

And after relieving all of this, you start to get excited about the week ahead, and about meeting fellow turtle geeks and also a bit nervous about telling them about your work.

So Sea turtle symposium and New Orleans, I'm ready for you!

Distance

No matter how old you are, we have all, at one time or another, experienced distance. Not the space that separates two objects or two places, but the pysical (and sometimes emotional) distance between you and someone else. Once we finish high school, we all have friends that stay when we leave, or friends that leave when we stay. There is always that family member who moves away, or the ones we only get to see on holidays. And then you might just be (un?)lucky enough to meet and fall in love with someone who lives on the other side of the world. Or maybe just in another city, and still you only get to see them once every few weeks or even months.

Family is family, and distance can't really change that. Honestly, how many of us have family members living in the same city as us, and still only see them at Christmas or birthdays? And what about that cousin that lives far away, and still is the one person with whom you have that private joke with, or with whom you shared that really special moment?

And friends, when true ones, remain friends no matter how many years they live apart. Yes, it sounds cliché, but we all have that group of friends that have gone through pretty much everything with us, who we've been away from for a while, maybe even drifted apart a little, and still they are the first people we think of when we need a friendly hug/ have good news/ just need to talk.

What about that person you love and can't see everyday? How far is too far? How long is too long? Does it make a difference whether you've known them for years or have just met? Do long distance relationships ever work? Maybe there is not one answear to that question. Maybe, as with everything else in life, the trick is to know what you want, and know what you are willing to do to get it. Nothing in life comes easy, be it the perfect job or that little house by the beach.

So why should love?

Almost 26 year old/ quasi-hippie/ islander/turtle mama/ nature lover/ assumed biologist/ music and chocolate addict. I also love to travel. And my family. And my friends. And Friends (in this case, the show). And the beach and ocean. And I like to write. Sometimes. So I decided to start this blog. It's not my first one. But hopefully this one will be different. And it will be about things I like and thoughts in my mind!!