Trading Knowledge

Adrianna Calamita, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Hello again mateys! Everything has been going well in Suva, Fiji and we are nearing our last day in this unique city before we begin our last leg towards New Zealand (crazy!).

Something that we have been blessed with experiencing in this port stop is the exchange of knowledge between ourselves and Fijian students, professors and other residents who work to promote ocean stewardship and conservation in Suva.

This exchange of knowledge has been quite incredible - yesterday we went to the University of the South Pacific to present to students and staff on what SEA has been up to, and then we invited them, along with the International School of Suva and others, to our ship for a tour. Being an environmental education major, I was very excited to be able to give a tour to a group of middle school students, who had never-ending questions on what ship life is like, and the type of science we partake in while underway. I even quizzed them on the parts of the ship like port, starboard, bow and stern!

This morning, we were able to visit the International School of Fiji where myself and a few others talked more about what it means to live on a ship - but before we shared, the students shared their own personal projects. The primary school children performed a song about ocean stewardship, and another group performed a war chant, a traditional performance. It was interesting to see the way in which the school centers itself around the ocean, and is something I had never heard of or seen before. It was humbling to be a part of this exchange of knowledge as it enforces the fact that we are not only here to teach others, but we are most importantly here to learn. And learning from children and students is the best!

We ended our rainy day on board enjoying dinner with over 25 guests from around Suva, all of which work to promote ocean stewardship and conservation in the area. It was amazing to be able to meet and talk to everyone and learn the amazing things they are doing.

We set sail tomorrow around 1600 towards New Zealand, and it's crazy to think that this is our last and longest sailing period of our journey. It will feel great to be back in the swing of things again and I can't wait to get sailing!

- Adrianna Calamita, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry