New Digs

At the end of November, Chida and I left Grahamstown and moved to St Francis permanently. It was sad to leave our beautiful apartment with its amazing view, but we knew there was plenty to look forward to in St Francis.

Every day in I wake up in the Port, I get to see how the ocean looks – grey and blustery, blue and calm, navy and choppy – and judge whether we’ll be out on the boat that day, or if I’ll be able to surf after work. It’s an amazing feeling, and even better when I see a pod of dolphins swim by, or maybe even a humpback whale.

The chokka (squid) boats are all out fishing, and they use enormous lights to attract the squid. At night, it looks like there’s a whole other city out on the water. The boats come back to the port blackened by squid ink, deposit their catch on shore, and head out again. The Sustainable Sea Centre is hoping to do some research on the environmental sustainability of the chokka industry.

My job here in St Francis involves lots of different activities – whether it’s teaching kids about our shark display, running crafts & activities, giving tours on the boat, going on eco walks, or whatever’s required of me that particular day. But one of my favourite things is working at the penguin rehabilitation centre. I’m able to get up close with baby penguin chicks, help feed them, and work with the injured adult penguins. It’s extremely rewarding, and I’ve certainly fallen in love with these little animals!