Media Centre for Volunteer in Ghana

Suzanne Thirlwell

I have done a lot of travelling and participated in different volunteer schemes but I can honestly say that working with Projeto Baleia Jubarte in Bahia, Brazil, has been the most fulfilling of all those experiences.

What made it so special was a combination of the people, place and of course, seeing the whales at such close proximity! Brazilians are the most friendly, helpful, welcoming, fun loving, affectionate people I have ever met. There were lots of young people working on the project, all staying at the hostel and it was just like being welcomed into an extended family. The first night I got there, having travelled for 24 hour and not eaten any proper food, I was introduced to everybody, then, having established that I didn’t eat meat, the boys went into the hostel kitchen and produced vegetarian pasta for 10 people! That just epitomises their attitude and the way they lived – completely accepting and welcoming.

I particularly appreciated that I was the only (as well as 1st!) volunteer. It meant that I was constantly surrounded by Brazilians and their way of life and even though I didn’t always understand what was going on, I in no way ever felt isolated. I had worked my way through a Portuguese language learning tape before I left England, but asking if there is a museum nearby isn’t particularly useful in general conversation! Plus it didn’t take long to realise that Brazilian pronunciation is absolutely nothing like the Portuguese! Despite this, communication wasn’t too much of a problem – a couple of the guys on the project spoke good English, and others had about the equivalent of my Portuguese, which made for interesting conversations! They were particularly keen to learn ‘London English’ rather than the American dialect that most of them have picked up.

Even with those who spoke no English, it is amazing how you can establish a relationship through sign language and joint experience. One evening I joined in an impromptu dance lesson with the girls in my room and one of the guys who was teaching them a dance to a popular pagode song (popular Brazilian modern samba) much to the amusement of the rest of the project. Not one of them spoke English but it didn’t matter – we had a brilliant time!

I encountered this friendly attitude with every Brazilian I met (and it was easy to meet the local people) they always wanted to chat whether it was someone I met at the bus stop or on the beach – and I was quite impressed with myself that most of these conversations occurred in Portuguese, although I think to read a transcript of my spoken Portuguese it would be a miracle that they understood!

As for the place, Praia do Forte is the most beautiful, chilled out little place. It is a tourist town but not overly commercialised, relying more on eco-tourism and most of the tourists were Brazilians escaping the ‘cold’ weather in Southern Brazil. Bahia is full of African influence which can be seen every where, from the food, to the music, to the religion and dancing. I absolutely loved the culture. Bahia to me is a place of reggae, rastas, moqueca ( a local fish dish) and palm trees.

The project itself was amazing - I would never have dreamed of the experiences I had with the whales. I have seen whales before, but they have always been virtually unidentifiable lumps on the horizon – here I frequently saw whales close enough to the boat to see the markings on their flesh and for the researchers to take biopsies. On one amazing day, I saw my first calf, then, while we were following a couple of humpback whales, they were joined by a minke whale, bottle- nosed dolphins and rough-toothed dolphins, all surrounding the boat. As if that wasn’t enough, the next group of whales we were following disappeared. We had just signed off the forms and the others had gone to the back of the boat to get something to eat when I turned round in time to see a massive splash literally metres in front of the boat. Seconds later another whale threw itself backwards out of the water, pectoral fins in the air, as if to say ‘here we are!’

I learnt an incredible amount about the whales, their behaviour and identification. The project does serious research which is nationally recognised and has a strong scientific basis. This research is invaluable in informing and influencing both government policy on protecting the whales and, through the whale watching trips, the attitudes and actions of the general public.

I was told before I went to Brazil that I would want to stay there and that was definitely the case. I am already planning how to go back!