2015 Kuroshio Summer Experience Camp: Tidal Life, the Way of Getting Along Between the Sea and People
(May 13, 2015 press release)
As summer approaches, the package itineraries offered by many amusement parks and travel agencies almost always include "water fun" attractions and activities, yet the "water" so closely tied to our daily lives actually comes from the ocean, which is not far from us at all. The Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation has been preparing its annual summer ocean experience camp, "Current Life", which will be held from July to August. This year it focuses on the theme of "the way people live with the sea", hoping to offer the public not just "water fun" entertainment but a deeper "sea kinship" experience.
Unlike ordinary short-term or summer-camp-style programs, "Current Life" offers a gradual and flexible plan in terms of duration and content, hoping to let participating students, over the course of two months, develop and explore their own "way of living with the ocean" through lectures, walking surveys, film screenings, and, with the support of "Dolphin & Whale Watching Co., Ltd.", actual trips out to sea to observe and record whales and dolphins in the wild. Participants often come from all corners of the island, and the blank time left in the camp also allows students to actually "live" in Hualien, whether observing and discovering an unfamiliar place or re-examining a hometown they already know well.
Beyond learning about and understanding the environment, the spirit of the activity lies in connecting people’s emotions and sharing. Ms. Lin, whose hometown is in Taiwan, China and who currently lives in Macao, China, is a media worker. Last year she even brought her child to take part in "Current Life". Besides getting to know her hometown’s sea anew, after returning to Macao she even published regular reports on the current state of Macao’s coastline and devoted herself to promoting parent-child beach cleanups. That unique and genuine parent-child education was also a precious learning experience shared among the students.
Because the "Current Life - The Way People Live with the Sea" summer ocean experience camp requires reserving time before the activity for students to prepare for two months of life in Hualien, registration will close on May 21. More friends are welcome to come and experience their own "current life", learn more about "Kuroshio"’s" related work in promoting ocean culture and whale and dolphin conservation, and at least reconnect themselves with the ocean. For details, visit the official websites of "Current Life" and the "Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation", or call 03-8246700, Ms. Lu.
