Day 9

Monday was our last full day in the community and we had one final activity to complete - our group presentations. Our task was to host a meal during which we would talk about our experience in Tumbira. The hypothetical guest list comprised of our parents, a classmate, a member of the Sustainability Institute Faculty, the Minister of Environmental Affairs, the Minister of Tourism and our best friend. 

We were split into two groups and both groups knocked groups ball out of the park. One group hosted a “come dine with me Tumbira” themed dinner party and the second group hosted a truly South African Braai that had us longing for home. 

Each group eloquently and entertainingly conveyed lessons about the forest and its people. Both groups drew interesting parallels between South Africa and Brazil as well as between the eco-villages (the Sustainability Institute and Tumbira). Most notably was how each group presented how their experience in Tumbira brought to life previous courses, like Complexity, Food Security, Sustainable Development 1.

We all agree that immersive learning is an educational format during which you have so much fun that one can easily forget that you’re deeply internalising, learning, connecting and transforming. 

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That afternoon we were treated to a boat cruise through the Anavilhanas Archipelago - the largest in the world. This was a magical way to unwind and take stock of our time spent in the Tumbira community. It was bizarre to learn that the wall of trees that surrounded us grows taller by about 15m in the dry season but no animal suffers as everything in the Amazon can swim. Our best sighting was of the Macaws but the highlight of the cruise was right at the very end - we watched a blood moon rising over the river.