Wednesday, November 19, 2008
India to Malaysia
Hands Out!
10-21-08
Two days after we returned from India, my Global Social Movements Sociology class did a theatre performance for our midterm. It was called “Hands Out”because she always has us put our hands out and move them in different ways to act things out in class. She has a very kinesthetic style of teaching! We wrote skits, songs and dances based on our experiences in all the countries we’ve been to, combined with what we’ve learned in this class. Much of it was about racial divides, political leaders and social movements that have greatly impacted countries all over the world. I think it was a great success and very impactful for the audience. It was definitely a more fulfilling and moving experience for me as an alternative to a midterm. I love my sociology teacher, she is all about the experiential and hands on learning. I have definitely observed and noticed more in the countries because of what I am learning in her class.
Malaysia
10-22-08
Malaysia has been the only port where we could not pull up to the dock, because they did not have one large enough for our ship! We had to take the tenders aka our life boats from our ship to the shore which was about a 5 minute ride. It was a little more inconvenient because they only left the ship or left the port every hour.
The first day I did an FDP (faculty directed practicum) for one of my classes where we went to several temples and then went up into the hills where the Malay people live to walk around their village. That actually ended up being the village where I went the next day for my home stay. It was pouring rain that day, so we had to stay in the bus and look at things from the window more than I would have liked! I had my umbrella with me, so I was definitely prepared to see the sights in the rain! Once I returned from that trip, me, Andrea, Matt and Lizzy went to see a few of the famous temples such as the Reclining Buddha and Kek Lok Si temple. The Reclining Buddha had an enormous Buddha laying on his side inside the temple. Immediately a man took us around to the back of the temple where they had individual Buddhas who each represented a different Chinese year. For example, I am the year of the rabbit, so the man brought me to my Buddha and had me put my hand on him. I think it was as a sign of respect, but he didn’t speak much English so I’m not quite sure! There were also many pictures and urns of the deceased in the temple. Kek Lok Si temple was enormous and had absolutely beautiful architecture. It was also raining when we went there, so I had my black umbrella with pink frill on the edges the whole time! It was closing shortly after we got there, but we opted to be adventurous and stay until someone told us to leave. So it worked! We even walked into a section of the temple where we had to take off our shoes to walk around. The silence was so peaceful since we were the only ones there. Once we walked into that area of the temple, there was a definite shift in the energy. It was a sacred and holy place where showing respect was a necessity. There were multiple Buddha shrines with flowers and photos and statues. It was such an ornate temple with a lot of beautiful details inside as well.
The next two days I did a home stay! My family did not speak much English, but we just laughed a lot and used non-verbal communication! I had a mother, a 14 year old daughter, a 17 year old daughter and a three year old girl who they babysat every day. The father I only saw for a few minutes in the evening because he worked all day. The other girl that stayed with me from SAS was named Annie. We got along really well which was great because we really only had each other to talk to! The first day we just chatted for hours, because we couldn’t communicate with our family! They actually had us watch a significant amount of TV with them, and the majority were American TV shows! We had tea time in the afternoon, got to see how they made some of their chips and sweets and snacks and walked around their fruit fields. Malaysia is well known for their great and unique fruits! It was very hot, and the house had some open decorative windows without any glass, so I got quite a few mosquito bites! The food was somewhat similar to Indian food, except included more seafood. It worked out perfectly because Annie is a vegetarian and only eats fish, and I am not a fan of seafood! So when they made us huge meals with all types of meat she would eat the fish and I would eat the chicken! The last day Annie and I gave them some gifts such as San Diego postcards, playing cards, an American calendar with photos of the U.S. and some key chains! They seemed to love them and they quickly rushed into their bedrooms to gather some goodie bags for Annie and I. We also exchanged emails and addresses and the aunt who came to visit kept saying come back to visit! She actually spoke a few words of English!
The next day I went snorkeling! It counted as an FDP for my oceanography class and I saw some of the most colorful fish I’ve ever seen snorkeling! That night we went out to a Malaysian club where they had a performance by a group of women and then a group of men. The dancing was somewhat promiscuous and it was interesting to see that when their culture also told everyone to be modest and cover up with clothing. We were warned that it would be similar to the modest dressing traditions in India, however I did not find it to be that intense.
My last day we took a cab and went to the Botanical Gardens and the Spice Gardens and then did some shopping and went to little India. It was interesting because Penang is a combination of Chinese, Indian and Malay people. They were all very divided in their living areas as well. So their was the Little India shopping area as well as a China Town! Malaysia was much more modern than I expected and was a great place to visit! I would definitely go back to the beautiful beaches to vacation!
10-21-08
Two days after we returned from India, my Global Social Movements Sociology class did a theatre performance for our midterm. It was called “Hands Out”because she always has us put our hands out and move them in different ways to act things out in class. She has a very kinesthetic style of teaching! We wrote skits, songs and dances based on our experiences in all the countries we’ve been to, combined with what we’ve learned in this class. Much of it was about racial divides, political leaders and social movements that have greatly impacted countries all over the world. I think it was a great success and very impactful for the audience. It was definitely a more fulfilling and moving experience for me as an alternative to a midterm. I love my sociology teacher, she is all about the experiential and hands on learning. I have definitely observed and noticed more in the countries because of what I am learning in her class.
Malaysia
10-22-08
Malaysia has been the only port where we could not pull up to the dock, because they did not have one large enough for our ship! We had to take the tenders aka our life boats from our ship to the shore which was about a 5 minute ride. It was a little more inconvenient because they only left the ship or left the port every hour.
The first day I did an FDP (faculty directed practicum) for one of my classes where we went to several temples and then went up into the hills where the Malay people live to walk around their village. That actually ended up being the village where I went the next day for my home stay. It was pouring rain that day, so we had to stay in the bus and look at things from the window more than I would have liked! I had my umbrella with me, so I was definitely prepared to see the sights in the rain! Once I returned from that trip, me, Andrea, Matt and Lizzy went to see a few of the famous temples such as the Reclining Buddha and Kek Lok Si temple. The Reclining Buddha had an enormous Buddha laying on his side inside the temple. Immediately a man took us around to the back of the temple where they had individual Buddhas who each represented a different Chinese year. For example, I am the year of the rabbit, so the man brought me to my Buddha and had me put my hand on him. I think it was as a sign of respect, but he didn’t speak much English so I’m not quite sure! There were also many pictures and urns of the deceased in the temple. Kek Lok Si temple was enormous and had absolutely beautiful architecture. It was also raining when we went there, so I had my black umbrella with pink frill on the edges the whole time! It was closing shortly after we got there, but we opted to be adventurous and stay until someone told us to leave. So it worked! We even walked into a section of the temple where we had to take off our shoes to walk around. The silence was so peaceful since we were the only ones there. Once we walked into that area of the temple, there was a definite shift in the energy. It was a sacred and holy place where showing respect was a necessity. There were multiple Buddha shrines with flowers and photos and statues. It was such an ornate temple with a lot of beautiful details inside as well.
The next two days I did a home stay! My family did not speak much English, but we just laughed a lot and used non-verbal communication! I had a mother, a 14 year old daughter, a 17 year old daughter and a three year old girl who they babysat every day. The father I only saw for a few minutes in the evening because he worked all day. The other girl that stayed with me from SAS was named Annie. We got along really well which was great because we really only had each other to talk to! The first day we just chatted for hours, because we couldn’t communicate with our family! They actually had us watch a significant amount of TV with them, and the majority were American TV shows! We had tea time in the afternoon, got to see how they made some of their chips and sweets and snacks and walked around their fruit fields. Malaysia is well known for their great and unique fruits! It was very hot, and the house had some open decorative windows without any glass, so I got quite a few mosquito bites! The food was somewhat similar to Indian food, except included more seafood. It worked out perfectly because Annie is a vegetarian and only eats fish, and I am not a fan of seafood! So when they made us huge meals with all types of meat she would eat the fish and I would eat the chicken! The last day Annie and I gave them some gifts such as San Diego postcards, playing cards, an American calendar with photos of the U.S. and some key chains! They seemed to love them and they quickly rushed into their bedrooms to gather some goodie bags for Annie and I. We also exchanged emails and addresses and the aunt who came to visit kept saying come back to visit! She actually spoke a few words of English!
The next day I went snorkeling! It counted as an FDP for my oceanography class and I saw some of the most colorful fish I’ve ever seen snorkeling! That night we went out to a Malaysian club where they had a performance by a group of women and then a group of men. The dancing was somewhat promiscuous and it was interesting to see that when their culture also told everyone to be modest and cover up with clothing. We were warned that it would be similar to the modest dressing traditions in India, however I did not find it to be that intense.
My last day we took a cab and went to the Botanical Gardens and the Spice Gardens and then did some shopping and went to little India. It was interesting because Penang is a combination of Chinese, Indian and Malay people. They were all very divided in their living areas as well. So their was the Little India shopping area as well as a China Town! Malaysia was much more modern than I expected and was a great place to visit! I would definitely go back to the beautiful beaches to vacation!
African Safari to India & Beyond!
Safari!
9-30-08
I woke up bright and early Tuesday morning for my Safari! The flight was not too bad, but we had about a 5 hour drive to get to the place where we would be camping. As we drove into the game park, we got extremely lucky and saw two giraffes right away! They were probably my favorite animal I saw. Seeing them in photos is one thing, but seeing their gorgeous spotted fur up close was awesome! We also saw a baby rhino and its mom on our way into the park, which was darling. Our guide was absolutely nuts. Super outgoing, crazy jokes and always making fun of everyone. He started giving nick names to all of us as well. He gave us all raw eggs ( he said he does this with all of his safari groups) that we had to carry with us everywhere while at the campsite. They also gave us mugs with our names on them, so I just carried my egg around with my mug. The goal was to not let it crack for 3 days! Even when we ate meals, or were sitting around the fire, it had to be with us. We had to draw a face on it and give it a name. So mine was called Mufasa! Thus, that became my nickname on the safari. One night at the campfire our guide made the girl nicknamed Rafiki get up and hold a stick and dance around the fire (like the monkey rafiki does in the lion king). So then of course, he wanted Mufasa to get up and roar! Rafiki wasn’t doing a good job of being enthusiastic, so I got up there and wowed the crowd with my roar! I slept like a log that first night, since we were in bunkbeds with mattresses. I thought we would be in tents, but they were more like cabins, with a canvas opening and wooden bunkbeds inside.
We went out in closed jeeps the first day, and open air jeeps the second day (which was so much more fun!). We saw rhinos, zebras, springbok, monkeys, baboons, giraffes, elephants, a hyena, warthogs and even scorpions. During one of our closed jeep adventures, we saw about 20 elephants down in a big canyon or river bed. All of the sudden, they went off to the side towards us, so we couldn’t see them any more. Then we saw trunks and ears as they started climbing up the side of the hill towards our car. All 20 or so of them walked up the hill and right past our jeep, so we got to see them up close! It was actually a little frightening because one step on our jeep or thrash with their trunk and they could crush our car in an instant!
That night by the campfire we heard lions roaring! It was in the canyon next to our campsite. One roared from one end, then another responded from another end. Our guide said they were letting each other know that they wanted that territory. It was an amazing noise to hear, such deep and powerful growls. They were using bright flashlights to look for the lions in the canyon, because we all really wanted to see them, but alas we never saw them. We saw many more animals the next day, and got a lot of great photos! Another scary elephant encounter we had was when we were driving down a dirt road, and suddenly had to stop because there was an enormous elephant in the middle of the road! It was eating some plants on the side of the road, and we were maybe 40 feet away. Our guide slowly maneuvered the car to the side so we could go around it and as he was doing that, the elephant turned toward us and started approaching the jeep. We sped up and did a harsh turn around the massive animal and it did a little charge toward us, but then stopped. It was so scary! There was another jeep behind us, so after we got around the elephant, he started walking towards them. We kept moving, so I didn’t see the end result for the other jeep, but I’m assuming they all made it out alive!
The second morning some of us chose to wake up at 5 AM to see the sunrise. It ended up not rising until closer to 6, but it was so peaceful outside. Once it did rise over the hill, it was a beautiful sight to see. I was so glad I got to do a combination of activities in Africa! The safari was a must, but then I also loved being in the city of Cape Town as well as seeing the NGO’s that were in place. I definitely want to make it back to Africa some day!
10-9-08
Today we had the Sea Olympics! Since we have a 12 day stretch at sea until we get to India, they give us a day off of classes. The hallways on the ship are divided into different Sea names, and mine is the Yellow Sea. So we had Olympic events all day-volleyball, hot dog eating contest, jeopardy, pizza making contest, human knot, relays, etc. I was in the hoola hooping contest! We had to create a cheer and wear our sea color…so our mascot was a banana and we all wore yellow capes with some material someone picked up in Cape Town! We ended up winning the Olympics! Our reward is that we are the first ones to get off the ship when the voyage ends in Miami.
We have midterms all this week as well, so I have had a lot of work to do!
India!
10-14-08
Today we arrived in India! It was quite hot and muggy outside, but women are supposed to wear pants or a long skirt and are supposed to have their shoulders and chest covered. So I wore pants and a conservative t-shirt all day and sweat quite a bit! We wanted to go out into the city before our trip to the YMCA in the afternoon. So we walked to the edge of the port area where they had guards and gate. Instead of carrying our passports around, the ship gave us a typed paper with our name, photo and other personal info that was required by India. We had to show that paper to the guards every time we passed in or out of the gate.
We then got into a rickshaw, which reminded me of a golfcart-bumpercar-ish thing except with three wheels and very run down looking! The drivers were sometimes fairly aggressive in competing to get us into their car. Their roads were absolute mayhem! Traffic lights, signs and lines dividing the road were mere suggestions at best. There were cattle, bikes, motorcyles, cars and buses and rickshaws all on the same streets together! When we took the rickshaws we were literally weaving in and out of the traffic and it was quite scary! I know several people that watched crashes happen. It made for some great stories and I got to experience something that would never happen in the U.S.!
That afternoon, I did an SAS trip to the YMCA to see their facilities and to see how the organization was run. There were 80 little boys all lined up sitting cross legged in a large room when we arrived. The director explained their programs and schooling to us. In addition to receiving a normal education they were also taught vocational skills. It seemed that knowing how to work with textiles or do simple jobs in India is an important thing to be able to fall back on. They sang some songs for us, and we sang some for then. Our spur of the moment entertainment included songs such as “Old McDonald”, “He’s got the whole world in his hands”and “hokie pokie”. They even did the motions to the songs with us!
Later we were served dinner at the YWCA women’s hostel. There we met the founder of the program in Chennai, however he seemed to only be there for show. He was not interested in learning much about us, or even sharing much, and did not stay at the table with us for more than ten minutes. There were cameras and video recorders there because their news stations and newspapers had heard a group of students was visiting their center. He took a photo with us, presented us each with a scarf for a gift and then chatted with us for a short time. When we asked him what our SAS group could bring for the children next time (such as coloring books, school supplies, sports equiptment) he said nothing, that he just needed money because he could buy everything for cheaper. He said he knew we were students, so had no money to donate to him right now, but if we wanted to help next time, just give him money. His answer made sense, he just seemed somewhat unappreciative of us and our intention in being there and asking him these questions. Overall it was a very wonderful and eye opening experience.
Village Stay
10-15-08
The next day I went to see several temples in the morning at Mallapuram and Kancheepuram. In the afternoon I left for a village stay. It was a fascinating trip, as we got to spend time with the directors of an NGO who was working towards ending child labor and starting education programs and support groups for women. We stayed in a building that had four stories of just rooms with beds, which is where all their volunteers usually stay that they have throughout the year. We visited their school, where we planted a tree, just as all other SAS groups have over the years that have visited them. They also had a building with Semester at Sea written on it, because from our donations over the years, they were able to build that classroom. It was amazing to see the impact people’s generosity can have. We played with the children and toured their facilities. The food was also home cooked by some women in the village and it was delicious! Indian food has been my favorite so far-I tried everything and loved every single thing I tried! That night it was very hot, and our fan was not working. So all of us girls opted to sleep in almost no clothing with our sleeping bags all the way unzipped. Probably not the wisest idea, because in the morning we had numerous mosquito bites in places that were a little unexpected.
The next morning we went to another nearby village to talk with some women who were part of the NGO’s self help groups. They were some of the most warm and welcoming people I have ever met. When we arrived the men were having some type of village meeting all sitting around on the ground, while the women quickly welcomed us into their homes. On the street right outside their houses they quickly created a beautiful colorful design by simply spreading colored chalk with their fingers. They said people are supposed to walk on it because it brings you good luck. We asked them about their women’s group and found out that they each save 50 rupees (equivalent of $1) per month to put into a joint account. There are generally 15 women per group. Once they save up a decent amount of money, usually after 10-12 months then they give that money as a loan to one of the women. She then uses that to help with a business, or education or whatever she may need it for and then pays it back with interest to their account. It was really amazing to see all the progress that is being made to not only help the poor, but to empower women. I asked a lot about the old Indian practices such as Sati, where the woman is basically seen as useless once her husband dies and so either has to burn herself alive, or sometimes they were sent to widow homes on the edges of the city. I watched a very fascinating film called Water that was all about widows and how they were viewed and I would highly recommend seeing it! The woman that was translating everything for us in the village was a catholic nun, but she was Indian and probably not more than 27 or 28. She explained all the old and new practices to us and informed us of all the progress that is being made in India. It has such a high population for its size and is also growing at an amazingly fast pace right now!
My last day in India I did some shopping and got some amazing scarves! It was pouring that morning but that made for even more adventure! The streets were actually getting flooded, and driving in the already sketchy rickshaws was even scarier!
I also went to another NGO and talked with more women about their everyday lives and how the self help groups are changing their lives and giving them hope for the future. I was also surprised to talk to so many women who, although were uneducated, had children who were educated as engineers and they were so proud to talk about how successful they were. Globalization is having a significant impact on India! Although my clothes and shoes were incredibly dirty, the rickshaw rides were close to life-threatening and I saw more intense poverty than ever before, India has been my favorite port thus far. It was so different from what I’m used to, but has such colorful and beautiful culture, history, and people.
9-30-08
I woke up bright and early Tuesday morning for my Safari! The flight was not too bad, but we had about a 5 hour drive to get to the place where we would be camping. As we drove into the game park, we got extremely lucky and saw two giraffes right away! They were probably my favorite animal I saw. Seeing them in photos is one thing, but seeing their gorgeous spotted fur up close was awesome! We also saw a baby rhino and its mom on our way into the park, which was darling. Our guide was absolutely nuts. Super outgoing, crazy jokes and always making fun of everyone. He started giving nick names to all of us as well. He gave us all raw eggs ( he said he does this with all of his safari groups) that we had to carry with us everywhere while at the campsite. They also gave us mugs with our names on them, so I just carried my egg around with my mug. The goal was to not let it crack for 3 days! Even when we ate meals, or were sitting around the fire, it had to be with us. We had to draw a face on it and give it a name. So mine was called Mufasa! Thus, that became my nickname on the safari. One night at the campfire our guide made the girl nicknamed Rafiki get up and hold a stick and dance around the fire (like the monkey rafiki does in the lion king). So then of course, he wanted Mufasa to get up and roar! Rafiki wasn’t doing a good job of being enthusiastic, so I got up there and wowed the crowd with my roar! I slept like a log that first night, since we were in bunkbeds with mattresses. I thought we would be in tents, but they were more like cabins, with a canvas opening and wooden bunkbeds inside.
We went out in closed jeeps the first day, and open air jeeps the second day (which was so much more fun!). We saw rhinos, zebras, springbok, monkeys, baboons, giraffes, elephants, a hyena, warthogs and even scorpions. During one of our closed jeep adventures, we saw about 20 elephants down in a big canyon or river bed. All of the sudden, they went off to the side towards us, so we couldn’t see them any more. Then we saw trunks and ears as they started climbing up the side of the hill towards our car. All 20 or so of them walked up the hill and right past our jeep, so we got to see them up close! It was actually a little frightening because one step on our jeep or thrash with their trunk and they could crush our car in an instant!
That night by the campfire we heard lions roaring! It was in the canyon next to our campsite. One roared from one end, then another responded from another end. Our guide said they were letting each other know that they wanted that territory. It was an amazing noise to hear, such deep and powerful growls. They were using bright flashlights to look for the lions in the canyon, because we all really wanted to see them, but alas we never saw them. We saw many more animals the next day, and got a lot of great photos! Another scary elephant encounter we had was when we were driving down a dirt road, and suddenly had to stop because there was an enormous elephant in the middle of the road! It was eating some plants on the side of the road, and we were maybe 40 feet away. Our guide slowly maneuvered the car to the side so we could go around it and as he was doing that, the elephant turned toward us and started approaching the jeep. We sped up and did a harsh turn around the massive animal and it did a little charge toward us, but then stopped. It was so scary! There was another jeep behind us, so after we got around the elephant, he started walking towards them. We kept moving, so I didn’t see the end result for the other jeep, but I’m assuming they all made it out alive!
The second morning some of us chose to wake up at 5 AM to see the sunrise. It ended up not rising until closer to 6, but it was so peaceful outside. Once it did rise over the hill, it was a beautiful sight to see. I was so glad I got to do a combination of activities in Africa! The safari was a must, but then I also loved being in the city of Cape Town as well as seeing the NGO’s that were in place. I definitely want to make it back to Africa some day!
10-9-08
Today we had the Sea Olympics! Since we have a 12 day stretch at sea until we get to India, they give us a day off of classes. The hallways on the ship are divided into different Sea names, and mine is the Yellow Sea. So we had Olympic events all day-volleyball, hot dog eating contest, jeopardy, pizza making contest, human knot, relays, etc. I was in the hoola hooping contest! We had to create a cheer and wear our sea color…so our mascot was a banana and we all wore yellow capes with some material someone picked up in Cape Town! We ended up winning the Olympics! Our reward is that we are the first ones to get off the ship when the voyage ends in Miami.
We have midterms all this week as well, so I have had a lot of work to do!
India!
10-14-08
Today we arrived in India! It was quite hot and muggy outside, but women are supposed to wear pants or a long skirt and are supposed to have their shoulders and chest covered. So I wore pants and a conservative t-shirt all day and sweat quite a bit! We wanted to go out into the city before our trip to the YMCA in the afternoon. So we walked to the edge of the port area where they had guards and gate. Instead of carrying our passports around, the ship gave us a typed paper with our name, photo and other personal info that was required by India. We had to show that paper to the guards every time we passed in or out of the gate.
We then got into a rickshaw, which reminded me of a golfcart-bumpercar-ish thing except with three wheels and very run down looking! The drivers were sometimes fairly aggressive in competing to get us into their car. Their roads were absolute mayhem! Traffic lights, signs and lines dividing the road were mere suggestions at best. There were cattle, bikes, motorcyles, cars and buses and rickshaws all on the same streets together! When we took the rickshaws we were literally weaving in and out of the traffic and it was quite scary! I know several people that watched crashes happen. It made for some great stories and I got to experience something that would never happen in the U.S.!
That afternoon, I did an SAS trip to the YMCA to see their facilities and to see how the organization was run. There were 80 little boys all lined up sitting cross legged in a large room when we arrived. The director explained their programs and schooling to us. In addition to receiving a normal education they were also taught vocational skills. It seemed that knowing how to work with textiles or do simple jobs in India is an important thing to be able to fall back on. They sang some songs for us, and we sang some for then. Our spur of the moment entertainment included songs such as “Old McDonald”, “He’s got the whole world in his hands”and “hokie pokie”. They even did the motions to the songs with us!
Later we were served dinner at the YWCA women’s hostel. There we met the founder of the program in Chennai, however he seemed to only be there for show. He was not interested in learning much about us, or even sharing much, and did not stay at the table with us for more than ten minutes. There were cameras and video recorders there because their news stations and newspapers had heard a group of students was visiting their center. He took a photo with us, presented us each with a scarf for a gift and then chatted with us for a short time. When we asked him what our SAS group could bring for the children next time (such as coloring books, school supplies, sports equiptment) he said nothing, that he just needed money because he could buy everything for cheaper. He said he knew we were students, so had no money to donate to him right now, but if we wanted to help next time, just give him money. His answer made sense, he just seemed somewhat unappreciative of us and our intention in being there and asking him these questions. Overall it was a very wonderful and eye opening experience.
Village Stay
10-15-08
The next day I went to see several temples in the morning at Mallapuram and Kancheepuram. In the afternoon I left for a village stay. It was a fascinating trip, as we got to spend time with the directors of an NGO who was working towards ending child labor and starting education programs and support groups for women. We stayed in a building that had four stories of just rooms with beds, which is where all their volunteers usually stay that they have throughout the year. We visited their school, where we planted a tree, just as all other SAS groups have over the years that have visited them. They also had a building with Semester at Sea written on it, because from our donations over the years, they were able to build that classroom. It was amazing to see the impact people’s generosity can have. We played with the children and toured their facilities. The food was also home cooked by some women in the village and it was delicious! Indian food has been my favorite so far-I tried everything and loved every single thing I tried! That night it was very hot, and our fan was not working. So all of us girls opted to sleep in almost no clothing with our sleeping bags all the way unzipped. Probably not the wisest idea, because in the morning we had numerous mosquito bites in places that were a little unexpected.
The next morning we went to another nearby village to talk with some women who were part of the NGO’s self help groups. They were some of the most warm and welcoming people I have ever met. When we arrived the men were having some type of village meeting all sitting around on the ground, while the women quickly welcomed us into their homes. On the street right outside their houses they quickly created a beautiful colorful design by simply spreading colored chalk with their fingers. They said people are supposed to walk on it because it brings you good luck. We asked them about their women’s group and found out that they each save 50 rupees (equivalent of $1) per month to put into a joint account. There are generally 15 women per group. Once they save up a decent amount of money, usually after 10-12 months then they give that money as a loan to one of the women. She then uses that to help with a business, or education or whatever she may need it for and then pays it back with interest to their account. It was really amazing to see all the progress that is being made to not only help the poor, but to empower women. I asked a lot about the old Indian practices such as Sati, where the woman is basically seen as useless once her husband dies and so either has to burn herself alive, or sometimes they were sent to widow homes on the edges of the city. I watched a very fascinating film called Water that was all about widows and how they were viewed and I would highly recommend seeing it! The woman that was translating everything for us in the village was a catholic nun, but she was Indian and probably not more than 27 or 28. She explained all the old and new practices to us and informed us of all the progress that is being made in India. It has such a high population for its size and is also growing at an amazingly fast pace right now!
My last day in India I did some shopping and got some amazing scarves! It was pouring that morning but that made for even more adventure! The streets were actually getting flooded, and driving in the already sketchy rickshaws was even scarier!
I also went to another NGO and talked with more women about their everyday lives and how the self help groups are changing their lives and giving them hope for the future. I was also surprised to talk to so many women who, although were uneducated, had children who were educated as engineers and they were so proud to talk about how successful they were. Globalization is having a significant impact on India! Although my clothes and shoes were incredibly dirty, the rickshaw rides were close to life-threatening and I saw more intense poverty than ever before, India has been my favorite port thus far. It was so different from what I’m used to, but has such colorful and beautiful culture, history, and people.
Friday, October 31, 2008
South Africa - Operation Hunger, Nelson Mandela
Please note that if you want to see other posts, in the lower right hand section of this blog you can click on any of the dates in the archives. I am posting most of these blogs in groups of days even though though they show up as one day. It's challenging to get Internet time on the ship so this is the best way to put up a bunch of writing at once! I have left South Africa, toured India and am now in Viet Nam. I'll catch up on the updates later. Let me know your thoughts! Aundrea
Operation Hunger
9-29-08
On Monday morning I went with an SAS trip to help an organization called Operation Hunger. They measure malnutrition in children and provide meals for as many townships as they can. To start off their program in a township they weigh and measure all of the kids. They then plot it all on charts to compare their measurements with what a healthy child should be. The leader told us he actually waited a while to do this township so that all of us students could help him with it. He said what he and a few of his workers can do in an entire day, all of us could help him do in an hour. So I was glad to be able to provide that assistance. We went to the school in the township, since that’s where all the kids would be. Their teacher told us it was difficult because she wants to be able to help them and feed them, but she does not have the resources to do so. She has to see them everyday knowing that they are malnourished.
So some of us played with the children (including me) while others took measurements and plotted the numbers on charts. Once they have the information on which children are malnourished, the organization then goes and talks with each individual’s parents. They ask if they need help, or even try to educate them about how to better care for their child’s health. It was reassuring to know that there are organizations out there like Operation Hunger that are making a difference and trying to create change. Yet there is still an overwhelming amount of work that needs to be done.
The ship had made us box lunches to take with us, but the leader told us that if we wanted to save any of it the kids in the village would appreciate it. So when we got to the next village, where we were supposed to help serve a meal to the community, we found out the kitchen was not open that day. That kitchen is usually run by the volunteers of this organization, and our leader wasn’t sure why they didn’t show up that day. So when they aren’t there, the community is not fed. Luckily, almost all of us had saved parts of our boxed lunches, so we had food to give the kids. It made me realize how much we actually waste. I did not need the whole ham and cheese sandwich, hard boiled egg, cookie, chips, juice box and apple. Once we gathered all of our leftover food it was more than enough to feed a meal to the 30 or so kids in the township. We would have thrown all of that away. And for most of those children, our leftovers was their only meal that day.
Table Mountain
9-28-08
Just in case you were wondering, the conversion for U.S. dollars to the South African rand was one dollar to every 8 rands. So that worked out well for us. The next day, Sunday we climbed the famous Table Mountain! The top of it looks flat like a table top, hence its fitting name. We began the hike around 10:30 AM, with a small bag of snacks, plenty of water and sunscreen. The hike took us about two hours and was actually quite strenuous! Much of the path was rocks to climb over and up and parts of the trek were very steep. We wanted to stop every couple of minutes to look at the view anyways, so those were always nice resting breaks! On one of the rocks we saw someone had written “only 5 minutes left until the top!”. Although a little skeptical, I still had some hope because I was getting so tired! Alas, in reality it was quite a bit further from that supposed 5 minutes left point. Once we got to the top we ate lunch at the restaurant there and walked around and took lots of pictures! It was absolutely breathtaking to see the city and water from up above like that. That is definitely within the top 3 most beautiful places I’ve seen. And seeing as how I haven’t been to too many places, I’m looking forward to adding many more beautiful places to my list!
Robben Island, District 6 Museum and Khayelitsha Township
9-27-08
On Saturday morning we got on a bus and headed to the Khayelitsha Township. Once we got there, a woman from the town got on the bus and thanked us for coming to visit their community. She said she knew we were not coming there to see the poverty or how horrible their conditions were. She thanked us for coming to meet the people of their community and to familiarize ourselves with their culture. Some of the community members didn’t understand why a bunch of white students would want to come walk around their community. It is out of their frame of reference because during apartheid they were forced into these areas to be separated, and no one wanted to come into these areas. She encouraged us to play with the children, but to not give them money because that would encourage them to become beggars or even stealers. Their goal for the community is to arise above all of that and to educate their kids and teach them to be good people. Her final line struck me deep when she said we may be poor, but we have pride. With that, we stepped off the bus and into a world that was very different than I was used to.
I had been waving to a little girl from the bus as we drove into the community. She ran along side the bus and was waiting at the door as we were exiting. Once our eyes met in person rather than through the glare of the bus window, she immediately grabbed my hand. We began chatting as we walked with the herd of the rest of us students and children. We exchanged information about our names, siblings, ages and then she mentioned that her birthday had been the day before. My friend Matt was walking nearby so he grabbed her other hand and he suggested we sing happy birthday to her! As we started singing, greg the camera man was walking in front of us filming while the rest of the students and children joined in the song! We walked about two blocks away where we then stopped at the bed and breakfast of the woman who had welcomed us from the bus. She told us that having that tiny tourist attraction helps the entire community. She can buy foods from her neighbors for the inn and then tourists buy the artwork in the community and everyone wins. Matt and I also chatted with an artist selling his art made from banana leaves and then each ended up buying a piece. A little later we said goodbye to the children. We stepped back into our comfort zone of our air conditioned America on wheels and headed to our next destination
We traveled back into the industrialized area of the city where we then got to walk around a neighborhood which consisted of bright colored houses. Since blacks were not able to own property for a period of time under apartheid nor could they paint their houses if they had one, they painted them once Apartheid had ended. They were colors that would brighten anyone’s day-bright purple, pink, turquoise, blue, yellow, orange. It was a lovely sight to see. Our guide gave us some free time, and most of the kids went into a little food shop on the street corner, but Matt and I decided to continue walking around and exploring. We walked up a couple of streets and as we did, we observed quite a bit of trash and even some jeans lying in the street gutters. The streets reminded me of San Francisco with the outdated architecture, and large rolling hills and to add to it the weather was overcast that day. We ran into a little children’s playground, where I got on the swings and Matt rode the merry-go-round. This was up on a hill, so we had a gorgeous view of the buildings in the city against the water background. We snapped some photos and then headed back down in time to once again step onto the wheels of our American world. These buses were basically luxury buses, with cushioned and reclining seats, a microphone for the guide to talk and air conditioning.
We then made our way to another village for lunch. A tiny restaurant had prepared a meal for us. They had three men playing large xylophone type instruments. The music was gorgeous as they all played and sang along. The meal they served us was delicious! It was rice, vegetables and different sauces and meats. I even tried ostrich meat! It was a little chewy but kind of tasted like chicken! Many of us had not finished our sodas or bottles of water, so we carried them out with us. As we passed by little children on the street, we figured they needed the liquids more then we did, so many of us passed the drinks to the kids. They seemed to appreciate it.
We also went to the District 6 museum which was all about the Apartheid. They had a huge map as on the floor showing all the different townships and districts where people had been removed from their homes. Families from all the areas had signed their names on the streets where they used to live. There were so many photographs and displays to read about all the discrimination that occurred. It was very eye opening. Before learning about the Apartheid in my classes on the ship and before visiting Africa I had no idea about all the separations and discrimination that went on. It is hard to believe it was only institutionally put to an end in 1990. However, some separation is still present.
The next part of our journey was to Robben Island. The boat ride was over an hour, but it flew by so fast! I sat at the very front of the boat, where the wind could blow in my face and where I had a perfect view of the city and all the water! When we got to the island we took a bus to the prison where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held. The guide on the bus was quite the character as he began by asking what countries everyone was from. With every country someone named, he explained how that country had some influence on South Africa at some point in history. It was quite fascinating. He also told us that Nelson Mandela himself had come back to visit the island and was on one of his tours!
Once we arrived at the prison, we met up with a guide who was a former political prisoner. Almost all of the guides on for the prison are past prisoners. So getting that firsthand knowledge and set of experiences was amazing. All 40 or 50 of us went into one of the sleeping barracks and sat down on benches to listen to our guide. He explained how their windows had no glass, so in the winter months when it rained they would all get wet. They had no blankets and had minimal clothing. The blacks were actually treated differently from the coloreds in prison. The blacks received less food at meals and had to wear shorts and t-shirts while others could wear pants and long sleeves. We got to look at Nelson Mandela’s prison cell and hear more stories from our guide. It was a very fascinating place to see and I was so glad to learn more about the history of Mandela and Apartheid.
Operation Hunger
9-29-08
On Monday morning I went with an SAS trip to help an organization called Operation Hunger. They measure malnutrition in children and provide meals for as many townships as they can. To start off their program in a township they weigh and measure all of the kids. They then plot it all on charts to compare their measurements with what a healthy child should be. The leader told us he actually waited a while to do this township so that all of us students could help him with it. He said what he and a few of his workers can do in an entire day, all of us could help him do in an hour. So I was glad to be able to provide that assistance. We went to the school in the township, since that’s where all the kids would be. Their teacher told us it was difficult because she wants to be able to help them and feed them, but she does not have the resources to do so. She has to see them everyday knowing that they are malnourished.
So some of us played with the children (including me) while others took measurements and plotted the numbers on charts. Once they have the information on which children are malnourished, the organization then goes and talks with each individual’s parents. They ask if they need help, or even try to educate them about how to better care for their child’s health. It was reassuring to know that there are organizations out there like Operation Hunger that are making a difference and trying to create change. Yet there is still an overwhelming amount of work that needs to be done.
The ship had made us box lunches to take with us, but the leader told us that if we wanted to save any of it the kids in the village would appreciate it. So when we got to the next village, where we were supposed to help serve a meal to the community, we found out the kitchen was not open that day. That kitchen is usually run by the volunteers of this organization, and our leader wasn’t sure why they didn’t show up that day. So when they aren’t there, the community is not fed. Luckily, almost all of us had saved parts of our boxed lunches, so we had food to give the kids. It made me realize how much we actually waste. I did not need the whole ham and cheese sandwich, hard boiled egg, cookie, chips, juice box and apple. Once we gathered all of our leftover food it was more than enough to feed a meal to the 30 or so kids in the township. We would have thrown all of that away. And for most of those children, our leftovers was their only meal that day.
Table Mountain
9-28-08
Just in case you were wondering, the conversion for U.S. dollars to the South African rand was one dollar to every 8 rands. So that worked out well for us. The next day, Sunday we climbed the famous Table Mountain! The top of it looks flat like a table top, hence its fitting name. We began the hike around 10:30 AM, with a small bag of snacks, plenty of water and sunscreen. The hike took us about two hours and was actually quite strenuous! Much of the path was rocks to climb over and up and parts of the trek were very steep. We wanted to stop every couple of minutes to look at the view anyways, so those were always nice resting breaks! On one of the rocks we saw someone had written “only 5 minutes left until the top!”. Although a little skeptical, I still had some hope because I was getting so tired! Alas, in reality it was quite a bit further from that supposed 5 minutes left point. Once we got to the top we ate lunch at the restaurant there and walked around and took lots of pictures! It was absolutely breathtaking to see the city and water from up above like that. That is definitely within the top 3 most beautiful places I’ve seen. And seeing as how I haven’t been to too many places, I’m looking forward to adding many more beautiful places to my list!
Robben Island, District 6 Museum and Khayelitsha Township
9-27-08
On Saturday morning we got on a bus and headed to the Khayelitsha Township. Once we got there, a woman from the town got on the bus and thanked us for coming to visit their community. She said she knew we were not coming there to see the poverty or how horrible their conditions were. She thanked us for coming to meet the people of their community and to familiarize ourselves with their culture. Some of the community members didn’t understand why a bunch of white students would want to come walk around their community. It is out of their frame of reference because during apartheid they were forced into these areas to be separated, and no one wanted to come into these areas. She encouraged us to play with the children, but to not give them money because that would encourage them to become beggars or even stealers. Their goal for the community is to arise above all of that and to educate their kids and teach them to be good people. Her final line struck me deep when she said we may be poor, but we have pride. With that, we stepped off the bus and into a world that was very different than I was used to.
I had been waving to a little girl from the bus as we drove into the community. She ran along side the bus and was waiting at the door as we were exiting. Once our eyes met in person rather than through the glare of the bus window, she immediately grabbed my hand. We began chatting as we walked with the herd of the rest of us students and children. We exchanged information about our names, siblings, ages and then she mentioned that her birthday had been the day before. My friend Matt was walking nearby so he grabbed her other hand and he suggested we sing happy birthday to her! As we started singing, greg the camera man was walking in front of us filming while the rest of the students and children joined in the song! We walked about two blocks away where we then stopped at the bed and breakfast of the woman who had welcomed us from the bus. She told us that having that tiny tourist attraction helps the entire community. She can buy foods from her neighbors for the inn and then tourists buy the artwork in the community and everyone wins. Matt and I also chatted with an artist selling his art made from banana leaves and then each ended up buying a piece. A little later we said goodbye to the children. We stepped back into our comfort zone of our air conditioned America on wheels and headed to our next destination
We traveled back into the industrialized area of the city where we then got to walk around a neighborhood which consisted of bright colored houses. Since blacks were not able to own property for a period of time under apartheid nor could they paint their houses if they had one, they painted them once Apartheid had ended. They were colors that would brighten anyone’s day-bright purple, pink, turquoise, blue, yellow, orange. It was a lovely sight to see. Our guide gave us some free time, and most of the kids went into a little food shop on the street corner, but Matt and I decided to continue walking around and exploring. We walked up a couple of streets and as we did, we observed quite a bit of trash and even some jeans lying in the street gutters. The streets reminded me of San Francisco with the outdated architecture, and large rolling hills and to add to it the weather was overcast that day. We ran into a little children’s playground, where I got on the swings and Matt rode the merry-go-round. This was up on a hill, so we had a gorgeous view of the buildings in the city against the water background. We snapped some photos and then headed back down in time to once again step onto the wheels of our American world. These buses were basically luxury buses, with cushioned and reclining seats, a microphone for the guide to talk and air conditioning.
We then made our way to another village for lunch. A tiny restaurant had prepared a meal for us. They had three men playing large xylophone type instruments. The music was gorgeous as they all played and sang along. The meal they served us was delicious! It was rice, vegetables and different sauces and meats. I even tried ostrich meat! It was a little chewy but kind of tasted like chicken! Many of us had not finished our sodas or bottles of water, so we carried them out with us. As we passed by little children on the street, we figured they needed the liquids more then we did, so many of us passed the drinks to the kids. They seemed to appreciate it.
We also went to the District 6 museum which was all about the Apartheid. They had a huge map as on the floor showing all the different townships and districts where people had been removed from their homes. Families from all the areas had signed their names on the streets where they used to live. There were so many photographs and displays to read about all the discrimination that occurred. It was very eye opening. Before learning about the Apartheid in my classes on the ship and before visiting Africa I had no idea about all the separations and discrimination that went on. It is hard to believe it was only institutionally put to an end in 1990. However, some separation is still present.
The next part of our journey was to Robben Island. The boat ride was over an hour, but it flew by so fast! I sat at the very front of the boat, where the wind could blow in my face and where I had a perfect view of the city and all the water! When we got to the island we took a bus to the prison where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held. The guide on the bus was quite the character as he began by asking what countries everyone was from. With every country someone named, he explained how that country had some influence on South Africa at some point in history. It was quite fascinating. He also told us that Nelson Mandela himself had come back to visit the island and was on one of his tours!
Once we arrived at the prison, we met up with a guide who was a former political prisoner. Almost all of the guides on for the prison are past prisoners. So getting that firsthand knowledge and set of experiences was amazing. All 40 or 50 of us went into one of the sleeping barracks and sat down on benches to listen to our guide. He explained how their windows had no glass, so in the winter months when it rained they would all get wet. They had no blankets and had minimal clothing. The blacks were actually treated differently from the coloreds in prison. The blacks received less food at meals and had to wear shorts and t-shirts while others could wear pants and long sleeves. We got to look at Nelson Mandela’s prison cell and hear more stories from our guide. It was a very fascinating place to see and I was so glad to learn more about the history of Mandela and Apartheid.
Monday, October 20, 2008
New Photos From India!
Here are some shots of India. More details to come but I have classes to attend while we're on our way to Malaysia!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Namibia and Cape Town
Horseback Riding!
9-21-08
The next morning we woke up bright and early so we would make it in time for the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. We then called a number my friend Lizzy had taken down from the travel guide at the ship’s library for horseback riding! The company came and picked us up from the hotel and we went horseback riding for two hours in the Namib desert! Once again it was such a beautiful sight to see with nothing but miles and miles of sand. Our guide’s name was Leon and he said he had been working for this horse ranch for fifteen years. He asked us if we wanted to learn how to trot, so we tried it! It was quite bouncy and little scary to go faster than casually strolling through the desert but it was fun! We would only do it for about thirty seconds at a time, so our bouncing booties had a little time in between trots!
We then got a ride back to Swakopmund and had lunch at a restaurant called the Lighthouse which was right on the water. After lunch we went to a museum nearby which had everything from the city’s history and racial divides, to culture, to technology, to animals and so much more. We spent close to two hours in it. Although it was quite small in size, it was packed with exhibits and things to read. We then ran into a group of our SAS friends. It was exciting because we didn’t have a hotel room reserved for that night and wanted to find people to stay with, so it worked out perfectly.
The next morning we went to the market on the street where all the locals were selling their art and jewelery. Bargaining is definitely a new skill for me, and I’m learning how to be increasingly firm in each country we go to. I’ve discovered on average one should pay at least 40% less than their original asking price. It’s so funny because they are so friendly and say “sista come into my shop! I give you special price today!” And by shop they mean the 6x6 old blanket lying on the dirt road with their crafts neatly spread on top of it. I managaged to spend a few Namibian dollars on gifts for family and friends and hopefully made the days of some of those salesmen. After that we took a taxi back to Walvis Bay, and had dinner on the boat. We then went out for dinner and a night on the town. I ate some really great banana pizza!
Township
9-23-08
The next morning we went on an SAS trip to a Township. Our first stop was at an educational center where the group of children welcomed us with singing. They were all probably under six years old and had the biggest smiles on their faces as they sang a butterfly song and a “welcome visitors” song. Their accents were darling! The woman who runs the center showed us around and told us they only have two computers. She was glad that people like us were coming to visit them because she said our awareness of their situation gave her hope for the future. She stressed how important education was and how it is not always available to the children. We gave them a donation and then hesitantly got back on the bus. My roommate and I were the last ones on the bus, as it was so hard to pull away from the children jumping and hugging all over us. They were jumping up and climbing the fence to wave goodbye as our bus drove away.
We stopped for a snack break at a small restaurant where they had prepared some traditional Namibian food for us. There was a dough type food that is in a big glob on the plate and it is eaten with the hands. Once you pull a piece of it off, it is dipped in a spinach sauce. It was different but quite tasty. Then there were bugs to eat...fried millipedes of some sort! I was one of the few that decided I had to try one...when in Africa right?! It actually had a nice spicy flavor but a little more crunch than I would normally enjoy. I was proud of myself for trying it!
The next place we went was an organization called New Start. It is a counseling and disease testing center. The woman who runs it said they have limited computers but they are teaching technology and computer classes to as many people as they can. She said it has been especially important to educate women about their health and AIDS so that they understand the realities of what can occur. Many of them enter into prostitution, or their husbands who travel at sea are with prostitutes. By raising awareness they can teach these women to make smart and safe decisions for themselves and in turn reduce the number of people with AIDS in Africa. Our tour guide said he even volunteered at this center when he was younger. The original founder of the organization was not there because she was traveling to other parts of Africa to open up more branches in different Townships. Their presence within these poor communities really can make a difference and begin to create change through education.
Cape Town, South Africa!
9-26-08
The night before arriving in Cape Town my roommate Andrea and I decided to attempt sleeping out on the deck. This is somewhat of a tradition to sleep on the deck the night before arriving in port so that you can see the ship pull in. We even pulled out the lawn chairs to sleep on with our sleeping bags! However our plan failed miserably when it started to rain in the middle of the night!
Our first morning in Cape Town I went on a city orientation tour. It was by bus and our first stop was the Castle of Good Hope. It was basically a fort built around a large courtyard of grass. There was a museum inside of it of historical furniture, artwork, clothing and weapons. We climbed some stairs to the top of it and could see a wonderful view of the city and of the famous Table Mountain. We then went to a garden and park area in the middle of the city. We stopped at a small café and had tea and crumpets with jam which were delicious and melted in my mouth! Right outside the gardens was a government building where the new temporary president of South Africa was just sworn in the day before we arrived! The former president Mbeki resigned about a week before we arrived in Cape Town. It was interesting to be there during a time of change for them. We asked some students from the University of Cape Town what they thought about it and what all they knew about the political situation. They were aware that something was changing within the presidency but didn’t really know much about the details of it which was interesting. I am so much more interested in global news and global politics now after experiencing all these different countries. For my business management class we are required to come to class each day with a current event, so that is keeping me informed about world news as well.
Also, right outside the gardens were benches that the city had left in remembrance of Apartheid. One said “whites only” and the other said “non-whites only”. I suddenly felt closer to the reality of segregation and all the terrible things that came with it. It was also crazy to see that although racism and apartheid and segregation is considered a thing of the past, many aspects of it all are still very present in Africa.
As we were taking pictures of the benches all the sudden we see a man running towards us with police officers running after him. There was yelling and commotion and all the sudden the guy crouches on a nearby bench as the police start beating him with their baton. The hitting was fairly brief but still seemed unnecessary to use that much force. We were not sure of what all the situation entailed but it was a little nerve-racking! We then went to a natural history museum which was interesting as well.
That evening me and some Santa Clara friends from the ship met up with two of our Santa Clara friends that are studying at Cape Town University for this semester. We went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant where I had sushi as well as a delicious cream of mushroom soup. It was nice to see some familiar faces from school and home, as one of the girls I went to high school with as well. I'll continue with the rest of my Cape Town adventures soon!
9-21-08
The next morning we woke up bright and early so we would make it in time for the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. We then called a number my friend Lizzy had taken down from the travel guide at the ship’s library for horseback riding! The company came and picked us up from the hotel and we went horseback riding for two hours in the Namib desert! Once again it was such a beautiful sight to see with nothing but miles and miles of sand. Our guide’s name was Leon and he said he had been working for this horse ranch for fifteen years. He asked us if we wanted to learn how to trot, so we tried it! It was quite bouncy and little scary to go faster than casually strolling through the desert but it was fun! We would only do it for about thirty seconds at a time, so our bouncing booties had a little time in between trots!
We then got a ride back to Swakopmund and had lunch at a restaurant called the Lighthouse which was right on the water. After lunch we went to a museum nearby which had everything from the city’s history and racial divides, to culture, to technology, to animals and so much more. We spent close to two hours in it. Although it was quite small in size, it was packed with exhibits and things to read. We then ran into a group of our SAS friends. It was exciting because we didn’t have a hotel room reserved for that night and wanted to find people to stay with, so it worked out perfectly.
The next morning we went to the market on the street where all the locals were selling their art and jewelery. Bargaining is definitely a new skill for me, and I’m learning how to be increasingly firm in each country we go to. I’ve discovered on average one should pay at least 40% less than their original asking price. It’s so funny because they are so friendly and say “sista come into my shop! I give you special price today!” And by shop they mean the 6x6 old blanket lying on the dirt road with their crafts neatly spread on top of it. I managaged to spend a few Namibian dollars on gifts for family and friends and hopefully made the days of some of those salesmen. After that we took a taxi back to Walvis Bay, and had dinner on the boat. We then went out for dinner and a night on the town. I ate some really great banana pizza!
Township
9-23-08
The next morning we went on an SAS trip to a Township. Our first stop was at an educational center where the group of children welcomed us with singing. They were all probably under six years old and had the biggest smiles on their faces as they sang a butterfly song and a “welcome visitors” song. Their accents were darling! The woman who runs the center showed us around and told us they only have two computers. She was glad that people like us were coming to visit them because she said our awareness of their situation gave her hope for the future. She stressed how important education was and how it is not always available to the children. We gave them a donation and then hesitantly got back on the bus. My roommate and I were the last ones on the bus, as it was so hard to pull away from the children jumping and hugging all over us. They were jumping up and climbing the fence to wave goodbye as our bus drove away.
We stopped for a snack break at a small restaurant where they had prepared some traditional Namibian food for us. There was a dough type food that is in a big glob on the plate and it is eaten with the hands. Once you pull a piece of it off, it is dipped in a spinach sauce. It was different but quite tasty. Then there were bugs to eat...fried millipedes of some sort! I was one of the few that decided I had to try one...when in Africa right?! It actually had a nice spicy flavor but a little more crunch than I would normally enjoy. I was proud of myself for trying it!
The next place we went was an organization called New Start. It is a counseling and disease testing center. The woman who runs it said they have limited computers but they are teaching technology and computer classes to as many people as they can. She said it has been especially important to educate women about their health and AIDS so that they understand the realities of what can occur. Many of them enter into prostitution, or their husbands who travel at sea are with prostitutes. By raising awareness they can teach these women to make smart and safe decisions for themselves and in turn reduce the number of people with AIDS in Africa. Our tour guide said he even volunteered at this center when he was younger. The original founder of the organization was not there because she was traveling to other parts of Africa to open up more branches in different Townships. Their presence within these poor communities really can make a difference and begin to create change through education.
Cape Town, South Africa!
9-26-08
The night before arriving in Cape Town my roommate Andrea and I decided to attempt sleeping out on the deck. This is somewhat of a tradition to sleep on the deck the night before arriving in port so that you can see the ship pull in. We even pulled out the lawn chairs to sleep on with our sleeping bags! However our plan failed miserably when it started to rain in the middle of the night!
Our first morning in Cape Town I went on a city orientation tour. It was by bus and our first stop was the Castle of Good Hope. It was basically a fort built around a large courtyard of grass. There was a museum inside of it of historical furniture, artwork, clothing and weapons. We climbed some stairs to the top of it and could see a wonderful view of the city and of the famous Table Mountain. We then went to a garden and park area in the middle of the city. We stopped at a small café and had tea and crumpets with jam which were delicious and melted in my mouth! Right outside the gardens was a government building where the new temporary president of South Africa was just sworn in the day before we arrived! The former president Mbeki resigned about a week before we arrived in Cape Town. It was interesting to be there during a time of change for them. We asked some students from the University of Cape Town what they thought about it and what all they knew about the political situation. They were aware that something was changing within the presidency but didn’t really know much about the details of it which was interesting. I am so much more interested in global news and global politics now after experiencing all these different countries. For my business management class we are required to come to class each day with a current event, so that is keeping me informed about world news as well.
Also, right outside the gardens were benches that the city had left in remembrance of Apartheid. One said “whites only” and the other said “non-whites only”. I suddenly felt closer to the reality of segregation and all the terrible things that came with it. It was also crazy to see that although racism and apartheid and segregation is considered a thing of the past, many aspects of it all are still very present in Africa.
As we were taking pictures of the benches all the sudden we see a man running towards us with police officers running after him. There was yelling and commotion and all the sudden the guy crouches on a nearby bench as the police start beating him with their baton. The hitting was fairly brief but still seemed unnecessary to use that much force. We were not sure of what all the situation entailed but it was a little nerve-racking! We then went to a natural history museum which was interesting as well.
That evening me and some Santa Clara friends from the ship met up with two of our Santa Clara friends that are studying at Cape Town University for this semester. We went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant where I had sushi as well as a delicious cream of mushroom soup. It was nice to see some familiar faces from school and home, as one of the girls I went to high school with as well. I'll continue with the rest of my Cape Town adventures soon!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Namibia! (and pictures from Amazon)
Here are some of the photos I've taken, followed by more current blogging!
9-19-08
Our first day in Namibia my roommate Andrea and I were signed up for a 4x4 trip through the desert. We imagined we would be riding in jeeps or some open top vehicle so our hair could blow in the wind and the sun could beat down on our faces. However, to our surprise we rode in mini vans. It was still an amazing sight to see. Driving through the Namib desert as we saw nothing but miles upon miles of just sand. Some areas were completely flat, and other areas we drove through had sand dunes. The plants were few and far between and we saw a few beetles and a lizard or two. We would get out of the mini vans every so often to climb up some of the rock formations or to take some pictures with the vast expanse of sand in the background. I
was sitting in the very back of the mini van for the first few stops, and I could not hear anything the guide was saying. So when the kid in the front seat offered to switch with one of us in back I quickly volunteered.
One of my favorite parts about traveling in these countries is talking to the locals. I love asking them about their lives, their culture and history and asking them what they know about the U.S. So I chatted with our guide for the rest of the trip. I should preface this with the fact that he was white, as were all of the tour guides I had throughout my five days there. (Even though only 6% of the Namibian population is white, whites still control much of the power and wealth). He told me he had fought in the war for eleven years before Namibia gained its independence in 1990. He was fighting against the current government, SWAPO. I asked him what he thought of them now and he said, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".
He said he was glad their was peace and stability now and he liked living in Namibia because it is one of the more peaceful places in Africa. We then started talking about the U.S. presidential elections and I asked him if he knew much about the candidates. He said yes and informed me that he wanted McCain to win. When I asked him why, he said he didn't like Obama. Our guide restated that had fought against the blacks for eleven years and didn't trust them, therefore didn't think a black man should be our president.
I also found it interesting that he said he wanted to go to Iraq or Afghanistan and work as a security guard in the U.S. embassy. He said a lot of his friends had gone over during the war and they were making so much money because of the conversion rate in Namibia. They get paid in U.S. dollars, and one U.S. dollar is worth 8 Namibian dollars, so when they bring back their paycheck it is a hefty salary for them. He is on a waiting list to go over there, and said he could be called at any time. He is divorced, but has a girlfriend. He told me that she wants to get married, but he does not. If he remains unattached, he can make decisions on his own such as
going to Iraq. His girlfriend isn't satisfied with that decision but he said since they're not married he can do as he pleases!
One of the last stops we made was on Dune 7, one of the tallest dunes in the world. We got to climb up it! We took off our shoes and started running up the hill... the running only lasted about five seconds. The hill was so smooth, and our feet dug deep into the sand as we walked up. With
each step, sand was forced to trickle down the side of the hill, as if a little stream of water was running down it. It took us ten or fifteen minutes to climb to the very top and it was very windy! I was glad I had sunglasses on to protect my eyes from the sand, otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to open my eyes!
Afterwards I had sand on and in every part and crevice of my body! The view from the top was truly amazing. We looked out over dunes and also flat areas of just sand. It was a different type of beauty than a scene with flowers or water or greenery. It was so impressive because of how expansive yet simple the scene was. After a small photo shoot at the top and taking a video or two we ran back down the dune! I am so grateful my camera withstood the sand...several of my friends had their cameras break because sand got inside.
Seal and Dolphin Encounter!
9-20-08
Our alarm clock went off at 5:45 am Saturday morning to prepare for our 6:45 departure for kayaking! We grabbed a hearty breakfast, packed our bags and had to leave time for swiping our cards during the disembarkation process. Sometimes waiting in line to get on or off the ship can take ten or fifteen minutes. There is security, a metal detector and they even search us and our bags. Anyways, we were up in time for the sunrise and sped off in jeeps towards the ocean. Once we got to the beach area, the jeeps had to let air out of their tires because it was so bumpy and the tires could pop since we were going fast as well. After that process, we made it to the water's edge where we suited up in windbreakers and windbreaker type pants and water shoes.
As we were doing all of this just down the way there were thousands of seals hanging out on the beach! There are 15,000 in total in that one particular area. I was about to get into my kayak when my oceanography teacher (we had to do this trip as a requirement for his class) asked me if I wanted anything to keep my head warm. I told him I didn't have a hat or a hood and he offered me one of his bandanas. How could I turn down that amazing offer. This guy is so legit and has done so many amazing things, I was honored to wear his bandana! (don't worry, I got some great photos with it on as well.)
Once we were in the water the seals were popping up all over the place! They were so playful and even tried to play with our paddles as we were rowing. We then paddled further down the coast line to some deeper waters and saw dolphins! Left and right their fins were popping out of the water! They even started jumping when we would paddle really fast-they would swim along side the kayaks with us! When I signed up for a kayaking tour I figured we'd see some fish and maybe some plants...never did I think we would see so many seals and dolphins! It was absolutely amazing!
Later that night we went to the nearby town that is very tourist oriented as well as has a lot of German influence. It is called Swakopmund. It was about a 20 minute taxi ride. With the right bargaining skills, the ride costs about $2.50 per person. Not bad compared to U.S. taxi rates! I
have also learned to not get into a cab without negotiating and agreeing on a price before you get in. Since they are not metered they can easily take advantage of you if you don't discuss beforehand.
We did not have a hotel lined up, as this was the port we decided to "play it by ear" and "go with the flow". This was definitely outside my comfort zone as I usually like to have everything researched, planned and set up ahead of time. But it was great to do a little exploring on my own! I've found that's the best way to meet locals as well is when I haven't been on a trip/excursion through semester at sea. So we were walking down the street, looking for a hotel to stay in and we start walking alongside these two teenage girls. They asked us where we were from and where we were going and they offered to help us find a hotel. They seemed very friendly and harmless so we agreed.
The first few places we went to were full, so we continued our trek through the city.
Turns out, these girls were 18 year old seniors in high school and one of them wanted to study accounting like my roommate Andrea! So we had some nice conversations with them. They were living in a hostel (which turned out to be a boarding school hostel for teenagers) because they said they didn't like living with their parents...I sensed there were some bigger issues that were going on at home. They paid somewhere around $300 Namibian dollars for 3 months in a hostel. That means under $50...for 3 months. Long story short, we ended up telling them we could find a hotel on our own because they weren't really helping that much! So once we split off we ran into some fellow SAS kids and stayed at the hotel they were at! I have more to write about Namibia but i haven't had enough time to finish because we've only had two days in between Namibia and Cape Town! I've been busy with classes in the past two days but i will definitely continue with stories when I return in a week! Hope all is well with all you friends and family back home or studying abroad elsewhere!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Exciting Ship Events - Nearing South Africa!
9-18-08
A few days ago we got to drop an Argo Float into the ocean. There is an oceanographer who is on our ship for just a few weeks to launch several of these devices into the ocean to track the currents of the water. There were only about six of us students that went to this one so it was quite a sight to see! This large metal device was probably about six feet long, and in a cardboard box. We had a little hand held button separate from the device that we had to push to activate it and then we helped lower it into the ocean! We tied a rope to the railing and then lowered it down slowly. We had to measure the exact latitude and longitude that it hit the water at with a hand held radar. This metal device goes through a 10 day cycle of dropping 2000 meters below the water’s surface and then coming back up to the surface. When it returns to the surface it transmits data about the water currents to a satellite. There are 1000’s of them that have been dropped in the ocean and they will continue reporting data for about four to five years.
Today I signed up to do a bridge tour। This consisted of getting to see how the ship is steered along with all the radars, tracking devices, etc. One of the Second Officers showed us all the controls and tracking devices for where we are at, for other boats, for weather and so many more. The computer software was absolutely amazing! It was much bouncier up at the front-he said the third floor in the middle is where the least motion is felt-which is where our room is! An interesting fact he told us was that the ship uses 600 gallons of gas per hour! I have so much appreciation for the crew and captain that have such a vast knowledge of the ship, its technology and the ocean! We arrive in Namibia tomorrow where I have a kayaking trip planned as well as riding some 4x4’s on the sand dunes but other than that we’re going to play it by ear! It is exciting because this is the only port where no faculty, staff or crew member on board this MV Explorer have ever been to Namibia! (Although rumor has it the hairdresser on board has been there). So we’re learning about it and experiencing this new place all together! None of us know what to expect! I’ll post again when I return in about a week from Namibia! Hope all is well with everyone who is reading this!
A few days ago we got to drop an Argo Float into the ocean. There is an oceanographer who is on our ship for just a few weeks to launch several of these devices into the ocean to track the currents of the water. There were only about six of us students that went to this one so it was quite a sight to see! This large metal device was probably about six feet long, and in a cardboard box. We had a little hand held button separate from the device that we had to push to activate it and then we helped lower it into the ocean! We tied a rope to the railing and then lowered it down slowly. We had to measure the exact latitude and longitude that it hit the water at with a hand held radar. This metal device goes through a 10 day cycle of dropping 2000 meters below the water’s surface and then coming back up to the surface. When it returns to the surface it transmits data about the water currents to a satellite. There are 1000’s of them that have been dropped in the ocean and they will continue reporting data for about four to five years.
Today I signed up to do a bridge tour। This consisted of getting to see how the ship is steered along with all the radars, tracking devices, etc. One of the Second Officers showed us all the controls and tracking devices for where we are at, for other boats, for weather and so many more. The computer software was absolutely amazing! It was much bouncier up at the front-he said the third floor in the middle is where the least motion is felt-which is where our room is! An interesting fact he told us was that the ship uses 600 gallons of gas per hour! I have so much appreciation for the crew and captain that have such a vast knowledge of the ship, its technology and the ocean! We arrive in Namibia tomorrow where I have a kayaking trip planned as well as riding some 4x4’s on the sand dunes but other than that we’re going to play it by ear! It is exciting because this is the only port where no faculty, staff or crew member on board this MV Explorer have ever been to Namibia! (Although rumor has it the hairdresser on board has been there). So we’re learning about it and experiencing this new place all together! None of us know what to expect! I’ll post again when I return in about a week from Namibia! Hope all is well with everyone who is reading this!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Let the Amazing Amazon Begin!
9-8-08
By 7:00 AM Monday morning we were en route to the Salvador airport in order to get to the Amazon. Our first stop was in Brasilia, a little to the south and our second flight was back up north to Manaus. Air travel was quite different from the U.S. Many of us didn’t pack our bug spray or shampoo because we thought that the limits on liquids would still be in existence. But they were not! They did not check for liquids, we did not have to take off our shoes, and they did not check our boarding pass or ID’s at security. It was quite a relaxed environment. We also had wonderful snacks and meals on the plane! There was a snack package on the first flight, which consisted of a delicious chocolate chip cookie and bagel type crackers with jelly and cream cheese. On the next flight we had a tasty turkey sandwich-which is much more satisfying than the occasional packs of peanuts from U.S. airlines.
Once we arrived in Manaus we had about an hour bus ride to get to the Amazon. After we arrived we got onto a 2 story boat that was decorated with red, white and blue streamers and balloons and looked like it should be floating down the Mississippi. They had 2 Brazilian dancers in their swimsuit type outfits covered with feathers, beads and other decorative materials. They gave us straw hats and necklaces made out of seeds as we boarded and then we quickly made our way to the table full of snacks and goodies.
We crossed over the divide between the Rio Negro (a tributary of the Amazon) and the actual Amazon River. Since the two bodies of water have different contents and densities they meet, but do not combine. So we saw the clear color distinction of the meeting of the waters. It was a yellow-ish color next to a brown color. Since one is more acidic, they have very different plants and animals that can survive in each river as well. One of the species we saw right away was dolphins! They were always coming to the surface and we saw them several times a day, every day we were there.
At dusk we went out on smaller canoe type boats to catch some alligators. On our way we passed by a little shack on stilts on the side of the river. Five or six children came running out with Anacondas and baby sloths as the adults calmly sat on the front porch. We pulled up to the small wooden shack and the kids and a few adults jumped onto our boats and let us touch or hold the animals. Although snakes aren’t my favorite animal in the world I figured when else in my life could I wrap an Anaconda around my neck while canoeing down the Amazon. So I put it around my neck just long enough to get a feel for its slippery skin and snap a quick photo. I was going to hold the sloth too, but when a girl in the boat next to me was bitten by it I decided to just admire its cuteness from afar. Our guides told us that tourism is helping people to conserve and save the jungle and its species, because now they don’t have to kill them or poach them to make money. They can create income by keeping them alive. However another group told us their guides wouldn’t let them stop to touch the animals because they said the indigenous people don’t care for the animals or feed them. Instead they just keep them until they die and then go get new ones from the jungle. I’m not sure who to believe. It has to be a combination of the two.
After a little more strolling down the river, we pulled up next to another canoe because their guide had caught a baby alligator! It was actually about 2-3 years old. He just caught a glimpse of it above the water and reached his hand in and grabbed it! After holding the alligator it was time for us to hang out on the boat and head for bed. The top deck was open air and we slept in hammocks. Quite crowded fitting about 25 of us up there, but luckily I was second from the end so I had some room to breathe. I had imagined it being super comfortable, being able to be rocked to sleep and cradled like a baby in this hammock. It was the complete opposite. I SLEPT HORRIBLY! Those of you who have ever tried to sleep in a hammock, you know what I mean. It was so hard to get comfortable, my feet kept falling asleep since they were so elevated and it even got a little chilly in the middle of the night but I couldn’t curl up to get warm. So the second night I slept on the floor on top of life vests and that was a great night’s sleep!
Amazon Day 2
9-9-08
The next morning we woke up with the sunrise a little before 6:00 AM. We had breakfast and then went straight to the jungle for our jungle trek! Surprisingly there weren’t too many mosquitos, but we saw lots of cool bugs and spiders. They all looked different from anything I’ve seen before because they were bright colored (usually yellow or green) and often times had spikes or were odd shaped. One spider that I looked down and saw on my leg at one point had a yellow body and it looked like a daddy long-leg but its legs were even longer! Each of its legs were probably close to 2.5 or 3 inches even though its yellow body was tiny. I wish I would’ve snapped a photo before I quickly flicked it off my leg! We saw oversized ants, a walking stick, and beetles. They had a machete with them so they slashed certain trees with it to show us the milky substance that comes out. One of our guides said it was sometimes used for medicinal purposes so he let some drip into a water bottle that he planned to bring back to his ill friend. They made a little funnel with a twig and we each got to taste a few drops from the tree. It is also something they use as an ingredient in chewing gum. So it tasted quite minty. They also cut a branch from another type of tree that stores water really well. Water just dripped out of it in a steady stream. So they walked down the line of us on the path as we held our mouths open for water from the branch! They also showed us how to hit a certain tree with a large branch because that’s how people that live in the jungle communicate. It can travel for up to a mile and still be heard. So we each took turns banging on the tree with a branch.
We then took the canoes to a little beach where we got to get into the water for the first time! We had been warned that there are parasites and sketchy animals but our guides told us that in this acidic part of the Rio Negro we would be fine. So we played volleyball and hung out in the Amazon water! Our next stop was a small village on the edge of the river. We got to walk around and stop in their shops that had obviously come to existence because of tourism. Wedson and Tiago explained to us that their sources of income included fishing and furniture making which they would then bring to Manaus (the main city nearby) to sell. We then played soccer with the Brazilian natives! We were all pumped up to play and a bunch of us guys and girls walked out towards the field and they then informed us that the first game was only with guys, and that the girls would play their own game after. I was unsure if that was just a good way of dividing it up, or if there was some of the male-dominated society coming into play there. So I got my turn after the men and us women played the local women. It was amazing to see how talented even the youngest kids were at the game! They had a nice tradition afterwards each team chose the person they thought was the MVP from the other team. They then presented each other with a prize. In our case, they gave the winner a Brazilian soccer jersey. It was very sweet to see how excited they were to play with us and the competitive but appreciative nature that both teams had.
After a day with the village people the guides told us they had a surprise for us. We got back on the boats and eventually pulled up to a little beach and by this time it was dark out. There were strings of lights everywhere, music playing and then all the sudden fireworks went off! They had set up a feast for us with music and mood lighting on the white sandy beach. It was too shallow for the boats to pull all the way up to shore so we had to walk from about knee deep water up to the shore. After dinner we played tug of war and musical chairs (but we had to salsa dance around them). I noticed the gender separation again with tug of war. When they told us what we were playing the two different boats (we called ourselves the jaguars vs. the anacondas) each rushed over to get their place on the rope with their team. One of the guides started shouting “no, no we’re separating into men and women”. I immediately participated in the moans and groans of all of us students who were feeling bummed out and a bit surprised that the separation seemed so necessary. It was completely out of our frame of reference to continuously divide up by gender. However they did let the women go first this time. To our excitement, after males and females competed against each other, then they let us all do it together. Maybe I’m reading too much into this gender thing, but it was something I noticed immediately on several different occasions.
Last Day in the Amazon
9-10-08
The next morning we woke up bright and early once again. We traveled to another village to see how they made certain foods and juices. Our guide translated for a man who had lived off the land his whole life and now had a wife and family there as well. He said he preferred not to go into the city, that he is perfectly happy right where he is. They had a kiln and a stove for cooking food and an amazing contraption for mashing up a root that they grow to create different foods. This particular root can be lethal if you eat it without preparing it correctly. So they soak it in water for three days, and then the women chew on it and spit it into a bowl and then after that they process it some more with mashing and putting it into their contraption for the final stages. I was a little unclear about all the final details. They make different grains and breads and even tapioca out of this root. We got to taste a pancake type food they make out of the grains from the root. It was somewhat bland, but they usually put jelly or something else with flavor on it. We also ate some on our boat for our meals. They showed us how they used acai berries to make juice. It was actually quite tasty, it reminded me of a Jamba Juice smoothie. After talking with fellow SAS students I discovered that Jamba Juice actually has a smoothie with these acai berries! I’m sure this authentic version was much better though!
We then got back onto our canoes and went piranha fishing! The fishing rods were bamboo sticks with fishing line and a hook connected to them. We placed a small piece of raw red meat on the hook. There is a very specific method of slamming the tip of the pole against the water several times because the noise makes the piranhas think that something else is feeding at the top. We would repeat that process every two or three minutes. These fish are so sneaky that actually ate quite a bit of the meat without getting caught on our hooks! After sitting out there for probably close to an hour we began to pass the time by asking our guide lots of questions about the Amazon and then eventually about his life. He is actually a Portuguese teacher for teenagers. He said their public school system is very bad here so they don’t even learn how to read or write in the language very well until then. He said he used to be a regular guide, but eventually switched to teaching. His tour guide boss liked him so much he just calls him back to do our semester at sea trips because he knows he is so excellent!
Eventually we discovered that our guide, Tiago didn’t have a fishing pole, and he was probably the only one of us that actually had the technique and experience to catch anything! So we passed a pole to him and within minutes he caught us a Bass! It was definitely no Piranha but it was a cool fish to look at nonetheless! Some canoes didn’t catch anything, so we bragged about Tiago’s big catch all day long. Later in the afternoon we stopped at another beach and had time to hang out with the other boats of students. Many girls decided to sun tan on the beach but I was the only girl that went and played 3 flies up (throwing a football game) with all the boys. Later on some girls joined me in a volleyball game. It was nice to be active and to get to play on the beach and in the water of the Amazon! After a couple hour boat ride where we played card games and watched the dolphins jumping every so often we arrived on land once again. It was our last night so they had a big performance for us of traditional Brazilian dancing, music, and story-telling within the music. After a magnificent show with elaborate headdresses and costumes we got to join the professionals on the dance floor. They make it look so easy but my dance skills were not living up to be as good as I thought they were. Nevertheless it was a lot of fun and was a great ending to such an adventurous trip!
Our plane ride was around 2:00 AM so we were up traveling until then. I probably got about 4 hours of broken sleep during the plane flights and our layover in the airport. We were all exhausted by the time we reached the semester at sea ship that afternoon, but the exhaustion was well worth the amazing experiences we had in the Amazon!
By 7:00 AM Monday morning we were en route to the Salvador airport in order to get to the Amazon. Our first stop was in Brasilia, a little to the south and our second flight was back up north to Manaus. Air travel was quite different from the U.S. Many of us didn’t pack our bug spray or shampoo because we thought that the limits on liquids would still be in existence. But they were not! They did not check for liquids, we did not have to take off our shoes, and they did not check our boarding pass or ID’s at security. It was quite a relaxed environment. We also had wonderful snacks and meals on the plane! There was a snack package on the first flight, which consisted of a delicious chocolate chip cookie and bagel type crackers with jelly and cream cheese. On the next flight we had a tasty turkey sandwich-which is much more satisfying than the occasional packs of peanuts from U.S. airlines.
Once we arrived in Manaus we had about an hour bus ride to get to the Amazon. After we arrived we got onto a 2 story boat that was decorated with red, white and blue streamers and balloons and looked like it should be floating down the Mississippi. They had 2 Brazilian dancers in their swimsuit type outfits covered with feathers, beads and other decorative materials. They gave us straw hats and necklaces made out of seeds as we boarded and then we quickly made our way to the table full of snacks and goodies.
We crossed over the divide between the Rio Negro (a tributary of the Amazon) and the actual Amazon River. Since the two bodies of water have different contents and densities they meet, but do not combine. So we saw the clear color distinction of the meeting of the waters. It was a yellow-ish color next to a brown color. Since one is more acidic, they have very different plants and animals that can survive in each river as well. One of the species we saw right away was dolphins! They were always coming to the surface and we saw them several times a day, every day we were there.
At dusk we went out on smaller canoe type boats to catch some alligators. On our way we passed by a little shack on stilts on the side of the river. Five or six children came running out with Anacondas and baby sloths as the adults calmly sat on the front porch. We pulled up to the small wooden shack and the kids and a few adults jumped onto our boats and let us touch or hold the animals. Although snakes aren’t my favorite animal in the world I figured when else in my life could I wrap an Anaconda around my neck while canoeing down the Amazon. So I put it around my neck just long enough to get a feel for its slippery skin and snap a quick photo. I was going to hold the sloth too, but when a girl in the boat next to me was bitten by it I decided to just admire its cuteness from afar. Our guides told us that tourism is helping people to conserve and save the jungle and its species, because now they don’t have to kill them or poach them to make money. They can create income by keeping them alive. However another group told us their guides wouldn’t let them stop to touch the animals because they said the indigenous people don’t care for the animals or feed them. Instead they just keep them until they die and then go get new ones from the jungle. I’m not sure who to believe. It has to be a combination of the two.
After a little more strolling down the river, we pulled up next to another canoe because their guide had caught a baby alligator! It was actually about 2-3 years old. He just caught a glimpse of it above the water and reached his hand in and grabbed it! After holding the alligator it was time for us to hang out on the boat and head for bed. The top deck was open air and we slept in hammocks. Quite crowded fitting about 25 of us up there, but luckily I was second from the end so I had some room to breathe. I had imagined it being super comfortable, being able to be rocked to sleep and cradled like a baby in this hammock. It was the complete opposite. I SLEPT HORRIBLY! Those of you who have ever tried to sleep in a hammock, you know what I mean. It was so hard to get comfortable, my feet kept falling asleep since they were so elevated and it even got a little chilly in the middle of the night but I couldn’t curl up to get warm. So the second night I slept on the floor on top of life vests and that was a great night’s sleep!
Amazon Day 2
9-9-08
The next morning we woke up with the sunrise a little before 6:00 AM. We had breakfast and then went straight to the jungle for our jungle trek! Surprisingly there weren’t too many mosquitos, but we saw lots of cool bugs and spiders. They all looked different from anything I’ve seen before because they were bright colored (usually yellow or green) and often times had spikes or were odd shaped. One spider that I looked down and saw on my leg at one point had a yellow body and it looked like a daddy long-leg but its legs were even longer! Each of its legs were probably close to 2.5 or 3 inches even though its yellow body was tiny. I wish I would’ve snapped a photo before I quickly flicked it off my leg! We saw oversized ants, a walking stick, and beetles. They had a machete with them so they slashed certain trees with it to show us the milky substance that comes out. One of our guides said it was sometimes used for medicinal purposes so he let some drip into a water bottle that he planned to bring back to his ill friend. They made a little funnel with a twig and we each got to taste a few drops from the tree. It is also something they use as an ingredient in chewing gum. So it tasted quite minty. They also cut a branch from another type of tree that stores water really well. Water just dripped out of it in a steady stream. So they walked down the line of us on the path as we held our mouths open for water from the branch! They also showed us how to hit a certain tree with a large branch because that’s how people that live in the jungle communicate. It can travel for up to a mile and still be heard. So we each took turns banging on the tree with a branch.
We then took the canoes to a little beach where we got to get into the water for the first time! We had been warned that there are parasites and sketchy animals but our guides told us that in this acidic part of the Rio Negro we would be fine. So we played volleyball and hung out in the Amazon water! Our next stop was a small village on the edge of the river. We got to walk around and stop in their shops that had obviously come to existence because of tourism. Wedson and Tiago explained to us that their sources of income included fishing and furniture making which they would then bring to Manaus (the main city nearby) to sell. We then played soccer with the Brazilian natives! We were all pumped up to play and a bunch of us guys and girls walked out towards the field and they then informed us that the first game was only with guys, and that the girls would play their own game after. I was unsure if that was just a good way of dividing it up, or if there was some of the male-dominated society coming into play there. So I got my turn after the men and us women played the local women. It was amazing to see how talented even the youngest kids were at the game! They had a nice tradition afterwards each team chose the person they thought was the MVP from the other team. They then presented each other with a prize. In our case, they gave the winner a Brazilian soccer jersey. It was very sweet to see how excited they were to play with us and the competitive but appreciative nature that both teams had.
After a day with the village people the guides told us they had a surprise for us. We got back on the boats and eventually pulled up to a little beach and by this time it was dark out. There were strings of lights everywhere, music playing and then all the sudden fireworks went off! They had set up a feast for us with music and mood lighting on the white sandy beach. It was too shallow for the boats to pull all the way up to shore so we had to walk from about knee deep water up to the shore. After dinner we played tug of war and musical chairs (but we had to salsa dance around them). I noticed the gender separation again with tug of war. When they told us what we were playing the two different boats (we called ourselves the jaguars vs. the anacondas) each rushed over to get their place on the rope with their team. One of the guides started shouting “no, no we’re separating into men and women”. I immediately participated in the moans and groans of all of us students who were feeling bummed out and a bit surprised that the separation seemed so necessary. It was completely out of our frame of reference to continuously divide up by gender. However they did let the women go first this time. To our excitement, after males and females competed against each other, then they let us all do it together. Maybe I’m reading too much into this gender thing, but it was something I noticed immediately on several different occasions.
Last Day in the Amazon
9-10-08
The next morning we woke up bright and early once again. We traveled to another village to see how they made certain foods and juices. Our guide translated for a man who had lived off the land his whole life and now had a wife and family there as well. He said he preferred not to go into the city, that he is perfectly happy right where he is. They had a kiln and a stove for cooking food and an amazing contraption for mashing up a root that they grow to create different foods. This particular root can be lethal if you eat it without preparing it correctly. So they soak it in water for three days, and then the women chew on it and spit it into a bowl and then after that they process it some more with mashing and putting it into their contraption for the final stages. I was a little unclear about all the final details. They make different grains and breads and even tapioca out of this root. We got to taste a pancake type food they make out of the grains from the root. It was somewhat bland, but they usually put jelly or something else with flavor on it. We also ate some on our boat for our meals. They showed us how they used acai berries to make juice. It was actually quite tasty, it reminded me of a Jamba Juice smoothie. After talking with fellow SAS students I discovered that Jamba Juice actually has a smoothie with these acai berries! I’m sure this authentic version was much better though!
We then got back onto our canoes and went piranha fishing! The fishing rods were bamboo sticks with fishing line and a hook connected to them. We placed a small piece of raw red meat on the hook. There is a very specific method of slamming the tip of the pole against the water several times because the noise makes the piranhas think that something else is feeding at the top. We would repeat that process every two or three minutes. These fish are so sneaky that actually ate quite a bit of the meat without getting caught on our hooks! After sitting out there for probably close to an hour we began to pass the time by asking our guide lots of questions about the Amazon and then eventually about his life. He is actually a Portuguese teacher for teenagers. He said their public school system is very bad here so they don’t even learn how to read or write in the language very well until then. He said he used to be a regular guide, but eventually switched to teaching. His tour guide boss liked him so much he just calls him back to do our semester at sea trips because he knows he is so excellent!
Eventually we discovered that our guide, Tiago didn’t have a fishing pole, and he was probably the only one of us that actually had the technique and experience to catch anything! So we passed a pole to him and within minutes he caught us a Bass! It was definitely no Piranha but it was a cool fish to look at nonetheless! Some canoes didn’t catch anything, so we bragged about Tiago’s big catch all day long. Later in the afternoon we stopped at another beach and had time to hang out with the other boats of students. Many girls decided to sun tan on the beach but I was the only girl that went and played 3 flies up (throwing a football game) with all the boys. Later on some girls joined me in a volleyball game. It was nice to be active and to get to play on the beach and in the water of the Amazon! After a couple hour boat ride where we played card games and watched the dolphins jumping every so often we arrived on land once again. It was our last night so they had a big performance for us of traditional Brazilian dancing, music, and story-telling within the music. After a magnificent show with elaborate headdresses and costumes we got to join the professionals on the dance floor. They make it look so easy but my dance skills were not living up to be as good as I thought they were. Nevertheless it was a lot of fun and was a great ending to such an adventurous trip!
Our plane ride was around 2:00 AM so we were up traveling until then. I probably got about 4 hours of broken sleep during the plane flights and our layover in the airport. We were all exhausted by the time we reached the semester at sea ship that afternoon, but the exhaustion was well worth the amazing experiences we had in the Amazon!
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