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!

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!

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!

Oi from Brazil!

9-7-08
After our pre-port lecture Saturday night where we were told about safety, foods, cultural differences and sights to see we were ready to enter Salvador, Brazil! With a few key phrases under my belt such as oi (hello) and obrigado/a (thank you) I couldn’t wait to get off the boat and into the city! We woke up bright and early Sunday morning because we were told they could call our names at any time to obtain our passports. There were Brazilian authorities on the boat who supposedly had to match our passport photos with our faces. We had mixed messages all morning about if they were taking us in groups, calling us individually, what time it would be at, etc. But one of the first things they told us when we embarked on this voyage was that we would always need to be FLEXIBLE! So we were, and we eventually got off the boat around 10:30 am.

The dock was very isolated, just had brick buildings all along it and definitely was not a good place to people watch...since there were no people! We had to walk down a ways and then out into the city through a small building where we could exchange currency, buy postcards and have a taxi set up for us. When we finally walked out the doors into Salvador my first impression of it was the streets smelled horribly of urine. Not long after I saw a man peeing on the side of the building as if it was an everyday ritual.

I was with a group of probably about 12 people. I’m sure we screamed tourists with our cameras, sunglasses, hats and large group of mostly Caucasian students, despite all the warnings they gave to us about trying not to look like foreigners. But I felt safer in a large group. Our goal was to walk into the upper city, where you take the “elevator” to get up into the main square and city area. So we ventured over to the elevator (it literally was just a building with a huge elevator) to make our way towards the excitement. To take the elevator it cost us each about 5 cents. The Brazilian currency is in reals, and the exchange rate was about 1.6. So something that was 10 reals was about 6 or 7 dollars. Once we got off the elevator we immediately saw a couple large buildings with beautiful architectural designs. As we continued to walk down the street there were walls full of painting and graffiti, some of it was actually quite artistic. It was amazing to see the mixing of the old and the new. There were normal cars driving around and then all the sudden we see 6 or 7 horses being ridden down the side of the road with dogs chasing after them. In one of the restaurants I saw a Red Bull machine, while they were also selling authentic brazilian foods.

We walked down one of the main streets and as a few members of our group started to walk down a side street a little kid probably around 8 years old ran up to us and said “no, no, favelas!” Favelas are where the poorer people live and some areas of them can be full of drugs, violence and are very unsafe especially for tourists। We thanked him and he kept walking alongside us and started to ask us questions in English. I said “ahh you speak English?” He said “a little bit”. He asked us what our names were and where we were from. It was hard not to be skeptical and think that he was going to scam us or steal something from us. That’s what many of the street children in this area are known for, so I tried not to blatantly tell them we were from America or that we had any valuables on us. He ended up being harmless. We saw another boy later on who was absolutely beautiful it was so heartbreaking to see him full of dirt and torn up clothes begging for money. He would beg and show us his sad face and after we turned him down a few times then he began to give us little smirks. It was as if he knew that we knew he was putting on an act. He’d do his sad face then he’d talk in Portuguese and give us a big smile. Too bad I couldn’t take him to Hollywood, he was a great little actor.


People with jewelry and food and paintings would come up to us to sell us things but if we did not want it, semester at sea just advised us to say “no, obrigado”. After about an hour into our adventure we walked up to another SAS group who informed us one of their friends was just tackled to the ground while she was taking a picture and they stole her camera. Very scary-from then on we were gripping our bags and watching our backs with every step we took! I didn’t even take my camera out after that! My international management teacher (who has lived in 89 countries and been to 123) warned us that this would probably be the most dangerous port. He did a whole presentation on safety and not looking American before we left. Yet I still heard numerous stories about girls getting necklaces ripped from their necks, cameras stolen, wallets pick-pocketed and even met a guy who had a gun pulled on him. Not to scare you all-I was totally fine and safe it was just so important to be cautious. It made me really appreciate the fact that I can walk down the street in most places in the U.S. without having to grip my bag or constantly be looking over my shoulder to see who is near me. I had to be on alert at all times and it was a little scary.

In the afternoon we went on an architectural tour by bus। It was fun to see the city on a larger scale instead of just the one central square. The views were beautiful and it was such a beach town. We passed through several streets where they said one should never get out on this street, because there is prostitution and sketchy people. One of the most unique sights to see was the vast expanses of Favelas. They start out by people without homes just living on a piece of land and building little shacks. Eventually more and more people join in and it becomes a community of its own. The government often times will either relocate them or recognize it as a Favela neighborhood and give them water and electricity. We saw entire hillsides filled with these colorful multi-storied homes. Different generations just build on top of each other. So when a child gets married, the parents can just add another floor onto their home for the newlyweds to live in. It was also fascinating to see all the modern advertisements on the sides of run-down buildings. In my sociology class we discussed the racial inequality that still goes on and how there was an afro-brazilian movement having to do with the rights of those with racially mixed backgrounds. At least 50% of Brazilians come from a mixed background, meaning that they were probably descendents of slaves brought over from Africa. So most of the billboards and ads I saw had models who had very light skin...I didn’t happen to see any with darker skin.


That night we went to a welcome reception। As we walked in there were women with bright colored outfits and head-wear on. They tied ribbons around our wrists (which people did during the day in the city too) and knotted them three times meaning we had three wishes. There were some Brazilian students there but for the most part it was just more mingling with SAS students. They had an amazing show to put on for us! They did their traditional Brazilian dance called Capoeira. It’s actually a mix of martial arts and dance where two people play/dance with each other. We also heard some traditional music and drumming and dancing. Eventually we got to join in the dancing as we ate some Brazilian goodies and they made sure our glasses of beer were never-ending.

Be watching for the Brazil rain forest update coming soon!

Getting closer to Brazil!

9-6-08
Rumor has it that the ship has slowed down because we have made good time in getting to Brazil. After we left Bahamas we picked up a lot of speed to avoid the hurricanes in the area. Our average speed has been around 20 knots and we are now down to 13 knots! Legally, we can’t get into the port much earlier than we are expected to arrive which is why we have to slow down now!

I had my Indian Singing class today! The teacher is such a loving man and so filled with joy because of music. He talks about how the purpose of music is to enjoy it, and feel the vibrations through your body as you sing. He said his parents gave him blood and gave him life, but it was really his music teacher who he lived with and studied with for 10 years that gave him his life’s purpose. He said he could not survive without music. He also talked about how singing for him includes dancing...he dances on the inside when he sings. He is so full of smiles and laughs it really reminds me how important is to just be present and to appreciate gifts like music as well as all the wonderful people around me!

Weather permitting we will sleep out on the ship deck tonight in our sleeping bags! It’s tradition to sleep outside the night before we get into the port. This way we can wake up with the sunset in a new country! We will be doing an architecture tour of the city of Salvador tomorrow and then heading to the Amazon bright and early Monday morning!

Neptune Day!

9-5-08
So last night at 8:30 we crossed the equator! They have a lot of traditions on this ship and I think at sea in general about crossing the equator। Some of the crew and teachers dressed up in white ceremonial robes adorned with decorative tinfoil and crowns। At 7:30 in the morning (on a day we didn’t have classes) they walked through all the halls banging pots and pans and pounding on our doors! Then shortly after they announced on the intercom that we needed to immediately report to the top deck for the Neptune Day festivities! It is a tradition that the captain shaves two peoples heads and then others can get theirs shaved by the barber if they wish। They were also pouring supposed “fish guts” over peoples heads and we had the opportunity to kiss a dead fish. I chose to shoot some pictures and observe all the festivities! I was surprised about not only how many people shaved their heads but how many girls did it! There had to have been 30-40 people who shaved their entire head! Then they had music blasting on the loudspeakers on the top deck (which they never do) and we all got to socialize by the pool in the beautiful sun super close to the equator! How amazing! After a few hours clouds came and it started raining...weather can change so fast at sea!

My friend and I spent our first free afternoon reading books right by the edge rail that looks off the back of the ship. Around 4:00 PM I saw a dolphin jump out of the water right behind the ship! I stood up to look for more and all the sudden a whole group of them, probably ten or fifteen proceeded to jump in and out of the water! It was as if they were all playing a game and bouncing along behind the ship! It was such an amazing sight to see. A little while later we saw a beautiful rainbow. Shortly after that a vibrant orange sunset appeared from behind the clouds and lasted about a minute before it went down all the way. In that minute we could see land up against it...but we couldn’t see land anywhere else. Once it set completely the land disappeared once again. It was absolutely beautiful and only lasted seconds. We are currently at 7 South 34 West for latitude and longitude, so we are on the Eastern coast of South America nearing our first stop of Salvador! My oceanography teacher has really motivated me to just be out on the deck and observing. We report our observations every day in class, and now I’ve realized how many amazing sights can be seen just from sitting and being present with the ocean!

Day 1 of Classes - Toilet Paper Experiment!

8-31-08
Today was my first day of classes! I have all four on one day which will be nice to have every other day free to relax and do homework. My global studies teacher is fabulous! He has a dry sense of humor but that’s what keeps me entertained. He is the head of the religion department at University of Virginia so he knows his stuff. We’ll be learning about the religions of all the places we’re going to and we’ll even have guest speakers (other faculty or people they bring on when we get into ports).

My oceanography class will also be interesting since we can see firsthand what we study! The teacher was the first one to record whale sounds in Alaska and also the first one to create a brochure on how to clean up oil spills. He has done a lot of diving and work in the Antarctica and showed us some pictures of the ice and the water and animals he was researching and studying. His goal is to get us wet...we’ll either be on the water in kayaks, in the water or when we’re on the ship we’ll be watching the water! Every day we go over the longitude and latitude we’re at and what we’ve observed on or in the ocean in the past few days.

My International Management teacher has lived in 89 countries and has been to 123. So amazing and so much experience! We will be talking about current events every day that we need to research before we come to class. Today he asked who was from a different country. We had four different people including one from the U.S. stand up. He had them show how they would count on their fingers if they were counting to five. It was really interesting to see how they each did it differently, some started with their pinky, some with their index or thumb, some faced their hands down, others up. This was a simple example of how people do things differently in different areas of the world. He also had us get into groups and gave us ten minutes to draw a map of the world.

After the exercise he told us he didn’t care what our maps looked like but rather we should notice who took out the paper and pen, who did the drawing, who talked or directed? It was interesting to see that in almost every group it was the male who took charge of drawing, or who was hovering over the person drawing and telling them how to do it.

Finally my sociology class is about Global Social Movements. The teacher wrote a book and talked about it on the Oprah show! We had some really interesting discussions about how movements can be done through cultural or social change. We discussed how people can organize to create change, but also to resist change...I had never put much thought into the latter part of that. Our homework was to walk around the ship with toilet paper hanging out of our pants and see what happened. I did it through hallways, study areas, outside where people were lounging or eating. These were clearly public and people filled areas and no one said anything, yet I did get a few stares.

We also have to cut people in line tonight at dinner...its so uncomfortable but that’s the whole point is to look at our norms, what our society tells us and how people respond when someone acts out of the norm. I’m so excited for all of my classes!!

Orientation

8-30-08
We had more orientation this morning, then had some down time to configure our computers and internet. They told us that we were going about 75 miles off course to avoid the storm Hannah that was happening nearby. Then over the loudspeaker later on we heard that our next destination is San Juan, Puerto Rico...when it is scheduled to be Salvador Brazil. Turns out, we are just stopping to fuel up!

At lunch today my roommate Andrea and I sat down with three other guys and we discovered we are all in choir! Us choir people must have a magnetic attraction to each other! We’re going to try to sign up for the Indian music choir on the ship...we met the professor this morning and he was so enthusiastic! Someone said they typed his name into Wikipedia and it said he’s written books and must be somewhat famous!

All Aboard!!

8-29-08
We got on the ship today!! The line to get on was super long but we got here pretty early around 9 am. It was so hot and humid we were all dripping sweat while we dragged our enormous bags through the line until we reached checkout. We started talking to 3 girls in front of us and it turns out two out of the three are on our hall on the ship! So we all exchanged room numbers so we could call each other to meet up for the events of the day. We had tacos for lunch. We walked all around the ship and it is absolutely gorgeous! As we walked we not only met other students but one of the life-long learners. He was darling. We did a safety drill where we had to wear our life jackets and go to our assigned lifeboats while they did roll call. It was a long process, but was yet another chance to meet new people!

When we took off from the dock there were so many parents out there waving and holding up signs to send us off. There was also an outdoor bar near the dock and they were all chearing and waving as well! It was so exciting and was just a chance to look at the beautiful view and take it all in. I couldn’t believe all my planning and anticipation was finally turning into a reality! I got a little teary eyed just thinking about how privileged and grateful I am to be able to go on this trip!

Flight to Bahamas!

8-28-08
Last night (Wednesday) I took a red-eye flight from Los Angeles Airport to Florida. While I was waiting in line to board the flight I overheard two guys in front of me talking about what trips they had signed up for and one of them mentioned he wanted to go to the Taj Mahal. I immediately knew they had to be going on Semester at Sea too! So I asked them if they were and I instantly had two new friends! One of them even sat right behind me on the flight so we chatted for a while.

I Didn’t sleep very well on the plane so I’m running off of probably less than four hours of sleep! We then stuck together when we got off the plane and waited together for our flights to Bahamas. They took off an hour earlier than I did, so I managed to fit some reading in after they left.

On the bus ride to the little plane I was standing next to a girl who looked about my age and was by herself. So again, I asked if she was doing SAS...of course the answer was yes! So we walked through customs together. We then found my friend Andrea in the Bahamas baggage claim and she was already with about six more SAS kids! So we all took a taxi van to the hotel together. We each paid $15 for the taxi ride!

We are staying with my friend Allison at the Atlantis hotel, so we found her right away and got our swimsuits on! We went and explored the hotel because it is absolutely massive, complete with numerous waterslides, water sleds that shoot into shark water, gorgeous plants and full service by all the pools. We walked along the beach with the beautiful light blue water and chatted with a lifeguard along the way who told us about the hurricane nearby and about the dark clouds that seemed to be visibly moving our way.

There were couches in the middle of the pool, so we decided to go test them out. After a little while we started to feel water drops. All the sudden it started pouring!! We had to swim through the pool to get back to the pool deck and then ran back to the room! We returned about 15 minutes later when the rain stopped and the sun returned! We went back out to our special couches and a woman named Tarin who must have been in her 50’s started talking to us. She basically told us her life story about how she was supposed to be here with her boyfriend but they just broke up so now she is here in the Bahamas by herself. Long story short we all became best friends.

Then while we were sitting there one of the waitresses called us to come out of the pool and talk to her. We thought we were in trouble for something! Turns out some guys wanted to buy us a bottle of champagne. At first we said no, but then the lady encouraged us by saying “hey they have a cabana which means they have money...so you better take it!” We accepted and had it brought to us by the pool. We looked on the menu afterwards and discovered that it was a $350 bottle of champagne! We went and said thank you to them after a while and they said they just had to send it to anyone who was brave enough to first of all swim out to the middle of the pool and then lay out in the middle of the pool. Good times.