This trip has been one of my favorite trips of the voyage so far. The day started with an early breakfast at 6:30 and an hour and a half drive to the village of Torgorme.
I had no clue what to expect and I was certainly not prepared for what awaited us in the village. As we pulled up, little children ran along side the bus and waved to us. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were greeted by almost the entire village. They all clapped and cheered and welcomed us warmly as we walked to a row of chairs they had set up for us. In front of us sat the chief, oldest male in the village, and other important members of the community. On our right were the drummers and dancers that performed for us during the ceremony. On our left were the host families that we would staying with. Right next to us were little kids who were not involved in the ceremony but wanted to see us and watch the performance. They were apparently not supposed to be there because every time they saw the strict school teacher they would run away until they thought she was gone.
The first event planned was a traditional dance performance from the school children. After the performance we were called to shake hands with the chief and receive our new name within the community. A persons first name is determined by the day they were born. I was born on a Saturday so my first name is Ami. My last name (not sure how that was decided) is Dodzi (pronounced Do-je) which means endurance. We then received a bracelet from our host family and a handmade pot with both our names written on it.
After the naming ceremony we drove to a nearby army barrack to have lunch. Lunch today was almost identical to what was served at the city tour yesterday. It was even better the second day! It was about that time that many people, myself included, began to feel very sick. The naming ceremony took about 2 and a half ours and we were told to leave our stuff on the bus so no one had any water during the time we were sitting out in the sun. I felt much better after sitting in the air conditioned bus for awhile and drinking almost my entire water bottle.
After lunch I and my friend Lilah (who received the same host family as me) went to our host families house to spend the afternoon with them. My host family included parents with 4 children. The youngest child was only a year old. We watched them cook an afternoon snack called “fufu.” It’s made by taking cassava and plantains which are put into a pot and mashed for about 5 minutes by a large pole that looks somewhat like a baseball bat. After she smashed it up, she shaped it into a ball and put it into a bowl already filled with spicy soup. You eat fufu by pinching a small part of the dough off and dipping it into the sauce. Also included in the sauce are small (whole!) fish. Which was surprisingly tasty. Dad would love Ghanaian food. Almost every piece of food has the perfect level of spiciness.
When we were done eating we decided to play with the local kids. Lilah brought a jump rope to give them. They absolutely loved it! I really wish I had brought something to give them. They have almost nothing to play with. I saw one kid with a pack of cards, but that was all I saw. It was dangerous to try and take pictures because as soon as the kids saw the camera you would have 20-30 kids trying to get in the picture. Their reaction to seeing their picture was astounding. They all pointed and laughed and were just amazed by it.
Later that afternoon the 16 year old daughter took us down to the Volta river bank. At first we thought she just wanted to show us how they fish and how pretty the river is, but then we realized she wanted to take us to the other side of the village in a canoe! It only took about 10-15 minutes but it was a lot of fun. When we had reached the other side we walked around the village to see what a normal day is like. We saw ladies making pottery, a man waving a special type of colorful cloth called Kente (pronounced Ken-tay). Along the way she taught us some basic Ewe words.
Around 6 everyone gathered were the naming ceremony had been held to eat dinner while some people danced and played drums. Around 10 we went home and sat outside to watch the stars. There are very few houses with lights in the village so you can see the stars extremely well. I wish my pictures could capture how beautiful it looked. The room we slept in that night had only one bed in the room and nothing else. People were up and the roosters started crowing at about 3 am. However, I managed to sleep surprisingly well.
Everyone met in the town church at 7 for breakfast. They served us eggs, AMAZING sweet bread, and the best pineapple I have ever tasted. We also got a bit of bad news this morning. We were scheduled to hike to the Tagbo waterfall and see monkeys and be back to the ship by noon. Turns out we had to drive 4 hours to where we would hike and then another hour to see the monkeys. By doing this we wouldn’t get back to the ship until about 9 that night. We were given the choice to take a shuttle back to the ship or continue on with the itinerary. Today was going to be my only free time in Accra so I decided to take the shuttle back to ship.
Soon after we had left a lifelong learner, an older non-traditional student, convinced the bus driver to take us the Shai Hills Game Reserve. At the reserve we saw a family of baboons and a huge herd of antelope. I managed to get pictures of both, but the antelope one isn’t very good because they all ran when they saw us.
After seeing the animals we hiked to the top of the highest mountain that Shai Hills offers. It took about 25 minutes and was very steep. Although their was a path, this place is obviously not a big tourist attraction because much of the hike was straight up rocks. Once we arrived at the top of the mountain we entered a small cave. At the end of the small cave was an extremely tiny opening that you could reach by climbing straight up the rocks and squeezing yourself through the exit. I’m pretty proud that I managed to complete everything. I even have the bruises to prove it!
After our hike we planned to return to the ship, but of course nothing ever goes as planned. The bus refused to start. The driver messed with the engine for awhile but he still couldn’t get it started so we all had to get out and push start it. After that we were on our way home! We managed to make it back to the ship by 3:30.
I ate lunch, showered, and took the next shuttle into Accra. I didn’t do much except shop and use the internet because I have an early day tomorrow.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Ghana day 1
Our ship is now docked in the portside town of Tema which is about 30-45 minutes away from Ghana’s capital city of Accra. We docked at 8:45 and managed to clear customs by about 9:50. Almost all of the day trips were leaving at 10, including mine, so it was a mad dash to get off the ship. Today’s agenda was a tour of Accra.
The first monument we saw on the tour was the University of Ghana which is the oldest and largest University within the country. Next we stopped and ate lunch at a local hotel. They served a dish called “jollof” (a type of spicy rice served with chicken) and potatoes. Ghanaian food is very spicy and very delicious.
After lunch we received a guided toured of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. For those that don’t know, Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana in 1960 (I believe, please correct me if I have the date wrong). He was overthrown with help from the American CIA in 1966. I’ve heard very mixed reactions to his time in office and I am very interested in finding out more.
Located right next to the park is the “Arts Centre” which is an open market somewhat like the Souks in Morocco. Although everyone in Ghana is much (much!) more friendly than in Morocco, I’m still not a big fan of the markets. I’m not a skilled bargainer and I like to shop around in quiet before I purchase anything. In these markets you constantly have people yelling and often pulling you (literally!) into their shop. The last place on our tour was the W.E.B Dubois Center for Pan African Culture. This museum was formerly the house that Dubois lived in during his last two years in Ghana.
Interesting Facts about Ghana:
One of the most popular forms of transportation is the Tro-Tro. These are minivans that have had their seats torn out to fit as many people as possible. I get Closter phobic just looking at a Tro-Tro.
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957.
Ghana is the size of the UK and slightly smaller than Oregon.
Ghana supplies most of the worlds cocoa.
There are over 50 languages and tribes within Ghana.
Ghana is divided into 10 regions. We are docked in the Greater Accra region. The village that I will be living in tomorrow is in the eastern Volta Region. This region contains the contains the Volta river and dam. On the final day, I will visit tour Elmina Castle located within the Cape Coast region. This region is in the southern most border of Ghana and is where President Obama gave his speech last July.
The first monument we saw on the tour was the University of Ghana which is the oldest and largest University within the country. Next we stopped and ate lunch at a local hotel. They served a dish called “jollof” (a type of spicy rice served with chicken) and potatoes. Ghanaian food is very spicy and very delicious.
After lunch we received a guided toured of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. For those that don’t know, Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana in 1960 (I believe, please correct me if I have the date wrong). He was overthrown with help from the American CIA in 1966. I’ve heard very mixed reactions to his time in office and I am very interested in finding out more.
Located right next to the park is the “Arts Centre” which is an open market somewhat like the Souks in Morocco. Although everyone in Ghana is much (much!) more friendly than in Morocco, I’m still not a big fan of the markets. I’m not a skilled bargainer and I like to shop around in quiet before I purchase anything. In these markets you constantly have people yelling and often pulling you (literally!) into their shop. The last place on our tour was the W.E.B Dubois Center for Pan African Culture. This museum was formerly the house that Dubois lived in during his last two years in Ghana.
Interesting Facts about Ghana:
One of the most popular forms of transportation is the Tro-Tro. These are minivans that have had their seats torn out to fit as many people as possible. I get Closter phobic just looking at a Tro-Tro.
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957.
Ghana is the size of the UK and slightly smaller than Oregon.
Ghana supplies most of the worlds cocoa.
There are over 50 languages and tribes within Ghana.
Ghana is divided into 10 regions. We are docked in the Greater Accra region. The village that I will be living in tomorrow is in the eastern Volta Region. This region contains the contains the Volta river and dam. On the final day, I will visit tour Elmina Castle located within the Cape Coast region. This region is in the southern most border of Ghana and is where President Obama gave his speech last July.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Marrakech and Camel Ride
Day 1
I woke up to an awesome surprise at breakfast. Today they were serving Strawberry banana yogurt! It was delicious. The camel trek group left on the first bus at 8 am sharp for a four hour bus ride to Marrakech. I tried to stay awake and take pictures, but I fell asleep for the last half of the ride. Almost as soon as we left Casablanca we were in the countryside. Every now and then we would see a little village off in the distance, but no other towns. We stopped at a convenient store on the side of the road for a bathroom break/snack run. My friend Alyssa bought some kind of wafer cookies and Chicken flavored chips. They taste better than they sound!
We stopped to eat lunch just outside of the city. The restaurant was gorgeous! It had traditional Moroccan carvings on the ceilings and walls. It even had stain glass windows! I admit that I was nervous to try Moroccan food, but I liked it much more than I thought I would! The first course we were served was bread and a mix of different appetizers such as: squash, lentils, eggplant, and zucchini. The entrée was couscous with mixed vegetables and beef. The beef was good but I wasn’t crazy about the couscous. At least I can say I tried it! Dessert was sliced melons and grapes. After the meal we sampled the famous Moroccan Mint Tea. I’m not tea person, but it was pretty good. VERY sweet. One thing I should mention is that drinks do not come with the meal. You must order them separately. Water costs about 20 dirham (roughly $3.) Soda is 25 dirham (I think.)
After lunch we were split into two groups. The first group rode camels to a Moroccan house a few miles away. The second group took a minibus to the house. I was in the second group. When we arrived at the house we were served more Moroccan mint tea and pastries. Once the first group reached the house, the second group rode the camels back to the bus a few miles away.
Camel riding was awesome!! Before we could get on the camels, everyone had to put on a blue turban so our heads would not get sunburned (it also looks really cool!) Getting started was somewhat rough. Camels stand up on their hind legs first, so you feel like you are going to fall off the front of the camel! However, once you get going at a good pace it’s kind of peaceful. Luckily, almost everyone had well-trained and cooperative camels. Mine was perfect! Someone in our group asked if camels run. As I found out the hard way, yes. Yes they do. It was actually fun (and very bumpy!) to run. Once the camel ride was finished, we drove to the hotel where we are staying for the next two nights.
We had about 2 hours to spend in the hotel before dinner, so I turned on the t.v. and was pleasantly surprised to find we got CNN international in English! This is this first time I’ve been able to watch the news since we set sail from Halifax. It wasn’t until I turned on the t.v. that I realized it was September 11th. The story on the news was about a scuffle that broke out during an Anti-Muslim protest at large mosque in London.
Dinner at the hotel was…alright. It was a buffet style dinner with bread and multiple other types of food. I ate some kind of thick soup, rice, and chicken wrapped in some kind of bread.
Day 2
I’ve never been much of breakfast person, but it has consistently been the best meal of the day on these trips. I had a muffin with cinnamon and strawberry yogurt. Although we had to buy drinks at lunch and dinner. The hotel served free coffee, orange juice, and hot chocolate for breakfast.
After a steaming cup of hot chocolate, I was ready to start the day tour of Marrakech!
Marrakech is very different from Casablanca. Casablanca’s buildings are all white and the town is very industrial. Marrakech’s buildings are built with red brick and is very lively. Although Marrakech is less Marrakech is less modern, I prefer it there because there is more to see and do. Casablanca is a nice city but it seems like people are much more interested in the other towns like Marrakech, Fes, and Rabat.
We saw four major monuments on our tour. The first was the national library that is open to students. The second was an old place, named “Bahia Palace”, the third was a cemetery for past kings and their family, the fourth was Marrakech’s “Medina” which means “old city” in Arabic. Every city has its own Medina. Lunch was very similar to yesterdays. We were served almost the same stuff in addition to some type of beef.
After lunch we went to a store to do some shopping. I bought quite a few things and spent only 80 dirhams (roughly $12-14.) When everyone was finished shopping we went to a local pharmacy which showcased different oils, spices, and creams that are produced in Marrakech. The day ended with free time in the “Souk” which is the local (crazy) Marrakech bartering market. All the vendors are very aggressive and some will even try to follow you! Staying in a large group is the best idea. Especially if you are a female with blonde hair. The most aggressive people are the henna tattoo artists. It didn’t happen to me, but they will often just grab your arm when you walk by and start squirting the stuff on your arm and then expect payment. This is also where you can find the monkey trainers and snake charmers.
Dinner the second night was better. It was served buffet style again, but this time they had some kind of pasta and meatballs.
Day 3
After grabbing a quick breakfast, we got back on the bus at 8. We arrived in Casablanca about noon and had to stand in line for an hour while they searched our bags to make sure we weren’t trying to sneak any prohibited items on board. When I finally got through the line I decided to eat lunch and take a nap. I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow. Probably just stay in Casablanca.
Traveling in Casablanca is much more of a hassle than in Cadiz. Our port is located in a zone with all types of construction so we have to wait for a shuttle bus to take us closer to town. Also, we are advised to travel in groups of at least 4 or more people. It’s somewhat difficult to coordinate a group that large for travel while people have trips and other things they have to do. In Cadiz you could just get off the ship with a friend, walk a few blocks and you would be in the heart of the city. Anyway, we leave Casablanca at 8 tomorrow night and we have week of classes before we reach Ghana. I’m not sure what to expect for Ghana, but I’m very excited to find out what it‘s like!!
I woke up to an awesome surprise at breakfast. Today they were serving Strawberry banana yogurt! It was delicious. The camel trek group left on the first bus at 8 am sharp for a four hour bus ride to Marrakech. I tried to stay awake and take pictures, but I fell asleep for the last half of the ride. Almost as soon as we left Casablanca we were in the countryside. Every now and then we would see a little village off in the distance, but no other towns. We stopped at a convenient store on the side of the road for a bathroom break/snack run. My friend Alyssa bought some kind of wafer cookies and Chicken flavored chips. They taste better than they sound!
We stopped to eat lunch just outside of the city. The restaurant was gorgeous! It had traditional Moroccan carvings on the ceilings and walls. It even had stain glass windows! I admit that I was nervous to try Moroccan food, but I liked it much more than I thought I would! The first course we were served was bread and a mix of different appetizers such as: squash, lentils, eggplant, and zucchini. The entrée was couscous with mixed vegetables and beef. The beef was good but I wasn’t crazy about the couscous. At least I can say I tried it! Dessert was sliced melons and grapes. After the meal we sampled the famous Moroccan Mint Tea. I’m not tea person, but it was pretty good. VERY sweet. One thing I should mention is that drinks do not come with the meal. You must order them separately. Water costs about 20 dirham (roughly $3.) Soda is 25 dirham (I think.)
After lunch we were split into two groups. The first group rode camels to a Moroccan house a few miles away. The second group took a minibus to the house. I was in the second group. When we arrived at the house we were served more Moroccan mint tea and pastries. Once the first group reached the house, the second group rode the camels back to the bus a few miles away.
Camel riding was awesome!! Before we could get on the camels, everyone had to put on a blue turban so our heads would not get sunburned (it also looks really cool!) Getting started was somewhat rough. Camels stand up on their hind legs first, so you feel like you are going to fall off the front of the camel! However, once you get going at a good pace it’s kind of peaceful. Luckily, almost everyone had well-trained and cooperative camels. Mine was perfect! Someone in our group asked if camels run. As I found out the hard way, yes. Yes they do. It was actually fun (and very bumpy!) to run. Once the camel ride was finished, we drove to the hotel where we are staying for the next two nights.
We had about 2 hours to spend in the hotel before dinner, so I turned on the t.v. and was pleasantly surprised to find we got CNN international in English! This is this first time I’ve been able to watch the news since we set sail from Halifax. It wasn’t until I turned on the t.v. that I realized it was September 11th. The story on the news was about a scuffle that broke out during an Anti-Muslim protest at large mosque in London.
Dinner at the hotel was…alright. It was a buffet style dinner with bread and multiple other types of food. I ate some kind of thick soup, rice, and chicken wrapped in some kind of bread.
Day 2
I’ve never been much of breakfast person, but it has consistently been the best meal of the day on these trips. I had a muffin with cinnamon and strawberry yogurt. Although we had to buy drinks at lunch and dinner. The hotel served free coffee, orange juice, and hot chocolate for breakfast.
After a steaming cup of hot chocolate, I was ready to start the day tour of Marrakech!
Marrakech is very different from Casablanca. Casablanca’s buildings are all white and the town is very industrial. Marrakech’s buildings are built with red brick and is very lively. Although Marrakech is less Marrakech is less modern, I prefer it there because there is more to see and do. Casablanca is a nice city but it seems like people are much more interested in the other towns like Marrakech, Fes, and Rabat.
We saw four major monuments on our tour. The first was the national library that is open to students. The second was an old place, named “Bahia Palace”, the third was a cemetery for past kings and their family, the fourth was Marrakech’s “Medina” which means “old city” in Arabic. Every city has its own Medina. Lunch was very similar to yesterdays. We were served almost the same stuff in addition to some type of beef.
After lunch we went to a store to do some shopping. I bought quite a few things and spent only 80 dirhams (roughly $12-14.) When everyone was finished shopping we went to a local pharmacy which showcased different oils, spices, and creams that are produced in Marrakech. The day ended with free time in the “Souk” which is the local (crazy) Marrakech bartering market. All the vendors are very aggressive and some will even try to follow you! Staying in a large group is the best idea. Especially if you are a female with blonde hair. The most aggressive people are the henna tattoo artists. It didn’t happen to me, but they will often just grab your arm when you walk by and start squirting the stuff on your arm and then expect payment. This is also where you can find the monkey trainers and snake charmers.
Dinner the second night was better. It was served buffet style again, but this time they had some kind of pasta and meatballs.
Day 3
After grabbing a quick breakfast, we got back on the bus at 8. We arrived in Casablanca about noon and had to stand in line for an hour while they searched our bags to make sure we weren’t trying to sneak any prohibited items on board. When I finally got through the line I decided to eat lunch and take a nap. I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow. Probably just stay in Casablanca.
Traveling in Casablanca is much more of a hassle than in Cadiz. Our port is located in a zone with all types of construction so we have to wait for a shuttle bus to take us closer to town. Also, we are advised to travel in groups of at least 4 or more people. It’s somewhat difficult to coordinate a group that large for travel while people have trips and other things they have to do. In Cadiz you could just get off the ship with a friend, walk a few blocks and you would be in the heart of the city. Anyway, we leave Casablanca at 8 tomorrow night and we have week of classes before we reach Ghana. I’m not sure what to expect for Ghana, but I’m very excited to find out what it‘s like!!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Morocco!
Morocco day:
I woke up at 8 am to see a giant rock outside of my window. After our long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean we are docked to refuel at Gibraltar. So I suppose I can at least say that I’ve “seen” the country of Gibraltar J . Global studies was (surprisingly) really interesting this morning. An Islamic professor gave a lecture about gender relations in the Islamic world. She’s teaching a class on the ship called Women and Islam. I wish I had taken that class!! After global studies I went back to my cabin and took a nap. I wanted to sleep until dinner, but I was required to watch a film about the underground hip hop scene in Morocco for my music class. I’ll be meeting one of the musicians featured in the documentary on our last day in Morocco. I managed to get a little homework done after dinner. It’s hard to believe we still have homework and required reading while we are traveling in countries from sun up to sun down.
We have only one day before we reach Morocco which is why today is called “Morocco Day.“ We have both the cultural pre-port and the logistical pre-port meeting tonight. I am exhausted! Although I am very excited for Morocco, I wish we could have another day to unwind from Spain. However, We GAIN two hours tonight! Yay!!
First Day in Casablanca, Morocco.
Ali and I woke up at 6:30 to get ready to pull dock in Casablanca, Morocco. For the first day I planned to do a city orientation which included a visit to the famous Hassan II mosque. It is the words 3rd largest mosque and was completed by the pervious king of Morocco in 1993. We were originally scheduled to leave at 1 o clock in the afternoon, but during the month of Ramadan the mosque is only open in the morning. So our trip ended being the first to leave when the ship cleared Moroccan customs at 9 o clock.
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting. During this month, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink anything from sun up till sun down. They can only eat and drink after the sun sets. For this reason, many of the restaurants are closed (except in very touristy areas.)
The tour was supposed to contain a bus tour and a walking tour, but we didn’t get to do much walking because it was raining today. I’m amazed by the modern and traditional contrast of the city. In one block you can see people dressed in jeans and shirts eating a McDonalds. The next block over you can see people fully dressed in traditional clothes and pulling carts.
Visiting the Hassan II mosque was by far my favorite part of the tour. I have seen many grand European Cathedrals in both Spain and France. Although they are all gorgeous, it was nice to see a place of worship with such a different cultural design. During every pre-port meeting females were advised to dress modestly while in Morocco. Nothing that shows your shoulders or anything above the knee. We were also told yesterday that females were not allowed to enter the mosque unless they had their head fully covered. Turns out, we only had to make sure that our shoulders were covered. Most of us covered our head out of respect anyway.
Our last stop on the city orientation tour was to a local craft shop. Everything was very pretty but I didn’t buy anything. Most of the items were fragile pottery and I wouldn’t have a good way to get it home. It seemed like a fairly touristy shop so I’m sure the bus driver and our tour guide got a cut of the profits.
I have always been interested in how women are treated in other countries. Although women are still not quite treated as equals, Morocco is making great strides. The wife of the current king, King Mohammad VI, is the first royal female to have a full education. She is a computer engineer and even maintains a position in the government. Also, In 2003 women were granted the right to initiate a divorce. I was honestly surprised by how many women wore modern jeans and shirts instead of the traditional clothing.
After the city orientation I went back to my cabin and packed for next trip. I will spend 3 days and 2 nights in Marrakech. I leave at 8 in the morning and it’s about a 3-4 hour drive to Marrakech. Upon arrival we will eat lunch in a typical Moroccan restaurant and then depart to ride camels! I’m not able to take my computer with me so this blog will not be updated until I return on Saturday afternoon.
Interesting history fact about Morocco: It was the first country to recognize the U.S. as an independent nation in 1777.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Final day in Spain and a few observations
My final day in Spain was fairly uneventful. A few friends and I spent the majority of the day shopping around town. Every morning the city of Cadiz hosts a farmers market with all the fresh meat, fish, and fruits you could want. Except for strawberries! I looked everywhere and couldn’t find any. So much for my quest to eat strawberries in every country! I wish I could have bought a few bags of grapes for future snacks but we are not allowed to bring unopened (or fresh) food back onto the ship. We did, however, buy some fresh Churros. They were amazing! We bought a huge bag for only 2 euros. We couldn’t even eat all of them!
After we finished all of our shopping we decided to find some free wifi. My friend Kathy and many other SAS students were busy using skype. Although I’d heard of the program, I’d never actually used it. It’s really simple to use. I created my account, put some minutes on my account, and called my parents within minutes of downloading the program. It was sooo good to hear my parents voices! I wanted to call my sister but she was already at her job by that time. After everyone’s computers ran out of battery power we bought some ice cream and walked back to the ship. I’m currently waiting for the ship to set sail in about an hour. I think I’ll go to bed pretty soon after that. I have a 9 o clock Global Studies class tomorrow.
Observation #1: The biggest difference I noticed in Spain was with the transportation. The majority of streets within the inner city are very narrow. Most of them do not have (or have a very small) sidewalk. Cars and motorbikes drive fairly slowly and people are just expected to move out of the way when they see them coming. Other than that, people walk in the middle of the streets.
Observation #2: Unlike in America, the majority of stores do not open until 10 pm. Also, most stores close between the hours of 2:00-4:00/5:00 pm. This time in Spain is considered “Siesta” or nap time! My only real comment on this is: BEST. IDEA. EVER. I would love to have an expected time everyday to catch up on sleep.
After we finished all of our shopping we decided to find some free wifi. My friend Kathy and many other SAS students were busy using skype. Although I’d heard of the program, I’d never actually used it. It’s really simple to use. I created my account, put some minutes on my account, and called my parents within minutes of downloading the program. It was sooo good to hear my parents voices! I wanted to call my sister but she was already at her job by that time. After everyone’s computers ran out of battery power we bought some ice cream and walked back to the ship. I’m currently waiting for the ship to set sail in about an hour. I think I’ll go to bed pretty soon after that. I have a 9 o clock Global Studies class tomorrow.
Observation #1: The biggest difference I noticed in Spain was with the transportation. The majority of streets within the inner city are very narrow. Most of them do not have (or have a very small) sidewalk. Cars and motorbikes drive fairly slowly and people are just expected to move out of the way when they see them coming. Other than that, people walk in the middle of the streets.
Observation #2: Unlike in America, the majority of stores do not open until 10 pm. Also, most stores close between the hours of 2:00-4:00/5:00 pm. This time in Spain is considered “Siesta” or nap time! My only real comment on this is: BEST. IDEA. EVER. I would love to have an expected time everyday to catch up on sleep.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Day 2 and 3 of Spain
Day 2: Old cities of Arcos and Ronda
Today started at 9 am. We got on the bus and drove about an hour to the city of Arcos. The first thing I noticed about the city is that it’s built high up in the mountains. As is typical of Spain, Arcos had a grand old Catholic Church. Outside of the church, we saw the two cutest dogs! One looked like a tiny Yorkie. Yankee is probably three times his size! That’s how small he was. Someone asked and the guy said he was four months old. As I mentioned, the town is built on a hill. The church’s balcony looks out over the road WAY down below. It would have pleased even a balcony snob like my mother :).
The first thing we did in Ronda was eat a typical Spanish lunch at a restaurant called Sol Y Sombra. The tour wasn’t very expensive so I didn’t expect much of a “real” lunch. I was pleasantly surprised when we were served a full 3 course meal! First we ate some type of soup with rice and bread. The entrée was pork with some type of sauce. Custard pudding was served for desert. I’m not a huge fan of pork, but this was delicious!! I wish we could have eaten more of it!
Ronda is most famous for it’s history of bullfighting. Many of the locals claim that the “art” of bullfighting was created in Ronda. It just so happened that today was the last day of one of their festivals and a bull fight was planned for later that day! Banners were hung all around town and flowers placed on all of the statues of past famous bullfighters. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes. We saw many beautiful rich ladies wearing old Spanish dresses and veils. They rode on horse carriages through the city and into the arena. It kind of reminded me of a parade. I did some shopping and bought a shirt that says “Espana” and a few postcards. We arrived back to the ship around 7:30 that night. A ton of people are going back out to party tonight but I’m going to bed. I’m just not the type of person that can stay out until 4 in the morning and then get up and start the day at 8.
Day 3: Seville
The day started with an early wake up call at 8:00 am. I got up to eat breakfast (no raspberry yogurt today, just plain) then got ready for my day trip to Seville. The ride took about an hour and a half. I tried to take as many pictures of the countryside as I could, but I (along with everyone else on the bus) kept nodding off.
When we reached the city, we took a walking tour of the Alcazar which showcases the Muslim influences on Seville. This historic fort was built by the Moors in 913 and remained under their control until Fernando III (Christian) took over in 1248. Although it was originally a fort, it was later used as a palace. The place was huge (and we didn’t even get to see half of it, I’m sure.) It was one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen. The blue and gold Arabic colors on the wall mix beautifully together. Of course, no palace would be complete without large and luscious gardens with fountains. Not just fountains, but pounds where multiple ducks had made their home. The ponds were even filled with fish! My words don’t really do the place justice. I’d advise everyone to look at my face book pictures once I’m able to upload them.
Our next stop was the Cathedral of Seville. It is the third largest cathedral in the world and houses the remains of Christopher Columbus. I didn’t know this, but he apparently requested to be buried above ground. His tomb is in the main room and is held up by four large bronze statues. Another impressive feature of the cathedral is it’s fully accessible bell tower, called La Giralda, which offers an amazing view of the city (hah, I sound like a travel brochure!) Before we started to ascend, I was unsure how many flights of ramps (there were no stairs, just ramps) we would have to climb. That’s probably a good thing. The total ended up being 34(!!) flights of ramps. I have officially strengthened my leg muscles for the year. However, the view at the top was totally worth it.
Around 1:15 we took a tour of the old Jewish Quarter and ate lunch. I’ve officially decided that I love Spanish food. We were served a sample platter with all types of different cuisine: chicken, ham, pork, bread, watermelon, asparagus, squid. Yup, I ate squid today! It was surprisingly yummy! After lunch we headed back to bus and drove back to Cadiz. Although the tour was great, I don’t feel that one day in Seville was enough. We toured much of the historic side of Seville, but didn’t get to see much of the modern side.
After the tour, I went to a park and used my laptop for awhile. I also watched the local kids play soccer. It’s amazing how many little kids are still out at 9 and 10 at night.
Sorry if this entry has a ton of typos and mistakes with grammar. It’s almost 11:30 and I am exhausted!
Today started at 9 am. We got on the bus and drove about an hour to the city of Arcos. The first thing I noticed about the city is that it’s built high up in the mountains. As is typical of Spain, Arcos had a grand old Catholic Church. Outside of the church, we saw the two cutest dogs! One looked like a tiny Yorkie. Yankee is probably three times his size! That’s how small he was. Someone asked and the guy said he was four months old. As I mentioned, the town is built on a hill. The church’s balcony looks out over the road WAY down below. It would have pleased even a balcony snob like my mother :).
The first thing we did in Ronda was eat a typical Spanish lunch at a restaurant called Sol Y Sombra. The tour wasn’t very expensive so I didn’t expect much of a “real” lunch. I was pleasantly surprised when we were served a full 3 course meal! First we ate some type of soup with rice and bread. The entrée was pork with some type of sauce. Custard pudding was served for desert. I’m not a huge fan of pork, but this was delicious!! I wish we could have eaten more of it!
Ronda is most famous for it’s history of bullfighting. Many of the locals claim that the “art” of bullfighting was created in Ronda. It just so happened that today was the last day of one of their festivals and a bull fight was planned for later that day! Banners were hung all around town and flowers placed on all of the statues of past famous bullfighters. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes. We saw many beautiful rich ladies wearing old Spanish dresses and veils. They rode on horse carriages through the city and into the arena. It kind of reminded me of a parade. I did some shopping and bought a shirt that says “Espana” and a few postcards. We arrived back to the ship around 7:30 that night. A ton of people are going back out to party tonight but I’m going to bed. I’m just not the type of person that can stay out until 4 in the morning and then get up and start the day at 8.
Day 3: Seville
The day started with an early wake up call at 8:00 am. I got up to eat breakfast (no raspberry yogurt today, just plain) then got ready for my day trip to Seville. The ride took about an hour and a half. I tried to take as many pictures of the countryside as I could, but I (along with everyone else on the bus) kept nodding off.
When we reached the city, we took a walking tour of the Alcazar which showcases the Muslim influences on Seville. This historic fort was built by the Moors in 913 and remained under their control until Fernando III (Christian) took over in 1248. Although it was originally a fort, it was later used as a palace. The place was huge (and we didn’t even get to see half of it, I’m sure.) It was one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen. The blue and gold Arabic colors on the wall mix beautifully together. Of course, no palace would be complete without large and luscious gardens with fountains. Not just fountains, but pounds where multiple ducks had made their home. The ponds were even filled with fish! My words don’t really do the place justice. I’d advise everyone to look at my face book pictures once I’m able to upload them.
Our next stop was the Cathedral of Seville. It is the third largest cathedral in the world and houses the remains of Christopher Columbus. I didn’t know this, but he apparently requested to be buried above ground. His tomb is in the main room and is held up by four large bronze statues. Another impressive feature of the cathedral is it’s fully accessible bell tower, called La Giralda, which offers an amazing view of the city (hah, I sound like a travel brochure!) Before we started to ascend, I was unsure how many flights of ramps (there were no stairs, just ramps) we would have to climb. That’s probably a good thing. The total ended up being 34(!!) flights of ramps. I have officially strengthened my leg muscles for the year. However, the view at the top was totally worth it.
Around 1:15 we took a tour of the old Jewish Quarter and ate lunch. I’ve officially decided that I love Spanish food. We were served a sample platter with all types of different cuisine: chicken, ham, pork, bread, watermelon, asparagus, squid. Yup, I ate squid today! It was surprisingly yummy! After lunch we headed back to bus and drove back to Cadiz. Although the tour was great, I don’t feel that one day in Seville was enough. We toured much of the historic side of Seville, but didn’t get to see much of the modern side.
After the tour, I went to a park and used my laptop for awhile. I also watched the local kids play soccer. It’s amazing how many little kids are still out at 9 and 10 at night.
Sorry if this entry has a ton of typos and mistakes with grammar. It’s almost 11:30 and I am exhausted!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The wonderful portside town of Cadiz
Hola!
My roommate and I woke up at about 6:30 this morning and headed up to breakfast. Breakfast was really good this morning. They had raspberry yogurt!! This may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but they usually only have cherry and “plain.” Finally a change of food!
Everyone was outside trying to get pictures of the port but, It was still dark so most of the pictures came out blurry. All you could really see were a ton of lights in the distance. We finally docked at about 08:00 and Ali left to go on a trip to the Spanish coastlines plus a visit to Gibraltar. Their group was the first ones off. I left the ship with my friend Kyle around 9 to go explore the city. We were soon joined by his other friend, Cal. We walked around for about half an hour until Kyle told us he had to go back and leave for his “Churches of Cadiz” tour. We walked as fast as we could, but we just couldn’t make it in time. So we headed back to the city to explore and find a place to eat for lunch. We spent a good 3 hours walking around the town and beaches. The beaches are absolutely gorgeous! There is a long stone walkway from one of the old beaches out to an old fort, San Sebastian, which was built to protect the city against an invasion from the French. It was a good 10 minute walk out to the fort! Kyle dubbed it “The Little Wall of Spain.” The actual fort was closed so all we could do was get to the gate and turn around.
The Cadiz city orientation started at 13:00 and I didn’t want to miss it, so we tried to stay close to the port. Of course, things never go quite as planned and we got a little lost. We ended up almost on the other side of Cadiz (the town itself is not that big.) Luckily, we realized we were going the wrong way and hurried back the way we came. I got to the orientation meeting with about 5 minutes to spare. Whew!
The description of the tour says “part bus and part walking.” What they didn’t mention is that the bus portion lasts about 10 minutes and the other 3 hours is walking! We went to a lot of really cool sites. We saw the old official Cathedral of Cadiz and even went into the crypt. Halfway through the tour we were allowed some free time in a local market for shopping. I didn’t have time to eat lunch, so I was really hungry and decided to try some “local cuisine.“ I can officially say that chocolate gelato ice cream tastes wonderful in Spain :). The best part of the tour was visiting the Museo De Cadiz. In the Archaeological department they had a sarcophagi and an old reconstructed pit with skeletal remains. I took about 20 pictures of that. It was awesome!
When I got back to the ship around 5 o’clock my feet were killing me! I decided to go up deck and soak my sore feet in the pool. It felt WONDERFUL! After finally getting some food in my stomach, my friend Andrew and I decided to look for a free wifi spot to use our laptops. It turns out there is a park with free wifi about 5 minutes from the ship! It was awesome to finally use face book again. I tried to upload my pictures but it kept saying “error.” I’ll try again when I have free time on Tuesday. When our laptops died we decided to walk around and do some evening shopping. I bought 2 postcards and got a DBZ figurine out a small gumball type machine for one Euro. Leave it to me to find the anime in every country! I was exhausted by this point so we headed back to ship. My day ended with watching a documentary about the Christian/Jewish/Muslim influences on Spain.
Tomorrow I’m going to visit the old Spanish towns of Ronda and Arcos! I’ll be gone from 09:00-20:15 so the blog might be a tad late. I’ll do my best to get it posted by tomorrow night.
My roommate and I woke up at about 6:30 this morning and headed up to breakfast. Breakfast was really good this morning. They had raspberry yogurt!! This may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but they usually only have cherry and “plain.” Finally a change of food!
Everyone was outside trying to get pictures of the port but, It was still dark so most of the pictures came out blurry. All you could really see were a ton of lights in the distance. We finally docked at about 08:00 and Ali left to go on a trip to the Spanish coastlines plus a visit to Gibraltar. Their group was the first ones off. I left the ship with my friend Kyle around 9 to go explore the city. We were soon joined by his other friend, Cal. We walked around for about half an hour until Kyle told us he had to go back and leave for his “Churches of Cadiz” tour. We walked as fast as we could, but we just couldn’t make it in time. So we headed back to the city to explore and find a place to eat for lunch. We spent a good 3 hours walking around the town and beaches. The beaches are absolutely gorgeous! There is a long stone walkway from one of the old beaches out to an old fort, San Sebastian, which was built to protect the city against an invasion from the French. It was a good 10 minute walk out to the fort! Kyle dubbed it “The Little Wall of Spain.” The actual fort was closed so all we could do was get to the gate and turn around.
The Cadiz city orientation started at 13:00 and I didn’t want to miss it, so we tried to stay close to the port. Of course, things never go quite as planned and we got a little lost. We ended up almost on the other side of Cadiz (the town itself is not that big.) Luckily, we realized we were going the wrong way and hurried back the way we came. I got to the orientation meeting with about 5 minutes to spare. Whew!
The description of the tour says “part bus and part walking.” What they didn’t mention is that the bus portion lasts about 10 minutes and the other 3 hours is walking! We went to a lot of really cool sites. We saw the old official Cathedral of Cadiz and even went into the crypt. Halfway through the tour we were allowed some free time in a local market for shopping. I didn’t have time to eat lunch, so I was really hungry and decided to try some “local cuisine.“ I can officially say that chocolate gelato ice cream tastes wonderful in Spain :). The best part of the tour was visiting the Museo De Cadiz. In the Archaeological department they had a sarcophagi and an old reconstructed pit with skeletal remains. I took about 20 pictures of that. It was awesome!
When I got back to the ship around 5 o’clock my feet were killing me! I decided to go up deck and soak my sore feet in the pool. It felt WONDERFUL! After finally getting some food in my stomach, my friend Andrew and I decided to look for a free wifi spot to use our laptops. It turns out there is a park with free wifi about 5 minutes from the ship! It was awesome to finally use face book again. I tried to upload my pictures but it kept saying “error.” I’ll try again when I have free time on Tuesday. When our laptops died we decided to walk around and do some evening shopping. I bought 2 postcards and got a DBZ figurine out a small gumball type machine for one Euro. Leave it to me to find the anime in every country! I was exhausted by this point so we headed back to ship. My day ended with watching a documentary about the Christian/Jewish/Muslim influences on Spain.
Tomorrow I’m going to visit the old Spanish towns of Ronda and Arcos! I’ll be gone from 09:00-20:15 so the blog might be a tad late. I’ll do my best to get it posted by tomorrow night.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Long post
Hey! I’m sorry that I haven’t had a chance to update my blog in a few days. It’s been a hectic last few days of classes. I’ll try to do better on updating the blog while we are in port.
Wednesday September 2nd. I think…
Classes at Semester at Sea are starting to get into a normal routine. I’m enjoying most of my classes, except for global studies, and I don’t think any of them are too tough yet. I got lucky with good classes. So far, I’ve just had a ton of reading, but I know at least one class already has a power point presentation due tomorrow.
I didn’t do much during this afternoon. My “B” day classes are over at noon so I took a nap until about 3. After that I went up to the top deck and studied next to pool. As the boat swayed, the water would shift to one side. It sounded like the way the tide recedes on a beach. It was very peaceful.
I went to one of the explorer seminars that night. Explorer Seminars are an evening lecture and discussion held by either one of the teachers or lifelong learners. They usually hold 2 or 3 different seminars each night. The one I attended was about noticing not just the cultural differences in the countries we visit, but really paying attention to the similarities as well. When I returned to my cabin, I got sucked into some British documentary about fish and oceans and finally went to bed. After tonight there is only one more night of losing hours!
Thursday
Today was extremely hectic! The Vicarious Voyage program had it’s first informational meeting tonight at 1745-1845 so I only had 15 minutes to eat dinner. We didn’t do much at the meeting except meet our group members, and find out which classroom we are connecting with (if we didn’t already know).
Afterwards, I attended the second meeting of the Alcohol Free group at 1900. The majority of us are going on the Cadiz City Orientation and have Friday free. We are not quite sure what we will do on Friday yet, but I think we will probably find a good restaurant to eat at.
I hadn’t planned on attending the LGBT group, but a few of my friends decided to go at the last minute, so I went with them. I’m glad we decided to go. There were quite a few (about 25) people. The Dean of Students, who is gay, talked about his sailing many years ago and how a group like this would never have happened. It was sad to hear how alone he felt.
At 2000 I attended the mandatory cultural pre-port meeting, which is where someone from Spain lectures about what to expect form the culture. Afterward, I had planned to watch a movie in the Union about the Jewish/Christian/Muslim regions of Spain, but I was exhausted by the time it came on. It usually takes me awhile to fall asleep, but not tonight. I was out the moment my head hit the pillow! Also, tonight is the last night that we will lose hours for awhile. YAY!
Friday(today):
The first half of the day was a fairly routine “B” day. I finished all of my classes and then took a nap until about 1600. After that I did something very out of the ordinary. I laid by the pool to get a tan! I only laid out for about 5-10 minutes but I’m sure I’m still going to burn anyway.
We reach Spain tomorrow! And we don’t have to lose an hour tonight! Just as classes start to become routine, we take almost a two week break. We will be in Spain for four days (Saturday September 5-Tuesday September 8). We have ONE DAY before we reach Morocco. This day is appropriately titled “Morocco Day” and we will have all the usual meetings we have before reaching a country. Everyone will have Global Studies class that day but all other classes are canceled. We will arrive in Casablanca at 8 am on Thursday September 10th and stay until Monday September 14th. Unfortunately, it’s back to the regular class routine after that. We don’t reach Ghana until September 22nd.
Bye all! Next blog will be from Spain!
Wednesday September 2nd. I think…
Classes at Semester at Sea are starting to get into a normal routine. I’m enjoying most of my classes, except for global studies, and I don’t think any of them are too tough yet. I got lucky with good classes. So far, I’ve just had a ton of reading, but I know at least one class already has a power point presentation due tomorrow.
I didn’t do much during this afternoon. My “B” day classes are over at noon so I took a nap until about 3. After that I went up to the top deck and studied next to pool. As the boat swayed, the water would shift to one side. It sounded like the way the tide recedes on a beach. It was very peaceful.
I went to one of the explorer seminars that night. Explorer Seminars are an evening lecture and discussion held by either one of the teachers or lifelong learners. They usually hold 2 or 3 different seminars each night. The one I attended was about noticing not just the cultural differences in the countries we visit, but really paying attention to the similarities as well. When I returned to my cabin, I got sucked into some British documentary about fish and oceans and finally went to bed. After tonight there is only one more night of losing hours!
Thursday
Today was extremely hectic! The Vicarious Voyage program had it’s first informational meeting tonight at 1745-1845 so I only had 15 minutes to eat dinner. We didn’t do much at the meeting except meet our group members, and find out which classroom we are connecting with (if we didn’t already know).
Afterwards, I attended the second meeting of the Alcohol Free group at 1900. The majority of us are going on the Cadiz City Orientation and have Friday free. We are not quite sure what we will do on Friday yet, but I think we will probably find a good restaurant to eat at.
I hadn’t planned on attending the LGBT group, but a few of my friends decided to go at the last minute, so I went with them. I’m glad we decided to go. There were quite a few (about 25) people. The Dean of Students, who is gay, talked about his sailing many years ago and how a group like this would never have happened. It was sad to hear how alone he felt.
At 2000 I attended the mandatory cultural pre-port meeting, which is where someone from Spain lectures about what to expect form the culture. Afterward, I had planned to watch a movie in the Union about the Jewish/Christian/Muslim regions of Spain, but I was exhausted by the time it came on. It usually takes me awhile to fall asleep, but not tonight. I was out the moment my head hit the pillow! Also, tonight is the last night that we will lose hours for awhile. YAY!
Friday(today):
The first half of the day was a fairly routine “B” day. I finished all of my classes and then took a nap until about 1600. After that I did something very out of the ordinary. I laid by the pool to get a tan! I only laid out for about 5-10 minutes but I’m sure I’m still going to burn anyway.
We reach Spain tomorrow! And we don’t have to lose an hour tonight! Just as classes start to become routine, we take almost a two week break. We will be in Spain for four days (Saturday September 5-Tuesday September 8). We have ONE DAY before we reach Morocco. This day is appropriately titled “Morocco Day” and we will have all the usual meetings we have before reaching a country. Everyone will have Global Studies class that day but all other classes are canceled. We will arrive in Casablanca at 8 am on Thursday September 10th and stay until Monday September 14th. Unfortunately, it’s back to the regular class routine after that. We don’t reach Ghana until September 22nd.
Bye all! Next blog will be from Spain!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A2
This blog is meant to be an accurate record of my journey. That includes both the good and the challenges.
First the challenges.
For perhaps the first time in my life, I am experiencing true homesickness. Nobody here has heard of Truman or Kirksville. Although I often email, not being able to hear my families voice (or bark/meow) has really hit me hard. Many people on this voyage most likely learned how to deal with homesickness during their normal “on land” college years. I, however, was never more than 5 minutes away from home while at college.
The other “challenging” aspect is the schedule. We are losing hours almost everyday. Yes, we will eventually gain all the hours back but that will be on the return voyage. It is this exhaustion that has prompted this somewhat negative blog post. Tonight is the first night of the voyage that we will not change the clock. People is the dining room all cheered when the announcement was made during lunch. After tomorrow, we will again lose hours for the next two days. I knew I’d be grateful for many things while on this voyage, but finally having a full 24 hour day was not one I expected. Despite losing hours, the days seem to be extremely long. It’s been said in other blogs, but you truly have zero sense of day or time while on the ship. I know it’s an “A” day but that’s about it.
Now on to the good!
My vision has returned to normal and I don't feel seasick without the patch. Yay!!
My multicultural detective fiction class was really interesting today. My teacher was born in Spain so he knows all about it firsthand. We talked about how much has changed in the last 30 years or so. Such as becoming more industrialized and moving from a dictatorship to a democracy. It was really cool to get a first hand account of someone who has lived through it.
The best part of the day was the BBQ to celebrate the 100th voyage! We had all types of food: burgers, hotdogs, baked beans, ribs, coleslaw, etc. It was the first time since we set sail that I felt really full. SAS also set up a huge banner in the 5th floor for everyone to sign. It will apparently be auctioned off at the end of the voyage. Well, It’s midnight and I have an early class tomorrow so I’m off to bed. Goodnight!
First the challenges.
For perhaps the first time in my life, I am experiencing true homesickness. Nobody here has heard of Truman or Kirksville. Although I often email, not being able to hear my families voice (or bark/meow) has really hit me hard. Many people on this voyage most likely learned how to deal with homesickness during their normal “on land” college years. I, however, was never more than 5 minutes away from home while at college.
The other “challenging” aspect is the schedule. We are losing hours almost everyday. Yes, we will eventually gain all the hours back but that will be on the return voyage. It is this exhaustion that has prompted this somewhat negative blog post. Tonight is the first night of the voyage that we will not change the clock. People is the dining room all cheered when the announcement was made during lunch. After tomorrow, we will again lose hours for the next two days. I knew I’d be grateful for many things while on this voyage, but finally having a full 24 hour day was not one I expected. Despite losing hours, the days seem to be extremely long. It’s been said in other blogs, but you truly have zero sense of day or time while on the ship. I know it’s an “A” day but that’s about it.
Now on to the good!
My vision has returned to normal and I don't feel seasick without the patch. Yay!!
My multicultural detective fiction class was really interesting today. My teacher was born in Spain so he knows all about it firsthand. We talked about how much has changed in the last 30 years or so. Such as becoming more industrialized and moving from a dictatorship to a democracy. It was really cool to get a first hand account of someone who has lived through it.
The best part of the day was the BBQ to celebrate the 100th voyage! We had all types of food: burgers, hotdogs, baked beans, ribs, coleslaw, etc. It was the first time since we set sail that I felt really full. SAS also set up a huge banner in the 5th floor for everyone to sign. It will apparently be auctioned off at the end of the voyage. Well, It’s midnight and I have an early class tomorrow so I’m off to bed. Goodnight!
B1
I started my other two classes today: Global Studies and History of Ancient China. History of Ancient China should be a fairly exciting class. It’s obvious that the teacher is very passionate about Asian history. Global Studies was alright. We talked about foreign outsourcing which was an interesting topic, but it’s my earliest class and the loss of sleep is starting to catch up with me. Not only that, the class is held in the main lounge at the front of the ship where you can feel the ships rocking more than any other place. It was a real struggle to stay awake. Luckily, I was done with all of my classes by noon so I decided to do what I do best: NAP!!!
Student activity groups are finally starting. I attended the first “Alcohol free voyagers” group meeting. There were about 10 of us in attendance and we decided to go to a Flamenco Dance lesson in Spain.
The day ended with my roommate and I watching Finding Nemo on our small t.v. I don’t think I’ve mentioned anything about our T.V. yet. We get 6 channels. The first channel displays the ships location, how fast we are going, how many miles we’ve traveled, etc. Channels 2, 3, 5, and 6 all show a different movie or documentary every day. Channel 4 shows the “Dean’s Memo,” which is basically SAS’s version of the carnival capers. It shows all the activities for the day, reminds people to keep their cabin clean, has meal times, etc.
Tomorrow SAS is holding a “100th voyage kickoff party.” Apparently there will be barbeque and a “mash up” dance where we wear mismatched clothes. After eating the same food for multiple days, I’m extremely excited for something different. Tomorrow is also the last day to sign up for trips in Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius (pronounced like vicious, the “T” makes an sh sound fyi.), and India. I only signed up for few trips which I will post when I find out which one I’ve been accepted for.
Student activity groups are finally starting. I attended the first “Alcohol free voyagers” group meeting. There were about 10 of us in attendance and we decided to go to a Flamenco Dance lesson in Spain.
The day ended with my roommate and I watching Finding Nemo on our small t.v. I don’t think I’ve mentioned anything about our T.V. yet. We get 6 channels. The first channel displays the ships location, how fast we are going, how many miles we’ve traveled, etc. Channels 2, 3, 5, and 6 all show a different movie or documentary every day. Channel 4 shows the “Dean’s Memo,” which is basically SAS’s version of the carnival capers. It shows all the activities for the day, reminds people to keep their cabin clean, has meal times, etc.
Tomorrow SAS is holding a “100th voyage kickoff party.” Apparently there will be barbeque and a “mash up” dance where we wear mismatched clothes. After eating the same food for multiple days, I’m extremely excited for something different. Tomorrow is also the last day to sign up for trips in Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius (pronounced like vicious, the “T” makes an sh sound fyi.), and India. I only signed up for few trips which I will post when I find out which one I’ve been accepted for.
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