Finishing Up Brazil:
On February 20th, I went with a Semester at Sea group to Itaparica Island. The bay at Salvador, known as All Saints’ Bay (for the day it was discovered), is the largest bay in Brazil and the second largest bay in the world. It is a gorgeous place littered with various islands; one of the more inhabited is Itaparica Island. At first we walked to the boat that was to take us on our tour of All Saints’ Bay. It was a rickety old boat about 40 feet long and powered by a disgusting diesel engine. The first leg of our tour took about an hour and a half. Our first stop was a beautiful island where we were given the freedom to go for a swim and enjoy the sun. Then we hopped back on the boat for a 45 minute trip to Itaparica Island. When we arrived there lunch was waiting for us. It was a delicious traditional Brazilian meal of meats and salad. After that Sheryl (Alissa’s roommate) and I walked around Itaparica and had a coconut and collected seashells. It was a cute town, but it did not really have much to offer. The day was just a nice chance to relax after the hectic schedule of classes and traveling. When we got back to the ship we ate and prepared ourselves for the night. We (Alex, Alissa, Chris, Jay, Sheryl, Joanne, and Kevin) decided to spend our last night partying it up at Carnival. We went up public elevator to the Pelorinho, or old town Salvador, and then went right for a while. We had no idea where we were going but we ended up in the best location in Salvador. It was right where two of the large circuits intersected, which meant nonstop dancing. We stayed for several hours listening and dancing to the great music. There were two main types of music; one circuit had more traditional, drumming and African-influenced. The other circuit had more modern pop like music. They were both very fun to dance to and we felt quite safe, especially with the MPs right behind us.
The following morning Kevin, Joanne and I went on a geological tour of Salvador hosted by Rachel O’Brien, one of the more enthusiastic and friendly professor on the ship. It began with an hour PowerPoint lecture by a local geology professor from Universidad Catholico de Salvador. It was actually quite interesting. We then went to the busses and headed out to a town that was about an hour outside of Salvador. It was originally founded by hippies 35 years ago and was home to some unique geological conditions. Waves constantly pounding the surface created was looked like a man made rock wall. It also created a pretty cool tide pool with a lot of sea urchins, crabs and fish. We then went to Praia do Forte, which was much better the second time. This time we had boxed lunches and were able to eat whenever we wanted. The geological landscape that we were viewing was much like the hippie town, but instead of it being created by the energy of waves, it was created by sea creatures living near the shore. Again we had the opportunity to check out the sea life in the tide pools because it was low tide. We then headed back toward Salvador and stopped at a point to view the Salvador landscape. All Saints’ Bay was created when a fault tried to split, but was unsuccessful. This created a large canyon like formation which was cover up by the sea and created a beautiful bay. It was a great place to get a picture of the city and actually see a fault line.
Now for some shipboard updates…
On first night back on the ship it was “Rock The Hawk” night. People were shaving their head in Mohawks and donating their hair to Locks of Love. To join in with the madness, Jay and I corralled Martha “AKA Diana” and Joanne to cut our hair. We sat out on the balcony and let free our newly cut hair to roam the ocean. I felt a little bad for their cabin steward, though, because he was probably picking up hair from all the neighboring balconies. The hair turned out great and Jay even had a “J” carved into his hair.
Neptune Day
Neptune Day is a fabulous British tradition, where one must pay homage to King Neptune, god of the sea, when passing the Equator. Unfortunately, we were not able to get to it until 9 days after we crossed the Equator. It began with the crew dressed in hand made costumes banging on drums through the hallways at about 6:30 in the morning. We were then reawakened at 9 and told to go up to the 7th deck, where the pool is located. Upon arrival, we saw King Neptune “AKA Captain Jeremy”, Queen Minerva “AKA Dean Larry” and their crew of shellback miscreants “AKA faculty, staff and crew who had already crossed”. King Neptune and Queen Minerva were fully dressed up with green paint and headdress to fit the part. After Staff Captain Costas welcomed them all on the ship, we were told that we needed to earn our safe passage and shellback status. We had to stand in the shallow pool and get a fish gut concoction poured on us, then swim across the pool, then kiss two fish and King Neptune’s ring and then get shellbacked (like knighted). It sounds awful but was actually quite a lot of fun. After the ceremony we were given the day to do whatever we wanted. Many of the people decided to shave their heads and so Jay and I joined in the fun and shaved off our Mohawks. Neither of us went to the skin, but I can say that this is the shortest my hair has ever been. The evening dinner was a great festive barbeque with ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream and all the goodies that one would expect to see on a Fourth of July celebration. It was the best meal we have had on the ship so far.
On Tuesday the 26th, Kevin gave a lecture on AIDS in South Africa to the entire shipboard community. It was quite a good lecture and I overheard many students talking about how it was the most captivating lecture that they had seen so far. He blended a video with his lecture quite well to keep the attention of everyone. This yielded a more powerful and lasting impression of the full impact of AIDS and HIV not only on South Africa but the world as a whole.
The interport lecturer for this leg of the journey was Gusavo Goni, an oceanographer from NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration). He lectured a couple of my classes about the research he was doing and we were able to see him throw over a couple scientific buoys and floats. The best part is that once he leaves, students will get to throw the buoys over. Alex and I will be throwing one overboard somewhere between South Africa and Mauritius. These instruments will be used to help record the position and surface temperature of water, which will help to understand currents and lead to better predictions of hurricanes and other weather patterns.
Two days after Kevin spoke we were blessed with the presence of an even better speaker (no offense Dad). Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave an enlightening lecture on the power of youth, the importance of forgiveness, and the positive possibilities of restorative justice. We were able to record his lecture for any of you who would like to see it when we get back. The man is a great speaker and full of life, happiness and hope. It was a great thing to hear after all the “gloom and doom” that the professors had been spouting for the past 4 weeks. He again spoke the following day, addressing the questions of students. It was a more informal setting and yet he still made a powerful statement about the ability of humans to do great and noble things. He has definitely been an inspiration to me. The Archbishop again joined us for the logistical pre-port meeting, where he helped Dr. Matt (the ship’s physician) and friends to sing a “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” rendition that was geared toward making the shipboard community aware of possible health dangers. It was one of the most entertaining and hilarious things that has happened so far. The man definitely likes to dance and has created a new dancing craze on the ship known as “The Desi”.
Things we have learned in Brazil and while crossing the Atlantic:
-Brazilian Portuguese is nothing like Spanish.
-Thumbs up and a smile can get you very far in life.
-Brazilians really know how to dance, and love to party…hard.
-While New York may claim to be the city that never sleeps, Brazil is definitely the country that never sleeps.
-Brazil is not that unsafe, if you take proper precautions and don’t temp anyone.
-During Carnival, all of Salvador is a bathroom.
-I don’t really look that bad with a Mohawk.
-British people have some really bizarre traditions.
-A “#4” on a beard trimmer is not the same as a “#4” on a hair clipper.
-Humans have “an incredible capacity for good”.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Alissa's Adventures Through Brazil
Hey everyone,
Now that I am about to enter South Africa, I will tell you about my travels through Brazil. As we arrived, we woke up at 6:30 am to see the ship pull into the port. The port was full of tall buildings and a huge crane that ended up right next to the ship. After pulling in, everyone had to go through immigration and meet face-to-face with a Brazilian Customs Officer. Once the ship was cleared, I stayed and took a nap on the ship until my trip later that day. Once I awoke from my nap, I went on a day trip to the Candomble temple. Candomble is an African religion that was originally forbidden in Brazil. At this temple we got to see the buildings that contained the shrines for each of the deities (you can only go in if you are part of the religion), and we also saw a museum containing many items that are used in the religion. Once we were done in the museum, we met the priestess of this Temple who told us a great story. Something I found interesting about this Priestess is that when she was a teenager she decided that she did not want to be a part of this religion and left for many years. Eventually she came back and then was selected as the Priestess. The next cool thing about the Priestess is that if you bought a beaded necklace, each of which symbolized one of the deities, she would bless the beads and then put them on you. I bought one and I was able to have her bless my beads. Alex recorded this for me so if anyone wants to see it, I will show you when I return home. After the Candomble temple, I went back to the ship for the rest of that night, did a little homework, and then went to sleep because I was exhausted.
For my next day in Brazil, I did not have a planned trip until the evening so during the day a little group of us walked up to the city and looked in many of the shops and the main marketplace (mainly crafts and souvenirs). For everyone reading this that has never been to Salvador, Brazil, I will tell you about the interesting way to get into the main city. The city sits on a huge hill or so and in order to get up there you must ride in an elevator about 10 stories high. I think that is about how high it was. Anyways well, I hate elevators and for this one they pack as many people as they can in it and then they have an elevator worker who runs the elevator. It was kind of scary. As we left the city that day, it is about a ten minute walk from the elevator to the port where the ship was. As we walked back, it started to pour huge drops and we got absolutely drenched. We were running from overhang to overhang to try to have a little protection, but it was a true adventure! Once we got back and dried off a little we relaxed for a few hours and then met with our group for our organized trip, which was called Traditional Carnival. For this we went back up to the city to celebrate Carnival, which for those of you who might not know what this is, it is what Mardi Gras is based off of. It is crazy! People fill the streets and celebrate by dancing and watching floats filled with many people and loud music go by. There were also kids who bought this soap spray stuff and sprayed it everywhere and on everyone. It was a lot of fun.
For my next day in Brazil, I had a day trip planned. Like Chris, I went to the Praia Do Forte Escape, which is a very touristy preserve for sea turtles. On the way there, we stopped at a beach that had mangrove trees and we learned more a lot about them. Then our next stop was at the Castle of Garcia D’Avila, a Portuguese settler. The ruins of this castle that was built in 1552 is all that remains. Finally, after this stop we finally reached the marine turtle project, where we got to see many marine turtles including baby turtles. I even learned a very interesting fact: when a turtle egg is laid, the sex of that turtle will be determined by the temperature of the sand (warmer sand will produce females and colder sand will produce males). After we looked at the turtles we ate lunch in a local restaurant and it was very good food. Once lunch was over we had about an hour to explore and then we returned to the bus for the ride back to the ship. That night I again just relaxed on the ship because I was tired from walking around all day in the heat and humidity.
The next morning was the beginning of another day trip, in which I did not go with any of the fellow bloggers. One of our friends that we have met, Jay, was on the trip as well and I met another girl Heather, who I hung out with for most of the day. On this trip, we first stopped at a little market area that had all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and even mud crabs that were still alive and looked disgusting because they were all covered in mud and smelled really bad. In this little market town, we walked around a little and saw very pretty buildings. Once we were done there, we continued our trip to a local farming town, where we got to go to a local woman’s home. At her home, she let us sample chocolate that she had made from cocoa beans, as well as the fruit that these beans come from. I did not try them because it seemed a little too fresh and maybe not very safe to eat. After this little farming town, we traveled to our final destination of Cachoeira. When we first arrived, we ate lunch at a pousada, which used to be a monastery. There was a table set up for about 45 people and it was just one long table. It was strange. The food at this place was very good as well. After our lunch, we got to walk around Cachoeira, where we went into the old jail and saw the house of some very famous singers. I didn’t know these singers but our guide told us that this brother and sister are famous worldwide. We then walked down by the waterfront, which was very beautiful. All of the towns that we visited on this trip were nice and quiet compared to Salvador, since everyone had left these remote towns to celebrate Carnival in the major cities. It was a very relaxing and scenic day even though we had to do a lot of walking. We then took the 2-hour bus ride home, which was nice because I got to take a little nap.
When we returned to the ship, Jay and I swore that we were exhausted and did not want to go out that night. But once we got back and were sitting at dinner we somehow got convinced to go back out to the Pelourhino (the upper city in Salvador) to celebrate our last night in Salvador, as well as the last night of Carnival. Once we got up to the city, we decided to go to the right instead of left like we had done the night of Traditional Carnival. To the right there were probably thousands of people packed together dancing and watching the floats go by. It was so much fun and a great way to spend my last night in Brazil. The only creepy thing that happened to me in my whole Brazil stay was that night when some random guy walked by and tried to touch my wrist or hand. I realized that he probably did this to try to steal my watch because I accidentally forgot to take it off before going up. Anyways Carnival overall was a lot of fun and I am happy my fear did not get in my way.
Now, finally the last day in Brazil. On this day, we went back up to the city to buy souvenirs because I had about 160 reals to spend which equals about $80. You would think that it would be easy to spend money, but Alex and I had a lot of trouble. Some stuff just seemed too overpriced for what it was and we just did not want to pay, but eventually after about 4 or 5 hours, we spent all of our reals. While up in the city, we also tried to go to an internet café. After, we finally found one where the prices seemed reasonable we attempted to check mail. It ended up that the computers were very slow and I was the only one able to check just one e-mail account. It was a little ridiculous. Well after these long five days in Brazil, I was very happy to get back on the ship and to not have to walk so much anymore. That night when we were on the ship, we enjoyed watching a few students return late to the ship, which meant that they were going to get dock time in the next port. In addition, Alex, Sheryl (my roommate), and I went up to the 7th deck to watch the stairs that we had been using to get on and off the ship get pulled back up to the 7th deck where they reside at sea.
When I first entered Brazil, I was so scared to even get off the ship because we learned of all the horrors that we might face in Brazil. I am very thankful that nothing happened to me or any of my friends. I did hear some stories from others. One girl in the post port said that her and a few friends got held up by knives and all of their cameras and stuff were taken. I can’t even imagine that happening. Anyways I think that is enough information about Brazil, and hopefully since I am already in South Africa it won’t be too long until I post my next blog!
I love and miss you all!
Alissa
Now that I am about to enter South Africa, I will tell you about my travels through Brazil. As we arrived, we woke up at 6:30 am to see the ship pull into the port. The port was full of tall buildings and a huge crane that ended up right next to the ship. After pulling in, everyone had to go through immigration and meet face-to-face with a Brazilian Customs Officer. Once the ship was cleared, I stayed and took a nap on the ship until my trip later that day. Once I awoke from my nap, I went on a day trip to the Candomble temple. Candomble is an African religion that was originally forbidden in Brazil. At this temple we got to see the buildings that contained the shrines for each of the deities (you can only go in if you are part of the religion), and we also saw a museum containing many items that are used in the religion. Once we were done in the museum, we met the priestess of this Temple who told us a great story. Something I found interesting about this Priestess is that when she was a teenager she decided that she did not want to be a part of this religion and left for many years. Eventually she came back and then was selected as the Priestess. The next cool thing about the Priestess is that if you bought a beaded necklace, each of which symbolized one of the deities, she would bless the beads and then put them on you. I bought one and I was able to have her bless my beads. Alex recorded this for me so if anyone wants to see it, I will show you when I return home. After the Candomble temple, I went back to the ship for the rest of that night, did a little homework, and then went to sleep because I was exhausted.
For my next day in Brazil, I did not have a planned trip until the evening so during the day a little group of us walked up to the city and looked in many of the shops and the main marketplace (mainly crafts and souvenirs). For everyone reading this that has never been to Salvador, Brazil, I will tell you about the interesting way to get into the main city. The city sits on a huge hill or so and in order to get up there you must ride in an elevator about 10 stories high. I think that is about how high it was. Anyways well, I hate elevators and for this one they pack as many people as they can in it and then they have an elevator worker who runs the elevator. It was kind of scary. As we left the city that day, it is about a ten minute walk from the elevator to the port where the ship was. As we walked back, it started to pour huge drops and we got absolutely drenched. We were running from overhang to overhang to try to have a little protection, but it was a true adventure! Once we got back and dried off a little we relaxed for a few hours and then met with our group for our organized trip, which was called Traditional Carnival. For this we went back up to the city to celebrate Carnival, which for those of you who might not know what this is, it is what Mardi Gras is based off of. It is crazy! People fill the streets and celebrate by dancing and watching floats filled with many people and loud music go by. There were also kids who bought this soap spray stuff and sprayed it everywhere and on everyone. It was a lot of fun.
For my next day in Brazil, I had a day trip planned. Like Chris, I went to the Praia Do Forte Escape, which is a very touristy preserve for sea turtles. On the way there, we stopped at a beach that had mangrove trees and we learned more a lot about them. Then our next stop was at the Castle of Garcia D’Avila, a Portuguese settler. The ruins of this castle that was built in 1552 is all that remains. Finally, after this stop we finally reached the marine turtle project, where we got to see many marine turtles including baby turtles. I even learned a very interesting fact: when a turtle egg is laid, the sex of that turtle will be determined by the temperature of the sand (warmer sand will produce females and colder sand will produce males). After we looked at the turtles we ate lunch in a local restaurant and it was very good food. Once lunch was over we had about an hour to explore and then we returned to the bus for the ride back to the ship. That night I again just relaxed on the ship because I was tired from walking around all day in the heat and humidity.
The next morning was the beginning of another day trip, in which I did not go with any of the fellow bloggers. One of our friends that we have met, Jay, was on the trip as well and I met another girl Heather, who I hung out with for most of the day. On this trip, we first stopped at a little market area that had all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and even mud crabs that were still alive and looked disgusting because they were all covered in mud and smelled really bad. In this little market town, we walked around a little and saw very pretty buildings. Once we were done there, we continued our trip to a local farming town, where we got to go to a local woman’s home. At her home, she let us sample chocolate that she had made from cocoa beans, as well as the fruit that these beans come from. I did not try them because it seemed a little too fresh and maybe not very safe to eat. After this little farming town, we traveled to our final destination of Cachoeira. When we first arrived, we ate lunch at a pousada, which used to be a monastery. There was a table set up for about 45 people and it was just one long table. It was strange. The food at this place was very good as well. After our lunch, we got to walk around Cachoeira, where we went into the old jail and saw the house of some very famous singers. I didn’t know these singers but our guide told us that this brother and sister are famous worldwide. We then walked down by the waterfront, which was very beautiful. All of the towns that we visited on this trip were nice and quiet compared to Salvador, since everyone had left these remote towns to celebrate Carnival in the major cities. It was a very relaxing and scenic day even though we had to do a lot of walking. We then took the 2-hour bus ride home, which was nice because I got to take a little nap.
When we returned to the ship, Jay and I swore that we were exhausted and did not want to go out that night. But once we got back and were sitting at dinner we somehow got convinced to go back out to the Pelourhino (the upper city in Salvador) to celebrate our last night in Salvador, as well as the last night of Carnival. Once we got up to the city, we decided to go to the right instead of left like we had done the night of Traditional Carnival. To the right there were probably thousands of people packed together dancing and watching the floats go by. It was so much fun and a great way to spend my last night in Brazil. The only creepy thing that happened to me in my whole Brazil stay was that night when some random guy walked by and tried to touch my wrist or hand. I realized that he probably did this to try to steal my watch because I accidentally forgot to take it off before going up. Anyways Carnival overall was a lot of fun and I am happy my fear did not get in my way.
Now, finally the last day in Brazil. On this day, we went back up to the city to buy souvenirs because I had about 160 reals to spend which equals about $80. You would think that it would be easy to spend money, but Alex and I had a lot of trouble. Some stuff just seemed too overpriced for what it was and we just did not want to pay, but eventually after about 4 or 5 hours, we spent all of our reals. While up in the city, we also tried to go to an internet café. After, we finally found one where the prices seemed reasonable we attempted to check mail. It ended up that the computers were very slow and I was the only one able to check just one e-mail account. It was a little ridiculous. Well after these long five days in Brazil, I was very happy to get back on the ship and to not have to walk so much anymore. That night when we were on the ship, we enjoyed watching a few students return late to the ship, which meant that they were going to get dock time in the next port. In addition, Alex, Sheryl (my roommate), and I went up to the 7th deck to watch the stairs that we had been using to get on and off the ship get pulled back up to the 7th deck where they reside at sea.
When I first entered Brazil, I was so scared to even get off the ship because we learned of all the horrors that we might face in Brazil. I am very thankful that nothing happened to me or any of my friends. I did hear some stories from others. One girl in the post port said that her and a few friends got held up by knives and all of their cameras and stuff were taken. I can’t even imagine that happening. Anyways I think that is enough information about Brazil, and hopefully since I am already in South Africa it won’t be too long until I post my next blog!
I love and miss you all!
Alissa
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Joanne's thoughts on Brazil
We are presently in the middle of the Ocean and as Cat Stevens put it “miles from not where, not a soul in sight…oh yeah.” This is a very long leg to our journey with eight days at sea and no land in sight. I am beginning to get that this is a very long adventure. Each stop feels like it should be the end to the adventure, but we get to do many more. Lucky us! I am determined to share some of my thoughts with you before we arrive in our next port of Cape Town, South Africa.
Brazil was amazing. It reminded me a bit of the feeling I had when we first arrived in Thailand several years ago. At first you are a bit taken a back and almost disturbed by the smells, the sights, the poverty and the disparities. For some reason Brazil previously to me conjured the image of Miami Beach or what the tourist pages had shown me of Rio. Our ship arrived in Salvador, which was the former capitol and it is also was the sight of the largest African slave trade. You quickly see the influence of Africa everywhere. I had to keep reminding myself that I was not after all in Africa. Bahia (Salvador) is very much of African decent. In contrast to the United States, the slave trade there was larger and lasted longer. In Brazil, tribes were allowed to remain intact; where as in the US we deliberately split up tribes and families so that they could not organize or protest. As a consequence many of the African traditions made their way in interesting ways into the Portuguese traditions of Brazil. One example of this was seen at in the Candomble religion. The Catholic’s thought that they were converting the slaves from their native pagan religion, but what the slaves did was to worship their gods as the Christian symbol. They have two names for Mary and Jesus and St. Joseph. One is the Christian name, but all along they are worshiping their gods. They managed in doing so to keep many of their costumes alive and to form a hybrid sort of religion which is recognized by the Catholic Church. Another very big thing here is a martial arts form of dance. It is called Capoerra. The slave owners thought that all that was occurring was dance, but what they were doing is training and conditioning themselves through acrobatic types of maneuvers. Now on every corner of every street you can see kids engaging in this form of activity. It is a mind body kind of exercise which today gives kids a sense of purpose, belonging and keeps them strong and fit. The purpose is to move as quickly as you can doing Karate types of moves without touching or harming the other person. There are drums and a string instrument played while this goes on. It really is literally everywhere. We saw an amazing group of professionals perform this for us our first night there and they literally moved so fast that it was a blur and they were within inches of each other with each and every move.
Bahia is a very crowded city, especially during Carnival. We were most often the only white faces in some very large crowds. We went out in groups two different nights and in two different directions to observe at first and then to dance in the streets with the kids and with the natives. We were warned of the high crime rate so we only went in large groups and remained very close together. We found the native crowd to be protective of us and genuinely affectionate. None of our group had any problems. Although we could not communicate with words, the thumbs up sign is somewhat universal and we were given that often as we danced and pretended we knew the words to the songs that the crowds were singing. The celebration is amazing. It is like Disneyland on Main Street during the electric light parade and fireworks, but it is on every street and every block in every nook and cranny. There are stages and musicians every few feet and floats blasting music. Some folks dress in elaborate traditional costumes, others dress in outrageous outfits, but ALL participate. This party goes on for days. Apparaently according to the Guinness book, this IS the largest party in the world. It is not an observation; it is full participation regardless of age, social status etc.
We did manage to get out of the city for some day trips and to visit some other small towns. There is evidence of the clear cutting of the Atlantic rain forest that can be seen even near Salvador. The Geologic features are many and very interesting. On day we went with the ships Geologist and also one from the local university and learned so much. We were able to observe two different locations of amazing tide pools. The tide changes very dramatically each day and allows for some of the finest tide pools that I had ever seen. We saw corals and tropical fish and all sorts of life in miles and miles of the tide pools. The beaches are fabulously scenic. The sand is a dark beige color and the water is very blue and warm. I am sure you will agree when you see photo’s how beautiful it is.
Shipboard life continues to keep us busy although not too busy to read emails so please keep them coming or start for those of you that have not sent any. We love getting mail and miss our family and friends. This week Kevin gave a talk to the entire shipboard community in our Global Studies class on the Aids crisis in Africa focusing on the role that the government of South Africa had played, more specifically in denying that the HIV virus caused AIDS and then denying their citizens treatment for a very long time and long after we knew the drugs to be effective. He pointed out the importance of individual, community and global activism in forcing change which ultimately led to a shift their governments’ policies to allow for treatment. However, much of this shift is only very recent and in the meantime the disease continued to spread allowing many to die needlessly. South Africa continues to be the country in the world with the highest numbers of HIV infected residents. It was a very powerful talk and well received by the community. I know that Kevin is happy to have this behind him. He worked very hard on preparations for it. This week was also Neptune Day celebrations which I am sure Chris will share more about. Basically it is a long standing sailing tradition that you do when you pass over the equator to pay homage to the god Neptune. Part of the festivities have included some folks shaving their heads to give homage to the god Neptune. It is kind of like an initiation for those of us that have never passed across the equator in a boat. We are known as “pollywogs” and those that have crossed are know as “shellbacks (Kevin)” and they get to plan the festivities and the initiation. It was a very fun day. We had no classes. Yehah and we also had a big California style BBQ with all the trimmings. It happened to also be one of the best days we had thus far while at sea. Clear, warm, still, flat sea's and low humidity…A combo rarely seen. I tell you this by way of introduction to the next of the weeks activities. At noon the day after the event they announced that for the next twenty four hours we were going to have an Apartheid exercise. All those with shaved heads would be the privileged group (clearly a very small number). They would be given special privileges and those of us with hair would lose ours. No pool deck, no snack bar, no eating in one of the two dining rooms, no faculty lounge etc. They put up signs saying only shaved head allowed and only shaved heads lines for services etc. You get the picture. The lines for food became very long. Folks started to grumble. It was interesting to watch it. Interesting to me how all of the sudden the shaved head folks really started to enjoy the power and taunt those without it. You begin to understand that power mentality. Some kids actually shaved their head to fit in with the privileged ones. I joined a group of folks that did a non-violent protest at dinner and blocked the entrance to the cafeteria. We made signs that said “hair is beautiful” and “restore our rights” etc. It was a game and simple, but really stimulated some amazing conversations as we sat there imagining what this would be like in real life and what we might or might not do. The simulation experiment ended with the most inspiring of speeches given by the Archbishop himself on Truth and Reconciliation. I am flabbergasted at what he was part of in this commission and what he must have seen, felt and heard. Their rules were simple, to receive amnesty, you needed to tell the truth about the crimes you had committed and then ask forgiveness. You had to face those that you had harmed. I could not imagine how I could possibly ever have the courage to face the person who had killed my child, husband, parent or community and to hear the gruesome details and at times even see live footage of these tortures and then grant their forgiveness and let that person or people walk free. I just did not understand how it could be until I heard him speak. He spoke of the options at hand and how the world expected South Africa to be a blood bath after the end of the oppressive white rule. It was their belief that people could not heal without this forgiveness. He said in South Africa community is more important than individuality and that black and white is all part of that community along with victim and perpetrator. He went on to say that we are all a part of a whole. That God wants us to be a family, all of us and that if they did not forgive and seek to heal, they would be harming themselves even more. He said over and over he was amazed at the effect this process had on people. How in finally hearing all that had been done, they were relieved and better able to move on. If you have not seen it and can get a hold of it, there is a documentary about this commission and it is called “Long Dark Nights Journey into Day.” I watched parts of it and wept and was utterly amazed by peoples capacity to rise above such pain and bring their better selves for the good of humanity. I can not give the right words to what this taught me, but I recommend that if you do not know much about this time in South Africa that you take the time to learn. It is an amazing part of our collective history. The Archbishop actually took time to give a very warm, heart felt thank to all of us in the room for our part in “breaking their shackles and opening the prison doors.” He spoke of the protests and the activist and the financial sanctions that occurred to help them win in their struggle. He has this way of making each person feel so important and never letting any of this be about himself. I am sure that you will hear more from all of us for years to come about what he has taught us.
Switching gears from oppression to privilege. Our social life continues to flourish. We were invited to two very nice sea socials (parties) this week and to a formal Captains dinner for a select few. This voyage is as I have said before, far from a luxury cruise. Food is acceptable but not exceptional…except for that night. We received a formal invitation. There were about twenty of us invited. It was first rate. The food was five star. Kevin and I were placed at the table with the associate captain, Kosta. We spoke a great deal about Greece, life at sea etc. It was a very special night. I did manage to change out of my college clothes to grown up dress clothes. Kevin wore a suit and tie. It has been a long time since we had been so groomed.
The boys remain as busy as their parents. Chris is on the Ambassadors club and he is as always very social. Alex is on the year book committee and having a ball. He works to the wee hours of the morning on year book stuff. He has learned much about photographing and is looking forward to using my camera while on Safari. Tonight we are getting together with them, our adopted family of six other kids, our neighbors and their adopted kids for a game night of sorts. It should be fun. We have much planned to do in Cape Town including spending the weekend with a South African couple who we met last year while on safari, a three day biking and wine tasting tour, Trips to table mountain and Robin Island, and a visit to an HIV center and the township with Kevin’s student. The boys will visit Kruger National park on a safari. Tune in again in a week or so for my impressions. I think you may need to send me some new superlative words to use. At this rate of amazement, I am running out.
Kevin and I both send you our love a good wishes. We love the fact that this blog is being followed from so far, including Botswana, China, New York, Florida, Tennessee and Ohio just to name a few. We enjoy your emails and your comments so please chime in any time if you have anything to add.
Brazil was amazing. It reminded me a bit of the feeling I had when we first arrived in Thailand several years ago. At first you are a bit taken a back and almost disturbed by the smells, the sights, the poverty and the disparities. For some reason Brazil previously to me conjured the image of Miami Beach or what the tourist pages had shown me of Rio. Our ship arrived in Salvador, which was the former capitol and it is also was the sight of the largest African slave trade. You quickly see the influence of Africa everywhere. I had to keep reminding myself that I was not after all in Africa. Bahia (Salvador) is very much of African decent. In contrast to the United States, the slave trade there was larger and lasted longer. In Brazil, tribes were allowed to remain intact; where as in the US we deliberately split up tribes and families so that they could not organize or protest. As a consequence many of the African traditions made their way in interesting ways into the Portuguese traditions of Brazil. One example of this was seen at in the Candomble religion. The Catholic’s thought that they were converting the slaves from their native pagan religion, but what the slaves did was to worship their gods as the Christian symbol. They have two names for Mary and Jesus and St. Joseph. One is the Christian name, but all along they are worshiping their gods. They managed in doing so to keep many of their costumes alive and to form a hybrid sort of religion which is recognized by the Catholic Church. Another very big thing here is a martial arts form of dance. It is called Capoerra. The slave owners thought that all that was occurring was dance, but what they were doing is training and conditioning themselves through acrobatic types of maneuvers. Now on every corner of every street you can see kids engaging in this form of activity. It is a mind body kind of exercise which today gives kids a sense of purpose, belonging and keeps them strong and fit. The purpose is to move as quickly as you can doing Karate types of moves without touching or harming the other person. There are drums and a string instrument played while this goes on. It really is literally everywhere. We saw an amazing group of professionals perform this for us our first night there and they literally moved so fast that it was a blur and they were within inches of each other with each and every move.
Bahia is a very crowded city, especially during Carnival. We were most often the only white faces in some very large crowds. We went out in groups two different nights and in two different directions to observe at first and then to dance in the streets with the kids and with the natives. We were warned of the high crime rate so we only went in large groups and remained very close together. We found the native crowd to be protective of us and genuinely affectionate. None of our group had any problems. Although we could not communicate with words, the thumbs up sign is somewhat universal and we were given that often as we danced and pretended we knew the words to the songs that the crowds were singing. The celebration is amazing. It is like Disneyland on Main Street during the electric light parade and fireworks, but it is on every street and every block in every nook and cranny. There are stages and musicians every few feet and floats blasting music. Some folks dress in elaborate traditional costumes, others dress in outrageous outfits, but ALL participate. This party goes on for days. Apparaently according to the Guinness book, this IS the largest party in the world. It is not an observation; it is full participation regardless of age, social status etc.
We did manage to get out of the city for some day trips and to visit some other small towns. There is evidence of the clear cutting of the Atlantic rain forest that can be seen even near Salvador. The Geologic features are many and very interesting. On day we went with the ships Geologist and also one from the local university and learned so much. We were able to observe two different locations of amazing tide pools. The tide changes very dramatically each day and allows for some of the finest tide pools that I had ever seen. We saw corals and tropical fish and all sorts of life in miles and miles of the tide pools. The beaches are fabulously scenic. The sand is a dark beige color and the water is very blue and warm. I am sure you will agree when you see photo’s how beautiful it is.
Shipboard life continues to keep us busy although not too busy to read emails so please keep them coming or start for those of you that have not sent any. We love getting mail and miss our family and friends. This week Kevin gave a talk to the entire shipboard community in our Global Studies class on the Aids crisis in Africa focusing on the role that the government of South Africa had played, more specifically in denying that the HIV virus caused AIDS and then denying their citizens treatment for a very long time and long after we knew the drugs to be effective. He pointed out the importance of individual, community and global activism in forcing change which ultimately led to a shift their governments’ policies to allow for treatment. However, much of this shift is only very recent and in the meantime the disease continued to spread allowing many to die needlessly. South Africa continues to be the country in the world with the highest numbers of HIV infected residents. It was a very powerful talk and well received by the community. I know that Kevin is happy to have this behind him. He worked very hard on preparations for it. This week was also Neptune Day celebrations which I am sure Chris will share more about. Basically it is a long standing sailing tradition that you do when you pass over the equator to pay homage to the god Neptune. Part of the festivities have included some folks shaving their heads to give homage to the god Neptune. It is kind of like an initiation for those of us that have never passed across the equator in a boat. We are known as “pollywogs” and those that have crossed are know as “shellbacks (Kevin)” and they get to plan the festivities and the initiation. It was a very fun day. We had no classes. Yehah and we also had a big California style BBQ with all the trimmings. It happened to also be one of the best days we had thus far while at sea. Clear, warm, still, flat sea's and low humidity…A combo rarely seen. I tell you this by way of introduction to the next of the weeks activities. At noon the day after the event they announced that for the next twenty four hours we were going to have an Apartheid exercise. All those with shaved heads would be the privileged group (clearly a very small number). They would be given special privileges and those of us with hair would lose ours. No pool deck, no snack bar, no eating in one of the two dining rooms, no faculty lounge etc. They put up signs saying only shaved head allowed and only shaved heads lines for services etc. You get the picture. The lines for food became very long. Folks started to grumble. It was interesting to watch it. Interesting to me how all of the sudden the shaved head folks really started to enjoy the power and taunt those without it. You begin to understand that power mentality. Some kids actually shaved their head to fit in with the privileged ones. I joined a group of folks that did a non-violent protest at dinner and blocked the entrance to the cafeteria. We made signs that said “hair is beautiful” and “restore our rights” etc. It was a game and simple, but really stimulated some amazing conversations as we sat there imagining what this would be like in real life and what we might or might not do. The simulation experiment ended with the most inspiring of speeches given by the Archbishop himself on Truth and Reconciliation. I am flabbergasted at what he was part of in this commission and what he must have seen, felt and heard. Their rules were simple, to receive amnesty, you needed to tell the truth about the crimes you had committed and then ask forgiveness. You had to face those that you had harmed. I could not imagine how I could possibly ever have the courage to face the person who had killed my child, husband, parent or community and to hear the gruesome details and at times even see live footage of these tortures and then grant their forgiveness and let that person or people walk free. I just did not understand how it could be until I heard him speak. He spoke of the options at hand and how the world expected South Africa to be a blood bath after the end of the oppressive white rule. It was their belief that people could not heal without this forgiveness. He said in South Africa community is more important than individuality and that black and white is all part of that community along with victim and perpetrator. He went on to say that we are all a part of a whole. That God wants us to be a family, all of us and that if they did not forgive and seek to heal, they would be harming themselves even more. He said over and over he was amazed at the effect this process had on people. How in finally hearing all that had been done, they were relieved and better able to move on. If you have not seen it and can get a hold of it, there is a documentary about this commission and it is called “Long Dark Nights Journey into Day.” I watched parts of it and wept and was utterly amazed by peoples capacity to rise above such pain and bring their better selves for the good of humanity. I can not give the right words to what this taught me, but I recommend that if you do not know much about this time in South Africa that you take the time to learn. It is an amazing part of our collective history. The Archbishop actually took time to give a very warm, heart felt thank to all of us in the room for our part in “breaking their shackles and opening the prison doors.” He spoke of the protests and the activist and the financial sanctions that occurred to help them win in their struggle. He has this way of making each person feel so important and never letting any of this be about himself. I am sure that you will hear more from all of us for years to come about what he has taught us.
Switching gears from oppression to privilege. Our social life continues to flourish. We were invited to two very nice sea socials (parties) this week and to a formal Captains dinner for a select few. This voyage is as I have said before, far from a luxury cruise. Food is acceptable but not exceptional…except for that night. We received a formal invitation. There were about twenty of us invited. It was first rate. The food was five star. Kevin and I were placed at the table with the associate captain, Kosta. We spoke a great deal about Greece, life at sea etc. It was a very special night. I did manage to change out of my college clothes to grown up dress clothes. Kevin wore a suit and tie. It has been a long time since we had been so groomed.
The boys remain as busy as their parents. Chris is on the Ambassadors club and he is as always very social. Alex is on the year book committee and having a ball. He works to the wee hours of the morning on year book stuff. He has learned much about photographing and is looking forward to using my camera while on Safari. Tonight we are getting together with them, our adopted family of six other kids, our neighbors and their adopted kids for a game night of sorts. It should be fun. We have much planned to do in Cape Town including spending the weekend with a South African couple who we met last year while on safari, a three day biking and wine tasting tour, Trips to table mountain and Robin Island, and a visit to an HIV center and the township with Kevin’s student. The boys will visit Kruger National park on a safari. Tune in again in a week or so for my impressions. I think you may need to send me some new superlative words to use. At this rate of amazement, I am running out.
Kevin and I both send you our love a good wishes. We love the fact that this blog is being followed from so far, including Botswana, China, New York, Florida, Tennessee and Ohio just to name a few. We enjoy your emails and your comments so please chime in any time if you have anything to add.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Brazil Part 1
First, highlights about the past few days at sea.
Alex’s birthday was on the 12th of February. He was honored to have dinner with Gary and Diana Whitney, Jay (our new bud), Joanne and Kevin, Alissa, Me, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It was really an amazing dinner and one that both he and I will never forget. We then followed dinner with the largest ice cream cake that I’ve ever had. Every one of us took a large slice, but Archbishop Tutu ate the largest. It was crazy to be in his presence because I did not know what was appropriate for dinner conversation. He is such a kind man who appreciates every person on the ship, student, faculty, staff and crew alike.
As we left Puerto Rico we had the great idea to make masks for Carnival. With the aid of Diana, we gathered the necessary supplies: newspaper, white paper, flour, water, paints and other decorative supplies. Our first thought was that this would be a fun thing that would take a few hours and would turn out ok. But Diana, AKA Martha Stewart, had a different idea. Thus began the regiment of sleep, eat, school, mask-making, repeat. The first day we built the foundation. The next we added some forms to the foundation. The third day we added a white outer layer. Then we added paint the following afternoon. On the day before we arrived in Salvador, we added the following touches that helped to compete the look. It was a bit of work, but the final product was actually pretty good.
Other than that, it was business as usual. We had classes for a week straight (7 days), culminating in our first test. The classes have been a bit more difficult than I was expecting. It seems that the University of Virginia has decided to add a bit of work to the course load and the professors have definitely complied.
Now the fun part, BRAZIL.
We arrived in Brazil on Saturday at 7 in the morning. We decided to get up early to see the arrival, but did not get to see much more than the tug boats pushing us in. After clearing customs and sitting through a diplomatic briefing, Alex, Kevin, Joanne and I headed toward old town Bahìa. We had been warned thoroughly about the theft and dangers of Brazil, but Bahìa was actually quite nice and relatively safe. Brazil is a lot different than I had imagined. It is a lot more of a third world than one would expect of a country with a top ten GDP. The buildings are all run down and the streets seem to be falling apart. However, the highlight of the city is the people. Everyone is quite friendly and understanding, even when the language barrier is quite thick (which it usually was). Joanne, Kevin and I went on a SAS Field Program to the Mercado Modelo. I had to do a brief observation of familial relationships for my Anthropology class. We bought a few souvenirs and headed back to the ship for dinner. After dinner, our neighbor invited us to go to Carnival with her. Against all intelligent thoughts, Jay and I decided to go, and so we set out with five other students toward the crazy Carnival circuit. After sitting in traffic for about an hour we arrived to a sea of people. It was about a half mile trek to the actual parade route. There were people everywhere. We walked along the parade route for a little while and wound up stopping in front of the temporary military police station. After a few of the Blocos (large grouping consisting of a music float followed by another float for dancers with dancers on all sides) went by we saw a patch of sidewalk that was empty and went there. We danced for quite some time, just enjoying the music and the crazy atmosphere. We also met a kid named Lucas and his father, who were both in the Bloco Villanueva (which performed at the other circuit). They showed us the way to dance to the various songs. Lucas was quite an amazing dancer and a great joy to be around, always giving high fives and smiles. When we finally were ready to leave I decided that I needed to give him something, and the only thing I had was my Dodgers hat. Hey Ty, I am proud to say that there is now one more Dodgers fan in the world. The entire evening was a blast and I am really glad I decided to look past my inner discretion.
On Sunday morning we did not have any big plans. We decided to check out old town again. We walked around and did some more shopping. After dinner back on the ship, we got ready for our Traditional Carnival field excursion. Unfortunately, we did not get to use our masks because it was raining a little, and the masks would’ve disintegrated. But we still took some pictures of our full costumes. The traditional carnival was a bit calmer than the previous night’s festivities, but it was equally as much fun. We walked through old Bahìa to a restaurant that we used as our launch pad. We walked around and danced to the various bands marching through the streets. The night was quite enjoyable and unbelievable. This was the part of town aimed more towards families, but it was a lot more of a party than any fraternity in the states can throw.
The next morning I woke up at 8 to head on the Marine Turtle Project (Project TAMAR). Alex, Alissa, Joanne, Kevin and I all were on the trip. The first stop was at a mangrove forest near a beach. It was very beautiful and we got to see some local wildlife and plant life. After that we headed to a castle. This castle was built in the 16th century and was home to the wealthiest landowner in Brazil. He owned over 800,000 square kilometers, larger than the state of Bahìa. We then headed to the Marine Turtle Project at Praia do Forte. It was their fund raising sight, and left a bit to be desired. It was too touristy and hardly what I expected. The turtles were quite beautiful though, and we even got to see some three day old turtles. We had a nice buffet lunch (at 330) and had time to roam the local village for a little while. It was a cute town but it was clearly built to rein in the tourist dollars. Upon returning to the ship, we (Joanne, Kevin, Jay and I) decided to go to a Brazilian steak house, Boi Preto (Black Bull). The food was absolutely amazing and the atmosphere was full of energy and life. The food is served with large swords through the various meats. They bring the meat around until you change the sign at your table to “no meat”. Additionally, we had some of the most amazing desserts that I have ever had. All in all it was a bit more expensive than a usual meal, but it was worth every penny.
This is it for now, but the second half of Brazil is equally as enjoyable as the first. Check back in a couple days.
Alex’s birthday was on the 12th of February. He was honored to have dinner with Gary and Diana Whitney, Jay (our new bud), Joanne and Kevin, Alissa, Me, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It was really an amazing dinner and one that both he and I will never forget. We then followed dinner with the largest ice cream cake that I’ve ever had. Every one of us took a large slice, but Archbishop Tutu ate the largest. It was crazy to be in his presence because I did not know what was appropriate for dinner conversation. He is such a kind man who appreciates every person on the ship, student, faculty, staff and crew alike.
As we left Puerto Rico we had the great idea to make masks for Carnival. With the aid of Diana, we gathered the necessary supplies: newspaper, white paper, flour, water, paints and other decorative supplies. Our first thought was that this would be a fun thing that would take a few hours and would turn out ok. But Diana, AKA Martha Stewart, had a different idea. Thus began the regiment of sleep, eat, school, mask-making, repeat. The first day we built the foundation. The next we added some forms to the foundation. The third day we added a white outer layer. Then we added paint the following afternoon. On the day before we arrived in Salvador, we added the following touches that helped to compete the look. It was a bit of work, but the final product was actually pretty good.
Other than that, it was business as usual. We had classes for a week straight (7 days), culminating in our first test. The classes have been a bit more difficult than I was expecting. It seems that the University of Virginia has decided to add a bit of work to the course load and the professors have definitely complied.
Now the fun part, BRAZIL.
We arrived in Brazil on Saturday at 7 in the morning. We decided to get up early to see the arrival, but did not get to see much more than the tug boats pushing us in. After clearing customs and sitting through a diplomatic briefing, Alex, Kevin, Joanne and I headed toward old town Bahìa. We had been warned thoroughly about the theft and dangers of Brazil, but Bahìa was actually quite nice and relatively safe. Brazil is a lot different than I had imagined. It is a lot more of a third world than one would expect of a country with a top ten GDP. The buildings are all run down and the streets seem to be falling apart. However, the highlight of the city is the people. Everyone is quite friendly and understanding, even when the language barrier is quite thick (which it usually was). Joanne, Kevin and I went on a SAS Field Program to the Mercado Modelo. I had to do a brief observation of familial relationships for my Anthropology class. We bought a few souvenirs and headed back to the ship for dinner. After dinner, our neighbor invited us to go to Carnival with her. Against all intelligent thoughts, Jay and I decided to go, and so we set out with five other students toward the crazy Carnival circuit. After sitting in traffic for about an hour we arrived to a sea of people. It was about a half mile trek to the actual parade route. There were people everywhere. We walked along the parade route for a little while and wound up stopping in front of the temporary military police station. After a few of the Blocos (large grouping consisting of a music float followed by another float for dancers with dancers on all sides) went by we saw a patch of sidewalk that was empty and went there. We danced for quite some time, just enjoying the music and the crazy atmosphere. We also met a kid named Lucas and his father, who were both in the Bloco Villanueva (which performed at the other circuit). They showed us the way to dance to the various songs. Lucas was quite an amazing dancer and a great joy to be around, always giving high fives and smiles. When we finally were ready to leave I decided that I needed to give him something, and the only thing I had was my Dodgers hat. Hey Ty, I am proud to say that there is now one more Dodgers fan in the world. The entire evening was a blast and I am really glad I decided to look past my inner discretion.
On Sunday morning we did not have any big plans. We decided to check out old town again. We walked around and did some more shopping. After dinner back on the ship, we got ready for our Traditional Carnival field excursion. Unfortunately, we did not get to use our masks because it was raining a little, and the masks would’ve disintegrated. But we still took some pictures of our full costumes. The traditional carnival was a bit calmer than the previous night’s festivities, but it was equally as much fun. We walked through old Bahìa to a restaurant that we used as our launch pad. We walked around and danced to the various bands marching through the streets. The night was quite enjoyable and unbelievable. This was the part of town aimed more towards families, but it was a lot more of a party than any fraternity in the states can throw.
The next morning I woke up at 8 to head on the Marine Turtle Project (Project TAMAR). Alex, Alissa, Joanne, Kevin and I all were on the trip. The first stop was at a mangrove forest near a beach. It was very beautiful and we got to see some local wildlife and plant life. After that we headed to a castle. This castle was built in the 16th century and was home to the wealthiest landowner in Brazil. He owned over 800,000 square kilometers, larger than the state of Bahìa. We then headed to the Marine Turtle Project at Praia do Forte. It was their fund raising sight, and left a bit to be desired. It was too touristy and hardly what I expected. The turtles were quite beautiful though, and we even got to see some three day old turtles. We had a nice buffet lunch (at 330) and had time to roam the local village for a little while. It was a cute town but it was clearly built to rein in the tourist dollars. Upon returning to the ship, we (Joanne, Kevin, Jay and I) decided to go to a Brazilian steak house, Boi Preto (Black Bull). The food was absolutely amazing and the atmosphere was full of energy and life. The food is served with large swords through the various meats. They bring the meat around until you change the sign at your table to “no meat”. Additionally, we had some of the most amazing desserts that I have ever had. All in all it was a bit more expensive than a usual meal, but it was worth every penny.
This is it for now, but the second half of Brazil is equally as enjoyable as the first. Check back in a couple days.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Puerto Rico
The first day of classes began on February 6. I had Global Studies, Field Research Methods (an anthropology class focusing on the ways in which anthropological data is gathered and pros and cons with these methods), and Human Impact on Marine Environments (a marine biology course). After classes and dinner we had a pre-country orientation for Puerto Rico.
Upon arrival to Puerto Rico, we were welcomed to the island by its highest ranking official, Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. He spoke of facts about Puerto Rico, the need for quality education to lead Puerto Rico into the future, the role of Puerto Rico as a nation under the flag of The United States. He is a very eloquent man, who spoke very convincingly. After passing through US customs, Alex, Alissa and I decided to hit the streets. We walked along San Juan for a little while, eventually ending up at a beautiful beach. We walked back to the ship to prepare for our planned hike through El Yunque Rainforest. El Yunque is the only rainforest in the US National Parks service and is home to thousands of trees, ferns, moss, Boa Constrictors and the most endangered bird in the world, the Puerto Rican Parrot (of which there are only 50 in the world). We (Joanne, Kevin and I and separately Alex and Alissa) hiked a one and a half mile trail through the rainforest, stopping to look at local wildlife and vegetation and a beautiful waterfall.
After returning from our visit to El Yunque, we (Alex, Alissa and I) got ready to go to a welcome reception. We met up with Jay and headed out to Caribbean University where we were greeted with traditional Puerto Rican drumming, costumes and all of the students of Caribbean University. Joanne and Kevin were experiencing “land sickness” and were having trouble getting acclimated to NOT moving and chose to stay in, We (SAS students) then paraded to their auditorium where we were given a proclamation from the mayor of Bayamon by one of the most famous Actresses in Puerto Rico. After feeling that this couldn’t get any better, we headed outdoors for a great Puerto Rican fiesta, complete with traditional and modern dancing, appetizers and drinks. The students of Caribbean University gave a presentation of the dances of Puerto Rico. Then the dance floor was open and everyone participated in dancing to the Salsa, Bomba and Reggaeton. Alex and I also purchased some souvenirs made by some locals. After the fiesta was over we were all given bags with shirts, pens and other souvenirs from the Caribbean University. This was a great experience and some of the most fun I have ever had dancing.
The following morning we woke up and went to old San Juan. We visited an internet café, but found that we needed Alex’s laptop to upload the pictures properly. After an hour or so we headed back to the ship. We then had lunch and met our parents, and headed to rent a car for the day. While they were renting the car, we were busy uploading our pictures from Florida and The Bahamas. Our first stop with the rental was big Kmart. We have meals that provide enough food for the day, but I am a person who eats consistently throughout the day and I didn’t notice how much I rely on snacks to keep me going. We picked up chips, dip, sodas, and everything that stereotypical white gringos need. After that we headed to Luquillo Beach. It is one of the top ten beaches of the world; unfortunately it does not exactly have very good signage. We got a bit lost and had to turn around, finally pulling off the highway behind some bars and found a beautiful beach. As we walked along the beach, some figures came into focus. It was my parents’ happy hour buddies, Gary (professor of economics onboard) and his wife Diana, who had been there for only 5 minutes. Just by chance we ran into them and even parked next to them.
After saying goodbye, we headed toward a bioluminescent bay where we were planning to kayak. First we stopped for some appetizers, then another stop for some more hearty food and drinks. We then went to our meeting place where we met Joey, our guide for the kayaking trip. We started in a normal bay and then went through some narrow passages lined with mangrove trees with iguanas in them. A few minutes after entering the mangrove passage our paddles began to glow a dim green. As we got further and further they grew to glow bright green. I was in the front kayak and got to see some fish swimming through the water, lighting up their trail. The bioluminescence is created when the single celled organisms, dinoflagellates, feel attacked and create a chemical reaction that glows. After reaching the bay we were given the opportunity to swim in the glowing water. It was absolutely amazing and probably the most astounded that I have ever seen my father. We ran into many other groups, mostly SAS students, including one of Alex’s Chapman buddies and Kelly Monroe. We returned to our car and headed back to the ship after our day of exhaustion.
The next day we woke up and decided to return to the internet café with Alex’s laptop to upload the pictures from Puerto Rico before having to return the car. After returning Alex’s laptop to the ship and consulting with Jay about a meeting place we headed back to Old San Juan. Jay was our tour guide for the day showing us the beautiful city with its blue cobblestone streets and colorful old buildings. We hiked up to El Morro, a 450 year old fort that was the site of the Spanish-American War and an amazing site to see. We bought some souvenirs and then headed to dinner with Joanne, Kevin, Gary and Diana. After that we headed back to the ship and watched as the people who arrived late to the ship got hours of dock time (time on ship when in port).
*Things I’ve Learned In Puerto Rico:
*Puerto Ricans are amazing, friendly people.
*Stop signs and street lights are really more of a suggestion.
*It is better to avoid a pothole than a car.
*Driving the wrong way in a bus lane is not a smart idea, and can get you a personal police escort.
*Police officers are nice to the gringos.
*Half of the island’s population is police officers, and they drive around with their lights on at all times.
*Everything in Puerto Rico is fried: bananas, chicken, pork chops, fish, lamb, etc.
*School attendance is more of a suggestion as well.
*That glowing of your skin is actually natural.
*There are a ton of churches, and most of them sell chicken.
*All Puerto Ricans know how to dance.
We will add some pictures of our San Juan visit when we reach Brazil. Until then I will probably not write of our shipboard adventures as it mostly includes class and reading, but I will most definitely keep everyone up to date on the happenings of Brazil.
Hey everyone,
Now for another traveler’s impression of the voyage so far. Sorry I have yet to write anything, but Chris has been doing a great job of capturing the main points of the journey. Well as you know, we left The Bahamas on the 4th and from there we headed to sea. This sea experience has not been one of my favorites as the boat rocks almost continuously and I tend to get seasick. On a more positive note, classes seem like they are going to be great. I am taking Mysticism and Religious Experience (studying about the several religions and what they strive for), Intercultural Communication (self-explanatory), and Sustainable Communities (a course about how to build communities that are good for the environment). Once I arrived on the ship, I decided not to add a fifth class to my schedule, in order to fully enjoy all of the various activities that the ship and countries have to offer.
The first port we arrived in on Wednesday, Feb. 7th, was Puerto Rico. This Island was amazing and with its unique culture and different language it is hard to believe that it is actually a part of the U.S.. I even got to use a little bit of my Spanish that I have learned over the years. In this port, I became very adventuresome, from hiking through a rainforest to kayaking and swimming with bioluminescent organisms in a pitch-black bay. For most of you who know me, you will realize that this is a stretch for me as I am usually scared of getting into water that contains any fish or other species. I am so happy that I have partaken in activities that are out of my comfort zone because now knowing that I survived I am more willing to undertake in similar adventures in the remainder of the countries.
Now back to being on the ship. My roommate’s name is Cheryl and she is so nice. She is my best roommate so far in college. She is from San Diego so hopefully after the voyage is over we can remain friends and see each other once in a while. An interesting part about being on the ship is continuously changing times. As of now, we have already jumped ahead 1 hour from EST, and tonight we get to do it again. This time change makes it a little more difficult for getting up for my 8am class. The last thing that has been a little tricky is using army time rather than the normal 12 hour am/pm schedule. Well I think this is enough for me today, as the ship is rocking and my stomach is churning. I will post again probably after Brazil, but I hope this has given you a glimpse into my life on Semester at Sea.
Miss you all,
Alissa
Now for things learned from a “grown up” perspective:
*This is not a leisurely paced “cruise.”
*How much work it is to keep up with the reading for only nine units, even when it is not for credit or a grade.
*Teaching three classes seven days a week IS as much work as Kevin thought it would be.
*Kevin and Alex have similar looks on their faces when overwhelmed.
*The ship is big enough that I can go a full day and not see the boys or Alissa.
*A great deal about Illness, Injury and Prevention Programs as well as Return to Work and *Modified Work Programs…yes I really am doing work.. Deliverable number one will be on schedule.
*The countries of North America, Central America, The Caribbean and South America…(Yeah!)
*The Atlantic Ocean is rougher than the Caribbean…hint when the barf bags started appearing in strategic locations.
*Part of the Arch’s effectiveness must have come from his ability to totally disarm you when in his presence with his humble, gentle and genuine manner.
*Losing an hour a day is painful.
*I have cellular reception when Barbados is in view.
*How great it is to eat three meals a day out doors while staring at the Ocean
*How nice it is to have three meals a day prepared for you.
*How nice it is to have your laundry done regularly.
*How nice it is to have your room cleaned twice a day with to have fresh ice for happy hour.
*How in need of money these workers must be to leave their homes and their families for months on end to work at least twelve hour days seven days per week.
*How little I knew about the word and how much I am capable of learning.
*Kevin is more sensitive to rough seas than I am…poor him and lucky me.
THe "Arrch" knows how to dance
*Over and over and over again, how lucky I was to have the good fortune to be born into my world, to be white and to live in a temperate climate.
More from all of us in a few days. We should cross the equator tonight. Joa
Upon arrival to Puerto Rico, we were welcomed to the island by its highest ranking official, Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. He spoke of facts about Puerto Rico, the need for quality education to lead Puerto Rico into the future, the role of Puerto Rico as a nation under the flag of The United States. He is a very eloquent man, who spoke very convincingly. After passing through US customs, Alex, Alissa and I decided to hit the streets. We walked along San Juan for a little while, eventually ending up at a beautiful beach. We walked back to the ship to prepare for our planned hike through El Yunque Rainforest. El Yunque is the only rainforest in the US National Parks service and is home to thousands of trees, ferns, moss, Boa Constrictors and the most endangered bird in the world, the Puerto Rican Parrot (of which there are only 50 in the world). We (Joanne, Kevin and I and separately Alex and Alissa) hiked a one and a half mile trail through the rainforest, stopping to look at local wildlife and vegetation and a beautiful waterfall.
After returning from our visit to El Yunque, we (Alex, Alissa and I) got ready to go to a welcome reception. We met up with Jay and headed out to Caribbean University where we were greeted with traditional Puerto Rican drumming, costumes and all of the students of Caribbean University. Joanne and Kevin were experiencing “land sickness” and were having trouble getting acclimated to NOT moving and chose to stay in, We (SAS students) then paraded to their auditorium where we were given a proclamation from the mayor of Bayamon by one of the most famous Actresses in Puerto Rico. After feeling that this couldn’t get any better, we headed outdoors for a great Puerto Rican fiesta, complete with traditional and modern dancing, appetizers and drinks. The students of Caribbean University gave a presentation of the dances of Puerto Rico. Then the dance floor was open and everyone participated in dancing to the Salsa, Bomba and Reggaeton. Alex and I also purchased some souvenirs made by some locals. After the fiesta was over we were all given bags with shirts, pens and other souvenirs from the Caribbean University. This was a great experience and some of the most fun I have ever had dancing.
The following morning we woke up and went to old San Juan. We visited an internet café, but found that we needed Alex’s laptop to upload the pictures properly. After an hour or so we headed back to the ship. We then had lunch and met our parents, and headed to rent a car for the day. While they were renting the car, we were busy uploading our pictures from Florida and The Bahamas. Our first stop with the rental was big Kmart. We have meals that provide enough food for the day, but I am a person who eats consistently throughout the day and I didn’t notice how much I rely on snacks to keep me going. We picked up chips, dip, sodas, and everything that stereotypical white gringos need. After that we headed to Luquillo Beach. It is one of the top ten beaches of the world; unfortunately it does not exactly have very good signage. We got a bit lost and had to turn around, finally pulling off the highway behind some bars and found a beautiful beach. As we walked along the beach, some figures came into focus. It was my parents’ happy hour buddies, Gary (professor of economics onboard) and his wife Diana, who had been there for only 5 minutes. Just by chance we ran into them and even parked next to them.
After saying goodbye, we headed toward a bioluminescent bay where we were planning to kayak. First we stopped for some appetizers, then another stop for some more hearty food and drinks. We then went to our meeting place where we met Joey, our guide for the kayaking trip. We started in a normal bay and then went through some narrow passages lined with mangrove trees with iguanas in them. A few minutes after entering the mangrove passage our paddles began to glow a dim green. As we got further and further they grew to glow bright green. I was in the front kayak and got to see some fish swimming through the water, lighting up their trail. The bioluminescence is created when the single celled organisms, dinoflagellates, feel attacked and create a chemical reaction that glows. After reaching the bay we were given the opportunity to swim in the glowing water. It was absolutely amazing and probably the most astounded that I have ever seen my father. We ran into many other groups, mostly SAS students, including one of Alex’s Chapman buddies and Kelly Monroe. We returned to our car and headed back to the ship after our day of exhaustion.
The next day we woke up and decided to return to the internet café with Alex’s laptop to upload the pictures from Puerto Rico before having to return the car. After returning Alex’s laptop to the ship and consulting with Jay about a meeting place we headed back to Old San Juan. Jay was our tour guide for the day showing us the beautiful city with its blue cobblestone streets and colorful old buildings. We hiked up to El Morro, a 450 year old fort that was the site of the Spanish-American War and an amazing site to see. We bought some souvenirs and then headed to dinner with Joanne, Kevin, Gary and Diana. After that we headed back to the ship and watched as the people who arrived late to the ship got hours of dock time (time on ship when in port).
*Things I’ve Learned In Puerto Rico:
*Puerto Ricans are amazing, friendly people.
*Stop signs and street lights are really more of a suggestion.
*It is better to avoid a pothole than a car.
*Driving the wrong way in a bus lane is not a smart idea, and can get you a personal police escort.
*Police officers are nice to the gringos.
*Half of the island’s population is police officers, and they drive around with their lights on at all times.
*Everything in Puerto Rico is fried: bananas, chicken, pork chops, fish, lamb, etc.
*School attendance is more of a suggestion as well.
*That glowing of your skin is actually natural.
*There are a ton of churches, and most of them sell chicken.
*All Puerto Ricans know how to dance.
We will add some pictures of our San Juan visit when we reach Brazil. Until then I will probably not write of our shipboard adventures as it mostly includes class and reading, but I will most definitely keep everyone up to date on the happenings of Brazil.
Hey everyone,
Now for another traveler’s impression of the voyage so far. Sorry I have yet to write anything, but Chris has been doing a great job of capturing the main points of the journey. Well as you know, we left The Bahamas on the 4th and from there we headed to sea. This sea experience has not been one of my favorites as the boat rocks almost continuously and I tend to get seasick. On a more positive note, classes seem like they are going to be great. I am taking Mysticism and Religious Experience (studying about the several religions and what they strive for), Intercultural Communication (self-explanatory), and Sustainable Communities (a course about how to build communities that are good for the environment). Once I arrived on the ship, I decided not to add a fifth class to my schedule, in order to fully enjoy all of the various activities that the ship and countries have to offer.
The first port we arrived in on Wednesday, Feb. 7th, was Puerto Rico. This Island was amazing and with its unique culture and different language it is hard to believe that it is actually a part of the U.S.. I even got to use a little bit of my Spanish that I have learned over the years. In this port, I became very adventuresome, from hiking through a rainforest to kayaking and swimming with bioluminescent organisms in a pitch-black bay. For most of you who know me, you will realize that this is a stretch for me as I am usually scared of getting into water that contains any fish or other species. I am so happy that I have partaken in activities that are out of my comfort zone because now knowing that I survived I am more willing to undertake in similar adventures in the remainder of the countries.
Now back to being on the ship. My roommate’s name is Cheryl and she is so nice. She is my best roommate so far in college. She is from San Diego so hopefully after the voyage is over we can remain friends and see each other once in a while. An interesting part about being on the ship is continuously changing times. As of now, we have already jumped ahead 1 hour from EST, and tonight we get to do it again. This time change makes it a little more difficult for getting up for my 8am class. The last thing that has been a little tricky is using army time rather than the normal 12 hour am/pm schedule. Well I think this is enough for me today, as the ship is rocking and my stomach is churning. I will post again probably after Brazil, but I hope this has given you a glimpse into my life on Semester at Sea.
Miss you all,
Alissa
Now for things learned from a “grown up” perspective:
*This is not a leisurely paced “cruise.”
*How much work it is to keep up with the reading for only nine units, even when it is not for credit or a grade.
*Teaching three classes seven days a week IS as much work as Kevin thought it would be.
*Kevin and Alex have similar looks on their faces when overwhelmed.
*The ship is big enough that I can go a full day and not see the boys or Alissa.
*A great deal about Illness, Injury and Prevention Programs as well as Return to Work and *Modified Work Programs…yes I really am doing work.. Deliverable number one will be on schedule.
*The countries of North America, Central America, The Caribbean and South America…(Yeah!)
*The Atlantic Ocean is rougher than the Caribbean…hint when the barf bags started appearing in strategic locations.
*Part of the Arch’s effectiveness must have come from his ability to totally disarm you when in his presence with his humble, gentle and genuine manner.
*Losing an hour a day is painful.
*I have cellular reception when Barbados is in view.
*How great it is to eat three meals a day out doors while staring at the Ocean
*How nice it is to have three meals a day prepared for you.
*How nice it is to have your laundry done regularly.
*How nice it is to have your room cleaned twice a day with to have fresh ice for happy hour.
*How in need of money these workers must be to leave their homes and their families for months on end to work at least twelve hour days seven days per week.
*How little I knew about the word and how much I am capable of learning.
*Kevin is more sensitive to rough seas than I am…poor him and lucky me.
THe "Arrch" knows how to dance
*Over and over and over again, how lucky I was to have the good fortune to be born into my world, to be white and to live in a temperate climate.
More from all of us in a few days. We should cross the equator tonight. Joa
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
We set sail
Hello from the middle of the Caribbean Sea. We are currently on our way to Puerto Rico, heading at a whopping 10.3 knots. I will describe life at sea in a little bit, but first I will finish a recap of The Bahamas.
On Friday, we (Alex, Alissa, Chris, Joanne and Sari (Alissa’s mom)) planned to go snorkeling with a tour at 8 in the morning. Upon waking up at that awful hour, we realized that the snorkeling would not be very good. The skies were rather cloudy, which would not only block the necessary light, but would make the cold water feel much colder. Since we had already gone on our own and the trip would cost $60 a person, we felt it would be better to go back to bed. Upon waking up at a much more reasonable hour, 11, we did laundry and Joanne and I decided to pack up our remaining things. We all headed in to downtown Nassau after a quick lunch and Joanne and I dropped off our things on the ship. We were then joined by Kevin, who was given a brief break from his orientation to the ship. We walked around downtown and did some window shopping and sightseeing. Alissa and Sari decided to go back to the condo, have dinner and spend some time together. The rest of us headed back to the ship for dinner. All of the meals on the ship are quite fantastic. After dinner, Alex and I went to The City of Atlantis. This is a huge hotel/resort that is themed after the lost city of Atlantis (which “sunk in” with Alissa after about 5 hours on the premises). Atlantis is a bit like Disneyland and Vegas meet the water. Everything is ridiculously expensive, fake, and at the same time a bit amazing. There are tanks with every type of sea creature from colorful tropical fish to 8 ft. wide sting rays to 8 ft. long sharks. It is something that must be seen just to be believed. After Alex convinced me to delay losing my money at the casino, we left by taxi for the ship. It was our first night on the ship, and went a lot smoother that sleeping on land. The mini twins were surprisingly comfortable and provided a good 8 hours of sleep.
We had to wake up early on Saturday because the ship was leaving for portage at 9. At breakfast we passed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who had joined the ship sometime in the night. He is an adorable, short man who you would immediately feel was a long-lost grandfather. Alex, Joanne and I left the ship and returned to pick up Alissa and Sari and check out of the rooms. We went from the condos at Sandyport to The Atlantis. After Sari and Alissa got comfortably settled in their new rooms, we headed out to the famed pools. Atlantis has a ton of pools, a lagoon with sharks, sting rays and eels and a beautiful ocean beach. To top that off, they have water rides ranging from the quite nice lazy river to the more daring, but fun, shark slide. The shark slide is a water slide tube that goes through a tank of sharks. Unfortunately you cannot see the sharks when going through because the spray from going to fast splashing into your eyes. An hour after the meeting time, we finally ran into Kevin who had been let free. We showed him the sights of The Atlantis, had a delicious (if a bit Americanized) dinner, and headed back to the ship.
On Sunday morning, the 670 other students boarded on the ship. Alex and I were planning on waking up early and watching the long lines, but were a bit disappointed when we finally realized that our view was blocked by the port authority building. Alex and I have been quickly nicknamed “the brothers” by the 1000 other people on the ship. Alex and I met tons of new people, of which whose names I remember only a few. Most of the people I have met have been great people. When Alex and I were sitting by the pool, we were joined by a UCLA student from Santa Cruz named Jay. He is a very cool person who seems to get the sarcastic humor that Alex and I use so frequently. I feel that he will be a good friend for the entire trip, and possibly for some time after. We have also become quite good friends with Alissa’s roommate Sheryl. She is a University of San Diego Student who lives in Poway, CA and also has the harsh bite of sarcasm. She is also someone that I feel we will be friends with for some time. There have also been some less that inspiring people that I have met. I am doing my best to keep an open mind, but at times that can be quite challenging. For me there is just something so obnoxious about the stereotypical college frat boy. After a bit of lounging we were joined by Alissa, who had a later check-in time. She felt quite relieved to finally be on the ship. Sari joined us for a few hours and then said her final farewell to her daughter. Every parent, even some whose kids were staying on the ship was crying hysterically when it came time for them to finally leave the ship. After this we had our first emergency drill. Wearing long sleeves, pants, close-toed shoes, a hat and our lifejackets we headed up to our muster station, C7. Luckily, Alex and I have a muster station that is indoors so were not as affected by the heat as were the other voyagers. Upon completion of our emergency drill, we were finally ready to set sail. The captain gave the horn to leave and everyone waved goodbye to their parents on the shore. Somehow my parents missed the get off the ship announcements and will be heading with us for the rest of the voyage. After dinner we began our extremely long orientation.
To recap this orientation, meeting on semester at sea purpose, introduction to staff, sea (a bit like a floor on a dorm) meeting, sleep. Breakfast, semester at sea purpose meeting (yes twice), safety meeting, UVA honor coded meeting, lunch, introduction to faculty and academic dean, Global Studies meeting, introduction to student life, dinner, introduction to traveling, done!!
Things I have learned in The Bahamas and the first few days at sea:
Driving on the left side of the road really is wrong.
Alleys really aren’t too small for busses.
You don’t need a perfectly round tennis racket to lose at tennis.
With the exception of alcohol, everything really does cost more in The Bahamas.
Bahamans move at a different speed (slow)
Walls really do move.
That pit in your stomach is from hunger, not sea sickness.
Engines shake (which makes an amazing room now a massager as well)
Now from a adult learner perspective
While I thought I would have much time to read, sketch, work out and the like, I have found myself very busy. Kevin is working very hard as today was his first day of classes. Today was his Aids in the World class. What an incredible opportunity for the students to really see first hand the impact that this pandemic has had. He had “sitting room” only in his classes and had students from all different majors. We have heard good feedback from his students. We have met some amazing “grown-ups.” We are all bound by a thirst for adventure, a desire to travel and meet new people and an appreciation of the possibilities that come from education. I am in awe of the students as well. Some have never had a passport or left their own small homes. Some have never seen their parents travel. To embark on this sort of adventure takes such courage and they are embracing it fully. I have spontaneously met and chatted with several that seem “almost” as nice as our boys. We all have started classes. I am taking the Global Studies class, World Music and Art and Religion. Having not ever been away to college and also having been a serious science student when in college, I welcome the chance to be here and to learn some other disciplines that I never dared to try. Look out family…I may have more answers the next time we play Trivial Pursuit.
We had the honor of having dinner the first night at sea at the table with the Archbishop. He loves the students and finds a new group to join with each meal. We are also very comfortable and settling into some routines. I am enjoying working on my consulting job for my company in the area of Occupational Health and Safety. In doing so, I have often thought about the disparities that will exist for workers in the places we will visit and the progress our country has made in protecting it’s workers. I am glad to have the opportunity to try to make a difference in the health and safety at my company while I travel.
We have become used to the constant rolling of the ship and I am beginning to realize that after three plus months it will feel very strange to be on non-moving ground. We bump into walls and stagger down halls. Since we left port I have seen a school of dolphins and today we had our first sighting of a whale. The sea is so beautiful and you come to understand why they call this the “Blue Planet.” The ocean is so blue.
Tomorrow is our first port experience in San Juan Puerto Rico. Tonight we will have our first port briefing and I here it will be followed by Salsa music. I am sure Kevin will be the first to join in. We hope to get to an internet café and upload some of our photos to the site, so check back with the site in a day or so.
For now we all send our love and our friendship
On Friday, we (Alex, Alissa, Chris, Joanne and Sari (Alissa’s mom)) planned to go snorkeling with a tour at 8 in the morning. Upon waking up at that awful hour, we realized that the snorkeling would not be very good. The skies were rather cloudy, which would not only block the necessary light, but would make the cold water feel much colder. Since we had already gone on our own and the trip would cost $60 a person, we felt it would be better to go back to bed. Upon waking up at a much more reasonable hour, 11, we did laundry and Joanne and I decided to pack up our remaining things. We all headed in to downtown Nassau after a quick lunch and Joanne and I dropped off our things on the ship. We were then joined by Kevin, who was given a brief break from his orientation to the ship. We walked around downtown and did some window shopping and sightseeing. Alissa and Sari decided to go back to the condo, have dinner and spend some time together. The rest of us headed back to the ship for dinner. All of the meals on the ship are quite fantastic. After dinner, Alex and I went to The City of Atlantis. This is a huge hotel/resort that is themed after the lost city of Atlantis (which “sunk in” with Alissa after about 5 hours on the premises). Atlantis is a bit like Disneyland and Vegas meet the water. Everything is ridiculously expensive, fake, and at the same time a bit amazing. There are tanks with every type of sea creature from colorful tropical fish to 8 ft. wide sting rays to 8 ft. long sharks. It is something that must be seen just to be believed. After Alex convinced me to delay losing my money at the casino, we left by taxi for the ship. It was our first night on the ship, and went a lot smoother that sleeping on land. The mini twins were surprisingly comfortable and provided a good 8 hours of sleep.
We had to wake up early on Saturday because the ship was leaving for portage at 9. At breakfast we passed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who had joined the ship sometime in the night. He is an adorable, short man who you would immediately feel was a long-lost grandfather. Alex, Joanne and I left the ship and returned to pick up Alissa and Sari and check out of the rooms. We went from the condos at Sandyport to The Atlantis. After Sari and Alissa got comfortably settled in their new rooms, we headed out to the famed pools. Atlantis has a ton of pools, a lagoon with sharks, sting rays and eels and a beautiful ocean beach. To top that off, they have water rides ranging from the quite nice lazy river to the more daring, but fun, shark slide. The shark slide is a water slide tube that goes through a tank of sharks. Unfortunately you cannot see the sharks when going through because the spray from going to fast splashing into your eyes. An hour after the meeting time, we finally ran into Kevin who had been let free. We showed him the sights of The Atlantis, had a delicious (if a bit Americanized) dinner, and headed back to the ship.
On Sunday morning, the 670 other students boarded on the ship. Alex and I were planning on waking up early and watching the long lines, but were a bit disappointed when we finally realized that our view was blocked by the port authority building. Alex and I have been quickly nicknamed “the brothers” by the 1000 other people on the ship. Alex and I met tons of new people, of which whose names I remember only a few. Most of the people I have met have been great people. When Alex and I were sitting by the pool, we were joined by a UCLA student from Santa Cruz named Jay. He is a very cool person who seems to get the sarcastic humor that Alex and I use so frequently. I feel that he will be a good friend for the entire trip, and possibly for some time after. We have also become quite good friends with Alissa’s roommate Sheryl. She is a University of San Diego Student who lives in Poway, CA and also has the harsh bite of sarcasm. She is also someone that I feel we will be friends with for some time. There have also been some less that inspiring people that I have met. I am doing my best to keep an open mind, but at times that can be quite challenging. For me there is just something so obnoxious about the stereotypical college frat boy. After a bit of lounging we were joined by Alissa, who had a later check-in time. She felt quite relieved to finally be on the ship. Sari joined us for a few hours and then said her final farewell to her daughter. Every parent, even some whose kids were staying on the ship was crying hysterically when it came time for them to finally leave the ship. After this we had our first emergency drill. Wearing long sleeves, pants, close-toed shoes, a hat and our lifejackets we headed up to our muster station, C7. Luckily, Alex and I have a muster station that is indoors so were not as affected by the heat as were the other voyagers. Upon completion of our emergency drill, we were finally ready to set sail. The captain gave the horn to leave and everyone waved goodbye to their parents on the shore. Somehow my parents missed the get off the ship announcements and will be heading with us for the rest of the voyage. After dinner we began our extremely long orientation.
To recap this orientation, meeting on semester at sea purpose, introduction to staff, sea (a bit like a floor on a dorm) meeting, sleep. Breakfast, semester at sea purpose meeting (yes twice), safety meeting, UVA honor coded meeting, lunch, introduction to faculty and academic dean, Global Studies meeting, introduction to student life, dinner, introduction to traveling, done!!
Things I have learned in The Bahamas and the first few days at sea:
Driving on the left side of the road really is wrong.
Alleys really aren’t too small for busses.
You don’t need a perfectly round tennis racket to lose at tennis.
With the exception of alcohol, everything really does cost more in The Bahamas.
Bahamans move at a different speed (slow)
Walls really do move.
That pit in your stomach is from hunger, not sea sickness.
Engines shake (which makes an amazing room now a massager as well)
Now from a adult learner perspective
While I thought I would have much time to read, sketch, work out and the like, I have found myself very busy. Kevin is working very hard as today was his first day of classes. Today was his Aids in the World class. What an incredible opportunity for the students to really see first hand the impact that this pandemic has had. He had “sitting room” only in his classes and had students from all different majors. We have heard good feedback from his students. We have met some amazing “grown-ups.” We are all bound by a thirst for adventure, a desire to travel and meet new people and an appreciation of the possibilities that come from education. I am in awe of the students as well. Some have never had a passport or left their own small homes. Some have never seen their parents travel. To embark on this sort of adventure takes such courage and they are embracing it fully. I have spontaneously met and chatted with several that seem “almost” as nice as our boys. We all have started classes. I am taking the Global Studies class, World Music and Art and Religion. Having not ever been away to college and also having been a serious science student when in college, I welcome the chance to be here and to learn some other disciplines that I never dared to try. Look out family…I may have more answers the next time we play Trivial Pursuit.
We had the honor of having dinner the first night at sea at the table with the Archbishop. He loves the students and finds a new group to join with each meal. We are also very comfortable and settling into some routines. I am enjoying working on my consulting job for my company in the area of Occupational Health and Safety. In doing so, I have often thought about the disparities that will exist for workers in the places we will visit and the progress our country has made in protecting it’s workers. I am glad to have the opportunity to try to make a difference in the health and safety at my company while I travel.
We have become used to the constant rolling of the ship and I am beginning to realize that after three plus months it will feel very strange to be on non-moving ground. We bump into walls and stagger down halls. Since we left port I have seen a school of dolphins and today we had our first sighting of a whale. The sea is so beautiful and you come to understand why they call this the “Blue Planet.” The ocean is so blue.
Tomorrow is our first port experience in San Juan Puerto Rico. Tonight we will have our first port briefing and I here it will be followed by Salsa music. I am sure Kevin will be the first to join in. We hope to get to an internet café and upload some of our photos to the site, so check back with the site in a day or so.
For now we all send our love and our friendship
Thursday, February 1, 2007
The Bahamas Part 1
The voyage officially began Monday at about 4:30 in the morning. Kevin, Joanne, Alex and I packed all of our things and bounced in our Honda lo rider. There were bags everywhere; the trunk was full, two ricardos (extra large duffels) in the center of the back seat, two bags on the back window sill, bags on Alex’s and my laps, and a bag at Joanne’s feet. Our flight to Florida was very easy, getting us in to Ft. Lauderdale about half an hour early. There we met up with Kevin’s old junior high buddy, Tim, and his wife Di and were later joined by their son David. For lunch, we went to the Old Inn Crab House, where Alex and I tried the crab sampler and ate off the others plates of conch fritters, fish and other new sea foods. Before heading back to the airport, David gave us a tour of his alma mater, Florida Atlantic University. It was very beautiful, right on the Atlantic Coast, and a prime manatee zone. We then boarded our flight to Nassau, Bahamas. It was a smaller prop plane with the cargo between the passengers and pilot. We arrived half an hour early on just a 45 minute flight. We then went through customs and boarded a small Toyota van toward Sandyport Resort. This was my first time out of North America, and driving on the left side of the road was a frightening situation. Upon arrival, we met Tyler (AKA Mr. Malotte) who took us to our rooms. The place is a beautiful, if a bit schizophrenic, place with a range of light colors from pink to lime green. Tyler then made us a hamburger dinner (about $60 worth of food) and we visited with him and Sara (AKA Ms. Te). Tyler told us of the daily routine of the local “wildlife” and attractions that The Bahamas had to offer (of which he was not the biggest fan). I can say honestly that this was my first mental breakdown. I felt a bit claustrophobic now realizing that it really will be 105 days before I get home and there is nothing I can do about it.
The next day began like any good day should, at 11 o’clock. By noon, the Malotte’s and Sara hopped on the #10 bus to downtown Nassau. The bus ride was free but it was $1 to leave. Nassau is an interesting combination of Tijuana, Florida, Atlantic City and The Caribbean. It is a very touristy, Americanized place, with its own unique flare. We visited the pink Parliament Building, The Straw Market (a tourist trap of shirts, picture frames and carvings for sale) and ate an authentic Bahamian lunch (conch fingers, peas and rice, plantains, and grouper fish). We hopped back on the bus, after which we said our farewells to Tyler and Sara. It was a very difficult goodbye, because we will not see him for a long time, but he and his class (Hey Mr. Malotte’s Class) will be vicarious voyagers on our trip. After we said our “auf’s” (that one is for Dennis), we relaxed, read and took a nap, while Kevin and Joanne went to the market. Food in The Bahamas is extremely expensive. For example, a gallon of milk was $6.50 and ketchup was $7. After dinner we had dinner at The Poop Deck, yes, The Poop Deck. We had dinner with The Monroes. They are close friends, who we (Kevin, Joanne, Alex, Alissa, Kelly and I) will be visiting in Beijing. Dinner was delicious, expensive and unique, as you had to choose your fish if you ordered the catch of the day.
On Wednesday, Alissa and her mother Sari arrived. After the got situated, Alex Joanne, Kevin and I headed toward the ship. We moved into our rooms; Alex’s and my room is surprisingly large with a 2.5 by 2.5 ft. port hole. It was just the faculty, staff and their family members on the ship, so Alex and I got to discover the lay out on our own, which was quite exciting. At 1600 hours, everyone went to the student union to introduce themselves. Then we went up to the faculty lounge for drinks and to mingle with everyone. We got to meet a couple of our professors, some we don’t have, and even got to meet the first mate. Giagia fear not we are in the hands of a good Greek boy, Costas. Dinner was at 1800 hours and was surprisingly delicious. I don’t think that food will be the slightest of problems on the ship. Alex and I returned to the Sandyport Resort by taxi.
I finally joined my parents’ insomniac patterns, by waking up at 2:30 in the morning due to excitement about all the things we would be doing, and the fact that the ship exceeded my high standards. After Joanne returned at about 1300, we took the bus to Orange Hill Beach. We got to go snorkeling and saw fish of all shapes and sizes, sea cucumbers, coral and even ray of some kind. We also collected a couple sand dollars and caught and released a couple live conchs, about the size of a football. Tonight we ate at the Traveler’s Rest, a fine restaurant with inexpensive, but delicious food along the beautiful Bahamian Coast. So long for now; check back in a few days for the next update.
The next day began like any good day should, at 11 o’clock. By noon, the Malotte’s and Sara hopped on the #10 bus to downtown Nassau. The bus ride was free but it was $1 to leave. Nassau is an interesting combination of Tijuana, Florida, Atlantic City and The Caribbean. It is a very touristy, Americanized place, with its own unique flare. We visited the pink Parliament Building, The Straw Market (a tourist trap of shirts, picture frames and carvings for sale) and ate an authentic Bahamian lunch (conch fingers, peas and rice, plantains, and grouper fish). We hopped back on the bus, after which we said our farewells to Tyler and Sara. It was a very difficult goodbye, because we will not see him for a long time, but he and his class (Hey Mr. Malotte’s Class) will be vicarious voyagers on our trip. After we said our “auf’s” (that one is for Dennis), we relaxed, read and took a nap, while Kevin and Joanne went to the market. Food in The Bahamas is extremely expensive. For example, a gallon of milk was $6.50 and ketchup was $7. After dinner we had dinner at The Poop Deck, yes, The Poop Deck. We had dinner with The Monroes. They are close friends, who we (Kevin, Joanne, Alex, Alissa, Kelly and I) will be visiting in Beijing. Dinner was delicious, expensive and unique, as you had to choose your fish if you ordered the catch of the day.
On Wednesday, Alissa and her mother Sari arrived. After the got situated, Alex Joanne, Kevin and I headed toward the ship. We moved into our rooms; Alex’s and my room is surprisingly large with a 2.5 by 2.5 ft. port hole. It was just the faculty, staff and their family members on the ship, so Alex and I got to discover the lay out on our own, which was quite exciting. At 1600 hours, everyone went to the student union to introduce themselves. Then we went up to the faculty lounge for drinks and to mingle with everyone. We got to meet a couple of our professors, some we don’t have, and even got to meet the first mate. Giagia fear not we are in the hands of a good Greek boy, Costas. Dinner was at 1800 hours and was surprisingly delicious. I don’t think that food will be the slightest of problems on the ship. Alex and I returned to the Sandyport Resort by taxi.
I finally joined my parents’ insomniac patterns, by waking up at 2:30 in the morning due to excitement about all the things we would be doing, and the fact that the ship exceeded my high standards. After Joanne returned at about 1300, we took the bus to Orange Hill Beach. We got to go snorkeling and saw fish of all shapes and sizes, sea cucumbers, coral and even ray of some kind. We also collected a couple sand dollars and caught and released a couple live conchs, about the size of a football. Tonight we ate at the Traveler’s Rest, a fine restaurant with inexpensive, but delicious food along the beautiful Bahamian Coast. So long for now; check back in a few days for the next update.
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