Reflection

Well, it's over.  My Semester at Sea voyage is over.  I'm home in my tiny town of Baldwinsville, seeing snow outside my window instead of bright blue waves and sleeping in a bed that doesn't rock.  I have no plans to travel outside of the United States anytime soon and strangely enough, I'm OK with that.  This past semester was a roller coaster of emotions: the good, the bad, the exciting, the disappointing, the funny, the uncomfortable, and so much more. I thought the highlight of my trip would be the many different countries I traveled to, but in reality, travel is so much more than the places you go or the things you experience.  It's about the people.  My voyage would never have been the same without the people I met and became friends with along the way.  It was my friends who taught me more about myself than sixteen countries ever could.  It was the people I met who made my semester amazing.  This is why I'm perfectly all right with staying in the United States for a while.  While my new friends are scattered all over the world, I still have many friends right here in New York!  And, there are still so many people here in Baldwinsville and Rochester who I don't know.  By eating at a new table in the dining hall or having coffee with a stranger, not only do I have the opportunity to meet new people, I have the opportunity to gain new perspective.  After all, perspective comes from the people, not from the places. I don't have to go to Europe or Africa or South America to gain new perspective.  By simply stepping a little out of my comfort zone here in the United States, the potential to travel is endless. 

"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than in miles."

Surprise!

Although Cuba was technically the last port on the Fall 2013 voyage of Semester at Sea, the fun didn't end there.  As a 50th anniversary surprise, we also traveled to...THE BAHAMAS!  We were given one full day to relax and unwind after finals in Freeport, and naturally, I chose to spend the day at the beach with friends. Here's just a few pictures from the day, all of which are credited to my friends since I just may have forgotten to put my camera battery into my camera.

  

 

All in all, spending the day in the Bahamas was a great way to wind down the semester! 

Once in a Lifetime

 

 

 After Brazil, the MV Explorer made its way over to Havana, Cuba!  Before coming onto Semester at Sea, I knew absolutely nothing about Cuba, so I wasn't overly excited about this stop.  But while preparing for our visit, I learned that the United States has an embargo on the country and as a result, most Americans aren't allowed to even travel to Cuba!  The only reason Semester at Sea could travel to the country is because our stop was for educational reasons.  And, before we even arrived in Havana, we had to drop family members of all faculty and staff in the Bahamas since they couldn't come into Cuba because they weren't technically part of the learning community.  So, I am extremely grateful that I was able to see and travel throughout Cuba!

When we got off the ship, we were immediately swarmed by the dozens of news crews waiting to interview the 500+ Americans miraculously allowed to visit their country.  Most wanted someone who could speak Spanish, so I managed to make my way past most (I got trapped in a 2 minute interview) of the overwhelming welcoming committee and onto the buses where our whole shipboard community would be traveling to the University of Havana.  Our day consisted of welcoming by professors and students, educational lectures, and cultural performances.  I decided to listen to a lecture on US and Cuban relations, and it was really interesting to hear a Cuban perspective on Americans.  Surprisingly, the lecturer (and the entire country's population, really) had hardly any negative feelings towards us Americans or the US.  The professor expressed his desire for the embargo to end, but in no way did he blame us.  He recognized both sides played a part in our "difficult" relationship, which I was certainly not expecting.  While I in no way can adequately explain the long history behind US and Cuban relations, if you have the chance, I encourage you to research some of the history, since it's actually pretty interesting!  

The next day, my group of friends and I decided to go on a Semester at Sea trip to a baseball game!  While I'm not a huge sports fan, it was fun to travel outside of Havana to experience a little bit of everyday culture!  As expected, I ate quite a bit of food (ice-cream), took a gazillion pictures, and participated in the wave.  Unexpectedly, I was caught off guard in the bathroom when I realized Cubans don't use toilet paper, took a bite out of a hot dog that tasted like cold bologna, and received cookies instead of my change at the concession stand because they ran out of change.  And, at the end of the game, we were able to go out on the field and meet the teams!

Since I couldn't do any souvenir shopping because of the US embargo, my third and final day in Havana was spent going to a small chocolate museum/café (where they sold hot chocolate for only 50 cents!) and exploring the center of town.  While I wasn't able to do a lot in Cuba, I fully enjoyed our last "real" port!

 

  

 

Brazil: In Pictures

Christ the Redeemer statue

Corcovado view

Copacabana Beach

 
 

Salvador's Old City

 

 

 

Good luck ribbons

 
The Upper City

Adios...For Now

After 12 full days at sea, I was more than happy to finally make it to Buenos Aires, Argentina!  This wasn't one of the ports I was most excited for, and so I came into the country with no plans whatsoever.  However, I am SO glad I didn't plan anything because sometimes, just wandering around a city with no concrete plans is the best way to get a feel of the culture and to come across little nooks and crannies unknown to most tourists!  I think this is why Buenos Aires ended up being one of my favorite ports so far, and I'm excited to share with you all why! 

1)  Buenos Aires is full of small, unique neighborhoods that each have a different culture and feel.  My first day was spent in the neighborhood, La Boca.  When I heard La Boca was known for colorful buildings, delicious food, tango in the streets, outdoor restaurants, and amazing shopping, I knew that the 3 hour walk each way would be worth it...and it definitely was!

 
2) Buenos Aires is known for its DELICIOUS food.  Although Argentina's specialty is beef, I decided to go along with the Italian immigrant influence and eat the mouth watering Italian food ALL THE TIME.  Not only that, but Buenos Aires knows how to do its' caramel.  It's called dulce de leche, and if you're ever in Argentina, you'll become addicted.         

3) Buenos Aires had a crazy resemblance to New York City.  Considering NYC is one of my favorite places in the states, I loved feeling like I was somewhere familiar, while also still feeling like I was in a foreign country.

4) Art was everywhere!  If you know me, you're probably wondering why that matters to me, considering I get bored after spending more than five minutes in an art museum.  Well, the art that I saw in Buenos Aires was not only unique, but had significant purpose.  For example, while exploring Buenos Aires, I visited Lanin Street, a entire street dedicated to the artwork of a famous artist, Marino Santa Maria.  Marino has made almost all the buildings and houses on this street into works of art, using mosaics or painted designs, in order to make the previously gloomy street full of life and color!  It was the by far the coolest "art gallery" I have ever seen.  And, after Marino showed me around Lanin Street, I made my own mosaic with his guidance!


5) Argentina, like most South American countries, has the nicest weather!  For our whole stay, the average temperature was around 85 degrees!  It's safe to say that after my sunburn wore off, I was left with a pretty nice tan!

6)  Buenos Aires prides itself on having an extremely high literacy rate and placing high value on books, reading, libraries, and bookstores.  Considering I love to read, I fell in love with El Ateneo, a bookstore created out of an old theater where anyone can come and read for as long as they'd like, regardless of whether or not they make a purchase! 

Overall, I had the BEST time in Buenos Aires, Argentina!  Although it's "Adios" for now, I sincerely hope I will be saying "Hola" to Buenos Aires again in the near future!





P.S.  For some reason, my email wouldn't let me send pictures with this post.  I'll add the pictures as soon as I can!
         

A Whole New World

If you've been keeping up with my blog, I'm sure you're all wondering by now if my "study abroad semester" actually includes any studying or if it's just a vacation around the world.  Well, with only about 2 weeks left in the semester, I figure I should probably clear that up and explain what a typical day looks like for me on board the MV Explorer!  I'm taking 4 classes this semester- Women in Literature, Marine Biology, World Literature, and Experiential Writing.  I also have a "campus" job this semester, working with the dependent children (children of the faculty and staff) on board.  Typically, when I'm not in class or in the dining hall, I can be found working with any number of the 22 kids on the ship.  While this may not sound like a difficult semester compared to your semester back home, I hope you can believe me when I say this has been the most difficult semester of my time in college, by far!  My professors are tough, my classes are challenging, and my job requires a lot of time.  Most of my free time is spent doing homework, and I can honestly say that I've never done more writing in my entire life!  All of this is why the ship class week is usually only 3 days, instead of the typical 5 days at colleges and universities back home.  This semester is challenging for every single student on board, so after 3 class days, if we haven't already arrived in a new country, we'll have a study day with no classes or work obligations so we can catch up on our class work.  And for every single country on the itinerary, the ship has 2 different seminars, cultural and logistical pre-port, to prepare us for our time in country.  Cultural pre-port focuses on the history and culture of the countries, while logistical pre-port gives us the practical, safety information for each port.  So, I have no problem filling up my time with classes, country preparation, and my work study job!


              

                                                                      
Even so, I still make the time to have fun on the ship, although ship fun is a little different than what we would call fun back home!  Here on the MV Explorer, it's common to walk around and see people playing Sardines, sunbathing, playing cards, knitting, hanging out with the dependent kids, swimming (in the very tiny pool), having movie nights, and jamming out on the piano, guitar, or African drums.  We don't have internet access/Facebook (unless you pay a ridiculous amount), TV, or phones to talk to people back home, and so, we really have to make our own fun.  But because of this, the relationships made on the ship are so much stronger than most relationships back home, for the most part.  I can't even begin to imagine how much I'm going to miss my new friends once I get back home!


   


But for now, that's typical life for me on board the MV Explorer!  After being on Semester at Sea for so long, it's going to be hard to adjust back to life at good, ol' Roberts!

Love

It's been 20 days since I left Cape Town, and I'm still having trouble processing all my thoughts about South Africa.  Why? Cape Town, South Africa has one of the world's biggest gaps between the rich and the poor, something I experienced first hand during my time in port.  In the mornings, I volunteered at an orphanage for 39 children affected and infected by HIV/Aids. I tended to babies, entertained all the children, cooked, cleaned, and did laundry. But in the afternoons, I became a regular tourist again. I walked around Cape Town's beautiful waterfront, went to Table Mountain (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world), ate delicious food, and even went to see a movie. And if I'm being honest with myself and all of you, I enjoyed my afternoons much more than my mornings spent at the orphanage. I was completely out of my comfort zone at the small, crowded, and dirty orphanage. I didn't know how to cook or clean the way the women at the orphanage did, and I never once had to be careful about children's cuts before coming to the Emasithandane Orphanage. But as time went on, I slowly became more comfortable in the township and with the kids. With each day,

I began to recognize specific kids and the kids began to recognize me. Even though you aren't supposed to have favorites when working at an orphanage, I found my favorite kids each day and was able to do different activities with them, like coloring, blowing bubbles, and jump roping.  I learned many of the children's stories, like the little boy who had just arrived from Nigeria when his mother died, and who will be staying at Emasi until one of his relatives can be found. And without meaning to, I fell in love with the kids. And once I fell in love with the kids, I really couldn't understand life in South Africa. The extremely wealthy South Africans live less than 20 minutes away from the black, poverty ridden townships, like the Nyanga township where Emasi is located. These rich, mostly white South Africans live way above their means, while people are literally starving right down the road from them. I don't understand how this is possible; if the wealthy South Africans spent just 5 days in a township or orphanage, like I did, I'm sure their opinion of the poor would change.  But in Cape Town, the wealthy and the impoverished don't mix, something I learned as soon as I got back to the waterfront each day and didn't see any evidence of poverty until I returned to Emasi the next morning. And this is why I'm still trying to process my time in Cape Town. Even though I worked at an orphanage every morning, going back to the ship and the upscale waterfront each day almost made me almost forget that there were even orphanages and townships in South Africa. It was a constant struggle for me, to try and remember how I felt each morning with the kids once I was back in my comfort zone each afternoon. Even though I can barely remember my time at Emasi, I still remember the love I felt for the kids. That love will have to be enough for me to continue processing my time in Cape Town, South Africa.

    

A New Kind of Traffic

My fourth and final day in Ghana was spent on a field lab (or field trip) for my Women in Literature class.  It's pretty common not to look forward to field labs, especially field labs on the last day, because knowing it's your last day in a country always makes you think of one last thing you want to do but can't because of class obligations.  But, because I'm a bit of a nerd, I was actually really excited about this field lab.  Our day started with a visit to FIDA, the International Federation of Women Lawyers of Ghana.  FIDA provides law services to women who may not be able to receive these services anywhere else.  For example, in Ghana, it is extremely common for men and women to live together for multiple years (more than the U.S.), even having children without actually being married.  When these relationships are broken, the woman usually has no claim whatsoever to the house, her belongings, and even her children.  FIDA provides law services to women in this situation to help the women get back their children and some of the assets.  FIDA also supports women suffering from marital abuse, rape, and HIV/AIDS, as well as unexpected pregnancy. 


After visiting FIDA, my class had lunch with Amma Darko, one of Ghana's most famous women authors.  We had read her novel, Not Without Flowers, and used our short amount of time with her to ask questions about the book and her views on women's experiences in her home country.  Hearing Amma Darko talk was one of my favorite experiences in Ghana; Amma Darko is one of the most impressive women I have ever met.  She works a 9-5 job every day, goes home to take care of her children, make dinner, and clean the house (since men and women don't share the work at home, something Amma Darko was very adamant in telling us she didn't mind), and then somehow still finds the time to write!  But she made a good point saying, "If you want to write, if you love to write, you will find time to write."  I strongly encourage everyone reading this post to read Amma Darko's novel, Not Without Flowers.  It has love, mystery, suspense, and so many twists and turns that I can guarantee you won't guess the ending until Amma Darko reveals it.  I'll be more than happy to lend out my newly autographed copy once I get home!


Our last notable stop was at Global Mama's, a fair trade organization that employs single mothers and women living in poverty.  These women learn a specific trade (sewing, tailoring, bead making, weaving, soap making, or Shea butter producing) and then create products based on their newly acquired skill.  Once their products are sold, all the proceeds go directly to the women and the non-profit program of Global Mama's that helps the women develop their business. Because of traffic, my class only had about 15 minutes to browse the Global Mama's store, but what I was able to see in that short amount of time was incredible.  The women made jewelry, clothing, household decorations, kitchen necessities, pet items, bags and purses, and a TON of other goods as well.  It was especially cool knowing that everything being bought was benefiting local women in need throughout Ghana. 

After stopping at Global Mama's, it was time to head back to the ship.  Let me just say that the bus ride back to the ship turned out to be a whole new cultural experience.  Since Global Mama's was in the middle of the city, Accra, we were trying to head out of the middle of the city during rush hour.  But rush hour doesn't just mean vehicle traffic in Ghana.  Rush hour also means people traffic.  Since it was already starting to get dark, marking the end of the day, all the market and stand owners were trying to sell the rest of their goods.  So, Ghanaian men and women were everywhere, weaving in between cars with baskets of fruit, household goods, snacks, ice-cream, and school supplies on their heads, gesturing at every driver they passed, trying to sell their items.  In addition, the big tour bus we were in was hard to ignore, so some stand owners specifically targeted our bus, running over to try and sell us last minute souvenirs out the window.  Many people in my class actually bought chips or other snacks out the window (to the great annoyance of our tour guide) and one person even managed to buy some fabric before the bus pulled away!  Apparently, buying goods from your car is a very common thing in Ghana, but since this was the first time I had ever seen this, I was freaking out (in a good way)!  This encounter made me realize how little I had actually seen and experienced in Ghana, since I was only there for four days, so it would certainly be interesting to travel to Ghana again someday! 

Fun Fact: There is an overwhelming number of Ghanaian shops named after aspects of Christianity. I'm not kidding when I say "Prince of Peace Electronics" and "To God be the Glory Cosmetics" are real shops in Ghana. 

Light in the Dark

I spent my next day in Ghana at the City of Hope/Refuge Orphanage.  Now that I'm thinking about it, God may have planned for me to get sick the first day, so I would miss my home stay and be able to serve at City of Hope instead! While it wasn't fun being sick, I am so thankful I was able to spend time at City of Hope because it was one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my semester.  To give you some background, City of Hope is a Christian orphanage that rescues children from human trafficking/child slave trade since many fishermen in Ghana keep child slaves to help with their fishing business.  These fishermen will not only force the children to go out on their fishing boats to catch fish, but they will also force the children to untangle the fishing nets when they get caught underwater.   This means the kids will have to get into the water, most of them barely knowing how to swim, and be able to hold their breath long enough to untangle the nets.  Not only is this horrible simply because it's child slavery, but the children are always in danger of getting tangled in the nets themselves or drowning.  The shining light in all of this however, is City of Hope.  City of Hope will go into these fishing communities and villages to negotiate for the children being kept against their will.  Sometimes, this means paying the fishermen or the village chiefs for the children, but more often than not, their goal is to release the children through education.  City of Hope negotiations can sometimes last for months, educating the fishermen about why keeping child slaves is wrong, and just waiting for the fishermen to release the children on their own conscience.  When the children are freed, they go to City of Hope, finding a refuge where they can become kids again.

But, City of Hope is not just an orphanage.  During negotiations,

City of Hope always asks the children what they would ask for if they could have anything in the world.  The overwhelming answer is "to go to school."  So, City of Hope started the Faith Roots Academy on site, where the 42 orphans and 178 children from the outside community come together to go to school in a Christian environment.  While I was at City of Hope, I was able to get a first hand look at this school through helping in a kindergarten class, as well as an 8th grade class.  After spending just 5 minutes in Faith Roots Academy, I realized the teachers give 110% to their students and most of the kids truly want to be in school.  It was amazing to be in a school environment where everyone- faculty, staff, and students- wanted to be there!  As an Education major, I hope I can be like the teachers at Faith Roots Academy, motivating my students to learn as much as they can each and every day.  However, as an individual, I was inspired just by being at City of Hope and learning about their work to end child slavery.  Upon my return home, I hope to somehow remain involved in ending child slavery alongside City of Hope.  
       
     

 

       

"And Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"    -Matthew 19:14

 

 

 

Hallelujah, Culture Shock

If I had to pick a few countries I was most excited to visit this semester, Ghana would definitely have been on the list.  I'm happy to report that even in spite of getting so sick I couldn't get off the ship the first day (and missing my home stay in the process), Ghana did not disappoint.  After traveling in Europe for such a long time, I was so ready to embrace all the differences this third world country would bring, which started as soon as I stepped off the gangway, enveloped in a wave of heavy and sticky heat.  I lasted only about 3 minutes before having to shove my neatly straightened hair into what I hoped somewhat resembled a bun and hopping on the shuttle bus that would bring me out of the port area and into the town of Takoradi.  Immediately after stopping in the town, our bus was swarmed with Ghanaian men, offering (more like shouting) to give us a taxi ride wherever we wanted to go.  I climbed off the bus after my friend Liz and our arms were immediately grabbed by one of these men, trying to convince us that he would offer us the cheapest ride.  The rest of my friends tentatively got off the bus and eventually, we were somehow able to break out of the circle of sweaty men that had formed around us and make a break for the town.  Little did we know that some of these men would proceed to follow us, asking us our names and if we would like a tour guide for the day.  After saying "no" in every possible way known to man, we were left alone, and made it to the town market.

We were told this town market would be a great place to shop for real, authentic African souvenirs, but we quickly realized that was not the case.   All that was sold at this market was smelly fish, produce, and household items (I still don't understand why Ghanians thought I wanted to buy a rat trap; I mean, it was hard to ignore the white skin that marked me as a foreigner!)  So, we found a taxi to take us to Busai Beach.  After bartering with the taxi driver because there are no taxi meters in Ghana, we squeezed all 6 of us into the taxi, 2 in the front seat and 4 in the back.  I ended up in the back, riding sideways on my friends' laps, with my head almost out the window.  Although it was an uncomfortable, the long ride was definitely worth it after arriving at the beach and jumping in the refreshingly cold waves.  Before not too long, the Frisbee that my friend Carl brought helped us make new Ghanaian friends, brothers around 4 and 6 years old.  I spent a good amount of time throwing the Frisbee around with them, but eventually had to leave the beach before it got dark. 

Upon our arrival back at the ship, I realized a Ghanaian souvenir market had been set up right outside the gangway.  Although I was tired, I decided I would start my shopping.  Let me say right now, shopping in Ghana was one of the most stressful experiences of my life.  When I walked into the market, about 5 Ghanaian men immediately started shouting at me, trying to convince me to look at their stand first.  Once I finally made it through the shouting stand owners and into a covered stand, there were no prices on anything, so if I wanted to know how much something cost, I had to ask the stand owner.  He would then give me the "white person" price, a price almost three times too high, so I had to spend about 10 minutes bargaining until he brought the price down to a reasonable amount.  Then I had to decide if the new price was worth it and since it wasn't most of the time, it was a wasted 10-15 minutes! It took me a good 2 hours to make it through just 8 stands!   Although I was exhausted when I finally made it back on the ship, I was quite happy to finally be experiencing the first significant culture shock of my voyage. 
 

Do's and Don't s

The Do's and Don't s in Morocco

Do: Try the local cuisine, especially anything made in a tangine.
Don't: Drink the water, eat food from street vendors, and eat food rinsed/washed in water.  Your body will not thank you. 

Do: Get a Henna tattoo.  Not only will you support a Moroccan woman, you will end up with the most beautiful Henna design.  Just make sure you go to the women politely asking for customers.
Don't: Let a Henna tattoo artist grab your arm.  She will immediately start drawing a Henna design whether you want it or not.  And once she is done, she will charge you a ridiculous amount for the tattoo you didn't even want in the first place. 

Do: Visit one of the many monkey sanctuaries along the roads in Morocco.  Even if you decide not to feed the monkeys, you can watch others feed the monkeys bananas without risking contracting rabies yourself.
Don't: Visit a monkey sanctuary late at night.  Your flashlights may scare the wild dogs, who will then proceed to chase you.

Do: Buy DVD's in the Casablanca market from a stand owner named Saad.  Not only is Saad the coolest Moroccan ever, he will give you great deals. 
Don't: Buy DVD's in Casablanca without having the seller show you they work (unless you buy them from Saad).  You'll be disappointed.           

Do: Have a local Moroccan show you around the markets to help you find what you are looking for.            
Don't: Go alone with these men, and don't go up any stairs.  That's just plain dumb.            
         
Do: Know simple Arabic phrases you can use in conversation.  You will make a much better impression if you try to speak their language.
Don't: Go to Morocco without knowing any Arabic or any French, assuming people will speak English.  While many people do speak English, you will be thought of as rude if you do not at least try to speak their language.                      
 
Do: Bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer everywhere you go.
Don't: Go in a bathroom without any toilet paper.  It doesn't exist in Morocco. 
                                    Do: Embrace the Moroccan culture, differences and all.                   
Don't: Get caught up in all the differences.  If you focus on what's uncomfortable, you won't be able to enjoy your time in this beautiful country.
 

That Moment

Well, I finally had it.  I finally had that moment where I realized, "Oh my God, I'm on Semester at Sea."  Before now, I was a little worried something was wrong with me, since I hadn't really felt the same awe and astonishment at my current life like all other SAS students.   But, I finally had my moment in Morocco, a country so incredibly like India.  (Coincidence?  I think not.)   So what did I do in Morocco to have this moment?  Well...

I RODE A CAMEL THROUGH THE SAHARA DESERT.   In case you couldn't tell from my use of all caps, it was the coolest experience EVER.   My group drove for a straight 13 hours to reach the desert, getting us to the camels around 9:30pm.  This meant I had to get on my camel in the pitch black.  It was terrifying.  I couldn't see my feet, I couldn't see my camel, and I couldn't even see where I was!  It was so dark outside that I had no idea whether our guides had actually driven us to the desert or if they just dropped us off on the side of the road.  While I was pondering whether or not I was making the smartest decision getting on a camel I couldn't see and being guided to God knows where by Muslim men I didn't know, I was also being hustled onto my camel, cutting my moment of worrying short.  After sitting on my camel and hearing "Hold on, and lean back", I only had time to grab my camel handlebars before being thrown into the air by my camel's rump, almost falling headfirst off my camel in the process.  I thought I was going to die.  We then started moving, our camels being guided by a desert nomad in bare-feet.   Somewhere along our trek to the nomad camp, listening to the desert's peaceful silence and looking up at the stars, I had the realization that I was actually studying abroad and my life would never be the same.  This realization only strengthened after arriving at the nomad camp, eating a traditional Moroccan meal, participating in the nomad's drumming, dancing, and singing demonstration, and falling asleep on the Sahara sand under the stars. 


Waking up the next morning was amazing.  Since it was so dark the night

before, I wasn't able to see any of the desert on my camel trek to the camp.  So, I literally woke up in the middle of the Sahara Desert, essentially not knowing how I got there.  Once the nomads' drums woke everyone up, we all climbed up a huge sand dune to watch the sunrise.  It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life, sitting on top of a sand dune with desert nomads in Morocco watching the sunrise.   It doesn't get much better than that.  

Once the sun rose, we were all given the chance to sand-board (snowboarding on sand) back down to the nomad camp.  After a couple people wiped out trying to stand and sand-board, I decided to sit on the board and sled back down the sand dune.   It was a pretty crazy experience, since I was literally able to taste the sand while flying down the dune.  Once everyone was down, we prepared for our trek back out of the desert.  Since I was actually able to see my camel this time, I had a much more enjoyable trek, relaxing and looking at the sights from Chester's back (yes, I did name my camel).   After the hour trek out of the desert and saying my goodbyes to Chester and the nomads, I headed back to the bus, ready for all the crazy and memorable experiences I will continue to have this semester. 

               

Dead Man's Beach

With only 2 short days in Spain, you would think my time here wouldn't be too out of the ordinary.  Wrong.  I've come to the conclusion that for some reason, the weirdest things always seem to happen to me.   Take my first day in Cadiz for instance.   My friend Kacey and I were simply planning to have a relaxing, uneventful morning at a beautiful Spanish beach, Playa de la Caleta, recommended to us by a local.  But when we got there, the "gorgeous" beach was basically deserted, if you don't count the old Spanish men in speedos who were having their early morning swim.  Awkward.  And, when we turned around to look at the old white building behind us on the sand, THERE WAS A DEAD MAN IN A BODY BAG.   I'm not kidding.   There was literally a human inside this white plastic bag underneath one of the awnings.  Kacey swore she thinks the bag moved at one point, but I'm 100% certain the man was dead.  It was the creepiest, scariest thing I have ever seen.  Look closely at the picture for proof.  

You would think we would have run away from this beach as fast as we could, but for some reason, I decided I really wanted to be able to say I swam at a beach in Spain, so we got in the water.   The water looked nice from the outside, but little did we know we had to walk about 20 feet in the water through jagged, sharp, pointy rocks before we came to the actual sand bottom.  Ouch.  However, I'm glad to say that once we got used to the water, we had a nice couple hours just swimming around...if you don't count the old lady rocking the bikini and swim cap who swam right next to us even though she could have picked anywhere else to swim in the huge, deserted beach... yup.

We decided to get out about an hour and a half later, since the water was getting pretty cold and I really needed to use a bathroom.  So, we found the beach entrance sign map and realized they had about 3 different W.C.'s that we could use.   We headed in the direction of one, only to realize the map lied and there were no bathrooms to be found anywhere on the beach.  What beach advertises their bathrooms when they actually don't have any?!  And of course, since we were in Europe, there were no other bathrooms to be found in the city either.   Let's just say as soon as I saw the ship again, I practically sprinted to the bathroom. 

Our plan for the afternoon was to simply walk around and explore the city, while also finding a cafe with wifi.  We found a cafe, but since all the outlets were being used, I left Kacey and went to another cafe practically next door.   After ordering a hot chocolate, I sat down at a teeny tiny table in the corner by an old video game machine, and asked the owner for the wifi password.  She entered the code into my computer and then proceeded to tell me that if someone else came in and ordered food, I would need to leave since I had only ordered a drink and was using the table for my computer.   What?!  There were about 10 other empty tables throughout the rest of the cafe!  Who would want the little dingy table in the corner?!  But anyway, I politely told her I was planning to order dinner in about an hour when it was closer to dinner, but I just wasn't hungry right then.  She then proceeded to tell me that no, I couldn't order food.  What?!  First of all, I was really confused about why the owner would turn down business.  Second, I really just wanted to tell her not to advertise wifi with a huge sign in front of her cafe if she didn't want people to come in and use it!  I don't know if I missed some important fact about Spanish culture or what, but this was probably one of the weirdest, most confusing experiences of my trip so far!

After finishing what I needed to do on my computer, I headed back to the ship since I had to leave early in the morning to go on a whale watch with my Marine Biology class.   It's pretty ironic that our whole life is basically a whale watch since we all live on a ship, and yet, my professor decided to get on another boat to look for whales and dolphins!  Not only that, but the boat I got on was literally the smallest whale watching boat I have ever seen.  It was the size of a small, individual fishing boat.  No joke.  And since I get very sea sick on the MV Explorer, a ship comparable in size to a cruise ship, I definitely got sea sick on this boat.  I may have seen one or two dolphins before realizing that if I was going to survive the ride, I would have to lay down for the whole 2 hours.  Fun stuff, I know.   But after the whale watch, we went to tour Baelo Claudia, Roman ruins over 2,000 years old!  This was by far the coolest experience I had in Spain.  I included some pictures I took so you can hopefully see how picturesque the site was! 

But overall, I had some pretty bizarre experiences in Spain.  I don't know if all of Spain is like Cadiz, and I know I can't make judgments about a culture after only 2 days, but nevertheless, I honestly think that Spain is a pretty weird country! 

Fun Fact:  You have to pay for plastic shopping bags in some Spanish supermarkets!

Surf's Up

My second and last day in Portugal was awesome for one reason and one reason alone; I went surfing!!!  I knew before leaving on Semester at Sea that one of my "must-do's" was to go surfing in Spain or Portugal.  So, I picked a surfing school, found friends who also wanted to surf, and spent a day at the beach taking a surf lesson!  Our day started at 10am when we met our instructors, Rui and Yugo, from the Epic Surfing School in Lisbon.  From there, we drove about an hour away to a beach where national and international surfing competitions are held!  After struggling to get into our wetsuits and picking up our surfboards, we headed down to the beach.  Rui wanted to give us the most authentic surfing experience possible, so we weren't allowed to wear any shoes while we climbed our way down this rocky, muddy cliff, to actually get on the beach.  It was a little terrifying!  But once we finally touched down on the beach, I almost lost my breath. 

The beach was the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen.  The water was so clear and so blue, and all around the beach were these beautiful, picturesque Portuguese houses.  The waves were rolling in just right, making for an even better view.  Once all of us got over our initial reaction to being on the beach, our lesson began.  After warming up, Rui and Yugo first taught us how to carry our surfboards, how to sit or lie on the boards, and how to catch a wave. We then got in the water to try it out, but I was not expecting it to be so cold! I was very thankful for my wetsuit because everywhere the wetsuit didn't cover was freezing for the first five minutes or so!  After getting used to the water and the waves, we started to learn how to stand up on the boards.  And let me tell you, surfing is a lot harder than it looks!  Although I was in the water for close to 3 hours, I never managed to completely stand up on the board!  I was able to crouch in a half standing position, but that was the closest I got to actually surfing.  I was all right with that though because I had just as good of a time catching the waves lying down and sitting on my surfboard in the middle of the ocean!  I was having such a good time that I was considering getting dock time (having to stay on the ship for a certain amount of time in the next port) and arriving back at the ship late!  But we decided against that, heading out to eat at an amazing cafe/burger joint that Rui and Yugo took us to, and making it back to the ship around 6pm.  

I honestly can't think of any better way to have spent my last day in Portugal than surfing with Rui, Yugo and my friends, Erin, T'keyah, Melody, and Rebecca.  If I can, I am definitely coming back to Lisbon, Portugal to vacation and surf with Rui and Yugo! 

 
 

 

One Man's Trash

Olá from Portugal!  I am so, so glad Semester at Sea decided to go to here!  Portugal is such a unique and beautiful country, one that is definitely different than the United States, a refreshing sight after most of the other European countries!  The streets here in Portugal are just full of brightly colored buildings, palm trees, painted tiles, and hills.  It seemed like the whole city was built on a hill, which made walking around my workout for the day!  And, because Portugal is such a tropical country, it rained a lot, making walking up cobblestone hills even more difficult!  But my first day of exploration was a lot of fun, most notably in the Alfama quarter.

The Alfama quarter is the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon, having many streets and avenues that can only be seen on foot. Although it is such a cultural place, a lot of the homes, apartments, and buildings are in pretty rough shape, something I wasn't expecting to see while in Portugal.  And, I was told by a cab driver that 70% of Portugal is empty because everyone is leaving.  I'm not sure how accurate of a percentage this is, but it leads well into my story about empty apartment buildings.   

While I was walking around Alfama, my friend Sarah and I came to this little street with apartment buildings.  In a corner, there were a bunch of trash bags and boxes immediately caught my eye because there were beautiful paintings sticking out of the box!  I went over to look and came to the conclusion that someone moving out of their apartment decided not to keep the paintings, leaving them on the side of the road.  So, I may have done just a teensy bit of garbage picking in order to get the paintings since I couldn't let these beautiful paintings go to waste!  They're probably going to be the cheapest and most unique souvenirs of my entire voyage!   And the saying does go, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."  My Portuguese paintings are most definitely a treasure and made for a very memorable first day in Portugal. 


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Without a doubt, my favorite country that I have traveled to while on Semester at Sea is Ireland!  It wasn't the Book of Kells, Trinity College, the Chester Betty Library, Dublin's Culture Night, the Doorway Edible Art Gallery, Dublin Castle, Porterhouse Pub, Blarney Castle, the Blarney Stone, Gino's Gelato, Penney's, St. Patrick's Cathedral, or the Christ Church Cathedral that made my time in Ireland so special.  What did make my stay in Ireland special was the friendly people, sense of community, country pride, family values, and kindness.  Every single person I talked to was so proud of their culture and heritage (which may have had something to do with the championship game Dublin was playing in while I was there) and so willing to stop what they were doing to talk to me about their life and Irish culture.  I became friends with a small Celtic jewelry stand owner named Steve after talking to him every day I was in Dublin.  Steve not only sold me a beautiful Celtic ring, he also gave me a gift to wish me luck on the rest of my voyage.  In fact, my whole time in Ireland was full of similar encounters like this!  After spending such an amazing four days in Ireland, I am so proud to actually be Irish, something I never really thought about before coming to this beautiful country.  Ireland felt like home to me; it was a country I didn't want to leave and a country I would love to come back to in the future.