New Beginning!

I'm both happy and sad to annouce that this blog has found a new home!  While Blogspot has been a wonderful site host for over a year, it's time to move onto something new!   So with that being said, my BRAND NEW blog can be found here:

http://justkaitlyn.weebly.com/

 

 



And, not only do I have a new blog site, my blog is going through some major changes!  So, if you've been faithfully following me and my writing here, PLEASE check out my new blog site!  I can't wait to see you over there! 

Learn to Laugh

I don't know about you, but I've had more than my fair share of embarrassing moments.  It comes with the territory of being a klutz.  And in high school, I was a real big klutz.  It was one of the first days of spring, and I was wearing my new, flowy, white skirt that barely met the "longer than your finger tips" school rule.  I was walking down the hallway to my next class after band when I realized one of the "hottest" seniors was behind me.  With my heart pounding, I realized he would be following me up a set of stairs.  So, like a silly sophmore girl, I decided to "shake what my mama gave me" and flounce up the stairs.  But apparently, I shook it a little too hard because I tripped on one of the steps, kicked the guy right in the gut, and fell flat on my face, fully exposing my white granny panties.  I was mortified. 

I thought my life was over.  I couldn't even think about this incident without crying or cringing for weeks.  But, now I find this situation hilarious!  How?  I've learned to laugh at myself.  Proverbs 17:22 says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." 

Photo Credit: Jody Otabara

Laughter truly is the best medicine.  When we have a bad day, sometimes the best way to turn our day around is to just laugh at the crazy, impossible, and mind blowing situations which put us in the bad mood to begin with!  I laugh all the time.  I probably laugh more than normal.  I probably laugh at inappropriate times.  But, I laugh.  And when I laugh, I'm always in better spirits.  While it's taken me a while to learn to laugh at my embarrassing, klutzy, and awkward moments, I'm so glad I have because I'm always in a better mood when I find the humor around me. 

So, the next time we find ourselves in an embarrassing situation, let's remember to LAUGH!  After all, the big guy upstairs probably does his own big belly laughs while watching our unfortunate circumstances. 

P.S. If you like what you just read, follow my blog! Scroll to the bottom and click "join this site!"  

7-Eleven

 

When I decided to take pictures of myself every hour for one full day to document my college experience, I wasn't expecting the result to be this good...or this revealing!  So, please enjoy this completely unfiltered photo documentation of my college life. 

 

7am: "Wake up in the morning feeling like P-Diddy..." Actually, I felt more like a truck ran me over than P-Diddy, but hey, whatever works.

 

8am: Breakfast with Jody. I made up for the lack of chocolate chip scones with Lucky Charms before rushing out the door to get to work at 8am.

 

9am: When the boss is away, the workers will play.

 

  10am: Still at work because I'm broke, but Dave Dunn Dessert Days make up for it every time.

 

11am: Chapel. A.K.A, where I get my Christian on.

 

Noon: Lunch. Clearly, I was REAL excited about the Frito Pie (the flowers on the table aren't a normal thing)

 

1pm: Class with Mr. Campolieto.  This man knows his stuff.

 

2pm: Advising meeting with the most scatterbrained, but well dressed education professor at Roberts.

 

  3pm: Watching Twisted

 

4pm: Wind Ensemble.  My most hated "class."

 

 5pm: Still in Wind Ensemble.  Honestly, isn't one hour enough?!

 

 6pm: Obviously, a 5 course dinner at Garlock.

 

7pm: Walking back to my dorm after an Honors Program meeting.  For all my southern friends, yes, that white stuff is snow.  On the ground.  In spring. 

 

  8pm: Working on homework, specifically a 3rd grade unit plan on Africa. I'm putting my Semester at Sea experience to good use!

 

9pm: Studying for a test is always better with Indian mango juice, especially when that mango juice was bought for you by your roommate!

 

10pm: Studying makes us a tad insane.

 

11pm: Bedtime. And yes, I know I go to bed early.  

 

 

*All photos were taken on Wednesday

*I take more than one class, but my other classes are on Tuesday/Thursday

*I lifeguard other days of the week as my second job 

Wonderfully Made

"I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" -Psalm 139:14

I've been reflecting on this verse a LOT the past couple days.  Why?  Lately, I've been comparing myself to my friends... ALL THE TIME.  And, I haven't been happy.  Looking at my cheerful, godly, kind, gently humorous, and always liked friends, I can't help but feel that my personality isn't good enough.  I'm confident, but that always seems to be taken as arrogance. I'm funny, but my sarcasm sometimes comes across as rude.  I'm caring, but it somehow always looks like I'm trying to get something in return.  I'm a Christian, but sometimes I slip up in my words, thoughts, and actions.  

I'm sure you've had similar thoughts, that you just aren't good enough.  That you can't ever compare to your friends or family.  But, those thoughts are from Satan.  Satan tells us that we can never be good enough, that people will never like who we are.  But God doesn't tell us that.  God says the opposite.  God tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

God made us who we are.  He knitted us together perfectly in the womb. On days when I just don't feel good enough, I could crawl into my turtle shell and hide who I am. But that's not what I was made for.  I was made to shine.  We were made to shine for Christ. If we're hiding our personality, our confidence, or our sense of humor, we can't bring glory to God.  Hiding out in our turtle shells says that God didn't make us good enough, and that's a lie. God made us perfectly according to his plan.  

Now, I'm not saying we don't have flaws.  We all have flaws.  But we shouldn't think that our personality isn't good enough based on what someone else's personality is like. God made us all unique, with different personalities and quirks. After all, it's our differences that make us who we are!  So, let's embrace ourselves and shine for Christ! 

My Lifetime Valentine

This was the first Valentine's Day I've had a boyfriend.  In elementary school, it didn't matter I never had a special "friend" because the games, mandatory class valentines, crafts, and candy covered up February 14th's true meaning. Even in middle school, I could care less about having a boyfriend since most middle school boys were pretty disgusting (sorry guys). But, ever since I hit high school, Valentine's Day has been an almost dreaded holiday.  I've loved exchanging flowers and gifts with my girlfriends, but no matter what I planned with my friends, every Valentine's Day has reminded me how boyfriendless I actually am (well, up until now).

 

But the thing is, I've had a guy all along, a guy whose selfless love beats the love of my parents, my best friends, and even my current boyfriend.  You probably already know where I'm going with this, but that guy is Jesus.  Before I was even born, Jesus loved me enough to die for me, buying my ticket into heaven (if I choose to believe and follow Him).  I don't know about you ladies, but that gift is the greatest gift I've ever received from a man.  But Jesus didn't leave his gift there.  Instead of Jesus saying something like, "Yeah, I'm the best guy around.  No other guy can ever hold a candle to me," leaving us women to be disappointed by every other man we come across, Jesus taught men (and us) how to love.  1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us."  Our fathers, boyfriends, grandfathers, uncles, friends, and brothers show us love because of the example Jesus set on the cross.

 

I am always blown away by the incredible amount of love my dad, grandpa, and boyfriend give me. I'm a sinner; I sin all the time.  But, my dad, grandpa, and Nick choose to see past my sin and love me for who I am, just like Jesus. That blows me away. I'm also blown away with the amazing Valentine's Day my boyfriend planned for me.  Nick cooked an authentic Italian dinner, brought me flowers, made me gifts, and even watched The Vow with me!  It was by far the best Valentine's Day I've ever had, and I am so thankful Nick shows me love through the example of Jesus. But ladies, whether or not you also spent Valentine's Day with a significant other, remember that Jesus will ALWAYS be our lifetime valentine, no matter what. 

*Photo Credit: Jody Otabara

 

 

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.