As my voyage comes to an end...

Guatemala and Honduras were awesome!  They ancient Mayans have some pretty sweet ruins.  On our first day in Guatemala I went to a coffee farm which was very interesting.  I tried some coffee that I actually liked.  Then we went out for dinner and I was the only one brave enough to order something on the menu that wasn't obviously put on it for tourists, and of course it was delicious.  I got up very early the next day and went on a SAS trip to Copan, Honduras.  We stayed over night in Copan, and I went horse back riding and the next day we saw the ruins.  We returned to the ship that day also.  Then I took y last exam on the ship and three days after leaving Guatemala (which was yesterday) we transited the Panama Canal.  That evening we also had a prom like evening with a fancy dinner and then dancing afterward.  I made my dress on the ship with material I got from India.  There was supposed to be a fashion show but it got canceled.  Oh well.  Tomorrow is our last day.  There is a convocation ceremony that the acapella group I am in is singing at.  It should be fun.  I am pretty much completely pack, and I can't believe all the stuff I had to pack.  I hope I can get it all of the ship!  I have been having the time of my life, but not gonna lie, I am excited to be almost done and can't wait till I am home!  Next stop: Florida, USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the semester is winding down...

So my last day of classes was yesterday, and I just took one of my four exams.  I will be finished except for one exam before Guatemala which is awesome.  Just two more days after today and I will be in Guatemala.  It should be a lot of fun.  Here is what I shall be doing there...

Tuesday April 28: Going to Antigua and sleeping on the ship.
Wednesday April 29: Leaving very early in the morning for Honduras (Copan)
Thursday April 30: Coming back to the ship from Honduras.

So basically I am actually spending most of my time in Honduras, which should be pretty cool.  I am going to Copan, which is called the "Paris of Antiquity" and I will be seeing some Mayan ruins which I am pretty excited about.  Well back to writing papers and studying for exams!  Ciao!

10 down, one to go.

So Hawaii was my second to last Port of call on this voyage.  I am almost done!  In two weeks from Wednesday I will be back in the states for good (well until I leave again...).  Hawaii was amazing.  It was beautiful, warm, sunny and wonderful.  The first day I did a scenic shore tour which showed how beautiful the area is.  After that I took a Hula lesson, and let me tell you, my thighs are still killing me, but it was a lot of fun.  Then we went to the tail end of a picnic bbq on the beach.  The next day I went to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial and a city tour of Honolulu.  After that I got a burrito and then went snorkeling. Two days was not enough time in Hawaii, I guess I will just have to come back...

I did not have Taco Bell while I was in Hawaii, but I did have a burrito, which all I really wanted was Mexican food. 

We have 7 days at sea and then Guatemala!  I have four days of classes left, and then all but one of my exams before Guatemala.  So I am almost done with school.  The ship has a fine dinning option where you pay some money and they serve you gourmet dishes in a private dinning room.  People do it for birthdays or ship family dinners or whatever,  we are doing it tomorrow night just for fun.  The food is supposed to be amazing, so I am very excited.  That is about all for now, more later!  Ciao! 

ooops. again.

So I forgot to mention that I am taking a hula lesson today!!  That should be awesome!!

Aloha

I will be in the states for two days!!  I plan on going to a Walgreens and eating at Taco Bell since Hawaii has not yet discovered the wonder that is Chipotle.  Here is my schedule...

Sunday April 19: Diamond Head, Rainforest and Scenic Shores Tour, Taco Bell, Beach, Taco Bell, Night out cause I am actually old enough to go out in the US, unlike 80% of the students on this boat, Taco Bell.

Monday April 20: Taco Bell (just kidding), Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial and City Tour, Taco Bell, Beach, Taco Bell (not kidding), back on the ship by 6pm (possible with some Taco Bell).

We are just finishing a nine day at sea stretch.  It was long, but it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  We had a talent show two nights ago, and the Acapella group I am in did a song, "Unwritten" (it is the theme song to "The Hills" if you didn't know).  We sounded awesome if I do say so myself, though that was the consensus of a lot of others also.  It was fun.  After Hawaii we have a seven day stretch and the first half of exams are during that.  I am almost done with classes.  Crazy, cause it doesn't feel like I have had to go to school during this.  Good thing it will be over soon... Miss you all, but I will be back in a little less than three weeks!  Ciao.

I am actually living Groundhogs Day (the movie...)

Today is April 12, 2009.  Happy Easter.  It is Sunday and I have classes.  So very strange.  But soon I will be in Hawaii, and hopefully going to a Chipotle.  Yummy.  I hope everyone is having a good weekend!  Ciao!!

I am actually living Groundhogs Day (the movie...)

Today is April 12, 2009.  Happy Easter.  It is Sunday and I have classes.  So very strange.  But soon I will be in Hawaii, and hopefully going to a Chipotle.  Yummy.  I hope everyone is having a good weekend!  Ciao!!

I'll be with you in "cherry" blossom time...

Japan was amazing.  The first day I walked around Kobe with some people, we got sushi and it was delicious.  Then me and a friend went back to the ship and went to the welcome reception on the ship.  Some Kobe University students came on the ship and showed us classical dance, Kendo, and origami.  Then we mingled and toured the ship.  That was fun.  The next day we went to Kyoto.  We were very lucky, cause we were in Japan during cherry blossom season!!!  It might have been the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  I also saw two Geshias in full make-up.  Awesome!  After Kyoto me and my friend caught a bullet train to Tokyo.  When we got there we were welcomed by Noriko, our Japanese host for the rest of our stay in Tokyo.  The Next day she took us around Tokyo and then we went to a baseball game.  It was crazy and a lot of fun.  The next day we went to Electric Town and the Tokyo National Museum.  That evening we went to a Passover Seder through the JCC in Tokyo.  It was held at the American Embassy Compound.  It was a lot of fun.  The Haggadah was in English, Hebrew and Japanese, and we even had some Japanese read during the Seder.  It was awesome.  Plus the wine that they had was from the winery I went to in Israel.  I had my four glasses...  The last day Noriko took us around the area she lives in and then we navigated our way back to the ship in Yokohama.  All in all Japan was amazing!

We have a huge break from ports right now.  Nine days at sea.  We have four days of clas, a break for a day and then four days of class before we port in Hawaii.  Only 26 more days and I will be in Florida!!  How exciting!  Well until next time... Ciao!

and bears, oh my!

So China was awesome!  I started in Hong Kong, and it was amazing.  One of my friends on the ship, her parents are from Taiwan and her grandfather fly to Hong Kong for the day.  Her cousin also lives in Hong Kong so we hung out with them and they took us around.  It was a lot of fun.  We ate good food, walked around the city, went to Hong Kong Island and all over.  Then the next day I got up early and traveled to Beijing with semester at sea.  We saw the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, Tienanmen's Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Beijing Zoo which has Giant Pandas, and the Olympic Stadiums.  Then we traveled to Shanghai.  The last day in China I went to Suzhou (which is a little city outside of Shanghai) with semester at sea and saw three gardens, the university there, and we went for a ride on the canal.  It was very beautiful, and a little cold.  The cold weather, and the shock from going from sweating instantly when walking outdoors, to needing hats and gloves made me sick.  Stuffy nose and all that.  It is getting better so that is good at least!

I think that it is important to note that the Great Wall is basically just stairs.  No one told me that.  In fact to get to the part that is not stairs you have to climb a mountain of stairs to get to it.  Needless to say I did not make it to that part, cause once you got to the "top" of the section we were at, there were more stairs.  So when some one says they climbed the Great wall, believe you me, they climbed that Great Wall... of stairs.

Tomorrow we will be in Japan.  I am very excited.  It should be amazing, and here is why.

Monday April 6: dock in Kobe, explore the city
Tuesday April 7: go to Kyoto
Wednesday April 8: Tokyo
Thursday April 9: Tokyo
Friday April 10: leaving on the ship from Yokohama

While in Tokyo we are going to go to hot springs and a baseball game and it is going to be awesome.  MY friend's mom studied in Japan and stayed with a family, and we are staying with that family, so we are doing a home-stay, which should be amazing.  She is going to teach us how to use the subway system and help us get baseball tickets and take us around and tell us what we should see.  It is a once in a life time opportunity that I happened to stumble into yesterday afternoon.  How lucky am I?!?  Well classes and such... Ciao!

Good Morning, Vietnam!

So Vietnam was a very emotional place for me.  I know that things dealing with wars and conflicts move me, I cried the whole time I walked through the Holocaust museum in DC, I was moved by the Korean war monument etc, but the last thing I thought would happen was that a country would affect me so much because of a war I knew very little about.  It is very hard to explain, especially with the inhuman nature of the internet and computers, but when I get back I can try over a cup of coffee or tea, just let me know.  Though maybe a shot of whiskey would be more appropriate...

Vietnam is very beautiful, full of lush jungle and rivers.  The first day I did a city orientation of Ho Chi Minh City (formally called Saigon).  We saw many important buildings, a history museum and a Water puppet show.  The next day we went to the Mekong Delta and rode in boats on the river, tasting many exotic fruits and playing with pythons.  The third day we shopped and took it easy.  Vietnam has found my weakness for North Face backpacks and TV on DVD.  The forth day we went to the Cu Chi tunnels, which were south in the Mekong Delta area as well.  The last day I got stamps and took it easy.  We had a BBQ on the ship which was delicious.

Two days of travel and then Hong Kong!!  This is what Hong Kong and mainland China look like for me...

Sunday March 29: Traipsing around Hong Kong
Monday March 30: Traveling to Beijing
Tuesday March 31: The Great Wall!
Wednesday April 1: The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, other places I can't think of right now and an Aerobatic performance.
Thursday April 2: The zoo, the Birds Nest and the Water Cube and traveling to Shanghai
Friday April 3: Suzhou (really old gardens that Marco Polo went to when he was in China)

That is what my schedule looks like... All that and then two days and then JAPAN!!!!! Ciao!

and tigers...

So Thailand.  This country was kinda my spring break in a way.  I did not do a whole lot of touristy things while I was here.  We explored a lot and such, but I didn't visit much, it was very low key.  But when you are visiting so many different places, I feel like you might need a bit of a break from the monotony of tours, so I took it in Thailand.  Don't get me wrong I love tours, but I had an amazing time in Thailand taking it easy.  It all started with a trip to the Tiger Zoo where I got to hold a baby tiger and feed it while a person took my picture.  It was pretty fabulous.  I also eat some McDonalds and it was the best I have ever had, except their coke, that is better in the states.  The next three days were spent in Bangkok where we went to Jim Thompson's house. He exported silks and made quite a name for himself and then disappeared.  Very interesting story, and he had a beautiful house and an exquisite art collection.  We also took a cooking class so get ready for some delicious Thai food when I get home...  The last two days we spent in Pattaya.  Pattaya is apparently known for its night life, which I was unaware of until we went there.  It is kinda like a low class Las Vegas, sans casinos and many more bars and clubs.  I maybe sang karaoke...  So that is basically it.  Thailand was beautiful, I loved it, and it was nice to spend one port kinda low key.  I still saw a lot, but also in a way I took it easy.  Not going to be the case in Vietnam, which we arrive at in the morning!  My schedule there is really quite full, and looks like this...

Sunday March 22 City Orientation of Ho Chi Minh City with include water puppet performance
Monday March 23 Mekong Delta Day Trip
Tuesday March 24 hopefully exploring the city and getting things tailored and/or made
Wednesday March 25 Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple
Thursday March 26 shopping around the city and picking up clothing before starting the journey to China

We only have two days between Vietnam and China so there will not be a lot of recovering time, especially since I have classes both of those days also.  Oh well. Just about six more weeks and I will be back in the states.  I miss everyone!!!!  Ciao.

India: The Gilligan's Island of Travel

So India was amazing, truly amazing.  Before each port they have lectures on what to expect and such to get us ready for going out into the world (literally).  For India it was mostly about getting sick from the food and the poverty.  Well I ate everything, including some things that they warned us not to... oops.  I did not get sick so there!  The poverty was not such an easy issue, it was hard seeing trash and begging children everywhere you go.  The hardest part was not giving them anything, since they probably are working for some kind of gang or organization (if you have not yet seen slumdog millionaire, I suggest you watch it, cause not only is it an amazing film, but it is also a very accurate depiction of poverty in India).  But besides that India is a beautiful country.  The first day I was there I went on a city orientation of Chennai which was very informative.  We visited an Anglican Church, a Hindu temple and a Catholic church which happens to be one of the only three churches in the world to have remains of one of the twelve apostles (St. Thomas).  Then after the tour, I went to a welcome reception where I got henna done on my hand, ate delicious food, watched a classical Indian dance presentation and got to socialize with students from the University of Chennai.  It was wonderful.  The next three days was my excursion to Delhi and Agra to see the city and the Taj Mahal.  I truly understand why the Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the modern world.  The last day in India I hung around Chennai, shopping and such.  One of my friends on the ship knows a girl that lives in Chennai and we went out with her and had a delicious lunch.  After shopping and almost missing our on ship time, we returned safely to the ship and oooooed and awwwwwwed over our purchases.  Classes have been keeping me busy since leaving India, but in two days we will be in Thailand!!!  Here is my supposed schedule for that... 

Sunday March 15: Going to a Tiger Zoo and Mini Siam
Monday March 16: Day trip to Bangkok
Tuesday March 17: possibly in Bangkok also...
Wednesday March 18: Pattaya (I think I am spelling it right)
Thursday March 19: return to the ship to leave for Vietnam.

The time from now until after Japan is going to fly.  We only have two days at sea between Thailand and Vietnam, Vietnam and China and China and Japan.  These next few weeks are gonna fly.  I am excited!!  Ciao.

I am hungry... for INDIAN FOOD!!!!!!

I tried to post this last night, but apparently it did not work, so here it goes again...

So in just a few hours we will be pulling into port in India!! If you can't tell I am so very excited for the food. Everyone says that this is the port that you will get sick at. Well bring it on, I am ready.

So Mauritius... It was beautiful. Mark Twain was so right. I went snorkeling and on a catamaran. The water was beautiful, and so were the fish. We saw dolphins, though we didn't get to swim with them... We got back a little before we had to be on the ship, so we walked around a bit and explored the water front, which was basically two small shopping centers that were mostly closed. We did get to take water taxis which was a neat experience.

The day after Mauritius was the Sea Olympics. Apparently this happens on every voyage. Each deck is divided into seas and all the seas compete in different events through out the day. The events range from everything, human knot, pictionary, sudoku, mashed potato sculpting, and synchronized swimming to name a few. I didn't actually compete in any event, but I did help choreography the synchro act and was basically the manager of it (running errands and in charge of music and such). My sea didn't do so well in the competitions but we had a lot of spirit. All in all it was a pretty fun day!

Midterms were this week, well it isn't really a week, but they were around this general time area. There aren't really weeks on the ship, cause we have classes on "weekends". It keeps me busy, and on my toes, especially trying to figure out what day it is. But I know what day it is today, THE DAY BEFORE INDIA. Here is my India schedule:

Thursday March 5: Chennai City Orientation and a Welcome Reception
Friday March 6- Sunday March 8: Traveling to New Delhi and the Taj Mahal
Monday March 9: Exploring Chennai and going shopping

So that is what is up with me for the next few days. It is pretty exciting to go see the Taj, I will take lots of pictures. Next stop: Thailand (well technically Singapore but we can't get off the ship, it is just to refuel).

ooops.

I completely forgot!!! Friday night we went to a rugby game! The Stormers crushed the Reds. It was amazing. So much fun. Had no idea how to play rugby before, but now I think I get the gist of it. Very interesting game. Took lots of videos to try and capture the essence. Can't believe I forgot about that. Maybe I should go to sleep now. Ciao.

lions...

We are currently sitting in port in Cape Town, South Africa. We cannot leave because of high winds. They also made an announcement about how the seas were going to be rougher than usual until we get to Mauritius, which is something to look forward to. I have also heard that rounding the tip of Africa is pretty bad, since it is the place where the Atlantic and Indian oceans collide. 

But enough about that... Time for South African happenings!!! The first day in Cape Town we got off the ship and got some lunch. Then I went on a trip to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. They are found on the eastern base of Table Mountain, and all the plant life besides a few trees, are plants that are found in South Africa. A lot of them are only found in South Africa. I took lots of pictures. After the botanical gardens, I returned to the ship and got ready for a night at the theatre. We went to a production entitled Pictures of You. Before the show we were welcomed with drinks and a snack and speeches by the theatre director and the artistic director of the production. The play was about the changing relationship of a married couple revisiting their past, and was done without dialog. The actors (there were only two) wore masks and there were a couple puppets used in the show. The company that put it on has a mission of incorporating the deaf into theatre. This production was completely deaf in relation to the story and actors, because not only did they not speak, but they wore masks so there was no facial expression to relay emotions. Yet I felt that you could understand everything they felt, meant and said. I thought it was a beautiful piece. The next day I went to Cape Point (note: Cape Point is not the most southern part of Africa, but it is the point were the two oceans meet and it is the more visited point than the actual most southern part of Africa). We drove along the peninsula and stopped in Hout Bay, which is a little port city. We hiked up to the Cape Point Lighthouse and saw the view. Then we drove a little, seeing baboons on the side of the road. We then stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant, which was delicious. After lunch we went to one of the largest colonies of African penguins, and got to see them. That was pretty cool. Then we returned to the ship, where I meet up with friends and we went out for sushi and then some hanging and dancing on Long Street. Wednesday, me and some friends went on a wine lands tour. We weren't able to purchase any wine cause we can't bring alcohol on the ship, but we did get to taste it and some cheese that was made on the premises also. Then we got to pet a cheetah, which was pretty sweet. That night we went to bed earlyish cause we had to be up and at the pier at 5:15am the next morning... to go on safari!!! The safari was fun, and we got to see quite a lot of animals. We saw all of the big five except leopards because they are nocturnal. We also saw zebras, giraffes, antelope, wildebeest, crocodiles, hippos and a variety of birds. Hopefully I didn't miss any, but I did take lots of pictures! After the safari we went out for dinner at this restaurant called Gold. It had a set menu, but they explained everything to you, and it was a menu based on traditional African dishes. We also had a drumming lesson at the restaurant. Then we went out dancing. Today was our last day in South Africa, and we spent the day shopping. We went to a couple different craft markets and also the malls that were right by our ship on the water front. It was a lot of fun just walking around and looking at all the goods.

I had a blast in South Africa, but I am looking forward to Mauritius. We are only there for one day, which is not fun, but I plan to spend it snorkeling!!! I got two underwater cameras in South Africa, so I will also be taking tons of photos of fishes in crystal clear blue water! 

Midterms are coming up, we have an exam on Tuesday and I have many others around the corner. Lots of paper are coming due soon also, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. Hopefully it will keep my mind off of seasickness. We still have not left port so I am doing good. Though it is hard to believe what it is like out there since the reason we haven't left yet is apparently because of bad weather. Oh well, we will cross that ocean when we come to it. Ciao!

Reminder: Do not use if seal is broken

In case anyone was wondering, most of my blog titles are stolen from emails from my dad. Ok now that that is cleared up... Namibia. I loved Namibia. I would go back in a heart beat. I suggest that everyone go there sometime. Me and my friend went kayaking early in the morning on Sunday and it was awesome. We saw thousands of seals and some dolphins. It was a good workout, and a lot of fun. Then that afternoon we went to Swakopmund, which is about 20 miles away. We did a little shopping, though everything was closed, except the outside market and restaurants, and then we went to the Lighthouse Restaurant, which is supposed to have the best oysters in the world. I tried one of someone's who ordered them. It was cooked and had garlic and melted cheese on it, it was tasty. I had game!! Oryx to be exact. It was delicious. Then the next day I went on a seal and dolphin encounter, which is exactly what it was. Seals came onto our boat. I feed one, and got to pet them. It was super sweet. We also saw dolphins, a moon fish, pelicans and many gulls. I also ate a raw oyster and it was not tasty. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Walvis Bay. All in all it was a great experience. Now we are just hours away from South Africa! Here is my potential schedule for that...

Wednesday February 18: Botanical Gardens and a night at the theatre.
Thursday February 19: Cape Point and Cape Peninsula (aka PENGUINS!!!!)
Friday February 20: possibly going to Table Mountain... not quite sure whats happening that day.
Saturday February 21: hopefully... one day safari...
Sunday February 22: exploring Cape Town

That is the plan, and I am really excited for all of it. Especially if the Safari works out... which I am hopefully that it will. But we shall see. I just really want to see game... especially the big five. So fingers crossed. Anyway, time to sleep before fun in South Africa begins. Ciao.

for your information...

Just so you know... my cellular telephone does not receive service in Namibia. Hopefully this will be remedied in South Africa. Not that I am going to need to use it (hopefully), but I just thought I would let you all know, since I know everyone is dying to call me while I am in Namibia. Now you know if I didn't answer it is not because I am screening my calls it is because it never made it through. No hard feelings I hope!

Maybe you are stuffy because you are allergic to the air in the Southern Hemisphere.

We are now in Namibia. We got here this morning around 8am. So after our ship was cleared, me and some friends went out into Walvis Bay, the town we are ported in. We walked around, and ate lunch. Then I went on a desert 4x4 tour. It was awesome. Saw a sidewinder, gecko, chameleon, and scorpion. Lots of awesome pictures. Tomorrow me and my friend are going kayaking!!! With water birds, fishes, seals and maybe dolphins. Then in the afternoon we are meeting some more people and going to the German town of Swakopmund, to walk around and see the effects that colonization had on Namibian culture. Monday I am going on a Seal and Dolphin Encounter. We will be riding in ski boats, and observing marine life, and I might get to feed a seal. So stay tuned for the outcome of that. Well I have to be on the pier at 6:45am to go kayaking so I should go. Ciao!

These days at sea sure do drag...

It feels like it has been a month since we were in Morocco. This going to class every single day really takes a toll on you. Every night I have so much homework and reading to do, but all I want to do is hang out with people, take it easy and get to know my new friends on the ship. It is difficult to balance everything but not impossible, and I love a challenge! I am now (finally) a shellback. We crossed the equator around 3:30pm yesterday. I was lying in bed cause I was feeling a little sick. The last couple of days I have felt a little congested. I have been taking airborn and eating vitamin c drops trying to fight it off. If I feel congested tomorrow I will break down and take the decongestant, but I felt a tiny bit better today so hopefully I won't have to. Well I have 8am class everyday and it is 11pm here (in the ocean sailing along Africa) so I should get to bed. Hope everyone still stuck in winter is staying warm. It is summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Neptune Day... kinda.

So for those of you who don't know, today we celebrated Neptune Day, which is a day of commemorating the crossing of the equator. There are lots of funny rituals and many people shave their heads etc. This morning around 8am many of the crew members dressed in togas of such and face paint and hats made of foil came marching through the cabin halls playing all sorts of hand made drums and kazoos and making all kinds of chanting/yelling noises. they made multiple passes through the halls and on all the decks. At 9am all polywogs (which is what an equator transit virgin is called) were to report to the swimming pool area. Here they had us repeat some lines which claimed Neptune as the supreme ruler of the ocean and to bow to his power and excellence. Neptune was there. It was our captain in neon green body paint, and he was painted head to toe, and was wearing pretty much nothing but a white grass skirt, a white grass wig, a crown and held a trident. Oh and on his had he sported a very large ring. Next to him was his queen, dressed in green face paint, a white toga like dress, and elaborate eye makeup, also wearing a crown and holding a scepter. The initiation ritual was as follows: first, you stepped into an area right on the pool and they poured a kinda foul smelling, very cold, think blue or green colored goo onto your head. Then you proceed to the royal couple and on your way you kissed a fish (it was a real dead fish, and I kissed it on its fishy lips. And it had little fish teeth sticking out.), and then kissed the ring of Neptune Rex. Then you jumped into the swimming pool (presumably to clean the goop off though this did not quite work cause I still keep finding little bits of dried blue goop in my hair and I rinsed in the shower also). Then you got out of the pool and there was another fish (which the woman said I had to kiss or at least touch, and I did even though I had already kissed my other fishy friend. Maybe you had to kiss both, or maybe that fish lady was jealous cause the other fish was getting all of the action, regardless I kissed two fish today.), and a made with a wooden sword who basically "knighted"you. And after all this you were able to change your silly title name from polywog to shellback. Pretty exciting, no? The other part of the initiation is to shave your head. Now I seriously thought about it, it would be a good story and such. But in the end I decided that in the heat of the moment it seemed like a good idea but the next day I would regret it. I have been growing out my hair and I want to keep growing it out. Plus every picture of the rest of the trip would be overshadowed by my lack of hair. I have no way of knowing how long it would take me to grow it back. So I decided not to. I thought about it again a couple of times to day, especially after seeing other girls who did it, trying to decided if I regret my decision not to do it. Then I read this little bit of information in our daily bulletin from today (which we received tonight, after all activities had already happened):

"Crossing the Line, or Neptune Day, is an initiation rite celebrated in many navies. It commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the equator. The rite was intended originally as a test of new shipmates by seasoned sailors. The tradition dates back to the 16th century, and in the old days, the ship heaved to (that is, it set its sails so as to remain stationary) and the pollywogs were hoisted on the mainyard and dunked into the ocean 40 feet below; afterwards, shaving and other forms of blood letting took place. We will actually cross the equator tomorrow in the late afternoon." 

WE HAVEN'T EVEN CROSSED THE EQUATOR YET. I feel a little scammed, not gonna lie. I mean I had fun today and it was cool to go through this ritual and such, but it was suppose to happen on the day when we actually became shellbacks. Reading this I am very happy I didn't shave my head. If I feel cheated now, imagine how I would feel if I had shaved my head for the crossing of the equator. Good thing I didn't. So I am right now in this limbo between polywog and shellback. I have completed the rituals but have not actually passed the equator yet. Oh well I suppose it will be offical tomorrow in the late afternoon. Back to homework and bed. Ciao!

This is a Test

So did you know that apparently you can email to a blog? Well this is what they tell me. So right now I am writing this as a message in an email and I will send it and see what happens. If this works then I won't have to use valuable internet minutes on posting my blog, which would be awesome. Tomorrow we cross the equator. This is known as Neptune day. I will relay the events of this most auspicious day in my next entry. You know it is going to be good cause they refer to you as pollywogs and there are no classes tomorrow. Now I need to go to bed. Here is to technology (if it works!). Ciao.

rough seas ahead...

Well I have a confession to make. I did not make it to Rick’s. But here is why that is not so bad… It was built after the movie was made, so it is purely for tourism. You have to have a reservation to eat there, and it is really expensive. And it was really, really far away from the pier. Since I only had one day in Casablanca (because I went to Fes ) I saw the cultural things that make Casablanca special, and really I think that Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman would be proud of that.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, on with what I did do in Morocco. As you all probably now we lost a day in Morocco due to weather and rough seas. But it was still amazing. I had to be on the pier at 7:15am for the bus to leave to take is to Fes. There were only 22 students on the bus, so we all really got to know each other, which was really nice. We went to Volubilis, which is a site of Roman ruins. It was amazing. We were there an hourish and I took probably 200 photos. Unfortunately I can’t post them cause of the Internet situation, and when I do get wireless in port it just takes too long. But once I am back in the States I will post them! Well back to Illinois or Iowa, cause I will be in Hawaii but the Internet situation then will still exist (by the way the computer automatically capitalized Illinois and Hawaii but not Iowa, it just said it was spelled wrong…). After Volubilis we continued to Fes, which in total is about 4 hours from Casablanca. We stayed in Fes that night, and got up early in the morning to tour Fes. We drove around and saw the sites and then did a walking tour of the old Medina, which is a market place. It was amazing. We stopped in all these different areas that belonged to different artisans, kind of like the guilds of the middle ages. We learned how many of the famous Moroccan crafts are made and then were pressured to buy them. It was awesome. After a long day of walking, bartering, and buying, we returned to Casablanca after a very long bus ride. Then today I traveled around Casablanca with some of the people that were on the Fes trip. We went to the Mosque of Hassan II, and to the old medina. It rained on and off all day.

The captain came on the loudspeaker to warn us about rolling, cause we have to make a very sharp turn out of the port, and said that “the safest way to survive the rolling is to be seated”. So now you know, if you experience the rolling while at sea, take a seat and you will survive.

Well just so you know before this line, I wrote all of that yesterday. As I was writing to post, the ship began to roll. Now it rolled on our way in and it wasn’t so bad, the things in the bathroom fell into the sink and my roommate’s alarm clock and mine kept sliding. This time it was much worse. I went into the bathroom to make sure everything was ok and to put it in the sink as we started to roll. As I was in there our bedside stands which each have three drawers came off of the wall and barreling to the other end of the cabin. Our possessions in these nightstands went all over the cabin floor. Henna that my roommate bought in Morocco went everywhere. And we both got sick. I got motion sickness and could do nothing but lay in bed. The smell of the henna got to her and she got sick. We were both asleep around 10:30pm. Also someone hit their head and the medical team had to go to their room after the purser called a code blue. One of the av tech guys has his arm in a sling and I heard rumors that someone broke their arm and someone else broke a rib or two. The captain had very good advice. Sitting down is the best way to survive rolling. And the sea is rough and probably will be until we get to India. Needless to say I have a patch on and I still don’t feel one hundred percent. Hopefully it won’t get worse.

For those of you reading this who don’t know, I have very limited Internet on the ship. I do however have a free email, which does not use my Internet time to check. If you are interested it is rskirshenbaum@semesteratsea.net. Next port is Dakar, probably to refuel. We are not getting off the ship there. We cross the equator on Monday! Ciao.

Happy Groundhog's Day!!!!

I get seasick. Very very very seasick. I spent today in bed, barley able to get to the bathroom. I tried to go to the dining hall to get some lunch, went into the bathroom to change and realized if I tried I was going to throw up. My roommate did smuggle me down a grilled cheese and some pretzels from the 7th deck bar area, but it was hard to eat from the rocking happening everywhere. We are stationary now, well at least at the port and docked, so I feel better.

We are finally in morocco but we cannot leave the ship until the morning. We got here at about 7:30pm. We were supposed to be here at 8am. The waters were to rough and we had to stay in Gibraltar over night. Well on the boat a few miles off the coast of Gibraltar. So the Casablanca city orientation I was supposed to go on was moved to Thursday, which means that I can’t go on it. Which is not good since I needed to go on it for a class. But it will all work out. I am still going to Fes so that is good. And I will have one day in Casablanca to explore.

Spain was amazing. It of course is a little overshadowed now by this last horrible day at sea and the fact we lost a day in morocco and I am missing a trip for one of my classes, but that is all pretty much in the past.

Spain was amazing. Everywhere I went was beautiful. I started in Cadiz, and walked around with some people. Then we went on a city orientation of Cadiz were we had a Spanish tour guide who walked us around and told us the history of the city. It is thought to be the oldest city in Western Europe. How awesome is that for an ancient civilization major? It was amazing, cathedrals, museums, the ocean. Stayed that night on the ship and in the morning went with sas (semester at sea) to Seville. Toured the city with them, saw the world’s largest gothic cathedral, and the alcazar, which is a palace still used by the royal family. Orange trees everywhere, it was beautiful. Had lunch in a local restaurant with the trip and had my first calamari, it was so tender you could cut it with a fork. Then me and another girl left the trip to meet up with other people in Seville. After we found them I went to Cordoba to stay the night in a hostel. Cordoba was beautiful. We went to the mosque, which is now a cathedral. We got in free cause the woman working at the hostel told us if we got in before 10am we didn’t have to pay, otherwise it was 8 euro. The reason it was free was because mass was going on, so not only did we get to see and amazingly beautiful building, but we got to listen to mass as we walked around. Then we explored the city and eventually got trains back to Cadiz via Seville. I then meet up with some other people and we explored more of Cadiz and got dinner. Then it poured and we got soaked. We stayed that night on the ship. The last day in Spain was sunny and perfect. We got breakfast and people watched at a café. Then we wandered and saw the roman theatre among other things. We got the worst meal we have ever had, and then made up for it with an amazing bit of tapas. It was a great way to say goodbye (for now) to Spain.

And from me to you, the rain is Spain does not stay mainly on the plain. It mainly goes everywhere.



Besides the awful storm we just sailed through to get to morocco I know it is going to be amazing. Don’t any of you worry; I will look for Rick’s. Just so you know my plan for Morocco is:

Tuesday February 3: travel with sas to Volubilis and Fes
Wednesday February 4: Return with sas from Fes to Casablanca
Thursday February 5: Explore Casablanca before returning to the ship to depart for Namibia.

We have quite a few days at sea between Casablanca and Namibia so it will be back to classes and homework. And wearing a seasick patch, cause man do I need it.

the rain in spain stays mainly on the plain

We are almost to Spain!! I can hardly wait. Of course I have no choice. To give an idea of what I will be doing in Spain, here is my itinerary…

Wednesday January 28, 2009: Cadiz City Orientation

Thursday January 29, 2009: Seville: Alcazar, La Giralda and Cathedral

The Seville trip is supposed to be a day trip, but at the end when the group is going to go back to the ship, I am going to meet Beth and Kate at the train station in Seville and we are going to Cordoba. We are going to stay in a hostel there and explore the city the next day, returning to Cadiz and the ship that night. Then Saturday, which is our last day in Spain we are going to go to the Archaeological Museum in Cadiz and spend the rest of the time around Cadiz. So that is the plan for Spain.

So despite the fact I have tons of schoolwork and such, I joined an Acapella group on the ship. There were enough people to for two groups, and since there are 70% girls to 30% guys here we made an all girls group and a co-ed group. I am in the co-ed group and we are going to call ourselves the Sound Waves. So that is something else to keep me busy I guess.

Well that is really all. I am super tired but am trying to stay up… I can always do some homework… that never goes away. Hope Everyone is staying warm! Ciao.

Today 1-26 is Chinese New Year. It is now the Year of the Ox. So please stop writing Year of the Rat on your checks.

So today I saw three birds, and my roommate saw a group of like six birds sitting in the water. We are two nights and one full day away from Spain!!! On our current route we are going in-between the Azores and the Madeira Islands. The birds we have seen are probably residents of these islands since we are still around 800 miles away. My roommate is doing this amazing thing; I wish I had thought of it. We have a map hanging in our room and she is plotting our longitude and latitude every morning to see how far we go, and what route we take on our voyage. It is awesome. I am thinking of trying to find a map in Spain and catching up. It just seems like a really nice memento from this experience. Plus then when I go back to being bad at geography I can easily show people exactly where I went.

Classes are keeping me really busy. Our schedules are divided into two days, and almost every full day the ship is at sea we have class. The days are so cleverly named A day and B day. My schedule is as follows… A days I have 8-9:15 Lost and Found (A literature class dealing with stories of travel) 9:20-10:35 Global Studies, and 12:15-1:30 Evolution and the Human Fossil. On B days I have 8-9:15 Medieval Travelers, 9:20-10:35 Global Studies, and 10:45-12 Religion and Politics of Islam. Yes I have an 8am class everyday and no that is not a typo, global studies is everyday. Because we have class everyday I never know what day it is.

Practically every night we have to set our clocks forward an hour, so on top of getting over seasickness, taking one class more then most of the people on the ship, having to get up at 7:15 to make it to breakfast at 7:30, and trying to stay on top of all my massive amounts of reading, all but I think two days so far on this voyage have been only 23 hours long. I am having the time of my life.

Next: Spain (something to look forward to!!)

hey I am still alive!!!!!

Sorry it has been so long… I had an amazing time in New York. Lots of chocolate, theatre, museums and figuring out the subway. It was a blast. The weather didn’t even delay my departure from JFK. Well we did have to taxi for about 30 min, but the flight wasn’t delayed.

I got to the Bahamas and the weather was beautiful. There was a live band playing while I waited in line to go through customs. The wait was not too long, which was nice. I got a taxi, and the driver was very friendly and very informative. I got to the hotel and Beth, my last minute roommate in the Bahamas was there waiting on the couch. We checked in, and I had to pay for the room cause they didn’t have a reservation for me. But it all worked out. We were hungry and we went to eat, finding a place from walking around downtown Nassau. We hung out with people who were also doing semester at sea and were staying at our hotel too. I guess it is tradition to go to a club or bar the night before the voyage, and if you are in Nassau that bar is Senor Frogs. We went for a little, and had a drink but not as many as everyone else there. A group of us at the hotel decided to go early to the pier. It was only a few blocks away so we decided to walk. It was hot, but a lot cheaper than a taxi. Then after a few hours of waiting in lines I was on the ship. And at 5pm we left port and began our voyage.

The reason that I have not updated for so long is that I got seasick. Pretty bad too. I threw up on Wednesday. That was when I decided that the ginger was not going to cut it and I should turn to medication. The clinic on board has pills available 24/7 and I took a pack of them, which was two. But after a little over 8 hours I still felt sick my roommate gave me one of her patches, which you put behind your ear. I feel great now, which is good cause I need to do lots of homework all the time. I even felt good enough to day to take a shower!!!

Classes are a lot of work. And I added a fifth one. But the subject matter in all of them is interesting, so it should be a pretty good semester.

I sit out side when I am done with classes and do my homework and watch the ocean as we go sailing over it. It is an impossible feeling to describe. One of my friends saw a whale! I only saw the splash it made going back under, but still that was awesome. I heard someone saying that when we are around Hawaii it is humpback season, so that should be very neat.

Well I have reading I still need to do, so I should go… More later, and I promise it wont take so long to write. Ciao.

New York City: Center of the Universe

So, despite the weather trying to keep me in Chicago, I made it to New York. Right now I am sitting at my cousin's cubical. The snow in Chicago delayed my original flight from leaving at 11:10am to 1pm, or maybe even later. I had ten minutes to make it to the gate to leave on the 9:35 flight. Well after a kinda long security line, and trying to run as fast as I could through O'Hare to my new gate I made it on the plane. Of course the attendants working at the gate had to fight for me to get on the plane, and the passengers looked at me like "So you are the one that kept us from leaving already..." as i walked on to the plane. One of the flight attendants had to come and give me a personal safety demonstration, cause i missed the original one. But I made it and so did my luggage!! Looking forward to four fun-filled days in NYC. Ciao!

I lost all my wisdom...

...teeth that is. That is right, they are gone. I only had the two bottoms, but before I leave for my trip, my dentist said they had to go. So they went. I am on my way to feeling normal again, but I can't have popcorn, chips, or nuts for 4 to 6 weeks. That is sad, but it is the price that must be paid.

It is starting to get very close to takeoff. Departure is probably a better word... Leaving for New York on the 14th. And I finally got a room in Nassau for the 18th. That is for the best cause otherwise, I would have had to sleep on the beach, which probably is not allowed. That and I would have a bit of luggage. So now I officially have a roof over my head! Ciao!