BRAZIL

The elevator

Some extreme poverty in a small village

The Favilas of Cachoeira

arriving in Salvador at 5:30 AM

I promise that I'll try to get more pictures of friends and others next time.

BRAZIL

The Guinness Book of World Records lists The Biggest Party in the World, and this party is none other than Carnival in Brazil. Millions and millions of Brazilians pack the streets. Many of you have probably heard of the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, but the Carnivals in Salvador are locally known as the better ones because they’re much less touristy and much more traditional. During Brazil’s week-long Carnival, everybody has the week off from work. All of the banks, post offices, movie theatres, and many stores are all closed. The poverty-stricken mingle with the incredibly rich. Still, the staff and lecturers on the ship warned us about the large amounts of crime and violence that erupts during this time of the year in Brazil.
Ok, so let’s get straight to the point here: We experienced Carnival….and…I lovvved Brazil.

On the first day, I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to film the ship pulling into the city of Salvador. Unfortunately this was way too early for me to be awake (around 5:30 or so), but I still hung out of the front dock with many others and caught our first glimpses of the wonderful city.
Our first adventure was to the local market, which was about a fifteen minute walk from the ship. This huge building is a cross between a flea market and a mall. Tons of Brazilians selling clothes, crafts, musical instruments, music, food, and tons of other things inhabit this strange building along with the outside perimeter. It was crowded, noisy, hectic, yet fun. Sellers would pull you into the booths or flash souvenirs in your face in order to get your attention, though I did find this rather annoying after awhile. Plus most of the stuff they were selling wasn’t that great anyways.
Outside, surrounding the perimeter of the market, older women in colorful dresses yanked on your arms in order to get you to stop and have them “bless your money.” One fellow SAS girl apparently brought out a hundred dollar bill for these nice, friendly women to bless, and was rather pissed off when the woman stole the bill from her hand and would only give her four dollars back…stupid people on this ship I tell you.

Later that day, me, Matt, Eric, Steph, and Dorothy rode up the high elevator that took us to the main city of Salvador. Some of the streets were already filled with people dancing as marching bands and different Brazilian ensembles played music. This area of the city looks completely different as the sun goes down. While walking back to the ship, we crossed hundreds of people yelling out the windows of their cars in traffic, others were packing the buses to the max--some guys were completely decked out in drag and crazy makeup, and other Brazilians were squirting water guns at all of us…all of these people were, of course, on their way to tonight’s Carnival.

Skip ahead to our first night in the main city. About twelve or so of us formed a large group, paired off, and decided to experience our first nightly Carnival…but we had to eat first, and someone earlier had recommended a fine dining place to two girls in our group.

Rain was pouring as we rode up the elevator, and then marched through the streets, looking for this restaurant. Music was playing EVERYWHERE. People were darting from every which direction (all of the roads in the city are closed off during Carnival, so fortunately there were no cars), and through this entire hectic environment, one man was nice enough to help us find this restaurant. Now don’t get me wrong, I knew that he’d probably want a couple of bucks for taking us on this ten minute walk, but I wasn’t expecting that he’d pull a knife on our friend Ben (from Pittsburgh) and demand money once we got there like he did. Ben took one for the group and paid him, so the guy luckily didn’t bother us or hire some crazy Brazilian street gang to take us down or something.

Anyways, the name of the restaurant is translated to Paradise Garden, and we ate in the back garden underneath a giant cover with some suave saxophonist playing up on stage. We split into two groups and paired off (since the meals were so big). My roommate Matt and I split an incredibly delicious shrimp dish that was huge. My friend Jess, who was also sitting at our table, ordered a fruit salad ice cream dish, and I must tell you that I was amazed at the wonderful vanilla flavor contained in this dessert.
The waiter didn’t speak English…actually hardly anybody we ran into in Brazil spoke English, so I definitely got a crash course in Portuguese for five days (I really wish that Semester at Sea would teach us more about each language before going into each port). Anyways, we communicated fine with hand gestures, including the “thumbs up,” which literally works everywhere.

After dinner, we went out to one of the Carnival routes; this one was considered the more “traditional carnival,” and as a music lover, I must admit it was mind-blowing.

Weird marching bands in costume, guys in crazy makeup, girls in colorful outfits dancing everywhere, and pounding percussion made up this exciting, yet constrained environment. Think of a scene from Moulin Rouge or Velvet Goldmine…that’s what these people were dressed like. Our group then took a rest and sat around a table and had a few drinks while playing a game, but my friend Eric and I decided to explore and catch as much music as possible with a couple other girls I didn’t know.

After the traditional Carnival area, the group split up into two. Half went out to the main Carnival route (Ciruito Osmar – Campo Grande to Avenida), while the other half went back to the ship. I decided to go back, since I had been up really early and honestly didn’t feel too well. We had an incredibly difficult time getting a taxi though; there were seven of us and were willing to split up, but it was hard to find someone who could understand that our final destination was “Pier 6…the ship.”
The next day a few of us met up for lunch onboard the ship (hamburger and fries, which was quite different from our regular meals), and then set off to find more attractions around the city. We actually roamed the upper level of Salvador through most of the day, then went back to the ship to freshen up.

That night a few of us decided to go off to the Farol Da Barra Beach Carnival route. This was on the other side of the city, so the cab ride was unbelievably long. Me, Mark, Matt, Dorothy, Matt (from Lewisburg, PA), Noopur, and Steph all ventured out along the street near a beach to catch this Carnival atmosphere. The Carnival parades consist of these floats called blocos. Basically, a big truck pulls them along, and they’re stages with all the musicians, dancers, lights, and HUGE soundsystems, and they travel VERY slowly, parade-style along a specific route, and they stop along the way to play mini-concerts.

People were telling us that this Carnival unit was hectic, dangerous, and pretty wild, but we experienced the exact opposite. We were near the beginning of the route, so it wasn’t TOO crowded, and proved to be enough room for us to dance, drink, and have fun.. This area also proved to be very safe. We stayed for over three hours and I was literally sweating like a madman by the end of it. All of the music was wonderful, even though every band pretty much sounded the same. I thought I’d be really tired after all the moving and dancing, but honestly I could have went for another few hours at least. We also ran into one or two Brazilians that spoke English and had some sweet conversations. If you were wondering, I definitely loved listening to the Portuguese language. It’s obviously very similar to Spanish, though I think it’s much more rich.
On our way home, we successfully fit all seven of us into a tiny taxi, and honestly, times like these I really wish I had a camera with me (but we were instructed not to bring digital cameras or anything expensive out at night). By the time I got back to my cabin, I slept like a baby.

The next day was filled with more exploring and some shopping (I bought a CD full of Carnival music). That night, me, Eric, Mark, Steph, Noopur, and Kate all went out on the town and even tried some street food. The food not only smelled appetizing, but was scrumptious as well (and yes, I made sure that I didn’t drink any water and/or eat any lettuce). We hung out around the low-key Carnival area where we played some card games, but later decided to travel towards the really crazy section of the city for awhile. Very crowded. I definitely have a new found idea of personal space.

My next day in Brazil was quite different, because I signed up for an SAS trip to the small town of Cachoeira. We took a motor coach out of Salvador, into the countryside of Brazil where we saw hillsides filled with thousands of thousands of favelas (small houses/Brazilian slums) and tons of farming land.
We first stopped at a small town where we roamed the empty streets (almost everyone was in Salvador for Carnival) and interacted with some of the local children (who were really friendly). We then stopped at a MTS camp, where we tried out some homemade chocolate/other desserts, and explored the landscapes surrounding the camp.
Next was lunch, which was about 30 minutes away, and was held at this hotel that used to be a monastery or something like that. The lunch was incredible, as a few of us shared our meals in order to try out all of the food. The beef, fish, and chicken were all fabulous, and the side dishes were exquisite as well. After lunch, we roamed the town of Cachoeira, then boarded the bus for the 2-hour trip back to Salvador. The 2-hour nap = delightful.

I (like many of us) was very tired after this adventurous day around the Brazilian countryside, BUT it was also the last night of Carnival! We planned to travel out to the beach Carnival again. About 13 of us met in the ship’s lobby, and we had to take three separate taxicabs in order to make it out to the beach area.
This was BY FAR the greatest night of the trip so far, and also one of the most fun nights of recent memory.
Two words: Fatboy Slim. He had his own bloco, which was one of the reasons we decided to go to this Carnival section. We stood in the same spot as we did the other night (right in front of this really cool-looking light house) and saw about 8 or so blocos before I started hearing the sounds of a DJ. Fatboy Slim and his crew were awesome, and entertained us for about 15 while spinning his tracks. Now around this time I had this brilliant idea: “hey guys, let’s follow the bloco all the way up the route!” Unfortunately the only other person who felt my enthusiasm was Mark, so we both went along with Fatboy Slim, dancing our asses off (trust me, I was definitely not drunk or anything, or else I probably would have fallen over). It was literally an rave outside in the open.

As the route went further along, the crowds began to grow, and it definitely got MUCH more chaotic. Within 20 minutes I was groped by at least two younger Brazilian women (which was definitely interesting), I was hit on by these two good-looking younger guys who actually spoke English and were really nice, and experienced at least three people violently stuffing their hands inside my pockets in hopes of finding some money (but luckily I wasn’t carrying any in those pockets…I know, I think ahead)…oh, remember what I was saying earlier about personal space?
We then decided that we should probably meet back up with the group, but what do you know, two of them found us. Two of our friends luckily pushed their way through the crowd and told us that everyone else in our group wanted to leave, but that they’d stay with us. We then had to push our way all the way back to the group in order to tell them that we’re staying, THEN we had to make our way another half mile to the toilets, THEN make our way ALL THE WAY back to the Fatboy Slim bloco. Seriously, where did all this energy come from?

At this point in the Carnival route, the sidewalks were packed with people. I literally had filthy garbage disgustingly covering the bottoms of my pants. The bloco’s strobe lights and green laser lights made the scene even more rave-like, but the amount of people stuffed onto the sidewalks grew ridiculous. The smell was horrendous (a mixture of urine and garbage, similar to other parts of Brazil) and I was probably covered in other people’s sweat (hardly anyone wears shirts around these parts). At one point the guy standing next to me punched some other passerby right in the face, and a fight almost broke out. As exciting as this was, we felt like we should probably begin to make our way back.
We walked off into the side streets where there was still tons of people selling food and souvenirs on the sidewalks. Parts of the streets were filled with tents and sleeping bags. We made our way ALL THE WAY back to where we were dropped off, took a taxi back to the ship, and made it back to my cabin a little after 2:30 in the morning…great night!

Our last day in Salvador was spent shopping some more. I bought a sweet pair of Capoeira pants (which are really comfortable), a Brazilian soccer (football) jersey, and another really cheap cd. I tried searching for possible presents for people at home, but couldn’t find anything that really caught my eye.
About ten of us ate our lunch on the top floor of the market area, and had an unbelievable meal. Two of us shared the fried steak, fried banana, rice, and French fries meal, and hopefully you’re noticing this trend of really, really good food everywhere we’ve gone. I hope it lasts.
There was also a guitar player jamming on stage at this large, market rooftop, and we requested “The Girl from Ipanema.” The significance of this song request is the fact that my roommate had started singing this song about a week beforehand, and THEN they sang it at the Brazil pre-port meeting on the ship, then by the time we entered Brazil, everyone was singing it. So when the guitarist started jamming the melody line along with his drum machine, you can imagine our enthusiasm.

At 11 o’clock we all went to Deck 6 and waved goodbye to Brazil. Good memories and fun times were definitely had. I learned some basic Portuguese and definitely got a sense of the extreme poverty prevalent throughout the town. The fact that these people who hardly have anything can all get together and celebrate life for a week is amazing and very inspirational. Though there’s still a lot of crime and poverty throughout the country, there are still many, many good people that will hopefully keep the celebration of life flowing.

Thanks for reading. Obviously, a lot more did happen in Brazil, and I definitely have more memories, but this was just a recap of events and such. I’ll be in Africa in a few days…

Don't Worry, I'm Still Here

We’re in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Yesterday was Neptune Day. While out at sea, Neptune Day’s supposed to be celebrated when a group crosses the equator. I think there’s some mythology behind it or something, but that’s really of no importance in this entry. Even though we formally crossed into the southern hemisphere last week, our ship still celebrated this event yesterday (the 24th).
We were awaken around 8 in the morning by a parade of pounding drums throughout the hallways (we have the day off of classes by the way). I then went straight to breakfast to have some hot tea, and around 9 AM the events began. The King Neptune character was played by Captain Jeremy (naturally) (see picture), and other Deans and members of the staff wore other costumes for this “initiation” event outside on the 7th deck by the pool. Each student had milk poured over his/her head, jumped into the swimming pool, climbed out and kissed a large fish in the face, kiss the Captain’s ring, then exited. Unfortunately I didn’t participate in these activities, for I’ve seem to come down with a case of the plague. Apparently it’s this “stomach cold” that’s been going around, and I definitely got a good case of it the past few days. There’s a few of us that have been really sick, but hopefully I’ll be feeling better before we get to Africa.

Anyways, another tradition during Neptune Day is the shaving of the head. At least 1/5 of the ship has their heads shaved bald now…including a few girls. Because of these girls’ decisions to get their hair cut REALLY short or (in some cases) completely bald, the ship now looks like it’s infested with A) aliens or B) lesbians (which is totally cool, assuming the girl actually IS a lesbian AND/OR the girl is going for that specific look, which many of them aren’t/weren’t).
I actually spent almost all of Neptune Day sleeping in my room, but luckily woke up later for the barbeque on the 7th deck (seriously the first full meal I’ve eaten in the past two days). It was great; it felt just like a 4th of July barbeque (minus the fireworks). Later on that night, my group of friends had a music exchange where we each made our own iTunes playlist and threw them onto each others’ flash drives. I’m excited to see what music everyone has, and yes, of course I will judge everyone by their musical tastes. I probably have the most odd playlist, but it’s the music that describes me well I guess.

More important than Neptune day though, a few days ago a group of us had the privilege of eating lunch at the Captain’s table in the dining room. For about an hour we enjoyed stories of the Captain's experiences at the seas, and I definitely felt enlightened afterwards in a cool Last Supper-esque sort of way. I was sitting right across from him, and because I really haven't been eating (the ole' "stomach cold"), my main concern was trying not to projectile vomit onto him. Apparently his new wife (his 3rd) is joining us in Capetown for the remainder of the voyage. She's a young, Asian model, and no, I'm not surprised.

Well that’s about it. “The Emperors New Groove” is on the tv loop tonight, which does make me feel slightly better. I still feel like total crap AND am very behind in my schoolwork due to this distracting illness.

Oh, and I’m missing the Academy Awards, but whatever. I honestly thought The Prestige was the best film of the year anyways, but those kind of movies never get nominated. As long as "Children of Men" wins best cinematography, I'll be happy (though a Martin Scorsese win would be great too).

I’ll try to update tomorrow or the next day with my experiences in Brazil (it’ll be pretty long). See ya.

Just a Few Things I’ve Learned this Week on the Ship

(the captain wasn't around, so they put me in charge)

- Global studies tests aren’t difficult, but are pretty confusing. We took our first exam this morning. It’s the class we have everyday that everyone on board the ship must take. I heavily dislike it. It IS amusing to watch seven hundred students study for the same test around the same environment till the late hours of the night.

- Even though the ship’s ice cream isn’t bad, it melts VERY quickly and oftentimes makes a complete mess.

- Make sure you AND your roommate set an alarm for the early morning class (especially with an inside cabin). Enough said.

- Plan an African safari EARLY (we still need to start planning ours).

- Even though watching “City of God” in a cabin with fourteen people is fun, don’t watch it a few days before traveling to Brazil (everyone in the movie gets shot, multiple times).

- Signing up for trips in each country requires some VERY difficult decision-making skills. Luckily I got on almost all of the trips I signed up for, including a trip to Beijing (including Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, and the Forbidden City, and it’s all hosted by university students). Unfortunately I didn’t make the cut onto the Operation Hunger trip in Africa, but I am sort of excited about visiting a Bollywood film set in India.

- Signing up for many clubs is cool, except now I must attend many meetings. I’m on the Sea TV crew, and I’ll probably be editing, shooting, and possibly writing some shows after we get back from Brazil. I’m also in the music club, and it’s pretty interesting so far (I think I’m the only drummer). At the first meeting about 10 to 12 people attended, and every musician comes from a completely different background. The guy who’s leading the group, Bob, has been playing guitar for years and years and he apparently writes for the Mel Bay guitar instruction books. Really nice guy and I’m looking forward to playing with him and all the other musicians onboard (we’re meeting every other day at sea I believe). I’ll also maybe get involved with the Environmental club and possibly help organize a few off-ship community service projects, and I also may write something or two for the yearbook if I can come up with some kickin’ poetry while on this voyage. I THINK there were one or two other clubs I signed up for at the Activities fair, but I honestly can’t remember what they were. I don't always excel at extra-curricular activities it seems.

- Spending hours working on an English Literature paper is useless if the professor doesn’t even bother to check the papers.

- The Equator isn’t all it’s hyped up to be, though it’s peculiar when a glazing sun suddenly transforms into harsh rain clouds and a typhoon suddenly hits the back deck (while studying).

- A tour of the bridge is awesome...but it’s pointless if Captain Jeremy isn’t there. I may have to keep signing up for tours of the bridge until I get a sweet picture with the Captain.

- Almost everyone on this trip is either from Colorado, California, or Pennsylvania (especially the Pittsburgh region).

- Movie nights are fun, especially when they consist of Eddie Izzard standup comedy.

- The rolls and desserts offered in the dining area are still delicious.

- I still haven’t “partied” up on the 7th deck during after-hours (when alcohol is served), and after getting to know some of the people who are generally up there, I highly doubt that I will anytime soon.

- Listening to the African drum ensemble class in the Union while studying generally helps my concentration.

That’s it for now. Brazil tomorrow! I’ll hopefully update late next week, because I’m sure that I’ll have some fascinating stories.

Puerto Rico

As I’m writing this we’ve just crossed the equator. When the announcement came on to inform us of this navigational milestone, people actually jumped out of their seats in the dining room and ran towards the windows to look out and see the “green line.” Yeah, that kind of describes many of the people on this ship in a nutshell. I’m wondering how many will survive in Brazil? Anyways…my recap of Puerto Rico last week.

PUERTO RICO: DAY 1

We had a pre-port briefing the night before we arrived. It felt good to speak some Spanish again. In the morning I woke up and was surprised to witness land after three days at sea. The landscape of Puerto Rico is beautiful, and the wonderful views definitely got me excited for the three days spent in this port.
The governor of Puerto Rico boarded the ship with media and camera crews following, and he spoke for about ten minutes to us in the union. Afterwards I stood in line for roughly thirty minutes in order to get my passport stamped.
Around 11 a.m. I left the ship and joined a small group of people and walked to Old San Juan, which was only about 30 minutes or so from the ship. We witnessed the small streets, colorful buildings, and the hot, glaring sun of Puerto Rico. I unfortunately had to disband from the group because I had my first field trip at 1 o’clock.
Basically one can sign up for trips that Semester at Sea sets up OR one can roam the country independently and do whatever he/she wishes. I’m not signed up for too many field trips, but I chose this one because it looked really interesting…it was a trip to the Puerto Rican rainforest.
We met at the front dock, and a bus picked about fifteen of us up. The bus driver’s name was Manny, and he was the tour guide for our trip…Manny was the one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. He apparently has a Masters degree and owns a few different businesses around the country, but he works for this tour company on the side in order to meet new people. This guy was incredibly smart and definitely made the trip more fascinating than it would have been otherwise. The rainforest was about 80 or so minutes from the ship, high up on the mountains surrounding the island.
The “hike” was simply a 2-hour walking tour through a part of the rainforest (I was honestly hoping for a crazy jungle trek with some insane explorer with a machete and a wild thirst for elephant blood…but I was sadly disappointed). We saw various small lizards, numerous species of plants/trees, and a refreshing waterfall (see the picture below). Unfortunately I didn’t bring my swimming trunks, but that was ok. Honestly after spending over 30 minutes at the waterfall I was beginning to get slightly bored of the whole rainforest thing (I have a short attention span). The only animals we saw were these tiny lizards, some snails, and a dog…yes, dogs now occupy rainforests it seems. I CAN now say that I’ve been to a rainforest though!

Afterwards Manny took us to a few sites off of the tour, and then enthusiastically informed us that he’s going to show us “the REAL Puerto Rico.” He drove our group to the middle of nowhere where this dirty, outdoor, Puerto Rican roadside restaurant lay. He began yelling to the cooks in Spanish, and then a man came out and demonstrated how they create and cook the food. Afterwards we each ordered whatever we chose (I had a little bit of everything and split the cost with someone else), but the food was INCREDIBLE. I stole a copy of the menu, just so I can remember the delicious dishes served to us that fateful day.
We made it back to the boat by 7 or so, but unfortunately I forgot to sign up for the Puerto Rican welcome reception, so two of us just took a taxi into town and hit up a bar or two (since the ship was literally empty).

PUERTO RICO: DAY 2

My second day in Puerto Rico consisted of another walk into Old San Juan, a visit to many of the antique/craft shops, a delicious (and cheap) meal at this place called Genesis, and then a ferry ride across the water for a visit to the Bacardi factory. By the time we left the Bacardi factory, the four of us had consumed at least 3 or 4 mixed drinks each, and also a possessed a wealth of knowledge about the history of the Bacardi Company AND Puerto Rico. I enjoyed it.

My second field trip in Puerto Rico was the Bioluminescent Bay. Check out THIS website for more information on bioluminescence. We left the ship at 7 o’clock, and took an hour and a half bus ride to this lake. We then formed partners and chose kayaks. Me and my friend Jeff rowed through this deep, dark, jungle-esque area, and halfway through we realized that whenever an object made contact with the water, it glowed green. We eventually were able jump in and swim through this insane environment. My whole body glowed underwater…yes, it was interesting.
I arrived back at the ship around midnight or so, but did I go to sleep? NO! A group of us sat out on the seventh deck (near the pool) for a few hours and chatted until I was forced to retreat to my cabin.

PUERTO RICO: DAY 3

The third day began early as we made our way to another motor coach, for we were going cave exploring! The caves were interesting; I took a few good pictures and some decent video, but the day consisted mostly of standing in line and waiting (there were some school field trips there at the same time we were).
Following the hour or so in the caves we were promised food…and boy did they keep their promise. We ate out in a picnic area near the cave sight, and the food was EXCELLENT; definitely homemade (I LOVE Puerto Rican food). After the long bus ride home, we still had a few hours before leaving Puerto Rico, so one last walk to Old San Juan was in order. Just a quick stop at a Walgreens to pick up supplies and a stop in Starbucks was on the agenda, but it was cool.
After dinner a few of us played some cards, and then watched the ship sail away from Puerto Rico until we were surrounded by darkness again. The ship’s outside lights were off on the seventh deck, so we were able to gaze up at the bright stars; it was definitely a peaceful moment that I enjoyed immensely…until someone realized it was after midnight, which meant that my birthday had arrived. I hate my birthday. After a few “happy birthdays” I decided to retreat to my room for a good nights sleep, because we literally have 6 or so days of classes after Puerto Rico.

That was Puerto Rico in a nutshell. Our next port is Salvador, Brazil, and it will surely be an interesting one. I’ll update soon with more tales of shipboard life and more stories of roaming the world.

Thanks for reading,
rick

Shipboard Life...

(me in front of a Puerto Rican waterfall...more on that later)

I’m writing this from Deck 6 aboard the MV Explorer. We’re on our way to Salvador, Brazil!! It’s beautiful outside and currently we’ve just passed the island of Barbados (I can still slightly see the mountains in the distance), and I’m definitely enjoying the slightly rocky seas this afternoon.

Shipboard Life

Shipboard life is fun. You literally meet new people every day. The first few days I was slightly nauseous, but I would just take some Dramamine, and the problem was easily solved (though the drugs DEFINITELY make you drowsy as hell). I’m now perfectly fine with the rocking waves, and I’m happy that I haven’t gotten too seasick like some others. The last few nights have felt like I’m riding aboard a rollercoaster while falling asleep, but I can live with it.
The second day onboard consisted of dozens of meetings all day, mostly meetings concerning safety, shipboard life, and staff/faculty introductions. We also had hall meetings, much like one would on a traditional campus. The halls are all divided into different seas, so each student is part of a specific sea depending on where their cabin is located (I’m in the Adriatic Sea). My RD and the guy who cleans my room (yes, it’s just like a hotel) are both extremely nice; actually the entire crew are perfectionists and incredibly generous people.
We’ve had our “activities fair,” last Sunday, and this is where everyone signs up for different clubs and activities. I put my name down on a bunch of them, but have no clue if I’ll join or not, for they’ll probably take up a lot of time. Me and this other kid are trying to start a music club where we can all form bands and make some music for these voyagers to dance to, but we’ll see if that happens; we have our first meeting tonight.

My Cabin

Let’s talk about my cabin for a second. I have an inside cabin, which means I don’t encompass the luxury of a window of any kind. There are surely good and bad points about this: GOOD -- taking naps in the middle of the afternoon are awesome…it’s literally pitch black. GOOD – It’s cheaper. BAD -- You must trust your life with your alarm clock or else you’ll NEVER wake up on time. I wake up at 7:30 and it literally feels like it’s still 3 AM. We’ve already had two incidents with the alarm clock not ringing when it’s supposed to, but now we’re going to be using ipod/watch alarm backup.
You can probably find generic pictures of the cabin off the Semester at Sea site, but maybe I’ll post some photos in the near future.

My classes
The third day at sea was our first day of classes. The four classes I’m signed up for are: GLOBAL STUDIES (everyone takes this course)
ADAPTATION IN LITERATURE AND FILM
EXPOSITORY WRITING: CULTURAL AND IDEOLOGY OF THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TRAVELLER
CINEMA AND NATIONAL IDENTITY

The first day of class was your generic first day of college classes. I think I’m going to really dislike this Global Studies class. It’s the only course that we have EVERY DAY at sea, and the gentleman who teaches it is awfully boring (though he does seem like a nice guy). My English professor’s really attention-grabbing and exceptionally knowledgeable, and my Cinema professor seems alright. I seriously haven’t gone to bed early (and I doubt that I ever will on this trip). Every night is usually spent hanging out or talking to others.
It’s incredibly difficult to do homework/read while onboard. This is going to be a constant challenge through the whole trip…I’M ON A CRUISE SHIP SAILING AROUND THE WORLD! WHO WANTS TO DO WORK!?!

THE FOOD

I actually enjoy the food served in the dining halls. Fish has been a common entree, but the chef still offers some variety in each meal. I adore the bread and rolls, and often catch myself leaving the dining rooms with a few rolls hidden in my bag for later. The desserts are pretty rad as well.

THE CAPTAIN

The Captain of the ship is literally the coolest human being in the world…enough said. Literally this guy can kill a great whale with his bare hands if he wanted. He can navigate and steer the ship with his mind if he wanted to…oh and he’s British, so he gets some bonus points there. There’s at least a few of us who appreciate his dry British humor.
I can’t remember if I mentioned that former Archbishop Desmund Tutu is also on the entire voyage with us. I haven’t had a chance to really chat with him yet, but I have passed him in the halls once or twice and said ‘hi.’ He always seems so chipper and bubbly.

That’s it for now. I’ll post some more about my Puerto Rico shenanigans tomorrow (Valentines Day). Oh, and it looks like there's alot of people reading this page, though not many people commenting. Feel free to comment.

Looking Back on the First Day

FIRST DAY ONBOARD

I’m now chilling with a few others on the back deck of the ship. I’m going to talk about our first day on the ship.

I met up with Dave (from Pittsburgh), Katie, and Jason (from PA) at 8:30 AM in the lobby of the hotel, as we all decided to take a taxi to the ship together. We arrived to the dock to discover a VERY long line going around a building that we had to wait through. About 2 hours later I made it to the front, handed them my passport and my bags, and boarded our gorgeous, cruise ship: The Explorer.
I went through the lines of paperwork, found my cabin (the student cabins are located on decks 2-4, and I’m on deck 4, cabin 4017). I filed a missing luggage report at the Pursers desk (the main desk on the ship), and then me and the small group from last night left the ship and walked back to Senor Frogs for our last meal on land for a few days.

It was a beautiful day in the Bahamas, yet I still left the meal early so that I could try to make a few more phone calls and desperately try to find ANY way to get my final missing bag to the ship. Upon my return I entered my cabin and BAM…THERE WAS MY MISSING BAG! The people on this ship at the Pursers desk REALLY know how to take care of business.

I spent the rest of the day meeting more people, and then we had our first lifeboat drill before disembarking. By the way, everything is completely safe on this ship…we actually weren’t even allowed to leave until we performed the lifeboat drill perfectly (which took about 40 minutes or so).

I also met my roommate, whom I had previously met online before the voyage. I think we’re going to get along just fine; his name’s Matt.

Parents were allowed to board the ship until 4:30 or so; the ship’s crew basically kicked them off, but they still hung out around the ship to wave goodbye to us all (if I can I may post a photo or two). By 5:30/6:00 we were on our way.

The rest of the night consisted of an introductory meeting in the Union (the largest room on the ship), a great dinner (the food here is great by the way), and then the coolest part was probably when me, Matt, and this other girl snuck out onto the bow (the front of the ship) by ourselves and experienced the intense wind of the seas. The wind literally prevented us from walking forward…but unfortunately that part of the ship has been closed off since then, ironically due to “high winds.”

Alright, that’s enough of writing for now. We have a mandatory port meeting tonight, for we’ll be entering San Juan, Puerto Rico early tomorrow morning. I’ll update again within the next few days with more details of concerning the journey. If anyone has any questions OR if I must be more specific, please let me know! Thanks for reading.

First Post from the Ship!

Sorry it’s been too long since I’ve updated. I’m currently on the ship in my cabin, and honestly I’m pretty tired, for it’s been a long couple of days (plus I have 8 am class tomorrow, plus we move the clocks forward as always).
Anyways, just to fill you in briefly on my escapades (definitely utilizing my summarizing skills to the max).

DAY 1

I arrived at Pittsburgh International very early Friday morning (the 2nd), and waited and waited and waited for the plane to take off while aboard. It ended up being delayed for over an hour which caused me to arrive at Philadelphia (my connection) late. I was then forced to massively sprint to my gate (on the entire opposite side of the airport) to catch my flight to the Bahamas on time. Unfortunately I missed it, but met someone else who also missed it, who’s also on Semester at Sea.
We both booked a flight to Miami, and then to connected to the Bahamas (my final destination). Of course THIS flight was also delayed for over an hour, and by the time we made it to Miami (after successfully sleeping through a plane full of rowdy Super Bowl fans) I missed the Bahamas flight (we actually sadly saw it leaving the terminal from the airport glass windows). Fortunately I did meet Jarred and Jamie (along with Matt who I met earlier), who are also on the ship with me too.
We also met Bee, who’s an awesome lady who lives in the Bahamas, but was visiting family in Philly. She hung out with the four of us as an airport employee booked us new flights that left Miami at 6:30 PM (keep in mind that we were supposed to arrive in Nassau, Bahamas at 12:30).
After me, Matt, and Jarred survived some intensive security checking (I know…we looked really suspicious) we boarded a bus that took us to the airport runway. We boarded a very small plane that flew us directly to the Bahamas (on time finally).
Unfortunately when we entered the baggage terminal, we realized that all of our luggage was nowhere to be found--it was completely lost. We spent over an hour and a half filing missing baggage reports. We met Corrin (sp?), and she waited for us while going through this long process; me, her, and Jarred all were staying at the same hotel, so we decided to catch a taxi van together.
The taxi ride was unbelievably fun, as the driver decided to bolt through corners and one-way streets at over 60 mph, dodge oncoming traffic, and laugh manically the entire way…it made up for lost time at least.
The Nassau Beach hotel was fairly nice. I met my roommate Tommy (who I met online), and the two of us met Corrin and Jarred for dinner at this Bahamian restaurant nearby. The food was great and the live band was kicking. We explored the area afterwards, which included an elegant casino and modestly-impressive hotels, and then went to bed after a long day.

TOTAL LUGGAGE: 0

DAY 2

I woke up and met Jarred in the lobby to figure out how to obtain our baggage. I called my mom and gave her much of the information needed to (hopefully) find my baggage. About five of us hung out on the elegant beach behind the hotel, but unfortunately I had no swimming trunks OR extra clothes, so I had to hang out in my shirt and jeans (my Pittsburgh winter clothes). I then decided to take a bus into town and buy a few toiletries (I had NO contact solution or anything to hold contacts), a shirt, and a pair of shorts. The bus was awesome, as it cost only $1 and the driver was playing this crazy religious radio show with some Caribbean woman screaming “Praise Jesus! Praise Jesus” with an awesome accent for the whole ride.
The market area of Nassau is pretty cool. I just took in all the sites, sounds, colors, and smells the best I could. I bought some stuff for my contacts as well as a plain green shirt and some khaki shorts (which felt MUCH better than strolling around in jeans). As I headed back to the buses, I caught a short parade rumbling through the town that consisted of tons of overweight black women in scandalous outfits dancing on the back of pickup trucks…alittle different, yet somehow hardcore in the same way.
The bus on the way back had a television in front and the driver entertained us with some standup comedy (I think it was Bernie Mac or someone). Upon returning to Nassau Beach hotel I changed and met up with everyone back on the beach. Within an hour of hanging out, our group grew to about 11 or 12 people (all SASers). We decided to meet up for dinner that night at the same Bahamian restaurant as the night before.
After eating an excellent meal and meeting tons of people (I’m surprised how many Pittsburgh people I’ve been meeting), we all adventured out to the Atlantis, which is on Paradise Island.
The hotel/resort was huge, and a grand total of 14 of us explored the labyrinths of aquariums and beautiful sites. The 14 of us ended up in the lobby and remained there for an hour or so as Semester at Sea students were bombarding us from all directions. Afterwards the group split up, and half traveled back to the hotel, while half of us went out to Senor Frogs.
I met even more people on the trip to Senor Frogs (it was only around 7:30 PM or so), and a bunch of us hung out there until 11:00 or so. I had a great time here, for it surprisingly wasn’t too crowded, and was able to just chill in the back and talk to others. About eight of us caught a taxi back to the hotel after being forced to carry and drag a few members of our group out of the bar. Only SOME vomiting took place on the ride back, yet I’m happy to say that I was merely a witness to this as I only had three or so drinks (though my tab was still ridiculously around $15 bucks to so), but I’ve vowed not to really drink too much on this trip (I yearn to remember everything).

Oh, I forgot to mention…before we left one of my luggage bags was delivered to the hotel. Everyone commented all night how calm I was handling the luggage situation (we were disembarking tomorrow afternoon), though I knew it would all somehow work out.

TOTAL LUGGAGE FOUND: 1