Adventures Abroad and Beyond

Our last day at sea...

2009-12-13T12:19:00.001-05:00

Alright- Today is packing day and I am already packed.... I'll share a little of last night- The Alumni Ball.

It went pretty well, the champagne at our dinner tasted great (but that's because it tasted like cider) :]

I'll show you all photos of my dress- but just know...

The reason why I strongly dislike kids our age who can't control their alcohol intake:

I had bought a dress before this voyage- specifically FOR the Alumni/Ambassador ball, I won't bring up money, but let's just say, I got it from a Bridal shop- it wasn't exactly cheap.

Anyways- through a drunken toast, the kid next to me (George- here's your mention) spilled red wine all over my light yellow dress- needless to say I was not very happy. Most of it has since come out, and just about every girl in the vicinity of my table yelled at George and helped me clean my dress. (Here's a shout out to my dad for teaching me how to blot stains and not rub them in!) :] He should have followed Dean Byron's advice and "Be cute- not STUPID!"

Anyways- all is well know, dinner was pretty good, and the dance was really nice- although I didn't stay long, knowing my luck someone would have stepped on my dress and ripped it :p

I cut my losses, and headed to watch a movie with some ladies.

All in all, not too shabby of a night.

It dawned on me yesterday, that as ready as I am to be home, I am going to miss Semester at Sea intensely. There really is no way to describe everything we've done. I can't believe I'm already an alumni of SAS.

Oh! Helpful hint to some of you going on this- hit the radio button on your TV remote- there are 2 radio stations other than Ch.1 on your TV (It would have been more useful if I knew this in the beginning).

On that note- there is only one thing left to say: This is to all my fellow shipmates on the Fall 2009 voyage of SAS

DO IT IN THE AFT!

Catch you kiddos on the flipside.

-Sam

2009-12-11T01:55:00.001-05:00

This update is urgent- As I have been reading my previous blogs, I have stumbled upon many grammatical errors, for this I deeply apologize. Outlook Web Access doesn't really catch incorrect words or phrases.

Also- I cannot recall if I have mentioned this, but there is an ESCALATOR inside the 5th deck kitchen...yes it is true. Look- it's right near the door, and it goes down to the Crew decks (Decks 1 and 2- in case you were curious).

I also learned that engine room workers have stripes (which they should since they keep the ship moving)- and therefore are considered of a "higher status".

Tonight the Ambassadors had an official pinning ceremony, where we all got "pinned" as official ambassadors- it was cute, and we got free ice cream.

My advice to future SASer's...DO NOT buy the books. My professors did not use 1/2 of the books they said were required- we didn't even LOOK in them! Plus- UVA has high book prices, and low sell back prices since they know students don't want to lug a bunch of books back home with them. Books are always on reserve in the library for the classes- so unless you absolutely want to- don't buy the books.

I have collected way too many items in the countries we've visited- and will probably spend a billion dollars in overweight, and extra baggage fees.

I've been having insane dreams lately about the ship doing flips, and me driving the lifeboats... vvvvierd.

Jennifer is currently petting and caressing my external hard drive. We are crazy, and sleep-deprived.

Alright- there was a point to this blog- I had learned more ship secrets- but have forgotten them. Plus I wanted to use this blog to tell people that I am aware of my horrific grammar mistakes in previous blogs- not to mention sentence structure.

Okie Dokie- I will most likely update later if I remember what I wanted to say.

A- Low-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

2009-12-10T19:13:00.001-05:00

Before arriving in Hawai’i- my week continued to be crazy and unpredictable. I spent a night in Cristina and Maddie’s room which resulted in us playing a middle-school, iTouch version of truth or dare. For reasons unknown (probably because of all the cold medication I was on) - I was wearing a life vest, a shirt from India, and jeans; along with some crazy bracelets- and my hair was pretty out-of-whack (Please note this was not a dare…I’m just crazy). Anyways- it was 3 am, and clearly I was acting like a drunken fool. I was running down the halls to find someone to wave to me (this was a dare), jumping off chairs doing impressions of Tarzan, and many other ludicrous things. Cristina was dared to brush my teeth- which was quite an experience in its own. Moving onward, every time someone said “and”, I had to bark like a dog- and when someone said “like” I was required to say “There you again!” It was quite an amusing game- and I didn’t go to bed until 7 am. We are all going mental on this ship- 10 days is way too long. But it makes for an interesting time, for sure.

Alright, so Hawai’i…I must admit, I was very impressed with Hawai’i, and being there made me wonder why anyone would ever want to leave. Honolulu is a HUGE tourist area- but filled with a lot of very cool things. I didn’t get a chance to head to the Arizona memorial, but I will definitely making a few trips back to Hawai’i. Barry and I headed out early in the morning to get stamps and tour the city before jumping to our fates. We almost got mauled over by an old lady in the post office line, we sat on bike racks that looked like bicycles and took tourist-like photos, and we went to the 30’th floor of a Banking building so we could ride the glass elevators which were on the outside of the building. Basically we had a lot of fun, and laughed at all of the trolleys filled with Japanese tourists. I was originally jumping in Barry’s group- and we were all going to dress up for the jump- but I switched last minute- Barry wore a white tux, and looked awesome! So my first day was already planned out for me- A few of the ladies and I were going skydiving. I had hopes that I would get an adrenaline rush from this. Lindsay, Liz, Denim and I packed ourselves into a van full of SASer’s, and off we went to skydive. The skydiving field was in North shore- and we’re here at just the right time for the big waves (just in case any surfer-types are reading this). Upon entering the driveway for skydiving I started to get really hyped about skydiving. After bungee jumping, and being in cars in Morocco- I feel invincible and unstoppable. The ladies and I waited for a while before we got to jump- but I was excited when we did. It was the 4 of us, 4 camera men, and 4 jumpers. My guy was Rick- He was absolutely awesome, and very worldly- my camera guy was Knox- who I am absolutely in love with, and I will leave it at that since family members read my blog :]

Lindsay’s jumper was Lyle- who I affectionately referred to as Lyle Lyle Crocodile- I also loved him. Her camera guy was older, and pretty quiet- but friendly. Denim’s jumper was quiet but her camera man… OH her camera man… Nacho… let’s just say, I also had a thing for Nacho. AHEM. Moving onward… I don’t really recall Liz’s jumper of camera guy- but I think she may have had Georgie.

So we all hop in a very decorated plane- and head up to 14,000 feet. It was one of the noisiest and best rides ever- especially since you’re sitting on a small wooden bench-practically in the lap of the person behind you (in this case- that would be Rick, my jumper- who I wanted to be attached to since he had the chutes).

Lindsay was freaking out the entire ride up- which was hysterical; all the jumpers kept telling her that they grabbed the wrong sized harness, and that she’ll just have to hold onto them when they jump. It was pretty hilarious- and also on film:] (Love you Lindsay!) Since Lindsay was freaked out- and right next to the door (which is clear by the way) - they made her go first- she screamed the entire time.

I was second- My feet went to the edge of the plane, and you would think my heart would be racing, but nope- Rick gracefully “fell” out of the plane with me, and it just felt natural. I had 60 seconds of free fall which was one of the most amazing feelings ever. Imagine sticking your head out of a moving cars window…only imagine it being your body at 120mph- It was awesome! My photos and video are a little ridiculous- especially since I was posing for pictures during my falls (in my video it looks like I am trying to sign a message to the world- too funny). The chute opened, which hurts your thighs- because you go from a laying position, to sitting up, and obviously the harness pulls on you. Rick and I did \many spins, and a few flips, where we went over our parachute (it’s hard to describe), and that was a lot of fun. I saw the most gorgeous view of North shore where the 50 foot swells looked like microscopic white caps. Rick was like my tour guide in the air- he showed me all around the area, and we slowly glided back to the ground. (Out of the 4 of us to jump I was 2^nd, but last to reach the ground)

Now… you want to know what I was afraid of. The landing. I obviously didn’t want to slide on my ass like I had seen people do- But I also didn’t want to slam my ankles into the ground. Rick- my jumper reached ground first (don’t worry I was still attached to him) - and he gave me the okay to put my feet on the ground. Well- UNFORTUNATELY… I put my feet into his feet (which were running on the ground), and our legs tangled, and we tripped, and I did a somersault through his legs. It was absolutely hysterical and I really don’t know how it all happened, but I ended up with grass and dirt all over my ass. But it was well worth it. I realize that I am neither the most graceful jumper- nor the most graceful lander- but I have a heck of a lot of fun jumping off and out of things.

PS- The professional jumpers make landings look like a breeze- at first it looks like they’re going to slam into the ground, but then they gracefully glide- like they’re walking on water. Although I did see a single jumper face plant into the ground- it was pretty funny. Lindsay and I started talking to a group of pro jumpers where we proceeded to get invited to a rock band/ beach party- we didn’t end up going because there are crazy things that go on on Aloha Friday’s in Chinatown. But let’s just say- if we ever need a place to stay in Hawai’i- our backs are covered. Later that night I went out with Christine, Jennifer, and Stephanie where I proceeded to have Kobe steak (which really is to die for). Then we hit up China town to see what all the fuss was about- there was live music, hoppin’ clubs, and art galleries open- but nothing too extreme (especially compared to some of the things we have witnessed on this voyage). We came back to the ship around 11, where roomie and I continued to watch Sex and the City until we fell asleep.

The next day I was on a trip- with 3 other students, and about 12 lifelong learners- but it was a lot of fun. Our tour guide Auntie Em was humorous, and we all had a really fun time (even though Devil Rita was there). We explored all over the island of Honolulu, and I made many friends with all of the locals.

That night our ship headed towards Hilo- which is a fascinating place- it is on the Big Island of Hawai’i, and is home to the fish with the longest name (humuhumunukunukuapua’a) or (who-moo,who-moo, noo-koo, noo-koo, a-pooh-a-ah) Don’t worry- I knew about this fish since I was a youngin’ so I was a pro at saying it :p

It is home to many varieties of hibiscus (flowers) which happens to be the state flower- the yellow hibiscus with the red flute inside. Anyways… It is also home to the longest beach in the world? The highest mountain- Mt. Kauna- The only place in the world with black sand beaches, white sand beaches AND green sand beaches. Crazy eh?

Wal-Mart was the first stop in my plans since I needed packing materials. Then I became a victim of a tourist trap…fresh water pearls. Oh my heavens they were everywhere! I got to choose an oyster- tap 3 times, and say “ALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHA! Very loudly- and then I got to keep the pearl (they let you open 1 per day in hopes that you will set it). Jennifer and I spent a lot of time together in Hilo, and we lounged on the beach, collected shells, rode in the back of trucks, saw sea turtles, and hung with the locals. We met some of the friendliest most amazing people- who will offer everything they have just to speak to you. Our first local was Danny- sweetest guy on earth (this is whose truck bed we rode in). Then after walking across molten lava (which was solidified… come on guys- I’m not that crazy!) and walked through a few beaches before meeting 3 lovely gentlemen Mackenzie, Junior, and Jonah. They offered us brewskies (which we declined), but also offered us Coke (as in coca cola…) to which we obliged. We sat there on the beach talking the day away with locals- we then decided as the sun was setting that we should head towards the ship. We opted to save on a cab and walk, and upon walking we stumbled upon a hostel/ice cream shop/botanical garden…. So we stopped, had some amazing ice cream, and walked through the gardens- it was pretty neat. We went back to find my very drunk roommate- so I spent a majority of my time split between Jennifer’s room, and Cristina’s room. The next day, Jennifer and I went to Ihop- which is always amazing, and spent the day doing absolutely nothing- it was a lot of fun.

When all students were back on ship we had a BBQ- which I loved because they had plain steamed white rice- that is all I had, and I was in heaven! Later that night they told us that they needed to tell us crucial information and that everyone needed to meet in the Union. Many students thought that Obama or someone famous was on ship for the 100^th voyage- but instead they told us that due to weather we weren’t heading off to San Diego right away. They told us that we weren’t allowed to stay in port in Hilo because other ships had plans to come in and dock there- so they said we were headed back to Honolulu!!! AND, they were letting us get off, and our on-ship time wasn’t until 9pm! I have never seen our student body more alive than that night.

So- obviously the next day we were back in Honolulu- on O’ahu. I spent the day with some friends and we sat on the beaches of Waikiki, soaked up the sun, and sipped fruity cocktails out of pineapples instead of studying for our finals./ We also stopped at the world’s largest outdoor mall, and ate at a place called Islands (which is also in California)- It was delicious, but reminded me a lot of Red Robin.

Since then I have been back on the ship- I still have a little bit of my cold, and I have been getting sick pretty often, but all is well. My finals ended yesterday, and I handed in my last papers this morning by 10 am. So other than the alumni ball I need not worry about a thing. My bags have been 90% packed for a while- and now we’re finally headed to San Diego. I don’t know if I will update before San Diego, but I will do my best to do so.

I am almost positive I am forgetting a day I spent in Hawai’i- but this blog will have to do :p

This is Sam signing out.

Winding down...

2009-12-02T21:49:00.001-05:00

Alright- The past week or so on the ship has been a very chaotic experience. The ambassadors (my work study) held our Auction, shipboard drive/ annual fund, Spirit Week, and so much more. I didn’t sleep for 48 hours, and played Solitaire in the computer lab for 5 hours straight. In this time on the ship I have recognized who I like, who I dislike, and who I wish I had gotten to know.

There are many things in the countries we visited that I wanted to do, but just didn’t have enough time or money. I will surely visit these countries again so I opted to stray away from the “tourist-things”- no matter how amazing it’d be to visit- I did NOT want to be on a bus/plane with 60 other SASers and view the world from inside an Air Conditioned bus while sipping Coca Cola and eating Oreos- that is not what I signed up for. I signed up for a cultural experience- where I could be put in someone else's shoes for even a minute, and enter their world, and by doing what I did; service projects, and touring our ports and going random places- not knowing where I was going to be lead- I feel like I accomplished this. Now I am not saying to not go on the big trips- so many people had the time of their lives on them, I would just rather go see some of the world’s greatest wonders without the conveniences of American, and without the rest of the ship. So here is what I did NOT do:

Spain- I did not go to Barcelona- instead I split my time between Cadiz and Seville and formed some of the best friendships with people on the voyage.

Morocco- I did not go on a camel trek- I have ridden camels (granted not in the Sahara) but I would not want to ride camels through a hot dessert for 5 days- it just doesn’t appeal to me, a day or 2 would be sufficient enough, and then you’d get to see more of Morocco. So instead- I went to Marrakech with 2 people I barely knew, became great friends with them, met a Moroccan man who showed us all around Marrakech, he toured us through the souks, and brought us to a hole-in-the-wall mansion converted to a restaurant for lunch where we had an amazing meal.

In Ghana a lot of people went to Togo and Benin- which would be awesome, but they didn’t even see Ghana- they saw it for about 4 hours when they returned. And to me, Ghana is one of the greatest experiences anyone could indulge in. Everyone is so laid back, and inspirational, and they’re some of the friendliest people in the world. All I did was go to Rasta parties on the beach, play drums for hours on end, and form friendships that would last a lifetime. And almost got arrested…but that was everyone in Ghana on SAS.

In South Africa- this was my top favorite fun port. I did go bungee jumping and shark diving, which a lot of kids did- but clearly not through SAS. The clubs were a lot of fun, as were the locals. I hiked Table Mountain, but sadly did not go to Johannesburg. But the big thing I didn’t do was go on a safari. Sure it’d be fun- but 4 days of the same reserve seems like a little overkill. Instead I went to the Cape of Good Hope- and viewed the world from the southernmost point of Africa.

Mauritius- Was basically everyone’s “party port” (which was essentially every port) - There was not anything “big” to do here except rent a villa and hang out on the beach- which I didn’t do. I saw 7 colored earths, and went zip lining.

India- So I didn’t go to the Taj Mahal- which is no doubt spectacular. But again- I will surely visit these countries again. There is just so much more to see, and you don’t get to see and experience a lot when you’re riding in buses and planes. A lot of people said the Taj was incredible- but their trips were rushed- so they recommended planning your own (plus it’s cheaper that way).

Vietnam- I did not go to Hai Long Bay or the Mekong Delta directly- but these I would recommend doing at some point because the photos I have seen are some of the most gorgeous ones. I did visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, and got to know Ho Chi Minh City a lot. I have also mastered walking out in front of traffic and not getting a single scratch on me.

China- I did not get a chance to hike the Great Wall- and this is something that I will accomplish the next time I visit China.

Japan- There was a lot I wanted to do here- but there is so little time in each port. I would have loved to go to Hiroshima, Kamkura, and Kyoto... But I plan to live in Japan at some point in my life- so I will definitely visit these places.

Again- I’m not saying don’t do any of the big trips- definitely do. But if you have a small budget, and really want an authentic experience- I’m telling you that this is extremely possible, and I personally would not have had as much as an amazing time as I did if I had gone on the “Big Trips” with SASers.

I just don’t like traveling in big groups- however if you do “Big Trips” independently in small groups- you will surely have the time of your life.

It has definitely hit me how much I am already missing SAS, and I’m not even off the ship. I love all of the people I have spent time with on this voyage, and it’s going to be a challenge to assimilate back into American culture, and go to classes on a non-moving campus (unless you want to get technical…)

Having 10 days on this ship has certainly made us all crazy- but we barely notice it since we’re all acting this way.

I can’t even begin to describe this trip to anyone. As much as I want to share things with people, it will be hard for them to fully understand any experience I have had.

Everything I have previously learned in life, I completely threw out the window on this voyage. I talked to strangers- and learned so many opinions and views, I took food from strangers, and found it to be some of the most delicious food that has ever graced my taste buds, I spent days in these countries by myself- and had some of the most eye-opening experiences ever, I didn’t follow the head to my elders advice, I walk out in front of on-coming traffic (because this is the only way you will ever cross the street in Viet Nam), I trust strangers, I hop onto the backs of motorbikes, jump from the highest bungees, and swim with great whites.

When you’re on this trip, you don’t think- you just do- you experience and take in everything going on around you. You realize that there are no limits or boundaries you aren’t willing to break. I don’t really know how to describe it, nothing mattered, yet everything mattered- all at the same time. I just let things happen, and went with the flow. I had no worries- which may be both good and bad. I was lost many times- but I felt safe, so I was okay.

Any stereotype I had of other countries has been broken, or understood. Every stereotype I had of America was sadly confirmed. (We are loud- you will especially notice this in Japan- and at some point in your voyage you will surely be embarrassed by how stereotypically “American” some people are).

It’s hard to imagine that this voyage was real life. More real than anything I have ever experienced.

No matter how much anyone writes about SAS, or tells you, there is no way to prepare you for anything you are about to experience, good or bad. Go in with an open mind and don’t set expectations for any countries- you’ll never be disappointed if you do this.

I realize how random this entry is…well surely all of my blogs are random. And if you couldn’t tell- “surely” seems to be my new word.

As I wind down my journey… I am happy to almost be on my way home. I would even be alright if we skipped Hawaii even though I have never been. China and Japan with their weather and Christmas decorations really put me in the mood to be back home. This voyage has been the most amazing thing I have ever gone through- and I really am going to miss just about everything about it, even some of the crazy ship rules. (They aren’t that bad- just ridiculous). I will miss the crew, and the friends I have made. I will miss being able to be in a new country every 7 days, and the fact that only had 23 class days while aboard. I will miss the diversity of the ship, and the countries, and will miss being at sea.

Any school where I can lay out while doing homework and view the most magnificent sunsets is definitely considered amazing in my book. Not to mention it’s the only school where you can get away with “My homework flew overboard” or that you didn’t come to class because “I was seasick…” Hahaha I will miss some of those excuses. Or the fact that I see half-naked men roaming around the ship 24/7... that's just an added bonus. I will also miss knowing some of the few-known secrets on the ship: Like where they hide the extra food after meals and snack bars are closed, or the fact that there is a tailor on board the ship- and that it’s free (which people would know if they read the voyagers hand book).

I guess I will finish up since my laptop battery is yelling at me, and I have a lot of papers to write.

Random fact: A football just got thrown of the edge of our ship by accident- and the entire 7^th deck just applauded…. I shit you not we have been on this ship way too long if things like that amuse us. Ha-ha.

We all need some sleep, and to be on land apparently.

Farewell friends!

Happy Thanksgiving! And Japan :]

2009-11-26T18:26:00.001-05:00

A few things I didn't mention: People in China pronounce their "a"'s as "er"s. For example (because you will surely hear me talking like this) Today while in Chiner I sawr a Pander Bear! Also- this is probably a very ethnocentric view.... but you know how you see a lot of Caucasian women with Asian(typically Chinese) babies? All of China I kept seeing blond haired- blue-eyed Caucasian babies with Asian mothers- I kid you not! Also going to Chinatown in China... that was priceless! :] DO IT!

Happy Thanksgiving all! (Even though it was yesterday for me). Thanksgiving on the ship doesn't even compare to real Thanksgiving, and it barely felt like it, but I was surrounded by great friends who have essentially become a part of my family- so it was amazing in that sense. In China a bunch of our crew sadly left, including our head chef- our replacement chef is a hefty American chef; translation- The food is better by everyone else's standard- I still eat PB&J's :p But the food has become less starchy, and of better tasting quality.

Alright! So Japan. As the MV berthed in Yokohama, we had a band greet us to Japan! Their port was awesome- we had a great skyline view with beautifully lit buildings, and apparently the world's largest Ferris wheel. (Although it didn't look that big). First- everyone on board had to go through a special immigration process- This was intense, no lies; humorous- but fierce. We got called through to the terminal (which by the way we walked through crazy amounts of attachments to get off the ship) by Sea, and stood and awaited instructions. We had to receive our passports which was stuffed with papers, then stand in line and wait to be called. Once called we had to hand our passport to the immigration people, put our fingers in these scanners, push down, and get our fingerprints recorded, after that or photograph was taken, and then they handed us our passport where we proceeded to go through a checkpoint with scanners for our bags- then we were free to explore Japan! Our passports had to be on us at ALL times. Japan is awesome, but very strict when it comes to foreigners- they're not mean at all, they just have harsh policies is something bad happens. Please keep in mind that at our pre-port we were required to watch a video on how to go through immigration- Americans aren't THAT dumb- did we really need to watch a 5-minute video on how to stand in a line, get finger printed, and our photos taken? Hahaha. Anyways- Anna, Chloe, Jennifer and I decided to go to a place called Sea Paradise- on the outskirts of Yokohama. We went to the post office and ATM first, since it's a 5-10 minute gorgeous city walk from the ship- and super simple. PS- For any of you going on SAS- when you get maps, especially of Hong Kong and Japan- things look REALLY far away- but they're incredibly close, which is awesome. Just a pointer. We happened to be in Japan when a holiday was about to start, so I took out a majority of money I would need the entire time in Japan. *** This is crucial*** If you are going on this trip- especially to China and Japan; here are a few pointers: DO have a VISA card (I have a MasterCard and it was INSANELY difficult to find an ATM to accept it), also- DO bring cash, and save it/ exchange it for these countries- A LOT of places in China and Japan surprisingly do NOT take credit cards- yes this means McDonald's too. The Chinese and Japanese typically do not pay for things on credit, so cash is something you should always have on you.

Also- for those of you crazy kids who like pocket change like I do- you're in luck! Change is a great thing to have in all countries, especially in markets- or when you go out to eat with friends. Rule of thumb- just keep cash on you at all times.

My first major observation was that Japan is an incredibly quiet country. Which I absolutely love about it.

Alright. Yokohama is absolutely gorgeous, and the weather was ideal. Crisp cool air, sun shining- but not too much, just the right temperature for Fall. After walking around town for a little, we hopped on the Metro (which you will ride constantly in Japan), and headed towards Sea Paradise. Once there- it was like a ghost town, there were no other SASers (which is awesome). Sea Paradise is a small theme park, with an aquarium, and restaurants, and so on. The aquarium was awesome- and I highly recommend going here- we didn't go on any rides because that was a separate pass from the one we got, and because the next day we were going somewhere a little special. We got to play with and pet penguins, whales, and dolphins! The penguins came down the stadium steps dressed in little Christmas outfits! It was absolutely adorable! I attempted to get a photo of my gnome and the Christmas penguin we could take photos with...and lets just say, my gnome got attacked by the penguin, several times- He has since recovered, but let it be known that Japanese Christmas penguins do NOT like lawn gnomes. :] After a fun-filled day at sea paradise and many polar bears, and penguins later- we arrived back to the ship around sunset and wound down from our day. The next morning Anna, Chloe, Jennifer, Kelsey and I got up early, headed to breakfast and set out to Tokyo (mind you Chloe and I were staying off the ship at this point- so we brought our clothes for 3 days with us). An assortment of metro systems and trams later- we arrived at... don don don dah- Tokyo Disney! We decided to go to the Seven Seas park- since it is unique to Japan. There was small mellow drama in the beginning and we ended splitting into a group of 3 and 2. Anna, Chloe and I went on a bunch of odd rides, which of course were all written about in Japanese so we had no idea what to expect- which was awesome, because we went on a ride called "Center of the Earth" and it was like a crazy space scene underground, followed by a surprise roller coaster drop outside, then back underground. It was awesome. So many people in Japan assumed that we spoke Japanese (but I suppose a lot of us assumed they spoke English- which a lot did not- just like China) which is funny because when they'd tell us safety instructions and what not- we had no idea what they were saying to us- who knows they probably said "We just made you wait 2 hours for a crappy ride" or something ludicrous. Ha-ha Just kidding. Continuing on- we just had an amazing day there. It was a lot of fun, and 1 day was just not enough to see it all. We all met up at the center globe, and headed to the trams- where Chloe and I would then part from the rest of the group returning to the ship to go to Kobe. Chloe and I reached Tokyo around 7pm or so, and we spent 2 hours attempting to get out of all the crazy tram stations (plus we got distracted by Hello Kitty items). Once we got to the street we attempted to look for a place to stay; Now would be a great time to mention that if you're staying in Tokyo- I highly recommend getting booked reservations in advance. Anyways, our night consisted of 2 hours of searching, a whole lot of talking to guards, and random people on the streets, cab drivers, hotel concierges calling other hotels to see if there was room, and a whole lot of frustration. Chloe was on the verge of an emotionally break down because it was now around 11pm in Tokyo and we got rejected from a bunch of hotels because they were either all booked, too expensive, or for men only. We seriously almost slept in a 24 hour McDonalds. You laugh now- but wait till you hear where people slept! People slept in game rooms, Starbucks, clubs (which by the way stay open until 2pm...not am, yes kids 2 PM), people slept at random strangers houses, it was crazy- because 80% of people didn't have plans. But I kind of liked having the thrill of not knowing if you were going to find a place to stay- and what a great experience to say you slept in a game room in Tokyo. (I know I must sound insane to everyone reading this, but if you go on the trip you will completely understand- your comfort level and confidence will sky rocket). So- we call this hotel- Asia Central Hotel (Stay there!) and they said they were all booked- just as we were about to hang up the phone and head to McDonald's they screamed "WAIT" by luck- a room had just opened up. $120 USD for the night- so split between 2 = 60 dollars which is AMAZING- especially for a hotel in the business district of Tokyo. We take a cab (which has automatic doors that pop open, and shut), to the hotel, we get out, go inside and we're immediately greeted with the friendliest people on earth, whom I am pretty sure spoke better English than us. We thanked them so much, chatted with them for a while, and headed to our room. The hotel was pretty nice. They gave you complimentary water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, a "woman's package" with random necessities any girl could need, an all inclusive breakfast buffet voucher, as well as the best service known to man. The room wasn't that big- but other than that the hotel was amazing- and you stick your key into this power strip in order to turn everything on- that was kind of neat. -Chloe and I decided to head out since we were starving, and we wound up at an Italian restaurant named 1830 (I recommend it)- where I proceeded to have some of the best gnocchi known to man. (Almost as good as my families). After that Chloe and I unwound- went back to the hotel, talked of our plans for the next day, and watched sumo, and Japanese game shows. Also- we got familiar with using bidets (which I am in love with).

So the all inclusive breakfast... AMAZING! They had breads, cereals, some Japanese cuisine, fruit cocktail, and... STEAMED WHITE RICE. I had steamed white rice for breakfast! I knew it was going to be an amazing day after that. Chloe and I got a billion maps on how to get to the train station, and how to get to do all the things we wanted to in Tokyo.

We found a Capsule hotel (which I wanted to stay in but a lot are for males only) called Ace Inn, so we decided to stop and make reservations there before we headed out for the day. Just as Chloe and I got onto a metro I hear "SAM!", all I could think was "That is NOT a traditional Japanese name (although it is very prevalent in Ghana). I look out to see Cav, Drew and Paulo, a few friends of ours from the ship! They hopped on the metro and we all discussed what we did the night before and what we were doing that day. Turns out that not only were they going to sleep at the Ace Inn like us- they had JUST come from the same hotel we spent the night at! Only they had pulled an all-nighter in the lobby since Chloe and I had taken the last rooms apparently just before they got there :] Small world.

Here was my list of things to do in Japan:

Go to the Anime Street to take pictures for all my Anime friends, and to enjoy quite a production: Fail- did not find it.

Find REAL Ninja Stars, and go to an underground Ninja range where you can throw ninja stars at targets: Fail- sort of, I'm pretty sure the underground ninja ranges are either fake- or very secretive since they're most likely illegal. Although I did find dulled ninja stars which were real.

Get a photo with my tattoo and Japanese kids: Fail :[

Go to a Sumo Match: Fail- It was out of season in Tokyo- and to get to one it was further than Hiroshima- probably 8 or so hours away. (Please note- find out what season you'll be in Japan, and just Google the Sumo seasons and where they're located during which months before your trip)

Go to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Hot Springs

Go to a Modern Toilet Restaurant- Fail- couldn't find any- go to the one in Hong Kong!

Keep in mind- I am sure these are all doable things- but you will be moving 24/7 and probably running on no sleep, and it will cost a lot of money! Also- I did NOT buy a rail pass, and I thought it was cheaper to go by metro everywhere. My ticket from Tokyo to Kobe was about $120, but Rail passes are $300, and you can get to Kyoto by metro for $10. So unless you plan on going to a BUNCH of places all over Japan- I would not but a rail pass for the 6 days we're there- but that's just my opinion.

So it sounds like I didn't do anything in Tokyo- but I still had a blast. Chloe and I went to Condomania (hilarious store- I recommend it), Kiddy Land (this sounds dumb but is 7 or 8 floors of pure bliss- they have an entire floor dedicated to Snoopy, one to Hello Kitty, and so on. Then we went to Harajuku St. - which consisted of a lot of expensive shops such as Oakley, Burton, and also some crafty funky shops, and used clothing shops. It was quaint and a lot of fun. PS- I don't know if it rains a lot in Japan, but they are obsessed with umbrellas! They have umbrella shops like NYC has Starbucks- and a lot of their umbrellas are adorable, and about $5! :]

We then went to Tandimori street?

Please know that Sunday is the prime day to go and see Harajuku girls. Also know that this is a VERY crowded street. Please also realize that you may see Harajuku girls, but it's not like they're standing around and autographing things- they're walking around in the crowds, and shopping just like everyone else. They occasionally pose to take pictures with tourists and to be photographed by professional photographers, but a lot of people did not think that this was the Harajuku set up.

After lots of photos, and one fluffy zip-up later, Chloe and I headed back to our inn after a full day of shopping. Back at the capsule we were discouraged to find out that our entire floor of the hotel was SAS kids- and kids from USD at that. (Not all USD kids are bad- but when grouped together...eeekkk- And the stereotype of dumb Californian blond valley-girls- definitely TRUE). Shoes are always taken off in the lobby of the hotel and slippers are used to walk around in (but I just chose to walk around in my socks)- you pay 1 yen for the showers, and these capsules were not the crazy space ones that you may have heard of (those a generally $50 and more a night and are typically male-only) instead we stayed in what looked like wooden boxes in the wall, with a curtain at the end as a door. (You do have lockers to store items in- but they're typical the thin lockers that don't hold much) I'll show everyone photos when we get home, but capsule hotels are generally cheap, and a fun experience. But do note that a lot of them have curfews. Ours was closed from 2:00 am to 5:30 am- so if you went out, you stayed out. They also typically have a common area where everyone from all floors can hang out. This is where I spent a majority of my time, where I met 5 Australians, a kid from Canada, one from Iran, and two girls from the states who are in the JET program (people who teach English). We all had an awesome time, made fun of SASer's and loud Americans, made runs to the 7-11, and drank a corn beverage as well as a vitality drink while playing Where's Waldo- which was clearly in Japanese (but you don't really read Where's Waldo anyways.

!!! Breaking Story- I discovered that Waldo loses an item in almost every page, and if you search the page- you can find the item he has lost! Yes- I am easily amused. By 2ish, a bunch of the gang decided to go to a club- but I was discouraged by the $40 cover charge on top of the insane costs for drinks - especially since I don't drink- so I decided to catch up on some ZzZzZzZ's.

Well... that didn't happen, because no sooner than I was ready for bed, the SASer girls came back from the club- without focusing my entire blog on the density of them- they were inebriated beyond all belief, one girl thought she ;lost her wallet, one girl went of with some random guy from the club, and another thought she lost her passport (Which by the way you do NOT want to do in Japan- because they will deport you, and you are automatically not allowed back on the ship, and kicked out Japan, and you then lose credit for all your classes, and cannot complete the voyage- just an FYI). After an hour or so of this soap opera, the Cali boys came back and added to the loud octave level. By this time it was 4ish in the morning, and I hadn't slept for 1 day, and had constantly been on the go. Finally the lights went out. Now... keep in mind my friends also went out, and Drew made up a knocking system- where if he knocked twice- he was coming over, and if he knocked 3 times, I was to go to him (the pods AREN'T as small as people say they are- we comfortably fit 5 people in a pod sitting- and could easily fit 2-3 laying) So... I heard a knock- and thinking it was Drew- opened my curtain. To my surprise- there standing on the ladder, was a random Japanese man who said "Hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Now- I had only gotten a little sleep at this point, and was obviously tired, I didn't understand why he was there, on the ladder to my pod. He continued to speak to me, and to this day I have no clue if it was English or Japanese- all I know is- he came into my pod and sat in there for an hour talking to me. I do not even remember what type of conversation we had- and then he left. This definitely was not a dream, and I wasn't drunk k...this is a true story- and it was absolutely crazy- but definitely hilarious.

Unable to sleep I headed downstairs and saw my friends Marissa and Araceli- who were headed to Kobe on an early train. It was 5:30 or so by this time- my crew still wasn't back from the club. Just then- Chloe and them walk in, and I told Chloe that I was going to hop on the train to Kobe with them so I could go back and get some sleep. Chloe joined- and we all made it to the station, and boarded the train towards our ship. Tokyo was a lot of fun, but crazy and tiring, especially since ports have been so close together, and since we have to advance an hour almost constantly. Spring Voyage- you have it made by gaining all these hours we're losing! :]

Wooo okay- winding down- we passed Kyoto by train, and it was gorgeous from what I could see. Out of all the people who went to Kyoto I did not hear one person say anything other than it was breathtaking- so I would highly recommend going. When I got back, I unpacked, slept and showered, and then slept some more since I picked up a cold in China. The next day, our last day, I went out with Jennifer so we could explore the port of Kobe. I'm not going to lie- I did not like Kobe. There was absolutely nothing to do in Kobe- our day consisted of spending the last of our yen, and going to china town. It was a good but frustrating day since no ATM took my MasterCard- and no stores/restaurants took credit cards. At least I spent less money this way.

In somewhat of a conclusion...Japan is incredibly safe, and full of wonderful and very helpful people. They bow repeatedly for thanking (which you will see me do) and say "Hi, hi, hi" a lot- which I think means "yes" or something of that nature.

As a tourist it is our duty to take so many pictures of the toilets in Japan. They're pretty awesome, and have so many buttons!

I'm obsessed with the Japanese, and their phones that have u33239897398 trinkets hanging off of them! And the fact that kinky means happy. So at 8am people will say "Is everyone feeling kinky?!?!?"- It's great!

Also- The trains and metros have such fun music for when the train is approaching! I even heard a jazzy version of the itsy bitsy spider!

Christmas was all over Asia! And it put me in the mood to be home, and be baking, and bundling up by the fire! :] Japan celebrates Christmas as a holiday of love, and not for the religious reasons many others do.

We had a Farewell reception on the ship where we learned origami and how to write calligraphy- Japanese style. It was definitely a lot of fun- and I got to meet a bunch of University students who were incredibly sweet.

I think that is about all for Japan- my blog is late because it is crunch time on the ship. Not only does everyone have a zillion papers, projects, and FDP's due in each class- but with work I am going crazy. I am throwing a "Spirit Week" this week so people can have a little fun on this long stretch, and our team is preparing for the ball and live and silent auctions that we're putting together. It's definitely a mentally stressing workload, and I am burnt out from this voyage.

I love being on this ship, and having the experiences I have had, and spending time with the friends I've made- but with the Holidays around the corner, I am ready to be home with my family and friends back in the States.

I will end this entry here. I am excited for Hawaii, but I want to see my White Christmas.

Happy Holidays! And enjoy not having classes on Thanksgiving :[ :p

Much love

-Sam

2009-11-18T21:23:00.001-05:00

Let’s talk about Shanghai! I am absolutely in love with Shanghai- and many disagree with me, but that’s their issue. It was a lot colder in Shanghai, and I think that is why I liked it, it reminded me a lot of back home, and the weather I have been missing out on :] the port was nice here too. China is crazy- they went right from summer, to winter this year, without a fall, so the Grass is green and its 5 degrees out- I love it. I had nothing planned the 1^st day, so I decided to hop onto the city orientation tour- which was definitely worth it. I fell in love with our tour guide Josh. We headed to the Vu (pronounce ‘you’) gardens, and the jade Buddha temple, as well as had lunch right next to the Oriental Pearl Tower (look it up) Shanghai is famous for their skyline. We went to a market, saw Nanjing Road (which is basically really touristy, and contains almost all department stores) then we headed to dinner, and got to view and acrobatic show, which was awesome. My second and last day in Shanghai, most of the Great Wall SAS and Independent trips came back , and I went on a trip to a water village. The water village was incredibly interesting, even if it was pouring and cold, I loved every minute of it. On both this trip, and the City Orientation I made friends with J.P. who is an engineer, and the head of ISE, who happens to idolize Patricia Cormier (Longwood’s Dean of the University). I was hoping to get back early, because all I wanted to do in all of China was ride the Maglev. On ship time was 6:00pm, and our trip got back at 4:00pm :[ The traffic was awful, but on top of that Obama happens to be on his Asia tour- and what were the chances that he was in Shanghai while we were? Well he was, and he held up traffic. I was bummed, but we got free food vouchers because they couldn’t hold lunch for us on the ship, and I was absolutely dying since I had only eaten a banana for breakfast at 7am They kept forgetting my order (Zerio Luck) and I waited an hour for a 5 minute pizza to be cooked -_- I was bitter, cold, and starving, and definitely NOT a happy camper. So then I went down to Tymitz Square- and to our entire ships surprise they decided to give us all extra time in port, so we didn’t have to leave until 12:00pm the next day! I grabbed my friends Jennifer and Cristina and we headed to hail a cab to the closest metro to head towards the Maglev.

For those of you who don’t know- the Maglev is the world’s fastest train, and like its name implies, it has no wheels. It levitates while using magnets to keep it afloat. This is the equivalent to the Great Wall for me. Well we get our metro tickets, and we got there just as one was leaving, Cristina and Jennifer ran into one, while I got bombarded with Chinese business men, and like in classic movies, Jennifer and Cristina were inside the Metro waving to me, as I stood on the platform. I had missed the Metro, but after my bad day, I just laughed it off. I caught the next tram- and headed towards the Maglev. The Maglev has only one stop- the Pudong Airport- It’s top speed is 430 km/hr which is roughly 268 mph or something crazy like that, and depending on what time you go on the Maglev, depends on the speed you will be traveling. It takes 7 minutes to get to the airport, and if you pass the other Maglev on the way- the effect makes it feel as if you’re going 700 km/hr- or around 500 mph or something intense like that, and we passed another Maglev! How crazy. I was so excited to be on the one goal I had for China. :] The three of us spent about 2 hours in the airport, and had a ridiculous amount of fun. Yes, I can even make airports fun, I am that scwveet. We rode the Maglev back- stopped at McDonald’s for Jenn, where we encountered the first McDonald’s she had ever been to that did not take any credit cards- cash only. It was interesting. We also saw a McDonald’s delivery guy. Who no joke, rides a red glittery moped with a yellow M encrusted on it- and it looks like he’s wearing a space suit. I have photos- it was great!

When we got back to the ship Cristina and I headed outside in the cold rain to take photos with the Shanghai skyline. The next morning Kim, Cristina and I headed out on the mission of going to the Shanghai World Financial Center (aka the 2^nd tallest building in the world)- It is 101 stories, and on the 100^th floor there is a glass walkway so you can see all the way down to the ground. Unfortunately it was too cloudy, so we ended up just being in the basement of the building. So we went to nearby Jinmao tower which hoists the tallest hotel in the world. Its lobby is on the 58^th floor I believe; and we got a spectacular (and free) view from there. After that we went to the Pearl tower, and rode up as far as we could go, where they also have glass so you can see to the ground. I believe this is the world’s 3^rd tallest building, but I am not positive on that. With a few hours to spare before on ship time, I NEEDED to have my favorite dish in China. We went to a street vendor where I order the most fantastic bowl of white rice ever! I was in heaven :] we came back to the ship, and I had completed all I had wanted to do in China.

Here’s where I will share with you some reactions.

China and Hong Kong = Remarkably different- Hong Kong has a huge imprint of the British left with them, and drive on the left side of the road, where as in mainland China, they drive on the right.

Surprisingly, for as advanced as China can be, unless you’re in the business district there is a huge language barrier- especially in Beijing (I didn’t go- but others told me). The products actually sold here- are generally really poor quality. The toilet situation… well…

Bring your own toilet paper- and go to the restroom before you leave the ship/hotel you’re in. You either come across toilets that are flat-faced to the ground (like in other countries), or you get the experience of the most high-tech toilets ever. My friend went to the highest bar in the world (in Shanghai)- and when you walk into the stall, the toilet seat detects you, the lid opens, and lights turn on, when you’re down, it also detects this, and will wipe and dry you. It also has a control panel to hand operate it if need be. Also in China- they have the Modern Toilet Restaurants (go ahead- Google it). They started in Taiwan, but have them in China and Japan, I plan on going to one in Japan for sure.

Also- I took my photo off the wall because I thought it was goinbg to fall on me and kill me. I feel like at this point in the journey- If I am to die, I don't want it to be because I was impaled by a gigantic ugly picture hanging in my room on board the ship.

I am sure I am missing a bunch of things, but it is seriously crunch time on the ship for everything. We are down to having one class day in between ports, so it’s getting kind of crazy. I will leave on the note that yesterday I was deathly ill, and Gio, the love of my life (my husband- I’ll tell you about that sometime) came to my rescue, and I cannot thank him enough.

Until next time… I’ll be in Japan tomorrow- how insane is that?!?!?

Hong Kong Lovin'

2009-11-18T21:21:00.001-05:00

So we just got into Hong Kong, China- and let me tell you, Hong Kong might as well go back to being its own country separate from China. It’s like day and night between the two. Hong Kong has its own flag, its own currency, and they speak Cantonese- not to mention the politics are a lot different. Hong Kong is very much like NYC. And at night- the skyline is absolutely stunning. Every night from 7-10 pm Hong Kong’s buildings put on a light show- its amazing!

In our pre-port the deans said that we would literally be inside the mall when we came into port- now clearly no ship is going to fit inside a mall! How ridiculous. But let me tell you, our ship was as close to being in that mall as anything. Our ship docked on port side, and instead of our usual gangway that brings us from 5^th deck to the ground- we had one of those airplane walkways attached to our ship- and we crossed through it, and literally the only way to get out of our ship was to go through the mall. Talk about marketing us to buy things! The mall was huge, and crazy expensive. The entire lower level was all for baby clothes with stores such as Burberry, and Louis Vuitton baby edition. Crazy! But trust me, after shopping in markets, you will have absolutely no desire to ever go to a mall again.

Kelsey and I decided to discover Hong Kong on our own. We had a list of things to do, and so we headed out. When we got off the ship and out of the mall- to our surprise HKG was decked out in Christmas galore. It was mostly pink and purple decorations, but none the less they had Christmas trees, music, snow globes, the whole 9 yards- it was awesome. The thing about Hong Kong (HKG) is that we actually weren’t in HKG yet- the ship is technically in Kowloon. So we had to take a ferry to HKG, which cost the equivalent of 30 cents and takes 7 minutes, and it’s kind of fun! Once we got into HKG- everything looked so big and confusing- but in reality everything was much closer than the map insinuated. Because Kelsey and I are not your average kids, our first stop was the Hong Kong Stock Exchange; for anyone in business, or invested in stocks like us, you’ll recognize that it is one of the most prominent stock exchanges in the world. I was a little disappointed to not see people in angry mobs screaming, shouting and cheering. In fact- everyone was in their seats- behind a computer, as cool as cucumbers. Nevertheless it was still awesome to be there. We then made our way to the Post Office- where go figure, the largest picture made from post card stamps in the world is! It was really neat. We were then on a mission to find a China favorite- Dim Sung to eat; and we were told that the 2^nd floor of city hall had the best restaurant, but we were warned to NOT go to the 1^st floor restaurant. Well- we thought it was weird to have a restaurant in city hall, but anything goes after all the countries we’ve been to. So up we went- when we got to the 2^nd floor, to our surprise, it was definitely a library. So we laughed it off and headed elsewhere. From there we descended to Victoria Peak- where you can see the Hong Kong skyline. We rode a vernacular up, and let me tell you, this hill up was STEEP. You think San Diego is crazy? Wait till you hit Hong Kong. After getting some delicious Gelato and sherbet we rode down the vernacular and got off part way down (which was quite an experience) and went to go to the Zoo and Botanical gardens (where they have a vast amount of orchids). After trekking through the zoo we decided we were pretty hungry, and both wanted to try some Chinese food, after all we were in China! So we head to the streets in search of Chinese food. During our search for food we encountered the largest escalator in the world (which was on our list of things to do but we couldn’t seem to find it). For some reason, Kelsey and I were definitely imagining a gigantically long escalator and it turns out we were walking along side it, and through it the entire time we were in search of Chinese food! Hahaha- well, this escalator is like a normal sized escalator, then a brief platform (so you can get off to the left or right), and then another escalator, followed by another platform, and so on- this goes on FOREVER. And it only goes in one direction. From 7am-12am it goes up, and from 12:01am-6:59am it goes down. Crazy! A lot of people on our trip apparently knew it was in HKG due to Scooby Doo- go figure, cartoons are educational for kids! So after an hour or so of searching for food Kelsey and I hit the restaurant streets. Unfortunately we found everything BUT Chinese food. There was food from Nepal, America, India, Vietnam, and 359348765 other places we had already been. Discouraged and starving we ended up going to a café and eating bread. To our dismay, after exiting the café and walking a matter of seconds- we came across China Town -_-. What were the chances? Hahaha. We decided to head back to Kowloon to hit up the Space Museum. We got there, and it turns out Wednesdays are free admission days! What luck. And good thing- because it wasn’t that thrilling, it was all pretty much about America and their shuttle launches. Although we did get to do a “moon walk” activity which was pretty neat. We ended our night by shopping in the malls super-expensive grocery store, and headed back to the ship to see the light show. We had a crazy yet awesome day in good ol’ Hong Kong.

So the 2^nd day in HKG was when a majority of the ship was leaving to go on their trips to Beijing and the Great Wall and what not, so I woke up early and decided to travel alone. (Regardless of what the adults say in pre-port, I do this in every country and as long as you’re smart, and confident in what you’re doing, you will have no troubles). Here’s where my story gets a tad confusing. I took a ferry to Hong Kong to catch the 45 minute ferry to Lantau Island which hoists the world’s largest Buddha statue. Once on Lantau Island, I had to catch a bus to the Village on Stilts, and then another to the Buddha, and then take the cable car to catch the bus in order to get back to Hong Kong and take a taxi to Stanley market, to then take a bus back into Hong Kong, to catch the ferry back to Kowloon to get onto the ship. Woooo. That’s all, simple. So I got on the bus to head to the village on stilts (which worried me because I did not know the stop- only that it took around 40 minutes to get there- and I saw no village on stilts where we were driving). The Village on Stilts is literally behind the bus depot, and the dead last stop (for those of you interested). It was a fantastic little village and I got so much attention because I was literally the ONLY tourist there- with the exception of a group of Chinese school kids (who quite obviously fit in more than I did). Everyone was incredibly nice, and I spent about 2 hours roaming around (it’s not that big- but definitely interesting). Then I conveniently went to the bus depot and hopped on a bus to take me to the Giant Buddha. It was definitely a great experience, and it’s hard to explain- but definitely worth seeing, and free. I ended going on a walk on a “wisdom path” which took me to some strange village about an hour away from the Buddha- so I decided it would sensible of me to walk back towards the Buddha. From the Buddha I walked to the cable car, and rode back to where I could catch transportation off of the island. I met two tourists from Toronto, and the cutest couple from a “small” city in China which is about the size of America. They were all obsessed with me, my lawn gnome, and Semester at Sea, which made for a great cable car ride back. I was told I would need to take a bus to catch a ferry back to HKG. But in fact Bus E11 takes you right from the cable cars to HKG. So I hopped on that bus and headed towards home. I got off a stop near a different, but equally large mall- and got lost inside the mall several times, for about an hour or so. Including getting lost in both the parking garages. Once I got outside, I hailed a cab and asked if he knew where Stanley Market was. He, and I quote said only this; “I don’t speak English”, so I assumed he would let me out, and I would find a cab driver who could somewhat understand me. But instead, he started driving. Now I was told Stanley Market was in HKG and about a dollar or 2 to get there. WRONG. Stanley Market is in a town called Stanley (and when I first saw he brought me to Stanley I was freaked out because I thought I was in some random town, and not near the market), Stanley is where Stanley market is, and I highly recommend taking the bus, because instead of 100 HKD, you will only pay like 7 HKD (Which is a dollar, instead of $10 USD). Anyways, I saw a few SASer’s there, and felt better. Even though I was alone, I surely wasn’t completely alone in a sense. After an hour or so of haggling, I hopped on a bus, made friends with 3 Swedish men in their 30’s , and went back to HKG. From there I walked from the HKG bus depot to the ferry, got on, and safely went home after a great but exhausting day. It definitely is refreshing to be on your own in a country; and I understand why people advise against it, but if you’re comfortable and confident, I suggest you do it. Definitely not the 1^st day in a port, or late at night, but any other time, yes.

My time in Hong Kong was nothing short of amazing, and I am surely leaving out 38972 things that happened.

The ship consisted of 100 passengers who were considered “in transit”- basically it meant we weren’t traveling independently in between HKG and Shanghai. For those of you whole are broke college students like me, or just don’t want to see the great wall, staying on the ship is actually a lot of fun.

We got catered to more so than usual. They had movies playing in the Union constantly, games, free massages, discounts on spa items, dance parties, karaoke, free snacks and soda, and most importantly, sit down fancy dinners! I won’t go into great deal- because what happens on the ship in between HKG and Shanghai, stays on the ship with the 100 of us. :] It was indescribable, but worth it.

I had such a great time in the ship (although the sea was fairly harsh between HKG and Shanghai)

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood morning Vietnam!

2009-11-13T21:41:00.001-05:00

Sorry- I had to…

Alright, I’m a tad late on this entry; the ports are getting so close to each other! We got to Vietnam early, but we had to make our way through the Mekong Delta- which is crazy! Ships and boats literally feet away from us, all around- and A LOT of curves and corners to turn. The Delta was the best 3 hours of scenery, and definitely worth being up for. I took 947 photos before we even got into port (I told you, I have a problem). The ship was cleared around 11 or so, and Kelsey (a friend who I would not push into traffic), and I went to tour the city. Here is something I should mention… Ho Chi Minh City is the motorbike capitol of the world (I’m not making this up), and in our pre-ports we literally got several instructions on how to cross the street. There are few crosswalks/ signals in Ho Chi Minh- and we were told to find a local, or just look, and walk- even with traffic coming, you just walk- and they will avoid you. So Kelsey, Forest (one of my favorite Life Long Learners), and I gave it a go. There were literally hundreds of motorbikes headed directly towards us, and we just hopped off the side walk- and began to walk. The trick is, look forward (which is hard to do when you’re about to get hit with a stampede of motorbikes), don’t run, and keep your pace; If you do all of this 99% of the time- the motorbikes will go right around you.

And sure as shit, they do. Remember when your parents said “Don’t walk into oncoming traffic” ? Well, throw that rule out the window when you’re in Ho Chi Minh. (Although people- let’s use common sense, a car is still a car, and a bus…a bus- those vehicles I WOULD wait for, motorbikes…no). You won’t see too many cars though. Sheer craziness. Right now in Vietnam it is wedding season- in fact Kelsey and I saw two on the first day! The brides were gorgeous! The Post Office was like Grand Central Station- and even has a small market inside! We bought postcards off the street- and when we went up to look at them, the “shop keeper” pulled up plastic stools, ordered us to sit, and then fanned us! What service! Vietnamese people are incredibly nice. We saw Notre Dame Cathedral (which is picture worthy- and not the Notre Dame you're most likely thinking of...), and then we laughed and giggled like little school children when we each took out 1,000,000 dong and took pictures. How many people can say they held 1,000,000 dollars in their hands- that was theirs?!?!? (It just wasn’t US dollars :p)

Oh- one digression- the motorbikes…drive ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE. So don’t think you’re safe on the sidewalk- they drive there like it’s a road. If it looks flat enough- they’ll drive on it. We (the shipboard community) were all told to try this fuzzy red fruit. It almost looks like a giant raspberry, and you break it open, and eat the placenta. It was good- I recommend trying it. Kelsey and I headed off to the markets- which are indeed, crazy! I now have a Northface jacket/fleece (that’s real), and 2 North Face backpacks (which are fake- but who cares), and lots of other good treats. Not to mention a BUNCH of DVD’s. Here are some tips on DVD buying in Vietnam:

Make sure it’s not blu-ray (unless you have a blu-ray player)

Make sure that it’s in spoken English (they usually have DVD players and a TV so they can prove it works)

Check out the quality and sound of it

And don’t pay more than a dollar per disc (which was 20,000 dong when I was there) Crew could usually get them to 50 cents per disc, I only got them to 75.

Some people also said that their computers got viruses- mine didn’t- but again, if you make them check the DVD, it surely won’t have a virus, otherwise they’d be damaging their DVD player…

The next day I did a service project to a disabled children's home. ” Dumb isn’t necessarily meant in the same context of what it often is in the US. This school was in the middle of nowhere! We got to the school’s street, and walked through a small portion of a village to get there. Upon entering the schoolyard, we got directed in to see the principal of the school- where he told us a little bit about it. It is comprised with mostly deaf/ partially deaf kids, and kids with Down syndrome. It is a government run school- so the kids do not have to pay to go there- and all the kids had families (they weren’t orphans),however; it was likely that their families were poor. The teachers and principal did not tell the kids we were coming, so it was a huge surprise for them. I immediately got attached to them. They had ages from 2 to 18 and would school people up to the equivalent of a high school degree. I got to go into the toddler room- they were too adorable! They had cubbies with their names on them, and their own little “table tray” desk to do work on. We got there right in time for recess, which was such a great experience. A bunch of us had brought toys and fun thi8ngs for the kids with us. We played with chalk (most of the older kids wrote to us in English- which was very good mind you, and asked us how we were, where we lived, and so on). These kids were amazing, and so full of life. Once recess was over, we got to have a small lunch and talk to the principal once again. There was artwork all over the room we were sitting in, which was gorgeous, and done by all the children at the school. We were allowed to obtain pictures by making any domination donation we felt. I bought 4 :] we got a little more time to play and communicate with the kids- and then we set off back to the ship. This was one of my favorite service projects, and I left with a lot of new friends. I think it meant just as much to see them, as they felt it was to see me.

Some Vietnam observations… The power lines are ridiculous, and I don’t even know how Ho Chi Minh is still there, and not burnt down. There are power lines all over the place- 3 feet deep! The rice hats are awesome, and as much as I liked them- I did not buy one because it is an awkward thing to store, and when would I possibly wear it? I don’t wear hats! But it’s not just a huge tourist-like thing; locals legitimately still wear them. They serve a purpose (keeping shade for the rice workers/ people in general). The Chinese influence here is very prevalent (with pagodas and temples and what not).

I spent the rest of the day shopping around and sight-seeing, and spent that evening in my new silk robe, which was luxurious.

BAM- Day 3! I thought it would be intelligent to do something historical in Vietnam, so I took a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels (and a temple). We’ll talk about the temple first. It was incredibly colorful, and had the most intricate details and statues. We went for the 12:00pm mass, and there were so many religions under this one roof. They had Buddhist (who wore yellow robes), Taoist who were blue, all women wore white regardless of religion, and then Hinduism? Who were red. I forgot, but I know Catholics were allowed to go to this temple as well. Shoes were to be taken off, and I absolutely loved walking around in my socks! Alright so off to the tunnels!!! We went into the woods with our guide and under a mess of leaves- was the covering for an underground tunnel. Each platoon was “assigned” a hole- and only they would know the coordinates of where it was. There were about 5-6 men for each tunnel, and even if you were in the Vietnamese army, you were only able to go to your assigned tunnel drop spot- so if you couldn’t find it, or get to it fast enough, you were pretty much dead. They had some of the craziest door traps with spikes underneath. There was a lot to take in, and it was surreal to be there where our family members once fought.

Now would be a good time to bring up the man holes. The one we were shown was purposely made bigger for tourists- and let me tell you something, there was no way in HECK my hips were even fitting in that. What I am about to write sounds snotty- but it’s definitely true; Girls with no figure had no issue getting in the whole, and some could even turn around, a lot of boys couldn’t do it, and if they could- they often could not get their shoulders through. Having being built like a woman, I was reassured that my hips would not make it through- on the bright side, it boosted my confidence that I will easily be able to give birth, and that I have a more than desirable butt- so that made me feel better about my hips :p

Alright- so the entire time we were in the woods, we heard all of this noise and commotion,. And I seriously thought we were getting attacked. We walked a little further and to my surprise, there was a shooting range! Oh but not just any shooting range, this one was for real guns, heavy artillery! :] Now, the mature part of me felt weird shooting artillery in a place where many Americans and Vietnamese were killed in what they call “The American War”. But the immature side of me, definitely wanted to shoot a gun.

So off to the range I went! I mean how many times will I have the chance to shoot an AK47? Oh yes, that’s right folks, Samantha Zerio, cocked and loaded, then shot a round with an AK47 (scary- isn’t it?), and I loved it, which scares me! Anyways- I think I’ll take up hunting or shooting ranges when I get home. Mary Ellis and I were the only girls that did it, and we felt empowered because of that (not because we were shooting them, but because we were the only women who wanted to).

That was just a neat little side note. We were off to the tunnels! We saw a crater that was from a “B52 bombing”, and when I asked the tour guide if it was really a B52 bombing he said it was NOT. He explained that it was made from a bomb, but not a B52. He said B52’s had more of a rippled affect, and would not create just a crater- good to know. We then reached the tunnels; here is my advice right off the bat- DO NOT go in the tunnels if you hate the dark, or are claustrophobic, DO get up close to the front near the guide. The tunnel takes about 5 minutes to get through, and is really neat. It boggles my mind that people LIVED in these for months. The section of the tunnels we went through is about half the length of a football field, and there are exits on the way if you can’t do it. I was able to fit in the tunnels with plenty of room to spare, but some of the guys said it was a tight squeeze for them towards the end. If you can- go all the way, it’s worth it, I think.

And so ended our day at the tunnels. We set back to the ship, passing the rice patties and hard workers, small villages and what not. Overall it was a good, historical, saddening, yet fun day. I went out at night with a friend Jennifer, and we were waiting for our shuttle back to the ship, and it wasn’t coming- so we opted to take motorbikes, again here’s some advice since I was the biggest advocate against riding these:

DO NOT go on a motorbike alone, at night, and/or drunk. That’s just stupid, these people are literally people who will offer you a ride back to the ship for the equivalent of a dollar because they need money(keep in mind you’re in a foreign country, you probably do not know where they’re going, especially at night). Anyways, there were two older gentlemen on bikes who asked Jennifer and me in a non-demanding manner if we needed rides, we negotiated a price, and I requested that they didn’t split up while driving us back. They agreed, and it was a blast! Definitely ride the motorbikes, just be safe, have a friend, and know your surroundings! And for heaven’s sake- so many people on our voyage got burnt by the exhaust- its common sense people, you’re on a motor vehicle- avoid the exhaust! If you get burned that’s your own stupid fault.

Alright, so the 4^th day I decided to try and jump on another service project. It was a deaf school and zoo visit, and since I had a lot of fun at my other one, I decided to do this one too. We get to the school, and the children were so well-behaved, we played a bunch of fun games, and they put on shows and plays for us, and then we got to color. Then it was time to go to the zoo with the kids- it sounds like fun, right? The kids automatically attached to us, and those were the kids we were responsible for. My kid- Truong Mai Tan Thi (Truong) was pretty calm and cool, and we decorated ourselves with stickers (I looked amazing! :p ) So we get off the bus and find out that it is just us SASer’s watching the kids, the teachers went off away from us, and we then found out we were going to be there 4 hours. Let’s put this all together… we have limited ways of communicating with these kids because not only are they deaf…the words they speak are Vietnamese, and their sign language is different than ours!

My friend Cristina and I decided to stick together with our kids. Well… as soon as we got off that bus, my kid bolted, and so the fun began, I felt like I was running a marathon chasing after him. Before I start my story of this day in depth, let me express to you all that I NEVER want to reproduce…ever! Ahem…

So Truong heads towards the elephants; He sat for a little, and I tried giving him lunch but he absolutely refused to eat anything, so I gave it away. Now would be a good time to tell you what our tour guide said about people trying to sell you things to feed to the animals…he said “Don’t buy things from them- they don’t even work at the zoo”. Well that’s completely fine, I didn’t need to buy bamboo to the feed the elephant, why? You ask… because my kid STOLE bamboo from a woman trying to sell them, and ran back to feed the elephant. The woman starting running over and yelling at me in Vietnamese, so I then had to take the bamboo piece OUT of the elephant’s trunk, and give it back to her- then, my kid dashes off again! So Cristina and I start chasing him, and he finally stops to admire a tree. Yes, a tree, you’ll be hearing a lot about trees in this story. So we start walking towards monkey’s when I hear Cristina say “Uh Sam…” I turn around, to see my kid, whipping it out, and peeing on the sidewalk. Well what the heck am I supposed to do? I shielded him, and then signaled to him that he couldn’t pee in the middle of the zoo. He attempted to hold my hand, right after peeing, and I insisted that I hold his arm (and thank goodness for Cristina’s hand sanitizer). I now STRONGLY encourage parents who put their kids on leashes, I get it now. I used to think it was horrendous and degrading, but I have seen the light, and I wish my kid had come with a leash. Big surprise- he starts running again- so off I went to chase him. He went into EVERY restricted area of the zoo he could find, stopped at every tree and plant, and either climbed it, peed on it, swung off of it, or took pieces of it. He had no interest in any of the animals, and was only fascinated with foliage, the bus, and peeing. So while all the other SASer’s got to see animals and take photos of their kids with the animals, I got to take pictures of my kid running, stealing, climbing, and with numerous plants and trees. I’m pretty sure he also broke a few things in the zoo. He also gave a branch to a random man at the zoo?!?!?!? What on earth did I do as a kid to deserve my little terror?

He kept going back to the bus thinking we were leaving, and at this point, I was ready to. I learned that when kids run away from you- they usually come back. So I sat on a bench, and let him run around to every tree nearby, and he’d run back and show me the leaf he got, then go off again. We did this for about 2 hours. Finally people and their kids started congregating back near the bus, and we were all wiped. It was hilarious because all of us SASer’s were sitting on benches just letting our kids run wild, hoping that they wouldn’t disappear too far. Our trip leader Steve (who is emotionally scarred from this trip), came back, and started counted us- he was definitely ready to leave. We were eventually all accounted for, and we hopped on the bus back to drop the kids off at their school.

What did I learn from this?

People should not reproduce.

You cannot yell at a deaf Vietnamese kid…they can’t hear or understand you.

You can apparently pee anywhere in public. (This is true in a lot of the countries we’ve been to). He actually tried to pee on a crocodile- yes a crocodile, but instead he dumped water on it. And he continuously littered throughout the park. What a little terror I had.

And I could probably show you every single tree and plant in all of Vietnam due to Truong. The day was hilarious, but absolutely tiring. And I was happy that I had planned out a spa day for my last day.

If there is something I have realized, it’s that I like to spend at least 1 day wandering these countries on my own. So I set out that night to get some last minute shopping done. I never get bothered when I am alone, especially at night, and you’d think that it would be the opposite.

So- my Spa day. I won’t get into great detail, but I am almost positive I had sex with a woman. I received a deep tissue massage which was incredible. It was the White Lotus Spa- very clean, and quint. It was a fantastic end to my amazing time in Vietnam.

An interesting fact- Most people in the North wear the “surgical face masks” not only because of Agent Orange (which is now in my system- I’m sure), but because the Northern part of Vietnam is predominantly light-skinned (which is true in most countries). If you are lighter, it means you are of higher social class. Think of farmers, they’re often more tan because they work out in the sun all day- this is considered a low/ working class lifestyle. Southern and Northern Vietnamese people still have a lot of issues between them, and social class is one of them. So in turn- they wear masks to keep their light skin, and high status prevalent.

Vietnam was phenomenal and I highly recommend it to everyone. Definitely a great experience. Pretty soon I’ll be in Hong Kong!!! :] China= Ricccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccce <3

Singapore, sing some more!

2009-11-01T01:27:00.001-04:00

I suppose now is a better time than ever to update everyone on what has been going on in my life. I’m in the union, chillin’ in front of Singapore (I feel like I won’t often be able to say that). We’re bunkering- aka filling up with fuel so we can continue sailing.

Well- this week has been one of the most chaotic; yet entertaining weeks on board. For starters- two nights ago was our Crew Talent Show. This is hands down, the BEST event on board. Our crew is phenomenal at everything they do. (Trust me folks- when you see crew out in port- they look damn fine!) I have a surplus of photos and videos from this amazing event, and I may or may not have a crush on 2376583279 crew members, just saying. I cannot wait until I can show all of you just how amazing the crew are. I have about 12 favorites, and although most of them are married, I plan on marrying them.

So yesterday was Halloween (for us at least)- But Happy Halloween to those of you back in the states. It was hilarious to see how creative people were with their costumes. (I mean we have fairly limited resources on the ship- we can’t just sail to Wal-Mart). I was insanely busy all week, so my costume- was not much of a costume, but got big attention anyways. Let’s just say it may have involved my tattoo. Hahaha. By far my favorite costume some guys had put together was a Rickshaw. They had a little bike that they bought in a country, and had 1 person “sitting”, 1 driving, and one guy following them trying to get them to buy things. I suppose this won’t really be that humorous to those of you who haven’t been to other countries. (I don’t mean that to sound stuck up- but just like in the US, people want you to buy things from them, and they are, how shall I say, a little more persistent than those in the States). Think Battery Park, NY, add crazier, pushier people…and you’ll get the idea.

There was also the Ambiguously Gay duo- which was absolutely hilarious- but also sad since the majority of the already small amount of men on this ship, are gay ( which I absolutely love- except for the fact that in general, no guy is looking at you, except the crew, who you cannot fraternize with. Dang!).- The ship is a great place to become a lesbian, you’ll up your chances with relationships and what have you.

Picture this: The entire shipboard community is dancing and enjoying Halloween festivities last night, the ship is obviously en route, and meanwhile outside, I kid you not, our crew was waiting with hoses in case pirates decided to attack our ship. No lie. Apparently En route to Singapore is one of the most dangerous places (I have no clue if this is true or not since Wikipedia is my only source, and highly unreliable). But the crew legitimately were ready to hose pirates off our ship- this to me, is awesome; however, if pirates really were to come and attack, I would not have the same feelings. My roommate made me double-lock our door. Which is ridiculous when you think about it; if pirates can scale the MV Explorer and get on board, they can surely get through a double-locked door. Nevertheless, it was humorous. I have been watching Harry Potter intently this week, and I am beyond excited that Hocus Pocus is showing today.

Other than that, not much has been going on, just a lot of work, and a lot of writing e-mails back and forth with everybody under the sun.

Some people claimed they “saw pirates”- but I’m pretty sure that’s their vivid imagination. Most people are expecting a wooden pirate ships with skull and cross-bone flag and canons- when in reality, their somewhat-average looking people in stolen boats of all sorts (usually speed boats); but it is fun to think that Captain Hook is after us- so I’ll go with it.

Oh! Crazy story- Yesterday was a rainy and dark morning, and Rachel came back to the room and screamed “There is a tornado!” Sure enough- there was a tornado following the ship (not extremely close). It was such a neat experience, how many people get chased my tornadoes while at sea? (Well- maybe a lot of sailors…but nobody I know).

I’m pretty excited for Vietnam, but sad because they voyage is quickly coming to an end, and the next few weeks will be intense. Tests and due dates left and right, two days of classes, 3 days of port, class for 2 days again, and then port again. It’s going to be chaotic.

I am 10 hours ahead of Eastern time, but FINALLY we get to fall back, and gain an hour of sleep. Which is crazy, because 2 days ago we were 9 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, but we had to advance our clocks and hour for Singapore, just to turn them back tonight.

Just to let you know- Spring SASers- you have it made, because you CONSTANTLY ACCUMULATE hours. I should have thought this one through :p

But either way, I am having a blast, and I love the people on this voyage- we have a great group. Well, it’s time for class. Funny to think I am half-way through my day, and many of you are hours away from even waking.

Happy Halloween again, I’ll update again after Nam, unless something ridiculous like an attack on the ship occurs.

Much <3

Samantha Zerio

Executive Student Ambassador of Semester at Sea

Goodwill Operator

My childish rant and keen observation

2009-10-29T00:07:00.001-04:00

While I have some time to kill in Global Studies- the course equivalent to death, I will share with you all, something that I forgot to.

One of the most prevalent things in India was the "bobble head"! Indians move their head like a bobble head when unsure of a question, or if they're saying yes. It is awesome! They must think it's strange when we nod our heads up and down for yes, and side to side for no.

That was my brief update/ rant of JUST how much Global Studies sucks- but I could write a 20 page blog on how much I dislike Global Studies- since all we learn about are cell phones, and "Network clouds". Not to mention our professor is a pompous prick- I think that may be part of the application process for becoming a Global Studies professor.

"How big of a douche bag are you?"

Ahhh yes- It will be difficult to explain to my school that I failed Global Studies while circumnavigating the globe, but it just might have to happen.

Our professor legit just tried to defend himself when 2/3 of our student population got D's and F's... clearly that states that you SUCK.

All I have to say is, it's a small ship...

Anyways- enough of my rant on Global Studies. As of tonight I will be 10 hours ahead of Eastern time- crazy!

We will be in Vietnam in 4 days, I'm pretty excited :]

Much Love kids.

The day I bought India

2009-10-27T23:06:00.001-04:00

My introduction to India was nothing less than spectacular. I didn't know what to expect from it, and feelings throughout the ship were a mix between excitement and disgust.

First off, yes we are by a coal factory, but it honestly does NOT smell that bad, people are over-dramatizing it. You get used to the scent within minutes. The port is a commercial port, but not too hard or far to navigate.

The vehicles (particularly the trucks) are a wide array of colors, and I love it! Yesterday I had a service project (which I think are the best experiences one can have). We went to a school that held 1000 kids from all types of ages. infant- 14 (?) Once we reached town, the bus was too big to fit through the streets, so we got out to walk a short distance. Upon exiting the bus we were greeted with homemade flower necklaces, dots, and markings on our faces (girls were the only ones who got this), flowers to hold, and a sugar crystal placed into out mouths. They had a band all dressed up that marched us through the streets. There were about 40 school children who welcomed us, and formed a circle around all of us by linking arms. So we walked down the street circled by these wonderful children. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE- was hanging out their windows, their shops, or standing on the street waving to us. I seriously felt like I was someone famous. We literally had a parade for us all the way to the school.

When we reached the school the most beautiful little children in the world were standing in lines forming a walkway between them; they then handed us roses, and we went to sit. There was a banner up thanking us for being here, and then they had some of the children perform.

These children were not only gorgeous, but had practiced for who knows how long to perfect a dance for our visit. It was one of the most breathtaking experiences I have ever witnessed. They were all dressed in Saris and bangles, and did a phenomenal job. After a few introductions we got to work. There were 26/27 of us, and between us all we painted blackboards, planted flowers and other seedlings, painted doors, windows, and buildings.

The kids were incredibly fascinated with us, and I think all of us were just as fascinated by them. Each student would come up, put their hand out, and ask what our names were. It was adorable! They couldn't pronounce Samantha- or Sam...but to be fair I was nowhere near close to pronouncing some of their names.

The kids would engulf us, and the teachers were excited to meet us as well. One even braided my hair! She was a sweetheart. The kids asked us to write our names down so they could practice and remember them- it was adorable!

They sang English songs with us like Twinkle, Twinkle... and then when we were finished we all played with the kids. It was absolutely beautiful. They love having you take their picture and then seeing it afterward. we spun them around, threw them in the air, and just had a ball. These kids were so energetic and so happy we were present. At one point a little boy asked me to kiss his cheek. And once I did, a swarm of boys and girls came up to me, and every other girl in our group, and asked us for kisses. They were some of the most precious children I have ever seen.

By the end of our time there- the leader of the school asked us to join him in a ceremonial activity, where we shared our thoughts and experiences of the day, and lit homemade candle tea-lights, and formed a circle of light. Then, I kid you not- as if their friendliness wasn't extended enough, THEY gave US presents. We received gorgeous metal bowls and plates, as well as a certificate thanking us for being a part of this.

It was truly an amazing day, and has opened my heart and mind up to India. I am fascinated by their culture, and love the people. They are just as friendly as the people in Ghana, and have such an innocence about them.

To top of one of the best days of my life, it was sweet and sour pork/steamed rice day in the main dining hall. A great day, followed by a great dinner. I cannot complain.

Today I am going to pursue around Chennai, and take a rickshaw to some shops with Anjuli. Then I am returning for lunch, and to go to an orphanage- which I am sure will be both heartbreaking and astounding.

I had some time to kill today, so me and Gdifa (G-fuh) decided to grab a rickshaw/cab into town to do some shopping before my orphanage visit. We went in this sketch looking cab- that did not start properly, but I made friends with the cab driver Alex. He was a cool guy- even though he brought us to a store we didn't want to go to at first. Side note- For those of you going on SAS- please note that cab drivers get "points" and money for stopping at their friends shops (whether you buy anything or not). So Gdifa and I made friends with the shop keeper Raja, and he gave us some good tips, and told us Alex was nice, but crazy. Schweet. So we finally went to some markets, where I bought some beautiful sarees (PS- bargaining in India is harder than most countries).

Oh PS- Alex (our cab driver) said we only had to pay 50 Rupees (25 each) and he would drive us around the entire day. For those of you who aren't up to date on the US Dollar/ Indian Rupee exchange rate. Right now $1 = 46 rupees.

So basically for 50 cents...yes... 50 CENTS we got a personal chauffeur for the day. Can we say AMAZING!

Okay- so after buying sarees we shopped around for bangles (most of them although they were cheap...just looked cheap- and looked like stuff I could find in a dollar store in America- but I did find some cool ones). After a fun-filled half day of shopping, I needed to get back to the ship to visit the orphanage.

Alright so the orphanage. Not exactly what I expected- although to be fair, I was set in my mind set from yesterday. All of these kids, well-behaved, and putting on shows for us at the school- they were very obedient.

The orphanage- I keep having to remind myself, was a little more chaotic. It definitely was not crazy- but there were just SO MANY kids, and so few adults. And the adults didn't have much control over the kids. They weren't really unruly- they were just so hyper. And over-excited as soon as they saw cameras.

Here was my pet peeve. We all brought toys and small gifts for the kids (which was put in a box so it didn't get more hectic in there- understandable), but some "GENIUS'S" (that is sarcasm) decided to bring candy- but not just ANY old candy, they brought CHOCOLATE.

Hello- Maybe it's my maternal instinct kicking in... but chocolate, ESPECIALLY in the hot weather in India... MELTS! The kids had chocolate all over themselves, us and our cameras.

Now would be a good time to note to get a very durable camera- as kids love taking photos of each other and themselves. They won't run off with your camera, but they will ask you if they can take photos with it.

The kids were a handful, and hanging all over us. But they were a lot of fun. We then went to the playground where the toddlers and much younger kids were. It was really depressing because so many of the kids were just unresponsive. Some were so lively- and others showed no emotions- they were completely blank.

There were kids just sitting on swings- not really moving, staring- and this was for an hour or so. It was just so sad. Most of the kids warmed up to us, and we spun them around, climbed things, ran with them, played ball, you name it, we did it.

A bunch of the kids even put on a dance routine, and sang for us. Then we all did it in return. All in all today was a lot of fun. I don't think it can compare to my first day- but who knows. Tomorrow is another day. I guess today is just one of those days to reflect on what you saw. I imagine an orphanage in any country would be that sad- but it just so happens I experienced it.

Overall it was still an amazing experience and I am glad I went. I learned a lot, and hope the children gained something too.

On my third day in India- I used it as a shopping day. Anjuli, Kyle, and I went to Spencer Plaza- which is a market and mall combination- and shopped for hours... and by hours- I mean the entire day. I spent a lot more than I should have, but definitely got A LOT of things. Including a bunch of free things! :]

For the first time in my life I had trouble putting on a shirt because my boobs were too big! I also announced that to the entire store, and then the shopkeeper said "Boobs no big- small boobs, shirt will fit" Hahaha SHOT DOWN. I told him to let me have my moment of glory.

Poor Kyle had to deal with me and Anjuli wanting to stop in just about every store we passed. And eventually we told Kyle that he could leave us because we wanted to shop more- he was such a trooper, but ended up leaving with Dean Nick and Eddie. The shop keepers were so incredibly friendly- and one of the last shops we went to, this man invited us to his house for dinner and tea! He had showed us photos of other SASers that have been in his shop and they even had welcome signs made for us! He is such a great business man- he uses a "no pressure" tactic, so you end up buying a lot more- smart man. Anyways we decided that we would eat dinner at his house the next night (last night- the 26th). After a long day of shopping, a friend Jennifer and I prepared to pick up our interport student from Vietnam. We had to leave the ship at 9:30 pm , and her flight was to arrive at 11pm. Well- it took us about 40 minutes or so to leave the gate because the port guards were telling us we had a curfew. So our driver was yelling at them, and eventually we had to call the port agent from our ship to come and sort things out. (I hope India is the only place we need shore passes- because it is annoying to sign in and out of port EVERY time you leave and come back). I understand it is for our safety- but 99% of the ship are CLEARLY not from India...

Anyways- we finally left and headed to the airport, our drivers were incredibly nice. We then waited at the airport FOREVER to pick our interport student up. Her plane was late and arrived at 12:35- I felt so bad for her because she flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok to India. So she was exhausted. On our way back we had to stop again- because at certain times at night they close roads for safety reasons, and to reduce issues, or some crazy stuff- so we were stuck there for about 15 minutes or so. Then we headed to immigration to get her papers to allow her into port- then from there we had to get through 2 more gates in port in order to reach the ship. We FINALLY got to the last gate which is like a "check point" gate and 100ft away from the ship- and they wouldn't let her in... so we waited for about 90 minutes while our driver called the port agent AGAIN to come talk to these guys. Then we finally got on the ship- and needed to get her all set up with a room key, card, and show her where she can at least get food. Then we brought her to her room. I went to bed about... 3:30 ish? And I had a trip- The trip I was looking forward to the most- which would leave at 7:00. I woke up at 7:30- I was all sorts of emotions. But mostly livid. I went to breakfast to find a trip leader to see if I could catch up to the bus- and after talking to 3 of them they informed me that it would be hard to since the village was 90 minutes away, however they informed me, that under my circumstances they would reimburse me. So I was definitely upset- but what could I do?

So then Karen from the field office found me, and invited me to join her and a lifelong learner for the day- I agreed so I wouldn't have to sit on the ship while everyone was out. I had so much fun! Karen, Diane and I had such a blast- we went to see temples, and saw the gorgeous beaches, we had a personal driver all day- JC, he was amazing! And they paid for EVERYTHING for me. They were so incredibly sweet, and I was thankful since I would not have been doing anything otherwise. We came back to the ship around 5:30 or so, but I had had such a blast! (We had even passed the village I was supposed to be going to- People told me it wasn't that spectacular, so I felt better).

Last night Anjuli and I headed back to Spencer Plaza to go to the shop keepers house- there ended up being a large group of about 10 of us going, and we all had so much fun! And I... yes I ... tried some India food, and LOVED it!

Tandoori chicken has a little spice, but it's good, and I got to eat with my hands again (which I absolutely LOVE), and we had these tortilla-like things, and there was some yellow sauce which was just incredible.

I know I must sound like a crazy person to everyone because I met a man and went to his house after knowing him for like 3 hours. But I felt safe with it. That is my rule for anyone going on this trip- You will know when something feels right, or doesn't. And I felt great- so I jumped on this opportunity and I am SO glad I did. We all had a blast, we met his wife and daughter who were going to do Henna on us, but it was getting late and we were very tired. We just had a blast!

Rickshaws + Auto Rickshaws = SO MUCH FUN!

I have decided I want to send MTV's "Pimp my Ride" to India so they can do: Pimp my auto rickshaw.

I would also like to buy an auto rickshaw- because they're awesome. The drivers are insane! They let me drive one- which was an awesome experience- but also dangerous, but I only drove it near port- not when we got on the highway-ish thing. It was intense- like camping.

I have seen and learned so much in this country, and have had so much fun. I really love India, and I will be upset to leave. All of the newspapers have pictures of "The float university coming to India". We're all like movie stars here- and I love it! India will change a part of who you are after you see some of the poverty here. People literally just sleep on the sidewalks right next to the main highway- but it's not like a few homeless people- it is millions. You cannot pass a corner, sidewalk, or dirt patch without someone laying there. It is incredibly sad, and really makes you think things over. It will take a while to reflect on the things I have seen in India, but it's been one of the most amazing experiences I have had.

Today I have an FDP to visit a hospital, and then we head out :[ But we're going to Vietnam! I am sure I am leaving out 893474897 things. But it is so hard to tell everything what I have seen, and what smells I have been smelling, and how people are. It's one of those things that no matter how many photos you have of it, and no matter how well you describe it, you will never know until you have been here. I am so happy I didn't go to the Taj Mahal- everyone said it was gorgeous but they were rushed- plus I had such an authentic, rustic time in Chennai and really assimilated myself- and submerged myself into their culture. India is filled with hear-felt, wonderful people, and I would gladly come back any given day!

Basically India has been an experience, both good, and eye-opening. The Taj trips came back yesterday, and roomie has some of the most devastating photos ever. People were cremating bodies in the street, dead people were floating in rivers, and get this- monkeys… had guns.

So we have goats in trees in Morocco, and monkeys with guns in India- this is pure craziness!

I am in love with India- but so excited to be going to Vietnam!

Until then.

Olympics!

2009-10-21T00:20:00.001-04:00

Where do I even begin to start? I am almost positive that yesterday was one of the best days of my life. It was the highly anticipated day of the Sea Olympics.

For those of you who know me, in High school I wasn’t filled with school spirit- but when I got to College I had spirit up the wazoo! Well. I must admit, I was not ecstatic about yesterday due to the fact that my Sea- the Balearic Sea’s color- was pink- my LEAST favorite color in the World!

For those of you in the dark… The Sea Olympics is a tradition of Semester At Sea that essentially marks the Halfway around the World part of the Voyage. There are usually 10 Seas- halls are divided into seas, and one sea is usually faculty and staff, and one for Lifelong Learners or WOW’s (Waves of Wisdom) and dependents (the kiddies on the ship).

However we had 9 seas since the Lifelong Learners/Faculty and Staff joined together.

Anyways- Each Sea will have Captains. All the Captains (weeks before the Olympics) come together to discuss the activities and scoring of the day/events.

Every team is required to make a torch, and have a photo of it somewhere neat and fun. Every sea decks themselves out in their color, and creates their own chant to sing.

Our chant was:

Who are we?

Balearic Sea

We swim, you sink.

We do it in pink!

Now- here’s the scoop. The Seas are VERY uneven in numbers. Some teams had 80 people, pothers 50, and ours, and another sea only had 30 something. Keep in mind there are some people that don’t participate.

This left us, the Balearic Sea with about…20ish participants? On top of that- there are not very many males on this ship… and there are only 6 in our hall.

All of the events require minimum amounts of people, and specific genders, which is VERY hard to do with a group of 20 something people.

Anyways- I knew if I didn’t participate I would regret it by the time I got home, if not sooner. So I, Samantha Zerio- decked myself out, clad in pink items- and attempted to get into the spirit of things.

The first thing had signed up for was Scattergories- oh yes- that’s right family…

I DOMINATED! I won our team 1^st place (even after people threw out practically every answer I had). After that, I was competitive, and fully confident in our small but fierce team doing well.

The competition was fierce, and the games were so much fun! I will name as many as I can remember:

Scattergories, Pictionary, Scrabble, Dean Byron Says, Extreme Musical Chairs, Hawaiian Bowling (soap between caution wet floor signs), Popcorn eating contest, a Relay Race which consisted of many activities like a wheel barrel race, water pong, fishing, flip cup, find sticky, up and down, so many other crazy events! We had SAS Trivia, a Spelling Bee, and a “Finish that Tune” type of bee.

We had a lot more, like synchronized swimming, sweatshirt melody, bat spinning…the list goes on, you get it.

Our team was awesome! We were classy, and showed good sportsmanship, but most importantly – we had FUN!

We scored 2^nd and first in a lot of games- like Dodge ball, and the crab walk, and we really worked together as a team. Every team was also to make a banner- ours, and all of them, looked fantastic!

Ours was “It’s not the size of the wave, but the motion of the ocean”- very fitting to both the fact that we’re on a voyage, and that we’re the smallest Sea in the Olympics.

After all activities, judges scored while we enjoyed a BBQ dinner (trust me- you will anticipate these like no other when you’re at sea).

There were hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, ribs, an array of fresh fruit (my favorite part of the dinner), bread galore (There are NOTHING, but carbs on this ship FYI), strawberry ice cream, sherbet, and then an assortment of 7 or so desserts. I have never seen so many people come to dinner at one time, and I am pretty sure people from nearby land had come onto the ship to join the festivities… seriously, all the hermits of the ship were out, and it was so much fun.

Not to mention, I saw what was probably the most AMAZING sunset I have ever seen in my life.

The day was truly breathtaking. The day was filled with good friends, great memories, and a whole lot of spirit. It was an intense day, but so much fun. Some people took it a little too seriously, but most people were just there to have a good time. And that goal was definitely accomplished.

I was feeling pretty good when they were about to announce the winners- and guess what. 3^RD PLACE BABY! The first and second place teams were 2 of the largest Seas on the ship, and us, the smallest- got 3^rd! I was, and still am, so proud of our team. We did amazing! I give us a lot of credit! The rest of the night pretty much turned into an awesome dance party (we have a lot of those on ship) - and then ended with Slumdog Millionaire.

So- To tell you the truth, I am addicted, and have been for a while, to Mah Jong… So last night, after the Sea Olympics, I went to my room, and turned on my lappy to play Mah Jong.

To my dismay- my laptop looked like a blind person was trying to use it. My icons were the size of golf balls, and my screen was stretched out. I spent a good 25 minutes trying to fix it, before I started asking random people in the hallway to help me. Luckily my friend Collin fixed it a good amount- so I went back to my room, and for some reason, my computer screen literally flipped. Everything went sideways! I spent at LEAST an hour trying to fix it, and I did, was manage to rotate my screen to the other sideways direction, AND make it have giant icons. If that wasn’t enough- somehow a magnifying glass appeared on top of that, so every time I moved the mouse, everything was blown up to just about the size of my fist. It was absolutely HILARIOUS! I decided to watch Monsoon Wedding, and hit the hay.

Today I woke up early to attend and participate in a Memorial Service on the ship. A member of our shipboard community recently lost her son (who was born in 82- and is SAS alum). Captain Jeremy Kingston allowed the ship to go in a circle in the middle of the ocean for about 40 minutes or so while Katherine poured her sons ashes into the world. Then, many students (a surprising amount) came forth with flowers, and loved ones were read off, as we threw flowers into the sea. It was such a glorious morning. The sun was shining in the most spectacular way, and a rainbow had appeared (even though it had not recently rained). It was a powerful ceremony complete with poems, and a live choir (mostly faculty and staff). I had my dad’s best friend Sherwood’s name called out, and when I tossed my flower into the Sea, I thought not only of Sherwood, but everyone who has touched my life who has passed away. My grandmother Barbara, my cousin Emily, Jeff Hoffelder, Warren Skinner, Ze Palma, Eric Fries, and so many more. It was beautiful, and we could not have asked for a better day. It amazes me what we do on this ship sometimes, and it makes it that much harder to know that at some point I will have to leave.

I wish not to come back to my friends and family, but that they join me on an experience like this.

I have never appreciated what I have; more than I have on this trip. I am excited to get home to see everyone, but I could honestly stay on this ship forever. I have seen and learned so much, but I still have a ways to go. I’m interested to see how I will have changed by the time I am back home.

I’m currently sitting on Deck 5 AFT outside, listening to music, and writing to all of you. This is probably what I will miss the most about this journey (other than the countries of course)…It is so relaxing and peaceful out here. The waves have been practically non-existent from Mauritius to India. The water is just about flat, and the clouds are the most well-defined clouds my eyes have ever witnessed. The water is a mix of Navy blue/Indigo, and sky blue.

On that note- today is my day off. I have a lot to do, but I figured I would update before India.

I miss you all, and wish you the best in whatever you are doing.

Until after India…

-Sam :]

2009-10-17T23:02:00.001-04:00

What can I say other than Mauritius is a beautiful country? I feel like it's been ages since I wrote- even though it has only been a few days. On a side note- this past Wednesday was the first time I took my Malaria pill without gagging! I felt very accomplished. (Note to those of you going on SAS- get a malaria pill that is gel-coated, or somehow coated. I am on Mefloquine, and it instantly starts to dissolve in your mouth once it's put in- and this is undoubtedly the most AWFUL taste ever). Okay- so back to Mauritius. Port Louis! The first day involved an FDP ("Required" class trip); We stopped in China town (yes- they have one here) and went into a "medicine shop" where they had crazy things! They had an enormous bag of dried mushrooms- and I mean like... the size of an average human. I really wanted to bring one back on the ship. Then we stopped at the markets and got some free samples of things from a lovely shop keeper. We spent some times in the market- which was mainly a food market. Let me stop here and tell you that Mauritius is SUCH a colorful country and I absolutely love it! I also fell in love with a boy there- I don't know his name- but we're getting married. We also visited 2 hospitals in Mauritius, and although it doesn't sound that thrilling- it was actually very neat. In the first hospital we learned all about Ayuveric Medicine, and a girl in our group got a full neck, shoulder, and back massage! (Key note in this- ALWAYS raise your hand first). Then we stopped for lunch- Everyone prepare yourself to laugh, as well as be in awe.

We literally were out in the middle of NOWHERE, and there were farms, and a hew scattered houses, and then our bus went down this bumpy dirt path (no-no...not a road, a path), and BAM! There was this gorgeous house all set to serve us lunch.

The appetizer (which I did not try) consisted of "chili bites", Chili dip for the chili bites, and some pastry-like covered chicken?

I just drank water.

Then they come out with banana leaves (I was excited because our Prof said there was a lot of fruit plantations around so we would most likely be getting lots of fruit...we didn't).

Then people start coming out with tin and silver pails and bucket- stay with me here. They spoon this orange mush onto our banana leaves-aka plates; then comes potatoes and beans mixed with curry and 34786583 other spices; then there was the seaweed/baby diarrhea looking thing (It was part of the lettuce family? And steamed); then came These potato slices in rectangular shapes with some green garnish.

They then set in front of us, bowls of "fried dough" (it is not sweet like fried dough)- just bland. And that was our utensil.

Now- here's where you will be in awe. I did NOT try the curry (because I have tried it other places before- and do not like it). I DID try the orange mush, baby diarrhea, and potato concoction.

The verdict: The orange mush was pumpkin- and so good that I seriously ate it all! The baby diarrhea tasted like Spinach- I tried it, it wasn't bad, but I loved the pumpkin! Then I tried the potato thing- which tasted like potato fresh out of water, this also wasn't bad- but the dough and potato together was too bland for me. So again- I stuck with the pumpkin. But I tried things! I am very proud of myself.

Okay- so for those of you close to me, and for people named Joseph Pizzoferrato; this will make you smile. Imagine my face when I saw them bring out a huge bucket of Steamed white rice! I took my hand, and literally pushed all the leftover gunk off to the side of the leaf to make room for the love of my life; rice.

Mmmmmmm is all I have to say.

Then they put this homemade tamarin? jelly on our leaves- and I dipped my dough into it, and it was incredibly tasty!

The house at this place was outstandingly beautiful.

Common theme in all the countries:

Everyone thinks I am from Spain, Italy or Greece (not complaining about that).

Everyone calls EVERYONE gorgeous (But the reassurance is always a booster) :]

For some reason I have had at least 1 person in every country tell me that they love my voice.

Hey-I'll take it!

There is a huge Chinese and Indian influence in Mauritius- and most of the people look like they from India- only they're complexion is slightly darker, and they speak Creole (A broken French).

Mauritius is also a hot spot for European tourists and Hollywood movie stars on a regular basis. They are known for their Coral Reefs, Beaches, Villas, and of course- the famous, yet extinct, Dodo bird (of which they are VERY proud of). OH! And something like 70% of their land is sugar cane- so as you can imagine they produce a lot of it. They also produce coffee (but not nearly as much as the sugar cane). They have the Phoenix brewery headquarters here, as well as Rum distilleries on the island.

And they have a drink (which EVERYONE always seems to be out of)- called Alouda, which is basically an almond milk shake, and locals swear by it! They also have many street vendors with fresh squeezed fruit drinks! Mmmm :]

Alright let's see here- onto yesterday... Alys and I had planned to go to the Botanical Gardens, 7-Color earth and Adventure Park. I used my (what I think are awesome) bartering skills, and dot the taxi driver down to 800 rupees per person- so roughly 24 ish dollars.

So for 24 USD we basically had our own personal driver for a majority of the day (because while you do your activities they wait for you)- Not bad at all in my book. I'm sure I could have gone lower- but it seems like a great deal to me, and after all he is a business trying to make a profit. So we literally drove up and down the coast of Mauritius. Nashid was our driver, and really cool- he liked my gnome! :] Hahaha. We went to 7-color earth first, where we saw giant tortoises and an amazing view (which you can all see when I come home). :]

The adventure park was literally minutes (if that) away from the 7 color earth- keep in mind that this whole entire time we are literally driving through farm fields, and a mini rain forest... We got to the park- paid the equivalent of 30 USD (which was cheaper than what we planned to pay for!), and started on our journey.

There are 2 courses you get to do- 7 bridges that are connected from tree to tree- and then an obstacle course and zip line (Tollanders- Think of the ROPES challenges). The bridges were really cool (you have a harness and clip yourself to a wire with rock climbing clips). The bridges were also crazy- because you often had to jump since there were enormous gaps between the wooden planks.

The obstacle course was awesome- and I have MANY awkward photos of me and Alys and our attempts to do theses gracefully. At the obstacle course there is supposed to be a guide with you throughout the entire thing... well, nobody was there- so I just took that as initiative to start :p

It's hard to explain without pictures but here we go... The first bridge was a rope net base- with no handles or anything- so you just walked across a rope net. The second was two rope nets- one on your left, and one on your right- they were vertical... and there was NO bottom.

AKA you look like Spiderman while going across this (and I am pretty sure I have become extra flexible from this course). The rope nets are loose- so they swing and sway, and you do mid-air splits (ha-ha- it is too funny).

Alys got stuck part way and fell, and ended up having a mini zip line- but then got caught in the end tangle of ropes and nets. So I hooked myself back on, and proceeded to save the day :]

Then there was the log swings- where you jump from swing to swing hoping not to fall. And at one point I was sitting on it, literally swinging. The logs were high- then low- then long and narrow, it was crazy!

then we got to a rope net that was vertical and there was just one (this was actually very easy- but I did get rope burn on my hands).

Then there was the zip line- by this time a guide had spotted us, and was astounded we weren't dead. Ha-ha- Good thing he did spot us, because I would probably have attached the zip line incorrectly. The zip line was a lot of fun- and you literally SLAM into this "cushioned" wall.

The last obstacle was so much fun- but very challenging. you had two ropes for your feet- and two for your hands. I slid across the ropes like a duck- and the tour guide and I were laughing so hard- that 2/3rds of the way through I fell, and got tangled in all the ropes to the point where he had to come untangle me. It was too funny. I then managed to miraculously get back onto the rope- but then fell forward as soon as I was up. So I did I mini "zip-line" to the end of that.

The views from this place were spectacular- I felt like I could see the entire island!

I'm sure there is a bajillion things I am forgetting to tell you.

OH! I FINALLY got an external hard drive, since the start of the trip I have 13,741 photos from various countries. I know- insane!

And the worst part is... probably 1000 pictures/videos of mine somehow got messed up- so they aren't even included in that 1000 :p

Okay so yesterday- our last day in Mauritius (:[) I went snorkeling, and rode on a catamaran!

It was awesome. I swam over coral reefs, and had 2 underwater cameras with me, so I hope the pictures turned out great. We saw a school (?) of dolphins (Which is when my camera decided to "break", and we saw a whale.

I was telling this girl that Discovery Channel gave me unrealistic expectations of sea life- because you always see them jumping, and doing all these crazy things- and of course nobody EVER sees that.

Well. The whale must have heard me, because 2 minutes later- it LEGIT jumped like 10 feet into the air! It was amazing, and none of us got a picture :[ But I guess there's a reason for that. It's stomach was facing towards us, but it was one of the most magical moments.

I loved Mauritius, but not as much as I thought. SAS glorified it a little too much- and made it seem like this luxurious, luscious island, which it is...if you're at the beach the whole time. People forgot that this too, was a country, with it's problems and downfalls like every other.

I noticed that in Mauritius, and SA dogs are A LOT more prevalent then other creatures. The dogs here were always on top of roofs, and wandering the streets. And the roosters I saw were gigantic! Like... 20+ lb roosters- it was crazy.

It was also interesting to see Chinese people, as well as Indian people speaking Creole.

This is information I learned, but I do not know how accurate it is, so take it with a grain of salt. Mauritius is about the size of Rhode Island, with a population of 1.2 million. 800,000 of that 1.2 million our tourists.

Oh! We got to take water taxis from our ship to the waterfront! It was kind of neat- but also annoying, we paid 2 USD (which is not a lot, but we do not go far, and if you repeatedly go out- it adds up), and it got extra annoying because the drivers would make you wait until a larger group of people came to go on the taxi. So one time I waited 45 minutes.

I don't think there is much else to say right now. We are headed to India.

I'm doing mostly service projects there, but it will be a lot of fun.

In 2 days we have the Sea Olympics, I'm pretty stoked for this event!

Catch you kids on the flip side!

2009-10-11T16:26:00.001-04:00

Before my day ends on this side of the hemisphere- I would like to make a few announcements:

Happy Birthday Mom! :] I love you!

Also- Happy National Coming Out Day to everyone! I have numerous gay friends on this voyage, and it was such a great day to see how well the shipboard community supported them.

I'd also like to take this time to thank Alex (my neighbor, and true friend), for being a talented speaker; as well as being a great inspiration to everyone.

PS- If you haven't seen the film Milk, please do, it was fantastic.

That's pretty much it for today folks. We'll be in Mauritius in a few days- and it's midterm week on ship :[

Sad to say we're almost 1/2 way through our voyage. It's going to be rough going away from this eye-opening experience; but it will feel good to be home :] (Although I will really miss the rocking of the ship- I sleep so well on here!)

Oh! And one more thing... My friend Anna's adoptive grandma shared the most brilliant activity with her family today:

Make a list, or a book/journal, anything really- and every day write in it ONE THING that makes you happy- no matter what it is. The color blue, a friend, anything.

I encourage everyone to do it, I am starting tomorrow, and hope to continue it throughout my life.

Alright- It's getting past my bedtime (I'm 7 hours ahead of Eastern time, and after tomorrow I will be 8 hours ahead) :[

Spring Voyagers- You are lucky- since you GAIN all of these hours we've lost. Hahaha

Enjoy kids!

<3 Much love.

SA is UH-mazing!

2009-10-07T20:29:00.001-04:00

Wow- Where do I even start?!?!? Honestly- Prepare yourself- this is going to be a looooooooooooooooooooong blog.

South Africa is arguably the most gorgeous country in the world. I am in love with Cape Town- and all who inhabit it. :] Let’s start with the waterfront- which is stunning! We are literally steps away from huge shopping areas, gorgeous malls, restaurants, and buildings! We got here on the 3^rd, and I have never seen the line to get out so packed! I had the first day free, so I decided to hike Table Mountain with a group of friends. Woo- Let me tell you… if you want to know how out of shape you are- try hiking…well climbing that mountain! All in all it was a lot of fun- and rewarding when we got to the top. Not to mention the views overlooked all of Cape Town, the port (or Jetty), and a few other towns. Then the rest of the day, Susan and I explored all around Cape Town, and then we watched a concert in the local square. Oh! For any of you who know what zorbing is (Google it!) They had the zorbing balls- but on water!!! :] There were a bunch of little kids in there- and I didn’t think adults could go in them, I wanted to do them so bad- everyone looked like hamsters! We also went to a craft market, and shopped around where I got some really neat authentic things. Unfortunately they were only there for the weekend and I missed them :[ I then took off by myself (I know, I know- save the nagging for later) and went to the grocery store, and then had dinner on the ship with 2 lovely gentlemen who most likely think I am incredibly insane, and completely bonkers. But it’s whatev. (PS- the grape juice was AWFUL that night). Sad story. Soooooooooooo, for any of you who were actually in suspense- here’s what my “secret activities” were:

2^nd day in Cape Town- I boarded the Bungee Bus (with 30 other SASers) and we headed 7 ½ hours towards Bloukran’s Bridge. Go ahead and look it up. Yes that is right. I jumped off the world’s highest bungee! It was awesome! I have a video, and many photos of my jump- It was the most freeing experience ever. And it wasn’t scary in the least bit. They had a little DJ stand underneath the bridge, so we were all dancing before we jumped- it was great, and I went with a fun group of people. I know this sounds horrible- but I know why people jump off of bridges to commit suicide- It is such an amazing feeling (the only difference is- I have a rope attached to my ankles…and suicidal people die). Up until the point where they hit the ground- MAN, what an experience. It is completely quiet- and peaceful. Anywho- after we all jumped, we went to the Cliff Bar (no- not the snack), which actually has an open deck and view of the bridge so that you can see people jump. They also have a live cam inside, so you can see the person jumping on the TV set inside. Anyways……………. We got treated to what I thought was amazing pizza, and then had a cool little dance party. Then we headed to our log cabin’s (which were gorgeous), and hit the hay. We then woke up early the next morning and drove 5 hours back towards Cape Town- where I did my next outrageous stunt. I went shark cage-diving with Great Whites! This also, was a fun experience. Our boat we went out on was the Barracuda- and I pretty much fell in love with our videographer. I was the 3^rd group to go in the cage to dive, and by this time- the shark was ticked that he had not gotten the bait yet. (We were NOT the bait). He ended up thrashing into our cage- and legit stuck his face inches away from mine. It was sweet! After warming up, and a brief lunch- we hopped back on our bus to head back to Cape Town.

Okay- so I’d like to take this brief time to state that I think I have a problem. As amazing as Bungee jumping and shark diving were- I had little to no adrenalin rush… what the heck is up with that?

I decided that if I tried bungee jumping backwards- with a great white, maybe that would get my adrenalin flowing? Hahaha.

I cannot wait to show you guys the photos!

Yesterday- I decided to stay grounded a bit and I did Habitat for Humanity in a township. I can honestly say it was one of the most rewarding experiences. On average 1.5 million people live in townships- in shanties (which literally look like cardboard boxes). It’s really sad- and the people are so incredibly sweet and friendly. We had so much fun working on the house! I have plenty of pictures from this too! There were lots and lots of singing, dancing, as well as brick lines, and dugga mixing. We took some time to play with the kids- who were no joke, the most beautiful people in the world. And they had the coolest toys! (I know that sounds weird)- Their toys were so simple, yet none of us could play with them, because we couldn’t figure them out. There was this top, and you wrapped a string around it, and spun it a certain way, flung it, and it’d spin on the ground- but then you had to use your middle finger and index finger in order to allow it up onto your hand- and keep it spinning! It was so much fun. We also went on a tour of the township- and fields and fields of kids just ran up to us, and started holding our hands, and climbing us. I must have carried 5 kids at once at one point. And they LOVED playing with our cameras. We got a lot done on the house- and the couple we were building it for are deaf- but the most genuine people you will ever meet. And they made us this delicious bread/muffin and apricot jam for snacks. And they even gave us a Tea Time! It was such a great day, and I had a lot of fun with it. It got really emotional when we left. I handed out toys to a bunch of kids, and one of the only guys in our group (A big, robust guy) started to loose control- and just wept. Basically I held a grown man in my arms while he bawled his eyes out- but that shows just how powerful and moving this day was to everyone. We gave a family a home, one that is safe, and functions. So on to today- man, seriously. I love this place. And I honestly plan on coming back, and at least spending a summer here. It’s seriously THAT amazing. Not to mention the World Cup is going to be here in 2010!!! :] (Thank you Laura for my new found love of soccer- football).

Okay, I will digress… Africa has 11 “official” languages- any many people can speak mostly all of them. Pretty much everyone here knows English. And their accent is my favorite IN THE WORLD! It is a combination of a British accent, AND an Australian accent (my two favorite accents :] !!!) The also have Xhosa as a language- which is a predominantly clicking language- it’s awesome, and I definitely want to learn it! They also have awesome phrases like “Howsit?” and “Believe me you”- I love it!

Okay- so today. I was supposed to go to Robben Island (think Nelson Mandela). Unfortunately- they gauge their ferry weather off of Table Mountain- and they closed down ferries to the island for the day. But I at least have pictures of Robben Island. So I ended up running into a few girls who were going to go on a Cape Coast private tour- so I tagged along. It was amazing! We stopped on our way, and saw penguins! Then we drove through a nature reserve where we saw antelopes, ostriches, and many other animals (it was like a mini safari). Also- while driving we were in a heavily populated baboon area. MAN are they hilarious! And smart. Our tour guide Jerry- who was awesome- told us to lock the doors, and not open the windows. The baboons literally tried to open the doors of the van- it was so funny! We drove to the Cape of Good Hope (which is the Southern most tip of Africa)- and we also learned that contrary to popular belief, it is NOT where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet.

We also drove on Victoria Road (which is roughly 20mins from Cape Town)- Where houses typically cost 12 million or so. They were gorgeous! The road is named after Queen Victoria and is on the West- where the sun sets. They also have vernaculars to get up to their houses, because the hills are so steep, cars could not make it up! We had a couple from Montréal, Canada on the tour with us, and 2 couples from

Spain-

they were all very pleasant- and so impressed with Semester at Sea, and its program. (As is everyone in Cape Town). So we got back and Becca, Kate, and I decided to head out to Mama Africa (supposedly a really good authentic restaurant). We called in advanced for reservations- and we got lucky- usually they are booked months in advanced! Okay…

Everyone prepare yourselves, because they next paragraph is a whole new Sam.

We got a platter- which had kabobs on it… I had 1/3 of each Kabob (there were 3 of us). Now… what was on these kabobs were DELICIOUS! But… this is so far from anything I would ever do. Ahem… drum roll please….

I ate:

Crocodile (Chewy- and a tad fatty- but really good!); Springbok (a deer-like animal); Ostrich (yes- I said ostrich); Kadoo (which is an antelope); and then a sausage type thing that was a mixture of Springbok and Kadoo.

I ate these all, and flippin’ LOVED THEM! They were so delicious. Our waiter- Dovi (even though we had like 7368 waiters), who I fell in love with- started sending shots to our table- and I told them all I didn’t drink. But I decided to try the shot. It was amazing! It had creamy amaretto on the top, and mint liquor on the bottom. It was so good. Then for some reason the topic of sex came up, and a manager overheard us, and sent over 3 blowjob shots- which looked gross, but were also very delicious. And I also had a lovely glass of white wine.

So let’s review:

I am NOT an adventurous eater, and I NEVER drink.

But tonight I did! I didn’t drink any more than that- and I wasn’t even buzzed- which makes me happy- but also scared that I have a high tolerance for alcohol and don’t even drink it. They had live music at Mama Africa- which is the best music in the world ( I have CD’s- no worries), and we started dancing like crazy people! Then some fellow SAS kids that we know and love came, and we all hung out for an hour or so. Our waiters then invited us to hang out with them across the street. Dovi’s dad owns a restaurant/ live music place. But we decided to head back towards the shop to get some rest. I’m glad I went out, and could be with people who can control their alcohol intake.

Oh yes! The Jolly Roger! There is a ship- a small one- that legit looks like a pirate ship, and you can go on and dress up! It is very exciting! :]

I love South Africa- and all it has to offer me! (Except AIDS… that was a mean joke…but so very true).

I’m sure there is 386593 things I am forgetting to tell everyone. But honestly. I think everyone needs to come to South Africa. I wish we had more time here, because there is just so much to do. And everyone has been super nice to all of us. (Even though I still think the Ghanaians are friendlier).

I am having so much fun in this country- and I never want to leave. Seriously. Ahhhh it is so amazing, and I will miss it so much! But at the same time, I am highly anticipating

Mauritius-

which is like a vacation within this vacation.

End results:

I don’t think I have had a better time in my life- this is definitely up there.

This is our last port in the continent of Africa :[ which saddens me. I cannot wait to come back here.

But seriously- vacations… Cape Town- everything is breathtaking here, and it is GUARANTEED you will have an amazing time. The entire culture is spectacular here, and one of my favorites.

OH! Today- I also had my favorite lunch on the ship. Sweet and Sour pork and steamed white rice! (Joe where are you now?!?!?!).

Okay- I think I will wrap this up- but I am positive I will add more to it later.

<3 Love you all bunches.

2009-10-02T07:30:00.001-04:00

Okay, so this is worth the update in my book.

Who would have thunk that it'd be colder in the Southern Hemisphere right now? Certainly not I. It is partly sunny, 57 degrees, and there is a nice breeze (this is because we're traveling on a moving ship...).

So, to me... this is great tanning weather! I just spent the past hour or so outside soaking up some rays- of course I was the only person doing so (which never happens). It was so relaxing. Anyways, the real reason for this blog update is because I had such an amazing lunch (no lie). For those of you who know my incredible pickiness and how I have been living off of PB&J's here, this is a good story. (Only not really).

Today they had pumpkin pie! I don't think I need to say more. That is what my lunch was- and it was amazing.

Everyone for sure thinks I am insane since I tan in 50 degree weather and eat Pumpkin pie for lunch- but it's all good.

I'd also like to take this time to commemorate Sherwood and Dr. Debra Kelley.

RIP

2009-10-02T05:14:00.000-04:00

Hey daddio- just checking up on you to see how you're doing. I worry about you :/

We will be in South Africa tomorrow morning :] I'm pretty excited- and really looking forward to that steak, and maybe a good glass of red wine to go with it.

I went to a club meeting for one of my 37865 clubs that I am in. But this one is Alcohol-Free Voyagers- me and the 7 students in it do not really drink at all, and will maybe have 1/2 glass to 1 glass of wine or a wine cooler, and oddly enough the 2 people running it do drink- but they're not drinking for this voyage, which is kind of cool.

There is also an LLC (life long coordinator- i.e. "supervisors of work studies") named McGarret- and he's probably mid to late 30's and he's never even tasted alcohol. He didn't get too much into detail, but I can only imagine that someone close to him abused alcohol, or maybe he just never really cared to try it, either way it's really awesome to have the support of someone like him on the ship, and he said that he is so proud of us and our group.

There are actually a decent amount of kids who don't drink/ don't get drunk on the ship- a lot of them just aren't in our group.

Either way it's just really nice- we try to go out together once in each port- this way we can still enjoy the nightlife without getting trashed or babysitting people from the ship, it's just us kids having fun.

And we're from all over the map- NY, Colorado, California, Hawaii, and Minnesota. I think we covered a broad area Hahaha.

I'm just hanging around today- no classes. I'm throwing another party for our interport students Phi and Bubelani ('fee and boo-lay-la-knee) it took me forever to get Bubelani's name correct :p

So it should be fun- I delegated some tasks to my committee so I wasn't stuck doing everything, but you know me, I like things done may way, and to my standards- so I gave them the "not-so-important" tasks so if they messed up, I would easily be able to clean up after them.

Oh well, hahaha.

I miss you and love you!

Samantha Zerio

Executive Student Ambassador of Semester at Sea

Goodwill Operator

2009-10-02T04:08:00.001-04:00

Heyo! Alright, so I figured I would do one more update before Cape Town- which we will be in by tomorrow morning! Whoop whoop- I’m stoked.

The following is for all you History buffs, and people who like to be fountains of useless knowledge :]

As part of my work study as Executive Ambassador- these are the types of things we get tested on/ have to know (Yes- my work study is the only one on the ship that gives tests):

The library on board has around 8,000 volumes in it.

Our Union (where Global Studies takes place) comfortably seats 450 people- but can easily fit more.

Shipboard education dates back to 1877-However in 1926 is when Dr. James Lough of NYU launched the first floating university with students.

Shipboard Education got its “sea legs” in 1963 upon the creation of the University of Seven Seas (which was on the ship MS Seven Seas) .

Chapman College obtained administration of the program and renamed it World Campus Afloat, which took place on the SS Ryndam.

In 1970- C.Y. Tung purchased Queen Elizabeth 1, but it never sailed. Her replacement was the Universe Campus, which was later named the SS Universe. (Which set sail in 1971)

The Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE) became a non-profit organization in 1976. The program was renamed Semester at Sea, and the University of Colorado-Boulder became the academic sponsor for its first voyage on the SS Universe in 1977.

In 1981 the academic sponsor for Semester at Sea changed to the University of Pittsburgh- who had it for 25 years.

Finally in 2005 Semester at Sea got together with the University of Virginia! :]

Fun facts:

The 1^st voyage of the University of Seven Seas (1963) took 275 students to 22 different ports in 16 countries!

I’ll name some of the well-known people who have come to Semester at Sea as guests:

Arthur C. Clarke (author of A Space Odyssey)

President Mikhail Gorbachev

Sidi Mohammed (Prince of Morocco in 1988)

Desmond Tutu! Who sailed with the voyage the entire year- and lived in room 7010 :]

Nelson Mandela

Mother Teresa

Fidel Castro

Ghandi!

And so many more! I’m excited to see who we get, after all- we are the 100^th voyage. But at the same time, how can anyone top Ghandi?!?!? Rumor has it that we have 2 special guests.

And many people associate SAS with MTV’s Road Rules (which I totally forgot that they did this).

More about the MV Explorer:

She was built in 2001 in Hamburg, Germany; she has four diesel engines, and travels at the top speed of 30 knots (34mph). She is flagged in the Bahamas (because it is cheaper and easier than being flagged in the US).

The crew- aka the nicest people on earth typically come from about 20 different countries (most are from the Philippines though- which sadly got hit with a bad hurricane this week which affected some of the crews family :[ )

So there’s some information about where I am currently living. Everything is fairly up to date (with the exception of Microsoft Word- which runs 97-2003); and being on board is amazing, granted it gets dull at times.

Anywho- I am beyond excited for SA, Bubelani and Phindwa (boo-lay-la-knee, and ‘Phi’) our interport students told me about a great steak house in port- which is apparently a gorgeous port as well. But they did also mention the extremely high rate of AIDS and rape, which is good for people to know since they intend to get belligerently drunk in SA.

As for me, I will stick to some SA wine and a nice big steak :] I can’t wait to be in SA and start my adventures. I will keep you all posted as always, and probably won’t blog until after SA. Which happens to be Mid-Term week; crazy right?!?!

I hope everyone is having fun back home!

<3 Dig it.

2009-09-29T04:47:00.001-04:00

Well I figured that I would update while I'm in Global Studies. Honestly- this class (which is mandatory by all SASers) seemed like it'd be pretty neat. Man was I wrong! I really can't even say that I have learned anything from this course, last time I found out that I am exceptionally good at drawing mushrooms and Chinese rice farmers. I have a page full of nothing but doodles, and the date. I guess the only positive thing is there are no tests or quizzes with the exception of a midterm and a final. And if you miss a day of Global Studies you can just go the next day.

Other than that not too much is going on here at sea- it's pretty boring to update when we're on the water in between countries because nothing really goes on. I mean, I go to class, I work, I study, I attend 327893 meetings, and I sleep- not so fascinating. Hahaha.

On a side note- the girl sitting next to me just threw up- that was attractive. Everyone has been getting sick between food in Ghana and the rocking of the ship heading towards South Africa (which is apparently some of the roughest waters). I however; just get sleepy, and due to my crazy stomach issues and extreme pickiness, I have yet to get sick. (With the exception of the day where my diet consisted of chocolate and Plantain chips- which I'm almost positive would screw with anyone's stomach).

I am beyond stoked to be in South Africa, and we will be there Sunday! It can not come soon enough, I have so much planned, and I feel like I have so little time. Out of the 7 days there I have one day "free".

I'm excited for the music in SA too. I mean, I've always liked other countries music (even though I have no clue what they're saying). Boolayanni (That is definitely not how you spell his name- but it's how it's pronounced) is giving me all the music on his itunes, so I'm pretty excited for that. I have a bunch of Ghanaian music from Nii, and some Spanish disco-techa from Marta.

I suppose I should rest my fingers because they will be on fire after SA because I will have so much to write about I'm sure. Plus- I should really listen to professor Winchester, especially since I'm in the front row.

On a side note- I cannot believe we're almost into October- I definitely miss my New England weather, with the leaves changing color, and I'm really upset I'll be missing LU's Oktoberfest :[

But I think I made out like a bandit by being able to travel the world. It doesn't look much like Autumn here- but then again, how can ocean water really resemble Autumn? There have been some life forms out here lately- a few moths on ship, and some birds in sight, but other than that- nothing.

Alright- I will put my procrastination to an end.

Talk to you all after SA.

Much <3

2009-09-26T09:32:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! And greetings from the Southern Hemisphere! :]

Today was the highly anticipated day called Neptune Day!

We crossed the equator this morning!

Some of the crew went around in toga/gladiator gear around 7:30 and woke everyone up with whistles and by banging on pots and pans down the floors on all the decks. (I had already been up of course, so I taped them).

"Activities" started at 9:00...for those of you who are left in the dark- Traditionally in the Navy- those who have never crossed the equator (pollywogs) have their heads shaved by King Neptune himself. I had "fish guts" dumped on me, dove into the pool, and then I kissed a fish (I'm almost positive it kissed me back- and my lips still linger of fish). Hahaha but it was definitely fun. And for those of you wondering, I did NOT shave my head.

As tempting as it was at some points I over viewed the following things:

I love my hair, and it's getting really long.
Everyone compliments my hair, and people specifically told me NOT to get rid of my "gorgeous hair".
I have a GAZILLION dollars worth of hair products on the ship with me.
After your 5 minutes of fame- you are just an ugly bald chick on the ship.
After the head shaving you have to get a trim anyways because they miss a bunch of random spots.
It's really hard to pull the look off- And only one girl I've seen looks decent and that's because she kept a mohawk.
Everyone has been tanning- but clearly their scalps have not- so they look like glow sticks.
Hair grows back differently.
My hair would look like a fro growing back.
It'd be itchy and have awkward growth stages.
China is going to be cold.
People are going to look ugly in their photos.

I mean, I definitely cheered for the girls with long hair that did it- but let's be honest- they're not Demi Moore's, and they don't look attractive at all.

All in all today has been fun so far, and I am glad I have my hair with me still.

I'm all showered, headed to lunch, then working on homework.

I bowed in front of the prince, and he dubbed me a shellback (meaning I have gone through the process of crossing the equator and doing the appropriate events).
I then kissed King Neptune's ring, and received a certificate.

I'll keep you kid's updated. 7 days until we're in South Africa! And 8/9 days until I do outrageous things! :]
I can't wait!

Stoked!

2009-09-24T15:39:00.001-04:00

Oh my lanta! I cannot even express to everyone just how much I want to move to Ghana. This country is by far the best country ever- you just have to see it! Yesterday I went to a cocoa farm- I’ll give you some background information…My friend/hall mate Chloe is from Iowa- where her father owns a candy store. (Palmer’s candy) And one of their huge distributors is located in Ghana. So Chloe, Olivia and I headed out to the Total gas station (outside of our port) and we waited for Rahul. We weren’t too sure what to expect- then after about 15 minutes a nice SUV pulls up, and a well-dressed Indian man (Rahul) came out. He’s was insanely friendly and we headed out on our 3 hour venture to the Cocoa farms. I just can’t describe to you how amazing everything was! We met Cocoa farmers, and they cracked open the cocoa pods, and there was this white placenta over the cocoa beans, and they told us to suck on the placenta. They tasted so good- surprisingly like fruit. The villages were amazing, and the people were all so friendly! Tomorrow is our last day in

Ghana

(SO depressing :[ ) and my goal is to find someone with a mean bone in their body. They’re just too nice here! I can’t even explain it. This country is beautiful inside and out. Everyone is so content with what they have, and they’re all happy. Their life is full of hard work- but yet it’s so simple. I am beyond ready to live in Ghana. I seriously think I might spend a summer here after graduation. I could make drums, farm cocoa pods, and just listen to Reggae- It’s definitely the life!

So I’m doing “pretty” well about trying new foods- and by that I mean I try one thing that looks decent in every country, and is a part of their culture. (These “tastings” probably aren’t very adventurous- but to me they were)

To date:

Spain- Sangria (It was quite potent, but good)

Morocco- Mint Tea, and some pigeon with honey thing? (Delicious!)

Ghana

- PLANTAIN CHIPS- So effing good! Take the BEST potato chip you have ever had, and multiply it by 48976475- that is how amazing these things are! Yum!

I met male interport student last night and took him to dinner (on the ship). I would type his name, but I would completely butcher it- but I will have him write it down. He’s crazy awesome and gave us some lingo to use in SA. Such as… SA which is how everyone in

South Africa

calls their country). He also told us that sometimes Africans will just make noises and sounds and clicking noises so stupid American tourists will think they’re talking in another language. (When really they’re just making stuff up to see how we react).

Anyways- Back to Ghana- the best country to ever exist! They are CRAZED over Obama, like… he legit has more billboards, pins, shirts, and stickers of him than Ghana’s own president. Hahaha.

A few tidbit facts (which may be repeats):

Ghana is one of the largest Cocoa distributors in the world.

The national language in

Ghana

is English.

The US Embassy is BIGGER than the Ghanaian presidents’ home.

Cape Coast arguably the BEST tasting pineapple in the world.

Our SAS voyage is the first to ever come to Ghana.

The previous being said: We are also one of the LARGEST groups of Americans to come to

Ghana

at one point in time.

And… everyone should live here.

Okay- so today we went to the castles and slave dungeons and learned a little more about the history of slave trade. We went to Cape Coast which is in Central Ghana (about 3 hours from our port Tema). The coast is breath-taking! I would take Cape Coast over any Hawaiian/Tahitian/Exotic place any day!

Here they have an enormous fishing industry- and fields and fields of people! (Who are super friendly of course). They had separate dungeons for males and females, and without going into great detail- it was a very quite day at the dungeons because it was so intense to be in the presence of something so historical. Our first castle was St.George’s Castle which is more commonly referred to as Elmina castle nowadays. From there we headed to Cape Coast Castle. Both of the castles had “The door of no return”- and as implies, if you went through it, you never came back.

We had “lunch” on the bus. Now…thank HEAVENS I had brought snacks because I am picky. But it is actually quite funny to see how other people perceive Americans, and their food habits. The castles packed us meals to eat on our ride back- and as sweet as it was that they tried to cater to Americans… they probably should have just stuck to basics.

Nobody could call me picky today because not a single person ate/fully ate what we had.

Picture this: You have a slice of sour bread on the bottom, tuna on top of that, another slice of bread, chopped up hot dogs on top of that, ANOTHER slice of bread, mayonnaise, eggs, and ketchup on top of that, and then the top piece of bread.

Call me insane- but I am not aware of that being a prevalent sandwich back in the States. Hahaha. Anyways. Ghana has been such an amazing experience, and I have been proposed to (like many other girls) about 3278438947 times- but it’s so cute! And the kids are adorable! They constantly ask you to take their photo so they can see themselves, and then love goofing off for us. Everyone smiles and waves here, and it’s just a no-pressure laid back kind of place.

I swear there is no laws here- because everyone does whatever they want…but not in a destructive sense.

And I also love seeing business men, in suits and ties, walking on the side of the main highway- and stopping to take a dump- just right there. I feel like it is completely acceptable to pee and poo wherever here…but they’re clean about it. (Like you won’t step in urine or poo on the street). I love it!

I’m going to get a little personal here: Long story- really short- I peed on a lizard yesterday. That’s all I will say. I will tell you about my experiences when I return :]

I have also seen more Ghanaian penis than needed in my lifetime (In a non-sexual manner)- Many people just whip it out to go. But it’s acceptable here- so I’m definitely cool with that, it’s whatever. The traffic is surprisingly bad here. The driving is fine (in my eyes)- I feel that after one rides in any vehicle in Morocco- all other driving is acceptable. They speed a lot here- and I very-much like that! :]

As for the balancing stuff on your head and walking thing goes- I swear man… they will carry anything on their heads- and do it well! Anything from grapes, to old style popcorn poppers, clothing, paint cans- yes paint cans…that are stacked like pyramids. And they try to sell everything! Whenever you come to a stop in a vehicle people will be walking by selling the most random things. Need superglue? They got it! Watches, pineapples, chocolate, electrical outlet converters, mops…literally everything. Take the contents of Wal-Mart, and imagine wearing it on your head… they sell it all! And the thing is- it’s not just for tourist- this is how regular Ghanaian citizens buy things.

They have crazy colored taxis. Everything in Ghana is so colorful- I love it! They have tro-tro’s which are essentially van/taxis, and there is a driver, and a “persuader” (I guess you could call him that) and his job is to hang out of the moving van- and do hand signals which tell people the direction/ where the tro tro is going. Then you pile in with random people, pay a minuscule amount of money- and ride.

There is a restaurant (That I did not get to go to :[) That is in Cape Coast- and it is literally on stilts, and has crocodiles in it, and all around it, like underneath you and everything- it’s great.

I’m in love with all the rice pilafs and tomato rice they have here.

My goal is to buy a gigantic roller-skate house, and just live I Ghana in the roller-skate. I’ll be a Cocoa pod harvester, and make drums for a living. What is not to like?

Alright- I am going to shower and rest up- tomorrow I am going to Kakum Park which has canopy walks…and then Elmina castle again (hahaha- oh well). I just wish we had more days in Ghana. I am definitely coming back to this country until the day I die (which hopefully lies in the distant future).

Until next time. :] <3

2009-09-22T18:31:00.001-04:00

Alright, so let me just say this.

I FUCKING LOVE GHANA! Honestly- this is hands down my favorite country, and I would move here in a heartbeat. I plan on getting married to Joey (I will tell you guys all about him later) and we will live in a giant roller skate shaped house on the Cape Coast beaches.

Everyone is so unbelievably nice, and I will be sad to leave this port. I might just want to do my fieldwork in Ghana for Anthro because this country is beyond amazing. I wish everyone could be here. I love the music, I love the people, the clothes, everything!

First let's start with this morning- after passing our port in Tema about 3 times (we must have had to wait for another ship to leave), we got to port. BUT while we were eating breakfast this morning- whales were in the water, close to our ship, doing flips for like 20 minutes! I know I've been on whale watches before. But come on- who can say they saw Whales... in Ghana, basically in port?!?!

Rachel (the roomie- if you haven't gotten this down by now), Chloe, Anna, and I all set out to Accra- about 30 minutes away (which takes longer due to traffic). Everyone carries things on their head, and not like small crap- we're talking like buffets of fruits and vegetables, piles of carpets, suitcases, pants, and half the people doing this also have a kid strapped to their back!

These kids are hands-down the cutest kids EVER! I definitely want a Ghanaian child to bring home. The crafts they make here are gorgeous. After going through the shops and having 389273589 locals take us around- we followed this awesome guy Adam, and Joey back to this drum shop- where we pretty much spent half the day and into the night. It was crazy chill- we seriously just played drums, and talked, and danced. They invited us to their reggae beach party tomorrow, gave us presents, and asked us to marry them.

People from Ghana are probably the most friendliest people on this planet. And insanely enough- I love their food! They have all these crazy rice concoctions- and they're all delicious. It's settled- I am moving here. I cannot imagine how great tomorrow will be, because today blew me out of the water. This has been one of the best days of my life.

If I never come back to the US- it's because I have married Joey and stayed in Ghana.

These people have a ballin' life. The group of guys we met just play drums, make drums, and sell drums- all day. I love it.

We met a girl Colleen (who is not from SAS), she used to live in Pittsburgh- and she came to Ghana a year or so ago for a trip, and just like us she stumbled upon the drummers, and played the drums, got everyone's contact info, and ended up coming back to Ghana, and now she's married to one of the drummers Prosperity! It's so cool.

Alright- I am highly anticipating tomorrow- so I will end this for now, and update later.

Oh! We said Goodbye to our interport student Nii :[ That was sad- he was such an amazing kid. I don't know how I will ever assimilate back into American culture (other than food-wise).

This experience is mind blowing.

And- Not only are we the first SAS voyage to ever go to Ghana...We are one of the largest groups of Americans to come to Ghana at one time- how sweet is that? We should go in the book of World Records!

Ahhhhh I love Ghana!

PS- Reece, if you are reading this, you are so right! I am so excited I got to go here!

And Dear Alex Randall- I got you the best effing gift ever!

Much love kids.

2009-09-19T07:32:00.001-04:00

Alright- so some brief updating for everyone. Today is one of our "no class days". I finished reading my book- and after I write a paper for a class I am going to indulge myself into the words of another tale. This morning I woke up early- as usual after having an absolute blast last night. It was the Fall 2009 talent show! I fell in love with just about 1/2 the ships men (because most of them played an instrument/sang), and had a ball laughing my butt off at some of the skits. Sometime after Ghana- me and a bunch of people are going to sleep overnight on Deck 7, gazing into the stars- But we have to wait for a clear, non-humid evening to do so. Other than that- nothing out of the ordinary. Since I had no time to be as obsessed with the gym as I was last summer- I decided to pick up a bunch of extracurricular on the ship. I do ZUMBA every day we don't have classes-excluding days were in port obviously; and I am going to pick up Tahitian dance, so I can move my hips around even more :]

I must say I will be excited to get back into my gym zone when I am home next semester and summer. I really do mss LA and even LU's gym :[

I suppose that is all for updates now. Next stop- homework (I forgot we're actually at school) I have classes tomorrow, none Monday, then Tuesday we're in Ghana! I am so excited :]

Catch you all later!

2009-09-18T05:44:00.000-04:00

Hey there folks! Today is a B day, and therefore, my day off!

I love this life. I am currently on the 7th deck- sitting next to the pool, and catching some rays while typing to you! If this is what school is like- I never want to leave. This experience has been amazing so far, and Ghana is only a few days away. Work is getting busier than ever, but I have a committee under me now, and they're such a great group of ladies! As Goodwill Operator of the ship I focus on usually one main project a week. Basically I form a sense of community on the ship, get people involved, celebrate birthdays, hoist "appreciation" days, and am there for all the "warm and fuzzy stuff" as Grant would put it.

I had dinner with my "family" the other day- and I love them. So far it's Patrick- our "Grandparent" who is actually 24ish, Matt, Tracy, and myself. The other 2 kids could not make it- but it's a lot of fun anyways.

I've been spending my days off organizing, planning, furiously typing away at my computer, and reading.

I had to read this book for class Imaginary Men which is such an easy read, and I liked it a lot. It's about a girl native to India that has lived in the states most of her life, and her family keeps bugging her to find an Indian husband. Basically, I read it in a collective 3 hours, and have started the book Addicted, A raunchy-trashy novel.

Not too much with updates other than that. It's hard to believe I've only been gone about 2 1/2 weeks. I feel like I'm so close to a majority of the people on the ship.

Well, back to tanning and reading for me. I hope your all enjoying your classes and semester so far. I miss you all. Be on the look out for updates in the Longwood Newsletter, as I will soon be included in those as well. Safe travels.

PS- Working out with an ocean view is possibly one of the best things in the world. I love this ship!

2009-09-16T04:26:00.000-04:00

Oh! Totally forgot to mention that I had my "Adopted" family dinner last night. I love love love my "grandfather" Patrick- who is actually like 24, so he is more like a cousin. My new brother Matt, and sister Tracy. There are 2 others who didn't make it to dinner last night- Braeden (who looks like the boy Andy that I am in love with...only not really) and some girl whose name escapes me. It was a lot of fun, and I shared may entire life story with them, and had them laughing all dinner. Mostly because I am a spaz. I also shared with them how in every port, and even in the middle of the ocean how I have somehow managed to flash people...unknowingly. I guess it's my trademark for each country. Hahaha.

I will keep you all update with crazy stories, and keep you posted on all of my trips. I told my roomie that I accidentally ate her laundry detergent, and she said it was fine because she accidentally did that too! We were made for each other. Hahaha.

2009-09-16T04:18:00.000-04:00

Alright- So I will finish up my last reports on Morocco. We left late afternoon on Sept.14th, and yesterday was our first day back to classes. Today is my glorious day off which basically equates to me doing homework and being in meetings all day.

So, last day or so of Morocco was awesome. I met a Police guard named Yousseff (which is a very popular name here), and he is practically in love with me. He asked me out on like 3 dates, and as much as I'd feel "safe" with a Moroccan cop... we are in Morocco, and I opted NOT to go on a date with him. Hahaha, but besides that- My friend Amelia and I were walking back from a day in the Souks- and Yousseff (who fell in love with me early that morning) sprinted out from the guard booth to talk. The problem was- we were trying to catch the shuttle so we didn't have to walk 25 minutes through the crazy port with 18 wheelers driving off-road into SASer's. Just as Yousseff was talking, the shuttle passed, along with 4 big tour buses which were full of the students from the Camel Treks, and the big overnight trips... which was honestly about half of our boat. Then- 3 petit taxis full of SAS students passed. This means that Amelia and I would have to stand at the end of the line, and wait for about 2/3 hours for them to check everyone on the boat (no joke- because they go through EVERYTHING in your bags). So I stated to Yousseff that if he loved me- he would give us a ride to the ship. Lo and behold, he walkie-talkied some guards, and a Van showed up in seconds. There were 2 guards in here- and man were they nice! They even let me talk over the walkie talkie (but didn't think I'd actually do it...Ha!) and they gave us a ride practically up to the ship! It was awesome- nothing like Moroccan escorts eh?

So roomie aka Rachel- had such a crazy trip in Essouria. There were- I shit you not... GOAT TREES!

Farmers literally put their goats on high tree branches, and nestle them in trees so tourists will stop. It's hilarious, and there is a video of it. Bahaha! I still cannot stop laughing. My friends Anjuli and Lindsey went to a Berber village and that basically equated to really roughing it- by using steam showers with spickets for water- and by using the ground as a restroom...which everyone did.

Please imagine about 30 or so students, faculty, and lifelong learners lining up to go to the bathroom on the ground. Hahaha. Oh man.

Okay- so the last day here I was on a mission to find the painting I was in love with- as well as the Kaftan (pullover dress-ish thing) that I was in love with and spotted the first day in Casablanca. I was with my friend Alys, and we got escorted around by this lovely old man who I affectionately call Manny (because I could not understand what he said his name was). SAS usually discourages walking around with strangers- especially because they will make you pay them- but not Manny, he assured us he didn't want money. He walked us all over the Medina in search of my Kaftan, and even made several people open their shops- just so I could look! It was too sweet, and then finally we found it! I got a great deal. It was 510 dirhams- and I got it for 200dirham and 10 Euro...essentially 300 dirham. (Roughly 30 something dollars).

I gave Manny a tip anyways because he literally spent 45 minutes or so out of his time to help me find this. Then I headed back to the ship and enjoyed being on board before On ship time. (On ship time is the ABSOLUTE latest you can be on board- we also have Byron time- which is 2 hours before On ship time). Typically our on ship time is 1800, I was on by 1300 :]

This way I can avoid lines and getting dock time.

Ghana is our next stop and I am super excited. We have Nee on board with us- he is our interport student from Ghana- he's pretty laid back, and a super nice guy. He has step-relatives in NY, and is very... Americanized? Yes I will say that. Hahaha, but he speaks English well, unlike Marta our interport student from Spain.

All in all Morocco was such an amazing country- and I will definitely come back!

Everyone has amazing stories from here, and it was ridiculous, crazy, and so much fun!

2009-09-12T20:36:00.001-04:00

Really brief update- I feel like I’m forming a cavity so I went to brush my teeth/floss extra hard. I didn’t need mouthwash so I figured I’d borrow a cap-full of hers (she is in Essouria so I can’t really ask her)…

My update is. I’m pretty sure I just drank and swished around a cap full of laundry detergent. I don’t think I swallowed much- but my mouth is foaming with bubbles like I have rabies- let’s hope I don’t die- especially since out of all the ridiculous thing I’m doing on this trip- it’d be lame to die from swallowing detergent.

I hope this made everyone's night.

Hahaha. My breath is soapy clean!

2009-09-12T20:03:00.001-04:00

Holy eff! Alright- So I don't even know where to begin. I found some people last night and made plans for Marrakech today- we met for breakfast at 7:30 and apparently they wanted to catch the 8:50 train...which seemed ludicrous to me, we needed much more time. We found out that just about every SASer was going to Marrakech today- there was 5 of us to start- and then it turned to ten...and ended up as 3. Hahaha Anyways. Taxis wait at the end of the ship and charge OUTRAGEOUS fees to get us out of our port- and our free shuttle doesn't start until 9...so we walked the 25 minute walk. It was 8:35ish when we got to the exit of the port, and we knew there was NO WAY we could walk to the train station- so we ended up paying 3 USD each to ride in the cab (which seems like a little amount- but remember 1 USD is = to 7.81 dirham) So we got jipped. We all know I love thrill rides and roller coasters...but pardon my French (what little I speak) when I say "Holy Fuck" I don't know how many times we thought we were going to die...honestly, like...we were crammed in the Petit taxis (go look them up), and we looked like we were in clown cars! Some roads have lanes- not like it matters, literally you are window to window with people. They drive with not even inches to spare, and don't follow any lane at all. We made it to the station at 8:45... with 5 minutes to spare 10 of us had to get tickets. There were no 1st class left- so we had no choice but to get 2nd class (which teachers told us NOT to do). I don't even know how- but we all somehow...somewhat togetherish got on the train towards Marrakech (this was after a series of running up and down endless steps[I had NO CLUE where I was going- I just followed the Americans running])

So... we hop on, and we all made it (even though we were unsure if we all made it)- we found a cabin with enough seat for 3 of us- so Rosario, Ally, and I sat- And Caris and Micah were a cabin or 2 away. 2nd class honestly was NOT bad.

SAS gave us a HUGE speech- basically instilling fear in us about Morocco and how shady it can be- but honestly, if you follow your instincts and go with an open mind- it's great. Anyways- They painted a picture that we would be standing- packed like sardines for 4 hours. We had pleather orange seats, and no AC- but you could still feel a breeze. (It was absolutely fine- and 40 dirham cheaper). In our cabin was a couple that stayed on for like 10minutes and got off the next stop; our stylish friend from Essouria (Around the High Atlas Mountains) named Amihd; and my favorite- Mr. Juicy (It was like "hoo-sey" but he said just call me juicy). Mind you, NONE of us spoke French...or Arabic for that matter- but through hand communication- we all had a great enjoyable, and quick ride to Marrakech. And I had picked up a few Arabic words- so I could roughly translate/speak "Hello, Thank you, You're Welcome, and a few other small words"- nothing to form a sentence- but it's a start. We threw our French-Spanish-English speaking skills together and formed a language I like to call Fraspanglish. Mr. Juicy was cool- and from Gabon- in Central Africa(only it's on the coast). It was a cool ride in, and what beautiful landscape there was once we were out of Casablanca. After about 3 hours (not 4 like they said) we reached Marrakech; and holy heck was it gorgeous! The train station was practically brand new- and we got off and found the rest of our group. Now...my original group was going to stay overnight in a hotel- Our 10 people had dwindled to 8 (because someone was meeting someone...) and 6 wanted to stay overnight (I had no preference)- They were attempting to get a hotel for 3, but sleep all 6 of us- which I stated was stupid because: A. They would notice 6 Americans walking into the same room, B: We can't pull that shit in America- so why would they let it fly here? This is what hostels and hostals are for...

Anyways we asked a pleasant bellhop where the Souks were (markets), and we started walking...this was a very long and annoying process with 8 people. (Word of advice travel in groups of 3-5- it makes life SO much easier). Finally and Thankfully G (a friend) knew a little French and asked directions, after walking for 15/20 minutes, we had to turn back around for the markets... then in the middle of an island on a busy street we found 2 Spanish women with a map (and we had 2 fluent Spanish speakers with us), they told us the Souks/Medina were an hour walk...so we went and got a Taxi (which we probably over-paid for, but 8 of us got in (It was a van-taxi). We got there and split off into 3 and 5... 3 being me, Ally, and Micah and the other 5 were the hotel-stayers. We wished each other luck and went on our ways.

Marrakech's markets are ENORMOUS! The 1st main strip was VERY tourist-like and had almost no authentic Moroccan items...it was crap, but we went deeper in- to the unpaved parts under canopies, and found the goods. The markets are fairly easy to navigate, and many people speak English (or enough to understand you-and for you to understand them). I worked my haggling magic and did the classic "walk-away" trick, and ended up with a Cashmere scarf, a neat bracelet, and a hand (long story- I'll elaborate later). Ally got the teapot for the mint tea that is SOOOOOO GOOD here- and a pretty glass to go with it (they look like shot glasses). Anyways- we started to get hungry. After having many people follow us for 5-10, and even 15 minutes (after not buying their products even though they insisted "Good price, good price") we were ready to find the main strip and get out. Just then- another "shop" owner said something to us- then I turned and said "No Shukran (No Thank you), and he said "WAIT!"... we all thought- Oh god, what does this guy want? We walked over, and started talking- expecting the same BS from people selling their goods- and to our surprise he asked where we were from, and when we said America- he said "Ahhhh I just came back from NY). So he's seemed legit- and we got to talking (He probably spoke English better than us) and he was such a fun guy! He had a rubix cube and Micah solved it within minutes! :] So we were just talking about all sorts of things and we introduced ourselves- His name is Yousseff (Joseph), and we mentioned good food. He said he could show us where a good place was, and no "sketch indicators" went off, so the 3 of us followed. He took us in to this gorgeous old mansion that had been turned into a restaurant- and he knew all the staff and the owner. It was awesome! He gave us a private tour and said- "If you want to look at a menu, and like it, stay, if not, I can show you other places to eat". After our private tour and talking to who I believe was the manager, we looked at the menu and decided to stay. Everyone was super friendly, and as it turns out- a bunch of SAS students had found this place (which doubles as a hotel) and had spent a night there. The people were so incredibly friendly, and although I only ate the bread- it was so good! Yousseff kept coming in and out (since he has to tend to his shop), but the manager (who was dressed casually/modernly...which a lot of people in Marrakech do) carried on wonderful conversation with us. It was such a great experience. He shared his views on the Koran, and Jbidara and the masks that cover women's faces. And he said he honestly doesn't trust it- because he doesn't know who is behind it, and if they will rob him or not (PS Dad- he also sells Moroccan rugs and wants to do business with you). He was such a down to earth and very modern man, and was so pleasant! After a while we decided that although we were going to catch the 9pm train back to Casablanca- that we could leave early because we felt like we had a real Moroccan experience- I mean how many people get NON-sketchy private tours of mansions?!?!? (Other than Johnny in Rabat). We asked Yousseff if it was a far walk to get back to the train station- or if we should take a cab. He told us to follow him, but keep a distance (because he'd be shunned if he was helping us? Or something)(He gave us a lot of good tips- like what we should be charged for taxis, etc...). We gave him 5 Euros as a tip (which are worth a heck of a lot in Morocco- and he declined it a few times until we insisted he took it for being so pleasant)(Key note- Most Moroccans will have you follow them and make you tip them at the end- but Yousseff was modest and felt bad about accepting the money-honestly) So we followed him discreetly through the markets, and he'd stop every once in a while to make sure we could still see him. We passed many a snake charmer, and people with monkeys doing tricks...And some guys with funny hats (which I'm not sure what they serve purpose as). When we got to the main street he signaled for us to approach us and "ask for directions like we never met him). He gave us beautiful directions, and it was only about a 30 minute walk- so we gave him many thanks, and know that Allah is watching him now. We got to the train station at about...5:45 or so, and the next train to Casablanca (which would be a good movie title...) was at 7. But after the rush this morning we were more than happy to be early. This time we opted for 1st class tickets- just for the experience. The train got in early so we boarded. The chairs were comfy, and there was air conditioning- so it was nice to relax after a hectic day. Micah, Ally and I kept reminiscing about how we had such a great experience- and we'd all definitely come back to Morocco. You just have to go open-minded, and do a little walking to find the fun in every country. And there are good people- they will find you, and you will find them, they exist, and they're not all out to get you. As is, Moroccans are not very aggressive (unless they're driving- PS they use their horns CONSTANTLY- It's like background music to Morocco). And although I originally wanted to ride a camel- I feel like that is too tourist-like... especially when I had this great of an experience today. No words or pictures can describe the experiences we had today, it was insane, but worth it, for sure! Our cabin on the way back had a woman (who we thought we pissed off in the beginning by talking), and a nice man with the cutest little boy in the world. Side note- 3 Americans- 3 Moroccans...all in the same cabin- we had no food with us (except the Moroccan lunches in our stomachs), and they had KFC and McDonald's.. hahaha, just a funny observation. Anyways- 7 is when the sun goes down, which means fasting is over for the day- and they could eat. And they offered us some of their food! (Literally people buy delicious things in the market- and just share it with everyone!...complete strangers- I love it!) I had a little, I don't even know what... It was a small triangular bread thing- with honey on it- it was so good! And then the woman offered me a cup of 7up! So in turn (I had brought snacks with me) I gave them Gummies, and a Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal to-go bar (And for those of you who know me...those are like my 2 favorite things, currently at least). It was great. And even though there is a language barrier- we all somehow communicated through the trip. Everyone has been so nice today- and made Morocco out to what I really think is a great country- despite the negative experiences others have had. (SAS really made us fearful of Morocco- to the point where 1/2 the ship won't leave because they're too afraid something will happen). And it's a great place! PS- Marrakech= super clean, and not smelly. Hahaha. Anyways- so we're all a little tired, and it's pitch black outside, and then "___________________"- the trains lights black out while going through a tunnel...and we come to a dead stop- I shit you not, it was straight up out of a movie-like. I remained calm, as did Micah. I figured if the locals weren't worried- neither should we be. We were stopped in the middle of a desert land, in pitch black, the intercom was not working, and we just sat. After what seemed to be 389758 hours (but was really 10 minutes) we started back up again, lights came on- this time going slow. So I figured they probably blew a fuse- or hit something on the top of the train while going through the tunnel- and were taking it slow, just to be on the side of caution. Then within minutes we start FLYING, like... Maglev status, and the clanks and clinks that trains usually make got louder, our turns much sharper, so of course we're thinking...okay this is a little fast- but the lights are on- and I don't think it is that easy to hijack trains anymore... So I stayed calm. We're still traveling at the speed of lightning (which is usually great- I'm all for speed...but not on a train that follows tracks and sways- and could easily be re-routed off-track). Then "________________" the lights go out again.

My thought was...they were going too fast and blew a fuse. The lights came back on within a minute or 2 (this time the train didn't stop- it was like twilight zone- speeding in darkness). Anyways- we continuously kept going fast...like super fast- to the point where the nice man holding his cute little boy said "SHIT!". ... Not even kidding folks- true story- Glad I am alive to share it. We hear, on the speaker- through the Arabic and French "Casablanca"- and we almost got off- but realized it was not our stop- and that we were the next one. So we rode for about..8 minutes? To Casa-Voyagers (which is apparently the Casablanca we wanted). Wished the man and cute boy the best of luck (they were headed to Rabat- probably another hour or 2) and got off. I contemplated kissing the ground... but didn't.

So off the 3 of us went- to get a taxi back to the ship- looking to spend no more than 30 dirhams. After about 8 cabbies attacking us with questions, and asking for 50 dirham, or Euros (Because everyone thought we were straight up from Europe)- we decided that we'd just walk back- in hopes that a taxi would pick us up part of the way and get us back without us walking through the port/ main city- for cheap...aka native price. Finally a guy at the station caved in- and we set out on another dare-devil act of bumper-humping, and no-lane following- but somehow made it back to the rat-infested port (which I found out tonight as rats scurried near my feet), and got to the Ship.

All in all today's experiences were undeniably unbelievable. I had such a great time- every day here gets better and better.

I will end this soft and sweet if you have managed to read this far...

Here are some pointers:

Don't travel in too large of groups- it draws attention in a negative way.

Don't draw attention to yourself (i.e. clothes, jewelry, etc..)

Ask before you take photos of people or their children (it is against some of their religions to be in photos).

Respect their culture as you would like yours to be.

Don't be afraid to trust someone- there is more than evil in this world.

That being said- trust your instinct and gut feeling- if something is off- walk away.

Ask questions- and learn.

And above all- just have fun. Be safe, but don't be afraid to try new and different things.

Moroc (Morocco) has been such a great experience, and although I originally was going to go to Rabat and Fes tomorrow- I think I will stay in Casablanca- and enjoy the great memories of Marrakech.

Goodnight to you all!

2009-09-11T13:42:00.000-04:00

Alright- so this double-day entry is well worth it. Trust.

I was writing in my journals for classes and doing homework like the good girl that I am. The ship is bare bones since everyone is on camel treks. So I ventured to Apollon (Deck 6) for lunch.

I saw my super (supervisor- just catching you all up on some lingo) sitting, and joined him for lunch. After determining that I was the pickiest eater alive, and a lot of convincing- he got me out of doing my homework so he had a buddy to tour town with. We set off walking since the shuttle bus was on it's lunch break- and it def. was a 25 minute walk. Hahaha. After near-about dying several times by means of tankers, and dirt bikes, and Nikola grabbing me from behind and scaring the hajeebies out of me, we headed out of the port- towards the Medina in search of a...wait for it... this really is happening... Hookah Bar. We got lost several times- but me being me- just point blank asked the Moroccans where to go. We FINALLY found D'Anfa- the street we wanted (after trekking through one of the worst markets...on earth). To our dismay, not only could we not find the Hookah bar- but if we did, it would be closed, so we set back on a journey back to the ship. Browsed in a few shops, and lo and behold, 5 minutes from port, was a Hookah Bar. They were open! I must say- there are LOTS of photos of this hilarious event- I partook in this wonderful activity. Although I don't smoke, I am VERY tempted to buy a Hookah- and some shisha.

Ours was flavored green apple (which is pretty generic)- My super (who mind you has done this a few times before) got really light headed- and I ...not a thing. Although I exhale out of my nose, and often my nose and mouth- and therefore my new nickname from him is "Dragon lady" or Dragon for short. Hahaha. It was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities. The water was clean, and the mouth piece was fresh out of a bag. We also enjoyed mint tea...which honestly. BEST TEA EVER.

Even if you don't drink tea...guaranteed you'll love this. I feel like I have had an authentic Moroccan experience.

Plus the thought of me and a hookah is just absurd- as I am sure many of my friends are stunned, and laughing at the mere thought of this.

Not to mention I was also with my Super- It made it that much better. Plus we had a great bonding experience. Morocco is a pretty chill place to be. The sun has come out, and there's a slight breeze, and it's sunny and 70. It has been such an amazing day- and I am glad that I broke my homework streak to venture out again.

I cannot wait until Marrakech tomorrow. I am stoked! I miss you all and hope you're having a wonderful time living vicariously through my blog.

2009-09-11T08:20:00.001-04:00

Salam! I cannot believe that my feet have touched ground in the glorious continent of Africa! I am currently in Morocco- Casablanca to be exact. Our ship docked in port yesterday; the port is the biggest port in Casablanca (which is home to about 3 million people), and the third largest port in all of Africa. We have a shuttle bus to take us from our ship to the main gate- other wise it's about a 25 minute walk (IF you don't get lost). Our port is VERY industrial- filled with cranes and trucks.

Where should I start? Oh yes! Remember that movie Casablanca? Yeah- forget it! It was filmed in Hollywood and I know why. Here are my super-biased opinions of Casablanca: It is smelly, filthy, and overall gross. Picture New York's Time Square after New Years, and multiply that by 392757... there are things all over the street! Not to mention an endless amount of malnourished cats and kittens. (So sad- and I HATE cats). However; after packing my biases in a hidden compartment of my brain- and enjoying a city tour of Casablanca- I realized you just have to go a little further in to see the beauty that Casablanca holds. The Medina (or old city) is full of open-air markets, or Souks. These are where you can haggle deals like you would in Battery Park, NY. It's intensely surreal that I am living in [pictures I once viewed in National Geographic. The people are very friendly, and won't bother you if you don't make yourself too noticeable. I would highly recommend wearing closed-toes shoes here- unless you want muck/garbage filtered onto your feet- plus you walk a lot.

It is illegal, and considered a felony if you take pictures of any type of person "in uniform" aka- Guards, Police, Traffic Directors (yes they have those here!), etc... They will either A. Yell at you and take your film. or B. Yell at you and take away your camera. (And they will stop vehicles your in to get those pictures).

For any religious savvy person reading my blog- you will know that it is Ramadan- where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. They cannot drink anything (including water), eat anything, or have sexual relations until after sunset. This goes on for 1 month.

Interesting fact kids: Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States as a country in 1776.

And the Hassan II Mosque has a green laser beacon that shoots into the sky every night- announcing that the daily fast is over, and people can now eat. (It can be seen all over Morocco) That's intense.

Street performers, and some common people will expect tips if you take their photograph, and if you ask someone if you can take one- they usually will not deny you.

Moroccans are fascinated with blonds (there really aren't any here).

All people (even if they're poor) have satellite dishes, because their included in the cost of cable.

There are NO Starbucks in Morocco-at all.

KFC delivers by van, and by bicycle.

All the schools I have seen are gated- and look really sketchy on the outside- but amazing on the inside. (They also have separate schools for Jewish kids, and a separate school for Spanish kids)- this is more of a religious segregation.

The King of Morocco has 8/9 palaces throughout Morocco, and typically only comes to the one in Casablanca to drink coffee or tea. (Not joking). Although highly debatable- People say Morocco does not have an "official language". Most speak Arabic, and a good amount speak another type of Arabic. But many know French and English as well. (Actually- they speak more English here than they did in Spain- which is surprising to me). They have two types of taxis... Petit taxis (which are red in Casablanca- but very depending on what city you go to), and fit 4 people- uncomfortably. There are also Grande Taxis- which are ALL Mercedes, and you need AT LEAST 5/6 people to get one.

The best part of Morocco thus far has been the villas- which are incredibly nice, and often lined with gorgeous and colorful flowers. Plus the streets are super clean over there :]

Tomorrow I am headed on a train for 4 hours to visit Marrakech...or Marrakesh. They have some great souks (markets) there, and our dollar is really great here (well- on our end at least).

We get 7.81 Dirham per every US dollar. Even if you pay a tourist price- you're still making out like a bandit.

I also invested in a money belt- which is comfortable and well hidden- but does require me to reach down my pants to pay for something. Hahaha. Gnomie has been on a few outings, and I have started a new trend (Thank you Jenna!) because everyone wants to be in a picture with Gnomie- my traveling lawn gnome.

Today I took a day off from exploring to catch up on some homework- especially since I probably won't be back until Monday. Marrakech tomorrow-Sunday...then Rabat and Fes Sunday to Monday.

My snack drawer is running very low, and the food probably only gets worse from here- aka I am going to stare.

Anyways, all is well. I will update more after we leave Morocco.

Until then-

2009-09-08T13:42:00.001-04:00

What can I say other than Europe has my heart?

Spain was amazing! And I will definitely come back multiple times! We were ported in Cadiz (often pronounced Cadith, or Cadis). It’s a wonderful little beach town full of GLORIOUS European clothes.

Zara is one of my new favorite stores, and it’s not even expensive! :] Everything is so gorgeous in Europe! Ahhh.

Okay, so the first day, I had an Archaeological tour of Cadiz and went to an archaeology museum. It was a bunch of fun, and I got to see some really interesting artifacts that had been recovered. I even went for Sangrias with roomie, and two of the ladies :] It was a lovely evening, and Spain is so incredibly easy to get around in.

After much deliberation, and hope, Ashley A-Ram Ramos (:]) asked me to go to Seville with her. We went to the bus station around 9, and to our dismay it was closed, so we decided to go early on in the morning, and to my luck… this is going down in Zerio history… I got the VERY LAST ticket from Cadiz to Seville! That never happens. So us, and about 383476597 other SAS students headed to Seville. It is such an unbelievable city, and is too beautiful for pictures to do it justice. They have a tramway system there, which is basically a monorail through the city- It was great! Ashley, another group, and I stayed at a hostal- which differs from a hostel. Nuevo Suizo. It was such a great place! We got free internet (this is how I contacted some of you), free calls to the US, and breakfast, and it cost 16 Euros! The entire staff was so incredibly pleasant, and very helpful. Ashley, Jackie, Jenn, and I were booked for room 26- which happened to be the rooftop terrace. It was ballin’ This whole trip in Spain has made me want to backpack around the world and wing it more so than I do now. Anyways, we did have 2 other roommates, not from SAS. One was Elliot- he’s from NJ, and turned 26 on Sunday! :] And he decided to go to Spain for 3 weeks solo. The other roommate we had was a girl Valerie from Ottawa Canada, who just decided to tour Europe on a whim. She had just spent 2 weeks in Italy, and 3 weeks in Spain, and was headed to Barcelona on our last day in Seville. Doing trips independently is the way to go, and so-so much cheaper! We hit up some really cool places, like the world’s largest cathedral, plaza de Espana which is absolutely awesome. And my favorite…Alcazar- a castle/mansion with impeccable…everything! We woke up early the next day, talked to a couple from Belgium about health care, and spoke with a sexy Londoner- Chris, who came to Spain with a friend, because they’re on their 5 week holiday from University. Then we left, and toured around a little more, and happened to walk into the middle of a serious riot. The police were armed with guns that Rambo would use. It was awesome! And SAS probably would have yelled at us had they known that we continuously stayed in that area. (I have a video of this- I’ll upload it to Facebook when I’m home). We met so many lovely people here in Spain! And some rude ones that run us out of restaurants because Jackie is too American :p True story. Anyways. We all had a blast, and headed out to the bus station to catch the 5:00 back to Cadiz. So we get back and basically shower and crash. Then my roommate (Rachel) and I decide to get up early and go into town tomorrow for a shopping day (which was highly successful), as well as to hit the outdoor market. It was fabulous! Rachel started to feel ill, so I ordered her something at a restaurant. Then we saw some SAS girls and moved to their table. That’s when I decided I wanted to check out one more store before I left (I was, and still am, looking for these cool Aladdin pants everyone has!). So I headed out on my own, and just spent a couple hours shopping and roaming the streets. It is such a great city, and so easy to navigate, I loved being on my own, even briefly. There are probably 39039 stories I can tell, but I will just tell them all when I am home. I got back and had banana bread for lunch, and Rachel came back shortly after- so we decided that since it was only 1:30, we should go lay out and tan. And boy did I get red. So I popped a few Motrin so I should be good. Hahaha.

Oh- and I found out the hard way that our pool is made of the water we’re in, so I got a plentiful mouthful of salt water.

Well, tomorrow is Morocco Day, and Malaria Day (which means I start my Malaria pills- and my side effects are vivid dreams and night terrors. hahaha should be fun) where basically we have 738647 things planned that we MUST attend, and we arrive in Morocco tomorrow night! So exciting! I have zillions of pictures to show you all! Just know that I am having a blast and I never want to leave school if this is what it’s like. Hands down…I’m doing this again! I love it so much!

I miss you all!

PS- Never take the Rosemary!

2009-09-05T11:32:00.001-04:00

Hola! And greetings from Espana! I can't believe we're actually in port somewhere!!! Surprisingly I did not walk funny when I got off the ship.

Cadiz is a beautiful city- and everyone has been very friendly. Although it's odd to get used to Siesta. Shops are literally open for like 2 or 3 hours, then close, and open back up later at night. It's neat. :]

The buildings are beautiful, and a lot of them are made from shells! They have such great color and architecture too.

Between my mom having a Horticulture degree, and my dad's love of anything structural, and flooring/building, I have endless pictures of beautiful pathways and roads, and so many trees. (A lot which came from Australia! <3)

It was gorgeous today! Hot..but not humid, and when you walk down the alleys (which are basically every street), there is such a great breeze, and constant shade!

I had a bite of real European vanilla ice cream (although I'm sure it was imported from another European place). It was so delicious. The culture is great here. And I have some fun pictures of Bill and Gnomie :]

I went on an archaeological tour, which was great- we learned a lot about the city, and went to a local museum.

You know the phrase it's 5:00 somewhere? Well...it's 5:30 here, and me and some of the ladies are going to get some Sangria and Tapas :]

Then back for some naps before going out to see the nightlife at the discotecha.

I miss you all! And will most likely update you more than once while in Spain :]

It still hasn't really hit me that I'm on this trip, and in another country. Maybe I'll feel more submerged in Morocco?

2009-09-03T08:09:00.000-04:00

Alright, a brief update, because I probably won't update until after Spain (which we will be in on Saturday!).

Sad story- We will NOT be getting two Thanksgivings :[ Our Captain, Cpt. Jeremy Kingston (whom I'm in love with because he's from GB) said while although it was cute, we would actually be crossing the international date line on the 28th of November.

I am full of so much energy lately (more so than usual...if that is even possible)! I met some pretty awesome people from Mass on board the ship (most of them being from Boston). AND...they so had the same idea as me, of bringing walkie talkies on the ship... only I didn't, but they did :]. Walkie talkies + college kids + 7 decks accessible to us on the ship = mucho fun games.

The other night we had a "mash-up" party...where basically you mismatch clothes and go to a dance. I was walking around, in my normal attire mind you...and just about everyone said "I LOVE YOUR OUTFIT!!!" Even though at this point I was just wearing my pj's... hahaha. Whatever, I went and it was kind of fun, but got old really fast.

I'm officially part of the following organizations (not including my work study):

Star-gazing group (We sleep outside on the decks!)

Sign Language group (So I can know more ASL than "I have to use the restroom; bullshit; ninja; and dinosaurs"

Vicarious Voyage (Basically pen pals with kids K-12)

Co-founder, and leader of SAS (Sigma Alpha Sigma)

The Alcohol-Free Group (For us awesome kids)

And maybe later on LBT, which is basically GSA (Gay Straight Alliance)... because my neighbor invited me, and he definitely thought I was a Lesbian. Bahahaha! But whatever, I'm all for the support of Gays and Lesbians abroad and aboard.

Ummm what else, okay, this is getting longer than anticipated. Basically I am almost all signed up for SAS trips, Indy trips, and FDP's at this point, but I have to wait until Sale 2 to get the rest that I want...

OH!

So... being the thrill-seeker I am, I signed up for 2 crazy activities with a group that works with SAS...I won't tell you what they are now. But I am very excited and can't wait until we reach South Africa :]

Until then, I'll be in class, working, and furiously typing away on my laptop while sitting on Deck 6, aft. (Which is amazing by the way)

You kids stay awesome. And I'll do my best not to get lost or abducted, but we all know how that goes :]

-Samantha Zerio

Student Ambassador of Semester at Sea

Goodwill Operator

2009-09-01T16:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I feel like it's time for some updates while I have the chance. Our current time zone is in Azores, which means it's currently 1926 here (7:26 for those who don't run on military time). And it is 3:26 where you are sitting. This is the first time in like 3 or 4 days where we FINALLY don't have to advanced our clocks by an hour. The ship is absolutely glorious, and I feel like I have been on it for days. You really lose track of things and the concept of days and times while at sea with no land in sight.

I love the rocking notion of the boat, as it puts me to sleep well.

My classes are pretty rocking'. I have 4 total, and they're all on A days (Brings you back to middle school with A/B days right? Or in Tolland Blue team's case, A-B-C-D days :p) Anyways... I discovered that with all my classes on one day, I'm only in class for 23 days this semester!!! :] How awesome is that? And my FDP's (field Practica) are mini excursions that you choose from while in port. So basically, snorkeling, and riding camels is a part of my participation and final grade.

I love love love my Medical Anthropology Class, it's hands down the best out of my 4 classes. Second, surprisingly is The US South... who would of thought I'd love that class?!?!? Then the other 2 are also good, but a bit dry right now, but they're slowly getting more interesting.

Yesterday was our first laundry day, and being the savvy person I am, I opted to do my own laundry in the sink/shower instead of paying 6 dollars to fill a small bag full of clothes. It was a pretty good success (plus we have a retractable clothesline in our shower).

My roommate Rachel is great! She's a crazy-hippie-Jew and I love her. The two of us together are unstoppable. My work study is really putting me to work and thus far has required me to attend meetings and events every night, but it is worth it so far, and I am having a lot of fun.

Everyone on the ship is excruciatingly nice; the workers, the crew, the teachers, staff, and students. My room is a good size, and very livable, and I feel like I could live here permanently.

Yesterday I went on a bridge tour, where you quite obviously tour the bridge. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the bridge is at the forward (front/bow) of the ship, and is where all the controls are, and where the captain steers. (And no, there is no cool old-style Captain wheel :[ ). It was pretty exciting to see how everything works. And I even convinced the 2nd officer in command to let me sit in the captains chair, with a sailor hat! So then everyone got to. (I'm sure they let everyone do it, but I feel like I was the reason :p).

I also found out today that the ship generally runs on one engine. The energy from one engine burns 1.6 tons of oil an hour...an HOUR! And on top of that, electricity burns .8 tons of fuel per hour. That's 57.6 tons of oil a day we're burning, and that's only using one engine!

I am signed up for half my trips, and still have to figure out the independent trips I'll be doing...or as we call them "Indy" trips.

The ship has some pretty cool events each night, and even a snack time at 2200 hours! (10pm). I had 1 day to read a 26 page article and write a 2000 word response (about 6-7 pages). I feel like that's a little ridiculous for a first day load for one class... but I got it all turned in, so whatever, it's over.

I guess I should talk about my work study because that seems to be what consumes my life here. I am an Ambassador of the ship (there are 7 of us in total). And we basically run all of the fun of the ship. We're in charge of The Alumni Ball (Formerly the Ambassador's Ball) which takes place at the end of the voyage. We're in charge of the food, theme, ticket cost, etc... We also are involved in Interport liaisons- where we pick up special guests/ students that ride with us to the next port. We put together and run live and silent auctions...and in order to do so, we also solicit to get people to contribute items to the auctions. (Most things aren't tangible items i.e. eating dinner with the Captain in his private quarters, Spending a week in a teacher's private beach house, unlimited internet access, honking the horn while entering/leaving port, and so on...We also will be in charge of "goodwill" on the ship, where we welcome the community, get them involved, promote things, and join everyone together. On top of that we also have Marketing and Advertising. And a lot of other responsibilities. We all work on these projects together, but have each taken one over as "Head manager" if you will. I chose Goodwill. I am currently working with RA's to do special things for peoples birthdays on the ship, and I am also working on getting Ambassadors their own shirts. We held an involvement fair for all the clubs and activities you can sign up for, and I joined many :p I will be doing the Vicarious Voyage- where we get pen pals of children in classrooms, and share our journey with them. I am getting "adopted" by a life-long learner on board the ship (basically they bring you cool places in port, and tell great stories). And I am part of a leadership program, where through attending various activities, and sessions on ship, you get a certificate and a special seal on your diploma :] I'm pretty stoked. I also co-founded Sigma Alpha Sigma, (SAS- Semester at Sea). So I will be insanely busy on and off board. We will soon be giving tours of the ship to incoming guests of the ship, so I have to memorize the ship well (which I pretty much have).

I wake up early every morning and eat breakfast on the aft deck (or back) and watch the sunrise- which is absolutely breath taking (except today because it was covered by clouds).

Hmm what else. There really is so much to share. Most of my off port excursions are service projects such as Habitat for Humanity, and visiting orphanages and hospitals. South Africa is where I will surely be having the most fun. I have many crazy activities planned, but will leave those as a mystery to you all :]

Last night my roommate and I (being curious) found out that out ceiling is magnetic (we knew the walls were). And as per usual, I am psychotically organized school and work wise :p

I even made 3 copies of my offshore excursions in an excel spread sheet and color coded them by whether they were FDP's, SAS trips, or independent trips. Hahaha.

Jess is our cabin steward, and he's worth mentioning. Yes he. He is the sweetest guy ever, and they do an insane amount of work here for everyone. He changes our toilet paper, makes our beds, and replaces our towels. (We're pampered here!)

I have yet to go in the pool, but it's just the beginning of our journey, and has been really humid out lately anyways. Plus I'm insanely busy. Working out on board is crazy, but hilarious. Elliptical while ships are rocking back and forth = lots of awkward feelings and positions, but overall funny to be a part of.

Because Global Studies is a mandatory class for everyone, they not only have t in the Union (our auditorium), but they play it on flat screens across the ship, in the rooms on the TV, and in other classrooms that don't currently have classes. PS- There are 9 classrooms, and the Union stands as one as well...so 10. And 2 of the classrooms are literally in the union, and have those walls like we use to have to divide our gymnasium at school.

Part of me wishes something insane would happen that would make us get into the lifeboats because they look like mini submarines! But that would be bad... I officially no longer have my calling/texting capabilities in case any of you were getting weird text responses back from my number.

Oh! My free e-mail is smzerio@semesteratsea.net Use it and abuse it kids!

Oh, and they play pretty good movies on TV too, my roommate and I have yet to really watch one, but we plan on having a movie night tomorrow, it will be fantastic. Gnomie and Bill are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spain (in 4 days) so they can be in some crazy photos :]

I suppose that is really all for now. Oh, and I'll be making a commercial for the ship to see, and I write for the Dean's Memo which comes out everyday.

Until then folks (I'm sure your eyes are straining if you read this all)

I miss you all and love you all dearly, and cannot wait until we hit Spain so I can share my first port stories!

-Sam

-Samantha Zero :]

2009-08-29T14:20:00.000-04:00

Hi all, technically I'm supposed to be in meetings...and I kind of am? I'm on the computer in a classroom, somewhat watching the Captain and several other staff talk (which they have been doing since 9am, minus 1 lunch break for an hour, in which I had a work study meeting -_-) Any who, It's been crazy busy, and I'm not seasick at all, in fact the waves and bumps make me rather sleepy, so this semester will be a challenge. Today I signed up for trips Ghana- India...even though we couldn't. (Northern smarts and attitudes get you everything :])

Alright, I should probably listen to all this safety mumbo jumbo. I have all 4 of my classes on A days... which are usually every other day... but not really... And we have class on thanksgiving :[ But we get 2 thanksgivings :]

My job is insane, but keeping me busy, we pretty much run all the activities and fun on the ship. Me, Dave and our Super- Grant picked up Marta the other day from the Halifax airport, she's from Spain and staying on the ship with us until we reach Spain (which is 7 days?) Alright, getting to work, The Ambassadors (me and 6 others) are running a fair tonight on the ship- should be interesting :]

I'm on the Port side of the ship, and the room is pretty awesome, and my roommate Rachel is completely Crazy/Chill just like me, they paired us well :]

Alright kiddos, I'll probably blog Monday.

PS.

Lifeboat drills are the major suxor and completely ridiculous!- even though we all looked mad sexy in the orange life vests :p

-Samantha Zerio :]

OH CANADA!!!

2009-08-27T14:18:00.002-04:00

Wowzer’s, I have so much to write, and already so little time.

It had been a while since I had been to Canada and I forgot how small things inside of Canada are… Like the randomly placed signs that face the woods on the side of the highway… weird, eh?

The trip was relatively decent, although I burnt through my phone, camera, and iPod battery 4 hours into the trip : /

We got to the hotel around… oh…9ish? Mayhaps. Checked in, and did whatever before bed. We spent the next day poking around Halifax…meaning mom and Reza (her fiancée for those of you who didn’t know- were constantly fighting)…By the way, Reza is an awful driver, worse than my mother… I seriously thought I was going to die before I got to the ship.

Today was the big day. Student workers were to arrive at the Halifax Seaport, Pier 21, Pavilion 23 at 9am for check-in…we got there at 7:30 :p. The MV Explorer arrived about 8, and come 9:30 or so, us work study students and life-long learners got to check in.
Zerio luck would have it that they had to in-depth check my bags…all because of laundry detergent (what the eff). And then I beeped going through the scanner, so the woman pulled out the handheld scanner, and did a full body scan- to which nothing beeped… so They double checked me through the walk-through scanner…it beeped again. This process repeated a few times before she called over a group of people to figure out what was beeping. After assuring them and proving I had nothing in my pockets (because these pants didn’t have pockets…) they let me board.

The ship is awesome. And although my “estate room” isn’t huge (Oh yes So-Ruffians…smaller than Heather and Hil’s room)… It’s actually quite spacious, and a lot of my stuff fit. My roommate isn’t hear yet, but I know her name because I accidentally opened her school book box (sorry :/)

My work study is pretty sweet, there’s 9 Ambassadors, and 2 work directly with Grant (our supervisor) the other seven of us (including me) get to essentially manage and create events on the ship. Tonight we’re picking up Maria Cano- a girl from Spain who will journey with us the next few days until we reach the port of Cadiz, Spain. Me and a few other ambassadors get to pick her up from the airport (all expenses paid) :]

This work study is pretty flippin’ sweet, and I love our group. Not to mention WE get to hire 18 people to work under us :D Hahaha, I’m going to love this job.

I just finish unpacking and putting some final touches on the room to make it feel a little more home-y.

I’m about to explore the ship some more with a few friends before the next few days (we’re going to be crazy busy). Tonight we have dinner, then attend yet another meeting, work the parents’ reception and then head out to the airport, then get to rest a little, and repeat tomorrow…when we check in about 500+ people (craziness).

Alright kids, I’m going to head out. Love and miss you all back in the states <3

I’ll do my best to update my blog, but internet is only free for X amount of minutes.

Adios!

I'm gonna free fall out into nothing...gonna leave this world for a while.

2009-08-24T11:52:00.004-04:00

Alright, I figured I should update this because... I'm leaving tomorrow at 5 am for Nova Scotia!!! I can't believe that it's already here. Longwood started their classes today, it feels kind of weird not being there : / I had my last day at all of my jobs Saturday, and it went a lot smoother than I thought, but I'll miss everyone like crazy!

It's almost 7 am and I have yet to start packing...whoops. I alphabetized my packing list and dwindled it down to 7 pages.... so much for being a Vagabond eh?

My sister went in for gallbladder surgery today (Good Luck Jenna- and welcome to not being able to eat anything :]) Which makes it extra hard to pack, because she will be recuperating in my room.

I'm beyond excited for this journey to begin, and I probably won't want it to end... so if I happen to "disappear" in another country... chances are it was purposely :p.

It's already been decided that if I dislike my roommate, she's going overboard (Just kidding, Hahaha- and my apologies in advanced to my super awesome roommate who will be reading this post :p) I'm so excited to meet everyone... in person, instead of just Facebook.

I'll attempt to be on my best behavior, but come on... I am Sam, I can't make any promises. These countries better be on high alert when our ship ports, because their in store for some craziness!

I never thought I could not only pack my life into 2 suitcases and a backpack...but do it in under an hour. :] I have to give myself props on that one. I'm getting amped for this.

Alright, it's time for me to stop procrastinating and get on my game.

Goodbye America, until we meet again...

PS. Welcome to my home for the next few months:

Anticipating Canada

2009-05-28T10:50:00.003-04:00

I'm almost positive, that although we'll be on a "ship" and not a "boat"; the chosen theme song has overwhelmingly been "I'm On A Boat".

Also, here are my classes (I really wish we could take 5):

Medical Anthropology A
Global Studies A
The U.S. South A
Crossings and Voyages A

My packing list is legit, ridic. I have to pack my life into about 2 suitcases, not to mention we all know I'm going to go crazy and buy a ridiculous amount of stuff from all of the countries. And there will be LOTS of photos; I'll post some on my blogs, but you won't see a majority of them until I am home :]

Welcome!

2009-05-27T15:22:00.005-04:00

As many of you may know, August 28th, 2009 will mark the voyage of a lifetime. I will be leaving the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in order to embark upon the open seas. I was accepted into the Fall 2009 Semester At Sea program, which entails living on a ship (the MV Explorer) and visiting amazing countries abroad. (While taking classes of course). If anyone wants more information you can go to Semester At Sea.

I will be visiting the following countries (in this order):

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Where we leave from)
Cadiz, Spain
Casablanca, Morocco
Accra, Ghana
Cape Town, South Africa
Port Louis, Mauritius
Chennai, India
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
Yokohama / Kobe, Japan
Honolulu / Hilo, Hawaii, USA
San Diego, California, USA

I will arriving back to the states Mid- December, and will tentatively be home December 15th, 2009.

You're more than welcome to send me mail; however it will take a while to get to me in ports, so I don't really recommend it. I will post mailing addresses at a later date if anybody is really that interested. I will do my best to update this blog as much as I can, but remember, it's still school, and we don't get a huge amount of internet time, plus i'll be sight-seeing like crazy!

As you can guess, I will also be freezing my phone account until I return to the states, so unless I'm dead, nobody is getting calls from me. (I love you guys, but that's a lot of money!).

I'll more likely than not send out postcards, but i'm not going to send one out to everyone, so if you want A post card or two (not one from every country), please let me know, and make sure I have your address. :]

Until then kids, be safe, and have fun!