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!

<3

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

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.

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!

 

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!

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.

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!