People…everywhere!!!

Between the sights, the cars, the smells and the people, india has been a conundrum in and of itself. It’s hard to react to a country that you don’t know how to react to. Walking down the streets there were literally houses in several different countries. There were cars that held two seat cars, auto rickshaws that “seated” 2 but in reality we were putting between four and 8 people in them. There were buildings that were made out of brick, and houses made out of straw. There was construction on a HUGE dome that looked as though it was going to be a tough undertaking and would take several years from there. And then right next to it was a building that was falling down. Driving down a road you would look to your left and see a beautiful beach and then turning to the right see dilapidated shacks that were people’s homes. There is literally no way to describe my first 12 hours in India. It was frustrating at first because we saw all the immigration officials which was fine, and then handed back our passports. We were told that we only needed a copy of our passports and our customs forms…until of course students tried leaving the ports and they wouldn’t let them leave unless they had their passports with them. This meant mass chaos at the pursers desk because most people didn’t have their passports or customs forms yet and the passports weren’t in order yet from the morning. It was ridiculous and I felt fairly awful for the peoples at the Purser’s desk because of the mob of people that were rushing them.

 

*side note! Not sure if I’ve talked about them before but the crew on here is amazing!!!! They take the best care of us and it’s going to be really sad when a lot of them leave which will be in Hong Kong. It’s not hard to get close to them and really love all they do for us.  From Don, who’s my cabin steward and is absolutely amazing and keeps our room looking pristine and has helped me make sense of the chaos that can be my room, to Perry and everyone who works in the dining halls taking care of us, getting us juice and taking our plates, to Denise who works at the Purser’s Desk and is awesome and really cool to talk to, to EVERYONE that works so hard to keep our ship running.  It’s wonderful the way they treat us and you can tell that they really love being here and being with us. it’s crazy to think how many people are necessary to keep our ship running and getting perfect scores on random inspections. In every port that has nice weather, some part of the ship is being painted and repaired.  Everyone that works on the ship is absolutely fantastic and I will really miss all of them come December!!!*

**side note…to side note, the other day marked the halfway point…we’re on the second half of the journey and we still have four countries to go after india, talk about incredible**

So yea, after a while I was finally able to get my passport and customs paper and went to get ready for my trip to the Dalit Village. The Dalit Village is home to the lowest in the caste system and yet they are the example of how this world is changing. There was a parade for us when we got off the bus and we received necklaces of jasmine and other flowers.  We also were a part of a procession through the town and then went to a ceremony where we were introduced and there were several people of importance, including a member of parliament and the directors of the project we were working on.  While there, we pained the Community Center.  It was wild because there were newspaper reporters EVERYWHERE. They were doing interviews and asking for pictures and making us stand this way and that way.  It was weird b/c here we were serving the community and we were being treated like celebrities.  This trip was good b/c it really gave us a perspective on what people thought of what we were doing and it showed how a little bit, such as painting can go a long way. Visiting Dalit was an eye-opening experience as well as a story of hope.  We heard stories from and saw people that had worked their way up to parliament or high positions which would never have been possible if the caste system were still in place.  We were also given a lesson in how important we were to them through several speeches as well as through music and dance.

“In order to learn…”-Super late, sorry

Ghana was an eye-opening port for me. I experienced a great personal progression and evolution. We arrived in Ghana and as with all ports had to wait for the officials to come on and check our passports/visas. And for them to stamp them…YAY!!! So far our passports have been stamped in Morocco and Ghana…not Spain. In Spain we were pretty much set to get off the ship within an hour of getting to the port. It has been interesting to see the time difference in how long it takes for a passport check and it will be interesting to see in the days to come. In Ghana, they also needed to check our Yellow Fever Cards as well, so it took a little longer there.


As I said earlier, I went to the castles and slave dungeons on the first day. It was astounding to think that we were actually walking the same routes that many slaves had done so many years before. It was hard to grasp the concept of what we were looking at. At both Elmina and Cape Point we saw the “door of no return.” In Cape Point we actually were able to walk through the door. It was eerie to think there was a time when people would literally walk through the door and it would be the last time they would ever step foot on their home soil. I think it was important to see the castles and slave dungeons to understand how the history of western Africa especially has been shaped by the slave trades.


My second day I did a cultural immersion homestay. This was a really neat experience. When we arrived there was drumming and dancing for us. We also got to greet the chief and the elders of the village. This was a unique experience because after we shook their hands and they welcomed us, they in turn stood up and came over to us to shake our hands. There were also many children in the village. They loved the camera and would try to take your camera from you if you had it out. Some of them took some really good shots too. The little ones would also try to sit on your lap. At one point there were four children sitting on my lap and the same was for others in our group. We also had a naming ceremony where we were given traditional African names. My name was Ese Manan, Ese meaning Sunday born and Manan a traditional name in their tribe. It was intimate to be a part of this ceremony but it was also amusing because some things were changed for us. For example, traditionally alcohol is used in this ceremony; however, they used Coke for us instead. It was the little things that I happened to take notice of. We also got to meet our host families for the night. I had a “brother” from SAS, Stephen, and our host sister was Juliana, who was 15, and her parents. We were adopted basically for the rest of the night/day. We left to get lunch at a nearby resort (as Americans, our stomachs are unable to tolerate their food/water so the ISE would either take us out or provide us with food). Upon our return, we went to our host family’s home. Juliana showed us our rooms and then we sat and talked. We taught Juliana about snow which as both a challenge and a treat. She had been told that getting hit with a snowflake hurt and made you bleed. Stephen and I quickly dispelled this rumor and she seemed triumphant to know this information. We also taught her about snow sports such as skiing and ice hockey. It was made even better by the fact that I had pictures from this past winter on my camera so she was able to understand more clearly by what we had said about skiing and snow in general.


That night, we ate dinner in the community center and a show was put on for us showcasing traditional Ghanaan drumming and dance. That was pretty awesome. some of the guys were literally eating fire and sticking things that were on fire down there pants…it was a little weird not gonna lie. But it was def. entertaining, it gave us a chance to get a small peek at a part of their culture. At this point, we had been separated from our “families” simply because the space could not accommodate all of us and there were miscommunications when it came to meals etc. however, at the end of dinner, we re-joined with our hosts. Stephen and I went with Juliana to one of the village “bars” where people gather to talk, dance and listen to music. There we had some frank discussions with some of the older people that lived in the village. We talked politics (always going to yield interesting conversation) and about life in Ghana, as well as about schooling and jobs. It was interesting to hear some of their perspectives. For example, one of the guys said that he liked white Americans better than black Americans simply because in his eye blacks were dangerous and tended to cause more trouble. Also because, many times blacks will come to Ghana to trace their lineage and find out where they came from in regards to the slave trade and do little else to help the local people. Personally, I was slightly offended by this seeing as much of what he said seemed to come from the media, namely movies and music videos etc. I did keep my mouth shut for most of it though b/c I found that the less I spoke, the more he did. Another interesting part of this conversation was that I was the only female of the group and there were 5 other guys at the table, two of which were from SAS. I wasn’t always sure how to react to what he said as well, especially b/c he said much of it with conviction and it was easy to see that he was not going to change his mind based on what we said. Anyway, I just let him talk and listened. I found it a lot easier that way, also, if I didn’t say anything, I found I was able to learn more since I was not about to support him and I knew that if I contradicted him, he may have stopped talking altogether. This conversation was for about 40min. or so, and then after that we danced. It was interesting to see the difference in their music and ours. They did play many American songs and many of the songs they played that were from Africa were in English as well. it was amusing to listen to the words because it was essentially the same message and feel of American songs yet they were distinctly from Ghana and the surrounding countries. That night, we went back with Juliana and slept in her house. We each had our own room and bed which we found out the next day is actually very unusual because many of the other students either shared a bed with each other or the entire house was a single room. Everyone had a different experience and sleeping arrangement which made the program even more amazing.


In the morning, I had breakfast with Juliana and then we said our goodbyes to her and her parents and were on our way back to the Explorer. We stopped to learn about some of the local food industries such as smoking fish which is an essential part of their economy and these peoples survival. Upon return to the ship I was ready to relax for a little while. I ate lunch and then went out again to Takoradi with some friends in search of wi-fi. We found an internet café…with no internet that proved to be pretty useless. After wandering for a little bit, we found a wholesale store where someone was on the internet on a laptop. We went in to ask if they knew a place where we could get internet. Instead, they let us use their own and set up with the internet. They went out of their way to accommodate us and did not expect anything in return. There were also some interesting conversations sparked especially once they learned we were from the United States. They had been in Ghana for three generations and had come from Lebanon. Being Islamic, they had faced religious persecution of sorts, once we spoke with him some more about it, he told us that Ghana was a very tolerant and peaceful country. We also talked about 9/11 a little bit and the effect that it has had on their life and traveling back and forth to the U.S. Perhaps the most poignant thing that he said the entire time there was that it is a shame how easy it is for so few to ruin it for so many. It was remarkable how simply asking for wi-fi sparked such an insightful conversation. After going around to the market for a little while and exploring, we met up with a man that Aaron met in the port. He was so gracious and had offered to show us around and give us rides(sketch I know, but the people in Ghana were amazingly generous and helpful). He’s a superior at the port in Takoradi so he was able to go in and out of port as he pleased. He brought us back to the ship(I had to get off to meet with people) and then he waited for the others to go to the ship and pick someone up and go back out. It was a simple act of kindness by him but saved us not only a lot of time but money as well.


That night was Chloe’s birthday dinner. I work with Chloe in the Field Office. She’s from Barbados and has an accent that I love to listen to. A group of us from the field office, plus a few extras went out to dinner to celebrate. It was nice to get out of the office and spend time together. fortunately for me, I work with some amazing people and getting to go out and just relax with them our last night there was a great way to cap off Ghana and not have to deal with the craziness of the clubs and other places that other people were heading to.


My last day in Ghana, I went to Father’s Home Children’s Home. This is a home for children that are unable to live with their parents for one reason or another. Some of the children were orphans, many of them came from single mothers or other situations. There was one baby, EJ, there who was abandoned by his mother and he was only 16 months old. He was the most precious thing ever. He has cerebral palsy which was really sad to see. They were able to contact the father of the baby but he unfortunately could/would not take the baby in. While this is really sad, it is also a good thing. The father put the child in the care of Father’s Home because he knew that they would be able to care for him and ensure that he received what he needed. An amazing part of this organization is that they are actually paying for his medications and testing so that while he will not necessarily recover, he will be much better off. There were several stories and cases like this. There were 3 children at the home with special needs, EJ and two Emmanuel’s. The rest of the children attended school as normal unless they were not of age yet. The span of ages at the home was 16months to about 20 years old, with the oldest still working on finishing high school. Spending time at the home was so much fun and I really learned a lot about them. It was amazing to hear the story of how the home started and the effort that the people who work there put into ensuring that these children know they are loved and understand that they are all family. Perhaps the most important lesson that I learned from going to the Father’s Home that really resonated with the rest of Ghana was that no matter who you were and where you came from, you were somebody and that you had worth and no other person no matter who they are can take that away from you.

A Tropical Island about the Size of Home

The day after tomorrow we arrive in India. Just four days ago we had arrive in the Hawaii of Africa. Mauritius is a gorgeous tropical island that is 20mi. by 40mi. located east of Madagascar and it is absolutely stunning. It was the port that we all took to relax in more or less. It was laid back compared to the other ports we had been to. We were also only there for two days so there was not too much to do which was also nice because it meant we didn’t have to go all crazy planning. The first day there, I walked around with Kori for a little while and we took care of shopping so we wouldn’t have to do it the next day. That afternoon I went to an SOS Children’s Village, my second one of the voyage. This one was very similar to the village we went to in Morocco. I was glad I had the ability to go to two of these villages different countries because it really gave me a perspective of the SOS Village organization and all they stand for and the support they provide.

From there, we were picked up by a driver, his name was Denish, he drove us the entire time on the island which was really nice because it saved us the stress of having to find drivers every time we needed to get from one place to the other. He brought us to our hotel, where Kori and I met up with Amy and Sarah. That night, we hung around Flic en Flac and walked on the beach and just chilled out. The next day, our hosts made us breakfast at 6:30 so we would be able to eat before we left. We were brought to Tamarin where we met up with our tour guides. That day, we went swimming with wild dolphins which was surreal. Imagine 30 wild dolphins swimming below you and listening to them call to each other. It was amazing. We also got to go to a private island where we had lunch and snorkeled to Crystal Rock, a volcanic island in the middle of the bay. It was made even nicer by the fact that we didn’t see any SAS people and we were able to just be separate from everyone. At the end of the day we were flat out exhausted. We went back to Port Louis and did some last minute shopping and then vegged out on the ship for the last hour or so. Dinner that night was a barbeque which was nice b/c it wasn’t all potatoes and pasta for a change. We also got to watch a bunch of people get dock time for coming back late…it’s one of those things that makes you feel a little bad at first but not so much seeing as most of them where late b/c they didn’t care and spent as much time as they could getting in a last drink or two. All in all, Mauritius was beautiful and it was a mini-rest for what is/will be absolute chaos in the upcoming month with very few days in between port and crazy busy itineraries for each port.

Open mic tonight!!!

Ship life from South Africa to Mauritius…

There is never a dull moment on the Explorer…well yea there is. It’s so easy to get cabin fever yet when there’s something going on…it can be awesome. like tonight, we have open mic tonight. I’m not performing…this time but maybe at the next time. Events like these are awesome b/c it gives people a chance to showcase their talents and damn there’re some really talented people on this ship. It’s awesome because there’s students, faculty, staff, everyone performing. Definitely a way to avoid studying…although I don’t have anything to study for at the moment anyway, so it’s more of a way for others to get out of studying versus me. it’s also a really good way to see other people talents and learn a little bit about them, especially when you’re surprised by the immense talent you didn’t know someone had. Exhibit A-one of the guys in my Emerging Markets course group played the guitar and sang and is amazingly talented which is something that I probably never would have learned had it not been for open mic.

What else…class and work keep me pretty busy, as well as friends. I’m still meeting new people which keeps things interesting and I’m always introducing my friends to other people( I’m sure this is a readl shock to those of you that call me mayor) having people of all ages is something else that makes this journey so different too…there is literally an age difference of almost 90 years on this trip, literally. Yhe oldest is 90 and the youngest is Griffin who’s only 16months old and the happiest baby alive.  Conversations range from work to love to politics…basically anything is fair game and you really learn a lot both about yourself and others.  I did a lot of planning for Mauritius this week which is where we will be arriving on Thursday so that’s been keeping me busy. Plus some school work and group projects too. Everyone seems to have varying amounts of work on the ship. Some teachers don’t assign much work due to how sporadic our schedules are and others do journal entries as a part of our grade because it’s hard to do hardcore research papers since we don’t have unlimited internet minutes. Work also threw a surprise party for the work studies which was pretty cool. They asked us to show up at 7pm to work for about a half hour randomly the other night. It was pretty odd but we didn’t mind b/c we all actually love work usually. I was the third to show up and it turned out they had ordered appetizers, and chips and salsa and a cake for us! it was soooo awesome. The best part was the cake that said “you’re all fired.” It was pretty epic, and a lot of fun. It was a nice way to distress and get away from everyone for a while because our office is in an obvious spot but really hard to find and it’s impossible to tell if someone is in the office b/c of the way it is set up. The only time you def. know people are there is during our desk hours but other than that it’s like a secret. Work is def. a good thing to have on the ship. I really enjoy going to work b/c it gives me something to do and also gives us a little insight to how intricate the SAS program really is. I also work with awesome people and have awesome bosses. I know I’ve talked about the Field Office before but it’s worth mentioning again. Having the opportunity to work on the ship has proved to be an awesome experience. We have our field office family which is nice to have. With a lot of the work study positions, it’s usually just one to one(student to boss) and often the students are given a list of things to do or they just man a desk like at the library or student activities. In the field office there’s a lot of communication and also a lot of responsibility. It also gives us a chance to work a little closer with other staff/faculty members who lead trips/organize them for their classes.  I can honestly say that I really enjoy going to work every day and there are days where I will willingly go there and do work just to get away for a little while.

Well we’re halfway done with classes for the semester. We have 44 days of classes and 64 days where we either have reading/exam days, or are in countries.  It’s a pretty fantastic way to spend a semester. Once we get back on the ship after Mauritius we have 5 days of classes and a reading day and from the 21^st of October (our reading day before India) until the 23^rd of November we have 6 days of class and 3 reading days, the rest of our time is spent in countries…yay!!!! It’s going to be a whirlwind. I think I’m still getting used to the idea that I’m sailing around the world. I’m not sure it’s something I’ll ever get used to. I think it’s a good thing though because it keeps me grounded. Every day I wake up and remind myself I’m on a ship and it seems like a dream. A wonderful and surreal dream and I don’t know how I’ll react when I “wake up. “ I do believe anything in my life will be able to compare to this. Every day I count my blessing and reflect on what I’m doing and the people I’ve met and the opportunities I’m getting.  48 days down, 60 to go…dozens of thoughts, dreams, wishes, experiences “over”…countless more to go.

I’d Like to be a Teabag

I’d like to be a teabag and stay at home all day,
And talk to other teabags in a teabag sort of way.
I’d love to be a teabag and lie in a little box,
And never have to wash my face or change my dirty socks.

I’d like to be a teabag…an Earl Grey one perhaps,
And doze all day and lie around with Earl Grey kind of chaps.
I wouldn’t have to do a thing, no homework, jobs or chores,
Comfy in my caddy of teabags and their snores.

I wouldn’t have to do exams and tidy up art rooms
Or sweep the floor or feed the cat or wash up all the spoons.
I wouldn’t have to do a thing, a life of bliss you see…
Except that once in all my life I’d make a cup of tea!

Now painting is such fun to do, a hobby you might say,
But now they want to dry me out to live another day.
So first I’m slit and emptied out then graded and I’m sized,
They store me in an empty box…I wait to be surprised.

The lid is opened, I’m lifted out, oh what’s my fate to be?
I lie all brown and look forlorn but soon you’ll smile at me.
I’m painted gold and black and white the patterns are quite funny,
They glue me onto bits of card and sell me for some money.

~with apologies to Stephen Dixon, we just took your idea a bit further


*to be explained later…but it has to do with an awesome group I met in South Africa

History Depends on Who Wrote It

About an hour ago(11:23pm South African time) I returned from an overnight on Robben Island. It, I believe will forever remain as one of the most empowering, moving, terrifying and amazing times in my life. The history of the island stretches back to the 1400s. The feeling of apartheid are still felt there, the island is full of raw emotion. We were an extremely lucky group of SAS students. All other SAS run trips to Robben Island were canceled because of the ferry breaking, however, we were still able to go b/c the private boats that were hired to act as ferries for the two weeks were running in the mornings which was when we would be both arriving at Robben Island and also departing the next morning. We were also extremely fortunate b/c we were the first such group to ever have the opportunity to sleep on the island. We are forever a part of history. 

The first part of our tour was a walking tour, we learned about the history of the island up until Apartheid and the island became a prison. We saw so much in about two hours. We saw where the leper cemetery and learned about them and why they were there, we saw all sorts of trees and plants that were not indigenous to the area and learned what problems they were causing, we saw massive guns that were there for protection during WWII, we saw peacocks and penguins and rabbits and other animals. We also went to a home that belonged to a political detainee, who was actually not a prisoner so he was given "privileges," we saw the quarry where prisoners worked as a part of hard labor. We then went to lunch in one of the buildings that was built when it was a prison and used for those in charge. 

After lunch, we went on a tour with Coach, an ex-political prisoner. He showed us the cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life, he even let us into the cell. This was an honor for us, very few people will ever get the opportunity to do that. However because of the size of our group and who we were, he allowed us to go in. We then walked around other parts of the prison, read stories of the prisoners who were in there. I read of one man who took two years to get a approval to have a brush, another who was there with his brother whom he had not seen in months, and another who had a stapler and it was his most treasured possession. After we left that part we went to another cell block, we walked down to the end of the aisle and he turned on a light and said "this is where i spent six and a half years of my life." We saw history, we looked history in the eyes. We spent no more than 3 or 4 minutes there, yet that was enough. 

At the end of our tour, we went back to where we would be staying for the night, the "multiple purpose center." The reason i put it in quotes is because really, it was the medium security prison. No new name can change that. After about an hour of freshening up and also playing soccer with some of those that lived on the island, we went to dinner. Coach was there. There were tables of four and I sat with three people. After dinner, I went over to the table where Coach was and joined in on the conversation. Of the 22 that went on the trip, 9 of us stayed in that house until 11am. For two hours we sat and heard him speak. We asked questions and he gave us the most honest answers I have ever heard a man say. I say "heard" because I did not necessarily listen. Two of us were able to record 99% of our conversation. For that reason, I took in what I could. Yet, it is impossible to process everything he said. 

Our interport lecturer for South Africa is an extraordinary man by the name of Louis Patler. Google him...see what you can learn. Fortunately I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with him, he told myself and others in the group not to process what we are seeing and doing and to simply take it all in. This is what I have done since that day and what I will be doing from now on. In a sense it is for survival. It would be impossible for me to understand all I have seen and done and not go crazy. For me, this voyage has changed drastically in just a few days, and now it has been even more enhanced by a trip that was just over 24 hours.

Fish Guts and Kisses!

Happy Neptune Day!!!!! For those that don't know Neptune Day is supposed to sort of an initiation for those that haven't crossed the equator. On sunday we crossed the prime meridian and the equator at the same time which is definitley a unique experience. The captain altered his course so we would be able to do this.  This meant that we were at zero degrees longitude and zero degrees latitude. This was most certainly a once in a lifetime experience. Sailors used to get dragged behind the ship in the water in addition to having fish guts dumped on them and their heads shaved...o and they had to kiss a fish.  The SAS version is a little different.  You get fish guts dumped on your head and then jump into the pool, and when you get out of the pool you kiss the fish.  Shaving your head is optional but so far a lot of people have done it, i'm pretty sure more girls have done it so far than guys. I'm not, I want to want to do it, but still not enough. I didn't do the fish guts either. I've enjoyed watching it. Right now i'm dealing with a combination of a really bad stomach bug and seasickness so i've been pretty much down for the count the last day and a half. We have our first global test today so we'll see how that goes, especially b/c i'm in the union which is the room most likely to make someone feel sick. The test is shipwide too, so every student on the ship has to take it at the same time. Students will be all over the ship btw the union, dinig rooms, classrooms, everywhere. it's going to be interesting to see how it all works out.

Ghana was amazing. Aside from feeling a little off the entire time(the fact that i'm now sick explains it). the first day i visited the castles and slave dungeons.  As one of my friends put it, it was the greatest contrast between heaven and hell that he's ever seen. This could not have been truer. However, one of the guides there was very adamant in his sentiments when he said "we are not here to judge, or to blame, or to point fingers. We are here to teach, for in order to learn, you must be educated and in order to be educated you must learn." Truer words could not have been said. My second into third day I did a home stay. my final day I went to a children home.  The entire time in Ghana were a sort of progression for me. It was almost a sort of pattern of life and succession.  More on this later, Right now, I'm going to attempt to rest more so i'll be able to study and prepare before the test tonight!!!

Lots of love!!!

~Angela

p.s.-i'm going to start working on sending photos as well that way you can see what i've been up to through pictures as well