Salvador, Brazil

02/19

We’re in Salvador, Brazil! It’s a really cool city, I didn’t really know what to expect other than a favelas like in the movie City of God. Our Global Studies class teaches us about each country we’re about to visit during the days that we’re on our way there so it’s interesting to see the course work in person. Salvador has the highest African population in all of Brazil. There is also this elevator that takes us from the lower city to the upper city. We were told not to ride it in small groups so I haven’t been on it yet. Unfortunately, I won’t have many pictures because we were also warned that it will be likely that we will be pick pocketed or robbed if we have much on us so we’ve been leaving our cameras at home :(. Three girls were actually robbed at knife-point the first day we got here. They took everything! I’ll make sure to post this AFTER we leave so you guys won’t be too worried. Those chicas were doing everything we were told not to do (flaunting) and we’re very cautious of our surrounding and, believe it or not, we blend in a little bit better than the other SAS students. At least our hair is brown…Greg has been blending in everywhere we go! Everyone thought he was Puerto Rican and now he can pass as Brazilian.

We went to the Mercado and got some good deals and ate at a restaurant right out side. There was a capoiera group there so we were able to watch them while we ate. Capoiera is a type of martial arts that slaves used to disguise as dance and uses mainly legs. They do kicks and flips and cartwheels, it kind of looks like break dancing. Even the boys about 7 years old were doing it. We couldn’t understand the menu so Celina and I just pointed at something and hoped for the best. We ended up getting some sort of fish with beans and rice. It was pretty good.

We went to Carnaval last night. It was amazing. It kind of reminded me of the taste of Colorado but much much much crazier! There were street vendors lining the streets selling all sorts of food and drinks. The currency here is the Rael and the exchange rate is about 2:1 so conversion isn’t too difficult yet. There are these huge floats that blare music, some have bands on the top but all of them are surrounded by and entourage of people dancing and in costume. There are all sorts of people of all ages. Carnaval is like Mardi Gras in that everyone is getting all of their sinning out before lent. It ends on Tuesday, the day before we leave. We’re planning on going to church for Ash Wednesday. We have tickets to Afro Bloco tonight so we’ll actually be in the Carnaval as part of the entourage following the floats.

02/20

OH MY GOOOOODNESSS!!!! We went to Carnaval again tonight and it was soooo much fun! We were in the parade with the Trio Electrico - Areketu float. It was a Samba/Reggae band and the crowd was a lot more intense than Afro Bloco - Cortejo (the one we were in two nights ago).

The Afro Bloco seemed more cultural, we had entire outfits instead of the plain T-shirts that the others had. The colors were light blue and white and the girls wore wrap skirts and white and blue tops and a hat with a red feather. The men’s were similar but with pants. This was the only Afro Bloco that allowed non-Africans to participate (the Afro groups celebrate African heritage and roots). Needless to say, we stood out like…well like Americans in an African parade. It was strange though, I didn’t feel uncomfortable or unwelcome once. I feel more uncomfortable at the Cherry Creek mall. There was a marching band that followed behind our float, it was like Drumline x 1,000! This parade started at 9 pm and we wussed out at 3 but it lasted till 6 in the morning. We had the best burger in the entire world!!! They warned us about the street food and said we shouldn’t eat it but rest assured that all the intestinal wrath that I may feel within the next few days will be all worth this burger that probably surpassed my entire caloric intake for the rest of the time in Brazil. It was fried egg, ham, cheese, sausage, a hamburger patty, lettuce, potatoe shoe strings, cucumber, tomato, and corn on a hamburger bun. It may not sound too appetizing but it was heaven on earth and clogs in my arteries. I’ve been hearing horror stories about the portal potties but luckily I haven’t had to use them (which is a great benefit of not drinking alcohol – aren’t you proud dad?). The taxi ride home is half the fun. The lanes on the roads don’t mean much and the speed limit is merely a suggestion. We’ve had a lot of interesting taxi drivers that are more than willing to talk, or at least try to communicate and tell us about Brazil. We’ve been getting by with Spanish.

Tonight was much more hectic and crazy than last night. If you like personal space and cleanliness I would suggest staying as far away from carnaval as possible as there is none of either! I didn’t even have my own air to breathe, it was madness! We tried selling our tickets because we were kind of tired from the night before but thankfully nobody bought them because we would have really missed out. It’s basically like a moving concert and club. Everyone was dancing and jumping, I loved it! I met a guy at the beginning who asked me to dance, I’m not sure what kind of dance it was but I picked it up pretty quick. He became our friend and made sure I was bumped too hard and our group was always close together. He didn’t speak a lick of English nor I of Portuguese but we had an interesting conversation. He tried to teach me how to dance Samba to no avail :( but nonetheless had a great time looking foolish trying to do it! His name was Andre, he asked for my email address so I guess I’ll have to learn Portuguese if I ever want to respond (Jazmin, Mando…lessons?).

There are a lot of poor children here, it’s really sad. It makes me even more sad to be apprehensive to wear flip flops because the streets are dirty and wet (people are peeing everywhere) then later in the day see kids as young as 5 walking bare foot and people sleeping in the same street I wouldn’t even want to touch. I also get sad when I see all the students on the boat being so wasteful at dinner time and throwing away platefuls of food while people right out side our ship are starving and would do anything for those leftovers. Guilt. It’s been a struggle and I’m sure it will only get worse with each port but it helps to talk about it with my group of friends on the ship.

I feel like all the adjectives and exclamation points in the world don’t really express what I feel…neither remorse nor excitement. I’m having a lot of fun and learning a lot outside of the classroom. Still missin you guys! Ari’s birthday is in 2 days and I’m sad I have to miss it :( Tell her I said happy birthday and give her a kiss! Jake, Happy Belated!!!!! I suck…I missed it :( Sorry. You are an old man!

p.s. I’m not proof reading these so I probably have many mistakes – deal with it :) haha

Valentines Day in the Atlantic

02/14/07

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! First and foremost, thank you to all those who sent me with Valentines Day cards. It was a very thoughtful gesture and I appreciate it more than you know. I waited to open them till this morning and it was nice to have words from home to cheer me up on this lonely hearts day ;). We have a stop light dance tonight (single people wear green, taken people wear red and complicated situations wear yellow). The only red thing I’ll be wearing is my eye! I got pink eye, the first time I’ve had it. I got some antibacterial drops from the doc and it should go away in a couple days.

I have A LOT of reading for all of my classes and they seem like they’ll be a lot of work but hopefully the professors will lighten up a little bit. I finally got my schedule figured out. I had to change it up a little to make sure I have enough upper division credits to graduate so my classes are: Global Studies, Psych of Women, Global Public Health, African-American Lit, and a Theatre class. The most challenging is the theatre class even though it has the lightest work load but because we have to do all of these crazy exercises. I’m very very far out of my comfort zone in that class but I just have to make weird noises and faces along with the rest of the theatre kids…yep, I’m in that class that I used to laugh at when I walked by.

We crossed the equator today at 12:15. I never knew there was a big red line separating the northern hemisphere from the southern. Haha. I feel really sick today and can’t seem to wake up. If I could, I would sleep all day. I think it’s the rocking that makes me so sleepy. We keep losing hours and having to set our clocks back and will do so 22 more times. We are 5 hours ahead of Denver now. I’m getting a little homesick I have to admit. Maybe because it’s Valentines day and I’m in the middle of the Atlantic with no valentine and I don’t have the red velvet heart filled with chocolate that my Dad always gets me. Greg did bring me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich though because I was too tired to go to the cafeteria, nice guy huh? Not quite a heart filled with chocolate but nonetheless still considerate and nice – made my day.

Have a nice day! Thank you for the Valentines Day emails also! I miss you guys. Will someone please tell grandma and grandpa and nana that I say hello and I miss them as I know they’re not internet savvy ;) Also, thank you for the emails! I haven’t been able to respond individually too much but I read them all the time and they make me smile :) Give the babies a kiss for me!

Puerto Rico

02/08/07

I’m in Puerto Rico and loving it! It’s absolutely beautiful (the scenery and the people alike!). The governor and secretary of state of Puerto Rico welcomed us on the ship yesterday morning with a speech about the history of Puerto Rican culture. Michael, Celina and Val had tickets for an event so Greg and I went to old San Juan and ate at a little restaurant that had the best steak I’ve ever had in my entire life! It even topped off my Dad’s – sorry Dad :(. We walked around the city a little and went into different shops.

We went to a welcoming reception at Carribean University last night. I just finished filling out my transfer papers as I will be attending this campus next semester! Haha, just kidding but it was a beautiful campus and had a lively student body. The buses pulled up to the University where a lot of students were waiting – some playing instruments, clapping, chanting, and even some on stilts and in costume. We had traditional Puerto Rican food and watched a folklorico performance that was AMAZING! They really know how to move it! Michael got it on video (his favorites parts and people of course haha) so I’ll attempt to post it somehow. After the performances they had a celebration and dance. Later in the night we went to Senor Frogs. The whole day was A LOT of fun.

I’m experiencing sea legs! It feels like I’m swaying back and forth on dry land and I’ve been tripping and losing my balance more often than usual which is a little hard to believe. I haven’t gotten sea sick yet but the constant rocking makes me tired. The sleep on the ship is the best. The food has been pretty good too. I’ve been eating 4 meals a day, and big ones at that, so you can expect extra “poundage” upon my arrival. I’ll probably gain the semester at sea 15.

I’ve only had half my classes so far. We only take classes when we’re at sea. I’m taking 15 credits: African American Lit, Psych of Women, Global Studies, World Public Health, and Human Reproduction.

02/10

We left Puerto Rico last night and are now on a long stretch to Brazil. I think we have 7 days at sea till the next port. While we’re on board, we don’t have weekends and refer to days as either A day or B day so, as you can imagine, it’s really easy to lose track of days. I think today is Saturday but to be honest I have no idea. I feel out of touch with American Pop Culture but it’s kind of refreshing to not know about the useless and irrelevant rumors about celebrity lives. We have a tv in our rooms but get one movie that plays over and over and over again. The past week was Cool Runnings. I heard Anna Nicole Smith died but I’m not sure if that was a ship rumor or not.

This SHIP is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

The ship is basically a floating hotel. Our room seems small but has a lot more storage space than I thought. We have a steward that comes in and makes are beds every morning and the kitchen staff takes our plates when we’re finished eating. I don’t really like that aspect. I feel like I am able to and should make my own bed and clear my own plates. I told Nelly, our floor steward, that she doesn’t have to make my bed but I guess they do checks to make sure she is doing her job and she’s not supposed to leave any beds unmade.

Our classes are in lounges and it’s a little difficult to pay attention when all I can see out of the floor-to-ceiling windows is ocean. It’s pretty cool though, once I’m able to figure out how to post pictures I’ll post some of the view. We have two cafeterias, a library, computer lab, basketball courts, a pool, work out stations, and even a spa. It’s hard to believe that I’m actually getting credit while traveling on this ship. I’ve had all my classes and the course load is no different then back at CU. It seems like we have a lot of work and little time to do it in especially without weekends. The days go by fast!

Bahama Mama!

Hello!

First and foremost, I already miss you all! I can’t believe that I won’t be seeing you for 98 days at the earliest. So far the trip is off to a good start, at least for the most part. Michael and Greg had some luggage difficulties in the transfer from the Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas but it was delivered to our hotel early Saturday morning. Our hotel was decent enough, it was no Atlantis but it served it’s purpose! A lot of the SAS students stayed at the Atlantis, which was extremely nice and expensive and included myths of water parks and shark tanks! The closest we got to it was watching it get smaller in the horizon as the ship left the island. Our hotel had a casino right next door and I hate to admit it but I did surrender $5 once I saw my favorite Cash Man machine. I vowed to only waste (I assume to waste when I gamble) five dollars. Luckily, I turned my $5 into $23 and cashed out! Celina didn’t have such luck :(

That luck proceeded to the following days. Greg and I were able to check in early to the ship and soon thereafter we found out that we were next door neighbors! Val and Celina also have an extra bed in their room so if I ever need to get away from my roommate, I can find a getaway above Val’s head (it pulls out from the wall). Fortunately I don’t think I’ll have to escape from my roommate too often. She’s a cool chick named Kristen Bobby from Pittsburgh. We seem like we’ll get along well. There are a lot of CU students on board (at 71 comprising nearly 70% of the student body!). A couple hours after we boarded I saw Archbishop Desmund Tutu walking around – he waved to me! It’s pretty crazy, he goes through the lunch line in the cafeteria just like everyone else. It serves as a reminder of how a single individual of great influence but such small stature is human just like everyone else. It’s really a humbling experience…and to think I haven’t even stepped foot in the first port yet. I can only imagine what has yet to come.

Thank you to all those who have sent emails and continue to send kind words. I really appreciate it and enjoy reading emails from you. I’ll respond as quickly as possible. My internet time is limited but I will do my absolute best to respond in a timely manner :)

Airport and premature sea sickness :(

I'm sitting in the Ft. Lauderdale airport right now on a 3 hour layover :( Michael and Greg were on the same flight with us here but their flight to the Bahamas left a little over 2 hours ago. Celina and I went to eat at the airport Chili's and now we both have a lil of premature sea sickness :( I can probably attribute it to a combination of things...waking up at 3:30, bumpy flight, old cream cheese on a stale raisen bagel, nerves, anxiety, excitement. Whatever it is I hope it goes away soon! We'll be in the Bahamas in a few hours then meet up with the rest of the kiddos that are going and probably go to dinner or something.

Goodbyes were a little more rough than I anticipated but I was able to hold up pretty well. My final dinner in the States was Pho! Well....it's time to board, i'll write later. woo hoo!!!

False alarm, the flight was to Freemont, Bahamas not Nassau. Anyways, we had Pho last night and now it's hurting my tummy :( It was rough saying goodbye to my Dad and Mom of course, just as I had anticipated. I stopped by my grandparents to bid them farewell -a little past their bed time (8:00 pm). My Mom and David dropped me off this morning at the airport bright and early, actually we left the house before the sun was even up. Hopefully future posts will be a little more entertaining than this one...sorry! Although there are quite a few interesting characters in the airport, my Aunt Cindy would have a ball people watching here! There are a lot of Super Bowl "goers" - seems to be more Bear fans than Colts. We won't be able to watch it, let me know who wins! Dooooo bye!

p.s. don't worry, i packed all the saints, rosaries, scapulars, and prayers that you all so generously gave to me so i'll be safe and sound!