03/22
Hello! The Sunday service with Archbishop Desmund Tutu was amazing! It was a very informal gathering in the room of our academic dean. Only three students were invited to attend: Michael, Greg, and I. Desmund’s wife was able to join us after South Africa so she has been on board ever since. It’s really refreshing to see a couple that has been married for so long who genuinely appreciates each other’s company. In one of his lectures, he talked about how no standing ovation can compare to the approval and appreciation of his wife after he gives a speech. According to him, not until the ride home when his wife says “good job”, does he get a sense of relief and pride. Anyhoooo…The service began at 7:30 am so we woke up bright and early, in comparison to the 9:15 rising for my 9:20 Global Studies class, to get ready for the service. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring anything nice to wear. In fact, I didn’t bring much to wear period. I have lots of sweats and pajamas and a limited amount of ‘daytime clothes’. But that’s besides the point. So Michael, Greg and I went upstairs in our Sunday’s finest for the services and met with the Academic Dean and his family as well as the family of the Student Affairs Dean. Archbishop Tutu xeroxed a couple copies of the passages and readings so we could follow along. We were given an opportunity to share what we are thankful for and to ask for prayers. Archbishop Tutu’s wife prayed for their cousin’s family who had just died two days prior from AIDS. I was sad to see her mourning her cousin’s death especially because just a week or two ago, Archbishop Tutu shared with us during a lecture that he had a cousin who is (was) currently suffering from AIDS. We received the body and blood of Christ from Archbishop Tutu and gave each other peace. After the services had ended Archbishop Tutu noticed his wife’s shoes were untied. As he bent to tie them, he said “Greg, when you find a wife…this is what you have to look forward to”. He has a very funny sense of humor. We were returning the chairs we had borrowed to the different rooms and when Archbishop Tutu lifted his chair to take next door, the Academic Dean assured him that he would take it. To which he jokingly replied, “But then I won’t be able to show off my humility”.
03/30
I don’t really know how to start this time…I guess I’ll just start by saying that India is indescribable in many ways. For the first time since I’ve been gone, I found myself completely out of my comfort zone. Everything I experienced was brand new and the only thing I found that reminded me of home was a pizza hut was VERY different in many ways. All the other ports had several things that I could relate to whether it be the language, the style, the food, or whatever else. However, despite all the differences I saw, I still could find relation in the people. As different as our lifestyles may be, I could still see humanity in the faces of every person I encountered, which is probably the reason why I found it so difficult to see so many people begging and to turn down children who were selling anything they could find. India is demanding. I definitely don’t think everyone should go there or would be able to handle everything that there is to be seen on every corner. It demands emotional strength, physical strength, courage, a strong stomach, an open mind, and so much more. To be honest, I never thought I had all of those and still don’t think I do, but I did surprise myself. Celina and Val have surprised me the most though. They both have been wearing their brave shoes this whole trip and I am so proud of them! I have felt about every emotion possible while in India. I felt guilty, ignorant, appreciative, shameful, selfish, generous, cheated, joyful, and uncomfortable beyond belief. I know this will be kind of hard to understand for many, probably most, because I don’t think I will articulate it well but, as always, I will do my best. I don’t think I’ll be able to describe it well because I’m still unsure how I currently feel and don’t really know how to sort everything that I saw properly. With that said, here is my trip in India:
INDIA
Currency = Rupee; conversion = 44:1
Cities visited: Chennai, Delhi, Agra
By means of: Plane, train, bus, walking, and RICKSHAW
Important facts: India is the most populous country in the world, A LOT of pollution, Hindu and Muslim are the two most common religions, the number 9 cause of death worldwide is traffic accidents. I understand why that number is so high after leaving India.
When we first arrived in Chennai, India, it took us about 3 or 4 hours to disembark because we had to go through customs and passport checks and the alike. We had to carry our custom forms with us everywhere we went because they check tourists often. The females had to wear pants or capris that were well below the knees and tops that covered at least our shoulders. But, of course, there were some idiot females leaving in shorts and tight tank tops. Actually now that I think about it, it was the same female that got robbed in Brazil. Figures. The second I stepped off the ship I could feel the change in the air. It was thick, humid and pungent. The port was very different from the rest we have visited. There was nothing really around besides some train tracks and a couple shops that charged quadruple the price of outside shops. We had to walk for about 5 minutes to catch a rickshaw, which is a tiny cart-like automobile with three wheels and a thin tin roof. The driver sits centered in the front and all the passengers pile into a small seat in the back. There was a gate where about 50 drivers were waiting. Michael, Celina, Val and I were each attacked by 5 drivers who were all trying to take us different directions. It was disorienting but we all got in one rickshaw with a driver who agreed to take us to the market for 60 Rupees (the equivalent to $1.50ish. We pulled up to the big fancy building and the only thing the driver says is “You don’t like, don’t buy”. We were all a little confused but assuming that we were at the market, Michael pays the driver. So we go inside to find beautiful merchandise but the cheapest item was about $40, clearly out of our price range. Realizing this is definitely not the market, we leave the store to find that all the rickshaw drivers outside are waiting for their customers who are inside. It took us about 10 minutes to find a new driver who agreed to take us to the market. Or so we thought. I guess the drivers make some sort of commission for the customers they bring to the store in addition to a new uniform per every 3 visits they make. He kept saying “ok last one, don’t like don’t buy”. We would go in for a few minutes, come out empty handed, and be promised that we were going to the market next. Then we’d pull up to a similar shop and go through the same exact thing. “Ok, last one. Promise, next market”. This happened about 6 times. Eventually he we finally got to an outdoor market with reasonable prices. Actually they were exceptional prices. We bought a few things that would normally go for $30 in the States for $2. After walking around and shopping for a little bit we went to a restaurant called the Taj. The food was absolutely delicious. I never knew I liked Indian food having never had it before but I’d have to say it’s one of my favorites. Usually it’s eaten with hands but we used utensils since they were on our table. I guess we should have eaten with our hands instead though. We paid the driver about 150x what he expected and anticipated so he left a happy man. After we ate, we had to find a new driver who tried to do the same “last shop last shop” game with us but I had to get stern and tell him to take us directly to the ship because we had to leave for a welcome reception at the University in an hour. They all made fun of me because I was so stern…All I said was “if we get out and look at this shop, we’re going straight to the ship after. Not after two stops, not after three. STRAIGHT TO THE SHIP!” haha. So we went into the shop that we had already been in 3 times that day and looked around at the same stuff AGAIN. The store owner was even like “what the hell…why are these kids back again”.
Later that evening we went to the University for a Welcome Reception. There were several ladies doing henna so I got one. Some of them were really beautiful but mine just looked like a bunch of varicose veins on my arm and hand. She also did a tulip-looking thing on my hand that looked like I got it done in North Denver. I think she must have been tired of doing so many because she finished mine in like 3 seconds flat. Some other girls on the ship have really intricate designs. There was also a woman dancing traditional Indian dances. She said that it was the only dance that incorporates facial expressions, hand movements, and feet movements to depict a story. She was really good. She danced for like 2 hours without even looking tired. After the reception, we went back to the ship and packed for our trip to Deli and Agra.
The flight left at 7 am so we had to wake up at 4 am to leave for the airport. There were about 100 students going on the trip so we definitely caused a ruckus in the airport. Actually, our interport lecturers told us that it was all over the news that we were getting into town that day so everyone was expecting us. I slept the entire flight of course. The flight attendants had the most beautiful saris. A sari is the typical dress of Indian women. It kind of looks like a long piece of material that is wrapped around their bodies and hangs on their shoulders. We arrived in Delhi and had an early lunch at a hotel. Food was great! After lunch we went to the train station and waited for our train that was almost 2 hours late. We saw two young boys, about 9 or 10 years old, get in a fist fight because they were both trying to haggle the same person. The train ride was interesting. My friend Ivan and I were the only one in our group (Michael, Celina, and Val were in a separate group) and we had to sit far from all the other students. The train was kind of like being in jail for 4 hours, the amount of time it takes to get to Agra. The seats were hard and uncomfortable and we had seats that were against the wall so we had no cushioning on our backs. Rather, we had barred windows. The people sitting near us were somewhat friendly. We didn’t have a conversation with them or anything but at least they smiled at us. There were a lot of people begging making their rounds on the train. There were a lot of physically disabled people also. One man who looked like he had either Polio or muscular dystrophy pulled himself across the train with his hand out in hopes for donations. Another man begging for money had some sort of skin disorder. It looked like it was falling off. There were some men dressed in Saris and lots of make up who came on asking for money. One of them started yelling at Ivan for some reason. Both of us were unsure why. The friendly people got off about an hour before we got there and a group of men took their spot. It was clear that they did not like us. They talked about us a lot in their language and stared at me pretty much the entire time. They could have just been curious about us but that’s not the vibe I got from them. We finally got to Agra and headed for our bus. On the way there, we were bombarded by beggers. There were a lot of people with some sort of physical disability.
We finally got to the hotel and went to bed as early as possible because we had to wake up at 5 am to head to the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a tomb built by Mughal Experor Shah Jahan in memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal. He must have really loved her! We met up with Michael, Celina and Val but only for a few minutes because our trip was leaving to Fatehpur Sikri, a deserted city. It was really pretty but kind of ironic that it was deserted because of water scarcity but the lawns were green and there were lots of flowers. After this city, we went to Agra Fort, which had beautiful architecture but the most interesting thing was the way people tried to take advantage of tourists and foreigners, as in every country. People would come up to Ivan and me and just start telling us information. Then they wouldn’t leave us alone and would follow us everywhere telling us information about everything we looked at. If we looked at a building, they would say “oh yes, that building is where the Muslim women stayed”. If we looked at a wall, he would say “oh yes, the design is very complex and used to have precious stones in it”. If we looked at the sky, he would say “oh yes, it is blue”. He wasn’t nearly as bad as the others we encountered on our way to the Mosque which was separate from the Fort. We were surrounded by about 5 kids yelling information at us about the Mosque and telling us we were going the wrong way. They would say “I am not a guide, it is my duty to tell you, I am a student, no money, don’t pay me Rupees”. Then at the end they would ask for American dollars. We went back to the Taj Mahal for sunset. I wrote a sign to take a picture with and send home but it got confiscated after a few shots. I guess it’s against the rules to have signs or something but they let me through security with it. The rest of them were taken at the entrance. We stayed in Agra this night in a FANCY hotel that was REALLY expensive. We went out that night to a club that was in our hotel lobby to celebrate Michael’s birthday and accidentally spent waaay to much on drinks. We didn’t drink much; the drinks were just very expensive. For instance, one long island cost $11. Ridiculous, I know. It was a really fun night though.
The next morning we went on a tour of the city and to the Ghandi museum. It was really cool. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time there. That’s one thing that I got pretty annoyed with; we spent about an hour or more driving around the city and when we got to the museum, the guide was like “ok, meet you at the bus in 20 minutes”. We spent a little more time than that but I felt like we needed an hour or more just to see everything.
The train to the next hotel was much nicer than the first. We had our own seats, similar to an airplane. It was also an express train so took about 2.5 hours instead of 4.5 but it seemed like even less because Ivan and I had really good conversations the entire way. I thought only 45 minutes had passed when we arrived.
We went to a textile store that sold really expensive rugs. A couple students bought some for $800 - $1200. Must be nice. The tour guides that took us there get a cut of the money the store makes so I’m sure they were happy they had some rich students on board.
We made our way back to Chennai. We went to Spencer’s Mall the next morning. All the stores had hand-made signs displayed on their windows saying “VERY VERY special price for MV Explorer”. I had a conversation with a shop owner who said that the business is not worth the hype and that he wishes that the ship just went somewhere else instead of Chennai. He said that everyone expects this big economy boosts but a lot of the students leave to go to other cities or they expect to get nice stuff for a dime. He said that India is generally a cheap country but it’s offending to have people saying they won’t spend more than a dollar on certain items. Also, the guides and rickshaw drivers are taking the students to other way more expensive stores because they get commission on sales so few people ever make it to his shop.
I have never been more scared than I was when we tried to cross the street. Like I said, traffic accidents is a huge problem. There are no lanes and bikes, rickshaws, people, buses all share the street. We had to time it perfectly to cross the street and just when it seemed like there was a clear spot, 15 motorcycles would speed by. One time we were able to cross to the median but when we got there it the lanes going the opposite direction were speeding by. We were stuck there for a good 10 minutes. I haven’t prayed that much in a long time. We were definitely a few Americans looking pretty foolish stuck in the middle of the street with cars, and rickshaws speeding by in opposite directions. The median was about a foot and a half wide so we didn’t have much leeway and had to balance with shaking knees. Everyone honks ALL THE TIME. There isn’t 5 seconds that pass of ‘clear air’. It’s always filled with commotion, honks, yelling, back fires, breaks squealing. I take all the saints I was given, a rosary, and a scapular everywhere I go and I was praying to all of them. God willing, we finally made it across in one piece!
We went to a market where there were no tourists or students. I’m not sure what it was called or how we even got there or why the rickshaw driver took us there but I’m glad we went. There were a lot of vegetable and fruit stands. A lot of babies and toddlers wandering the streets that were probably more capable of living on their own than I am. There were also a lot of women with babies begging for food. I heard a horror story that many women who give birth to stillborns keep the baby to carry around and beg with. I think we saw one.
Something I did like was the affection shared between men. Homosexuality is illegal in India but the affection between men and women separately was admirable. It was refreshing to see people interact with each other without fear of being accused of being gay. Men would hold hands or would affectionately rest their arms on their friends should while walking. In the States, I think men can barely hug their fathers without being afraid of acting gay. Women also did the same.
I guess that’s all for now…We get to Malaysia in a couple days. I hope all is well. Miss you tons!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Port Louis, Mauritius
03/13
Hello! So I caught the bug that has been making its rounds :( I’m basically quarantined to my room in an attempt to stop the spread. Ironically, I avoided it when it was passing through Greg, Michael, Celina, and Val. They’re all healthy as horses now and I feel like poop! At first it was just cold symptoms: lost my voice, stuffy nose/head. But now it feels like the flu – aches, fever, freezing then stifling. I hope I get better by the time we get to Mauritius which gives me 2 days. I also got a bunch of bites while we were on the Safari so hopefully I don’t have malaria! Haha, just kidding. Our guide said the altitude was too high for anopheles mosquitoes and I’ve been taking my meds regularly. The bites look pretty gross though, not like mosquito bites. I’ll let you know how it goes…
03/17
We’re leaving Mauritius in a few minutes and will be on our way to India! I had never heard of Mauritius before as I’m sure is the case for many of you unless you’re a world geography wiz. It’s a tiny island right off the eastern coast of Madagascar. The Dutch first “claimed” the land but later abandoned then it was colonized by the British but not till after French settlers brought Indians over as indentured servants. After slavery was abolished in1835, a wave of South Asians immigrated to the island. The language is French and Creole and the most common religion is Hindu. Needless to say, the culture is very unique to the island, or so it seems but who knows…I’ve come to learn that I don’t know much. The currency is the Rupee and conversion is 33 Rupees per $1 so it’s getting a little bit more tricky but still not too difficult.
So the days leading to Mauritius were not so fun. I was sick. The boat was ROCKY! The worst it has been yet. In fact, I just learned that we barely escaped a cyclone. They didn’t tell us that till later probably so we wouldn’t freak out. They bolted our port hole closed again so we couldn’t see much out of our windows. Eating dinner was pretty fun. Trying to balance our plates and walk to our tables was our amusement of the day. Going up and down the stairs is even more fun! I would feel weightless the first few steps like I defied gravity then the next few steps I felt like I was 500 pounds! Walking through the halls was pretty crazy too; we would be running for a few feet then completely stuck in our footsteps once the ship’s weight shifted. It’s kind of hard to explain…I hope I’m doing it well. I don’t understand why students go to the pub nights to drink. I stagger enough and have difficulty focusing when I’m as sober as Desmund. Speaking of my homie Desmund, I have been invited to a service that he is holding tomorrow morning so I’m really excited for that! I’m not sure how appropriate picture taking will be…I’m assuming it won’t be so I’ll just write about it ;)
The first day of Mauritius was too short but still great. Because of the rocky waters our arrival was delayed by six hours so we didn’t get off the ship till about 1:00 in the afternoon. It is VERY hot here. We went to the Market and just walked around. Again, not what I expected. I say that every time I write – “not what I expected”. It reminded me of what I would expect for India. The fabric here is beautiful! I didn’t buy much though because I anticipate buying stuff like in India so hopefully it’ll be like what I expect this time or else I missed out on a lot of really cool stuff! After the market Celina, Michael, and I went to China Town for lunch. We went to a fairly big restaurant but we were the only customers which was kind of strange. Since we couldn’t understand the menu we just pointed at stuff in hopes for the best. Michael got pork, Celina had beef, and I luckily chose chicken. We ate for about $2 each! And good portions too! Later that night we met up with Valerie and Greg, who had been on a service project that day, to go to dinner and a couple bars. Val said that she was wearing tennis shoes because there were a lot of roaches out but I paid her no mind, sprayed on some deet, and was on my way. I should have taken her advice! There were cockroaches everywhere and they were nuts! It was ridiculous and probably really entertaining for the Taxi drivers to watch the American students jump and run from the bugs.
The next morning I went with Greg and our friend Jamie from Philadelphia to Grand Baei Beach. It took about 45 minutes to get there. It was beautiful and very hot and sunny.
Today was another beach day since Michael, Val and Celina missed out on the first day. I went with Greg, Val, Celina, Michael, our friend Jay from L.A. and Jennifer from Georgia. It wasn’t as sunny today but still just as much fun. We took the 21 Rupee bus instead of the 700 Rupee (about 30 bucks) taxi ride.
We’ve only been here for 3 days and we’re already leaving. It’ll be 7 days till we’re in Chennai, India, our next port. I’m getting more homesick now I hate to admit and I can’t tell if my “home sick wall”, the wall I keep my pictures on, makes it better or worse. I think a little bit of both. I’ll be home sooner than I know it and we’ll have a big shindig!!!! Michael and I want to have our graduation parties together so maybe it could be a “happy graduation/welcome home” party. I hope all is well with everyone.
Birthdays that I’ve missed:
Happy Birthday to my cousin Lawrence (you’re a teenager now woo hoo!), Bianca Prieto (I miss you vieja), my Nina Iris, Auntie Berta (soon to miss your bday), and Ricky even though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even read this…If I forgot your birthday, I apologize! I can’t even keep track of the days of the week on this ship!
Hello! So I caught the bug that has been making its rounds :( I’m basically quarantined to my room in an attempt to stop the spread. Ironically, I avoided it when it was passing through Greg, Michael, Celina, and Val. They’re all healthy as horses now and I feel like poop! At first it was just cold symptoms: lost my voice, stuffy nose/head. But now it feels like the flu – aches, fever, freezing then stifling. I hope I get better by the time we get to Mauritius which gives me 2 days. I also got a bunch of bites while we were on the Safari so hopefully I don’t have malaria! Haha, just kidding. Our guide said the altitude was too high for anopheles mosquitoes and I’ve been taking my meds regularly. The bites look pretty gross though, not like mosquito bites. I’ll let you know how it goes…
03/17
We’re leaving Mauritius in a few minutes and will be on our way to India! I had never heard of Mauritius before as I’m sure is the case for many of you unless you’re a world geography wiz. It’s a tiny island right off the eastern coast of Madagascar. The Dutch first “claimed” the land but later abandoned then it was colonized by the British but not till after French settlers brought Indians over as indentured servants. After slavery was abolished in1835, a wave of South Asians immigrated to the island. The language is French and Creole and the most common religion is Hindu. Needless to say, the culture is very unique to the island, or so it seems but who knows…I’ve come to learn that I don’t know much. The currency is the Rupee and conversion is 33 Rupees per $1 so it’s getting a little bit more tricky but still not too difficult.
So the days leading to Mauritius were not so fun. I was sick. The boat was ROCKY! The worst it has been yet. In fact, I just learned that we barely escaped a cyclone. They didn’t tell us that till later probably so we wouldn’t freak out. They bolted our port hole closed again so we couldn’t see much out of our windows. Eating dinner was pretty fun. Trying to balance our plates and walk to our tables was our amusement of the day. Going up and down the stairs is even more fun! I would feel weightless the first few steps like I defied gravity then the next few steps I felt like I was 500 pounds! Walking through the halls was pretty crazy too; we would be running for a few feet then completely stuck in our footsteps once the ship’s weight shifted. It’s kind of hard to explain…I hope I’m doing it well. I don’t understand why students go to the pub nights to drink. I stagger enough and have difficulty focusing when I’m as sober as Desmund. Speaking of my homie Desmund, I have been invited to a service that he is holding tomorrow morning so I’m really excited for that! I’m not sure how appropriate picture taking will be…I’m assuming it won’t be so I’ll just write about it ;)
The first day of Mauritius was too short but still great. Because of the rocky waters our arrival was delayed by six hours so we didn’t get off the ship till about 1:00 in the afternoon. It is VERY hot here. We went to the Market and just walked around. Again, not what I expected. I say that every time I write – “not what I expected”. It reminded me of what I would expect for India. The fabric here is beautiful! I didn’t buy much though because I anticipate buying stuff like in India so hopefully it’ll be like what I expect this time or else I missed out on a lot of really cool stuff! After the market Celina, Michael, and I went to China Town for lunch. We went to a fairly big restaurant but we were the only customers which was kind of strange. Since we couldn’t understand the menu we just pointed at stuff in hopes for the best. Michael got pork, Celina had beef, and I luckily chose chicken. We ate for about $2 each! And good portions too! Later that night we met up with Valerie and Greg, who had been on a service project that day, to go to dinner and a couple bars. Val said that she was wearing tennis shoes because there were a lot of roaches out but I paid her no mind, sprayed on some deet, and was on my way. I should have taken her advice! There were cockroaches everywhere and they were nuts! It was ridiculous and probably really entertaining for the Taxi drivers to watch the American students jump and run from the bugs.
The next morning I went with Greg and our friend Jamie from Philadelphia to Grand Baei Beach. It took about 45 minutes to get there. It was beautiful and very hot and sunny.
Today was another beach day since Michael, Val and Celina missed out on the first day. I went with Greg, Val, Celina, Michael, our friend Jay from L.A. and Jennifer from Georgia. It wasn’t as sunny today but still just as much fun. We took the 21 Rupee bus instead of the 700 Rupee (about 30 bucks) taxi ride.
We’ve only been here for 3 days and we’re already leaving. It’ll be 7 days till we’re in Chennai, India, our next port. I’m getting more homesick now I hate to admit and I can’t tell if my “home sick wall”, the wall I keep my pictures on, makes it better or worse. I think a little bit of both. I’ll be home sooner than I know it and we’ll have a big shindig!!!! Michael and I want to have our graduation parties together so maybe it could be a “happy graduation/welcome home” party. I hope all is well with everyone.
Birthdays that I’ve missed:
Happy Birthday to my cousin Lawrence (you’re a teenager now woo hoo!), Bianca Prieto (I miss you vieja), my Nina Iris, Auntie Berta (soon to miss your bday), and Ricky even though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even read this…If I forgot your birthday, I apologize! I can’t even keep track of the days of the week on this ship!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
South Africa!
03/09
This is going to be a looooong one so be ready! South Africa is absolutely amazing!!! I have to admit that this port was not one that I was not especially excited for but not for any particular reason. It just has never been a destination that I had a desire to visit but at the end of 6 days I was wishing I could spend 6 more and planning to come back in 3 years. I made the mistake of not writing the entire time I was in port so I’m going to do my best to remember every detail and try to describe it as vividly as I experienced it though I make no promises. I doubt that I’ll be able to convey my emotions/experience/thought process appropriately but I promise my best efforts.
I’ll start with the days leading to our arrival in South Africa. As many of you know, Archbishop Desmund Tutu is traveling with us throughout the voyage as a guest lecturer. I had the privilege of having him lecture for 3 of my classes and it was remarkable. I always see him roaming the halls and eating in the cafeteria so the star struck feeling has diminished quite a bit but hearing him speak in such a small venue really was an astounding experience. I’m not sure if he ever has anything prepared but he just enters the rooms and speaks from the heart without a paper in hand and with no notes to refer but he never skips a beat and stays on topic. Just his presence lightens the room. I wish I could somehow attach a sound bite of his laugh! It’s the most contagious thing I’ve ever heard!!! He is always smiling and laughing about what seems like an inside joke but can very easily transition into serious topics. He is a very knowledgeable and wise man. He spoke about gender roles, love, relationships, Apartheid, the search for success, racism, inequality and much more.
Ship life other than that is ok…the food is getting worse and worse as the days go by but it’s tolerable. The classes are going ok also…I’m not doing as well as I anticipated but, admittedly, I’m not too worried about it. I know that sounds bad but everything I’m learning inside and outside of the classroom cannot be measured with grades. Don’t get me wrong, I’m taking care of business but I’m not beating myself up like I have in the past. I’m getting just barely better than average (Bs and one 78) which would have made me nuts at CU but I refuse to let anything bother me too much. I do stay on task a lot more than other students though! I get kinda frustrated when all I do is read to stay on top of my work and see all these foolios on deck 7 working on their tans from sunup to sundown. But then I don’t feel too bad because I’ll be enjoying my fresh, wrinkle-free skin in 30 years and they’ll be sad they spent 100 days baking in the sun! haha ;)
LOGISITICS:
- South Africa has 11 official languages (including English) with sign language being the most recently added
- Currency = the Rand, exchange rate is 7:1
- Population = diverse but not integrated (yes, there are white South Africans)
- Apartheid ended in ‘94
- We were docked in Cape Town, my Safari was in Mthothlmusa near Mozembique
Ok…now on to the port time!
At the advise of many we woke up bright and early (actually so early it wasn’t even bright yet) to see Table Mountain as we pulled into port. It was definitely worth the sleep to see such a sight. The sun was just peaking over Table Mountain as we pulled up and it was beautiful! We docked at Victoria Wharf which is definitely not was I expected South Africa to be like. I’m not sure what I expected really but it wasn’t a grand mall with expensive retail stores and gourmet dining. I felt like I was some place in California or something. There were a lot of fancy restaurants and shops that I definitely couldn’t afford.
The first day in South Africa we went to Robben Island, an island which housed the prison where political prisoners were sent during apartheid. It was really interesting and I wish we had another hour or two for the museum. Our tour guide was an ex- political prisoner and had spent 8 years of his life there. It was strange to think that this jail wasn’t used too long ago and the events that took place there are rather recent, apartheid just ended in April of ’94. We saw Nelson Mandela’s cell. As we were leaving the museum, our guide made sure to let us know that he did not want us to remember “Robben Island as a place of suffering and pain but rather of triumph of the human spirit”. It’s interesting to imagine someone who had spent 8 years confined to such a small place to not have feelings of anger and remorse but rather hopeful for future progress.
The second day we met up with Jazmin and Mando’s friend, Gerald. It was a GREAT day! We went to visit the “other” side of South Africa aside from the glamorous mall and luxurious Waterfront Resort that was literally right dockside the ship. We visited several townships which definitely weren’t as diverse as had been described to us by the interport student from University of Cape Town in South Africa. She told us that everyone on the ship could pass as South African and the population was very similar to The States in that there are people of every shade and ethnicity. She said that everyone got along and that there were no divisions. It was very disheartening that she was sponsored through SAS to come speak to us when I later realized that everything she said was untrue. Superficially I think she is right. At the mall I saw a very diverse community that seemed to have mutual respect for one another and I couldn’t tell who was South African and who was a tourist. I guess we just had to travel half an hour north to see such distinct division and immense disparity. Another thing that I don’t like about the ship is they keep us very scared but I guess it’s for our own good. They tell us to not go anywhere at night and be extremely cautious of our surroundings and basically don’t trust anyone which is good advise – essentially to have common sense as anyone should when traveling internationally. But they do it to an extent where students protect their pockets and go into defense mode every time anyone glances at them. But I digress. Anyways, the community in these townships were 100% different than the one surrounding our ship. It’s hard to believe that some of the shacks composed of tin and wood were home to many. And I guess I’ve had the luxury of never having to imagine living in those conditions. The only white people that could be found for miles were Val, Celina and I. We were considered white and Michael was considered colored according to Gerald. Greg was considered black or possibly colored because of his hair. In South Africa, colored refers to a multi racial person or someone with lighter skin tone and is completely acceptable terminology. Colored Africans are generally treated better than Black Africans. It definitely was not the diverse community working together as was described by the interport student as there were even divisions between black and colored Africans. We visited the gas station where Amy Biehl, an American student that was stoned to death, was killed and placed rocks at her memorial. It’s custom here to place rocks out of respect and memoriam as we do with flowers in the States. There were a lot of advertisements promoting AIDS awareness and prevention. We probably saw dozens within a couple miles. Gerald found it strange that sex education is such a taboo in the states and that people prefer abstinence only education. He didn’t understand why anyone would teach that model. We had some amazing traditional food, I wish I knew how to spell it but it was a feat to attempt just to say it. It had a click sound in it…Mn(click)osha…We went to a local bar in one of the townships and shared a few beers with a few of Gerald’s friends. They were very friendly and willing to share their opinions on several topics and interested in hearing our stories as well. We met the best pop/locker ever! He could lock every joint in his body including all his fingers! We then went to a butchery named Maphindi’s and it was heaven! Remember the best steak I ever had in Puerto Rico? Well, that did not even compare to this! We chose the meat we wanted (steak, lamb, sausage, pork) and they cooked it in a fire oven and brought it out to us on a big cookie sheet and nothing else. No plates or silverware. We tore it up! Then we went to Gerlad’s house and saw all his advertisements. I had no idea he was a model and basically a super star! He is in Smirnoff ads and Shell Oil cut outs and even on the box of Frosted Flakes. After that we went to another township bar. It was pretty full but people were quick to offer us some seats at their table. We had great conversations with them. We were the first Americans that many of them had met. Overall the experience was priceless and we all felt so blessed in many ways. Blessed to have the opportunity through networks (thanks sooo much Jaz and Mando!), blessed to have met the friends we did (we exchanged emails), blessed to have our lives and a warm bed to go home to, just blessed in many many aspects! At the end of the day we were sad that we had to leave for four days for our Safari, we wished we could stay in Cape Town longer.
The next day we woke up at 5 am to leave for our Safari. We had to take an airplane to Johannesburg, then another flight to Mthlothomusa, then a bus to Bongani, then a safari truck to get to our lodge. It was a mission. Our lodge was gorgeous! I was expecting a tiny room with 2 beds and a bathroom but it was an entire villa or perhaps bungalow would be a little bit better of a description. It had one room with two beds, two bathrooms, a living room and bar. We would wake up every morning at 5 am, have tea and biscuits (biscuits are cookies here), then go on a game drive to find some animals, come back for breakfast at 9, eat lunch at 1, then meet up again for another game drive at 4, and dinner around 8. We saw lots of animals! Again, not something I was expecting. I really don’t know what I’m expecting but everything is the opposite…I thought I would be driving in terrain straight off the Lion King. Open space, some trees, lots of sand and tall grass. It was mountainous was a lot of dense trees and bushes. We drove around in land rovers that could get over ANYTHING. I loooooved it! We saw giraffes, rhinos, elephants, water buffalo, impalas, ngalas, lions, hippos, and a crocodile. They were really close too and we didn’t have a roof on our car! There were a lot of thorn bushes so we had to duck and dodge them. It was kinda scary but I had so much fun. I never realized how much I loved elephants, they’re my favorite now! We ate a fruit called Amarula right off the ground. It was really good! It’s about the size of a golf ball and a yellowish peach color. They have an alcohol made of it that I wish I could bring back so you guys could try it but alcohol is not allowed on the ship :(.
We ate at a restaurant Ocean Basket that had all sorts of sea food for really cheap. Fish and chips was 25 Rand which about $3. We made a lot of friends in South Africa and exchanged email addresses on many accounts. Everyone is so friendly!
We’re on our way to Mauritius now and should be there in 6 days. It’s VERY VERY VERY rocky right now! They even bolted our windows shut for some reason. My room is on the lowest floor possible so maybe it’s rocking under water or something. My floor is kinda like a dungeon, I feel like the lower class on Titanic! Hhaha, but I don’t mind it because it’s a lot quieter down here and a lot less rocking. Celina and Val are on the highest possible floor and all of their stuff crashes to the floor all the time and it sounds like the boat engine is kept in their closet!
I miss you guys a lot! I enjoy reading your emails! I’ll be back in about 2 months! LOVE YAS!
This is going to be a looooong one so be ready! South Africa is absolutely amazing!!! I have to admit that this port was not one that I was not especially excited for but not for any particular reason. It just has never been a destination that I had a desire to visit but at the end of 6 days I was wishing I could spend 6 more and planning to come back in 3 years. I made the mistake of not writing the entire time I was in port so I’m going to do my best to remember every detail and try to describe it as vividly as I experienced it though I make no promises. I doubt that I’ll be able to convey my emotions/experience/thought process appropriately but I promise my best efforts.
I’ll start with the days leading to our arrival in South Africa. As many of you know, Archbishop Desmund Tutu is traveling with us throughout the voyage as a guest lecturer. I had the privilege of having him lecture for 3 of my classes and it was remarkable. I always see him roaming the halls and eating in the cafeteria so the star struck feeling has diminished quite a bit but hearing him speak in such a small venue really was an astounding experience. I’m not sure if he ever has anything prepared but he just enters the rooms and speaks from the heart without a paper in hand and with no notes to refer but he never skips a beat and stays on topic. Just his presence lightens the room. I wish I could somehow attach a sound bite of his laugh! It’s the most contagious thing I’ve ever heard!!! He is always smiling and laughing about what seems like an inside joke but can very easily transition into serious topics. He is a very knowledgeable and wise man. He spoke about gender roles, love, relationships, Apartheid, the search for success, racism, inequality and much more.
Ship life other than that is ok…the food is getting worse and worse as the days go by but it’s tolerable. The classes are going ok also…I’m not doing as well as I anticipated but, admittedly, I’m not too worried about it. I know that sounds bad but everything I’m learning inside and outside of the classroom cannot be measured with grades. Don’t get me wrong, I’m taking care of business but I’m not beating myself up like I have in the past. I’m getting just barely better than average (Bs and one 78) which would have made me nuts at CU but I refuse to let anything bother me too much. I do stay on task a lot more than other students though! I get kinda frustrated when all I do is read to stay on top of my work and see all these foolios on deck 7 working on their tans from sunup to sundown. But then I don’t feel too bad because I’ll be enjoying my fresh, wrinkle-free skin in 30 years and they’ll be sad they spent 100 days baking in the sun! haha ;)
LOGISITICS:
- South Africa has 11 official languages (including English) with sign language being the most recently added
- Currency = the Rand, exchange rate is 7:1
- Population = diverse but not integrated (yes, there are white South Africans)
- Apartheid ended in ‘94
- We were docked in Cape Town, my Safari was in Mthothlmusa near Mozembique
Ok…now on to the port time!
At the advise of many we woke up bright and early (actually so early it wasn’t even bright yet) to see Table Mountain as we pulled into port. It was definitely worth the sleep to see such a sight. The sun was just peaking over Table Mountain as we pulled up and it was beautiful! We docked at Victoria Wharf which is definitely not was I expected South Africa to be like. I’m not sure what I expected really but it wasn’t a grand mall with expensive retail stores and gourmet dining. I felt like I was some place in California or something. There were a lot of fancy restaurants and shops that I definitely couldn’t afford.
The first day in South Africa we went to Robben Island, an island which housed the prison where political prisoners were sent during apartheid. It was really interesting and I wish we had another hour or two for the museum. Our tour guide was an ex- political prisoner and had spent 8 years of his life there. It was strange to think that this jail wasn’t used too long ago and the events that took place there are rather recent, apartheid just ended in April of ’94. We saw Nelson Mandela’s cell. As we were leaving the museum, our guide made sure to let us know that he did not want us to remember “Robben Island as a place of suffering and pain but rather of triumph of the human spirit”. It’s interesting to imagine someone who had spent 8 years confined to such a small place to not have feelings of anger and remorse but rather hopeful for future progress.
The second day we met up with Jazmin and Mando’s friend, Gerald. It was a GREAT day! We went to visit the “other” side of South Africa aside from the glamorous mall and luxurious Waterfront Resort that was literally right dockside the ship. We visited several townships which definitely weren’t as diverse as had been described to us by the interport student from University of Cape Town in South Africa. She told us that everyone on the ship could pass as South African and the population was very similar to The States in that there are people of every shade and ethnicity. She said that everyone got along and that there were no divisions. It was very disheartening that she was sponsored through SAS to come speak to us when I later realized that everything she said was untrue. Superficially I think she is right. At the mall I saw a very diverse community that seemed to have mutual respect for one another and I couldn’t tell who was South African and who was a tourist. I guess we just had to travel half an hour north to see such distinct division and immense disparity. Another thing that I don’t like about the ship is they keep us very scared but I guess it’s for our own good. They tell us to not go anywhere at night and be extremely cautious of our surroundings and basically don’t trust anyone which is good advise – essentially to have common sense as anyone should when traveling internationally. But they do it to an extent where students protect their pockets and go into defense mode every time anyone glances at them. But I digress. Anyways, the community in these townships were 100% different than the one surrounding our ship. It’s hard to believe that some of the shacks composed of tin and wood were home to many. And I guess I’ve had the luxury of never having to imagine living in those conditions. The only white people that could be found for miles were Val, Celina and I. We were considered white and Michael was considered colored according to Gerald. Greg was considered black or possibly colored because of his hair. In South Africa, colored refers to a multi racial person or someone with lighter skin tone and is completely acceptable terminology. Colored Africans are generally treated better than Black Africans. It definitely was not the diverse community working together as was described by the interport student as there were even divisions between black and colored Africans. We visited the gas station where Amy Biehl, an American student that was stoned to death, was killed and placed rocks at her memorial. It’s custom here to place rocks out of respect and memoriam as we do with flowers in the States. There were a lot of advertisements promoting AIDS awareness and prevention. We probably saw dozens within a couple miles. Gerald found it strange that sex education is such a taboo in the states and that people prefer abstinence only education. He didn’t understand why anyone would teach that model. We had some amazing traditional food, I wish I knew how to spell it but it was a feat to attempt just to say it. It had a click sound in it…Mn(click)osha…We went to a local bar in one of the townships and shared a few beers with a few of Gerald’s friends. They were very friendly and willing to share their opinions on several topics and interested in hearing our stories as well. We met the best pop/locker ever! He could lock every joint in his body including all his fingers! We then went to a butchery named Maphindi’s and it was heaven! Remember the best steak I ever had in Puerto Rico? Well, that did not even compare to this! We chose the meat we wanted (steak, lamb, sausage, pork) and they cooked it in a fire oven and brought it out to us on a big cookie sheet and nothing else. No plates or silverware. We tore it up! Then we went to Gerlad’s house and saw all his advertisements. I had no idea he was a model and basically a super star! He is in Smirnoff ads and Shell Oil cut outs and even on the box of Frosted Flakes. After that we went to another township bar. It was pretty full but people were quick to offer us some seats at their table. We had great conversations with them. We were the first Americans that many of them had met. Overall the experience was priceless and we all felt so blessed in many ways. Blessed to have the opportunity through networks (thanks sooo much Jaz and Mando!), blessed to have met the friends we did (we exchanged emails), blessed to have our lives and a warm bed to go home to, just blessed in many many aspects! At the end of the day we were sad that we had to leave for four days for our Safari, we wished we could stay in Cape Town longer.
The next day we woke up at 5 am to leave for our Safari. We had to take an airplane to Johannesburg, then another flight to Mthlothomusa, then a bus to Bongani, then a safari truck to get to our lodge. It was a mission. Our lodge was gorgeous! I was expecting a tiny room with 2 beds and a bathroom but it was an entire villa or perhaps bungalow would be a little bit better of a description. It had one room with two beds, two bathrooms, a living room and bar. We would wake up every morning at 5 am, have tea and biscuits (biscuits are cookies here), then go on a game drive to find some animals, come back for breakfast at 9, eat lunch at 1, then meet up again for another game drive at 4, and dinner around 8. We saw lots of animals! Again, not something I was expecting. I really don’t know what I’m expecting but everything is the opposite…I thought I would be driving in terrain straight off the Lion King. Open space, some trees, lots of sand and tall grass. It was mountainous was a lot of dense trees and bushes. We drove around in land rovers that could get over ANYTHING. I loooooved it! We saw giraffes, rhinos, elephants, water buffalo, impalas, ngalas, lions, hippos, and a crocodile. They were really close too and we didn’t have a roof on our car! There were a lot of thorn bushes so we had to duck and dodge them. It was kinda scary but I had so much fun. I never realized how much I loved elephants, they’re my favorite now! We ate a fruit called Amarula right off the ground. It was really good! It’s about the size of a golf ball and a yellowish peach color. They have an alcohol made of it that I wish I could bring back so you guys could try it but alcohol is not allowed on the ship :(.
We ate at a restaurant Ocean Basket that had all sorts of sea food for really cheap. Fish and chips was 25 Rand which about $3. We made a lot of friends in South Africa and exchanged email addresses on many accounts. Everyone is so friendly!
We’re on our way to Mauritius now and should be there in 6 days. It’s VERY VERY VERY rocky right now! They even bolted our windows shut for some reason. My room is on the lowest floor possible so maybe it’s rocking under water or something. My floor is kinda like a dungeon, I feel like the lower class on Titanic! Hhaha, but I don’t mind it because it’s a lot quieter down here and a lot less rocking. Celina and Val are on the highest possible floor and all of their stuff crashes to the floor all the time and it sounds like the boat engine is kept in their closet!
I miss you guys a lot! I enjoy reading your emails! I’ll be back in about 2 months! LOVE YAS!
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