MY Superlative

In a two days it will be one hundred and nine days since I have left and I will have circum navigated around the world!!! It hard to fathom how fast this semester went by and all that I have done. Through this adventure I have seen, heard and experienced a vast amount of cultures, religions, food, weather, and terrain. I have created a superlative of my own evaluation of the countries I visited in order to answer some basic questions you might have. I am unable to pick a favorite country, as I have loved every single one for different reasons. This trip has changed me from the inside out (literally with no hair). I will forever remember the times I spent in port and on the ship. It has taught me many life lesson such as humility, listening, and the simply love of humanity.  Hope you enjoy… .

Most rewarding- India

Best food- Japan

Worst Food- India (only the curry)

Best beer-Japan

Least similar to US- Ghana

Most similar to US- Japan

Most like I imagined- None.

Least as I imagined- Brazil

Biggest Language Barrier- Brazil/ China

Hottest-Vietnam

Coldest-China

Most Sweaty- uhhhh everything but Japan and China

Most expensive- Japan
Least Expensive-India

Safest-Japan
Most dangerous- Brazil/ South Africa

Most beautiful- Mauritius 

Best Sunset- South Africa (literally every single color of the rainbow)

Best Sunrise-Vietnam

Most difficult to digest- India

Best stars- India

Best skyline- China (Shanghai and Hong Kong)

Cleanest- Japan!!!

Dirtiest-India

Best Nightlife- Hong Kong

Best markets- Vietnam

Favorite Music- South Africa

Most touristy- China

Least touristy- India

Most distinctive smell- India


Hottest Guys- South Africa

Worst car accident I was in- India

Most religious- South Africa/ Ghana

Least religious- Japan

Most unnecessary hang shakes- India

Friendliest- Vietnam

Least Friendliest- China

Most helpful- Japan

Least amount of sleep in port- India/ Japan


THANK YOU MOM AND DAD FOR GIVING ME THE WORLD!!!  I will forever be grateful and feel incredible blessed for this voyage around the world.
(I know I have missed two countries, but I will finish them as soon as possible… sorry! ☺

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”

-Aristotle

 

Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain!

Rainbow Nation

Cape Town, South Africa

Day 1

My experience here started with a remarkable and life changing opportunity to meet with Linda Biehl.  I am not sure if anyone knows the story of Amy Biel but I will give you a short history of their story.  Amy was a student about the age of 22 I think who was in South Africa trying to aid in joining the white and black communities together during the apartheid.  She ended up getting stoned to death by four young black men. She instantly became an example as a white American woman who was killed during this time. According to her mother this is exactly what she didn’t want, as many blacks were being killed every day and were only known by a number and as soon as a white person died their name was everywhere.  She wanted to be known as a number. Two out of the four men a few years later where issued freedom from the TRC, which was established by Mandela and Desmund Tu Tu.
Linda Biehl many years later started the Amy Biehl Foundation, which is an after school program in a township on the outskirts of Cape Town. The foundation gives young children a safe place to play games, sports, and aid in bringing a community together. Two of the murders now work for the foundation with Linda (later in the week I had the opportunity to meet both of them). This woman has shown the true power of forgiveness and reconciliation, as she is able to move past the evil and see the good that can come out of a situation. Hearing her speak moved me to look at my own life and the situations where it is often hard to move on.  She is the most courageous and inspiring women I have ever heard speak. Loosing a child is often a parent’s worst fear and now this woman is working with the ones that murdered her daughter. She considers them very good friends and their daughters even call her grandmother.  Her love and compassion amazed me as she spoke. It was a blessing that she came onto the ship to talk with us. 
Now too dramatically change the subject on the rest of my day I went GREAT WHITE SHARK CAGE DIVING!!!! The company picked us up right from the ship and drove us about two hours to the other side. I was extremely excited and also very nervous. When we were on the boat about ten minutes and then they started placing fish chum in the water and began preparing us as what to do. The placed the cage inside the water and we began putting on wet suits. No joke only a few minutes later I saw my first great white shark right next to the boat. This is when I started freaking out because it was huge and I was about to get into the water with it!! It was the most thrilling thing I have ever done and I loved it every minute of it. The shark would come up to the cage and hit it and the whole boat would shake each time. One time it even got its mouth stuck in the cage!!!! It was really scary looking into the eyes of this enormous animal that could destroy me in a few seconds. I never felt unsafe inside the cage as long as I was carful where to my arms and legs. I couldn’t believe what I was doing and how awesome it was! I had a blast!
When we arrived back on the ship we went out to the waterfront, which is beautiful. It is nothing like the rest of the town and is extremely designed for the tourist. I often felt as if I was in England as all the white people have the British accents yet were born and raised in South Africa. We had dinner at a restaurant with live music and dancing. We met up with the rest of our friends and went out for the night. It was a crazy and great night of dancing with the locals at a club.

Day 2
Today I had a trip to the Amy Biehl Foundation for one of my classes. We were able to talk to the manager of the organization and he discussed how and where most of their donations come from. They are very creative and innovated with the ways in which they work around the system. We then visited different townships and secondary school in which they sponsor. For lunch, we went to a common area where people gather to have parties, lunch, or simply to hang out. It was a great way to get a feel of typically and daily life. We happened to be there when a soccer rally was going on for the World Cup. We learned their national song and enjoyed celebrating with local people. (we even got free stuff!) We drove by the spot where Amy was exactly killed before heading out to meet the children. Once we arrived with them we played with them for a few hours. Most split up into teams and played soccer, while the rest of us colored and painted with the kids who didn’t want to play. By the end of the day I had been colored all over my body, even all over my face. I really enjoyed this trip because I felt that everyone seemed to benefit from this experience. I truly saw the interaction between all different cultures coming together with pure fun while embracing each other’s company. The two people who work for the foundation, who were the ones that murdered Amy years ago happened to also come out to be with us. I had the opportunity to talk with one of them personally as he showed me a picture of his daughter and I simply was asking him questions. Later in the day the other one shared a bit of his life story and the power and significance this foundation had on his life. I truly respect these men who have looked passed their actions and now promote a foundation that offers security and entertainment for children. They were genuine men who have moved on and now have families of their own. Often Linda and the men travel in the States together to share their story. The day was filled with laughter and happiness when we left.
At night a few of my friends went out to have some drinks at a local restaurant that was playing live jazz to relax and debrief from the day. I couldn’t believe my life from where I was and what I was doing. My life is surreal.  

Day 3
Today a few of my friends had become good friends with a taxi driver who agreed to give us a tour of the city for a reasonable price. We decided to first head out to see the Table Mountain National Park, which is the most south one can travel in Africa. It is also where the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean met and we were able to see the two currents merging together. The drive was a beautiful as we drove along the coast and through mountainous areas. It is about an hour drive outside of the city of Cape Town and randomly we would also run into baboons randomly on the side of the road. Once we arrived to the Cape Point we had about a ten-minute hike to get to the top where the lighthouse is located. It was absolutely beautiful there. The clouds lightly covered the ocean with mountains in the background. The ocean was surrounding us. It was very serene and peaceful that words cannot describe. Even after three months on the ocean I am still amazed at the beauty that it posses as well as all that encompasses it. 
We left here and went to an ostrich farm down the street. They are the funniest animals with their long necks and weird bodies. One bit my friend’s hand! It was really funny and luckily it was not to hard that she was not hurt.
We headed then towards boulder beach, which is where you can swim and hang out with penguins. They were just hanging out underneath the boulders and in the water. This place was beautiful as well, from the color of water to the mountains on the other side. The penguins were very calm and used to interact with humans so we were able to get very close to them. They are adorable in their little tuxedos. 
Our driver the drove us to the biggest township in Cape Town. It has 400,000 people living in it. A township is where during the apartheid the government forced all the colored and blacks to live in a certain area designed for them. They gave them no structure for the homes yet most have electricity and running water. The houses are made out of tin, cardboard, or are inside of large shipping crates. Although the apartheid ended in 1994 most still live in these communities and with people that I met along the way they loved them and did not wanna leave.  Unfortunately, we were unable to get out of the car because it is unsafe for tourist to be in that area. At one point we even had a car follow us and we had to change our speed and quickly lose him. I never felt unsafe as we drove by everyone waved and smiled and were yelling “white people, white people” as we drove by. It was really interesting to drive through and see. South Africa has an extremely high wealth discrepancy and it was extremely obvious. One minute you would be in a suburban style housing and the next street you would come to shacks that were made of tin. I have never seen anything like that.
The rest of the day we went to a beautiful beach town called Camps Bay to have dinner on the beach in a little town outside of Cape Town. The sunset was gorgeous as Table Mountain reflected the color and turned a pink color from the sun. We spent the night talking and meeting all sorts of people.

Day 4
This day was spent in Stellenboch wine tasting. This day was beautiful was we drove from wine land to wine land tasting all different types from red to whit wine. The wine country was beautiful with the trees and dirt roads that we drove on. I felt as if I was in a movie with the green rows and rows of land and then would come across a stunning white building with pink or red roses surrounding them. We arrived in the winelands around 10:30 and yes I know it was a bit early to start drinking! I have never been wine tasting before as obviously I am illegal in the states to drink and I loved it. It was so much fun to try all the different wines. I learned all about how they are made and what creates the smoky taste or rich flavor. We didn’t leave the wine lands till about 4:30 as we decided to try and see as many as possible. There are hundreds of different places to go visit and we only went to five or so. When we got back I met up with one of my friends for her 21st birthday dinner on the beach and then meet up with my other friends at a reggae bar called “Mama Africa” later in the night. We had a great last night in South Africa dancing and being with each other.

Day 5
HAPPY EASTER AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!
How lucky am I that I got to spent Easter in South Africa. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a church in walking distance and in the morning couldn’t find anyone to go to church with me. However, later on the ship we had a church service so I was able to still worship and enjoy this special say. I spent the day relaxing and walking around with my friends. We had to be on the ship by four so we did not venture to far out, but ended up just staying in the waterfront listening to a live band at a restaurant. It was relaxing and really fun!

Table Mountain!

Arriving into Cape Town!

Paradise

Mauritius!

Neptune Day aka the whole ship pulled a Brittney Spears! Haha

This day has been a tradition of Semester at Sea for many years and I am honestly unsure of the history. It is the day we cross the equator. ☺ The day begins with them waking us up by a band going up and down the halls playing instruments and knocking all of our doors. Many of the faulty is dressed up as “sea gods.” The whole point is to be to be accepted into their kingdom on the ocean. In order for you to be accepted is to get “fish guts” poured over your head and then you have to kiss a fish.   
This semester we had about 50 or so people shave or cut there hair for locks of love. I SHAVED my head! I had one of my friends cut it short for locks of love and then a few other people that I knew cut or shave there head with me as well. I was a bit nervous yet at the same time very excited. As she cut off my braided ponytail and handed it to me she said “ this is going to make a little girl happy,” and with that I got tears in my eyes. However, after that I couldn’t stop and decided I had to go on and shave it off. Ha It was the weirdest feeling ever! I couldn’t believe what I was actually doing! Everyone is around and starring and cheering it was awesome. VERY surreal. Now having it been a few days it feels great! I actually don’t hate myself with no hair. The weirdest thing is showering, but its great cause it dry’s in a few minutes and takes me no time at all to get ready!  I also really like the feeling because its super soft while its also really weird to have to put sunscreen on my head too! I have truly learned that my hair does not define me and I feel more confident and free! The thing that is going to be the most fun is all the different stages as it continues to grow back. I still catch myself doing weird things cause I forget that my hair is gone. It will take awhile for me to remember that MY HAIR IS GONE!!! The day was a great as we hung out by the pool listening to music, having a BBQ and then ended with a talent show. I still can’t believe that I actually did it. I am sorry I am also not going to post any pictures because I would like to be there and see everyone reaction! ☺

India!

“True contentment is a real, even an active virtue—not only affirmative but creative. It is the power of getting out of any situation all there is in it.”  - Chesterter

Our first port was Chennai, which is in the southern end on the Bay of Bengal. I fell in love with this country.  I am honestly unsure why or how because by the end of the week my feet clearly looked as though I was a different race, due to the amount of dirt on them. The first day, I did an overnight trip, for a class, to child labor bridge school. It was about two hours outside of the city of Chennai. About 40% of the children in India are in child labor, making about 2$ a month and start work at the age 4.  This was a school that was working on trying to get kids out of the work force. We were able to play with the kids most of the day and singsongs together. They were adorable. Most of the kids we saw had just gotten off work from the rock query and there hands showed it. Most of them were extremely cut up and some even missing parts of their fingers. The program is called RIDE if you would like to look up more information.
        We also went to a village called Kancheepuram. I have never seen a village that was more excited to see and greet us by their warmth and compassion. It was overwhelming, but they instantly made me feel welcome. We were able to walk around the town by ourselves just trying to communicate with the people. One woman grabbed my arm and pretty much dragged me into her home. She was ecstatic because she had a TV. (Which was a huge deal.) The only English she knew was “TV” and she kept repeating it over and over. I have never seen a women more proud of her belongings. At their local school we were able to play with the children some more. Most of the children in India spoke better English than the adults so we were able to sing songs with them. They loved practicing their English and showing us how the could count to ten. We stayed the night there and they were so gracious with the amount of food and everything they did for us.
    The next day, we headed back to the ship and this is when the true adventure begins. My friends and I had made no plans at all. We tried to book a bus or a train ticket to anywhere in Southern India, but they were all booked. All we knew was that in three days we had to be all the way across to the other side of India, in Cochin. We started by getting in a rickshaw (three wheeled motor car thingy.) The driving in India is crazy! No one follows the lines at all and everyone honks at each other. Often there is even a cow in the middle of the road and you can be waiting their for quite some time waiting for it to cross. At times I literally could reach out and touch a bus cause we were so close. We were headed to a bus station and ended up getting into an accident! Our driver got out, looked and kept going, literally nothing else. The other driver didn’t even look until a few blocks down the road. It was crazy. We found an overnight bus to Madurai. We hardly knew anything about this town except that is was often called “temple city.” The bus was scheduled to leave around 10:30 and get in around 6.  The bus was very interesting, all of us luckily got to be in the way back crammed together. I have never gotten more looks in my life as we were the only white people to be seen. The entire ten-hour ride there was a loud bally-wood movie playing, while half of the speakers were blown out, but that didn’t stop them. We decided to take the AC bus thinking since it was so hot that it would be worth it. It only cost a little more the total of this bus was about 6 American dollars.  The entire night it would go from extremely hot, like sweat dripping down your face, to extremely cold that you need a blanket. The seats in this semi-sleeper bus went extremely far back and I felt like I had the Indian man’s head in my lap. No joke. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep. I also woke up to the biggest bump on my head, most likely from bobbing my head so hard into the seat next to me. Haha
        Once we arrived in Madurai it was about 8:30 am. We were excited because we had all day to explore. We randomly picked a place to get off the bus and decided to get some breakfast and figure out our day. We ended up walking around the streets for a few hours. This may have been my favorite day, so far on the entire voyage. We walked all through the backstreets and alleys. I happened to bring with my some stickers that I began slowly handing out to the kids we passed.  Once it started we slowly began getting crowds of people wanting to see what we were giving out. I have never seen women, some as old as 60, so excited to receive a sticker. I almost felt like a celebrity walking around their streets.  They welcomed us into their homes, wanted us to eat with them, and offered us tea. Simply looking in their eyes truly told a story. I think that being in the slums made these people even more beautiful because they were full of joy. Many didn’t even know what a camera was and was so happy to get there pictures taken.  Smiling is truly the universal language. It can open up anyone’s heart to feel comfortable and warmth.
We left this afternoon and took a car about 4 hours to a town called Kumily. The drive was extremely mountainous as we drove through jungles. During the ride, we saw wild monkeys  just hanging out on the side of the road and the rural side of southern India. It was beautiful.  Our driver and his girlfriend were extremely friendly and would randomly makes stops throughout the trip and we are a bit unsure why.  When we arrived we had no hotel or any expectations of this town. We began walking around and finally met our new friend, Charlie.  He ended us spending the next two days with us and taking us all over this little town while eating just about every meal with us. The hotel we ended up staying at was called the Rainbow hotel. Our rooms were electric colors of pink and blue. Its was crazy!
      In the morning we took us to ride the ELEPHANTS!!!!!! ITS WAS AWESOME!!!! It honestly could not have been better. It was such a blast. After the elephant junction, he took us on a jungle hike. It was like a walking safari and were hunting for all different wild animals.  They have an extreme amount of wild spices such a coffee, pepper, and fruit everywhere. He would point them all out and made us try just about everything.  We spent the whole day and evening with him as he took as to all his favorite restaurants for lunch and dinner. By the end, I was becoming his sponsor to get a visa, with him trying to get a job at the Broadmoor. ☺ I have noticed that the best part about this voyage is the people and friends you met all over the world! 
We then took a bus at 3:35 A.M in the morning to our next port city Cochin. It may have been one of the scariest bus rides I have ever experienced. The bus did not have any windows and at one point we were going about 60mph on switchbacks through the jungle. I think we literally got air since the roads aren’t the best paved roads. No joke. Not to mention that it was also extremely crowded this entire time!!! I don’t think they could have fit one more person on that bus. The bus wouldn’t even stop to pick people up they would hop on as it was moving. It was quite an experience.
     We finally arrived at 9:00 a.m. We were extremely surprised we had made it all the way across southern India with little problems. The rest of the time in India I went to an SOS children Village for a project for another class I am taking. We played and hung out with the kids most of the day.
If one were to ask me how I felt right now about India I would have a hard time answering. Throughout the entire time I felt so many different emotions from pain, to sorrow, helplessness, and pure joy.  Yet at the same time, I had true sense of peace. No words can ever describe the true India, you have to experience it yourself to truly understand.  There is so much more detail that I did not expand on due to the fact that it would not give it enough justice. I can’t explain it through this setting without sounding that all there is to India is poverty or dirt. There is an immense more to India once you look past that and see the people.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content."  Philippians 4: 11-12

(Guess what? I can sit Indian Style for the first time in 4 years!!!! Pretty sweet huh?)
NOW: Neptune Day! To shave or not to shave my head that is the question.

A few boys in India

India

RIDING AN ELEPHANT in India!!!

Just another day on the Mekong Delta

Vietnam

Strangely Beautiful and Strikingly Unique

This country truly put many aspects of my life in perspective. I was truly able to grasp the effects of war, communism, poverty, yet the simple pleasure and joy the Vietnamese people possessed.  When comparing countries honestly, China to me was a depressing poverty where I felt the government was not taking care of their people, while also showing a bit of animosity towards Americans.  On the other hand, Vietnam was one of the most welcoming towards Americans and truly content with their lifestyle. (their happiness level is higher than China…statistically)  They seemed to never be striving for any better and although they had very little their faces where full of joy. I have never been in a cultural where I would only simply smile and say hello and feel the warmth and true love of the people.  Their warmth opened up a new world of compassion and understanding in my heart. They had their family, food, and a roof and were extremely happy. The one thing that I have realized is seeing past the poverty and looking at the people and countries for how they are. Throughout this entire journey, I have experienced the entire spectrum from human evil and the awful treatment that occurs all over the word as well as the amount of joy humans can express. I have really loved seeing the richness of each country, for instance, Vietnam has 54 languages so it’s extremely diverse and unique, while majority in Vietnam live on about 40$ a month, so obviously a developing country. The thing I think I loved about this country is the drastic difference in their way of life and mine.

        Prior to arriving we had many lectures on Vietnam and the war and I began to have new understanding of the magnitude of the devastation of the war between the US and Vietnam. I am very young and because of that I feel I never truly learned much about it or heard much of it. However, I now feel that experiencing and seeing firsthand the landscape, museums, and people I have begun to understand a bit of the pain and hurt that happened during that time. When walking around the first day in HCMC I saw roughly thirty people affected by, what many professors I have talked to is the aftermath of Agent Orange. Many were as young as five with deformed, shriveled body parts, filled with calluses, blisters, and what looked like leprosy. I wont get into more details, but I had no idea how much was still effecting this entire culture. It was extremely difficult to see the effects of that other humans can do towards others.  The Vietnamese population is 75% are below 35 so many of the people in Vietnam have truly moved on from the war, as many did not experience it, but was their parents and grandparents that lived through that time, however, I feel that America is just the opposite.
Well anyways enough about that… The first day we arrived to in Ho Chi Minh City and of course I woke up for the sunrise. It was one of the best yet!! The rice fields were surrounding our boat and little wooden boats surrendered us with men rowing themselves by sticks or bamboo.  It was beautiful and seemed a bit surreal. The weather was even hotter and humid, very drastic change from china only to days prior.  This is February the 26th and I had no set plans for the day. I walked around the city with five of my friends. We literally just began walking and ran across markets selling everything from pretty much chicken heads to clothing, shoes, DVDs and jewelry. I had never been to a market that was so large. We came across the Notre Dame Cathedral, the City Hall, and the Presidential Palace.  The Palace remains the same as April 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese military tanks crashed through the front gates and over through the South. The traffic here is NOTHING to what I have ever seen before! There are thousands of motorbikes and they do not stop at cross walks, they run red lights, and drive on the other side of the road. I have never been so afraid to cross a street. The best way to describe it is by I felt like I was in a video game trying to dodge things in the way, except its my life I was worried about it. I will never be afraid to cross the street again!! There would be a family of four on one bike as well as I often saw an entire ladder with the man holding a bucket of paint or a door in the middle of two people or the two year old would be in-between the two parents just standing up.. Literally, you look around asking if this is truly happening.
My friends and I tried coconut on the street and also tried the famous pho for lunch.  In the afternoon, we came across I tailor and I designed my own dress. No going to lie it was more difficult than anyone would think. They literally have books where you pick the style you want, everything from the latest dresses or shirts, stars are wearing, even wedding dresses. Then you go pick your fabric from thousands of different colors and patters, from silk to cotton. It was so much fun! The people working were so sweet and really helpful! (ill tell you a story more about when I picked it up haha) We ran across DVD’s and TV shows that were 50 cents apiece. Everything in American money was extremely cheap for us. At night one of my friends mom was doing the SAS parent trip so we went out to dinner with her. It was great to meet one of my good friends mom and have dinner with her!! ? After dinner we walked around more and went into the night markets. The in order to get back home we decided to take what are called cyclos. Kinda difficult to describe, but its like a three-wheeled bike where you are sitting on what to me seems like a chariot it was AWESOME!! So much fun!!
February 26th
I left early in the morning and headed to the Mekong Delta. A few facts about the Delta that I found interesting…
18 million people live in the Delta
2nd largest river in South East Asia and the 13th largest in the world
2nd largest exporter of rice
The bus ride to the delta took about tow hours and I love the saying I heard,  “you don’t know all the colors of green until you see rice patties.“

We first arrived on the delta and got on the boat. We first stopped at a village called Kai Be where we I ran into women making rice net for spring roles. Some of the girls were even as young as 11. In the same village we saw rice paper, fish sauce (which has one of the most disgusting smells I have ever experienced!! It tastes very bitter  and I personally did not like it), we also saw coconut candy made, (I am completely obsessed with it!! SOO GOOD), saw the real way rice crispies are made. While I also tried snake wine, where I had to dip my glass into the bottle where the snake was dead, and even had a scorpion in his mouth in order to get a cup full.  It tasted like a really bad shot of something. Very interesting. From this village we took a boat ride to a different side. We then took about a 30 min walk to the Bonzai garden. The walk was incredible. The Mekong Delta is filled with fruit trees!! Naturally they are everywhere we literally would pick the fruit off the tree. It has all different types that I had never heard or seen before, my favorite was the milky apples. ? The river is one of the most peaceful place I have ever been before. It is extremely lush. I could have walked around for hours talking to the people, and embracing the sound of the birds, children laughing, and the water moving. If anyone has read Siddartha I truly felt a connection to the river, It may sound crazy if you haven’t read to book, but the people on the river I believe are truly happier because they have learned from the river. I was only on it for two days and it will forever change me.  The colors in the Delta are beautiful many of the houses are on stilts, with their clothes hanging out front, while some people live on their boats. Although the people have very little and it seems that they have nothing they are truly filled with a spirit of compassion. It is truly strikingly beautiful.  We took a ride on a smaller boat, which was one of my favorite on this entire trip!!! As we were riding no one spoke a word for about 30 min or so just trying to soak in everything we were seeing. We saw little kids laughing and playing in the water and a woman washing her clothes in the water.  It’s a true sense of silence, tranquility, and calm on the river. We then started heading to our home stay. They house we stayed at was on stilts and we slept on cot with the mosquito nets over them. The house was entirely open and was broken up into sections. For example, the kitchen was not connected to the “living room.” They did have a TV and for couches they have hammocks.  The fruit trees where surrounding the back yard and we would go all night and pick fruit that I had never even seen before. The best thing I did was I went on a walk around the house and ran into these little boys who were making a boat out of the leaves. I began to try and communicate with them and they were so filled with laughter. I almost even missed them because the trees were so thick. It was surreal. Before dinner we even jumped into the Delta! Yes, I got to swim in the Mekong Delta. I didn’t bring my suit so I swam in my clothes! We were told over and over again not to swim, so it was actually a really freeing experience! Haha Its was awesome!!! They made us a dinner and it literally was a whole fried fish. They entire thing was on the plate. Its was interesting. Then they gave us a performance at night. The people in the Mekong Delta are some of the happiest people I have ever seen and I think it is because of their relaxed nature. It was an amazing experience. This was probably the highlight of all of Vietnam. We spent the rest of the evening talking and hanging out. The most peaceful place I think I have ever been too.

February 27th

We woke up in the morning at around 5am due to the roosters and birds. I LOVED it though. We first went to this live market. Every single animals possible from pigs, snakes, rooster, chicken, fish and they would literally chop up the animal in front of you. The noise and smell of the entire market really affected me. I have never seen animals getting a bit tortured for food. The hearts of the fish were still beating as the chopped it up. It was awful… I am officially I full vegetarian! Not a joke. It was really difficult for me to see I have noticed in most of Asia that the people do not see animals as animals until they are eating them. We also went to a brick making factory on the delta, where the make everything possible out of clay.
We then went to two different pagodas in a different town called Can Tho. The first one was a more modern pagoda where they have renovated their religion.  It was a old warehouse building that they had completely filled statues and was filed color possible. To me it looked like a circus. They love incense throughout entire Asia and this pagoda was filled with people lighting and worshiping large and small Buddha’s and statues of animals.
We then went to a more ancient pagoda, which was entirely different. It was much more officially with gates surrounding it and only one larger Buddha. At this pagoda we came across I live funeral where they were cremating the body as we happened to be there. A very unique experience.  So here is a funny story in the hotel we were staying at we could get and hour massage for about 8 dollars.  So first off they spoke no English whatsoever so it was hilarious because they were laughing at us an we were laughing at them cause we had not idea what to do. Let me tell you about the ambience of the place: I had space ship wallpaper mixed with bamboo while the music was a mix between elevator and jazz. It first started off great we got into two different types of saunas. Then I went into the room and she literally jumped on top of me. At one point she was even standing on top of me since they have bars above the bed in order to get her full body into my back.  She would crack my entire body from my shoulders, neck and even my toes (hahah funny huh? mom) At one point she had a wooden stick that she was pressing into the pressure points all around my foot. The next morning I woke up with bruises up and down my legs. I am glad I did it but I would never do it again. It was so painful.

February 28th
We woke up early and went to the floating market, which was he largest in the Delta. Every single boat had something different from watermelon, to pineapple, and even a coffee shop on one of the boats.   It is constantly moving and floating around as you swift through all the different boast. There were easily about 40-50 different boats.  We tried a pineapple form one of the boats and they had the tree branch on the boat and picked the one we wanted. The cut it up so we were eating it like a popsicle. It was probably the freshest fruit I will ever have.  We spent the rest of the trying getting back to HCMC as it took about four hours because of the ferry’s. At night a bunch of us went out to dinner and the out to a few different clubs and bars. They were very different as we were the only white people in them. The music was extremely loud I could hardly even think. I have grown really used to being starred out and being the ones that don’t seem to belong. I honestly, kinda enjoy it. Before dinner I went and tried on my dress and it was the wrong color, style and everything! I had to design a completely new dress and they were going to have it ready the next day… they had it down and it fits great!! Yahoo.


March 1st
Today we woke up early to meet with Fawn’s Cousin. Fawn lives in the States and does our manicure and pedicures at home she set me up to hang out with her cousin.  I was really fortunate that we were able to connect with her for the day, which to me explains a lot of how the people are in Vietnam. All I had was an address of where we were planning on meeting her. We took a one of the motorbikes as a taxi to try and find her. As you know the motor bikes are extremely scary but really fun!! We finally found her and she was taking us to to the Chu Chi tunnels. It is about 2 hours outside of the city.  The tunnels were hot, small, and extremely hidden. I have never seen anything like them. Its really hard to describe what I was feeling because it was uncomfortable being in a place where so many Americans and people have died. Our tour guide was often laughing when describing the traps where people had died, which was obviously completely awful. The forest near the tunnels is so thick and you could hardly see past a few yards. I can’t expand now because I need to process everything first before I tell everyone about it. It was a hard thing for me to see.
After the tunnels we went out to lunch with her, Hoa. I loved meeting her and talking with her. She was very nice and explained a lot of the history, people, and about her family. She took us to a market after lunch and helped us try and bargain. However, most of the time she would laugh at us. I am extremely thankful for meeting us and hanging out with us the entire day. She even gave us a ride on her motorbike! Ha As we were trying t find our way back to the ship we ran into a Tutti Frutti!!! Ha It was great!  We left Vietnam that night.

When the tag on my shirt says Vietnam I will never look at it the same because know I now I know how the people live and what they are experiencing. Its having an appreciation of the local and globalization haha.
Now on for India… and I get to look at Singapore but do not get to get off the ship…

China

Recess on steroids + ecstasy =My trip in China (obviously not literally)
We arrived in Shanghai on the 16th coming down the Huang River literally one of the most incredible skylines I have ever seen. On one side was the business and financial district and then on the other were the older buildings where the bund was. We were in the perfect location to see everything it was great as I was eating breakfast I was looking at the skyline of Shanghai. Weird. 
One of my friends, Lauren and I decided to take the bus out to this water village on the outskirts of town for the day. We got off the bus, which was a very hilarious ride. No joke the traffic reminds me a bit of Rome you can pretty much go wherever you want, especially if you are a big bus. The driver was everywhere and we didn’t even know if we were going the right direction. But we finally made it and at first we got of the bus and it seemed nothing as to what we had expected… We were the only white people and had no idea where we were. On this trip I have began to truly embrace that I am never truly lost. It in incredible feeling to feel so hopeless with no way of communicating yet at the same feel so comfortable.
We finally came upon the river and the buildings. It was beautiful. All the buildings were red and white with bridges everywhere. There was a market around that area too where people were selling everything imaginable, even turtles and fish.  It was the cliché version of China that most people think of, with red lanterns everywhere and small markets with very unique foods.
At night we walked around the main square in Shanghai where there were more lights and people everywhere!! It literally was a Disneyland for adults! Bars, restaurants, and shops in every direction. We went to a typical teahouse too, which was really interesting to see as well nothing what I expected though. I didn’t seen beggars in the city, I didn’t see trash, I hardly even saw a bug in the air. However, instantly outside I saw the homeless, and what seemed like a messy area was there homes and what they most deeply possessed, but to me it looked like junk. I believe I have experienced the saying one man’s trash is another one’s treasure. I was so ignorant to how people live in China.
The people are what make this trip alive. The people I have met truly transform this trip into a new experience.
February 17th
I did a planned trip through SAS with about a total of 100 people.  We first flew to the city of Xi’an, which is the ancient capital or eternal city of China. Once we arrived we went straight to an Art/ Calligraphy museum. We saw artwork and even learned how to do it! (I am defiantly an expert now and can teach everyone Chinese calligraphy so don’t worry. I know you all will ask. Ha)
For dinner we were having Dumplings. We wet to the main area of the town. Since it happens to be the Chinese New Year everything was extremely elaborate.  Lights on every building, people everywhere, and of course the little red lanterns. The coolest thing, which is kind of hard to explain, but they would light these red lanterns and let them go into the sky.  It was truly amazing in that area. Dinner was good too our Chinese food at home however is NOTHING like the food here, which is funny. ?
February 18th
We first went to the Xian City wall. It is the largest CITY wall in China.  I guess it is about 9 miles or so. It was once again all decorated for the New Year and was really pretty. It is amazing the details in al their buildings. The colors and everything are beautiful. From there we were able to overlook the whole city.  Then we went to a Great Mosque and Old Bazaar. Its amazing how old all these buildings most of them were built in 743 A.D. Yeah really old!! It was really beautiful.
Then we went to the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum. Honestly, one of the most impressive things I have seen yet. Literally thousands and thousands of soldier, 8,000, to be exact.   Every single one of them was different, and only 1/3 have been uncovered. It was really impressive. There were three different vaults and each of the soldiers were arranged in the typical battle formation in 11 columns. There were chariots, some had swords, spears. Also this is interesting each figure is about 5’10’ and I guess the Asians were taller then.  It was located on the outskirts near the mountain so it was beautiful area. After the warriors we went to an orphanage. The little kids are adorable!!! This orphanage was for kids who had parents yet were unable to raise them. For example, they were in prison, or abandoned them. It is extremely powerful to truly see the power smiling has on a kid. When all you have to communicate with them is showing your love its remarkable how your heart can be transformed.  At times I often felt out of place and uncomfortable, but all you truly need with people is show you care. OH MY then I went to the most amazing show!! It was a Tang Dynasty Dinner show. The music was incredible with instruments I had ever even seen before. The dancing was so gracefully and elegant. There customs were extremely elaborate. Honestly incredible. One thing about our hotel is in order to turn on the lights we had to put in our key into the wall so then when you took it out the lights went off automatically. Yeah talk about sustainability.  Although it is one of the most polluted cities I had ever seen. Funny.
February 19th
Today we flew to Beijing! Once we had arrived in Beijing we had the entire afternoon and evening to our selves.  I ended up walking around and seeing this huge temple that was surrounded by a garden. It was the temple where only the emperor was allowed. It was extremely large and everything was designed specifically for him. We literally walked around the city all day meeting people. In this trip I have never been stared at or pointed out by so many people. I have never in my life truly felt excluded from a society.  Many of my friends at times got kicked out of cabs for being American’s although I didn’t personally experience. I have never been asked to take so many pictures with them. Of course I loved to do it, however, when I stop and think about I have never been in a place where I truly didn’t belong at times. Beijing is completely the opposite of Shanghai.
February 20th
We first went to Tian’an men square.  It was HUGE!!! In can hold half a million people!! It was insane that the picture of Mao was still hanging… and they change it once a year and often clean it at least once a week. Across the street is the Forbidden (Imperial Palace) City.  There is more than 8,000 rooms and its all on 170 acres. Some of the prettiest architectures and structures I have ever seen. The amount of detail in each building and gate blew my mind. It just kept going on and on and we were only there for a few hours… probably hardy saw any of it. 
We took a tour of Hutong area on a Trishaw (3-wheeled bicycle). This area had hidden ally ways, narrow networks of houses that are quadrangular style. I had no idea of the style and condition that many Chinese live in. To me it seems as if it was poor and poverty, however this area is often for the middle class.  Once again, truly the rumble became beautiful. I think I am beginning to see a different side of what beautiful can be. The all seemed so happy with so little. There lives are lived very simple. We had lunch in one of the local homes. It was really nice on the inside. None of the house was connected, the living room, kitchen and bathroom, where all separate and you had to go outside to get to them.  There was one bathroom, which was the shower, sink, and toilet all in one with no difference between them.
In the afternoon we went to the Olympic Village and a Silk Factory. The bird’s nest was one of the most impressive buildings. The have transformed the inside to a winter park with sledding and games. Its sweet and huge!!  Then the silk factory was really interesting. I never realized how detailed making silk was they do most of it by hand!! Tonight we had a Beijing Duck dinner. Then at night we went to a small local bar. It was great we become good friends with the people who work there so one of my friends who is a DJ was playing all of our music. It was such a fun night!! I loved getting to know them and although at times it was difficult to communicate we found ways to understand each other.
February 21st 
Probably one the best day of my life…. So far!
We started the day at a Kongfu school. AWESOME! They did all their performances and then we got to try and they taught us a little. They are so impressive. They broke crazy stuff all over their bodies from wood on their chest to bowls with their fingers.
I have never been more excited in my life than to see a wall. I have seen many walls before in my day so I mean what’s the big deal with the Great Wall of China right?  Well after seeing it I have never truly in my life been speechless until then.  The most impressive thing I have ever seen in my life!!  It goes on for 4,000+ miles and was all hand made. Oh and we got to toboggan down it!!! SICK!!! SEROUSLY AMAZING! On it there are sketched names in Chinese obviously but they are of the workers who made it, and I guess they were forced to but it on because if anything were to happen to that section of the wall the government came and killed them. If you have not seen it you HAVE to before your life is over! Stunning and beautiful.  I got tears in my eyes. We happened to be on a section of the wall that did not happen to have a ton of people. I have never felt so alone and this one point. It was the quietest I have ever experienced. Truly peaceful and tranquil on of the best feelings ever.
At night we saw an acrobatic show!!!!!!!!! WOW is all I have to say…
Ok so I am getting tired of writing as much as your probably getting tired of reading this novel haha so I will keep Hong Kong to a minimum. 
February 22nd
Our flight left extremely early so we got to Hong Kong around 11 or so. We spent the day walking around Kowloon Island, which is across the river from Hong Kong. Our ship is in the best location it literally overlooks all of Hong Kong. At night we went to the top of Victoria peak to over look the city. The most impressive skylines. No joke I always thought our cities in the US were impressive… but nothing compares to that. We walked around for awhile and then went to this bar street and hung out there the rest of the night. It was a really great area.
February 23rd
Today we got up early since we were leaving China this afternoon. We went to a different island to see the biggest Buddha in Asia. The area was really pretty it was located on the top of a mountain with water surrounding it all.  We then went to see pink dolphins in a fishing village near by.  They were actually pink too. All the house on the village were on stilts with all their clothes hanging out on cloths lines. The mountains were right on the water. It was beautiful.
Well there is China for you, damn. In about a day in a half I arrive in Vietnam… and its already hot and humid on the water… haha what a weird transition that is soo fast!

Five cities.
Four friends.
Three Americans. 
Too much beef.
One local.
Priceless.
Throughout Japan we traveled with my friend Rina who is from Kobe! Although we only knew her for about 3 weeks we became very good friends that I hope to be friends with forever. She taught us more than we could have ever imagined about her life and their cultural.   I will forever be grateful for everything she did for us!!  I truly can’t imagine this trip without her and I will never be able to thank her fully.  I felt like because of her I was able to see how the Japanese truly live while also gaining a friend that I will never forget. Throughout this blog I hardly mention much about what I learned, but rather what I saw. I will, however, forever honestly remember and be engraved with the treatment of others and the way RIna and her family treated us.  This country was the least selfish country I ever been too. For example, they were quite on trains, busses, and subways out of respect of others. They also did not eat to long at a restaurant in concern that others were waiting. Their cultural is organized, clean, and efficient. For example, the don’t race to get on the subways, but rather wait in lines and on escalators, by everyone who is standing in on one side and the other side is open for others who are in more of a hurry. Everything has a purpose and meaning.  The people were extremely nice, generous, and respectful towards everyone. They made my trip more than the temples or cities that I saw. I LOVED everything about Japan the food, the people, the cities, and their landscape. I honestly learned more than I could ever write or explain about in this blog.
February 9th
We arrived early in the morning and I woke up for the sunset and it was beautiful. We were pulling into Yokohama, which is on the Pacific side of Japan. There were mountains surrounding us as the sun came up. One of the best ways to arrive! We decided that the first day we were going to get completely lost in the city to see where it takes us. Everything was new, exciting, and it was amazing to walk around and embrace ourselves in this cultural. The city was very industrial and highly urban.  We began to notice the difference in their cultural from the minute we got off the ship. Our first place we went into was 7-11 (yes, they have them in Japan!!) and the man working was wearing a suit and a tie while then bowing to us as we left. Truly the essence of Japan is the amount of respect they have for each other and did not matter if you were a stranger. Throughout the trip I noticed admiration and dedication everyone had towards each other.
We went up the top of a ferris wheel! We happened to go up right as the sun was setting. It was truly beautiful to overlook everything. We were extremely lucky because as we were at the top we were able to see Mount Fiji through the buildings. I have no idea how we got so lucky! Truly amazing!! 
This is where the trip truly began. Rina began showing and telling us absolutely everything. We went to the downtown part of Yokohama where it was bigger, louder, and many more people. There were lights, restaurants, bars, and people everywhere. We went to dinner at a converbelt sushi (uhhh you should know what that is… if not goggle it) restaurant. You all would be proud I tried absolutely everything!  Ell, salmon, sperm, octopus, every kind of fish possible from salmon to ones that we don’t have in the U.S. Surprisingly, I liked majority of them expect, octopus. 
In Japan, all the department stores at the bottom of them they have fresh food market. It was extremely colorful and smelly amazing. We were able to try new foods such a seaweed, all types of dried fruits, and Japanese sweets.  It looked like a flee market full of fresh vegetables and fruits. One cantaloupe cost equivalent to 50 dollars in U.S. NUTS!! I loved watching the interaction between the people in the market. In there I also tried moche ice cream, which is sticky rice that is covering ice cream. It was surprisingly very good just different.
We also went to what are called donkey quiote, which literally is 5 levels of anything and everything you could ever want. They are extremely bright with lots of people. From electronics, to furnishings for a house, to customs, and any other little knick-knack possible.
We also went to a place called a manga café. These are places where you can pay to look at comic books, be on the Interne, watch TV, you can even sleep and shower. It was really interesting! We paid 100 yen (1 dollar) for 30 minutes of unlimited drinks, ice cream, comic book reading, and Internet. It was really fun!!
February 11th
The next day I had a city tour of Tokyo through SAS and it was amazing!!! The city is literally New York, LA and probably Chicago all in one.  Yet, EXTREMELY clean and very quite for the biggest city in the world. No joke the entire time I was there I heard, 5 horns!!! Today we saw temples. I am going to list them and you can google them if you wish haha
We saw Meiji shrine, Imperial Palace, and asakusa jinja temple. They were beautiful! We were extremely lucky because in one of them we saw a traditional wedding!! *Interesting fact… Rina told us that love is such a strong word that no one says it even on your wedding day in your vows, but you say I like you.
We then went to an observatory towers to overlook all of Tokyo. WOW is all I have to say. I have never seen anything that HUGE!! It was awesome! That night we went out and met her best friend from high school, Shin.  He lives in Tokyo and he took us all over the city to his favorite places and areas. We went to an izakaya, which is where you can get as much food and alcoholic drinks for only 10 dollars. The Japanese go here instead of bars. It was seriously a blast. I love the beer here!!! Her friend did not speak much English but we were able to still communicate with him. Most Japanese can read and write English grammar, so we often typed it out on a phone and he understood.
Then we went to a Karaoke bar and as many of you know it originated in Japan so it a BIG deal here. It was a blast. Your in a room with just your group singing as loud and as bad as you want! It was great. (I sang my favorite by eminiem even.) The Japanese become more comfortable and relax.  Many great stories form this, but I don’t really have time to tell them all. Ha sorry.
February 11th
Today we went to Harajuku in Tokyo. YOU need to Google this one!!! Everyone in Japan is extremely fashionable! Very similar to LA or New York, but there own unique style. Such as bright crazy colors, obviously skinny, and lots of boots.  We went to Kyoto that evening on the bullet train and stayed here that night! We stayed at a typical Japanese hostel/hotel where you sleep on the floor with little mats! Its was great. In Kyoto we saw the Fushimi Shrine, Sanju Sangerdo temple, and Kiyomiza temple. They were my favorite!! Truly amazing!! At night we went to another izakaya and then a bar afterwards. One of the funniest nights!!! We even set the meat on fire in the restaurant! The main religion is Shinto which are shrines and the second is Buddhism having temples, while Christianity only makes up 1% of their population. 
We went to another city in the evening, Osaka, to meet her boy friend!In their cultural they never touch and it is seen as extremely inappropriate and rude.  She hadn’t seen him in three weeks and they did not even hug but just said hello. Very different than here.
The Kobe, which is where we went to dinner with her mom. We went to a hotpot style dinner, which we were sitting on the floor and you cook the meat by yourself in hot water. Once again we ate sooo much food and drinks!!! Her mother was so generous and although she did not speak much English so it was harder to communicate with her, but it was truly great to met her. Here we tried warm sake, which I do not really like. After dinner we went to their favorite izakaya to meet her sister. And of course they ordered us more food and drinks. There we tried devils tongue, and fried quail egg. We were staying the night at her grandparents house, which was beautiful. His house was bigger than typical Japanese houses. It had an elevator and even heated floors. They was extremely gracious, kind and made sure everything was perfect for us!  We meet her brother too in the morning. They have us food and gifts as we left. The people in Japan are extremely gracious and kind.
February 12th
I went to a tea ceremony through SAS, which was really interesting. Everything about the ceremony was graceful and showed purpose. It was in Kyoto at a temple!
Seriously one of the best experiences! Its difficult for me to explain her family in an email, but truly I feel so blessed to have seen where they live and was able to met so many of Rina’s friends and family. I know I haven’t really mentioned a lot about what I learned or noticed about their cultural or people because if I did this would be sooo long and its already long!!! Ha
This is only my first true port and I will already be changed from this one experience. I have so much more I am able to learn and grow from and now on for China in only One more day!! WOW

Life on the Ship

I have now been in the open waters for about ten days!! The time has flown by and I am honestly not really sure exactly how I keep myself busy everyday. It has now become quite normal to only see the ocean and the lifestyle of the ship has become completely comfortable. I am trying to sit out at look at the ocean for at least a half hour everyday and look at the ocean so I don’t become to comfortable with it that I forget the beauty and all that encompasses it. The ship is kinda a constant rocking feeling much better than the first leg of the trip. I like to think of it as your always in one of those jumping houses cause we are always kinda bouncing, moving around and not able to walk completely straight and sometimes run into things. haa
My classes are everyday getting more interesting as we move through countries and regions. I love how they are all structured in how we learn through experience rather than learning from reading a book. Most of my classes are to big to o outside and sit on the deck; however, many of my friends regularly have class outside in order to try and sport whales or anything exciting. It is a really a environment that is surrounded by people who are wanting to learn everything possible form this experience. I love walking into dinner and seeing my professor eating with his entire family or reading the book we are studying right next to him because we happen to be on the same deck. Living in the same place where we are all literally stuck together is really a great but different environment. I wish more universities could establish this type of style.
The food is well its not awful just very repetitive. Literally, and I am not kidding it is potatoes, a type of pasta, mixed veggies, and a lettuce. If we are lucky we get croutons. Haha So by now I am a bit tired of it but oh well. Oh and of course they do have awesome desserts. Shocking!
At night there are usually many different seminars you can go to of all types. Such as star gazing, some showing documentaries, lectures, movies, and dancing classes. Literally there is everything type of club on this ship. From yoga to spiritual dancing guitar lessons, intramurals, literally everything or you can play cards and games.
The other night we had a dance party, which was really fun! It was themed mix-matched clothing and surprisingly everyone got really into it! It was a crazy to dance on a moving and rocking ship!! The best was when the played that song I am on a boat everyone freaked out it was great!
I also did spiritual dancing the other night! Everyone was very free getting in touch with their bodies and nature! Not something I would typically do but really fun!!
I joined the community to plan the Sea Olympics, which will be held in March. It is a day full of games and activities, and competitions. It has been really fun and had been keeping a little more busy during the day. Overall I am doing great! My friends are still really great too and it has been really nice to get to know everyone better as the time goes on! :)
I am doing great. I love it! I am learning a ton and having a great time!!!
Japan is in two days!!! ☺ The ship we have import students from Japan that have been traveling with us since Hawaii. They are here to help us and teach us about their cultural. My friends and I became really good friends with one of them, her name is Rina. She is 21 years old and lives in Kobe where she also goes to school and lives with her family. We have learned so much from her about how she lives, about her family and their cultural. It has been incredible! She literally eats every meal with us and is so cute!! She is traveling with us the whole time while we are in Japan!! We then get to have dinner with her parents and then spend the night at her grandparents house! I can't explain how excited we are its such an incredible experience that none of us ever expected to happen! We are staying one night in Tokyo, one in Kyoto, and then one night with her in Kobe. She is planning our entire trip so we aren't really sure exactly what we are going to do in these places!!! YAHOO only a few more days!!
I had my first test today in global studies. I can't say I have ever taken a test on a tray before haha It was diffiucult to take a test with this much movement! Tonight the waves have been really rocking. This time we are rocking forward and backward which is alot different I am trying not to think about it to much. Miss you all!

Eating my birthday cake! haha :)

Hawaii :)

Hilo, Hawaii

This is on The Big Island. We saw land early in the morning around five! Everyone got up in order to see the ship dock!  It was great to see land again and see city lights, buildings, and know that we would soon be able to walk on solid ground again! My friends and I decided to do complete independent travel the first day.  We went into town and walked around and had some breakfast and enjoyed being around civilization again. The town was small yet had the feeling of typically Hawaii. Hilo is not a touristy town at all which was extremely interesting to see the real Hawaiian cultural instead of the typical golf course, beach, fancy hotel atmosphere. Majority of the people were speaking Hawaiian so we often felt completely immersed into a different cultural. We had learned so much on Hawaii history so we often felt we were in a culture that was completely different than the mainland of the US.
My friends and I decided to take the free public bus and see where it took us.  The bus was interesting and a great experience. We were surrounded by locals that were all extremely friendly. We asked them questions and all very willing to help us with anything. We ended up at a black sand beach. It was beautiful with the light blue water crashing against the black lava rocks.  We even saw a turtle!! Many SAS students had the same idea and it turned into what felt like springs break. So we were entertained by that for bit and then decided to leave.  We wen to a lu’au at night! The lu’au was a really interesting experience in order to see the typical hula dances, listen to their music, and understand something that is still extremely important in their culture. They did several different dance that included chants, dancing and singing. At the end they tried to teach everyone the hula.
        The second day in Hilo I went snorkeling through a SAS trip. We took a bus ride to the other side of the island. The other side was another little town that was has small little shops and restaurant. We took a small boat out to where we are going to snorkel and we saw whales. Apparently it is breeding season so the whales were everywhere. We saw both the calf and the mother whales. We then went to our snorkeling spot where we were able to see TONS of fish! It was great! My favorite fish was this small poke-a-dotted little fishy. It was crazy to snorkel and then get back on the ship to think that all of that and so much more is under me. It is amazing how detailed every part of the ocean is. I have never thought of snorkeling in the way that I did today. I know it sounds cheesy but I feel like I became more in touch with nature because I came into with such a different attitude after being on the open sea for days. After snorkeling people went cliff jumping off these lava rocks.

Honolulu
We then arrived in Honolulu early the next morning, which was an completely different experience, opposite of Hilo.  The feel was busy, not as friendly, and dramatically felt like a typical tourist. We took the public bus to Waikiki beach. We rented surfboards and attempted to surf. It was a blast we all did not do to well because it is extremely difficult. I got up once for a few seconds. We walked around all the really nice stores such as Gucci and others. At night we met up with two of my friends from high school. It was really fun to hang out with them. They took us around all night!

The next day my friend took us to the North Shore where there was a surfing competition at Pipeline. It was a blast and the waves were huge!!  He was able to show us all his favorite beaches and we even saw two turtles! The day was great we had the best shaved ice with ice cream in the middle and had a great local restaurant. It was such a fun day that was really relaxing and saw a whole different side to this island. I got destroyed in the waves too!! ☺  GREAT TIME IN HAWAII now were on our way to Japan and will be there in about 11 days!! YAHOO

This was the sunset on my birthday it was gorgeous!

Outside of my window!

this was the sunset on my birthday! Gorgeous!

My room

First Week!

Hello! This will probably be the only time in my life where I will have my birthday on a ship in the middle of the ocean!!  The ocean is incredible and so mysterious. We talked about the facts about the ocean today and its amazing how much is so unknown. Thinking about what is below me kinda freaks me out! We did see your first birds yesterday!! Which is really exciting to think that we are getting closer to land! We arrive in Hawaii early Monday morning! I don’t think I have ever been so excited to see land before! I am going snorkeling and to a la’ua at night!!  The waves have calmed down from  the other day which is really nice! We still rock a good amount, but it is so much better!!

At night most of the time we are on the top deck and playing games and just talking around tables. And literally we get thrown across from side to side. People have gotten really injured cause the tables ad chairs slam into them. It is kinda getting old though cause the rocking never stops!!  I am kinda getting a bit anxious to get on land. I am ready to walk on solid ground for once again.
My classes are good most of my homework is reading and reflections. I  am taking a global studies, world music, small group and team communications course, and a philosophy of literature course. I really enjoy them all because we are learning about the countries we go to before we get to them! Most of the teachers are super informal too so they are really relaxed.   Miss you all so much!!

Postion

Current location:

Distance to go to the next Port: 2169.8 Nautical Miles (Hilo)
Average Speed: 19.6 knots
Distance to nearest land: 157 Nautical Miles from Isla Guadalupe

HELLO

Hello!  I am officially on a ship!!!  It has been really fun and really weird!! It has been really rocky. I feel that as I walk down the stairs or the hallways you literally ping-pong across bouncing back and forth. No one is really able to control it. Its so hilarious.  It is really weird that all I see is water. It really pretty though because the water goes form a light blue to a dark blue.  I also thought sleeping might be really hard, but the waves kind of rock you to sleep.  Many people have gotten sick the first few days, but most are starting to get adjusted to it. It’s a really weird feeling, you constantly feel drunk because you cant walk straight. I can’t imagine what is like when people actually start drinking.  I only get really sick in one classes which is my global studies because its really big with over 300 students. The walls and floors have this really trippy carpet. While as your sitting in class and you look at the window the sky suddenly disappears and its all water.  The they same happens the other way. While the curtain continuously  move back and forth. I haven’t gotten seasick yet! Its just a weird feeling that I cant really explain. Yet up on the deck its really relaxing. My room is where I feel the boat moving the most. I am so thankful I have a window to wake up to the sun and see the ocean outside is sooo cool. I love it! The craziest thing is doing the elliptical. You are constantly feeling like you are going up hill and then down hill. Its so weird but kind of a full body workout though.  If you let go your kind of  screwed. Its hilarious!   I have heard the treadmill is worse though because both feet are constantly moving  off the treadmill.
The people here have been really great so far. Everyone is really open and outgoing. Its pretty easy to start making new friends. There is about every possible personality type on this ship. A lot I can tell are going to get wasted every night and it’s a party for them. While others are all ready studying.  My roommate is really nice she goes to school in Florida. She is  great to live with because she is pretty easy going, but I don’t think that I will be great friends with her though.

We lose our first hour tonight!! We are about six days from Hawaii.

Sorry if my thought are all over the place. ☺
Miss  You!

Itinerary

* San Diego, CA USA ( January 17)

* Hilo / Honolulu, Hawaii USA (January 25 - January 28)

* Yokohama / Kobe, Japan (February 09 - February 13)

* Shanghai / Hong Kong, China (February 16 - February 23)

* Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam (February 26 - March 3)

* Chennai / Cochin, India (March 11- March 16)

* Port Louis, Mauritius (March 23- March 24)

* Cape Town, South Africa (31 March - April 04)

* Tema (Accra), Ghana (April 11 - April 14)

* Salvador, Brazil (April 21 - April 25)

* Fort Lauderdale, FL USA (May 5)

http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/spring-2010/spring-2010-intinerary/calendar.php

hey laura

Welcome!