Roseau, Dominica

Hey friends!

    Well I have finally left the last port and am on my way back home. The time has flown by. It feels just like yesterday I was leaving Halifax on my way to Ireland! This voyage has been absolutely incredible. The people I have met and the cultures I have experienced will have impacted me for my whole life. I am excited to be coming home so I can see all my friends and family though!



    The ship was only in Dominica for two days and it most definitely was not enough time to see everything this tiny 27 miles island had to offer. The people were wonderful (except for some wackos we ran into on the streets) they were so friendly and happy to have us there. The day we arrived me and some friends woke up early to see the sunrise. It was the most beautiful thing ever! Once we were able to get off the ship we walked into town and did some shopping and site seeing. Some friends had to leave to go on  a SAS trip so me and another girl decided to go to the beach and snorkel. We went to what is known as Champagne Reef. It is an active underwater volcano and there are hole that create bubbles that are similar to when you open a champagne bottle. It was a spectacular site to see. We were there for hours snorkeling around looking at all the fish and coral. The water was crystal clear and almost as warm as a bath! After snorkeling we decided to head to the waterfalls. It was short detour but way worth it. They were located in a tropical jungle and it was just so beautiful.  The picture below is the bubbles from the volcano.

   

The second day I was lucky enough to go diving. I was able to make two dives that day. The first one was at Champagne Reef. It was amazing to be under the water this time instead of at the surface. When you put your hand on the sea floor or a rock you were able to feel the heat from the volcano. It was almost as hot as an oven! I think that diving in Dominica is one of the best places that I have dove so far. During the dive I saw a turtle, octopus, and I made a puffer fish puff.. it was funny! I also held a sea horse (which was probably a very bad thing to do but it was handed to me so I had to take the opportunity).  After the dive I went back to the ship and relaxed. The picture below is the little down of Roseau.


    Dominica was so wonderful. Unfortunately not everyone was able to experience a wonderful time. A student, Casey, had a terrible accident on the first day that ended up being fatal. This shook up the whole SAS community. She was such a bright, positive, wonderful girl. It is horrible that she was taken away from all her friends and family in such an instant. I can't imagine what her parents are going through at this time.. there daughter is so close to coming home and now they will never get the chance to see her again or hear her stories. Please take a moment to say a prayer for Mr. and Mrs. Schulman during this time of unimaginable sadness.  Every individual will get the chance to debark the ship in Ft. Lauderdale on the 7th and reunite with their friends and family very soon after that.. we are lucky individuals and we should be thankful every minute of every single day we are here on this earth.



   

Manaus, Brazil

Hello!

    I have made it out of the Amazon jungle alive!! Man was it quite the experience! Manaus is a city built in the jungle... there was not much to do independently but it was still fun to walk around the town and see how the locals live.

The first day (Nov. 22) we got there was Thanksgiving. It was kind of sad knowing that I was not spending this day with my family like I have done every year in the past. But  I made it through it knowing next year and every year from here on out I will be looking back and remembering exactly everything I did this Thanksgiving. In the morning me and some friends attempted to walk around the city to get breakfast and some WIFI. We did not succeed so we turned around and headed back to the ship after about 3 hours of searching. Once we made it back I got the opportunity to join a SAS trip that was going around the city to all the important building and monuments. We went to the opera house, presidents palace, an Indian museum and a banana and fish market! For one,  I have never been in an opera house and oh my gosh it was soo beautiful! And second, at the banana market there were sooo many bananas! I have never seen so many in my life!!!! After the trip to the markets we headed back to the ship where we had dinner and got ready to go to the symphony.  It was a pretty memorable Thanksgiving! The first picture was the opera house and the second picture was the bananas!






The second day (Nov. 23) I had the chance to do a service project where I hung out with neurologically disabled children at the zoo. I have to say that this was probably the most challenging service visit yet. It was really hard to connect with the children for many reasons ranging from their disability to the language barrier. But it was wonderful to see how their faces lite up when the realized we were at the zoo. The zoo was a completely different challenge. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MANY WEIRD ANIMALS IN ONE PLACE BEFORE! This zoo was definitely one that housed Amazonian animals. This trip took all day but once we got back me and my friends had a 'girls' night which was fun. We went out to dinner than out to dance... and have fun :) The picture below is one of the largest/weirdest/nastiest rodents I have ever seen in my life!



The third day (Nov. 24) was eventful. In the morning I took a riverboat to see where two rivers meet. It was cool to see because  it is the confluence between the Rio Negro, a river with dark (almost black coloured) water, and the sandy-coloured Rio Solimoes. It is a main tourist attraction in Manaus. After we saw the meeting of waters we went into a little village where we saw how they make rubber. After talking and shopping there we went to see some the the largest water lilies ever and took a small hike through the jungle where I came across some of the largest bugs that have ever roamed this earth! It was scary! The first picture if the meeting of water, the second picture is of a butterfly/moth thing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone!

        I just wanted to wish all my friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving from Manaus, Brazil! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE eat so much food you can hardly walk away from the dinner table! I will be celebrating with a few close friends at an Amazonian BBQ where I am bound to try some food I can not even pronounce!

  My voyage is coming to a close faster than I expected. It feels just like yesterday I was saying my goodbyes to everyone... and now in 2 weeks I will be home! I can not wait to see all of your bright and shining faces!!!

Love you all!

The picture below is what it looked like sailing up the Amazon River for two days.

Rio de Janerio, Brazil

I THINK I FOUND A NEW HOME! Brazil is amazing.. I know I said that about almost every port.... but Rio was the best so far.

The town was so beautiful... it was huge with soo much to do. I had an extremely busy three days but it was worth it. I would be on the move constantly and I did not even put a dent in what Brazil had to offer.

This is a picture of a small part of the city. The big body of water  in the middle is a salt water lake and then on the other side it the ocean. The city was built on a huge tropical mountain. A lot of the city was built on the hill as well as around the base.



Day 1: The minute the ship was cleared with immigration me and a friend got in a taxi and sped down to Copacabana which is one of the most beautiful beaches in Rio. Once we arrive we went shopping at the hippie market. This market is an open air market that held all the tourist like things as well as a lot of hand crafted items. It was lovely. But we did not stay long. Soon after we decided to venture to the Christ the Redeemer statue. It proved to be one of the most spectacular views of the city I could ever image. It is located on one of the highest points in Rio so you are able to see it know matter where you are in the city. That is where I took the picture above. We did not get much time at the Christ the Redeemer statue because we needed to get back to the ship and get ready for a field trip we were scheduled to go on. The field trip was to a Samba school and dinner. Samba is a traditional Brazilian dance that consists of two steps and a lot of shaking of the hips. The school is primarily used to train dancers who want to participate in the carnival celebrations every February. But on Sundays (which is the day we went) the school is turned into what I would refer to as a huge club. There was loads and loads of people all dancing, drinking, and having a good time. It was so much fun! After the school we went to a restaurant which had a really nice atmosphere. It was an open air type of set up.. which was nice because I don't think Brazilians believe in air conditioning!! At the restaurant there was food, drinks and of course more dancing!! We stayed there until about 22:00 when we decided to head back to the ship so we can have another productive and exciting day!
Here is a picture of Christ the Redeemer.



Day 2: I had a SAS trip leaving at 08:30 to two tropical islands on a schooner. If you don't know what a schooner is just imagine a pirate ship converted a little to hold a large number of people comfortably. It took about an hour to reach the boat  that was going to take us to small secluded islands off the coast of Rio but once we got there it was no time at all until we anchored in the middle of the ocean to take a quick dip. The water was so cold!! After everyone jumped in and settled down again we were on our way to an island where we spent a little time laying on the beach and swimming. After that island we went to a private beach where we had time to relax and have a traditional Brazilian BBQ. The food was absolutely amazing! Of course I spent a lot of time sun bathing and some time with my goggles and snorkel swimming around :) We left the island and made our way back to the bus that was going to take us back to the ship. We made it right in time before we had  a nice little rain storm. After the rain stopped pouring me and some friends decided to go attempt to watch the sunset on what they call Sugarloaf Mountain which proves to have an almost equally awesome view. The clouds decided that we would not be able to see the sunset all that well so we decided to head back and catch some dinner and have a few drinks before calling it a night. The picture below is of the schooner.



Day 3: IT WAS SO RAINY TODAY!!! But that did not stop me. I took a long slow stroll around the town taking in the view with my raincoat on and an umbrella over my head. It was nice to take the time to 'stop and smell the roses' My voyage has been fast paced and busy and it was time to slow down and take it all in. So I did. It was wonderful. I met a lot of amazing people... and some that would try and talk to me but I had no idea what they wanted to talk about because I unfortunately did not brush up on Portuguese before I left. But in all reality... Brazil was amazing, the people were so friendly and kind (even though Brazil does not like the US) and I would most definitely recommend visiting!!!!!!

2 PORTS LEFT, 23 MORE DAYS.......... See you all very soon!

I love and miss everyone!!

~~Amy

Montevideo, Uruguay

    Well it was an interesting experience departing from Buenos Aires one night and waking up in Montevideo the next morning. But none the less I was excited to be in another country. Unfortunately I was sick the whole port so I did not get to do much... but what I have heard from friends aboard the ship is that it was a city that did not have much to offer. So if I was to be ill in a port of call it was this one.

    The first day in Montevideo I took a city tour. This tour took me all around to the most important monuments and buildings. It is such a small city that it did not take all that long but I was able to see a lot of cool things with out any issues.  After the tour was over I went back to the ship and called it a day.

This is a picture of the congress building.



The second day in Montevideo I went and found some WIFI and bought some medicine in hope I would start feeling better soon. I did some walking around the town and it was a nice little area. There were a lot of open air markets and people just roaming around with their mate. Mate is a tea that is extremely popular in South America... personally I think it tastes like dirt... LITERALLY!

The last day in Uruguay I have a service visit to a local school where I helped repaint a greenhouse, plant flowers and hang out with the children. It was pretty awesome. The school had a whole vegetable garden that is managed by the children. It was nice to lend my hand to something constructive.

This picture is of the greenhouse that we helped fix up.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hello all

        I have made it through Europe, Africa and half of South America now. I have only three ports left :(. This has most definitely been an adventure of a life time. Buenos Aires was wonderful and beautiful city. It is the Paris of South America. 

    The first day in Buenos Aires I decided to walk around the city to see what it was like. In the heart of what we would call 'downtown' there were rows and rows of pedestrian streets kind of like the 16th street mall in downtown Denver.  I did some shopping, a lot of site seeing and getting lost in the town. It was quite the adventure. I literally spent the whole day roaming around. This  is a picture of one of the main pedestrian streets... during the day it was quite calm. But once the sun set is when everyone came alive. There were parties, music and dancing all along the streets.


The second day I was there I decided to spend part of the day on the beach front and then ventured into town again. I walked by the Presidents Palace which I decided is where I need to live. It is a big PINK mansion! Then i walked to the largest street in the world called 7 de Julio. It is the main street running through the country. It has 20 or so lanes of traffic.... Imagine trying to cross it! I was not daring enough :) After walking around town for a little longer I decided to go to La Boca which is the home of the Tango. La Boca is also known for its colorful buildings. It was so beautiful. There was an open air market as well as a festival. It was interesting because there would be Tango shows right in the middle of street with traffic going around.


I think the best part of Argentina was the service visit I went on called L.I.F.E. Happy Birthday Program. This program would go to the slums of the country and throw birthday parties for children who had never had a celebration of their own. We decorated their house, baked cakes, wrapped presents as well as painted and played games with them. As many of you know my mother gave me bracelets to hand out which I wrapped up to give them as presents. My boss at work gave me some dresses that were made out of pillow cases that I wrapped up as well.  It was so amazing and rewarding to throw a child a birthday party who has never had one before. Their faces just lit up just like ours do on Christmas time. I have never seen a child more excited to open a present in my life! It was wonderful!



Argentina was wonderful. It was such an alive city! But  I do have to say that if I come back I want to go to Patagonia (which are glaciers in the southern part of the country) and Iguazu Falls (which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world in the north eastern part of the country). It is such a beautiful country with so many beautiful people!

Cape Town, South Africa

Hello Everyone!

     Well I have exactly 5 ports left until I am back in America! This trip has flown by... I wish I could travel like this forever! I was in Cape Town, South Africa for 5 days and I have to say that this port did not go as planned.... but there is no surprise there. Things can't go smoothly in every port! Cape Town is such a beautiful city with so much to do and see. I will recommend this port to everyone!

This picture is one side of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain


Day 1 (Oct. 18): I woke up early to watch this ship come into port. I think it was one of the most beautiful mornings I have had on the ship. We had the most spectacular view of the city as well as Table Mountain. I am a firm believer in 'love at first sight' now because I honestly fell in love with this city the moment I saw it. I was planning on scuba diving this day but it didn't happen because we were not able to exit the ship early enough. So instead I made my way up to the top of Table Mountain where I spent a good majority of the day. It was breath taking... last year Table Mountain was voted one of the seven wonders of the world!



Day 2 (Oct 19): It was a really rainy day so we took it easy waking up and spent 99% of the day shopping in the mall. There were a lot of tourist stores where I was able to buy all my souvenirs. There is not much you can do on a rainy day so we took this time to slow down, reflect... and of course spend money!!

I thought this was pretty cool. It was a sculpture to symbolize non-violence and it was dedicated to John Lennon.




Day 3(Oct. 20): We left the ship around 10 am and wandered around the city some. Then we decided to take a ferry to Robben Island. Robben Island is a prison that housed political prisoners during the apartheid in South Africa. It was a moving experience just like the slave castles were. We were able to see the cell where Nelson Mandela was kept which was pretty cool. I was surprised by the size of the island. It was huge! I am still trying to process my thoughts regarding the apartheid, the after effects it has had on the citizens and about Robben Island. I don't know how to put my feelings into words. So this is a story that will be told when I get home :)



Day 4 (Oct21): This was the day I was suppose to go Great White Shark cage diving. It was cancelled due to rough seas. So instead I went down town and did some shopping at a local market. There was a lot of cool stuff there... The downtown area looked really westernized. It looked like Europe and America. But it was nice to walk around and see what the city had to offer.

Day 5 (Oct 22): Today I went to a township and met with some locals there. It was a day where my life was put into check. The township is pretty much the slum of the city. It is where all the lower class individuals live. It was interesting. The houses that are available to live in typically hold 16 families in 6 bedrooms. So next time you complain your room is to small or your bed is not comfortable remember that other people have to way worse. In a home like this each family has one bed that usually sleeps 3-4 people. I am not kidding when I say the beds are the size of a twin. I was in shock when I was walking through this town. I could not believe my eyes. It is another story I will have to tell when I get back... I am still trying to process their way of life.

This bed held two adults and three children.




EXPERIENCE OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE:




This is called a "Smiley" It is a sheep's head. In African traditions this is a delicacy. So there was no option to refuse it. Suprisingly it tastes like beef jerky. I will say that this is the weirdest thing I have ate in my life!

~~~ I am now making my way back across the Atlantic to Argentina where more adventures await!

Tema (Accra), Ghana

Hello everyone! I finally made it to Africa!!!

        Ghana was amazing! I had such a wild adventure while I was there. The people were so friendly and always wanted to talk. When  you would ask a Ghanian where something is (like a bus station) you should expect to stand there talking for at least an hour. They wanted to know everything about my life back in America as well as how I was enjoying Ghana and if I would come back. The people always were laughing or had smiles on there faces no matter what was going on around them. Life in Ghana was so laid back also... we definitely were on "Ghana time"... we arrived when we arrived and left when we wanted to leave. There was no set schedule... but when it came to driving... Oh MY GOSH! people were CRAZY! There is no lanes, traffic lights, or rules on the road. People honked there horns to let other drivers know there were there and so the whole time you would see 4 to 5 cars squeezing onto a road and trying to drive... it was pure madness!

    DAY 1 (Oct. 1): I had a field lab for my Science of Love class where we went to talk to Ghana's social welfare director. While we were there we learned about the ways Ghanian officials were trying to license and improve the orphanages in the country. They were also putting laws in effect to give the orphaned children rights which hopefully would lead to a better living situation for them. After that we went to a local orphanage called "Kinder Paradise." This orphanage had a total of 35 kids who's age ranged from 2-23. Once our bus arrived there was a swarm of children greeting us at the door. Each student got one child old enough to provide us with tours. So I had a 12 year old girl who showed me where she slept, went to school, and played. When it was all said and done I was happy to see that they had a pretty good situation. Of course they could use more comfortable mattresses, better books and school supplies as well as more things to keep them entertained but all in all they had practically everything they needed. It was such an amazing opportunity to be able to see what an orphanage in Africa was like. Many students brought things to donate to the children and as many of you know my mother loves making beaded jewelry so before I left she gave me over 200 bracelets and necklaces to give away. When I started handing them out many of the girls started crying saying, "This is the most beautiful thing I have ever received... Thank you." I felt so blessed to be the one providing something as simple as a beaded bracelet to these girls who had never owned a piece of jewelry in their life! After we left Kinder Paradise we headed back to the ship. Me and a few friends decided to head out in Tema to see what the night life had to offer... it was interesting to say the least.  By the end of the night I was proposed to three times. Apparently many of the men want to marry America women.

This is a picture of a classroom at Kinder Paradise.

  
 DAY 2(Oct. 2): Me and my friend Siera decided to venture to a town called Cape Coast so we can see the Slave dungeons/castle as well as go to Kakum National Park. So we took the Semester at Sea shuttle to Accra which is the capital of Ghana and then we proceeded to the bus station. We got on the bus and started our adventure to Cape Coast. It was a three hour bus ride but it was interesting because we saw many villages along the way and we were able to see a lot of Ghana. Once we arrived in Cape Coast is when the adventure really began. We wandered around for about an hour trying to find a place to sleep. We finally found a hotel put our stuff down and started venturing around looking for some dinner. While we were eating at a restaurant we met some local men who showed us around the town a little bit.. it was nice to be able to hang out with some locals. The picture below is the houses in Cape Coast.


DAY 3 (Oct. 10th): We woke up early (thanks to a rooster) had breakfast then went to the Castle/ Slave dungeons. When we walked through the door we were offered a guided tour. We first walked into the male dungeon. It was underground and it was the place were over 100 male slaves were kept anywhere from two weeks to three months. There were not any bathrooms or any light for them at all! After that we walked into where the women were kept. It was the same except there was a little room that was so small with nothing but a small opening that was used to pass food through. This room was used as a punishment when a women would refuse sex to the British men. Once we left the women's holding room we went into a room that was the size of a small kitchen (like the one  in my apartment) that was used when slaves would rebel against the British. There were scratches on the floor created by the shackles that were around the slaves wrists, ankles and throats. When a slave was in this room they were not allowed any food or water. So they would eventually die from starvation. At this point in the tour I lost it. I could no longer hold in my emotions. In school we learned about the slave trade and how bad they were treated but it was actually put into reality when I went on this tour. Once we left this room we walked through a door. This door had a sign above it... it was called "The door of no return" I am sure you can imagine what it was used for. The slaves would walk through this door when they were getting on the ships to go to Brazil and the Caribbean. We walked through it and it was the one of the craziest feelings ever. I could not image what they were feeling when they knew what awaited them. The tour ended at this door... we were lucky enough to return though. Once outside we collected ourselves, did some shopping and called a taxi to take us to Kakum National Park which is a rainforest. Once we arrive we signed up for a canopy walk. We hiked for about a half hour to the destination. The canopy's were 8 bridges that ranged from 90 to 120ft above the forest floor. We walked on all of them! It was such a thrill!! It was a good way to get our minds off of the castle. After the rainforest we decided to head back to Accra where we ended up at a reggae concert on the beach... it was sooo much fun!! The picture below is one of the bridges.



DAY 4 (Oct 11th): I had a Semester at Sea trip to visit the Queen Mothers. The Queen Mothers (pictured below) are women who are voices for the people in there villages. They help promote education and equal opportunities among women and children. We sat and talked with them for over two hours about their roles in society as well as what they do to help out members in their villages. It was an honor to meet them because they are extremely important people in Ghanian society. After talking with them we stopped at a local market where we were able to shop. It was interesting because everyone wanted us to shop in there stores. It was also overwhelming because people would pull you into their shops and practically hassle you to buy things. After the market we stopped off at the Presbyterian Church of the Prime Meridian where I was able to stand on the Prime Meridian line. I was in the western and eastern hemispheres at the same time :) It was really cool!

ALL IN ALL..... GHANA WAS AMAZING!!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

Today (Oct. 12): It was a special day for us on the MV EXPLORER. This morning  we celebrated Neptune Day. Everyone went on the top deck where they were conducting this important ceremony. We all got green slime poured on us, had to jump into the freezing cold pool, kiss two fish, then got salt thrown on us. This ceremony was conducted because we sailed across the equator. It is a legendary maritime tradition. Today I can happily say I am a rare emerald shell back and I have been to the center of the earth (O degrees latitude, 0 degrees longitude).

Peace and Love Friends!

~~ Amy

Sailing to Africa

Hello everyone!

I think it would be safe to say that this trip from Tenerife,
Canary Islands to Tema, Ghana has been one of the most eventful sails
yet! The first day I spotted a pod of dolphins while sitting on the
observation deck. The observation deck has been the one place on this
ship that I am able to go and relax, take time for myself and zone out
on the ocean. It has been the place where I have done the most learning
both educationally and personally.

The second day sailing was uneventful as far as marine life goes.
But it was wonderful because i spent the whole day on the top deck sun
bathing, catching up with friends as well as catching up on the readings
for my classes.

The third day sailing was the most eventful. I saw three different
pods of dolphins, two turtles and a feeding frenzy of fish.. which only
means there was a predator under the water. It was amazing. I have not
seen that much marine life in such a short time. I was on the
observation deck for about 2 hours and was able to spot all these
animals. During lunch me and some friends spotted three small fishing
boats in the middle of the ocean. Each boat carried one to two men. It
was insane seeing something like that so far off shore. Once the sun set
and I was about to head to bed I noticed all the deck lights on the ship
were turned off... so I decided to venture back up to the observation
deck to see the stars. It was hands down the best night sky I have ever
seen. It was absolutely breath taking! I can not even come up with words
to describe it. It was wonderful!

Today (the fourth day) I am currently taking a break from studying.
I have a test tomorrow in my Global Studies class... I am pretty
nervous about.. But I did have the realization that I would not want to
be studying anywhere else. I am on the top deck, sun tanning and
enjoying the beautiful African sun!!

Love you all!

Santa Cruz, Tenerife Canary Islands

Hello all!

    I hope all is well with everyone! I am doing wonderful. As many of you know, instead of going to Morocco, Semester at Sea decided to make a stop in the Canary Islands for two days and one night. This group of islands are part of Spain and are located of the coast a little ways from Morocco. These are the islands that many Europeans travel to for their holidays. It was a quiet little area and the main attraction was an active volcano.... and of course I had to go to the top in hopes of seeing some bubbling lava on the very first day! The picture below is what the volcano
looks like from the ground. 


After the tour of the volcano me and my friends walked around the town. And since it was a Sunday nothing was open until about 7 o'clock that evening and many of the people were taking their siestas so it appeared to be a ghost town. I have officially decided that the one thing I am going to take back to America with me and try to incorporate in every day life are siestas and a slower pace lifestyle. It was so odd and somewhat frustrating when a store would say they opened half hour ago but still has not opened because of this idea that time was unimportant. For example, the city buses have schedules like we do at home, but instead they show up whenever they get there and leave whenever they choose. Compared to the ones at home which are there on time and leave on time. So there so called schedule was completely useless and frustrating when us "busy Americans" were trying to get around and be to places at a certain time... like the ship!


The second day my friends and I decided to venture to the beach. As always it was a wonderful time. We drank Pina Coladas as well as sun bathed and snorkeled near the shore. One of the most interesting things about the Canary Islands in the landscape is very mountainous and so there would be little villages built in the crevasses of the hills and when it got to steep to keep building they stopped and that was the ending point of that village. So there were multiple areas where people would live jam packed on this hillside. It kind of reminded me of what I would think Greece would be like. 

All in all the Canary Islands were beautiful and there was so much to do and see. I was not there long enough to experience all of it but I would most definitely come back!

See you all in the next post!

Cadiz, Spain

Hello all!

      It has been nearly a week that I have been traveling around in Spain. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time while I was here even though most of the days we experienced heavy rainfall. The first day me and a few friends decided to go to Sevilla and experience the Spanish tradition of Bullfighting. It was the last fight of the season and had the best matadors (which are the men who have a bull running at them)... it was INSANE! There was a total of nine bulls who all ended up dying at the end of their rounds. I am not sure of my feelings regarding what I saw... but I do have to say it was a very culturally important night for the people of Spain and that made me feel privileged to be attending.





The second day September 24th me and my friends went to La Linea in order for me to scuba dive the next day. La Linea is the border town to Gibraltar and it was the closest city that we could get to because Gibraltar is owned by the British and they are not "getting along" enough to provide transportation to and from.  The bus ride was about 3 hours long  and once we arrived we walked around that town to see what it had to offer. It was an interesting place... On the 25th me and my dive buddy went scuba diving in the Strait of Gibraltar... It was an amazing opportunity. We saw many fish and wrecks. The wrecks we dove through were navy planes, boats and funny as it is.. there was a truck that was at the bottom. It was a good time. We were done around 2pm and decided to go back take a nap, eat some food and have a nice cold beer! Man scuba diving was such a workout because of the current that i woke up the next day with sore muscles... I mean... even my fingers hurt!!!!!!

This is where we dove


On the 26th we decided to pay for a tour which took us up the rock of Gibraltar. This rock has a lot of history behind it more specifically during WWII it was used as a way to shoot boats coming into the bay. It was amazing... we toured what was called "the great seige tunnels" Which were used for people to hid out and do surprise attacks on people also we toured caves. The one we specifically toured was used as a hospital for the soldiers and those who were injured in war. One of the best things about the Rock of Gibraltar was the monkeys! YES, there were wild monkeys running around on the rock! They would jump all around on the cars and even onto peoples shoulders! I just loved it!

OH MAN!! I HAVE SAD NEWS!

Hello everyone,

     I am sure that many of you are more aware of what is going on in the Middle East right now than I am. But because of the Anti- American protests going on in the Middle East and Northern Africa Semester at Sea has decided to cancel our port of call to Casablanca, Morocco because of some recent riots happening in the city. I am sad that I will not be able to visit this country as it was one of the many ports I was looking forward to going to. But it is more important that we stay safe. Below I have attached the new itinerary for these countries.....

    It makes me so mad that people think it is OK to put people down like this. Thank you for freedom of speech but darn... this action and actions similar to this is just plain sad.

Cadiz, Spain
Port of Cadiz Bay Pza. de España, 17 Berth: TBA	Arrive	September 23	08:00
	Depart	September 28	20:00
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
Puertos de Tenerife Av Francisco La Roche, 49 Berth: TBA	Arrive	September 30	08:00
	Depart	October 1	20:00

 
Here is a new map also....

Fwd: Portugal

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

Hello everyone!

     Portugal was pretty amazing! As many of you know I spent the whole time at the beach. I had to soak up the sun and swim in the ocean that has been teasing me for the last month! It was so gorgeous. The first day we walked 3 hours to the beach when we realized that we could hop on a train in order to get there. So we did not have much of a beach day that day.. but it was still wonderful none the less. The beach we went to was in a city in Caiscas (I don't know if I spelled it right). The sidewalks of the city were blue and white stones and the buildings were small but painted a whole bunch of different colors. We decided to get a bottle of the Portuguese Rose Wine and sit on the beach to watch the sunset! It was absolutely breathtaking. I tried to capture the beauty but my camera did not do it justice...

     The next day we went back to the beach and hung out there all day! BOY do I have some good tan lines now :) The water was so cold.. you could hardly stay in it for very long. Once we had enough of relaxing we rented paddle boards and paddled around the harbor for a little.... let me tell you... that was a great workout! We left the beach after sun down and decided to see what the night life was like. So we went to a bar where we met some really friendly guys. They took us around the area and showed us where the best places were to hang out. It was a great night.

    The third day we went to the Oceanarium... which is a huge Aquarium. It was wonderful. The had a whole tank for just sea turtles! So of course I had to hang out there and watch them until my friends dragged me away. But there was a wide variety of sharks, fish, otters and octopi. I was kind of bummed out that they did not let you take any pictures.. but I guess it was for the best. We left there just in time. By the time we got back to the ship we had 15 minutes until "on ship time". If you are late you have to stay on the ship longer in the next port. I really failed on taking photos. I have about 10. I was waaaay to distracted :) I also was kind of bummed that we did not travel around Lisbon very much... it just means I will have to come back....BUMMER! It was such a beautiful area.

Well here are some pictures!

{GMST}39|.0486|N|10|3.10685|W|Almost to Portugal|Next Lisbon!{GEND}

Almost to Portugal!!!!!!!!!

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote: to travel is to live.”
-Hans Christian Andersen

Today while walking around my floating home I came across the quote posted above. I have been reflecting on the last couple weeks and how lucky I am to be able to experience a variety of different cultures and countries while meeting extraordinary people along the way. I know how much of an opportunity this is and I know that I have been doing everything imaginable to get everything out of this experience I can. I have seen many beautiful sites that I didn't know even existed. I have gained knowledge in the world as well as learned things about myself I didn't know before. I have lived and learned more in the last few weeks than I would have ever thought possible!

For those who have not seen where I am living... I was able to capture this picture while I was in Antwerp, Belgium. I decided in December that I wanted to participate in Semester at Sea. And with a lot of work and dedication I was able to pull it off... of course I couldn't do it alone.. SO THANK YOU a million times over to everyone who supported me both financially and emotionally!! I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

Sailing on the beautiful waters

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

Today has been a wonderful day at sea. I woke up to  a beautiful sunrise. The sea looked like waves of silk. It was gorgeous!  Class went on as usual. We talked about interesting topics like herbal medicine in Cultural Anthropology and Festivals celebrated in other countries in Public Performances. After class I went to work in the Field Office and was busy like usual.. I finally got a minute to take a step back and look at the world in which I live in. The ocean is such a gorgeous color.. it is dark and light blue mixed with some turquoise. Oh how lucky of a girl I am. It is amazing what you see and think about when you take the time to stop, look and listen to the world around you! I miss all my friends and family so much! I wish you were all here to experience this adventure with me!

 Much Love from the middle of the Atlantic!!

Pictures from Amsterdam

This image is what made me fall in love with this city!

This is Amsterdam's National Monument

This is their Royal Palace.

Pictures from Antwerp, Belgium

CHECK OUT THE DETAIL!

This is their Cathedral

This is one of the entry way into the Cathedral