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!