Just sayin'...

what's going on?

Deans Memo

Friday March 30 & Saturday March 31, 2012

Issue # 42

Friday, March 30 Agenda ·         1700-1800 – Health Careers Panel.  Physicians, nurses, medical researchers, health care administrators, etc. will discuss their respective career paths (why they chose this profession, what training is required, what has changed during their professional lifetimes, etc.) and then the platform will open to a question and answer discussion so that we target our comments to what the students really want to know. Panelists include Executive Dean Bob Vieira and members of our visiting medical team. (Union) ·         1800-1900 – Shabbat Dinner at Sea. All are welcome. (Classroom 1) ·         1900-2000 – Meditation/Qi Gong.  (Classroom 8) ·         1900-2100 – Cultural Pre-port: China. Chinese students will offer a sample of Chinese music and dance from 1900 to 1945, followed by conversations with those students, Profs. Farmer and Zhang, and Senator Robb. (Union) 2100-2200 – Crossing the Line. A powerful and interactive diversity awareness activity that seeks to raise awareness about our racial, social, sexual, and cultural differences and to build community within our diverse group of SAS students. (Classroom 4) ·         2100-2330 Film Club Movie: Enter the Dragon. (Classroom 5) Saturday, March 31 Agenda ·         0900 – Family Photo. All dependent children and their families, caretakers, et al are invited to participate in the family photo. (Pool Deck) ·         1600-1730 – Mandatory Shipwide Temperature Taking. Hong Kong health authorities require everyone to have their temperature taken prior to our arrival in Hong Kong. Please have your shipboard ID ready and enter the Union on the Portside. There could be classes in session in rooms 6 & 7 so please be quiet when you go to have your temperature taken. (Union) ·         1700-1830 – Gumshoe Enigma Schnitzel Road kill Improv Workshop. (Classroom 8) ·         1700-1800 – Politics of China. Professors Edward Farmer and Ruizhang Zhang, and former US Senator Charles Robb, on US-China relations and Chinese politics. (Classroom 4) ·         1800-1900 – Language Workshop. (Union) ·         2000-2100 – Mandatory Logistical Pre-port: China. (Union) ·         2100-2300 – Movie Night: Up. (Union) ·         2100 – Chess Club. Come join chess club as Gavin Se teaches us the basics of Chinese Chess. Bring your chess boards for a friendly match afterward! Beginners are always welcome. Announcements Japan Transit Forms are Due. Get those forms to the Admin Office ASAP! Immigration Forms. Don’t forget to get those forms at the purser’s desk signed by 1200 on March 31. China Transit Passengers. There will be a mandatory lifeboat drill just after On Ship time… April 2 at 2130-ish. Shipboard Group Photos. Want to know what happens to those Shipboard Group photos that were taken on Vietnam Preparation Day. Several weeks after our voyage, you will receive an electronic copy of the Spring 2012 Voyage Directory via email. The Directory will include photos, names and email addresses of all students, faculty, staff, Lifelong Learners and dependents, along with the group photos. Passover Seder. If you are interested in attending a Passover Seder on April 8th 1730-1930, please sign up at the Student Activities desk. You must sign up by 1200 March 31st in order to attend. Space is limited so we ask that priority goes to community members of the Jewish faith. Zumba! Every morning at 0700 in the Union. Information from the Captain and Crew ISE Explorer is committed to reduction of water use onboard by means of increased awareness and engineering solutions (e.g. water flow restricting devices). Crew onboard are encouraged and motivated to be environmentally innovative by a monetary award for contributing the best environmental ideas for further improving management practices.

Today’s Quote “The art of learning fundamental common values is perhaps the greatest gain of travel to those who wish to live at ease among their fellows.” -Freya Stark Laundry Service B17: Deck 2 April 1: CLOSED Happy Birthday! Farrell Saunders Question of the Day On what date did China resume sovereignty over Hong Kong? Last question: What is the Vietnamese common name for the herb Polygonum odoratum? Answer: rau ram, or Vietnamese coriander (source: Oxford Companion to Food, p. 656) Television Programming Ch. 2: Japan's Killer Quake – for Natural Hazards and Evolution of the Earth Ch. 3: Nell (1994, 112min, PG-13)– for Cognitive Psychology Ch. 5: Hearts and Minds (1974, 112min, R) – for Global Cinema Ch. 6: Is Wal-Mart Good For America? (2005, 60min, NR)– for Modern China Other Gratitude Meditation I am aware that I owe so much to my parents, teacher, friends, and all beings. I vow to be worthy of their trust, to practice wholeheartedly, so that Understanding and Compassion will flower, and I can help living beings be free from their suffering.         -Thich Nhat Hanh field office hours – tymitz sq. At Sea  1130-1300 In Port CLOSED Dining Hours Breakfast 0700 – 0830 Lunch        1130 – 1330        Dinner      1730 – 1930 Medical Clinic – Deck 2 Hours: At Sea  0800–0900 and 1630–1730 In Port 0730–0800 and for 1 hour following “on ship” time Counseling Center – Deck 2 Hours: 1500-1700 and by appointment Dependent Children’s Program– Main Dining Room Hours: 0845-1145  Home Schooling 1345-1545  Afternoon Activity

 

Singapore

Another 1 day stop..Singapore!

WOW! Singapore is up there on my list of favorite countries! After being in India, Singapore is 100% different. The country is so technologically advanced, I felt like I was living in the future for a day! The day was spent with friends, exploring all Singapore has to offer. During our pre-port meeting the night before we were told of the intense laws that this country holds. For example, chewing gum has a $1000 fine. Jay-walking and you will be caned. And drug trafficking gets the death penalty. This explains why SAS cannot be trusted to spend more time in this amazing country. Singapore is one of very few cities that is also it's own nation. SO we started the day by getting a metro day pass. The metro station is an underground world. The train runs all throughout the city and also has the largest shopping mall. There are restaurants, and everything else that anyone would ever need. No need to ever go above ground! The train was the cleanest train that I have ever seen, and the whole country, above ground and under ground, was spotless!

We spent the day wondering around the city, and seeing as many highlights as possible. Singapore is home to the world's largest Ferris Wheel. This was another peak in to the future. We boarded the sealed vessel and saw the country from way up high! On a clear day, you can see Indonesia and Malaysia. Unfortunately, it was not a clear day, but we still get to see all of Singapore from an aerial view. After this, we came across a Starbucks! The whole day was spent exploring the city, and seeing as much as we could. We managed to stumble upon a University which was a part of the underground world. For lunch, we had Wendy's, and for dinner before heading back to the ship, we had Pizza Hut. In the shopping mall in Singapore, there were many familiar name brands and stores. Because it is a very modern city, there were many tourists there, and also many business people that were there for work. Everything in Singapore is very expensive, and I did not do as much shopping here. Headed to Vietnam where everything will be cheap, I was looking forward to buying a lot!

HOT CHEETOS

My friends got be someeeee!!!
Happiest day of my life. :)

I.N.D.I.A.

In Agra, we got separated from the other girls, and with no way of communication, we just went to the train station and hoped that they showed up. Earlier in the day we had talked about catching the 4pm train to Delhi. We arrived to the train station and it was an absolute mess. It was so crazy and stressful that I didn't get any pictures at any of the train stations. There were people everywhere. Everyone was in a hurry. There were small children beggars everywhere. There were people curled up in the middle of the walk way asleep. It was loud, it was smelly. There is no air conditioning at any public place in India. The platforms were full of people sitting waiting for the train. There were many stray dogs and other animals wandering around. I went to stand in line to buy 4 tickets, while Ashley waited outside to see if they showed up. There were about 12 different lines and only 1 of them was for women. So I waited in the line patiently. As I got to the front, women were shoving me out of the way and reaching their hand to get in front of me. I was not the only one, I watched this happen to everyone as I got closer. I had my bags and I stood with a firm foot as I bought the tickets. 4 tickets to New Delhi (3 hrs away) cost US$5. Concerned that the man had not asked what class I wanted, I found someone to ask where we were to board the train (the ticket was in Hindi). We found an English speaking man who told us that they were bad tickets that we bought because there were no assigned seats. When we got on, we would have to fight for seats, and there was a chance that we would be standing the entire time because of over crowding. 30 minutes until the train was to leave, the other girls were still not there. We were so stressed out that we decided to ditch our bad tickets and purchase bus tickets.

We found a driver to take us to a travel agency that would sell them to us. (By the way, notice how trusting we had to be of strangers...). When we got the agency, the man said that they bus would leave in 15 minutes. There were pictures of nice coach air-conditioned buses, so we paid and got our tickets. When the bus arrived, SURPRISE! We were on a “local” bus, which meant that every seat was broken, there was no air-conditioning, and it looked as if they picked it up in the junk yard. Me and Ashley were 2 of 3 women on the bus. By this time, the sun is starting to go down, so we find our seats and again, and say a little prayer! Exhausted from the day, we both fell right to sleep. About an hour passed and I woke up. We were pulled over in a random small town somewhere between Agra and Delhi. The bus had broken down. GREAT. Have no fear though, they got it running again pretty fast! As we were pulling out of a mechanic, the bus backed in to a person and a pole! Someone looked back and said “they're ok!” and we continued on our way. The “2” hour drive turned in to a 6 hour drive. We kept stopping for breaks at some more random truck stops, but this time, we decided it was safest to stay on the bus. It was around this time that it hit us.. “what in the world are we doing?! We are so crazy!” We had no idea where we were, no idea that this bus was actually going to Delhi, we had no plans of where to go when we got there. We met a couple of Germans on the same bus, that we conversed with about how crazy we all are to be in this situation right now. They were our age, brother and sister, traveling around India. Finally, it was after 10pm and the bus pulled over on the side of the road. I guess we were in Delhi? We got off to find men swarming us trying to get us to get in their taxi. We tried to explain that we needed to get to a hotel by the airport. Language barrier hit us hard.

We finally found a man who spoke enough English to get us in to his car. Again, no proof that he was legit, or that he understood what we were saying (which he didn't). Drivers in India work off of commission, so every time they take people to their friends, they get a cut of what we pay. This driver was the WORST. First, he did not speak English, and had no idea of where we wanted to go. After taking us to about 9-10 nasty hotels, we asked him to take us to the Radisson that we had passed a while ago. He didn't understand, so when he took us to some one else, we asked them to translate. The translator was just as bad! He told us that there was not such a hotel, even though we had just seen it, and he said that it would be 20,000 rupees for one night. Ashley got mad, threatened to call the police, and the guy finally took us to the Radisson. When we got to the 5 star hotel (which was really nice), we were desperate. It was almost midnight, and we were beyond frustrated and tiered. The Radisson was completely full, so they helped us find another hotel. After calling several hotels, they finally found a hotel that had rooms available. We asked to use the Radisson's driver because ours was not going to take us to the right place. We finally arrived to the Hans Hotel. It was paradise. It was a “5 star hotel”, which was really like a 3-4 star according to American standards. After filling out some paperwork and paying for the room, we were escorted to a room with 2 beds, and a Western flushing toilet. AMEN. By the time we got to our room, it was already after midnight. We had not eaten a single thing ALL day, since the night before at the truck stop. I had been wearing the same shirt for 4 days, and had only brushed my teeth once. I took the longest and best shower of my life and ended the night with room service dinner, before climbing in to the hardest/ most comfortable/ stained sheet bed. That night, I slept like a baby. In the morning, we had complimentary breakfast which puts to shame American continental breakfast. It was a feast! After being refreshed, we headed for the airport via subway. Once on the subway, we randomly saw our German friends again! What a coincidence that we were in the same place at the same time! They were too headed for the airport. We told them about out horror story, and then exchanged contact info with them. Once at the airport, we could finally breath. Things started getting SASy as we ran in to some familiar faces headed back to Cochin.

2 connecting flights later, and the biggest sense of accomplishment I have ever experienced, we landed in the Cochin International Airport. Waiting for us right outside was our driver who dropped us off. He took us back to the ship and we returned home.

The first thing that I did once back on board was head straight to the 7^th deck and ordered a Cheeseburger and Fries. NO SHAME. I deserved it! We met up with our other friends to make plans for the last day in India. We ended up taking a water taxi in to town to do some more shopping and exploring. I was told on multiple occasions throughout my trip that I look 100% Indian, especially with my name. I also had 2 different people on 2 different occasions say that I look 16. In Agra, I had another old man propose to me. He said he was in love with me. He also confessed that he was married and had kids my age. Gross. Crazy.. There were articles published in the local Cochin newspaper about our visit. They said that the program costs 1.5 million rupees, and that if someone had that much money, they would never have to work another day in their life. This explains why people inflated the prices so much. Something that I am grateful for from this trip is that I did not get travelers diarrhea as predicted from the ship doctor. This was good and bad. It was good for obvious reasons, including the lack of toilets, but it was bad because we didn't get sick because we barely ate anything the whole week, and we were also VERY dehydrated. Because we were backpacking, we couldn't carry much, and there was very limited safe water for us along our journey. The next week after returning to the ship, I had to replenish by eating fruits, veges, and meats, and drinking A LOT of water. India was a success! I am alive. I am well. I am blessed. As our German friends said “Nepal stands for Never Ending Peace And Love” and I recited from a movie “India stands for I'll Never Do It Again”. I am very happy that I went, I am very happy that I did everything that I did, but my India urge has been satisfied, and I will most likely never do it again.
.

Varanasi/Agra

When the time came to exit the train, we gathered our stuff and prepared for our arrival! As soon as we tried to get off the train, people flooded the doorway. There were women literally grabbing our arms and pushing us out of the way to get on the train. Finally, a man shouted “they get off so you can get on!” When we got through, there wasn't even a platform to exit. We literally had to jump off of the train and try to avoid the masses of piles of fecal. It was EVERYWHERE. There was trash everywhere, it was like we stepped off in to a trash yard. As we walked towards the station, we were approached by an English speaking taxi driver who offered to show us around for the day. Flustered with what just happened, we compromised a fare for the day and got in to his rickshaw. This is when it hit me. A bucket list check off for me, I WAS IN VARANASI! After doing a 15 page research paper on the Ganges River last semester at CLU, I was determined to one day visit the site, I would have never guessed it would be the very next semester! Varanasi is the oldest city in the world and to this day remains a Holy city. As we drove to a hotel to freshen up and use the “toilet”, I didn't even want to blink. It was straight out of a movie. I was in the olden days, there was no signs of the 21^st century anywhere. There were open sewage lines along all of the streets, dirt roads, alley ways with women washing clothes out of containers. The food was lined on the streets surrounded by flies. There were hundred and hundreds of cows roaming the streets. The sound of people working in little shops was stunning. It was time for the GANGES RIVER!!!! The driver took us down a small alley way and it looked like we were lost. Fear not, at the end of the alley was a set of huge stairs that led to a river. I was standing at the Holy river. It was the best feeling in the world. I felt accomplished. I felt as if all of the work that I had put in to this trip, payed off at that very moment. We walked down the stairs and to the banks of the river. We then got in a small boat to take us on a 2 hour tour up and down the river. We got ripped off bad. I paid 800 rupees for 2 hours while others apparently paid 200 for the same time. It was only $16USD though, so it was still worth it! A little boy was on the boat and prepared little bowls with flowers and tea lights for us to release. He gave us 2 each, and instructed us to release them in to the Holy water in honor of our loved ones. So we did. After, we pulled back to the show momentarily and he said “ok, now you pay me!” WHAT! “100,100,100” pointing to each of us. This little kid ripped us off! He never said that we had to pay for them, and we had already over-payed to be there anyways. We didn't have 100 on us, so we just gave him what we had. Dgjadnkgjsbdgksd . The rest of the time out on the Ganges was so peaceful. The banks were full of people washing, bathing, praying, worshiping, brushing their teeth, and just being in the water. My hand accidentally touched the water and I freaked out a little.

We were told that we can take pictures everywhere until we got the the burning ghats. The burning ghats is where they perform ceremonies where the cremate bodies. When we got to the site, there were 2 live cremations going on. At the site, there are on average 400 cremations per day. The ritual is a ceremony that only men are allowed to attend. The priest on site explained that women are not allowed because they are too sad and they cry. When there is sadness, it puts the soul at unease. The body is given an oil massage and lathered in a butter from a plant. Then, the family drapes the body in cloth. It is then put on a pile of wood. Then more wood is put on top, the wood is a special kind of wood that hides the odor, there was no bad smell at the ghat. Then, stuff is drizzled on top, and the eldest son or husband circles the body 5 times, and then lights it on fire. The priest then asked us for money and said that it was for our karma to give to him. UHMM... I am good with my Karma. My God's got my back, thanks! :) After spending some time here, we got back on to our boat to head back to our driver on shore. We spent the rest of the day exploring Varanasi. We visited the Hindu University where we visited the temple,and had lunch. Then, we visited a silk factory where we saw the women threading material. I bought a silk duvet cover for my mom. It is beautiful! We shopped, shopped, and shopped some more. It finally reached evening, and it was time to find our way 14 hours west to Agra. This would be a whole other adventure.

It was impossible to get train tickets this late in the night, so we had no other choice then to hire a driver to drive us over night to Agra. This turns out to be one of those “what are you thinking Maya!?” moments. Anyways, it happens and we get in to the car. We left at 6pm and would plan to arrive sometime the next morning. We drove for 14 hours straight! This was the scariest thing that I have ever done! The driver only stopped 2 times through the night and was stoned out on cigarettes and coffee. He even admitted to not having slept very much before hand. I was sitting in the front seat, so I had a front row view to the most terrifying driving ever! Every time I would wake up, we would be going AT LEAST 100mph, and in to on coming traffic. I couldn't do anything but close my eyes and pray. Prayer has become a norm while in vehicles on this trip. At around 10pm, we stopped for a dinner break at a truck stop in the middle of no where. The small restaurant was packed with men who were driving through the night. I had the BEST Indian food here that I would have the entire trip. I went with another girl to the restroom only to find a man in the woman’s toilet, demanding money from us. OK then, we left, and decided to hold it until the morning. We got back on the road, and were trusting that we were back on the road to Agra.

After only a few hours of disrupted sleep, morning rolled around and we were in Agra! THANK YOU JESUS! Our driver had taken us to his friends hotel where we could use the hole and freshen up before we went to the Taj Mahal. While in the room, we had a view of the Taj from the window! At this time, our driver went to the room to sleep, and we met up with another guide who would take us to see Agra. Seeing another one of the wonders of the world was breathtaking. Before coming here, I talked to a girl that said “the Taj is cool, but if you have seen pictures, you have seen it.” WRONG! We walked towards the entrance and as we got closer, I was wondering where it was. I couldn't see anything. All of a sudden, we turned the corner and BAM. The Taj Mahal. It is the most grand and beautiful thing that I have ever seen. There were thousands of people there, including an SAS trip. It was nice to see some familiar faces, but it has been equally as nice to not be associated with some of these people. Our tour guide took us on a tour, explaining all of the history behind the Taj. As we were leaving, we decided that it would be neat to go buy a saree and come back in the evening to take pictures. So, we headed to a little silk shop, and did some more shopping! Pretty Pretty was the owner of the store. She was a little Indian lady who was THE nicest and funniest person I have ever met. We spent 3 hours in her store, trying on clothes, sharing Chai Tea, and just laughing and having a great time. Once I found my perfect saree, we said our goodbyes and took an auto-rickshaw back to the Taj. Unfortunately, we had to pay 750 rupees again, but $30 to see the Taj Mahal 2 times was totally worth it! Later, I found out that I could have gotten in for 20 rupees because I look Indian. Once we got back in, we attempted to put our sarees back on, but failed, miserably. We were pointed at, we were laughed at, we were stared at, and we had our pictures taken while being laughed at. After giving up on trying to put it back on correctly, I kind of just draped it over my shoulders and got a few pictures.

During this time, the other 2 girls that Ashley and I were traveling with went to the Agra Fort. We decided to meet back up in time to catch the train back over to Delhi to catch out flight the next day. So it only made sense that we would get separated and not see them again until we were back in Cochin.. STRESS. Ready for another transportation nightmare? STAY TUNED!

Holy Cow!

2 American women backpacking through India: CHECK!

I can write a whole book about everything that I did in India, and I probably will! I am going to break down the posts day by day to make sure that I get everything, and still keep your attention. So India. One of the main reasons why I chose Semester at Sea. While the entire itinerary was appealing, Ghana, India, and Cambodia were all tied for first place! Here we go.

The MV Explorer arrived to Cochin, in Southern India, on March 12^th. Leading up to this day, as you read, I was absolutely terrified. Much time and planning had gone in to my independent travel up to Northern India. I prayed, talked about it, and was constantly reassured that nothing would go wrong. Looking back, I would not change a thing! After face-to-face immigration, and a peak at how cool my passport is looking, the ship was cleared to disembark in to a whole new world. As we exited down the 5 story gangway, we were greeted by traditional Indian dancers, and women putting bindies on everyone. For the first day, I had an FDP (faculty-directed practicum). The field trip was titled “Highlights of Cochin” and was for my Language and Globalization class. On the trip, we visited a synagogue, a palace, fisherman port, and a spice market. The purpose of all the sightseeing was to interact with locals and become accustomed to the culture. The state of Kerala where Cochin is, is the most developed region in all of India. It has development rates of those in the 1^st world. With a 93+% literacy rate, and women equality, it was not what I expected I would see in India. Good thing I traveled, to get to the “India” I was expecting. Anyways...(another “seriously SAS?” moment).

That evening we were headed to a Welcome Reception. The reception was held at a fancy resort, which was secluded from the rest of the city. Here, we were welcomed by students from a local university. At the reception, we had the chance to buy hand-crafts, get henna (which was horrible), eat Indian snacks (which was delicious), and saw performances of Indian dancing, and singing. As the night grew old, the clouds opened up and we were greeted with a rainstorm. We headed back to the ship to pack my bag for a 3am departure to the airport.

The previous day, we had arranged for a cab driver to meet us to take us to the airport which was an hour from where we were. There was a group of 4 girls, 2 of us were on different flights there and back. My friend Ashley has been by my side since day 1, when we realized that the partying in Dominica was ridiculous. She is 25 and is not only a good friend, but also a mentor to me during my breakdowns. The airport was relatively small and there were not many people there at 4am. We went , through security, which was an experience in itself. I immediately knew I was in for a culture difference when the men and women had to be in different lines for anything. During the frisking, the women went in to a private booth and we were searched by a women officer. This was the same with every public transportation situation. Even in the train station while in line to buy tickets, the women had 1 line and the men had 9. When we arrived to New Delhi, it was like we were in a whole different country. There is obviously money here with it being the capital of India. The airport was nicer than some airports that we have back home. In the airport we stopped by a store to get some snacks for the road. I couldn't pack much because we were backpacking, so we didn't have much room. I did however manage to get a box of honey bunches of oats packed.

Once in New Delhi, we had to find our way to the train station to catch our overnight train to Varanasi. We took a subway to the station, and when we got outside, I saw “India”. There were horns honking, there were people EVERYWHERE, there were beggers, there was trash, there was dirt. Not knowing where we were supposed to go, we finally found someone who directed us to the platform where our train was waiting. It was hot and smelled really bad. Oh man, the smell of India. It is not a pleasant one, but one that I will never forget. We found our seats on the train, in the sleeper car, and settled in. First things first, we broke out the baby wipes and got to business. On one bed, we went through 3 wipes, and it was still coming up brown. The smell inside of the car was harsh, but we had to get used to it, we had 15 hours until Varanasi.

The start of the train began interesting, and only grew more and more sketchy as the night went on. First, there were very few women and children on the train...and in India all together, but our sleeping quarters were very close to strangers. The other 2 girls that we were traveling with joined us, and we claimed our beds. My supervisor at work warned me that when you want to sleep, you have to be straight up and tell them because they will want to talk to us all through the night. Boy was she right! Up to this point of the voyage, I have felt like we have been the ones putting the locals on display with staring and picture taking, well, we got a taste of our own medicine in India! People would walk by, glance, and then take a double take. When they came back, they would stay and stare and listen to us. The men even took turns coming in to our “room”. The cameras were flashing, they were 2 inches from our faces, and just had a sincere interest in who we were. What made us even more interesting is the group that we were. I am Hispanic, Ashley is black, Tess is Asian, and Dea is white. They were confused at where we were from and how we were able to speak to each other. At one point early in the trip Tess said “wouldn't that be funny if one of them could actually speak English and understands everything we're saying?” Because no one said anything, we assumed that they did not understand us, not that we were saying anything bad, but we were still talking. As the evening continued, we all started getting comfortable with each other. The truth came out! One of the guys spoke English a little bit, and one of the guys in the corner is a student as is fluent! All we could do is laugh and learn who these people were. It became much less awkward when we could communicate with them. We talked and talked for many many hours! Dinner time came, and the men convinced us to try the train food. We ordered “chicken biryani” which is like chicken fried rice. 2 hours later, our food came. The main guy that we were talking to asked us if we have tried a couple of dishes, when we said no, he went over to his room and came back with a bag full of food. “My mom made me dinner!” He said, and started scooping food on to our plates to share with us! Ok, so at the time, I didn't think anything of it, but looking back...what was I thinking!!?? The food was a meat dish in a container that looked like it had been through the trash a couple of times, and had probably had been sitting out for a couple days. The other dish was Tomato Chutney. It was the spiciest thing in the world!! We ate it. All of it. It was delicious! Later when I returned to the ship, my supervisor said she forgot to tell us not to accept any food from people because they drug the food so that they can steal from us..THANK GOD that didn't happen, and we didn't even get diarrhea! Speaking of, let's talk toilets. Holes is the more appropriate term for India. The toilets on the train were the worst! They smell from the toilets lingered for 3-4 rooms past where they are. There is no toilet paper, sinks, or windows. There is literally a whole in the ground that led to the outside. I stalled for as long as I could, but after 5 cups of chai tea, I had to go! I was waiting in line for 15 minutes. As every minute passed, I was getting more and more scared of who and what was going to come out. Finally, a man in a robe emerged soaking wet and dripping sweat. Yup. Enough said there..

The early morning rolled around and we decided that we should try and get some sleep. With no blankets, no pillows, and people still sitting at the ends of our beds, we tried and rest a little. One of the guys that we were talking to was a drug lord, and he was there with his servant. The servant slept under my bed, and the other slept sitting up between our beds. Thankfully, I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep in. Not everyone on the train had a ticket, so they had to share beds. Men were sleeping sitting up, 2-3 to a bed, and in all of the hallways, including blocking the toilets. From time to time an officer with a rifle as big as him would walk up and down the hallways, which made me feel a little better, not really.

All throughout the night, the train would stop and we would wake up to lots of noise outside. There seemed to be thousands of people outside at every station. The morning FINALLY rolled around and we were in Varanasi! TO BE CONTINUED..

India

I am in India! Oh my goodness..talk about a dream come true! I do ask one thing of everyone back at home. Prayers. Lots of prayers please! I am doing independent travel all around India with a backpack and no real plans. Tomorrow a friend and I will catch a plane from Cochin up north to New Delhi( cross country). From here we will eventually find a way to overnight it to Varanasi to the Ganges River (17 hrs away). The next night we will find another way to Agra to see the Taj Mahal (another 14 hrs). The next day we will find a way back to New Delhi to catch our returning flight to Cochin where the ship is. In all honesty, I am terrified. I am so scared. I had a nervous breakdown last night after the pre-port where they tell us everything that can go wrong. My friend who I am traveling with, Ashley, reminded me that God will not let anything happen to us. He will be with us the whole time. Also, she said "time to grow up!" I really feel like this is the first time that I will ever be completely on my own. In all of the other ports, I at least had the comfort of a "home" just a cab drive away. This will not be the case. Also, up north there is still a lot of inequality for women, and they do not speak English as much as in the South. It is also fairly close to Pakistan. I will not have a toilet for the next week, only a hole, and I will not have a shower either! Regardless of all of this...I am so excited! This is real. REAL LIFE. Love you all, see you as a changed person! If I can do this, I can do ANYTHING!!!! :-)

The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. - 2 Thessalonians 3:3 

Mauritius

So, miracles are real!! We hit big waves and storms and almost had to miss this beautiful place! BUT, the captain/ ISE worked their magic and got us here! We pulled in to port at 10pm and the ship refueled overnight to take us to India. Then, at 6am, immigration and customs came on board and we did face-to-face immigration. 730am rolled around and the ship was cleared to get off!! We were only allowed to be in port for 4 hours..but it was so worth it! We got off and took a water taxi across the river to the city Port-Louis. When we got off, everything was still closed because of how early it was. We wandered around until 10am when everything opened. In the meantime, we found an open fruit juice bar. The fruits were the sweetest fruits in the world! I had a "watermelon, pineapple, mango, passion fruit" super special. OHMYGOODNESS. It was delicious! After this, my friends and I walked around taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. The craft market finally opened and we did some shopping. The craft market was divided in to sections and each section was a different seller. I bought a skirt/cover up/wrap/scarf thing. And a straw turtle for my mom :). After we finished here, we went to Pizza Hut. OH YES. I had a Chicken Tandoori Pizza. It was the best pizza I have ever had in my LIFE. By this time, it was 11am and we had to run to the water taxi to get back to the ship before "on-ship" time. When someone is late they get "dock-time" which means for every 30 minutes they are late, they have to wait 4 hours before they can get off the ship in the next port. HARSH but good. Do you want to hear about how 80% of the students went to the beach to get drunk and came back falling over? It's not a good one, it is so irritating! In the pre-port for Mauritius, they explained to us that the country does not allow commercial airlines in to the country because they only want to rich tourist in their country. So, tell me how someone can justify wasting 4 short hours in a beautiful country that we will probably never return to? ANYWAYS, I had an amazing time and am so glad that we were able to keep this amazing place on our itinerary. We are now going super fast booking it over to India! We have 4 days to get there, and we are all crossing our fingers that the weather will work with us and we can still get there on time! Hope all is well back in the States!

South Africa

WAKA WAKA!!
The night before our arrival to South Africa I was still not sure what to do on the first day. I decided that I would just wait it out and see what happens. Morning time rolled around and some of my friends were like "come caged shark diving with us!" I have never done anything super risky, or ever thought about doing something like that! So, without giving it any thought, I said YES! Before I could even process what I was about to do, I found myself in a van and a 2 hour drive to the Atlantic Ocean where the sharks are. We signed some papers (and then read them) and headed out to the boat. Once we got far enough we suited up and got ready to see some sharks!! It wasn't until I was being lowered in to the cage that I realized that I was about to be face to face with a Great White. Instead of panicking, I said my little prayer, and put on my goggles!! As soon as we were lowered in to the water, the guides poured fish guts all around us and threw bait RIGHT in front of the cage to attract the sharks. When they came close, we pulled ourselves in to the water and watched the sharks swim right in front of our faces!! They were so close and it seemed like I was watching a movie, because who experiences this in real life?! After seeing 5 sharks, a mad adrenaline rush, and a "what were you thinking Maya" moment later, we headed back to the shore.
    The next 4 days in S. Africa are all pretty similar. It is best summed up as living life as a "rich, white, successful man". South Africa surprised me and was a world of different from the Africa I saw in Ghana. Cape Town is a combination of Malibu/ San Diego/ Los Angeles, and West Africa...skdjgbskndg...wait what? YES. California and Ghana combined. Let me explain. I spent way too much money, I had 5 star dinners every night, my friends and I got a beach front hotel for a night, took a cable car up Table Mountain, we went to a soccer game at the World Cup Stadium, which was amazing! THEN, the last 2 days I spent in the Townships doing service projects. 10 minutes away from the luxurious life was poverty that is hard to explain. The separation of the whites and everybody else was ended a while ago with the ending of the Apartheid. So then why were my first 4 days in the "rich" area surrounded by white people, except for the workers and waiters; and the next 2 days in Townships where I did not see a single person who was not black or colored? This segregation was so obvious, there is no hiding it. For the service projects, I painted a house for Habitat for Humanity, and participated in Operation Hunger. Operation Hunger is a NGO that focuses on feeding malnourished children in the Townships (which mind you are 10 minutes away from multimillion dollar mansions and estates). During this project, I helped build a garden where the locals will grow their own produce. This was the hardest work that I have ever done in my life. I have service wounds, sun burns, blisters, and the chance to finally say I have done gardening before! It was hard, but very much worth it! After this, children lined up at the soup kitchen and we began the process. We took the kids height, weight, and upper arm circumference, and then gave them their supper. As the day came to a close, we headed back to the ship. My time in South Africa flew by and I didn't have the chance to do several things. I really wanted to go to Robbin Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. Next time! Oh, I forgot to mention that we hired a driver for 4 days...haha..OOP$$! He was amazing and took good care of us showing us around! I love South Africa, but I would not be able to live there. In a whole year, it only rained 2 days, and is 80+ degrees year round. Sounds nice right? NO.. I want seasons!! :)

Dean's announcement

"since we have received such positive response about missing Mauritius,
we have decided to cancel the rest of the ports and sail in rough seas
for the next 45 days. Enjoy your pasta and potatoes."

South Africa

cage shark diving: CHECK!
soccer game at the World Cup stadium in South Africa: CHECK!
beach front hotel: CHECK!

blog is coming, midterms first! :)

Mauritius

is not happening. :( We hit pretty intense tropical storms which made us
slow down, meaning we will miss this port to make it to India on time.
So sad. :(