13 days

Thursday, September 18 – Water
1:16
Jackie, my new friend Ryan and I had this strange "shock" the other day. We were watching Milk, and in Milk they got pizza delivered or someone brought it by that was in their group. Jackie said, "Pizza sounds so good." I almost suggested ordering it, and as it almost came out of my mouth, Ryan started laughing because he almost did the same thing. We all talked about how strange it was that we temporarily forgot that we were on a ship, no longer in the USA and unable to do such things like order Pizza. It's strange how something like watching a movie can make you feel at home, and make you slip into a feeling of comfort and make you completely forget where you really are... like on a ship docked in Morocco.
It’s ten days until my 21st birthday. I have made friends with a boy named Marco who has Dr.Peppers and is going to give me one on my birthday. My friend Terrance says he’s going to do my makeup on my birthday. I’m going to wear one of my new Spain dresses. I will have four classes that day, and I will have the rest of the night to do whatever I want. I will have a three drink (beer or wine, both my favorite) limit. I will then have the following day to do whatever I please because I will have no classes - not like I’ll be hung over and have to sleep it off or anything.
Tonight while Ryan was studying with Jackie and I (which is never a productive thing, because we always end up talking and laughing), Viki stopped by and we all had a really nice convo for about a hour and a half! Seriously, I love the friends I’ve made on this trip. I know I will have them for the rest of my life. I know I will see all them all again, even if it’s years from now. 
Well, I really shouldn’t of stayed up this late and of course I was starting to fall asleep around 9 but somehow managed to stay up past when I planned on sleeping... Here’s to my first day of my new class and all my classes being on the same day! Even if it goes miserably, the ship has a full day off tomorrow and I personally have another day off following that one. I am so loving this new schedule.

13:41
I forgot to mention our little caffeine high from our Moroccan Pepsi from last night. The trio (Ryan, Jackie and I) got so silly. I like to pretend argue loudly. I took a very giggly Jackie by the arm and “threw” her out of the room, into the hallway. Go figure that our friend Nikola would be out in the hallway, looking at us like we’re crazy. It’s a lot of fun laughing and being silly. It seems like I do it a lot on this ship.
I forgot to mention how I got to lay out in the sun and pretend like I was at the beach yesterday. AND there were no annoying girls with their stereo to ruin it! I got a lot of socializing done with Terrance, Matt, Ryan and Beno. I thoroughly enjoy my time on this ship!
Today was my first day in my International Service Learning class. This was what I was looking for in Semester at Sea. I already love it and I’m only one class in. The class is divided into groups, and I had to be accepted into one - which happened within 30 sections. I amazed one of my classmates/group members, James (who I met in the Casablanca train station when I was buying my tickets to Marrakech), by loving Star Wars. Sometimes I forget it’s not normal to be as obsessed with Star Wars as I am. The class is basically learning how to be of service. There’s 4 criteria for it to be considered service learning: big question (What can we do to enhance the quality of life?), reflection, sustainability, and reciprocity. Service learning is about US whereas volunteering is all about THEM.

I wanted to be able to come away from this semester as a better person, and I feel like this class is going to change me as a person - maybe not immensely, and maybe no one will be able to tell, but I feel like it will change me for the better. Professor Dr. Bernard J. Strenecky is so passionate about this class and this idea I feel like I can really learn from him in many ways. He’s been around the world multiple times helping in various different ways. I’m just so rejuvenated and happy from this class change.
I have one more class (Deviance and Social Control) today, in which we’re watching the movie Edmund. After class I’m hitting up the gym and the “beach” (as I like to call it). To be honest, all we’re missing is the sand. The pool water is the ocean water. I’m not that far off calling it the beach. Talent show tonight and two days off! Chicka Chicka What!

Sunday, September 20
0:16
Let’s see. Last nights Talent Show lasted about two hours, but it was really funny. There were some acts that were really difficult to watch - like this one guy’s stand up that was racist and rude. Other acts were hilarious - like this kid who made a PB&J, the Latin Lovers who lip synced to a spanish tennis song (so cute) and George who did impressions (he does our captain really well - he got first place, btw). There was some real talents, like the band “After Byron Time”, Alex’s tahitian dance and Beno with his lyrical interpretive dance and the sax player. My favorite was the guy who did an edited acoustic version of “I’m on a boat” and changed mother fers to rubber ducker and boat to ship. He did leave out my favorite verse, but I still loved every second of it. Some students did a skit of the voyage thus far, and it was pretty hysterical. We have announcements every day that are done by the same woman. She is known as “the voice”. They made fun of her by saying, “This is the 1800 report WON WON WON”. They also mocked the captain with, “Attention ship’s company, attention ship’s company”. Also, the children on the ship did their own version of “Yellow Submarine” and their chorus is, “We all live on a university - Semester at Sea, the best place to be.” While deciding the winner they needed another act to fill up time and they called for anyone else that had a talent that had not gone up yet. There were shouts for Terrance throughout the union. So, he got up and taught everyone how to walk down a runway - using the supermodel, himself and another friend. He followed up his runway walk with, “And no... I’m NOT gay” and cracked up laughing. It was icing on the cake.


After the talent show everyone was wound up and didn’t want to go to bed, even though it was eleven. Some friends and I ended up on the 7th deck with about 50 other people. Groups started to play elementary games - which I joined in on and it was really silly and fun. Following that Kristin, ZZ, Alex, Terrance, Matt and Ryan all headed back to my and Jackie’s room to watch Darjeeling Limited. Watching movies in our room with a bunch of people is now one of our favorite things to do - considering we did it again tonight with Little Miss Sunshine.


The majority of the day off was spent out by the pool, which is what I’m going to be doing again tomorrow after I get some homework done. The whole ship was woken up (ON OUR DAY OFF) to the captain doing drills (“Attention ships company” - we all think it was a prank) around 9 am! I did go to a few meetings today - one was very productive. Jackie and I’s Students of Service group put together some really great ideas and I’m pretty pumped about it. Also, at dinner “the voice” came on as usual for the 1800 report and said, “This is your 1800 report. WON. WON. WON.” The whole ship was dying! And that’s all she said!


I absolutely love this trip. I have no regrets about doing this whatsoever. My favorite part of this voyage is this community, these friendships - I’m just so happy. And hell - I’ve already been to three countries in the last month and I’ll be stepping into another country in two days!

Wednesday, September 23 – Tema, Ghana
22:51
I love Ghana. It’s my favorite port thus far! I will definitely be coming back. A decent amount has happened the past few days, but the past few days have been exhausting - so I’ll have to write later! Tomorrow is another long day!

Friday, September 25 – 7th deck, pool side leaving Ghana
21:27
We’re sailing out of Tema, Ghana at the moment. I’m sitting on the 7th deck, listening to some guys play the guitar and their newly purchased African drum. I love listening to “live” music. It’s really quite nice. The weather is beautiful - tshirt, shorts and a nice breeze. I have so much to write, but no drive to do so. Hopefully I will feel up to it soon. James has just started to play Crush by Dave Matthews and I swear I use to hate that “band” until this year - and I increasingly like them more and more. This music circle is clearing my head. 
Instead of doing what I planned to do: fix everything that is crazy in my life; I’m going to sit out here, enjoying the weather and the acoustic music. It puts me at ease.

Sunday, September 27 – Gulf of Guinea
1:52
Yesterday was the Neptune Ceremony! I have officially crossed the equator! It was pretty silly and a bit fun. Viki, my girl, got a lot of pictures of the day from my camera because 1. she didn’t want “fish guts” dumped on her head and 2. her camera was lost/stolen in Ghana on our last night. About a dozen girls shaved their heads - one shaved half, others did mohawks. I still have my hair (sorry mom)! 
Where can I even begin with Ghana? I guess I can explain that a lot of our time in Ghana was spent traveling since you can really dock in Accra, so we were about 45 minutes away in Tema.

Monday, September 28 – off the West coast of Africa
10:13
"Zum Geburtstag viel Glück”! Twenty-first birthday on a twenty-three hour day with a three drink limit (with the option of 4 beers and wine), four classes, no cookie cake, no family and no boyfriend! BUT I’ll make the most of my special on-a-ship, off-the-coast-of-Africa birthday! I’m wearing one of my new dresses that I bought in Spain. Terrance is going to do my makeup after my classes are over. I’m going to buy whatever I want to eat for dinner. Jackie has already told me she’s going to buy me cookies - yum! Ryan and I just made a bet in Global Studies about how long time zones have been around and he lost - which results in him getting me m&ms (which he said he was going to get me anyway today). 
Side note: the bets I make on the ship have the wager of a pack of m&ms. I lost the first one, which was if we were going to have a time change that night. I also lost the second one, which was where Matt would find his roommate (Terrance) when he went back to his room after a night of drinking - I said in either bed, Matt said still in the room. Terrance was hiding in the closet to scare Matt, and he fell asleep there.

Continuing with my birthday celebration. Two of friends (now three) live in a quad down the hall from Ryan. The third friend, Marco, has DR. PEPPER and is going to give me one! Oh my... I can’t wait to taste those 23 flavors of deliciousness! My friends and I are going to eat dinner together and after dinner we are going to rent Balderdash and play! Hopefully I can stay cool and not show my Brennan side. After that we are going to go to “pub night” where I’m going to make summer time sangria (which mom makes a version of). How do you make summer time sangria, you ask? One part wine, the other part orange Fanta. When I had it in Spain it was delicious! I wish orange Fanta was everywhere in the states for this reason! And since “pub night” ends at 2300, we’re going to do whatever we want or whatever there is to do after that. No classes for me tomorrow!