No longer in Africa

Saturday, October 10 – Off the coast of Africa
14:02
I SAW WHALES TODAY! Mission accomplished.

18:46
While I was in South Africa, I received an email from 43things.com - a website I use to list my goals. This is the email:
“Dear future self, 
I'm reminding you about your stated goal on 43 things, to "Take a Semester at Sea." How's it going? Have you looked into it more? Have you told Dad about it? Have you talked to the other parents about it? Have you been saving at all? I'm really going to get on your ass if you haven't. 
Sincerely,
Your past self”

Amazing, considering I was sitting at a hotel in Cape Town, with the ship in sight. I’m so proud of myself.

The safari was pretty cool! It’s silly to think about, but I’ve seen more animals in captivity then I have in their “natural” habitats. The safari breakfast was so damn good. I had... CHICKEN NUGGETS. Yummy! I also had this other thing that I completely forget what it is, but I loved it! I spent my safari with Viki and I made a few new friends - Kat being one of them. I don’t have a wild story about my safari, and the pictures tell the story.


Sunday, October 11 – Indian Ocean?
1:01
After my safari I got dinner, hit up the town and met up with some pals and went to a gay bar called the Bronx! It was pretty crazy! Some of our LLCs were there! Nothing too monumental happened that night. I saw some seals up close.

The next day was Habitat for Humanity, which at first I wasn’t all about. I thought it was going to be like the Ghana trip where it wasn’t very structured. It also started to rain, and I was getting down on the whole day.

The day quickly turned around. The rain stopped, and  the Habitat for Humanity group leader was this really positive guy. “Pass the brick. Passing the brick. Waiting for the brick.” He was singing songs and keeping the day light. I played with a few little girls. One of which starting to sing and dance “single ladies” out of no where. It was the most adorable thing ever. “I’m a single lady.”

There were also quite a few dogs around, and even some PUPPIES! I was hesitant to pet it, but after awhile I didn’t care because it was so cute. The children didn’t seem to know how to treat the dog, or maybe they were told not to mess with “strays”. But I witnessed a few of them throwing rocks at the dogs, or mistreating the dogs in some way. Naturally, I tried to teach them how to pet the puppy and told them to treat it nice.

The group of students we went with was awesome. I was really impressed with one of the students in particular, Luke. The couple we were building the house for was deaf. Luke took two years of ASL and started to sign to them. It made their day. They wanted to be able to talk to us, ask as where we’re from, what we’re about and thank us for building their house - but they couldn’t. Luke was also really awesome with the children. Luke shared this part of the day at Post Port that I was sad I missed. The Habitat for Humanity group leader, the one that had his spirits up the whole day and made the experience a hundred times better, told Luke why he was a part of Habitat. Luke commented that his house must be really nice, but was shocked to find out that no - it wasn’t. The man lived in a shack, with a hole in the ceiling and explained that he won’t have a house, like the ones he builds, until he’s done helping. And he won’t be done helping until there’s no more need for help.

Another good story from the day: during a little “tour” of other finished Habitat homes, a little boy was given a toy car by another girl from our group. I don’t know if I mentioned earlier - but you’re not supposed to give the children anything, because then they will always expect it and it will create problems. Well, this little boy was trying to hide the car in my pocket to try to get another one, acting like he never got one to begin with. I tried to teach him a lesson, by telling him he should be grateful that he got one. The little boy slapped me. Everyone was in disbelief and all I could do was tell him that it wasn’t nice to do that and to not do it again. Lost in translation, I assume.

After a pretty eventful day at Habitat for Humanity and a nap, a group of my friends and I hit up the town for the last night in Cape Town. We started off at Mitchells, where we took a few shots. As we were leaving, we ran into Ryan - which I was so stoked about. He was already drunk, and being hilarious.

The big group of us went to the Dubliner - where I went on the first night. I had a much better experience the second time around. I got to do some bonding with my roommate and best friend. And I made MORE new friends, like Brian from my West and the World class and Sally and quite a few others.

After being super stoked about Sweet Caroline coming on, we all walked to The Bronx where the real fun went down. Within 15 minutes of being there, Jackie, Ryan and I met Willem. He’s this really rad local, that I’m so glad we met. He was really nice. So hospitable - bought all of us shots and a drink! I wish you all could of met him. I think this night can be best summed up with pictures, a good laugh and explaining that last night was a good night.

My final day in South Africa was wonderful. I went the Operation Hunger field program. Matt ended up going on the same trip, along with Brian and a few of my other friends. The kids were wonderful. They were so energetic and wanted to play and I loved it. There’s one boy in particular that I shared a special bond with. I just thought he was wonderful.

At lunch we collected all the food that wasn’t eaten, and all the oreos so we could donate them to the soup kitchen we were about to visit. During our little lunch break, Matt and I toured the area a bit. We found my car! Besides it was called a Gulf which I thought was really weird. We also saw this playground that was fenced in, and overtaken by nature. This is where I got my new necklace as well.

I had been taking the whole day rather lightly, just like I do in every other experience like this - so I don’t get overwhelmed. Well, then we got to the soup kitchen and then the lady who runs it said a prayer and I lost it. Although, I’m not religious, it was so touching. It was so moving how much they go through and how much they really are thankful to have food in their bowls. It was so moving how the children waited so patiently in line and how all the children went before the adults. I hope I never forget this experience.
South Africa is still very segregated. The area we were docked was predominately white. The majority of the workers at the mall were white. I didn’t see one white person in the townships other than the people we came with. It has a huge housing, job and education problem - and all of these things can be seen in the townships. I really enjoyed South Africa and I know I’ll be back some day. I hope I can bring some aid. I hope I can make a positive impact.

AFRICA

Saturday, October 3 – Cape Town, South Africa
13:38
I’ve been pretty emotional lately. I think the reality of this trip is finally starting to sink in. I was writing an email to my mom yesterday saying that I was going to be in South Africa tomorrow (today), and then I started crying. I’ve worked so hard for this. This is my dream. Everyone was always told to follow your dreams, but how many of us actually think we can achieve those dreams? I did achieve my dream, whether I really thought it was possible or not. I just kept working for it.

I was just walking down the “boulevard of dreams”, as my professor likes to refer to the walkway next to the piano lounge, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m on the ship I’ve longed to be on. I live on the 4th floor Venus deck. I live on the M.V. Explorer. I’m 1/3 through the voyage. This is really happening.


Tuesday, October 6 – V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa
0:05
I think South Africa is great! It’s completely not what I expected when I first heard we were going to South Africa! Our port (V & A Waterfront) is beautiful! It’s an absolutely stunning view. The M.V. Explorer is the biggest ship in port, it’s pretty cool. There’s also a pirate ship, which reminds me of home. Our ship is RIGHT next to a hotel (that has wifi). And it’s about a two minute walk from this huge mall, that has a grocery store in it. I actually haven’t made it past that mall on foot this whole time and I might not get a chance to. Oh darn - that means I just have to come back! In my taxi and bus rides I’ve seen these very impressive flats that I would just LOVE to live in.

The first day I went on an FDP with Professor Hunt to the District 6 Museum and Townships. If I didn’t see the Townships, I would of thought South Africa doesn’t have it so bad. But I did see them, and if I was to have actually allowed myself to process and take in everything I was seeing, I would of bawled my eyes out. I felt a bit uncomfortable coming in to view their lives, like they’re on display. One woman actually shook most of our hands, thanking us - because our money goes to make the better homes for them. The children were so adorable. Their faces lit up to see us. They grabbed at us. They did thumbs up to us. They wanted to play with us. When I was taking a picture of my friend Marge (Mar-gay) a little girl ran into the picture and threw up her hands. When Marge took a picture of me, that same little girl ran into my picture and did a model pose with me. It was so great! Then, one little girl grabbed my hand and another girls hand and we acted like a swing. The children did not want to see us go. I only noticed one person that was not happy to see us. It was a young man and he flicked off our bus as we drove by. I mean, I wouldn’t be okay with people coming into my home to tour it on a daily basis.

Our last stop was at Vicky’s B&B (S.A. Smallest Hotel). It was in the middle of a Township and the interior was actually quite nice! Vicky talked to us. She explained that our trips to the Townships help a lot. She thanked us. She also explained that her hotel helps the community a lot. She also gave advice to not give handouts - to children or adults - because it starts to make them expect it and if they don’t get it they will begin to steal and be nasty and rude.

That night after a failed attempt at getting our noses pierced and wasting money, Jackie and I went down to Long Street. We ended up finding separate groups of friends and splitting up. The night was pretty uneventful, even though I stayed out late. I’m not that impressed with Long Streets clubs or bars. I did make new friends and that’s always good. I had yet another beer, although I can’t remember the name of it. At the end of the night I ended up with more money than I had after we wasted money. In one hand, that’s AWESOME since I was pissed about wasting money due to my lose budget. On another hand, that makes me feel terrible since that means I must of ripped someone off. i.e. They gave me the wrong change.

 Day 2 - October 4th:
I made an itinerary for Jackie, Viki, Ryan and I for this day. If I can remember it, it went as follows:?0815: Breakfast on the ship?0900 Market?1200: Lunch on the ship?1245: Wine store and post office?1330: Hike up Table Mountain?TBD: Cable car down Table Mountain?TBD: Nude Beach?1900: Dinner on the ship
We stayed pretty close to the itinerary. We didn’t go to the wine store, because Viki didn’t need to after all We also never went to the nude beach.

At the beginning of the day we were unsure if we were going to be able to hike Table Mountain due to the cloud coverage. So, we went about our day - shopping at the markets, where they have a bunch of cool things. We went back to the ship for lunch, and it cleared up enough for us to go.

After a decently expensive taxi ride to the shortest hike up the mountain, we started the hike. Oh, with a few more members - Cody and Erin. The hike was difficult. I took it easy, resting a lot because I didn’t want my heart to fail. It was nice that Cody was taking it easy, too. I didn’t feel so left out. Viki and Jackie were way in the lead, and actually got to the top probably 45 minutes before us. The views were breathtaking. I took plenty of pictures.

Some hikers brought their dogs! It was so cool! I was stoked to see them, and they seemed to be really good at hiking the mountain! It made me think of how much Sakura would LOVE to hike Table Mountain! It would take her a bit to get use to, but she’d just love it!

On the way up I met this group of students that were from all over the world, that just came from New Zealand. I’m not sure exactly what they were doing in Cape Town or why they were in New Zealand - but I think it had to do with service. I got one of their emails, and I’m pretty excited to hear more!

We also met this man who answered “allova” to my, “where are you from” question. I asked where that was, and he laughed and said, “all over”. He’s spent his whole life moving from place to place every few years. I was envious - he’s been everywhere! He was very interested in our program. And he was very good at hiking - passed us going up and down.

I feel that trips like this build stronger friendships. I laughed a lot with Cody, Erin and Ryan. They’re really good people. I’m very glad that we all got to go together.

I felt pretty accomplished when we got to the top of the mountain. The view was such a great reward. I hope the pictures can show half of the beauty. We were literally in the clouds. I absolutely love clouds. They instantly make me happy. I’m so fascinated by their beauty. My mind was racing - with the hike we had just done, with the people I just had met, with my new friends, with this voyage, with my dreams coming true, with my future.

Cody, Erin, Ryan and I took a few jumping pictures when we got to the top. They are a lot of fun to do and turn out so cool! I wish I would of done one in every country now! I’ve decided to make a flip book and animation of them!

We all weren’t sure if Viki and Jackie would be at the top anymore since we took an extra hour to get to the restaurant on the top. So I made Ryan bet with me. He bet (on a pack of m&ms like always) that they would still be there. Not even 5 seconds later, Viki steps out from around the corner. It was hilarious. I ended up getting him a piece of fudge, which we split (like we always do when it comes to bets) and it was delicious. I was going to get more, but only brought a set amount of money (for that reason).

We all took a jumping picture, which Jackie didn’t understand the concept. The pictures are pretty funny with her in it. Ryan and I couldn’t get enough of the jumping pictures - so we did about ... 10 more by ourselves! I love them! I really do!

After hanging out at the top for a little, we took the cable car down. It was such a brilliant view. The cable car spun 360 so everyone could see. There was a man climbing up the mountain! It looked pretty intense
Ryan and I went to the mall after that. I was in this strange zone, thinking about everything and not being able to focus on what I was doing. Ryan and I have turned out to be such good friends and we’re both so happy to have met each other! Around 9 we went back to the ship to shower and go out to a “fancy dinner”. Jackie joined us. It ended up being the best night I’ve ever had out in a port. We went to Karibu - a really great restaurant, that I will come back to, on the waterfront. Our server was excellent. He really new his stuff - suggested us really great wine and food. Although, I did not listen to his suggestion on food. I liked my meal okay, but it had a weird sweet taste. I really enjoyed Ryan’s suggested meal. Jackie and Ryan both got real drunk off the two bottles of wine we all split (I had two glasses). My second wine glass had an K on it and I wanted it. I asked our server, Ralph (who refers to himself as a waiter), if I could take it. He made gestures like I should just take it, but then asked his coworker if I could - his answer was no. Later, when we were about the leave, Ralph came back and made a comment that he didn’t know how many glasses were on the table - so I took it! He was great! The combination of location, food, wine, friends and conversation was great!

Day 3 - October 5th:
I took the day to myself. I went to the hotel that’s 200 feet from the ship to use wifi and Skyped home! I was actually able to video chat with Bryent! It was great! I was only able to video chat with him for about 45 minutes (My battery life sucks on my mac, and I need a new one when I get home!). I went back to the ship to look at my balance and how I could budget in a bit more money for this port. I made it work, took out more money and went shopping. I got a few gifts, and a lot of snacks for the ship. I got Iron Brew soda that Chloe from the bookstore (from the previous day and from Bridget’s postcard) suggested. I can’t wait to try it. It was very interesting shopping in another country. It would of been even more interesting if everything wasn’t in English. I ate dinner with Jackie and pals - and then Jackie and I hit up wifi again. We decided to take it easy since we have a safari today (yeah, and I’m up way too late anyways). Technology is so amazing! I can see and talk to someone that’s miles and an ocean (or two?) away! I had the most scrumptious hot chocolate that I have EVER had in my entire life while we were calling our loved ones.

Then, we went back to the ship and I got in a cleaning mood. Our room is not dirty by any means, but I decided to organize my things and make room for our snacks to be hidden in the closet (away from us to drool over). I also did laundry and then I decided to write about my last couple of days! Now I’m going to go to sleep for a few hours to wake up for my SAFARI!

Soon I will not be off the coast of Africa

Monday, September 28 – off the West coast of Africa
14:27
Since I was sidetracked from writing about Ghana before, I’ll try again. 
Day 1:
The first... 5 hours of the first day in Ghana was spent waiting for the shuttle and traveling to Accra. When Terrance, Ryan and I finally got there - we asked the inter-port student where we should go eat. I don’t remember the name of the place, but it was delicious! I had fried shrimp and a Star beer! A BEER and I didn’t hate it. Ryan is definitely one of my best friends on the ship, if not my best friend. Terrance, like I’ve mentioned before, is held in high regard as well. After lunch the three of us took a taxi to one of the only ATMs that accepts MasterCard for me. Hit up the post office, then bought some over-priced art before going to a Chinese Restaurant and having three small bottles of ¢12 wine and fried chips. We ran into other SASers. One was a girl who knew me from facebook, but was always too afraid to come say hi to me. Cute.

Tuesdays, September 29 – Southern Atlantic
15:43
I had a really good birthday overall! I ate dinner with some pals (Terrance, Matt, Ryan, Jackie, Annie, Chelsea, Kristin, Anna) and a few of us played Balderdash. Which, I lost at - cause I always do. OH AND I had a Dr. Pepper (the word on the street is someone [I don’t know who] has another DP for me)!Then we went out to this place called Two Above 5 (the 7th deck), where I had my three Tinto de Veranos. There was this one girl, who’s birthday it also was, wearing a blinky tiara. I couldn’t believe the nerve of her acting like it was her day. I made Ryan go ask her how old she was turning... 20 was the answer. SO, It was my day. I then had Terrance go to his room and get his District of Columbia sash for me to wear. My friends also surprised me with a little gift and they sang Happy Birthday to me - using Peanut m&ms as my “cake” (they were out of chocolate chip cookies. wtf). Matt made me a CD, along with a “life is good” picture. Terrance, Kristin and my lifelong learner made me happy birthday cards! Pictures can pretty much tell my birthday story.


Let me just tell you how ridiculous the waves are today. Everyone is seasick. Of course the seas would be terrible the day after I drink. Everyone is falling over in the hallways. The swells are massive! I’m wearing my bracelets and I took some meds! 
Let me try AGAIN with Ghana:

Day 2:
Jackie and I had a filed program (Castles and Slave Dungeons) which involved us getting up at 5:30 in the morning. The four hour drive wasn’t that awesome. Let’s just say the roads aren’t legit in Ghana - as in they aren’t paved usually. Especially on the ride to the Cape Coast. Cape Coast is amazing. I got some of the best shots of the trip thus far from this field program.

Friday, October 2 – 29° lat 015° long
14:40
I fail at writing about Ghana. I really did love it! But apparently, I also love to do lots of other things than writing in my journal. The seas have been wicked the past couple of days. I actually got super seasick yesterday and... threw up! Yay! It’s really tough on my heart and breathing sometimes. It’s kind of like in an elevator when gravity lightens up on you a bit - well, the ship does that but it also does the exact opposite of that which sucks. It’s really fun to stand up or jump during the “less gravity” part of the wave/rocking.
I’d also like to mention how much I love life, especially on this ship. Let’s start with my room. I love the layout of the bathroom, it’s so convenient. Second, my room gets PITCH black, which mom would love. And there’s light switches RIGHT next to your bed - so you don’t have to walk from the door (which is only about 12 feet away) to shut it off. No, you shut it off in the comfort of your cozy bed. Which brings me to my third point, the beds are actually quite comfortable and they move when you rock - like it’s rocking you to sleep. Fourthly (hehe), the closets are awesome - shoe rack and all. The mini-fridge looks like drawers, which is awesome. Moving on from my room, I have to walk up one or two floors (depending on what cafeteria/lounge I want to eat in) to get food. Food is made for me every day three times a day plus snack time. Although I 9/10 (sometimes they’re too fast for me) get my own drinks, there’s waiters there that bring you drinks and clear off your table. And classes, let me tell you about classes, they’re great and they’re RIGHT THERE. Oh, and if you ever forget anything at “home”, your “home” is RIGHT THERE, too. Oh, and if you want to see a friend, you just walk a flight of stairs or two to get to their room or the majority of the time you just run into them in the hallways. Yo ho yo ho a sailors life for me!
I had my first test today. I don’t feel too hot about it. But, we’ll see. Matt and I exchanged music, so now I have more than 10 gigs of music that I’ve listened to over and over again! My music collection is going to be so awesome by the time I get home. Did I mention Music Matters? I’m in a Students of Service group and our group is called Music Matters. We’re going to collect everyone’s (on the ship) favorite song (that’s appropriate) and make CDs from them and give them to orphanages. We will also supply CD players and such if they don’t have those types of things.
Ghana:
Day 2: Castles and Slave Dungeons, Day 3: Habitat for Humanity with Jackie and Ryan. Day 4/last day: Spending the rest of our Ghana Cities. More after class. Hopefully.

16:21
Well, I guess I will resume my reflection of Ghana after that lovely class discussing suicide notes...
Ghana continued:
Let’s begin with part IV... just kidding. The general feel of Ghana was extremely different than Morocco. I instantly felt welcomed and happy when I stepped foot into Ghana. The people there are also in your face, trying to sell you things, but it’s different than how they were in your face in Morocco. I didn’t feel harassed. I felt like they were happy to have us there, happy for our possible business. Yes, we were still “ripped” off in a sense, but again it was different. The people are very friendly.

17:49
Matt just mapped the itinerary on my  back, so again I was sidetracked! Then, I decided to upload Neptune Day, birthday and tattoo pictures. And then I watched a bit of Emperor’s New Groove that’s on our TVs. I’m sure I’ll get sidetracked here again any moment, so here goes:
Ghana Part VI:
Cape Coast is absolutely beautiful. Life is booming there. I have some really wonderful pictures of the Cape Coast, but very few of the resort we ate at. It’s a place you’d go for a honeymoon. It’s a resort I want to go back to. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to ignore the real parts of Ghana, but the resort was really something! I’d love to come back, stay in Ghana for about a month (in this particular resort for about a week and in a village for the rest of the time).

19:01
I just ate dinner with one of my professors and his wife. It’s so neat that we get to do that! I love this close community. Jackie and I are currently watching Emperor’s New Groove - which is fun because we both know every line and Jackie cracks up at Disney movies and any funny movie in general.

The 7th installment of Ghana:
I liked the Habitat for Humanity project, but I wish it was a little bit more organized so we could of gotten more work done. It was awesome driving out to their village, which was basically in the middle of the jungle! It was really nice to be able to do this project with Ryan and Jackie. There were chickens just walking around the village, and a few dogs, too! They made us a really delicious lunch and we’re really happy to see us there. I don’t think we did enough. It sure was hot, though. I finally got to lay brick, which I’ve always wanted to do for some reason. It was just as cool as I thought it was going to be.

The three of us got back “home”, grabbed some dinner and quickly got ready to go out. We met up with Terrance, and two bus loads of us SASers headed out to Accra. Side note: there was a very naked man washing himself in the car wash  We ended up at one bar, to switch to another, to switch to a club. I had a blast! Matt ordered some tasty drink at the second club that I wish I knew the ingredients to. I stuck to my trusty tequila and shared a beer or two. I very much like the music they were playing that night. I’m really upset that I didn’t get any Ghanian music! Maybe I can find someone on the ship with some...

Moving on, Jackie left earlier in the night with some other SASers - so I went back with Ryan, Terrance and Matt. When leaving the club we were instantly bombarded with taxis. We decided to walk down the street a bit, so we didn’t get the jacked up price - which ended up being a bad idea. The second we walked away from the club we were all torn in different directions by Ghanians who were basically trying to mug us. It was pretty scary. They were grabbing at me and pushing the guys. We quickly got into a cab, and took a very long ride back to Tema.

But, that doesn’t end our crazy night - no. We were then pulled over by the cops (which apparently is normal - for our safety, whatever). That didn’t put me at ease. The cops have wrist bands that flash blue and red that mom would love (he wouldn’t give it to me - sorry mom). I heard some other SASers had to deal with some corrupt cops, held at gun point,  asked to give up their money etc etc. At the gates of the port, we were then escorted by security in a truck back to the ship. I was very happy to get back to my room that night. I did have a blast, though.

The last day included Jackie and I shopping. Since the last day always involves a very strict time limit, and we had the crazy 45 minute shuttle from and 45 minute shuttle to Tema, we were a bit rushed. We took a taxi to one of the very few MasterCard ATMs since I spent all of my cities (¢) the previous days. Our taxi driver waited for us, took us to get stamps and took us back to where he picked us up. Along the way, I talked to him about how he liked Ghana, President Obama (one of their favorite subjects), deviance in Ghana, and he talked to me about the buildings we were passing, futbol and other random things. It was great! Deviance according to my taxi driver: stealing anything is terrible. He told me if you are caught stealing, you would get stoned if the police don’t get to you first. He explained that a few years ago you could leave your bag on the side of the road, come back a few hours later and it would still be there. He also said the Ghanians are really nice people, that it’s not the Ghanians that steal. He blames the Nigerians for that.

Jackie and I made it to an internet cafe for 30 minutes. Then we hit up Global Mamas. We were supposed to meet up with Ryan earlier in the day, but it didn’t happen - but we randomly ran into him - just in time! He was at the shop he was supposed to show us, so it all worked out. He became friends with this shop owner, John, and we ended up becoming friends with him, too. He gave us all necklaces! Then, back to the ship on a very full and very hot shuttle - that ended up getting pulled over due to the amount of people. Alas, back to the ship and on our way to Cape Town!
I forgot to mention that English is widely spoken in Ghana, which made things so very easy. I also would like to add... THEY ARE CRAZY ABOUT OBAMA! There are billboards EVERYWHERE with his face on it. There are some with him and the president of Ghana. There are some with Michelle. They hold him in such high regard! They truly like the USA. It was great being so welcomed. I ate so much in this port - yum!

Logistical Preport:
I continued writing this Ghana update during my preport - and I have to stop and say... Dean Nick just walked out with a CONDOM hat on his head. Yeah, that just happened.

100th Voyage