The Past Month...in Bulletpoints

Let’s face the facts: I’m a bad blogger. When I envisioned blogging on this trip, I imagined I would be as good as Julia when she sent her daily emails from Ireland. I swear I knew what that girl ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sorry, y’all are just getting the highlights. Here are some:

• Neptune Day: This is a maritime tradition called a “shellback ceremony.” In the US we would call it “hazing.” But then again, these are international waters. This ceremony is usually done when a ship crosses the equator, and according to some British marines I met, is generally humiliating. But due to our schedule and nature of the SAS mission, we carried out the amended version. The crew woke everyone up around 7:00am by banging pots and pans, then we paraded in ridiculous costumes onto the 7th deck. Each voyager got smothered with a yummy cocktail of fish guts and water, jumped in the saltwater pool to rinse, kissed a dead fish, and bowed to King Neptune (our executive dean), Lord of the Sea. I was a fish handler, so I had the glorious job of shoving a 30-inch dead fish into peoples’ faces as they puckered up. The last part of the ceremony involved anyone willing – guys and gals alike – to shave their heads. About 55 people went bald in all – maybe even more girls than guys. Don’t worry Dad, I still have my hair. But I did play barber for three or four people.
  
• Cape Town, South Africa: I may have found my new home. I fell in love with this city, and I have no doubt I’ll be back one day, hopefully sooner rather than later. Some of the highlights of Cape Town were:
  - Wandering Long Street, an awesome collection of shops, cafes, and bars with a chill vibe.
  - Putting the finishing touches on the Habitat for Humanity house built in four days with the power of SAS. We were Ethel’s first guests in her first ever home, and many tears were shed as she literally sang her praises.
  - Hiking atop Table Mountain for an awesome view of the city.
  - Driving down to the southwesternmost tip of Africa: Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. This drive puts Big Sur to shame. Plus we saw ostriches and baboons.
  - Watching the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean on Camps Bay with glasses of Pinotage, South Africa’s signature wine.
  
• Tamarind Falls: This series of seven waterfalls in the middle of the small island of Mauritius (near Madagascar) offered some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve witnessed on this trip. We hiked the cliffs with a personal guide, using not only our legs but our arms since we had to grab on to the small but sturdy trees to keep us steady. At each waterfall we could cliff dive (and I actually dove! It was scary) and swim in the pools. It was the most fun I’ve had on a hike, ever.
  
• Sea Olympics: This shipboard event between Mauritius and India was the epitome of ridiculous collegiate competitiveness. Competitions included synchronized swimming, a toilet paper fashion show, mashed potato sculpting, and slippery Twister. I strongly represented IU tailgating in a round of flip cup (with water, of course). The Baltic Sea won, and their prize is to be first off the ship when we reach Miami. It got pretty heated, and although my sea didn’t do so hot, everyone had great spirit.
  
• India: India is perhaps the best, worst, and craziest travel experience I’ve ever had, all wrapped into one. The best part: I stayed with the family of the most generous University of Michigan student ever, Udit. He was so kind in offering his parents as hosts, and what amazing hosts they were. Their driver was my chauffeur, I was able to see tons of sights in Agra (including the Taj Mahal), I ate amazing home-cooked food, and I was able to spend time with an incredible family who welcomed me with open arms. They even baked me a birthday cake. The worst part: the poverty in India hits you square between the eyes. It is impossible to go anywhere without seeing despair. It is poor, dirty, grimy, smelly, and uncomfortable. For a privileged American who is used to feeling relatively safe and healthy, these phenomena are disconcerting and challenging. But the beauty of travel is to peel back the layers of unique places and find commonalities of the human existence. India embodied this for me. The craziest part: I was stared at CONSTANTLY. As white people, we might as well have been wearing clown suits. I was laughed at, pointed at, poked, followed…anything you can imagine. It was all part of the experience, and I actually got used to it. Crazy part #2: driving is a serious hazard to your life’s safety in India. I thought I had seen it all in Brazil. But in India, stoplights are mere suggestions, and lanes aren’t even in the realm of possibility. Honking is not to say “get out of my way” or even “hurry up.” It’s to say “I’m a motorized vehicle and someone might forget that I’m moving unless I lay my hand on the horn every 5-10 seconds” (no sarcasm here).

We are over halfway through the voyage, and it is surreally depressing. This experience is flying, and I have the sinking feeling that when I return to the States, it will all seem like a dream. Hopefully I’ll continue to squeeze everything of it that I possibly can (which unfortunately for you all, means a serious lack of blogging. Apologies in advance!).

I Jumped Out of a Plane

I love Brazil! This was my second visit to Brazil (first visit in December 2006 to Rio de Janiero / Buzios), and I just love it there. I actually enjoyed Salvador just as much, if not more, than Rio. It was smaller and grittier but with loads more character. Plus, aside from the swarms of Semester at Sea kids, I ran into absolutely no Americans and only a handful of people who even spoke English. The people of Salvador live their lives in a simplicity that is comforting. As we were pulling away from the dock, I was talking to one student, Ben, who claimed to be heartbroken upon leaving Salvador, saying, "there was dignity in the poverty that [he'd] never experienced." The income gap in Brazil is the largest in the world, and it's definitely apparent in Salvador. But even the poor are proud.


I spent the two days following Carnival exploring Itaparica Island, which is a 30 minute ($2) ferry ride across the bay from Salvador. The first day, a student (Tucker) and I explored, ate a meal, listened to some Portuguese karaoke, and thought we were stranded for the night until we realized that there was more than one return ferry.


The second day, I jumped out of a plane.


Don't worry, I had a parachute (and a guy) strapped to my back. My first skydiving experience was UNREAL! It was a beautiful, clear day. I went with a few students and Rachel, another resident director who has ample skydiving experience. She's done a total of 85 jumps since April. She knew of this place called Skydive Itaparica and confirmed that it was USPA certified. I'd been toying with the idea of skydiving for awhile, but once I met Rachel on the first day of training, I committed to jumping during this trip. Of course I waited to tell Mom and Dad about this until after I'd done the deed. It was the biggest thrill! You know the feeling you get at the top of a roller coaster when you first drop? Or the pit in your stomach at the edge of a steep cliff? It's nothing like that. It's more like flying than falling. It is a bizarre feeling when you stick your legs out the door of a plane 10,000 feet in the air. The free-fall was about 40 seconds and then about 4 minutes of parachuting. The view was AMAZING, and my tandem Kalay was pointing stuff out to me even as we were free-falling (he was trying anyway...he barely spoke a lick of English). What a rush! I'm thinking this may not be my last thrill-seeking adventure on this trip.

I mentioned before that the students had been fairly tame thus far on the trip. I may have spoken a bit too soon. Everyone made it back in one piece after Carnival - which is saying a lot - but we had a few incidents in Brazil. A few minor sicknesses, a few muggings (at least one at knifepoint), and a girl drunkenly threw up on my bus on our way to a soccer game. Splendid. I guess cleaning up vomit in the back of a charter bus goes in that "other duties as assigned" category.


Speaking of job descriptions, I'm happy to say I accepted a summer position as an orientation coordinator at New York University! I'll be in Manhattan from May 19 until July 25 working with NYU's summer orientation. It's a relief to know what I'll be doing immediately following Semester at Sea. As for my plans after that...we'll see!

The Biggest Party on the Planet

Well, I was a partygoer at the biggest bash on planet Earth and lived to tell about it. We've been in Salvador, Brazil for two days now, and last night was the final night of Carnival, which is the crazier, louder, longer, and more intense Brazilian form of Mardi Gras (but don't be mistaken, Mardi Gras came after Carnival, not the other way around). Excuse my language, but the only way I can describe this experience is "fucking insane." I have never seen anything like it. Two million people were dancing in the street. For hours. Until 6:00 in the morning. These people don't stop. And if you know me at all, you know it goes without saying that I had the BEST TIME EVER.

Here's the basic setup: 70+ kilometers of city streets are shut down. Massive semi trucks that are virtually traveling performance stages move through the streets and play host to musicians, full on with bands, dancers, whatever. The trucks are surrounded by thousands of people who walk (dance) alongside. These people pay for a spot in the mobile roped off section, and they all wear the same shirts. They tend to be fans of whatever performer they're following. For example, some Semester at Sea kids followed Fatboy Slim. But this whole thing is like a parade on steroids. Imagine the craziest concert that you've ever been to, multiply it by 50, and have them repeat one after the other for hours on end. And even though the roped off sections are reserved for the ticket holders, anyone can be down dancing in the street (although you sometimes risk getting crushed). Above the street on both sides are balconies called "camarotes," which are bars, clubs, or private parties where people can watch the action go by. One of the interport lecturers (a foreign professor who only travels with us from one port to another) from Brazil, Javier, invited some of the faculty and staff to his camarote. It was brilliant because we were able to party above the action - and face to face with the bands passing by - but we could go down to the street as we pleased. The amount of noise, music, dancing, and sheer lunacy in this environment was unreal. Now, Brazilian men are known for being, shall we say, "forward," but during Carnival they are straight up fearless. And by that I mean that if you make eye contact with them they may or may not grab your face in an attempt to make out with you. Or they'll randomly just stroke your hair as you pass by. I walked away relatively unscathed.

I suppose I should provide an update of our last port of call since I have absolutely no motivation to blog when I'm surrounded by people (my favorite thing) and the open sea (quickly becoming my second favorite thing). Nine days before Salvador we were in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I feel like got to see lots of Puerto Rico even though we were only there a few days. The first day we wandered around old San Juan and explored some of the beaches. That night I led a trip of 60 Semester at Sea students to Universidad de Sagrada Corazon (Sacred Heart University) where they held a welcome reception for us. It was fun: they taught us to salsa and then systematically out-danced us. One day we rented a car and explored El Yunque, the subtropical rainforest, where we swam in some spectacular waterfalls. We did an after-hours, off-the-beaten-path, not-exactly-allowed tour of the bioluminescent bay. This is a bay in which microorganisms glow in the dark when stirred or warmed. So you kayak to this bay at night (we did ours around midnight) and when you touch the water it literally sparkles. So magical! And also hilarious to try to navigate a paddle down a narrow, tree-lined stream in the pitch black.

I suppose I should explain that when I say "we" I'm most likely referring to some combination of the following people: Jono (IT coordinator), Lisa (dependent child coordinator), Zach (video editor), Bill (law professor), Jenna (field office assistant), Carl (field office coordinator), and/or the 8 other resident directors with whom I work. Obviously, there's a critical mass of young staff on the ship who have bonded. My main source of trepidation prior to coming on this trip was that I wouldn't have a group of people with whom to share it. Rest assured I've found such a group, and I feel like I've known them for far longer than the two weeks we've been aboard. Time elicits such a weird sensation on the ship. Ann Arbor, Michigan feels worlds away in more dimensions than just distance. I think that's part of the reason I've found it so difficult to keep in touch, because when I reconnect with those back home, it feels like I'm straddling two alternate universes!

Maybe I should talk a little bit about my job? Contrary to how I've described the trip so far, I do actually work on board. In fact, the stretch between Puerto Rico and Salvador was incredibly busy, and I found myself overwhelmed at times. The main things that are consuming my time right now are getting to know my residents, coordinating the Vicarious Voyage (a pen pal program where SAS students are matched up with 45 different US K-12 schools), and starting up the Students of Service group. Students of Service will begin to require even more of my time soon, as we will kick our fundraising efforts into high gear to raise money for various charities picked by the students which are relevant to our voyage. The last voyage raised over $45,000. I've held a few "sea socials" for my Arabian Sea residents. I have 82 residents, and I must say I'm surprising myself with how well I am doing with names. Sea Olympics is coming up right after South Africa. The students on this ship are great: outgoing, friendly, active, engaging...it is easy group to work with. We've only had a few minor incidents; overall everyone has been safe and smart - knock on wood!

...and we're off!

This ship has sailed, folks! (I apologize in advance for all the nautical puns in future posts...I notice them much more frequently now that I'm actually on a ship.) We left Nassau, Bahamas at 1700 hours yesterday (5:00pm for you landlocked time tellers). I've been on the ship for faculty/staff training since Saturday, January 19, but I feel like I've been here for a month. The ship has already become my home. I'm obsessed with the shower. The water pressure is fantastic. And there's nothing like the feeling of actual floatation when you're showering, which is how it feels here since this ship rocks a lot. Let me tell you a little bit about this vessel called the MV Explorer. This girl can BOOK. She's the fastest passenger vessel in the world. And she's pretty small (relative to the monstrous cruise ships most people are used to), so it has taken some getting used to. Lots of kids were seasick last night (their first night on board). I took some meds as a preventative measure, and I've been fine.


There is a full-service crew onboard who are AMAZING. They spoil the hell out of us. My cabin steward, Edwin, comes to my cabin every day and cleans my room, makes my bed, and changes my towels when needed. He'll also do my laundry on designated days. The crew members are international (most are Filipino), and they are incredibly nice and friendly. They make a true effort to learn our names and even our schedules to make sure they enter our rooms when we're not there. They operate on a militaristic philosophy and they have a strict non-fraternization policy, so we're not to socialize with them any further beyond their job duties. It gets hard because we'll see them out in port, but if they are caught in any compromising situation they WILL be sent home. And most of them are earning money for their families and sending it back to their home country, so one misstep could upend their entire livelihood.

Training went well, mostly attributed to the fantastic team of faculty and staff we have on board. The people I work with are amazing: many have lived/worked in various countries around the world and bring lots of experience to their positions. As a resident director (RD), I'm one of nine staff members who are assigned to a "sea" of students (my part of the ship is the Arabian Sea). We deal with the basic collegiate residential issues: emotional welfare, alcohol abuse, academic support...help them develop good decision-making skills. This can be a bit of a task when the result of a poor decision is never more than 600 feet away from you. And sorry, but at this university you can't always get "off campus."

The students boarded yesterday, and they've been in orientation/introductory sessions most of the day. In their free time, they'll lounge around the ship or lay out by the pool. It's completely surreal. I look around sometimes and am like, "Am I really here?" Disembarking from Nassau was completely bizarre. There were lots of parents on the dock to see us off. It was one of those rare experiences that I felt like I was experiencing from outside myself. I've spoken with some people on gchat, and that is really odd too - imagine, chatting with someone real-time in the middle of the ocean!

We had our first lifeboat drill yesterday also, and I was in charge of making sure everyone in my muster station was present. I was really freaked out because the crew is ALL BUSINESS and I had no idea what I was doing. But as the security captain, Alex from Norway, walked by me he smiled and said "good job," and the other crew members acted like that was a really big deal. So I felt cool.