Monday, January 30, 2012

Amazon!

                Well, we are currently traveling down the Amazon River. It has been a great experience. The weather is very hot and muggy but nevertheless, it is gorgeous. Yesterday while we were eating dinner it started to rain and it was quite literally a wall of rain. It was incredible! We could not see anything but water just pouring down. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. The rain really helped cool down the weather and it made for a beautiful sun set. I have really enjoyed my time on the Amazon so far, and I can’t wait to see what the next four days bring.

                While we have been on the Amazon we have had the opportunity to host three diplomats and their spouses on the ship. We met them yesterday morning and then have got to spend all day yesterday and today with them. It has been incredible. We have been able to hear what the U.S. Embassy does in Brazil. We have had Q & A sessions with each of them on individual and group basis. It has really been enlightening. As an Ambassador I was privileged to be chosen as one of the first hosts for Semester at Sea. As a host I showed one of the diplomats around the ship and relay made them feel welcome. It was a great honor to spend the day with them  and really get to ask them questions and hear their thoughts, stories about how they got to where they are, and any advice they have for us in when we are in Manaus.  

                I look forward to entering Brazil and taking the advice the diplomats gave us. It was a great privilege to work with them and I know that they are some people who will stick with me forever!  

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Welcome to Amazon!

                Well, today we reached the Amazon River! It is so strange to be here. The river is so wide that we can literally see no land. The only reason why we know we are even in the Amazon is because the water looks a little like chocolate milk because of all of the sediment, and it is REALLY muggy here. It is almost too muggy to eat outside which is one of my favorite parts of this journey.  Even though the water is not as pretty as the Atlantic Ocean it is still a really cool experience to say “Yeah, I’ve traveled down the Amazon” J

                Classes are going pretty well. It is a weird schedule simply because we don’t have weekends. Since we don’t have class when we are in port we go to school almost every day we are at sea. Therefore, I have no concept of what day it is, or even what time it is. We have already had two time changes in the week I have been on the ship. It can make it confusing as to what time it is back in Ohio. Yesterday we had a reading day. I love reading days! It is a day where we don’t have any classes and instead we just have the whole day to do homework; which is so awesome! I got to sleep in for the first time on the voyage and loved it. On Monday we also don’t have class. It is called Brazil day. See, there are three Brazilian Embassy members and their spouses coming on the ship tomorrow to speak with the students and get a sense of what life is like for a student on Semester at Sea. So we have the whole day off to spend time getting ready to dock in Manaus early Tuesday morning.

                 I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it on my blog or not so I will again. I was chosen to be an ambassador for Semester at Sea. I basically get the opportunity to interact personally with diplomats from all over the world. During the voyage we will have people from all over the world join us and sail with us for a certain amount of time. Here myself along with the thirty other people will give these diplomats tours, help introduce them to the ship board community, and any other task asked of me. I am going to have the opportunity to work personally with each of these people. So, tomorrow starts my first official job as an ambassador.

                I will get into Manaus, Brazil on Tuesday. I will get to spend 4 days there. I cannot wait to experience yet another country!

Bon Voyage J

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Roseau, Dominica!

Dominica!

                Oh my goodness was Dominica amazing! The mountains gave a new found peace to me that I had not felt since starting the journey. There is just so many things that I have had to do to get settled in that the first week that it has been hard to sometimes really enjoy the experience that I am receiving. Now, though, things are starting to slow down so I can begin to really have the experience of a lifetime.

                So in Dominica it was in the mid 80’s the whole time we were there. What a difference from 12 degrees in Ohio! Sorry Ohio friends, but I don’t really miss the snow yet! Lol It was a little humid but nothing too unbearable. The first day in port I decided in the morning to take a little me time. I laid out on the top deck of the ship, did some reading, and of course started my tanning process for the next 3 and a half months. Later that afternoon I went with my wonderful roommate Hannah and a few other friends, Chichi and Tharen, to down town Roseau. While down town we got to meet a lot of locals. One man that I met was the local security guard at the Post Office. He was so cool! We sat there and talked to him while we were writing our postcards for almost an hour. He told us a lot about the island, the people who live here, and even some things that we should check out while we were there. When we were leaving we asked him if we could take a picture with him and he said of course! He even gave us his address so we could send him a postcard from America. How cool is that. He is defiantly someone that I will remember for a long time. All of the people in Dominica are very nice and were more than willing to help us learn about Dominica and their way of life through culture, religion, and land forms.

                On the second day I went to down town earlier in the day with a friend Kara. We went early so we could see a more natural side of down town. We were just sitting on the pier and saw a pirate ship. We took some pictures of it and in the process it started to move! It was really cool to see this beautiful  ship start to travel. We also found this amazing waterfall right tin down town. The waterfall was a cool place to just sit and relax to the soft sound of water falling off the waterfall and into a shallow pool. After a morning of the city we went back to the ship to get ready for our field trips. I went snorkeling at Champagne Reef. It is called Champagne Reef because this part of the Caribbean Sea is under a dormant volcano. The volcano emits gases that produce bubbles like a champagne bottle through the coral. It was beautiful! While I was snorkeling though, my underwater camera broke! I don’t what on earth happened. I just got it for Christmas and had not even really used it that much and it broke! Don’t worry I did get some pretty awesome pictures before it happened but I was so bummed. Also, while we were getting ready to get into the Sea to snorkel it started to down pour which made the water a little cold. It was still so cool. It is so hard to believe that all of these magnificent creatures live just below us the all of that blue ocean.   

                While in Dominica I made a bunch of new friends from the ship. One in particular is an RD (resident director) Tim. He is so cool! When we met we were upstairs both laying out doing some reading. We started talking and the next thing I knew it was 2 hours later. He and I get along so well. We can have a whole conversation and never say a word lol. A little scary I know! J In general I have had a blast.

                Another thing I did on the island was going to a club. I’m not really a big clubber, but it was really cool to experience a club in another country. Things are way cheaper here so it was not nearly as expensive if I would have gone in the states. This club opened its doors on a Monday night just for Semester at Sea. It was neat to see what a club in Dominica was like while staying safe because it was all SAS kids. I really enjoyed going.

                Now I’m back on the ship heading to Manaus, Brazil. It was a great few days.

                At the beginning of this voyage it was really hard to get into it. We left the Bahamas, and then had to go back to pick up a few people because of Brazil Visa issues. So the first few days kind of felt like I was just in this weird time warp thing. Once I actually got to Dominica it really set in that I was going around the world. That was also a very surreal feeling. I mean, how many people really get to go around the whole world. That to me is just inspiring. I am going to get to experience something that most people only dream of doing. I feel so blessed. I know that right now it is stressful, but once it settles down I know that I will love every minute of it. This is something I am never going to forget. I wish that you all could experience even just a little of what I’m going through first hand. It is a roller coaster of emotions, but a great ride. I miss my family terribly. I can’t wait to return to B-W in the fall, but for right now I am embracing every opportunity I have on this trip.

                One opportunity I am embracing is the fact that I was chosen to be an Ambassador for Semester at Sea on the ship. This basically means that when dignitaries come aboard I will help give tours, dine with them, answer any questions, and anything else I can do to try and show our guests what Semester at Sea is all about. I will also have the opportunity to visit college campuses in other countries. I am so honored to have this opportunity.

                Well, I think that is about it. I hope that everyone is having  a great time. Miss you all and I can’t wait to see you all again soon J

-Bon Voyage






Monday, January 23, 2012

Me and my aewsome roommate Hannah! :-)

Me in Dominica

Buckeye and the pilots on teh way to the Bahamas

Me in the Bahamas on the Beach

Buckeye and I at teh airport!

Buckeye in a beach chair

For those of you who don't know Buckeye is my bear who is going around the world with me. He is apart of my Vicarious Voyage with a group of 3rd graders from Greenville.
Just a few pictures to kind of show you what I'm up to  :-)
Well, it has been an interesting few days to say the least. I boarded the ship on Thursday and right away had a blast. My roommate is wonderful. Her name is Hannah and is from Tampa University, but is originally from Seattle. We get along wonderfully. I have met many people so far but your roommate can be the most important.

                I got all settled in and unpacked, and realized I could have brought more stuff! We have plenty of room left in all of our drawers and closet. That does, however, give me plenty of room for new clothes and souvenirs!

                I started class already on Saturday. Yes on Saturday! Due to the time we have off at school in port we have to have school every day including weekends. It makes it for long times sometimes but in the end I know it will be worth it. I love the classes that I am taking so far. I am taking World Religion, World Music, Intro to Anthropology, and Global Studies. I have only had my introduction class to each of them but I can tell that they are going to be very enlightening and interesting classes.

                Well I started my first port today! I am currently in Dominica. I am still trying to work out some internet issues so I can hopefully post more often, but it is a learning experience for us all! In case you are wondering I am sitting on the side of a street that just happened to have Wi-Fi. it has deffinatly been an experience but I am loving it! It is 86 degrees here and sunny!
I hope everyone is doing well!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Well, this is it. This time tomorrow I will be pulling away from the Bahamas and starting my official journey around the world on the MV Explorer. I'm so excited to begin. This week has been one of the slowest weeks ever.
    The last week I have spent in the Bahamas with my mom and Grandma. IT has been a blast! We shopped at the Straw Market ( a little street shop full of hand made native crafts), ate at many local spots, and spent tons of time on the beach! It has been at least 75 degrees here every day; so different from all of the cold weather we had right before we left Ohio.
     I hope everyone is doing well and I will try to post some pictures in the next few days! Bonn Voyage!

Friday, January 13, 2012

How to leave a comment

Hey everyone! I can't believe it but I leave tomorrow. A few people have asked so here is how it goes. In order to leave a comment when you write a post at the bottom it says "comment as" choose name/url. Just write your name in it and push okay. Then just fill in the security verification with the letters and numbers it asks for. That's it! Hope everyone leaves tons of comments!

Friday, January 6, 2012

The journey begins

Well, here is a test run. I will be leaving for the Bahamas in 1 week! I am so excited. It is a bitter sweet moment though, leaving my family for 3 months will be hard. However, I will never have another opportunity like this again. This is going to be life changing! There is a lot still left to do, but with the help of my family I will get it all done!

Check out this video to see what I'll be doing in case you haven't seen yet! http://blog.isevoyages.org/2011/12/03/semester-at-sea-lipdub-ship-tour/