Today was the third day at sea, although not really, because we were docked in Puerto Rico from about 8am until 6pm. I'm not sure why it took so long but I know we were fueling at least some of that time. We were all wishing they had let us off. I saw the ship leaving port as I was sitting on the deck eating dinner at sunset. It's so beautiful looking out at the ocean, but I am excited for land again in Brazil! I had my philosophy class this morning, which was interesting to say the least. I'm not going to add more details, but it should make for awkward discussions. The food here I have got to say is not all that delicious. I was so hungry by the time dinner came along...I ended up eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and brownies! It's kind of an unwritten thing that the dessert will be the best part of the meal. I know my roommates will agree. We were laughing so hard at dinner about our various food items. I snuck out 2 bananas because around here we can't eat whenever we want. Breakfast is only from 7-8:30am each morning. I obviously missed that, as I didn't have class until 10:45am today. Actually...I did get up at 8:45 though so I just missed it. My psychology class seems like it will be fun as well. It will be interesting to see the happiness levels of people around the world, despite their income and status. It seems that some of the most poor people are the happiest, as they are not always wanting more and are content with what they have. My professors I have met so far are really nice; all 4 of them are fairly young males, which is weird because most of the others are either women or old.
I went to the activities fair with Rebecca tonight too. I signed up for the Ambassadors Intercultural Committee where I will be welcoming diplomats to the ship, presenting the Dean's gifts, and greeting our interport students when they arrive to the ship. It sounds like a fun experience and will also help me to learn more about international relations as my second major is Global Perspectives. I also signed up for Students of Service. Basically we organize the supplies and gifts for the schools and orphanages in the ports we are visiting, and develop the activities and fundraising events on the ship. The last one I joined is the Bible study and I had planned to do that before I came. It will be nice to meet people with similar interests.
The ship lost my water bottle so I bought one from the store tonight. The store was so packed, it was crazy. I also got a SAS lanyard for my ID card so I don't lose it. That was priced ok but I was surprised the water bottle was pretty expensive...I better get good use out of it :) I can't remember if I mentioned this already but we have cabin stewards that clean our rooms and make our beds. I came back to find my blanket laid out nice with my stuffed animal by my pillow. They organize all our things like papers and fold our PJs and put them on our pillow. They moved my glasses and I was looking for them for like 10 minutes! lol They also made the point on the toilet paper in the bathroom, like they do at hotels. They are really babying us I guess.
I am signing up for more port adventures too. Here is the summary of the trips I have so far...
In Brazil, I will be doing the overnight Amazon trip...this will take up all of the time I have there, except I have the first day free in Salvador. Namibia I am going to a salt mine that crystallizes into a pink color and flamingos flock there, very scenic...I have to go there as an FDP (faculty directed practica) for my art class. I am also going to go quadding in the sand dunes and camel riding, and would like to go on a catamaran as well. South Africa will be busy busy. The first day I am going to an ostrich ranch! I get to see a bunch of different kinds and where they nest and even take a picture on one with Table Mountain (beautiful scenery) as the background. Then I am going to Durbanville Hills to a winery, because the winelands are so well known and I have heard that they are amazing in South Africa. The next day I am going on my 3-day safari to Kwazulu Natal that I am so excited about! One of the last days I am going to Operation Hunger which should be a very eye-opening experience. There are so many poor people in the area and I am visiting various townships and meeting people who live there, as well as seeing the efforts made by the Operation Hunger organization. In India I am going to the Taj Mahal and many other sites overnight including Jaipur, and I am hopefully riding on an elephant to Delhi! I am doing a service project there as well where I will be working to rebuild a school. In Malaysia I am going to the Kek Lok Si Temple with my art professor. I have heard the temples are beautiful. I am also doing an overnight trip to Kuala Lumpur. If you haven't heard of these places, look them up - you will be amazed. I am doing a Service Visit to St. Joseph's Orphanage as well. I am excited to play with the children and give them the stickers and little gifts I brought for them! Vietnam I have not booked anything but I plan to go to Ha Long Bay which my sister has said is gorgeous, and I also would like to visit some of the temples and see their extraordinary architecture. In China, I am going to the Great Wall, with my tour guides being local Chinese university students. We will be visiting Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, the giant panda zoo, seeing an acrobatic show, and visiting the site of the Summer 2008 Olympics as well. In Japan, my roommates and I as well as others plan on getting the bullet train pass where you can travel anywhere in the country as often as you like for the duration of our stay. We plan on traveling all hours of the day and sleeping on the train at night. (Mom especially - don't be nervous about this. We'll be a big group, I promise!) I'm excited for this as we don't really have a plan and can see as much as possible. We are in Hawaii for Thanksgiving, so most things are closed, but I am hoping to go on the snorkeling trip. Costa Rica I am deciding between La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Cloud Forest and Poás National Park, because they are both on the same day at the same time. Maybe I can do one independently.
So anyways, those are a lot of the things I'm doing. Some things could change over time but most of those are pretty definite and I am sure I will be adding more to the list. That's all for tonight; hope you are enjoying my blog so far and leave me comments with the link at the bottom of this post! :)
