Taiwan: The Republic of China

             Going to Taiwan was an interesting contrast from visiting China the week before. Ever since the Cultural Revolution, there is huge political tension between Taiwan and China, as one is Nationalist and closely allied with the United States, and the other is Communist, and…not so much. When you ask someone in China if Taiwan is its own separate country, for the majority, they reply that it is a province of China, and therefore part of the Country. When arriving in Taiwan you immediately notice that they consider themselves completely separate from China, and in fact, the Chinese citizens on board Semester at Sea were not allowed to get off in Taiwan. That’s a different story, but given that we couldn’t go to Japan, most passport holders could entry the country, so off to Taiwan we went.

            When we arrived in Taiwan we immediately headed to Taipei, the capital city, because there was not much to do around the port where we were docked. Taipei is an interesting city, and I was surprised by how westernized it was. Along with Singapore, and Hong Kong, Taiwan is a newly industrialized country. They even built the world second tallest building standing over 500 meters (second to one in Dubai, at over 800m) not too long ago. To get up to the top you take one of the world’s fastest elevators (Guinness World Record, 2004).

            For most people on board ,Taiwan was the last International Stop. For the rest of us Canadians and other nationalities, we still have Hawaii and San Diego to go. The trip is winding down, and we decided to take Taipei as an opportunity to just hang out, go out for dinners, have a few drinks, and visit some sites. Some of the sites we visited, as mentioned, were Taipei 101 (2^nd tallest building in the world), the National Palace Museum (houses most of the forbidden city collection, but they will not give it back to China), the Chang Kai Shek Memorial (Nationalist leader, Mau’s Opposition- built himself a huge memorial even though he fled to Taiwan when he realized China was going “red.”) and a few markets. One of the most interesting markets we visited was one called Snake Alley. Unfortunately, the name is representative of the fact that there are snakes everywhere. In every restaurant they had several snakes on display to showcase the fact that they sell “snake wine.” The Taiwanese like snake wine because they believe it is a natural aphrodisiac. Needless to say, I didn’t try the it.

Chang Kai Shek Memorial, Taipei 

            As we left another International Port, we realized we would be spending a lot of time at sea. So here I am, crossing the Pacific for day number 4, and 6 more till Hawaii. Wish me luck!

On another note- Happy Birthday Grampe!

China: The People's Republic

             At first, I was both nervous and excited for China. A country, which holds 1/3 of the world’s population, is no small place. We first arrived in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is an interesting place. It was leased by Britain for 99 years and not returned to China 1999. It is considerably more developed than the rest of China, and many locals say that it has best preserved Chinese cultural because it did not undergo the cultural revolution that the rest of China underwent.

            From Hong Kong, I flew to Beijing to visit the Country’s capital. Beijing is an interesting place, filled with tons of history. You can also see the impact of communism in both the architecture, and layout of the city. The first day I went to visit the Forbidden City. The Forbidden city lies at the center of the capital. Since China sees itself as the center of the world, the throne where the Emperor used to sit is seen as the center of the city, center of the country, and center of the world; politically and geographically. In Imperial China, the Forbidden city was the most important space in the Country.

            The next day I visited the great wall. It’s a place I have always imagined going, but never thought I would get to see so soon. In person, it is the most massive and elongated structure I have ever seen. It stretches as far as the eye can see. It is definitely one of the wonders of the world, and the fact that it took hundreds of years to construct amazes me. Visiting and climbing a part of the great wall, has hands down, been one of the coolest things I have done on this trip, an in my life.

On the GREAT WALL!

            After leaving Beijing, I headed to Shanghai. We arrived at night, and as we drove towards the harbor I could see the MV Explorer light up, with the background of Shanghai illuminated like nothing I had ever seen. I thought Hong Kong lit up the sky, but the lights of Shanghai at night are unbelievable. For the remainder of my time in China, and Shanghai, we visited markets. The amount of shopping, vendors, and merchandise still astonishes me.

Shanghai at Night

           My visit to China was one of the best visits I have had out of many of the ports. I never thought I would be saying this- but I hope to go back one day!

The Kingdom of Cambodia

            Immediately after my two days in Vietnam, I headed the next morning on a two-day Semester at Sea overnight trip to Cambodia.  The itinerary was packed, but it was full of very educational, moving, and historical sites.

            From Ho Chi Minh City we flew to Phnom Phen, Cambodia. Upon arriving we visited a museum, and an orphanage. The orphanage was short but sweet. I was surprised by how happy the children were, and how excited they were for us to visit. As soon as we walked through the door two little boys came and grabbed my hand, and took me on a tour of the place that they called home. One of my friends asked where they slept, and they smiled and pointed to the floor. As little as they had, they were happy as could be. At the end of the tour, they asked me for my shoes because they had outgrown there’s. Given the fact that the only shoes I had were the ones I had on, I took the two boys to a local shop to buy some flip-flops. They were so happy to have a new pair of flip-flops to wear to school, and they would no longer have to go barefoot. I asked them why they wanted to buy them two sizes too big, and they replied in broken English- they wanted them to last for years to come.

            4:00 am the next day, we begin our full day tour of Cambodia. First we visited the Sliver Pagoda and King’s Palace. Cambodia is classified as a Kingdom, and they have a King who acts as a figurehead for the Country, who lives in the Palace. The Palace is typical South East Asian architecture, with pointed roofs, brightly colored buildings, elaborated decorations and carvings. It was fantastic.

Kings Palace, Cambodia

            By 8:00am, we had already visited the palace, eaten breakfast, and were off to a Museum. However, this museum was not a typical building with typical artifacts. It was formerly a school until it was converted by the Pol Pot regime under Kumar Rouge, into a genocide and torture camp. It was called S-21, site 21, meaning that it was only one of too, too many. This site was particularly torturous and inhumane, and of 20,000 victims who passed through, only 7 survivors remained.  Our tour guide could barely hold back his tears as he discussed the systems of torture and tragedy. He broke into tears when one of the survivors walked by us, one of the 3 alive today, who visits the site almost every day to sell his book and story of his time at S-21.

            As we began to walk through the various quadrants of the compound, the tragedy of the situation, and devastation the country experienced, hit me. One of every four people was killed under the Pol Pot regime and the Kumar Rouge, that’s  ¼ of the total population of Cambodia. Most of the people killed were educated, and killed because their education was seen as a threat to the regime. The cells still had blood stained floors, and hundreds of pictures of the victims (pre and post torture) lined the walls. It was devastating. After the museum we visited the killing fields, where the victims were transported from the sites to be killed in what could only be described as a mass genocide. As we walked around the fields you could see pieces of fabric and clothing buried under the dirt, and bones and teeth surrounding the mass graves. What made it absolutely horrifying was the fact that the pieces of this tragedy still remained; the wounds of the country still open. The horror the people have faced, and the number of parents, siblings, and children who were victims is unbearable.

            Even given the tragedy of their past, the people of Cambodia carried with them such optimism and hope for the future. The population of Cambodia is very young and youthful, and it’s hard to find a person over the age of 35. Even so, they still carry on and continue to rebuild the country.

            My last day in Cambodia I visited Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom; two ancient cities built hundreds of years ago by two emperors. Angkor Wat was built first; and Angkor Thom was built second. The remains of the city are incredibly preserved, and it was both were two of my favorites sites I have visited so far. The architecture and detail at both of these sites is out of this world. To say I was astonished would be an understatement. Every inch of the walls are carved, every corner has a statue, and every hall and stairway brings both awe and wonder.  

      

                                                  

                                                              Bayon Temple Statue, Angkor Thom

                               

                               

                                      Angkor Wat 

Back in Nam

         When we first arrived in Vietnam I had no idea what to expect. The country has struggled through various wars, both domestic and international. I thought it would be a country left in devastation. When I arrived I was surprised at the level of development and positive attitude of the people given all they have been through.

            My first day I explored Saigon, which is the downtown area of Ho Chi Minh City. Walking around I began to understand the common perception that Asia is cheap and consumption based; three pairs of sunglasses for a dollar, shirts for two dollars, 3 bracelets for 50 cents. I was so overwhelmed that I whipped out my camera to capture the chaos in a picture, I tripped and fell, camera flying. It was slightly embarrassing and some of the locals laughed a little, but don’t worry dad; my camera is safe!

Ho Chi Minh City

            After a day of exploring and shopping, I headed to the Cu Chi Tunnels on my second day in Vietnam. I had been looking forward to going to the tunnels ever since I had found out Vietnam was on the Itinerary. I am not an expert on American history, but I knew that they played a huge role in the Vietnam War, which in Vietnam they refer to as the “American War.” The tunnels are an intricate system of underground passages stretching over 121 km long that underlie most of the country. The Cu Chi local villagers originally used them as a system of transportation from town to town so they could travel safely. They were later used and extended by the Vietcong, who developed them as an underground base. The tunnels connected various rooms, medical bases, military meeting points and kitchens. From these tunnels the Vietcong conducted various war efforts through the use of guerilla tactics. The tactics were extremely inhumane. The Americans had no idea where the traps were located, nor did they know how they were attacked in the middle of the night, with the Vietcong going un-noticed. Closed and camouflaged by leaves, the Vietcong set up various traps and land mines, which went undetected by the Americans. These traps would be underground, and once a soldier fell through, they would be speared or cut by the underlying spikes in the bottom of the hole. 

A little Scared, The Cui Chi Tunnels

Many of the Americans I toured the tunnels with found it extremely moving and sentimental, as did I, but from a more impartial viewpoint, I was more shocked by the tragedy experienced on both sides.

Two days in Vietnam was not enough. One of the draws of this semester is visiting so many countries in so few days, but one of the setbacks is not being able to see everything I would like. While I learned a lot in my short time in Vietnam, I hope to find an excuse or reason to visit again in the future.

Off to Cambodia!

The Lion City: Singapore

            Singapore is a stunning city. Many people are under the impression that all of Asia is underdeveloped and not as prosperous as the western world. Singapore is an absolute exception.

            When I first applied for Semester at Sea and realized that we would be visiting Singapore I was extremely excited. Being a business student, I often read about Singapore in case studies because it is a story of economic and social success.

            The government of Singapore centrally controls the City. While the government and its leader  are praised for their leadership in transforming Singapore from a British colony, to an Independent Nation, you can tell the people are held to extremely high standards. As one taxi driver said, “the government control everything, housing, business, even the taxi meter.” I noticed that as we past through the city streets there were checkpoints that looked like traffic lights, but instead they were fee checkpoints that automatically take away money off of a prepaid monitoring control system in the taxi/car. My taxi driver explained that you have to pay a $1 for every checkpoint, but if you don’t have any money left on your prepaid care you get fined $9. A hefty return on investment for the government of Singapore!

Some fun facts that make Singapore the “FINE” city are:

- $500 for not flushing a public toilet

- $1000 for urinating in an elevator (I didn’t know anybody did that?)

- $500 for chewing gum or spitting

- $500 for eating on the metro system

- $1000 for littering

Additionally:

- It is Illegal to Sell Gum

- Drug Trafficking is punishable by death

Singapore. The "Fine" City

            While the government maintains tight control over it’s people, you can see where some of the money has gone. The buildings are extremely modern, the streets of the city are the cleanest I have ever see, the transportation system is efficient, sterile, and extremely high-tech, and the shopping is high class. A friend described it as, “Rodeo Drive on Steroids.” One of the building I visited called the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, is a three towered building, with a 57^th floor stretched across all three of the building, containing a bar (which I enjoyed a local “Tiger,” beer at), three Olympic sized infinity swimming pool, and restaurants. It’s an absolutely incredible building and the best view of the amazing Island of Singapore.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel, 57th Floor

             I wish that we would have been able to stay in Singapore for longer than 12 hours, but we made the most of it. Four of my friends happened to be on a United Nations Conference there, so I was able to meet up with some familiar faces, which was nice too. It made me a little homesick, but I am already in the final stretch so I think I know to enjoy it while it lasts. Some of the day’s events included touring along the river and harbor, visiting the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel, Segqwaying in Sentosa Amusement Park, visiting the China Town Market, having a tiger beer at the bar. We also attempted to go see the Malion- the symbol of Singapore (Nicknamed the Lion City), but it was unfortunately under renovation.

Segwaying in Singapore with the Canadians

It is a very posh and modern city, and I hope to go back one day and visit for longer than 12 hours!

Next Stop: Vietnam and Cambodia. We have also changed our itinerary and are now going to Taiwan instead of Japan (April 4-7^th), due to the recent events.

When in India

In one word, India was a lot.

A lot of places

A lot of people

A lot of poverty

To describe it further, India was astonishing.  It is a place of cultural, historical, social, and economical significance. One of the most astonishing facts about India is that is the only country to obtain independence through non violent means. This is largely in part to the father of the nation, Gandhi; who believed in satyagraha meaning non violence. As he once wisely said:

“An eye for an eye only ends up

making the whole world blind.”

– Mohandas Gandhi

The first day I went on a service project to a Dalit village.  The Dalit’s are the lowest rank in the caste system, which still exists in modern day India. They are further divided into what is known as “touchables” or “untouchables.” The group we worked with were the “untouchables.” They were so happy to have our help. It’s ironic because the one’s who are considered to be “untouchable,” are the ones who need help the most.

            The second day I toured around Chennai. We travelled around in a rickshaw, also called a “tuck tuck,” and it’s probably the scariest method of transportation I have taken in a long time. It’s a three-wheeled vehicle; open sides, 4 passengers, but going the speed of all the cars and bikes around us. Crazy!

The last day I went on a three-day overnight trip to Varanasi, Agra, and Delhi, the Country’s capital. The first city we went to was Varanasi, the oldest city in the world dating back to over 2500 years ago. The city is most famously known for being the home of the Ganges Rivers. Walking towards the river was a surreal experience. As we walked through the old streets towards the river, we were surrounded by poverty.

I have never seen such extreme poverty in my life; kids crying, people missing limbs, or disfigured, grown men urinating on the side of the road . The sad part is that the ones who beg, who appear to be in dire need, are not at the bottom of the poverty scale. After being followed by a woman and her child, I decided to see what would happen if I gave her a granola bar, with a rip in the top. As I reached into my bag you could see her face light up. When she saw that I was holding a ripped package with a granola bar, she looked like I had just told her the world was going to end. All she wanted was money, a granola bar was worthless to her, not reselable because of the rip. The truly starving, who did not beg, would accept anything. I gave away bananas, half empty water bottles, and they accepted it all. The hardest part was choosing the right time and place to give, because if one child saw that another received something that they didn’t, it created animosity and tension. I saw them fighting over something so simple as a piece of bread.

Once we finally made it through the crowds to the river, we boarded a traditional river boat to set down the Ganges river by sunrise. We headed down the river, and I lit a candle to mark the journey, and placed it in the holy water. As we passed through the different Ghats you could see the shoreline flooding with religious ceremonies, and crowds running down to the water to bathe in the holy water. Even cremations take place on the Ganges river; it is a place for any holy ceremony. The water is sacred, even though it contains more dirt and filth than any body of water I have ever seen.

Ganges River, Candle Lighting

On the Ganges, Varanasi

The second highlight of the trip was visiting the fabled Taj Mahal, built in the 17^th century by an emperor of the Mughal Empire. The Taj is one of those things you read and fantasize about its beauty, but never think you will actually have the opportunity to visit. The fact that I did have the opportunity leaves me grateful. It is absolutely stunning, made entirely out of white marble; it truly is one of the wonders of the world.

Taj Mahal, Agra

India changed me, for the better. I am not exactly quite sure in what ways, or in what capacity, but I know it has made me a better person, more exposed to situations way different than mine. I have gained a new sense of appreciation.  Sometimes you feel so small and insignificant, and feel that no effort will have any impact at all. I have learned now, that the biggest mistake I can make is to think I cannot do enough, and end up doing nothing. I am beginning to understand, that any kind act can change a persons day, year, or life. 

Memories of Mauritius

Mauritius. Nothing more than a dot on the map between Africa and India; but a well worthwhile destination, and a good break from Sea. We only had the chance to visit the Island for a day, less than 12 hours, but it was a great day at that. Many people on Semester at Sea chose to go on catamaran’s, go to local beach bars, or just bars. Although fun, it sounded a little too Caribbean for me, and not an authentic enough experience.

            So what did I do instead?

                        …Canyoning

I didn’t know exactly what I had signed myself up for, and although it also begins with a “C,” I assumed it was far enough away from the catamaran experience. Once we arrived at port, the 14 of us headed to Tamarind Falls, and to the best of my knowledge we would be doing some type of repelling or climbing at the falls. Upon arriving, we had to sign a liability waiver, which was the first sign that what I was about to do, was not a standard activity. It wasn’t until I walked throught the forest, down the river, to the top of a Plateau looking out over the land below, that I realized I would be propelling down a 130 ft waterfall. They normally start beginners off with the 30 ft waterfall, but in the interest of time it was, “go big or go home.” And BIG it was. I have never been so terrified of heights in my life.

When it was finally my turn to “repel,” down the waterfall I turned to the man who sent us off and asked, “is it normal to be scared right now.” He replied, “Fear is a good thing, we would not live if it was not for fear. The only time fear is bad is when you let it take your mind over matter.” It seemed to be pretty rational advice, coming from a professional canyoner, so I made the descent down the falls.

In total it took me about 5 minutes to scale down,  and to break it down, the 5 minutes went like this:

0:01- I shouldn’t be doing this. Why am I doing this?

0:03- Why didn’t I Google “canyoning,” before signing up for Canyoning?

0:30- “Mind over Matter”

1:00- This is easy!

1:30- Oh look! There’s a 130 ft waterfall beside me.

4:45- Done already?

5:00- Well that was fun, but I think that’s a “been there, done that,” activity

Overall, It was a great experience, but my favorite part was zip lining from the bottom of the waterfall, another 40ft down, to the water basin below.

Canyoning Crew, Tamarind Falls

            At the end of the day, I returned to the ship with my canyoning crew with memories I could never forget, and I reunited with the catamaran crew, with memories they didn’t remember.

Next stop. India. 

South African Safari

             Today marks the half waypoint of my time on Semester at Sea, and my physical location of being half way around the world on the map. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone, and after visiting only 4 ports, the next ports are going to fly by.

            We are now on are way to Asia, where we visit a different port at least twice a week, which is a refreshing change from being between 8-10 days between each port in the past.

            South Africa was an amazing experience…once we actually got to Capetown. We were delayed by a day because of the wind, and I was disappointed that I had to miss my wine tour as a result of this, but I was still able to do some informal wine tasting once I got to land. 

            The first day a couple of my friends and I headed to table mountain to hike it to the top. It was one of the most intense hikes I have ever done, as it was more rock climbing than hiking. On average it takes 3 hours to hike, but we had to get to the top before the “table cloth,” clouds covered so we did it in 1-hour. Intense. The view at was amazing, and to celebrate our arrival at the top, we popped a bottle of champagne.  

Top of Cable Mountain. Celebrating 

            The second day in Capetown I headed to Kruger National Park, one of the most famous parks in the world, for a three day Safari.  The first day we got up at 4:30am, because that is the best time to see the “Big 5.” The “Big 5,” are the 5 most dangerous animals in the park; the Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Water Buffalo, and the Leopard. I was able to see 4/5, but spotting Leopards is hard because they hide in trees, and there are only 100 in the whole park. The last day of my Safari we went to a place to ride elephants. The elephants were all trained and could respond to over 100 commands, and could identify over 10 people. It was the coolest experience. The trainer would ask the elephant to talk and he would raise his trunk, and then after he completes the command, they get a treat. The trainer threw a hat on the ground and asked him to pick it up and hand it to a guy named “John,” and he knew exactly who to hand it too. I was lucky enough to ride “Timba,” the biggest elephant weighing 6 tones, that’s over 13,000 pounds! The Safari was a blast.

Lions, Kruger Park

            The last day I went on an “Operation Hunger,” trip and visited a local soup kitchen in a township. We went in the morning and many of the local moms of the village were already gathered around when we got there. Once we arrived, we weighed all the kids to compare their weight to the average and record it as a z score. The scale shows that if a child is above 0 they are over fed, and below they are under, up to 3 points each way. Most of the kids were -3, which means that the child needed to seek medical attention immediately. It was a heartbreaking but informative experience.

 Next stop. Mauritius. 

     

Ghana, Africa

Ghana

            Exactly one month ago I boarded the MV Explorer and began my voyage. It’s hard to believe that I am already one month in and three countries in. If the past month has been indescribable, I can only imagine the experiences the next two bring.

We left Takoradi, Ghana Thursday, and today it hit me what an incredible experience it was. I have begun to learn that the ports are all a blur until you get on-board, and it hits you like a wave.  It’s such a surge of energy when you first arrive, and the experiences all catch up to you when you leave.  For some people it hit them so fast that they just started to cry at what they had seen. Other students chose to treat it as a spring break and drink the whole 5 days. Each to their own, but I am happy with how I spent my 5 days.

To highlight what I did:

Day 1: Walked around the city of Takoradi, and visited a beach

Day 2: Travelled to Cape Coast and walked on the canopy walkway, a series of swinging bridges on top of the trees- one of only 4 in the world.

Day 3: Visited the slave castles and Dungeons in Ghana

Day 4-Day 5: Travelled to an orphanage and spent the day with 18 kids, and then travelled to a fishing village to feed 1250 kids.

The last two days were by far the most powerful. We visited an orphanage called the City of Refuge, where former child labour victims live after being rescued by the couple who run the orphanage. The amount of child labour in Ghana is unacceptable. We seem to take pride in the fact that the slave trade was a thing of the past, but modern day slavery exists, and its kids who are the victims.  After visiting the orphanage we travelled to a place where many children are kidnapped and used as child labour in the fishing industry. The sad part is that many of the children willfully leave the village because they have been told they will be taken to a place where there is better education and more job opportunities. Their captives make a promise to the mothers of these children, a false promise. While we did give out 1250 meals, there were still children who walked away with nothing. In talking to a friend after she described it perfectly. She said, “normally when I help people I feel good, but this time it doesn’t feel that way.”

I hope to visit the orphanage again one day and dedicate more time to the cause in stopping child labour. It’s difficult to experience all these emotions at once, but I already feel like a stronger person for it.

Edwin, City of Refuge Orphanage, February 10th 

Next stop is South Africa. Should be another amazing experience.

Crossing the Atlantic

            As the title might suggest, the MV explorer is making the trek across the pond from Brazil to Ghana, Africa. We have only been on the ship for three days, and it already seems like a week, but there is something calming about looking out at the Sea and seeing no sign of civilization around me.

            I recently got back from Rio De Janeiro, one of the prettiest cities I have ever been too. The days were packed and the group I went with did all the standard tourist things- Chilled on Copacabana beach, took photos by Christ the Redeemer, (which I by accident deleted…wooops) and hiked Sugar Loaf Mountain.  Some less standard tourist things included a night at a Samba Club, and a trip to a Pacified Favela. Favelas are all over Brazil, and the ones, which are not pacified, are extremely dangerous. It felt invasive going into the slums and touring around as if the people living there were nothing but an attraction, but it was a mind-blowing experience. They live in shacks, but the odd time you would see one with a satellite dish, a little out of context, but the people were happy with the little they had.

            I am excited for Ghana, so I am trying to get ahead on work. I better get back to life at sea.

            Xx Jen. 

Rio Rio Rio

Breakfast on the Amazon, Standard.

As the title may suggest, I started my day off today sailing on the MV Explorer (Semester at Sea Boat) eating breakfast on the Amazon River.  We are currently on our way to Brazil, after leaving port in Roseau, Dominica a few days ago. Dominica was an amazing first port. It hardly seems part of the Caribbean because it’s so remote, but the Rasta’s and Red, Yellow, and Green colored buildings made it more in theme.

The highlight of the port in Dominica was an independent trip a couple of other SAS kids and I loosely organized. We hardly knew where we were going, and a two-hour hike was not what I had in mind. However, at the end of the two hours we ended up deep in the Dominican Rainforest at the base of a 250 ft waterfall, the highest on the whole island. It was amazing, we all jumped into the river base while this 250 ft stream of water dropped all around us.  Totally surreal.

 At the 250 ft Waterfall in Dominica

It’s hard to put in words the SAS experience so far. In one word I’d describe it as…Surreal. I don’t think it will hit me until I’m off the ship the experience that is SAS. It hardly seems like school, considering the fact that in between class half the ship is outside tanning on the pool deck-drinking smoothies, and when class is in session, you’re rocking back and forth and no one can focus.

            I don’t mean to boast or make all of you, my friends and family in -10 degree whether…. jealous, but it’s hard to not rave about this trip. Everyday is a new adventure. We’re on the same ship sailing around different parts of the world, but the background is always changing. It’s hard to believe that in three days Manaus, Brazil will surround the ship…and in three weeks time the coast of South Africa will be in the background.   

I’ve got to go to class, but I guess next is lunch on the Amazon River?

Rough life.

Missing you all from at Sea!

Day 3 at Sea: Up and Running, Literally.

Before I start to get into the details that might be of interest to you all, I want to explain the title of my first blog post.  It went for a run today in the ship’s exercise room, which was quite the experience. Most exercise equipment I have been on has all kinds of fun functions; jogging trail, mountain climbs, up hills, ect. Trust me, those settings don’t quite prepare you for the experience of running at sea…I almost fell off several times, and for those of you who now how spastic I am, that’s not surprising.

So for the most part, I am now officially UP AND RUNNING (side note: I cut my toe on the door and almost had to get a stitch today).

Here are some fun facts about my time at sea so far…

Roommate: My roomie at sea is from Wisconsin, and her name is Brit. She’s cool, and of course has the mid western American accent. She doesn’t say “Ya’ll”, but she makes fun of me when I say “Eh.”

All other American’s on board: My goal by the end of this voyage is to make friends with at least one person from every state. So far I can check off; Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas, Kentucky, and California, so I am well on my way towards my goal.

Class: When the sea is your classroom, it’s hard to focus on school, but Mom and Dad, don’t worry; I have been to all 3/3 of my classes.

            I think I’m going to end my first post because I’m really hungry, and the dude’s pizza beside me looks really good, but I promise I will try and “blog,” (I still can’t believe I’m a “blogger,”) as much as possible.

            To my friends and family at home: I miss and love you all, I wish you could all be here, but I’m glad that it’s me that is.

Ps- my SAS email is jmmccain@semesteratsea.net (Free for you and me!)

            Jen at Sea Signing OUT! Xo.

Staying in Touch at Sea

There are several ways you can contact me while I am away.

As a general rule, look here first to check up on me! I will be in remote places and access to communication will be difficult. If I need to get in contact with you, I will find a way!

If you need to contact me, here are some details:

EMAIL

I will have access to my email jme.mccain@gmail.com, and jmccain@dal.ca on a weekly basis.

The best way to contact me is through my Semester at Sea Email (TBD), it's free and fast!

MAIL

To look up shipping locations and methods visit: 

http://www.semesteratsea.org/current-voyage/overview/staying-in-touch.php

CELL 

I will have limited access to my phone, the best way to stay in touch is my semester at sea email!

ALL OTHER: 

Visit the Spring 2011 Link which gives all the details about Jen at sea:

http://www.semesteratsea.org/current-voyage/overview/