So…I have to put everything I did in the past 5 days in Brazil into one blog entry? I apologize already for the length…but oh well… We arrived into Salvador, Brazil on Sunday and a big group of us pretty much just walked around and hung out all day. It was so weird having been there two years ago so I kept remembering places I had been with my family and where we had taken pictures and stuff. We hung out at a café and listened to some great samba music, where I proceeded to dance with one of the guys in the band (there is video)…so that was fun…we enjoyed a caiparinha (the Brazilian version of a mojito) and the guys had the local beer. We saw some sights and had a great day of exploring Salvador by ourselves. That night, there was a welcome reception with local university students and a showing of capoiera and music. The beer was unlimited and free so I’m sure you can imagine the spectacle that night, plus, after the show it pretty much turned into a huge nightclub with some dj from Europe…it will definitely go down as one of the most fun nights in my life.
About 2 hours after I got back from the “welcome reception” (rave lol) my group going to Rio de Janeiro was meeting in the union at a lovely 3:45 in the morning…so you can imagine the fun of the 10 hours that followed. We finally get to Rio after not going to sleep after a night of craziness, and of course it is raining. So they switched up our schedule for the 3 days we were there and gave us free time, which really? Free time in a city we have never been to before at the same time that it is raining was a little frustrating but we got over it. Our hotel was right on Copacabana beach (which was completely deserted the first two days because of the rain lol) but I met some nice new people and we hung out. The next day we went to a YMCA type place for the kids that live in favelas which are the Brazilian slums. It was so amazing to see that action is being taken to get these kids off the streets and they were so excited to have us there and play with them. Then we drove around Rio and went to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain on a cable car. That night we went out and met some nice Brazilians to teach us samba…I didn’t want to go with all the other drunk girls to the American bars so I made friends with the 2 other girls who wanted a more local feel. It was so much fun and we samba’d the night away. The next day it FINALLY stopped raining and we got to see the Christ the Redeemer statue. We had some free time before we had to leave for the airport so we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beaches of Copacabana which was lots of fun.
I then had one last day in Salvador and had an FDP (Faculty Directed Practica) which we all have to do for our classes in every country. We went to an Afro-Brazilian museum which was really cool. We learned a lot about Condomble which is one of the main original religions in Brazil. We then went to a sort of Condomble village and saw the houses where they practice. It was really interesting to see how differently people live in these little villages. The kids were so excited to see us, but we had a national guard escort considering “tourists” don’t come through those parts often, so that was a little sketch haha. I met a friend on that tour and he was going on an architecture tour of Salvador later that day and I had nothing to do the rest of the so I signed up. It was beautiful, we walked around Salvador and the professor was so passionate about all the little details it was adorable. We saw some absolutely gorgeous churches which was what I was dying to see! We then had to be back on the ship and had a BBQ out by the pool for all the students once we all got back on.
So for the past few days since being back on the ship we have had classes and they have been pretty much normal school days with the occasional card playing and hang out time, and my nightly ”iPod watching of the sunset party.” Today we have no class which is amazing…but it’s cold and rainy outside so everyone is here in the piano lounge studying. Everyone is really eager for Namibia because no one has a clue what to expect about it. Last night was open mic night and it was packed. Apparently they are going to do it once a week; it’s amazing how much talent is on this ship. We attempted to sleep out on the deck last night and watch the stars but that dream ended quickly when it started to rain haha. Next stop, Walvis Bay, Namibia! Miss everyone greatly and would love to hear what’s going on back home and stuff! (ayallen@semesteratsea.net) :)
Lots of love from the middle of the Atlantic!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Neptune Day along the Brazilian Coast!
Ok…so first off, I did not shave my head! Even though a lot of girls did it and it looks pretty good! Haha…so yes, yesterday was Neptune Day. The crew of the ship woke us up at 7:30 by coming up and down the hallways with pots, pans, whistles, and anything else they could find on the ship that made loud noises. They were all dressed up in costumes and told us all to put on our bathing suits and go up to the 7th deck (the one with the pool). The night before we had crossed the equator and this is a huge deal, so we didn’t have classes or anything. We got up to the deck and some of our teachers were dressed as kings and queens of the sea. The tradition was that we all had to have fish guts poured on us, jump into the pool, kiss a dead fish when we got out, kiss the ring of the Queen of the sea, and then we were knighted. It was so fun and I have it all on video lol. Once that was done I had to watch Gandhi for a class and then last night was “pub night” so everyone was out on the decks. It was a lot of fun and we saw the lights of Brazil for the first time! Everyone is so excited to get off the ship tomorrow! Cant wait to post about Salvador! It is so weird because many times when I have been places with my family I don’t think I am going to get the chance to be back there ever again, but I remember everything about Salvador so Im so excited to see it all again, and things I didn’t get to see! Talk to everyone soon! And I have been checking my email lots during the day so please send me emails through that! (ayallen@semesteratsea.net
Adrienne :)
Adrienne :)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
And so my adventure begins!!
Friday August 29th, 2008
Well, here I am on the first night on the ship! It is pouring rain and lighting because we are going around the hurricanes! Crazy for our first night! But I need to back up and start from Wednesday. Dad and I flew down to Nassau, Bahamas just fine, with the exception of them leaving our luggage in Atlanta. On any other occasion, this would have been a minor mishap in which we would not immediately freak out. However, I was about to embark on a 4 month journey around the world, and Dad was doing his own 3 week world tour for work. So that was oh so fun for 24 hours tirelessly waiting for my clothes to come and Dad to calm down about everything. Dad and I attempted to lay out by the pool all day, which was pretty difficult without bathing suits and the same clothes you traveled in but we managed. Last night I met some of the girls I had met and we went out to dinner and to senor frogs. Seeing the boat for the first time was the weirdest thing! We all realized this was finally becoming a reality.
This morning was the start of the big day. The humidity was unbearable and imagine 700 college kids with 2-3 bags each sweating and crying with their parents, it was a long but exciting morning. Check-in was super easy and I went up to my room. I adore my roommate, she is very nice so far which is great and a huge load off my shoulders. Her name is Rebecca Child and she is from northern California and goes to UC Davis. Today was extremely long….we all unpacked, wondered around aimlessly trying to find everything on the boat, ate lunch, had a life boat drill, and then our parents got to come on the ship to see everything and say our last goodbyes. We finally departed from Nassau and then had an orientation meeting with everyone and our “seas.” There are 9 different sections of cabins on the ship all named after seas, we are the red sea and I adore our RA. He looks, talks, and acts just like Seth Rogen! The humming and rocking of the ship is really calming and is making everyone pretty sleepy, that and the combination of the sea sick pills haha. I can’t believe I am here doing this, and in the middle of the ocean! I also cannot believe that my first day on the ship is over, this is semester is going to be incredible.
Thursday September 4, 2008
Ok…so it took me awhile to get everything situated but here I am in the piano lounge studying haha. Everything is just fabulous! All 4 of my classes are great and I am excited about all of them. I have had a lot of reading…and I am actually doing it which is incredible, I’m fascinated about all the subjects and the lectures aren’t boring at all! Everyone on the boat is getting supper anxious to get off…tomorrow we would have been on the boat for a week straight and Brazil is going to be very interesting with 700 stir crazy college students haha. I got a little sea sick the 2nd night, as did the rest of the ship but since then I have been great. At night everyone goes out on the decks and we are limited 4 drinks within like 4 hours or something but everyone (even our teachers!) are all out there playing board games and stuff, its hysterical! I don’t know what else everyone wants to know! Haha…since internet is so expensive on the ship my FREE email is: ayallen@semesteratsea.net so please use this because I check a lot and it has been so fun actually emailing all of you! Definitely makes my day when I get emails from you guys!
We had a random stop in Puerto Rico because we were trying to get around hurricanes Gustav and Hanna so that was interesting. We couldn’t get off the boat but we pretty much saw Puerto Rico. The seas have been great except the one day we were near Hanna…which is really funny to see everyone try to walk around on the ship when it is rocking back and forth! For the past week it almost feels like we are in a constant little earthquake, but everyone seems to enjoy the slow rocking because it puts them asleep. It is unreal to be sitting there taking notes in class and then look out the window and just see ocean! I can’t even begin to describe it!
Tomorrow is apparently Neptune Day because it is our first time crossing the equator which is a HUGE deal…I guess they wake us up really early and have obstacle challenges for us all day and people shave their heads (which I’m sorry to say I kind of was considering lol, but I guess we will see after tomorrow…I don’t think I will do it but it goes to a great cause! Haha) We don’t have class and I guess there is a huge celebration while we cross it and tomorrow night…so I’m sure that will be fun! Well everyone is outside laying out on the decks and I am about to take my book and go join them after my next class which is “Politics in India and Pakistan.” I will definitely keep everyone posted about what goes down tomorrow…and please email me if you want! I would love to hear from you guys! J
Signing off from somewhere in the ocean along the shores of Guyana…
Well, here I am on the first night on the ship! It is pouring rain and lighting because we are going around the hurricanes! Crazy for our first night! But I need to back up and start from Wednesday. Dad and I flew down to Nassau, Bahamas just fine, with the exception of them leaving our luggage in Atlanta. On any other occasion, this would have been a minor mishap in which we would not immediately freak out. However, I was about to embark on a 4 month journey around the world, and Dad was doing his own 3 week world tour for work. So that was oh so fun for 24 hours tirelessly waiting for my clothes to come and Dad to calm down about everything. Dad and I attempted to lay out by the pool all day, which was pretty difficult without bathing suits and the same clothes you traveled in but we managed. Last night I met some of the girls I had met and we went out to dinner and to senor frogs. Seeing the boat for the first time was the weirdest thing! We all realized this was finally becoming a reality.
This morning was the start of the big day. The humidity was unbearable and imagine 700 college kids with 2-3 bags each sweating and crying with their parents, it was a long but exciting morning. Check-in was super easy and I went up to my room. I adore my roommate, she is very nice so far which is great and a huge load off my shoulders. Her name is Rebecca Child and she is from northern California and goes to UC Davis. Today was extremely long….we all unpacked, wondered around aimlessly trying to find everything on the boat, ate lunch, had a life boat drill, and then our parents got to come on the ship to see everything and say our last goodbyes. We finally departed from Nassau and then had an orientation meeting with everyone and our “seas.” There are 9 different sections of cabins on the ship all named after seas, we are the red sea and I adore our RA. He looks, talks, and acts just like Seth Rogen! The humming and rocking of the ship is really calming and is making everyone pretty sleepy, that and the combination of the sea sick pills haha. I can’t believe I am here doing this, and in the middle of the ocean! I also cannot believe that my first day on the ship is over, this is semester is going to be incredible.
Thursday September 4, 2008
Ok…so it took me awhile to get everything situated but here I am in the piano lounge studying haha. Everything is just fabulous! All 4 of my classes are great and I am excited about all of them. I have had a lot of reading…and I am actually doing it which is incredible, I’m fascinated about all the subjects and the lectures aren’t boring at all! Everyone on the boat is getting supper anxious to get off…tomorrow we would have been on the boat for a week straight and Brazil is going to be very interesting with 700 stir crazy college students haha. I got a little sea sick the 2nd night, as did the rest of the ship but since then I have been great. At night everyone goes out on the decks and we are limited 4 drinks within like 4 hours or something but everyone (even our teachers!) are all out there playing board games and stuff, its hysterical! I don’t know what else everyone wants to know! Haha…since internet is so expensive on the ship my FREE email is: ayallen@semesteratsea.net so please use this because I check a lot and it has been so fun actually emailing all of you! Definitely makes my day when I get emails from you guys!
We had a random stop in Puerto Rico because we were trying to get around hurricanes Gustav and Hanna so that was interesting. We couldn’t get off the boat but we pretty much saw Puerto Rico. The seas have been great except the one day we were near Hanna…which is really funny to see everyone try to walk around on the ship when it is rocking back and forth! For the past week it almost feels like we are in a constant little earthquake, but everyone seems to enjoy the slow rocking because it puts them asleep. It is unreal to be sitting there taking notes in class and then look out the window and just see ocean! I can’t even begin to describe it!
Tomorrow is apparently Neptune Day because it is our first time crossing the equator which is a HUGE deal…I guess they wake us up really early and have obstacle challenges for us all day and people shave their heads (which I’m sorry to say I kind of was considering lol, but I guess we will see after tomorrow…I don’t think I will do it but it goes to a great cause! Haha) We don’t have class and I guess there is a huge celebration while we cross it and tomorrow night…so I’m sure that will be fun! Well everyone is outside laying out on the decks and I am about to take my book and go join them after my next class which is “Politics in India and Pakistan.” I will definitely keep everyone posted about what goes down tomorrow…and please email me if you want! I would love to hear from you guys! J
Signing off from somewhere in the ocean along the shores of Guyana…
Monday, August 4, 2008
Let's start at the very beginning...
Wow...all I can say is wow! I cant believe I am 3 weeks away from a trip that I know will change my life. So many family and friends have told me to email them and keep them posted on Semester at Sea and I have had friends do it through this before. So I thought this would be the easiest way to keep in touch!
For those of you who dont know, I am going on Semester at Sea this fall. From August 29th - December 14th I will be living on a ship and taking classes, while stopping in ports around the world. Our ports include:
Nassau, Bahamas
Salvador, Brazil
Walvis Bay, Namibia
Cape Town, South Africa
Chennai, India
Penang, Malaysia
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam + Cambodia
Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
Kobe / Yokohama, Japan
Honolulu, Hawaii
Puntarenas (San Jose), Costa Rica
Miami, Florida
My classes will be:
International Marketing
World History of the 20th Century
The Rise of Great New Powers
Politics in India and Pakistan
I have dreamed of doing this since I started college and and I can't believe it is almost here. I look forward to telling everyone how preparations continue and most importantly I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity (and parents who let me go) :)
Have a wonderful day!
For those of you who dont know, I am going on Semester at Sea this fall. From August 29th - December 14th I will be living on a ship and taking classes, while stopping in ports around the world. Our ports include:
Nassau, Bahamas
Salvador, Brazil
Walvis Bay, Namibia
Cape Town, South Africa
Chennai, India
Penang, Malaysia
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam + Cambodia
Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
Kobe / Yokohama, Japan
Honolulu, Hawaii
Puntarenas (San Jose), Costa Rica
Miami, Florida
My classes will be:
International Marketing
World History of the 20th Century
The Rise of Great New Powers
Politics in India and Pakistan
I have dreamed of doing this since I started college and and I can't believe it is almost here. I look forward to telling everyone how preparations continue and most importantly I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity (and parents who let me go) :)
Have a wonderful day!
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