So apparently people actually read this blog, and I’ve gotten some flak recently for not having anything written about my time in Asia. So…now that I’ve had over a month at home to reflect on the experience here it is. A little late, and a little long but enjoy. With only one day to spend in the thriving metropolis that is Hong Kong, my mission was to experience the most of this city-state in the little amount of time I had. My group of friends from the ship decided to split up depending on how we each wanted to spend [View Full Entry]

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Pulling into Vietnam was an experience in itself. We were to port in Ho Chi Minh city, formerly known as Saigon, which was further inland and required us to sail through the narrow rivers of the Mekong Delta. For an hour that morning our massive ship cruised along the waters, taking up the majority of the space except for a few fishing boats. Since the port was in a gated harbor, we could walk the twenty minutes to the downtown area or take the shuttle provided by SAS which left about every half hour. For those brave enough there was [View Full Entry]

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Getting back from Chennai, we had a day of no classes to “recover,” then had a cultural pre-port briefing the next evening for Malaysia. It was an odd experience knowing we were gearing up to enter another country again so soon when it felt like we had just left one. Needless to say, I felt unprepared and uncertain of what to expect from Malaysia, especially since I didn’t have any major trips planned through SAS and I was uncertain how I was going to spend our 4 days there. The one thing they stressed to us during our debriefing was [View Full Entry]

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India was the one country that I had the most preconceived notions before visiting. I thought I would feel unsafe and targeted the entire time. I thought I would be so crowded by people in the streets I would not be able to move. I thought my clothes would end up so dusty and reek of the smells of the city so much that I would have to throw them away afterwards. I thought the food and water were going to be so contaminated that I got a prescription to help with “Delhi Belly” before I even boarded the ship. [View Full Entry]

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In all honestly, I never heard of this tiny African island before I knew I was going to be one of our ports on Semester at Sea. I was happy just to be getting on land again after a week of incredibly rocky waters due to a slight brush with a cyclone coming around the southern coast of the African continent. It’s a little unsettling to have your plates and utensils move around the table on their own if they aren’t held down. We were told that our three days in Mauritius were going to be equivalent to a Spring [View Full Entry]

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Before I even got off the ship in Cape Town, I knew this was going to be a beautiful port to call home for the next couple days. From where we were docked we were given an enviable view of Table Mountain, one of the world’s largest plateaus, that was only enhanced by the rising sun as we arrived. I had breakfast that morning on the back deck enjoying the incredible scenery around me and trying to digest the fact that I was now on the African continent. South Africa has a dynamic history and Cape Town especially reflects this [View Full Entry]

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One thing is certain after my trip to Salvador: Brazilians know how to throw a party. We were fortunate enough to arrive to this port in the middle of Carnival, which according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the largest celebration in the world. It certainly seemed like it, since I’ve never seen so many people crowded in the streets in my life. The festivities began early in the afternoon and lasted right up until Tuesday, which is known in the states as Mardi Gras. The parades include blocos, which are huge decorated flat bed trucks that blast [View Full Entry]

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It’s been quite awhile since my last entry, but believe me I have not been lounging around in doing nothing. I had almost forgot that I’m still in school, until my teachers decided to throw a months worth of homework at us for one week. Life at sea is pretty routine, you are either doing something school-related, eating, or sleeping. Not to say that I’ve been bored at all. Meals here lasts around 2 hours because we sit around chatting for awhile after we finish our food within the first 10 minutes. Most of the time it is because we [View Full Entry]

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I finally started classes today, which I was not looking forward to since I haven’t had school in almost 2 months. The classes here are divided into A days or B days and go throughout the whole week when we are at sea. The only time we don’t have class is when we are in port. My 8am class today seems like its going to be very enjoyable. It’s Exploration and Adaptation in Lit and Film, and for part of the curriculum we have to watch local movies in the countries we visit. We already have our first assignment which [View Full Entry]

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Whew! I am exhausted. These last two days on the boat have been chock full of meetings and drills and introductions that I have barely had time to unpack. To recap on the last few days, I made it safely to the Bahamas by myself where I was immediately regretting my outfit choice of jeans and sweater when I was assaulted by the heat and humidity of the area. I shared a taxi ride to my hotel with another girl and her dad(I think they took pity on me since I was alone) for the low, low price of $60. [View Full Entry]

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