random things

On our lovely scholar boat, the food is, well…frozen, packaged and mushy. Most foods are white and lacking any type of flavor. It’s not the worst food in the world, but after several months, it becomes quite repetitive and boring. However, there is a solution to our food blues. It is the sandwich man. The sandwich man works upstairs outside of the student center meticulously making sandwiches for $3.99. My personal favorite is the chicken and cheese with lettuce, tomatoes and thousand island dressing. Each sandwich has about ½ pound of chicken, 6 slices of cheese, a whole tomato, ½ head of lettuce and 3 pieces of bread. Typically I share a sandwich with Adrina or another friend because they are so huge. The sandwich man takes about 30 minutes crafting each yummy delicious sandwich…he carefully cuts the tomatoes and makes sure the lettuce is evenly spread throughout the slices of bread. The bread is toasted before he begins and the entire sandwich is again toasted when he has completed the compilation process. It is quite remarkable really, and he takes such pride in making sure every single sandwich is beautiful and delicious. I love the sandwich man.

My friend Will bought me a DVD TV series called Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman…they traveled from London to New York going East through Europe, Russia, Canada and America…on motorbikes. A group of us watched enthralled for several nights, admiring their passion and of course being jealous of their travels. When I saw will in Barcelona, he brought me Long Way Down, which is a more recent trip from Scotland to Cape Town. It’s equally amazing & makes me really want to see more of Africa. Dad, I think you and Mom would like these shows. Mom would like the traveling bit and you would like the fact that they’re taking motorcycles across the whole world. Maybe see if Donny can download an episode or two for you?

We have lots of important people on the boat this leg…30 something people from international offices from universities across Europe and the Middle East/North Africa. Luckily, there is a person from the university I’m considering in Morocco, so I’m looking forward to picking her brain over the next few days. I also got to spend a night out in Barcelona with 3 students from the same Moroccan university and they were all very reassuring and positive. I’ve heard from several people that the hardest bits about that particular school are that it is very isolated geographically and that because it’s such a good school, a lot of upper class people send their kids there. Some kids just drive around in expensive cars, party and don’t care about school…but you get that anywhere really. And the isolated part doesn’t really phase me…I did my undergrad in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania! The other parts that I find hilarious are that there is a curfew of 12 on weekdays and that boys and girls are not allowed in each others dorms (dorm buildings are separated by sex). I haven’t had a curfew since high school! I guess it’s a good thing I don’t really go out much and that I adore my sleep, right? These are the cultural things that I have to think about…I know I can handle it, and I know it will be difficult…and I also know my Mommy would rather me stay closer to home… ah decisions!

Speaking of my mom, I thought a lot this week about what I was doing a year ago. Last Easter mom came to Europe to visit me for 2 weeks and we had such a great time traveling to London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris and seeing bits of Northern Ireland. Being the more experienced traveler, I planned the entire trip and I think I even held her passport most of the time. Funny how roles can switch once we become adults, isn’t it? I think I’m homesick this week…everyone’s getting to the point in the trip when they’re booking flights home and it’s difficult not knowing the next time I’ll get back home. As much as I loathe that place, I admit I do miss it sometimes.

So anyway, there’s a lot going on in the few days before Istanbul. The European cultural show is tonight, I have 2 papers due and we’re doing a 2 day terrorism workshop with some terrorism expert lady. I’m hoping the workshop will be hands on simulation type stuff and not lectures, but it’s pretty much guaranteed to be more interesting than my regular classes regardless. I just can’t believe our last real port is 5 days away!

Those are my thoughts for now. I want all of my family to send me an email this week and tell me about life…I miss getting those emails every day! Mom can give you my gmail address, which is what I check regularly. Love and miss everyone! xo

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