1/19/2011

Hey everyone!

Thought I’d sit down for a couple minutes while I have the chance to update! The past couple of days we have been at sea which means class – ugh. Yes, mom, I know that’s why I’m here but it’s been pretty over whelming so far with trying to sign up for more class-required field trips, making sure they don’t overlap, having all the requirements, trying not max parents credit card too soon.. ANWAYS. I’ve been trying to get rid of these ridiculous tan lines I’ve gotten from my snorkeling life vest, shorts, capris, swimsuits, tanks and God knows what else. Oh yeah.. and my big ol bumble bee sting I got while snorkeling.. just my luck right? So Tuesday (01/18/2011) was EXTREMELY rough while sailing and I tried running on the treadmill and let me tell you it’s probably the hardest thing to do at sea. I looked like a fool but sure it was pretty entertaining to everyone else. Showering is quite the task too (I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination). One of the rituals from room to room is to write on the back of each hanging picture (approx. 3’x3). Students from past voyages give advice, tell funny stories, ship ‘secrets’, fun stuff to do in ports, etc. Some of my friends and I went from room to room today checking out each others’ pictures. In my room some of the advice on my walls was funny and serious… “Try and do everything you’d normally think twice about”, “Buy bootleg DVDs in Vietnam, they get movies sooner”, “Use ATMs -> Big plus -> saves time and exchange rates”, “try to meet locals”, “don’t skip a meal”. Ill take a picture of all these recommendations (some of them I won’t go into detail!)

We entered the AMAZON RIVER TODAY!!! (I’ve been writing this blog for a few days). All we can see is brown water, which should clear up soon, and trees. Lots of trees. Other than that.. nada.

For one of my classes I’m taking something called Global Studies. It is a required class and basically teach you about each country before you get there, the geography, etc. Well yesterday there was a guest speaker and he was AMAZING. He is actually a professor on the ship this semester teaching social justice and altruism. Long story short, about nine years ago he was in a very secluded little town in Nepal. (Quick Geography Tip: Nepal is squeezed between India and China)He kept hearing about the village’s young girls ‘disappearing’. None of the towns’ people would speak on it but he kept doing more research and found out that kidnapping into sex slavery was mostly the cause. He talked to the principal of the school who pointed out a young girl named Inu that was going to be ‘next’ because her family couldn’t afford to send her to public school anymore. Prof. Kottler asked how much it is to send her to school for the year and the principal replied “too much money, way too much money” and kept avoiding the topic. Finally, the principal answered in local currency and after equated into USD the prof. discovered only $50 a year could send her to school AND keep her from being a sex slave. So he pulled out 50 USD and handed it to the principal. A few other voyagers reminded him that if he does not come back from year to year to make sure Inu is in school, the government (which is EXTREMELY corrupt) will keep the money for themselves. So year after year he continued back to the country of Nepal along with all volunteers mostly comprised of students and eventually formed the organization “Empower Nepali Girls” over time. There is more about his story, sex slavery and the organization on the website. I just thought it was pretty cool how his story all happened by ‘accident’ on a random trip to Nepal and shows the types of people we’re traveling with on SAS!!  www.EmpowerNepaliGirls.org       

 Love and miss everyone!!

P.S. I love emails :) exciting to hear from everyone and what they think!!!!

kmkout@semesteratsea.net

Dominica

Greetings from sea!

Well I have never kept a blog before so this will be interesting.. hopefully I stay updated! I have survived the first portion of our trip with no sea sickness which is a great sign (unlike a majority of the other kids)! Ship life is definitely a different way of life from what I imagined, but in a good way. Military times and nautical terms are getting the best of me but I’ll be a pro by time I get home! It still takes me like 20 minutes just to find my room from the top deck even though we’ve been here almost a week. Does everybody remember internet dial up connection from the ice age? Well guess what- it is even SLOWER at sea! I have to keep telling myself patience is a virtue and remember how lucky we are at home with high speed. The shipboard community of about 600 is very friendly and diverse; there are USA students, international students, staff family members and life-long learners all from ages 2 yrs- 90yrs old. There are actually a handful of people that I have met either from Iowa or go to school in Iowa. I have been hanging out mostly with one girl from Davenport who goes to school in Kentucky. My roommate is from Pennsylvania; she is pretty quiet but really nice. We all stay EXTREMELY busy. The first day at sea we had orientation literally from 9 AM – 11 PM then classes began the next day. Speaking of classes, it is the best feeling when watching tiny Caribbean islands pass while I’m sitting in class. I’m taking a two geography classes and two sociology classes. I have a wide variety of field programs (trips we do in port) from snorkeling and orphanage visits to walking the Great Wall of China and night searching for alligators. BUT you will all definitely hear about those trips over the next three months in more detail!!!   

The first stop for SAS Spring 2011 was in the port town of Roseau, Dominca (pronounced doe-mi-NI-ca; and not to be confused with the Domincan Republic). We were on the tiny island for two days and was definitely not long enough. I started the first day (Sunday 1/16/2011) with a whale and dolphin safari. It was on a huge catamaran about two miles from shore. We saw 9 sperm whale mothers and calves which were awesome to see feeding and sun bathing. I had my share of sun bathing too – or sun burning! Even SPF 70 won’t guarantee anything this close to the equator!! On this trip is also where I had my first experience of ‘rum punch’. WOW. It’s all locally made rum and local fruit juice – very popular on the island. The crew was all locals who I actually ended up meeting at the bar in town later that night (I’ll get to that part later!) After the whale watching I hopped onto a bus that took us to the southern end of the island to go snorkeling. The drive was a lot to take in all at once after my first dose of rum punch. First of all they drive on the wrong (left) side of the road. Second, there is no speed limit. Third, the roads are so narrow it feels like we are going to hit oncoming traffic. I think I was slightly traumatized by time we parked. The reefs we went snorkeling on are named the Champagne Reefs. They get that name because the bubbles coming up through cracks in the coral from the volcanoes look exactly like bubbles in a champagne glass. This part of the island is also the location of filming for the Pirates of the Caribbean (part two I think?). I cant wait to watch it again and point out the scenery I recognize!! I saw tons of cool fish which I’ll have to update everyone with pictures later. After that long day in the sun a bunch of us all got together, went out to eat then went out on the town for the night! Which the bars especially opened up for all the 600+ SAS students because the island bars are normally closed on Sundays since everyone is mainly Catholic. Some of us girls ended up seeing the guides from the whale watching tour and hung out with them most of the night.. they gave us all the local spots, restaurants and showed us around town. I actually got invited back onto the same boat the next day (Monday 1/17/2010) to go snorkeling for free at another reef further down the island. For the remainder of the afternoon we walked around town, mailed out postcards (p.s. let me know when you get it mom and dad!) and ate with the locals. I had a plate lunch called palau; it is chicken, rice, beans and bunch of spices. Let’s just say I tried it and leave it at that! Around 4:00 pm we headed back to the ship for departure and get ready for the next stop.. BRAZIL!!

My ONLY email I have at sea is kmkout@semesteratsea.net

Enjoy J