story of the world

make a difference one child at a time

2007-05-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

www.invisiblechildren.com

help...not only because you should, but because you can

...imagine not being able to protect your own children

JAPAN!

2007-05-03T20:52:00.001-07:00

Japan is definitely one of my favorite countries in the world. Everything about it, from the people to the architecture to the history, is so beautiful. I’ve never before imagined the possibility of a city built around a mountain where the fusion of urban life and nature works so well. If you get tired of roaming the streets, you can take a cable car to the top of Mt. Rokko and explore the herb gardens there that look out over Kobe. I found myself completely fascinated with everything Japanese because I kept looking at in a New York context. It was like the city, only everything was in Japanese and the Japan Rail is way more efficient then the subway system. It’s also extremely clean and there are parks in almost all city centers for people to enjoy the outdoors whenever they feel like it. There are even public libraries in the parks so you can check out a book and read it there. I realized that Japanese society is very much about living well and doing what works. It’s an extremely sustainable place, both environmentally and mentally, and the people who live there seem very relaxed and happy. Most people walk or ride their bikes everywhere and the pace of life (while somewhat fast-paced) is still quite tranquil. I know this wounds weird, but maybe the coolest thing we did there was go to the movies. The theater was located on the ninth floor of a high-rise building and it felt like more of a night at the Met then it did a night at the movies. There was assigned seating and tickets were almost $20. That’s maybe the only negative thing about Japan- it is super expensive. I bought some Hello Kitty gum that was $6. Other than that, Kyoto was nice and I loved how ancient palaces exist within modern society. Can you even imagine a castle just chilling next to Madison square garden? That’s somewhat how Japan is. Anyway, now that I’m a chopstick expert and an official world traveler, I’ve been trying to fill the endless hours on the ship. We’re five days into our eight-day trip to Hawaii and then it’s about five more days after that to the US. It’s so strange that I’m about to be home. While I’m ready to return, I’m overwhelmed at the same time with everything I just experienced. It’s crazy when you realize that no matter you do, you’re perception of life and everything surrounding the context of living is forever altered. And even though our voyage is about to come to an end, it’s something I could never possibly forget because it has made an irreversible impact on my life.

the great stairs of china

2007-04-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

Vietnam was by far the best traveling experience I have had. The first day a few of us found a taxi driver to take us to the Cu Chi tunnels where the soldiers hid during the war. It was unbelievably surreal walking on the paths and exploring the tunnels because all I could imagine was that it was once all real. It was just some fun adventure for us but in retrospect we had the opportunity to see our history books come alive. I pictured the soldiers in the underground kitchen cooking while American troops walked above them, unable to detect their location. Driving through the countryside was also amazing because we were outside of Ho Chi Minh City and we got to see the way people really live there. I couldn't believe that in a place where people were once so wronged by Americans, no one had any resentment towards us. Instead they were eager to try and communicate with us and help us get where we were going. Someone said to us, well thank God there's no oil in Vietnam...then we would really have problems. On the second day I went to the Mekong Delta and got to ride on the boats and visit a fishing village. We spent the last three days at Mui Ne beach on the coast which is about three hours from HCMC. We met up with Steph (my roommate from school) and it was so much fun. Our hotel was called full moon beach resort and it was perfect. The rooms were all so beautiful and they surrounded a long pool in the middle. I felt like we were living in a tropical cottage. The deck where we ate breakfast overlooked the beach and we got to sit around and watch the kite surfers. The bus ride back to the ship on the last day was hectic to say the least but we made it. I miss Steph so much already and I can't wait to see her when she gets home from Australia.
After three days on the ship, we arrived in Hong Kong. I only spent one day there because the next morning I got on a plane to fly to Beijing. The great wall was crazy. It really should be called the great staircase of China. Somehow we all seemed to miss the fact that the great wall is really miles of steps. After almost two hours of step climbing, we reached the top. I definitely understand now why it's one of the seven wonders of the world. We also went to a really crazy Chinese acrobat show. The lights reminded me of a bisco show and on top of that, I got the watch people perform some of the most ridiculous stunts ever. I was convinced that someone was going to fly off the stage (especially the little boys who were Kyle's age...I was really worried about them). Now we have two days until Japan and then it's the long 14 day stretch until we arrive in San Diego. I can't believe it's almost over. Time really does fly when you're having the time of your life. At the same time though, I'm really excited to come home. I along with a many others on the ship have recently come to the conclusion that we love America and we love our lives there. I am SO lucky to be me.

my very first bad week at sea

2007-04-05T04:10:00.001-07:00

I’ll start with the bad news first since the good news is totally worth waiting for. So about five days ago my computer crashed. I took it to the tech guys and they said there was nothing they could do. Then I found a kid on the ship who thought that he could at least retrieve some of my files off of the hard drive. He couldn’t do anything so then another kid looked at it…same story. Basically, I no longer have a computer and I won’t have one again until I get home and buy myself a Macbook (I will never get a PC ever again…EVER). What this means for all of you is that my communication is going to be extremely limited. There are about 25 computers on the ship for public use and they are all taken 95% of the time. The other problem with the computer situation is that I also no longer have a computer on which to edit my documentary film. I just missed the add/drop period so my only option is to take an F or an incomplete in the course (and as a result have to finish my movie when I get a computer this summer). Right now I’m still trying to figure it all out so nothing is set in stone. The class requires a laptop and software (since the ship doesn’t even have the editing software on any of the computers) so I’m pretty outraged that they won’t even consider letting me withdraw. Aside from the computer issue, I need to use the internet A LOT less. I’ve already spent $1,000 on internet (just from updating my blog and checking e-mails…you really can’t imagine how slow it is) so on top of paying off internet minutes and trips this summer, I will be paying off a $1,500 computer. Sooo don’t think I’ve forgotten about you if you don’t hear from me, I just don’t want to be in debt for the rest of my life. I’ve also been extremely overwhelmed with course work in general. Now that UVA has taken over, semester at sea is really really hard. Bucknell doesn’t seem to realize this and they still require that we take 5 classes instead of the standard four. I have an unbelievable amount of work to get done between now and Vietnam and Vietnam and China. As you can imagine, it was a very stressful week, especially when the doctor pulled an April fools joke on everyone and had the entire ship believing that there was a leprosy outbreak on board. I was literally crying. Then, I got an e-mail from the registrar at school saying that I didn’t get into the one English class I still need to complete my major. So now I have to spend more internet minutes trying to find another class. I went so far as to buy a $20 calling card the other day so I could cry and complain to dad the way I usually do in a crisis and lo and behold, it didn’t work- icing on the cake. However, in retrospect none of this matters because I’m living on a ship traveling around the world AND…

I GOT MY INTERNSHIP I GOT MY INTERNSHIP I GOT MY INTERNSHIP!!!!!!!

So even though things seem to suck really bad right now…I get to live and work in NYC this summer (that’s right Nicole, I’m moving in)! So at least now I have a means of paying off my debt. I got the e-mail from Fleishman-Hillard today and I can’t even tell you what a relief it was. Finally something went right this week because…
I GOT MY INTERNSHIP! Also…I’ll try and post a Malaysia update soon. I can’t afford to do pictures because it takes about 20 minutes for them to load so my wonderful words of wisdom will just have to do. But I can say that the Cameron Highlands were UNBELIEVEABLE- one of the most beautiful places on earth is located in Malaysia on a mountain 6,500 ft. above sea level.

2007-03-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

sooo i just found out that the sas postcards aren't really working which is really bad because i just sent one to basically everyone. so just so everyone knows, if you've emailed me...i've written back you just may not have gotten it and i don't have time or internet minutes to resend them through my email account.

artificial civilization

2007-03-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

India, how have we forgotten you? Once upon a time there was an industrial revolution and we were consumed by bits and pieces. We were blinded by pollution. Our mothers and fathers, they lost their way among the skyscrapers. They couldn’t see past the glistening gleam of the lights but they never meant to lose their direction. No, that route was a governmental creation. Each mile marked by a commercial enterprise, each turn carved by a little green paper known for its endless elation. They never understood the path they were taking or the lives they were breaking. You have our coca cola and our blue jeans too. Yet when it comes to your children and your women and other recluses, we drown our guilt in labels and excuses. Oh India, I hope we can remember you while we still have the chance. Years of oppression continue and I can feel all of that hate.

India, what about equality? There are only so many lives that can be pulled from a violent ocean. Your women must be free from their gold shackles and released from their jeweled prisons. Even the richest of the rich are as poor as the poorest because they are not permitted inside or out to explore. Bound by a 2,000 year old tradition, their minds and their bodies are limited to exclusion. Morphing and molding and melding and welding- change is the only way to end this undue intrusion. All of these possibilities for societal advancement are forced to float lifeless in limbo- a place that exists somewhere between the earth and sky and was created by an unknown mind and an unseen eye. Oh India, please help us save your women and perpetuate the futures of your children. You can still revise your present to secure your fate.

India, do you know how much you have taught me? If I could hold your pain in the palm of my hand, I would fall into the ground and forever remain under the land. I know now that what I believe is real and what is real is the truth. There was a time when I existed in a world of deception, where I was taught to think that happiness is a right and for everyone life is about perfection. Then I went on a journey with you as my destination. I arrived and soon understood that poverty doesn’t promote delight and starvation ends in a certain and brutal fight. Oh India, you opened my mind and slipped a simple reminder inside. You told me never to forget what I saw and to spread the truth before it’s too late.

2007-03-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

the first picture is of one of the first beggars that i saw when i got to india. the look in his eyes was so painful and sad. when i have him a dollar, he looked like he was about to cry. the next is a typical street in the marketplace...capturing the roads with cars is basically impossible because they're really crowded and dangerous. the last is of me leaving the village carrying all of my stuff. it was then that i realized how much i really have in the literal and figurative sense.

an idyllic india

2007-03-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

The five days I spent in India encapsulated perhaps the most profound moments of my life. For three days, I lived in a rural village called Dakshina Chitra. The village is a non-profit community service project aimed at promoting and preserving the cultures of the diverse people of India. It was there that I took part in a three day art of living course. The art of living is a world-wide organization that can’t really be described in words. For three days, 25 of us meditated and talked and learned more about each other and ourselves than any of us ever imagined possible. On the first day, we traveled by bus to the village. We stopped at three different ancient temples along the way where we were swarmed by beggars and people trying to sell us small statues and paintings of gods. Some of us gave our food away to the starving children and others bought things we didn’t want so that a family could eat that night. Mostly I just tried to avoid the rabid dogs and random stray goats and cows that roam freely all over India. When we arrived at the village, we had a two hour introduction to mediation and the art of living. Then the women made us a big feast which we ate with our hands off of banana leaves. After dinner, an actress came and told us a story about what life was once like for women there and how some of the ills they suffered are still applicable today. At this point, we were all extremely exhausted so we headed to our rooms. After three hours of staring at the ceiling fan and praying that it would cool the room down even a little bit, I fell asleep. Even though we were some of the lucky few who had netting on the windows, sleep was short lived because at 5am the electricity went off (which means that the fan stopped spinning) and so I sat and listened to a rooster and various other farm animals until 7am when it was time to head back to the yoga pavilion. After two hours of yoga and meditation, we ate breakfast and took a break. Then it was time for sudarshan kriya- a breathing and meditation exercise that is supposed to be a purifying action to get the right view of the self. This one yogi who came to visit with us said [your life is there, you just have to clear the dust off of it] and that’s exactly what I did. It was a really crazy experience that again I can’t explain but basically all of us agreed that we felt like new people by the end. It not only gives you time to just be with yourself, it clears your mind and drastically reduces stress and anxiety. Later that night, we broke up into groups and told one another our life stories. It was so insane to hear such personal and intimate details about the lives of people you see every single day on the ship but have never talked to before. It made me realize how important compassion is because every person has their own story. It was also really shocking to learn how wrong my first impressions and judgments about people were. It’s so important to give everyone a chance, like I’ve said before: we are all just people trying to survive together on this planet. The whole thing really made our group bond a lot and we all hung out that night like we had known each other for years. It was really amazing. The next morning, we got up at 6:30am for some more yoga and meditation and sudarshan kriya later in the day. After lunch, an Indian family came and played us music and we all danced around and sang along. We did another bonding activity that night that I don’t want to try and recount because it wouldn’t do it justice and then we had dinner. By the time dinner was over, we couldn’t believe that it was time to go. We all hugged Ron (who ran the whole thing) and packed up our stuff. We thanked all of the people who worked so hard to make our stay as comfortable as possible, especially the women. I was so sad to leave my little room behind- ants, spiders, lizards and all. We all piled onto the bus and took a moment to appreciate how bad we smelled (three days with no shower in India is like 10 days anywhere else) and how close we all felt. For more about the art of living go to www.artofliving.org. There is a center in NYC on 52^nd and I really think anyone who can should go and check it out.

In sum, these are the philosophies that I walked away with and have already been trying to apply to my life:

*accept people and situations for who and what they are

*don’t look for intentions behind other peoples’ mistakes

*the more you resist something, the more it will persist

*unrealistic expectations reduce joy in our lives

*we all put people above and below us based on assumptions about who they are (don’t do this)

*you are not taking responsibility for yourself when you are complaining

*we want attention from others but we rarely give it to ourselves

*laugh often (this is something I also learned from Desmond Tutu)

*BE HERE NOW

be here now
no other place to be
this whole world keeps changing
come change with me
everything that’s happened
all that’s yet to come
is here inside this moment
it’s the only one

(these song lyrics really describe the way I felt when I was in India and I’m posting them because I’m not yet ready to write creatively about the experience myself)

What be here now means for me is that I can’t live in the past or the future, I have to live in the moment. I need to learn how to not perpetuate my present by telling myself that once this/that happens then I will be happy. There’s no guarantee that I’ll wake up tomorrow so I HAVE to find happiness in each day and every moment of living. I have to help myself because if I don’t, no one else can or will. I need to do what I need to do to find fulfillment in my daily life because that’s the only way I can be happy today and tomorrow and every single day after that.

Most importantly, I learned something about responsibility in the sense that responsibility=power. When we blame others for our circumstances, we become weaker. We also tend to take responsibility for the people who belong to us (family and friends). We need to widen this sense of belonging in a global sense so that we can all start taking responsibility for the whole world. If each person felt responsible for the planet and the existence of each person on it, we would be living in a very different world. So in the spirit of responsibility, I ended up spending the rest of my cash in India for several reasons. I felt so compelled to give money to every single poor person I saw but I knew that this was not a very good idea. Instead, I bought things from small family owned stores and huts in the markets because I figured that gifts I give to everyone at home should be more like an exchange of wealth. Yes, now I have beautiful things to give to all of my friends and family but at the same time, a lot of people are going to be able to eat because of it. I’m all set with trips in Malaysia, our next port of call, and I don’t think I will need to spend any money there so I guess I won’t worry too much about my lack of assets until Vietnam. If I have to go without so that a few people can eat, then I’m okay with that.

On the fourth day, Katie and I explored Chennai. We found a taxi driver to take us around to the different markets and show us the sights. When we got back to the ship, I decided to go out to dinner with some of the kids from the art of living because I already missed them. After dinner, we went to a bar/restaurant called Zara. There were tons of other SAS kids there which would usually bother me but I actually had a really great time talking to everyone. We all decided to head over to this club in a hotel (there are basically no bars in Chennai and everything closes at 11pm except for the hotels) where there was a DJ spinning. We had a really fun night and then 8 of us jumped into one taxi to go home because a lot of people were staying out and it was already 2am. That night my friend Anthony and I ended up talking for a while about our experience at the village (he was there) and about this boy he likes (who had been out with us and he was wearing a skirt which we thought was awesome because he was really embracing the culture- yes, some of the men in India wear skirts and they’re really cool). Anthony is a really amazing person and friend and I’m so glad that we got to spend time together in port because usually everyone is doing different things and it’s hard to coordinate stuff. He’s also from Staten Island believe it or not. The next day we woke up and went to the Indian version of a mall. We bought the rest of our gifts (including some chili powder for those of you who expressed an interest) and then went to go see an Indian movie. Let me just say that going to a movie theater in a foreign country is a very absurd experience. Apparently you’re not allowed to take pictures in or around theaters in India and I had to apologize and beg this woman not to take my camera away. Then, we sat through a three hour movie- none of which we could understand. There’s also intermission during movies in India so we found someone who spoke English to explain what was going on to us. After that, we really enjoyed the rest of it.

On top of everything else, I learned so much about what life is like for women in India. It was mind blowing to drive through the streets after the sun went down and see virtually no women…anywhere. Packs of men spilled out onto the sidewalks from stores and restaurants, but no women. It’s a country run by men in a cultural sense. Even though women have made strides and have gained more freedoms and rights, there is a deep sense of tradition instilled in the way of life in India. This 2,000 old culture has so many unspoken fundamentals that I don’t think will ever change. Poverty also perpetuates this problem in addition to environmental degradation (the pollution is out of control, black filth comes off of your skin when you wash your face). Most people drive motorcycles that look more like mopeds and a few drive small cars. I would say that maybe 20% of these are operated by women, even though the number could be less. When a woman and man are on a bike together, the woman sits on the back sideways, never with one leg on each side. These little things really stood out to me. Especially the fact that the beggars were never just women- they were women with their children. I didn’t see one man begging with a child. The gender roles in India are so clearly defined. This is not to say that there aren’t exceptions, of course there are exceptions. But I think that what got me was the fact that this was the least westernized country that we have visited so far. I felt very aware of the fact that I stood out both in terms of what I was wearing and what I looked like. There’s so much more that I want to write but I can’t because most of it can’t be recalled. Instead, certain moments will remain buried in my mind- there only for me to remember. I can say though that I can’t wait to go back to India.

Oh and I got to drive a rickshaw. Look it up.

2007-03-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

the picture on the top left is on the way to the waterfalls. i had to add another parasailing picture for dramatic affect and the last is of me being just being happy.

images

2007-03-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

the first picture illustrates my excitement when we found a beautiful place in mauritius. the second picture is of a typical road there and the last if of emily and i parasailing.

mauritius

2007-03-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

HIII!! Sorry I’ve been so out of touch. The internet satellite has been malfunctioning and I JUST was able to check my email for the first time since before Port Louis. Here’s a Mauritius update. Dad- I miss you. I’ll try and write you more. I hope you weren’t worried or anything. Mom- thanks for always writing, I look forward to checking my mail because I know I’ll have something from you. ALSO, a note to everyone- please please please do not send me postcards. While it’s free for me to send them to you it takes longer for me to open them if I receive them which takes up internet minutes. Send regular emails. Also, Jo- I can’t believe you haven’t been updating me, do I really have to hear everything from mom?? Pearl- how’s my little Zeb? I have a picture of you guys up on my wall and I miss you every single day. I can’t wait to hold him when I get home. Nicole- what kind of painting do you want? I can’t believe while I’m backpacking Vietnam I have to carry around a giant canvas. Lucky for you I love you a lot so I’ll do my best. Nance and Papa- I miss you both a lot. In fact I talk about you to my friends a lot, they all want some of those cookies. I also got you some really cool stuff in South Africa. Another thing, if anyone has any specific requests for spices and/or other cooking materials from India let me know soon. FRIENDS- I love you all. I will try and write some emails. Here’s what I have until after India:

The first day in Mauritius was really overwhelming. The ship ended up docking a few hours late so my service visit got cancelled. Katie and I decided to just explore Port Louis and it wasn’t a very enriching experience. The streets reminded me of a tangled web of Canal Streets all mashed together. Only these streets were narrower and dirtier than NYC and there was absolutely nothing of interest to buy or see. I went back to the waterfront a little confused and really wondering where the beautiful Mauritius everyone was talking about could be found. The next day Emily and I were determined to make the most out of our last two days. We found a taxi driver who offered to take us an hour away to a beach and show us the sights along the way. Beth, Tristan, Emily, Sashia and I all piled into the taxi. All we had to do was pay him at the end of the day and he would be our guide and driver. He drove us through some of the most breathtaking landscapes that I have ever seen. One minute we were staring up at an enormous mountain and the next we were parked at the top of a hill overlooking thousands of square miles of sugar cane fields. After a little over an hour, we stopped at a beach where we negotiated a speed boat ride over to an island which was supposed to be one of the most beautiful in all of Mauritius. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by a pristine white beach and crystal clear water that was the most striking shade of turquoise.
We immediately ran onto the beach and stood looking out at the water in awe of where we were. It was really shallow so you could walk out really far and still be standing. Since the island was also home to a private resort, there were so many different things you could do. I decided it was time to get over my fear of heights so Emily and I went parasailing. They took us out on this boat to what seemed like the middle of the ocean where there was a floating wood dock. They put the harnesses on us and Emily and I decided to go tandem. I was a tiny bit scared when we took off but the second we were in the air and floating through the sky over the ocean the only feeling I could feel was happiness. It was so peaceful as we flew through the sky- we could see the whole island and the ocean looked so amazing. They dipped us down in the water before taking us back up. Once it was over and we landed I immediately jumped off the dock into the warm tropical water and everyone else followed. I felt like a little kid. People from Mauritius, France and the US were all swimming together, playing games and having fun. We eventually went back to the beach and went right back out on a boat to go tubing. Three of us were on this big tube and the driver really gave us a run for our money. We were laughing so hard we could barely breathe as the boat whipped our tube around crazy turns and pulled us through strong wakes. After that, we went on a tour of the waterfalls. By the time we were all done with our water adventures we were exhausted. We ate lunch in a cabana on the beach. It was suddenly 5pm so we had to head back to shore to meet our taxi driver. It randomly started down pouring so we jumped into one of the boats and made it back in time. The drive home felt like a scene from a movie. We were all crammed into this taxi, sitting all over each other. We were dirty and sandy and the windows were all down, letting the clean warm air pour in. I looked out the window and marveled over how different life is everywhere you go and how amazing living is no matter where you are.
I find myself starting to appreciate what I have more and more. But by what I have I mean everything about my life. I love my family and my house and my college and my friends and my car- I really miss my car. As painful as it will be to see this voyage end, it will be exciting to get back to everything that I love. The thing about semester at sea is that you’re given the chance to appreciate diversity. You see it all firsthand and realize that just because people live differently in different places- it doesn’t mean that one way is better than the other. The United States certainly does have it flaws but it also offers us protection and financial security. It’s the same with your friends. Sure, my friends here are really worldly and smart and understand a lot about life. But so do my friends at home. I find myself thinking about them all the time. Not because I wish I wasn’t here but because I can’t believe how lucky I am to have them. The same goes for my family. The girl next door to me lost her dad when he committed suicide five years ago. It’s funny how you think that your family is strange but then you realize there’s always someone in a worse position than you. Basically what I am saying is that I love life and that I’m LUCKY to have the life that I do. And at not point in Mauritius was this clearer to me than on the last day.

Our last day involved a catamaran, lots of phoenix and a little bit of snorkeling. We had to get up at 8am to make it to the bus on time. Then we drove 45 minutes to get to the catamarans. They split us up onto a bunch of different boats. Most of the boats were really packed but we got lucky and had only about 15 people on ours. We sailed around the ocean for a while and enjoyed the sun and salt. We all hung around the boat, listening to Bob Marley and drinking phoenix (the Mauritian beer) until we got to the snorkeling spot. Mauritius is known for its pristine coral reefs and I was so excited to see them. I was really outraged when I discovered that our boat was anchored to a reef. The first thing they taught us in global studies was that you should never touch the reefs but more importantly, they should NEVER be used at anchors. I know it seems unimportant but reefs are what protect shorelines from waves (let’s recall the tsunamis for a moment). The reefs are diminished and as a result, the beaches and the other forms of life that depend on them are as well. Anyway, I got over it and swam around and saw some really cool fish. The bottom was only about 10 feet down so we all dove down to get really close. The ocean bottom really is astounding. We had a bbq on the boat and then after a few more hours went back to the beach. By the time we got back to the waterfront it was almost time for the ship to leave. When we left, I was sad to see the beach go but thrilled to know that India was right ahead of us. Now it’s only 3 more days until we arrive in Chennai. I absolutely cannot wait.

South Africa=awareness

2007-03-11T05:31:00.000-07:00

Before we got to South Africa, I was feeling a little bit down about the port. I wasn’t going on a safari, I wasn’t shark diving or sky diving. But then I remembered that I don’t have to do what everyone else is doing to have a great time. I don’t need very much to have lots of fun. So as soon as we woke up at 6:00am and I headed up to the top deck and saw Table Mountain looming in the distance, I knew just being there was more than enough. I felt ridiculous for even allowing myself to think negatively for even a minute. One thing about SAS is that a lot of the kids live very unrealistic lives. Each port we go to is about doing the craziest and most expensive things to write home about. I’ve found that this is an absurd way to travel. Some of the best experiences I’ve had thus far have been just sitting and talking to locals. When we all get back on the ship and everyone is talking about what they did in port, I listen and more and more I realize that some of us are visiting these countries and some of us are traveling these countries. Travel is more about getting the feel for a place and meeting the people and having an authentic experience. I am traveling. On the first day, I went on a township tour of the former district 6. This is where black and so-called colored people were relocated during apartheid. I have to say that although we had learned about the poverty in Cape Town, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. It was so different from Brazil in the sense that we were completely up close to it all. We were inside the ghetto and it was a surreal experience- especially because that night I went to the theater to see a play at the University of Cape Town. The building was an architectural treasure and once inside we were met by a massive banquet table full of food and wine. I couldn’t believe the stark difference between the two places I had been in one day. More and more I’m starting to understand how lucky we are. It was a roll of the dice that resulted in my birth in the United States. I am wealthy and privileged by chance, not because I deserve it, much in the same way that the barefoot South African child on the street is there by chance, not because he or she deserves to be starving. These are the things that really started to make sense to me while I was there. Of course Table Mountain was beautiful and the waterfront where we stayed was like a tourist fantasy land, but these things seemed to fade into the background for me as the days passed by.

On the second day Katie, Aja and I all went to Long Street, which is the cool place for young people to work and live (kind of like the east village). We went to the Green Street Market (at the bottom of Long Street) where there were crafts and clothes and jewelry for sale. We all bought a few trinkets for our friends and family and headed up the street to where the music was. Lucky for us we landed in Cape Town just in time for the big street festival. They close the whole street off and there’s music and dancing everywhere for a week. We ended up at this tent where these DJs were spinning. They were promoting an album they’re about to release so we ended up staying and dancing for a while. It was really funny because people were walking by and taking pictures and videos of us (assuming that we were locals). Katie and I both wanted to stay longer but we had the Jazz Safari so we rushed back in time to make it. I’m SO glad that we did because the Jazz Safari was hands down the most amazing thing I’ve done on this voyage. We started off at a famous music school right in the middle of district 6 (it’s the ONLY cultural building in the entire district) where we got to see two new and hot young musicians perform. The bass guitar player was legitimately one of the most talented musicians any of us has ever seen. This ended up making sense because we were soon informed that he plays regularly with Robbie Jansen (the godfather of jazz- he brought African jazz to the United States). Before I even knew what was happening, we were on our way to ROBBIE JANSEN’S HOUSE FOR DINNER. Yes, that’s right: I ate dinner with Robbie Jansen and his family. We ate African food that his wife’s mother cooked for us and Robbie performed on the saxophone. We ate and we drank wine and we TALKED. Now I understand what dinner parties are supposed to be like. I don’t think I’ve ever had such wonderful and thought provoking conversation as I did that night. By the time we left, we were all practically in tears not only because of what we learned about apartheid and racism in Cape Town, but also because we felt so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to have had such a wonderful night. We took pictures and hugged and said our goodbyes but still I miss Robbie and his wife because they reiterated the point I’ve been learning all along. People in other parts of the world communicate and they’re good at it! Everyone in South Africa was so open and eager to hear what I had to say. This was really quite strange for me because I’m so used to people telling me to stop talking or to be quiet. When Robbie’s wife hugged me and said “I’m so glad to have heard about your family and your life. Now I can see why you are such a wonderful and warm person,” I realized that she was right. I am great and I’m only starting to recognize that in myself. And by great I mean that I’m a good person. I’m honest and receptive to unfamiliar places, people and situations- something that many people can’t say. When we got back from dinner, we headed over to Mitchell’s, this really amazing microbrewery that was right where our ship was docked. After some old wobbly (the house beer) and conversation with the Norwegian members of Parliament (who were the most hilarious and rowdy bunch of politicians) some SAS kids convinced Katie and I to head back over to Long Street. Since the music was on the street and free we decided we would even though it was starting to rain. We spent the rest of the night dancing in the streets as the rain poured down.

Since we were so exhausted from the night before and still smitten about our Robbie Jansen encounter, we decided to have a chill out day on Sunday. We went to this giant flea market at the rugby stadium where we ended up meeting these brothers from Ghana who own a drum store. Every Sunday all of the artists and other crafters head down to the market to put their work on display. I knew I wanted to buy drums ever since Brazil but I hadn’t found any that were right. Then I found this tent full of the most beautiful drums I have ever seen. They were all hand-crafted and carved and I couldn’t help but ask if I could try one out. The next thing I knew, I was in a drum circle playing beats and rhythms that I had no idea I was capable of playing. It was so exciting because not only was I learning so easily, it sounded so good. All of these American tourists were stopping to watch and listen and they were all buying drums! After about an hour in the drum circle, Katie and I both bought the drums we had been playing. We headed back to the waterfront because the two young musicians we saw the night before were playing with Robbie at a local jazz club. What was so crazy about this was that I really didn’t think things could get any better but just like they always seem to do on this trip- they did get better. A huge group of us went to dinner at the jazz club. As we relaxed and listened to the music, I realized that happiness is so simple and attainable. Like I said before, it doesn’t take much to make a person happy- we just need to find the little things that do. After three gratifying sets, we headed out to Mitchell’s for some drinks. I ventured upstairs and got to see the brewery. I learned that it takes a lot of space and work to make beer. I felt so sad that dad couldn’t be there to see Mitchell’s. He would have loved everything about it and the beer was so amazing. I couldn’t figure out a way to send beer to dad and everyone was really sick of hearing me talk about how much he would have loved it so we all went home for some much needed sleep.

By Monday we were all starting to feel the effects of exhaustion. The problem with being in port is that sleeping feels like a huge waste of time. There is so much you could be doing rather than sleeping. Katie and I hung out at the waterfront and just enjoyed the sunshine and the people. That night we hung out with Emily since she was leaving for her safari the next morning. We went to this place right on the water and sat outside for a long time just talking and appreciating each others company. After dinner I went home to sleep since I had to get up for a trip in the morning. The next day I went on my Brown Paper Studio Trip. It was led by my professor (for my class with the same name) and it was I think one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had thus far. First we went to a community center where one doctor has single-handedly organized an educational program for the youth in Cape Town. They teach the students basic skills and eventually enable them to open small businesses. He said that watching a hardcore gangster sit down with a needle and thread and complete a sewing project is the reward for all of his work. His students learn to be proud and have confidence in the things that they create since many of them are accomplishing things for the first time. We then headed over to an elementary school where we got to see Brown Paper Studio in action. My professor created this theater project when she was living in Johannesburg a few years back. It’s supposed to break down the barriers of communication and insecurity between people. For a while I really didn’t get the point but when I saw it in the school, I realized what a huge thing she has done. It keeps the kids in school because they actually have fun and want to learn. For a school where classrooms are overcrowded and the dropout rate is so high, this is an amazing thing for teachers and administrators. We ended the day at University of the Western Cape where we met the acting troupe who keeps Brown Paper going while Judy is away. They were all so talented and smart and I felt so lucky to get to meet all of them, including Judy’s son who studies there. After the trip, we went back and met one of our new South African friends at a restaurant where he is the manager. We hung out there and then went to a really neat little local place called Buena Vista. I ended up talking to this big group of young people who were all living in Cape Town. Some of them were locals and some of them were there just working but I was AMAZED at how eager (once again) they were to hear about our trip and the United States.

The next day was my birthday. Katie and I went on the Cape Flats Nature Project trip. We visited a nature reserve which is kept going by a small grass roots organization. Its focus is to provide locals with jobs while at the same time promoting environmental awareness to young people. We then drove through another one of the districts and learned more about how the shacks there are built and the desperate conditions many people are faced with. Our last stop was the famous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. I immediately felt like I was in an enchanted forest. When I say that this was the most beautiful place I have ever been, I am not exaggerating. It was a giant sprawling garden that backed up to Table Mountain. We spent the rest of the day just getting lost on the crazy paths. A lot of the gardens were interactive like the perfume garden where you could just walk around and smell all of the different plants. There was also a useful plants section where there were herbs and remedies for everything from the common cold to the symptoms of AIDS and TB. After that we went back to the waterfront where ten of us went out to dinner for my birthday. It was such a nice night because everyone really made an effort to make it special. I was astounded at how much these people I’ve only just met really cared about making me happy. Everyone ordered tons of wine and they even bought a birthday cake earlier in the day that they had to restaurant hold until we got there. No one would let me pay for a thing and everyone gave me really nice cards and little meaningful gifts. We ended up splitting up after dinner and Katie and I headed to Long Street. We danced to some electronic music at this club called Fiction but that got boring so we ended up at Zula. All of the clubs and bars are really cool because they’re on top of the stores so each of them overlooks the street with a huge balcony. We danced there for the rest of the night. On the last day I was so exhausted that all I could do was just wander around and say my own goodbyes to Cape Town. I was really sad about leaving and subsequently was in a very odd mood all day. Around 5pm I ran into my friend Chris and we decided to spend our last few hours outside at the waterfront. Three hours later and three bottle of wine later I realized how much better I felt after talking about everything that I was feeling. Something that causes so many of us on this trip to bond is that we can understand where everyone is coming from. He knew exactly what I was talking about. We’re all experiencing the same things and are feeling the same way. These last few days have been really busy. Everyone is all roughed up in one way or another from Cape Town (exhaustion, illness etc…) so we’re all just trying to get our work done before we land in Mauritius, an island paradise. I can’t wait to see what this next place has in store for me. I’m excited to apply my new outlook on humanity to my experiences in Mauritius- this new outlook being that people are people. Skin color means nothing and any form of class or status is a social construction and when you really see it first-hand you realize how absurd the very idea of race is. I never realized until I was in South Africa how programmed we are to be unconsciously aware of race and stereotypes which is just absolutely ridiculous. We are very unaware of how easily we allow stereotypes affect our opinions and behavior. We are all PEOPLE. Nothing else, nothing more.

2007-03-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

this is the sun rising over table mountain in south africa. it was one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen. the other is of my friend emily and i. as you can see, we are very happy to see land after 8 straight days at sea.

2007-03-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

the first picture is of katie and i about to leave for carnaval and the second is of the beach in puerto rico. the last picture is katie and cristal after a highly inappropriate cake fight on the deck. i put this one up because it's the last picture i have of cristal before she shaved her head on nepture day. so whenever you see a girl with a shaved head in my pictures, you know it's her. more updates on march 9 after south africa.

land in the morning

2007-03-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

With Brazil now a memory, I am preparing myself for the cultural explosion of South Africa. We arrive in port early tomorrow morning, just in time for what I’m told is the most beautiful sunrise we will see our entire trip. Life is crazy right now. I’m learning so much every second of every day. Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of South Africa and fellow voyager led our global studies lecture for the past two mornings. Just being in this man’s presence is enough to get your blood going. Not only was I sitting about four feet away from him (we got up two hours early and camped out in the union to get those seats), he spent an hour and a half addressing us! He spoke to me, the kids sitting next to me and the kids still passed out in bed on the decks below us. The archbishop praised our generation for what we have accomplished so far and the potential that we have to do more in the future. Praise like this is a rare commodity these days. I have the speech on tape (my arm is still recovering). All I can say is that I was moved to tears. For a man who has fought for freedom his entire life, he is shockingly at peace with himself and with the world. He spent years watching those around him die so that Apartheid could end and freedom could define the next generation, yet there is an endearing tranquility to his disposition. There is no anger inside of him. So, as if all of this wasn’t enough, my professor in sustainable communities had us do a meditation exercise today that got us to connect our inner selves with our external lives. He discussed the concept of Atman Brahman- when you are one with yourself and one with the outside world and you come to the realization that they’re interconnected and one in the same. I realized for the first time that it all makes so much sense. Humans are inherently connected to nature. The Native Americans called the earth their mother and believed that they came from the family of humanity. People have lost this connection and therefore there is a gaping hole in the structure of existence. We need to reconnect with our planet and try to never forget what the important things in life are. I now understand that for the earth to reach a level of sustainability not only in terms of the environment, but also in terms of relationships, a drastic wave of awareness must wash over society. And even though I might be just a drop of water, I feel lucky to be part of the next generation that will hopefully wake up and change humanity forever.

2007-03-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

The first picture is of me and katie. I am in the background trying to learn a crazy new yoga pose so I can enhance my skills before India. Desmond is in the middle of the second picture with the yellow shirt. The third one is a picture of some great older locals during carnaval. The last one is of the group before trio electrico. Katie and I are in the middle sitting on the ground in the front.

Brazil continued and unabridged (for mom and anna)

2007-02-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

It seems as though everyone would like a more detailed account of what I’ve been doing in the countries rather than just my supposed philosophical musings. So, before I begin…let me just say that I would appreciate an e-mail from Josephine since I have yet to receive one and allegedly Rob just had a man talk with my beloved father. I can be reached at jrjacobs@bucknell.edu. Also, sorry I haven’t written back to you Pearl or Nicole. I miss Zeb very much and I often think about how much fun I had with you both over my very long and extended winter break. I have no idea who Carlos is. Anyone on blogspot can read my blog so he’s probably some random person who has been moved by my profound words. Nicole- I hope you are having a blast in Argentina, a lot of the travelers we’ve met highly recommend it and I definitely plan on going there soon. Kyle and Bella- I miss you guys so much. I talk about you every single day to my friends and I have pictures of you hanging in my cabin. Mommy has told me how much fun you’re having with the Wii. I can’t wait to play it with you guys when I get home. But don’t forget to keep drawing and reading. It’s very important. And I’m sure you’re both wondering how I’ve been doing in the present department. All I can say is that you little munchkins will be VERY pleased with what I’ve gotten for you so far. I’ll keep an eye out for a panda and a sitar though. Jessica/Jenn- are you alive? Where are you? I miss you. Okay, so here I go with the Brazil itinerary. What I can say is that the blog entries thus far have been very meaningful to me because I wrote them right after port and they truly represent what I felt and the experience that I had. This is a more generic recount.

*Brazil: Saturday, February 17 through Wednesday, February 21

Day 1- When we arrived in port, I was stunned to see that our boat was docked right next to the favelas. What I soon learned on the city orientation tour was that the favelas are everywhere. Nowhere else in the world can you see poverty exposed the way you can in Brazil. It’s everywhere. When we first arrived, we immediately jumped into a taxi and sped through the streets listening to some very loud music. Our driver dropped us off at Sao Fraciso which is a beautiful old Catholic Church. That was the first and last cab we took the whole time in Brazil (except for one very late night). We then walked around Bahia and took in the sights before heading back to the ship. That night, we went to a high energy Carnaval event called Trio Electrico with Jammil. Jammil is basically the most popular band in Brazil so when we reached the block, we were greeted by about 5,000 other partiers all wearing the same orange t-shirts that we were given. I wasn’t able to get any pictures because you can’t bring anything out with you or you’ll get robbed. But what I can say is that you wouldn’t be able to truly picture it unless you were there. It’s a fact that I literally attended the biggest party in the world. It was absolutely insane. We danced behind the moving truck (on the bloco) on which the band played and huge speakers pumped out loud Brazilian pop music for about five hours. The band never stopped playing, not even once and you could tell that their fans were so loyal. We met kids who traveled from all over Brazil to see them. When we finally reached the end of the parade at around 2:30am, we were all covered in beer, exhausted and elated. We ate some mystery food off the street and sprawled out on the sidewalk waiting for our group to gather so we could get back to the bus. Once on the bus, Katie said that I immediately fell asleep. I got back to my room, showered and went to bed. When I found my sneakers in the morning, all of the memories of the night before came rushing back. Exhausted but infected with Carnaval fever, we set out for our first real day in Brazil. Sadly though, as we partied our way down the block, I couldn't help but feel pain for the children weaving their way through the dense crowd in search of empty cans. There were times when I thought they would be crushed and I tried to help them retrieve the cans. That's the thing about Brazil, behind all the fun is the reality of life there. As we fought our way through the crowd to get closer to the music, the children were fighting for their lives.

Day 2- We walked all around Bahia and enjoyed the marketplaces. What’s so amazing about Brazil during Carnaval is that music is playing all over the place at all times. We would just be walking and suddenly a parade would come through and we would dance for a while. I can’t really remember the exact details of the day but that night we went to traditional carnival. We ended up leaving the group because it was really boring. We were wandering around listening to the music when we met a group of kids selling really beautiful jewelry that they made out of all kinds of natural materials. I started talking to Lizzie who is actually from New Jersey. She has been traveling around Central and South America for the past seven months. She started out working on a farm in Peru where she met Salvo, a guy from Colombia. They started traveling together and have been doing so ever since. This other kid performed a good luck voodoo ritual on us. At first I was really confused and a little freaked out but then he gave us these beautiful rings carved from a coconut and bought us beers. There was also Eduardo who took a liking to my friend Cristal. He’s the one bicycling around Brazil. He’s originally from Sao Paulo, a gorgeous beach town below Salvador. After some dancing and bongo drumming we all headed to a local reggae club. Another amazing thing about Brazil is that having fun is so cheap. There was no cover charge and huge beers were the equivalent of one American dollar. We danced all night and then headed outside for some air. We sat on the sidewalk and talked about Lizzie and Salvo’s travels and about life in general. It was all very moving. That’s when they painted our arms with the dye from the Amazon. All told, it was one of the best nights of my life.

Day 3- Although we didn’t think we partied that hard the night before, waking up at 7:30am for a 15 kilometer bike ride through Pituaco Park was extremely rough. I guess that native Brazilian wine was a little trickier than it came off to be. Anyway, Katie and I both slept late and almost missed the trip but I woke up and threw on some sneakers and ran down the hall to get her. We sprinted up to the union to meet with the group and much to our relief, we made it. On the bus I thought I might die from dehydration and too much Skol (Brazilian beer) but Katie gave me a Cliff bar and some water so I could at least hobble over to my bike and get on. Surprisingly, once the ride got started, I felt a million times better. I was sweating profusely which was good because I was getting all the impurities out of my body. The park was beautiful and we even saw a group of really cute little monkeys swinging through the trees. Cristal knew their exact name but it’s really long and confusing and I can’t remember it. Anyway, when we got back from the bike ride, we jumped in the pool, got a little sun and headed back into town. I decided to stay in that night because I was running on about 4 hours of sleep. I watched Zoolander with Emily (my hilarious friend who is a public health addict- her hero is Paul Farmer, the man who opened an aids clinic in Haiti), my roommate Beth and her boyfriend Tristan. Refreshed and ready for some more fun, I woke up the next day and we all went back into town.

Day 4- We went to the market for a little while because we made friends with this nice woman who braids hair as well as her children. It’s astounding how eager children are to communicate with you even when neither of you know anything about the other’s language. They take the time to look at you, decipher your gestures and genuinely want to understand. We brought them some presents and sodas. Again, I can’t really remember the details of the day but we bumped into Lizzie and Salvo again. They were heading down to Sao Paulo and then to Argentina. Lizzie gave me her e-mail so I hope we will be in touch in the future. I have a feeling we will be because I felt like I knew her after meeting her only twice. Once we got back to the ship, we decided we needed to have a real Brazilian eating experience. We went to a really fancy Brazilian steak house called Boi Preto. It’s probably the most expensive place you can eat in Bahia and it cost us about $45 (American) each. We all ate meat for the first time on the trip. It was Katie’s first time eating meat in almost 2 years. It’s basically all you can eat and we all thought we were going to vomit by the time we left because the whole week we were living on fruit from the market so the food was like a shock to our stomachs. I don’t think we will be eating anymore meat for the rest of the voyage. It was quite the experience but I can’t say I would ever do it again. What was great about it though was that we went with the ship doctor, his family and a bunch of other members of the faculty. I sat next to one man who opened an orphanage in Cambodiaafter he and his wife adopted their daughter there (he basically offered me a volunteer position there by the end of dinner) and Rocky Rhoedder (my sustainable communities professor), his wife and their 8 month old son Ryder. Ryder is perhaps the most gorgeous and hilarious baby in the whole world (aside from Zeb of course). As we sat and feasted, I looked around the restaurant and noticed the wealthy Brazilian teenagers having a nice meal after some Carnaval festivities. Again, I couldn't help but think how ludacris the whole situation was. The money that I spent on my meal could have fed a single mother and her four children for two weeks. Instead, women are forced to give their children cookies and soda as these cheap snacks are all they can afford. Race and class in Brazil are HUGE issues. The poor are mainly black and the rich can't be bothered with the poor. I was told that wealthy teenagers actually drop their McDonald's frech fries out of their car windows solely so the street children will come running and eat their food off the ground...giving them a good laugh. How disgusting this world is. Whatever happened to compassion? Katie and I decided that it would be a good idea to go out after we got back from the restaurant because we needed to walk around so we could stop feeling so sick and spend some time thinking about things. Tristan came with us and after we took a wrong turn, got lost in a really scary part of Bahia and eventually found our way back to the fun/happy side of town so we went back to the reggae club. Not only was the music free again, it was so amazingly good. The band was perched on a huge platform built on the top of this wall so everyone danced below. There were older people, men, women, white and black people, children, security, travelers and all other sorts of people hanging out in harmony. It was really beautiful to look around and see everyone dancing. It was total acceptance. Everyone danced with everyone and it was so much fun. We went home later and went right to sleep. Travelers’ exhaustion was starting to hit us hard.

Last day- As you can imagine, we were totally worn to shreds by the last day. Knowing that our legs could handle very little, we walked around and enjoyed the feel of Brazil for one last time. It was a very sad thing to watch the street cleaners remove the last remnants of Carnaval. As the decorations came down and the music became fainter, we accepted that it was over and went back to the ship where we proceeded to lay out on the deck and swim until the sun went down. In the end, Brazil was a crazy whirlwind that I don’t think any of us will ever forget.

What I gained from all of this:

This life is bigger than just us or you or me. It's about humanity. We have to recognize that we are all here to help eachother survive. Money doesn't buy happiness. Not in Brazil and not in the United States. Some of the most content people I have encountered on my voyage thus far have been the poorest. What does that say about the teenage girl in Princeton crying that her father won't buy her the new BMW? It's about perspective. We all need to get some.

***Think globally, act locally***

VEGETARIANISM=SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY=THE END OF WORLD HUNGER

THE END OF WORLD HUNGER=POSTITIVE PEACE

POSITIVE PEACE=HAPPINESS

For those of you who will undoubtedly argue with me about this point here is a summation of the facts:

Cattle ranching results in the destruction (or desertification) of land that could otherwise be used to grow food. Once these eco-systems are destroyed, nothing can grow there ever again. Not only do the cattle claim the land upon which they graze, they consume thousands of pounds of corn and grain (which also need space to grow). The animals consume and require the input of more energy than they could ever produce. It takes pounds and pounds of feed to get just one pound of edible meat. If we properly utilized the feed we haphazardly waste on animals, we could provide for most of Brazil. This is the reality of factory farming. For those who would like to learn more, Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen is an eye-opening look into the way we Americans eat. He’s also a fascinating writer. That’s all for now (mom and anna, I anticipate that this entry will make you happy, I did it for you). I hope I’ve given you all enough for a little while because I literally can’t afford to write again until after South Africa. Love you. Stay healthy and happy. And don’t forget- THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY!

communication breakdown

2007-02-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

JESSICA, JENN, ANNA, STEPH, MEGHAN, TORI:

have you guys been getting my semester at sea postcards?? i've sent a bunch to all of you and i haven't heard back (with the exception of meghan) and i'm getting worried that maybe they're not sending or something. if everyone's just busy that's cool too i just need to know if you've been getting them because if you're not i need to figure out another way to communicate with you. the postcards are free and since internet is 40 cents a minute i've been trying to just use those instead of email. hope everyone is happy and great. love you.

true poverty

2007-02-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

the first picture is of the favelas in salvador. 70% of the population live in these usually illegal structures. they often have no sewage, electricity or running water. In Brazil, the richest 20% of society possesses 60% of the wealth while the poorest 20% has only 3% of the country's wealth. so you can only image how poor these people are. the rich take helicopters to work each day and the poor fight to feed their children. the second picture is my arm. the flowers were painted with a natural dye extracted from a plant in the amazon. it lasts about 2 weeks and is very good for your skin.

BRAZILIAN LIFE

2007-02-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

It’s all becoming so clear. It’s as though Brazil had the power to rectify by beliefs about society, racism and stereotypes, hidden and exposed inequality, materialism, poverty and the hope for a better future. While I now feel wholly confident in my own ideas, I have also taken a new perspective on my perhaps one-sided way of viewing civilization (that everything is horrible and a big mess and there’s no hope- none of this is true!). It’s a hard thing to put into words- the feeling you get when you start to realize your eyes are open for the first time. I feel like I’m just beginning to live life, or maybe I’m just beginning to understand it. There’s this profound feeling lingering inside of me and with each class I sit through and every page of every textbook I read, I put together the pieces of this crazy jigsaw puzzle we call life. Lewis Mumford once wrote that “Habitually, people treat the realities of personality and association and city as abstractions, while they treat confused pragmatic abstractions such as money, credit, political sovereignty, as if they were concrete realities that had an existence independent of human conventions.” We need balance. Everyone needs money to live, but why do we need so much of it? Everyone innately yearns for power, but why must we drop bombs to attain more of it? I’m starting to not only affirm my beliefs, but also question them as well. How can we find this balance? For the first time in my life, I’m learning because I want to. I read my books because I desperately want to know. While we learn about sustainable development in my sustainable communities class, I find myself connecting this idea of sustainability to society. Has our greed led to the dilution of relationships? One night in Salvador, we met these travelers who were all around 20 to 24 years old and in a matter of several hours, I could already feel my world view morphing into something new. On the outside, these kids sitting on the curb selling the jewelry they made from various natural materials they picked up along the way (mainly seeds and other materials from the Amazon) appeared to be desolate. In actuality, they were the richest people I have ever known. They are doing whatever it takes to travel the world and truly learn the things that are important. Behind their tattered clothes and the rows of earrings and bracelets was Eduardo, a guy my age who had been bicycling around South America for the past few months. And Lizzy, a girl from New Jersey who picked up seven months ago to see the world and has been doing so on her own ever since. This is not to say that hitch hiking around the world is the answer to all of our problems- the point is that we’ve reached this place in society where we must find justification for the direction that we take and the paths that we choose. I believe that people must choose to live the life they want to lead. It all goes back to this question of balance. While I know I need to be educated so that I can get a decent job so that I can support myself, I also need to be aware of what I want out of life. Before I can think about applying to law school, there are many things I need to do to become the person I want to be so that I can live the life I want to lead. There isn’t one way. This idea in the United States that there is only one way has literally led to the demise of humanity as we know it today. Desmond Tutu spoke this morning in my mysticism and the religious experience class. His speech was based off of his article about silence. He said that people now see stomach ulcers as a status symbol. People boast about how long it’s been since they’ve taken a vacation or how jam-packed their daily schedules are. This kind of life is not sustainable. First, there is no happiness in living this way. Second, the human mind and body was not created to SUSTAIN this way of living. We need to get outside and run around and breathe in the fresh air that we are rapidly depleting. I’ve never been so happy because I’ve now finally found hope. I’ve found hope that I can choose the life path that works for me and that not only is what I think important, it is vital to my survival. For the longest time, I never voiced my opinions because I thought they were illegitimate. I thought they were illegitimate because it seemed no one understood what I was trying to say. Then I got on this ship- the MV explorer and I commenced on a journey around the world. It is on this ship that for the first time, I’m living in a community of people who UNDERSTAND. I’ve met professors who put everything they have into maintaining their orphanages in Cambodia and professors who have changed lives through their work in the peace corp. And so I’ve finally been able to realize that I’m not strange, and my beliefs are not unimportant- I simply have never lived in the right environment. I’ve never opened my mind to the possibility that there are other options for my life than settling on the east coast with my husband, dog and two kids. I can live in California if I want to. I can work hard and save money and travel the Amazon. I can become an environmental lawyer. I can do whatever I want because I have the power to choose. Today I realized that what all of this means is- I’M FREE.

maritime adjustments

2007-02-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

happy valentines day! today we crossed the equator. i also had to buy more internet minutes. can you believe that just from updating this blog i used up 3 hours worth...thats how slow the internet is. hope everyone is happy and doing well. also, here are some pictures from puerto rico. they include el morro, old san juan and the rain forest. i'm not going to be able to set up webshots until we get to port this weekend and find an internet cafe. we set our clocks ahead last night for the third time. even though we have lots and lots of work and get very little sleep...everyone is happy and having a great time. i really love living on a boat. it allows for plentiful group time but it also offers the chance for some wonderful alone time. today i just laid on the deck and wrote in my journal after classes. it was glorious.. there's a scary storm chasing the boat but it hasn't hit yet. no one is sure if it will but many students are quite excited at the prospect of sleeping in their life jackets tonight. i havent gotten seasick at all yet so this might be my chance. as we pass neptune's throne- they constantly make announcements for us to put on sunblock...there are tons of sunburned kids all over the boat. LOVE YOU

2007-02-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

i forgot...the voyage between san juan and salvador is supposed to take us over some of the deepest points in the ocean. also, pictures are on the way. i can't give you a full version because it takes about an hour to load 10 pictures and internet minutes are hard to come by. check back for link to webshots. love you all.

PUERTO RICO realizations

2007-02-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

Puerto Rico turned out to have an impact on me that I never thought possible. We just got back on the boat- our first port over and done with. Now I’m left here with this strange feeling of change. I thought that going to beaches and rainforests would be fun and exciting (which they undoubtedly were) but these adventures also stirred up the primitive human being inside of me. WE ARE KILLING THE PLANET AND IT’S A REALLY SCARY THING. That’s the message I got from every single tour guide and bus driver that I met over these last three days. When we went to the bioluminescent lagoon in Fajardo I had high expectations. I thought that swimming with electric plankton would be a truly magical experience- and it was! HOWEVER, the tour guide instilled a deep sense of sadness in me. Over the past seven years that he has been guiding people through the mangrove forest to the lagoon, the plankton has significantly died out for the following reasons:

*The run off from storms has increased due to global warming which is a cycle that we have created due to the insane commercialism that has completely consumed our modern society. People want more cars and bigger houses and houses that overlook endangered lagoons and they don’t care if that means wildlife will die and that we are permanently altering our planet and that by 2020 this isn’t going to be a sustainable way of living. We simply MUST stop wanting.

*Because of the runoff from the storms, all of the waste and pollution coming from the construction is contaminating the lagoon and causing irreversible damage. This lagoon is one of FOUR left in the world and soon it will die. Is this really the planet that we want to leave our children?

Don’t get me wrong, I had an amazing time. We kayaked through the mangrove forest for a mile and half before we reached the lagoon. Katie and I had a great time paddling around- we tried to hang back since the other 35 kayaks full of SAS kids were crashing into each other and into the bank. It was completely dark and impossible to see which made it that much more mysterious and fun. Once we got to the lagoon, our guide tied out kayaks together and gave us a crash course on plankton and the way they reproduce and proceeded to send us off into the electric water saying “Go make plankton babies!!” Apparently human stimulation causes them to reproduce. We swam around and even got to look in the water with magnifying goggles. Our skin literally glittered. It was wonderful. We kayaked back and after the hour long ride home we all passed out. Don’t even ask what it took to plan this trip- I was in charge and luckily I can say it was worth the stress. So anyway, today we went on a rain forest (el yunque) hike and to Luquillo beach. It was today that I really started to realize the impact we are having on the planet. Our rain forest guide was AMAZING. She was so knowledgeable not only about the rain forest but about Puerto Rico as well. The hike to coco falls was about 50 minutes. When we got there we got to stop and swim in the waterfalls. The water was so clean and fresh- I felt exhilarated. Then we headed back for the 50 minute hike to our bus whereupon we went to a local restaurant for rice, beans and plantains. On the 45 minute bus ride home, someone asked the tour guide to enlighten us on some of Puerto Rico’s problems since all we knew up until that point were all the good things about the island. Here is an abridged version of what I learned:

*There is a huge problem with immigration that is making a really negative impact on the economy. Illegal immigrants are coming into Puerto Rico so that they can attain American citizenship (since Puerto Ricans are American citizens). This wouldn’t be that big of a deal if it weren’t for the fact that the island is starting to become overpopulated. Right now the mark is at about 4.5 millions humans. With these humans come 2.5 million cars. By the year 2020, they expect the number of cars to reach 4 million. Because of earthquakes and tropical storms, highways can’t be built on top of each other like they are in so many places in the US because they will crumble during one of these natural disasters. So now there is the problem is figuring out where to put all these cars since it already takes 45 minutes to get somewhere that should take 10 minutes. This leads me to my next point.

*Development all over the world has already reduced the rain forests on the planet to 7%. This is drastically lower than the percentage from 60 years ago. Condos are already going up all over the coast and as mentioned above, the runoff is killing the natural beauty of the island. If things don’t stop, the island could be nonexistent by 2020.

There was a lot more to what our guide said but this is basically what I can remember. Her point was not to upset us or make us feel guilty but rather to awaken us to the possibility that our generation can be the change that we want to see in the world. Since the 1960s, more and more information has been surfacing regarding what we are doing wrong as a species and how we can fix it. The problem is that people simply don’t care. Very few people are worried about the fact that we are running out of room to dump waste or the fact that not only are we living in excess, we are not living in a way that is sustainable. Eventually we will reach the breaking point and what will happen then is that the human race will die out. The planet, well the planet will be just fine because the straight scientific facts prove that we are going to kill ourselves before we finish the job of killing the planet. This is a very real and relevant problem and all of us really need to start thinking about what has to be done because I know that I don’t want my ancestors living on a garbage dump with no clean water. I’m so sick of hearing “well I don’t care because the world isn’t going to end in my lifetime so it’s really not my job to do anything about all of these environmental issues.” It is our job because this planet gave us life. This planet provides us naturally with all the things we need to survive yet we continue to destroy her and reject her offerings. No one NEEDS plastic or candy or twelve pairs of jeans. It’s a sad life we are headed towards. Soon all remnants of how life should be- active, beautiful, peaceful, enjoyable etc…- will disappear. And when that happens, there will be no more civilization, only robots programmed to want and buy and want and buy. I know I don’t want to be here for that and I plan on doing whatever I can to make a difference.

the beginning

2007-02-05T18:32:00.003-08:00

i don't think i've ever been this happy in my entire life. we've been on the ship for about a day and a half now and there's already so much that has happened. this is such a beautiful home for us and everyone living aboard is so respectful of the ship. i've met so many people and all of them are different and kind and smart and it's so amazing. the professors have the most innovative attitudes and everything about this trip astounds me. i think i'm already enamoured. me roommate is this really amazing girl from berkley california. her name is beth. her boyfriend tristan is also on the trip and they are both so fun and cool and smart and mature and i already love them so much. katie is great and we've been meeting lots of new people to hang out with and travel with. last night my friend cristal led a sing along on the deck and all these people joined. she's a great guitarist with an even better voice and she reminds me of hanna in a lot of ways. tomorrow is the first day of classes and i can't wait. after that, we'll land in puerto rico and the real adventure finally begins. i'm even starting to learn to love the lull of the ship. it rocks back and forth all day and night day and night and night after day but it's starting to become reassuring. the waves rock me to sleep at night. the internet is extremely slow so i'll try my best to keep this updated and personal emails will hopefully be on the way soon. i love you all so much and wish that you could be here with me to experience all of this. i've truly been given the opportunity of a lifetime.

3 days

2007-01-29T16:41:00.000-08:00

I'M LEAVING IN THREE DAYS FOR THIS WONDERFUL ADVENTURE!

last night i was on the phone with katie (who i've only just met through the message board) and it made me realize why i chose to go on this trip. we ended up talking for an hour and a half. it was so interesting to me how we could both share our opinions freely and how we both felt the same about many things. we haven't even met and already i feel as though i have a friend. im hoping that most people on the boat will be like katie because if so, this trip is going to turn out to be even better than i ever dreamed.

two weeks

2007-01-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

i'm starting to feel so strange. i'm leaving so soon but it means nothing because i don't think anything will hit me until i'm on the boat. i wish anna was going abroad with me.