Journal # 14
February 12, 2009
Well I am officially sick. Last night I had a fever of 101 and a sore throat. Today I woke up with the same fever and a sore throat along with a runny nose :( I only went to one of my classes because I had a 20 min speech. The speech was good, it was a group one so I only talked for about 4 min. I think I did pretty well. I wasn'’t that nervous because there is only about 15 people in the class. After class I came back to my room and slept for about 6 hours. I am just sooo drained and tired.
My roommate woke me up at 5:30 and I ran to my “party ”with my extended family. My extended family is the dean of academics, his wife, and their grandson. Extended family is a group of students that are assigned to a family on the boat to meet with a couple times a month just to talk about things. The family that I have is really nice and they have connections on the ship, so we get lots of goodies :) When we were on their balcony they pointed out to us flying fish. It was sooo cool. The fish are really small and have wings that carry them on top of the ocean for about a couple hundred feet. That was really cool.
Now I am just in my room trying to get over my sickness. I have been taking a lot of medicine and getting lots of rest so I am hoping that I get better before Namibia which we get to in 2 days!!! Talk to you later.
Love
Michelle
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
A Day in the Life of the Explorer at Sea
Journal # 13
February 10, 2009
Well today we officially crossed over the equator. It was quite exciting. We were not sure when we were going to cross but when knew that the captain was going to announce it over the intercom. At 3 o’clock every day there is a tour of the bridge, where they drive the ship, and today me and my friends decided to get the tour. So at 3 we went on our tour!! Right when we got in there the captain told us that we were going to be crossing the equator in 4 min. I was sooo excited because we were actually in the bridge with all the electronics that tell us exactly when we crossed it. Of course I videoed our count down and got a tape of the computer showing our ship actually crossing the line. Pretty cool!! We picked a good day to go on the tour. There was probably 6 of us in there so it was quite perfect.
Other than that today was pretty normal. Just laying out in the middle of the Atlantic on my way to Namibia. I still can not get over the fact that I am here, sometimes I think I am in a dream and I am going to wake up soon. A lot of times I tell Meghan to pinch me because I am not sure this is real. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH MOM AND DAD!! You guys are the best :)
well I better get some sleep. I am on a roll on going to global studies every morning, I have gone for the past 4 class!!!! For some of you that don’t know. Global studies is a required course for every student to take on the ship. It is at 9:20 in the morning and we go to different classrooms and watch the class on a TV. It is quite boring and they don’t take role so it is very tempting to skip. But I am determined to got over half of the classes :) maybe even more. So back to what I was saying, I better get some sleep we lose an hour again tonight and I want to wake up in time for Global Studies.
February 10, 2009
Well today we officially crossed over the equator. It was quite exciting. We were not sure when we were going to cross but when knew that the captain was going to announce it over the intercom. At 3 o’clock every day there is a tour of the bridge, where they drive the ship, and today me and my friends decided to get the tour. So at 3 we went on our tour!! Right when we got in there the captain told us that we were going to be crossing the equator in 4 min. I was sooo excited because we were actually in the bridge with all the electronics that tell us exactly when we crossed it. Of course I videoed our count down and got a tape of the computer showing our ship actually crossing the line. Pretty cool!! We picked a good day to go on the tour. There was probably 6 of us in there so it was quite perfect.
Other than that today was pretty normal. Just laying out in the middle of the Atlantic on my way to Namibia. I still can not get over the fact that I am here, sometimes I think I am in a dream and I am going to wake up soon. A lot of times I tell Meghan to pinch me because I am not sure this is real. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH MOM AND DAD!! You guys are the best :)
well I better get some sleep. I am on a roll on going to global studies every morning, I have gone for the past 4 class!!!! For some of you that don’t know. Global studies is a required course for every student to take on the ship. It is at 9:20 in the morning and we go to different classrooms and watch the class on a TV. It is quite boring and they don’t take role so it is very tempting to skip. But I am determined to got over half of the classes :) maybe even more. So back to what I was saying, I better get some sleep we lose an hour again tonight and I want to wake up in time for Global Studies.
Monday, February 9, 2009
From Pollywog to Shellback
Journal #12
February 9, 2009
These past few days at sea have been pretty good. Its giving me a lot of time to spend with people that I met on my trips. Im surprised at how fast these last couple of days have gone. I guess I am so busy right now its just flying by. It is making me nervous though because I don’t want this trip to fly by. I want to cherish every moment and remember every day.
Today was probably the best day on the boat though!!!! It started off at 8am. My roommate and I got woken up by the crew running through the halls screams playing drums and all sorts of very loud instruments. They were telling us “Pollywogs”to go straight to the 7th deck. After getting our bathing suits on we ran to the top deck and we were surprised by all the people out there. It was Neptune day. There are several rituals that are to be done when a boat crosses over the equator. Which we are actually doing tomorrow, but oh well :) we can still celebrate. So they gave us a speech, we made some vows and the activities began. First, we had to get fish guts poured on us, it wasn’t really fish guts, then we had to kiss a fish, literally, bow to the king and queen Neptune and jump into the pool!! My roommate and I did this ritual together. Then the shaving of heads began. I can not believe how many girls shaved their heads. Some looked good, but there was no way I was going to do this.
After all the events were done me and my friends laid out on the deck all day. I got a lot of sun. It was so relaxing not having class and just being able to hang out. Unfortunately I am going to have to do a lot of homework tonight :( So after laying out we came back to our room took showers and got ready for dinner. Before dinner we went to the doctor’s office to get my roommate some band aids. Of course right when we got there they were celebrating the doc’s birthday. Yeahhhha!!!! They gave us some cookies. This was my first real dessert since I have been on this boat. I was sooo happy.
So off to dinner we went. Because of Neptune day the cooks were having a BBQ on the top deck. I was hoping for some good food but I was not getting my hopes up. Now I must tell you that for the past 3 days, I have told my roommate that all I want is a hotdog or burger. I was craving them. And when we got to the top guess what they had. HOTDOGS, HAMBURGERS, AND RIBS!!!!!! I was in heaven. And for dessert ICE CREAM!!! However, now I am regretting the ice cream :( This was the best dinner yet. I went a little overboard on the amount of food I ate :) but it was well worth it.
So all in all Neptune day was fabulous, it filled my cravings and more. Now I am a true shellback not a pollywog anymore.
So I am sure not a lot of yall know, but I am pretty sure my sisters are going to be coming to Viet Nam to visit me. I am sooo excited, I really hope they do come because it would be great for them to see how I live on a boat, meet some of my friends, and be able to experience a wonderful country with me. Also if people will give me their home address I will send them post cards!!!
Love
Michelle
February 9, 2009
These past few days at sea have been pretty good. Its giving me a lot of time to spend with people that I met on my trips. Im surprised at how fast these last couple of days have gone. I guess I am so busy right now its just flying by. It is making me nervous though because I don’t want this trip to fly by. I want to cherish every moment and remember every day.
Today was probably the best day on the boat though!!!! It started off at 8am. My roommate and I got woken up by the crew running through the halls screams playing drums and all sorts of very loud instruments. They were telling us “Pollywogs”to go straight to the 7th deck. After getting our bathing suits on we ran to the top deck and we were surprised by all the people out there. It was Neptune day. There are several rituals that are to be done when a boat crosses over the equator. Which we are actually doing tomorrow, but oh well :) we can still celebrate. So they gave us a speech, we made some vows and the activities began. First, we had to get fish guts poured on us, it wasn’t really fish guts, then we had to kiss a fish, literally, bow to the king and queen Neptune and jump into the pool!! My roommate and I did this ritual together. Then the shaving of heads began. I can not believe how many girls shaved their heads. Some looked good, but there was no way I was going to do this.
After all the events were done me and my friends laid out on the deck all day. I got a lot of sun. It was so relaxing not having class and just being able to hang out. Unfortunately I am going to have to do a lot of homework tonight :( So after laying out we came back to our room took showers and got ready for dinner. Before dinner we went to the doctor’s office to get my roommate some band aids. Of course right when we got there they were celebrating the doc’s birthday. Yeahhhha!!!! They gave us some cookies. This was my first real dessert since I have been on this boat. I was sooo happy.
So off to dinner we went. Because of Neptune day the cooks were having a BBQ on the top deck. I was hoping for some good food but I was not getting my hopes up. Now I must tell you that for the past 3 days, I have told my roommate that all I want is a hotdog or burger. I was craving them. And when we got to the top guess what they had. HOTDOGS, HAMBURGERS, AND RIBS!!!!!! I was in heaven. And for dessert ICE CREAM!!! However, now I am regretting the ice cream :( This was the best dinner yet. I went a little overboard on the amount of food I ate :) but it was well worth it.
So all in all Neptune day was fabulous, it filled my cravings and more. Now I am a true shellback not a pollywog anymore.
So I am sure not a lot of yall know, but I am pretty sure my sisters are going to be coming to Viet Nam to visit me. I am sooo excited, I really hope they do come because it would be great for them to see how I live on a boat, meet some of my friends, and be able to experience a wonderful country with me. Also if people will give me their home address I will send them post cards!!!
Love
Michelle
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Bargaining & Zip Lining in Marrakech!
February 6, 2009
Sorry I have not written in a while. I have been in Marrakech for the past couple of days and have not had my computer. These past few days have been awesome!!! First I will start with Wednesday. I woke up at 6am to get ready for my trip to Marrakech. There was a group of SAS students going for a treasure hunt and zip lining. We got on three different buses, and I have to say mine was the best. Our tour guide was Les McCabe who is the dean. So my bus had about 12 people on it including the McCabe family. I was the last on the bus and got the very back row in between his children. Erin who is 16 and Ryan who is 14. I had sooooo much fun!!! The bus ride was 4 hours long and we were entertained the entire time.
When we finally got the Marrakech we went straight to lunch. The food there was not so good. We had an interesting salad and a huge piece of lamb that we had to pick through the fat. It wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the best. The dessert was pretty good. It was like a milky yogurt. Then we split into groups and did a treasure hunt around the markets. My group had three other girls and it, the same girls that I had hung out with the day before in Casablanca. So the mission was to find certain things in the market and buy them for a good price. We were supposed to bargain. So we found the first 2 clues really easily but the 3rd one was really hard. We never found it so we just gave up and did some shopping. I got some souvenirs and pretty much watched people to learn about their culture.
The best bargain that I got was a tee shirt. The starting price was 280 dirham’s Which is about $30 in us money. I said NO WAY. So we talked for a while I sounded interested but not going to pay that much. When I started walking away he would lower the price. So I finally got it for 20 dirham’s which is about $2.50. So I went from 30 to 3. Not too shabby. I was pretty proud of myself. It is known in the markets that if you get a really good deal and bargain well the store tenet will either give you tea or kiss you on your checks. I got some kisses :)
So after the markets, oh yeah my team came is 2nd!!!, we went to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for dinner. The hotel was pretty cool . they did not have any heat which was bad because it was cold and rainy outside, and they also try to conserve energy, so you have to have an electricity card and they keep the lights off in the hallways. So it was very dark.
For dinner we went to the really cool place called Chez Ali fantasia. It is kind of like the show Midevil Nights, I think that is the name, in America. The food was awesome, we had cuscus, chicken, vegetables, bread, fruit, and soup. It was really good. The room that we ate dinner in was tented with pretty velvets and lots of fabric. It was perfect to put us in the Moroccan mood. After the dinner we went back to the hotel for bed.
On Thursday we woke up early again and headed to the Atlas Mountains to go zip lining. It was also raining and very cold today too. So we drove about 30 min and stopped because our guide got a call saying that we might not be able to zip line because of the rain. This was very upsetting because this is what I was looking forward to the most. So we waste an hour before heading up the mountain. Our tour guide set us up to go on a tour of a house of about 20 women who make oil. This was very interesting. Only divorced or widowed women work here because they have to make a living for themselves. The way they made the oil was very interesting. I have videos if you want to see them, but not till I get home.
So after an hour we got a call saying to come on up the mountain. It had cleared up. I was sooo happy!!! When we got there I stepped off the bus and thought what did I just get myself into. I saw the zip line and it was insane. It went down a cliff thousands of feet off the ground. Super scary, but I was not going to miss out. Everyone in the group got suited up and we were ready to go. I thought we were going to walk to the zip line, but no. First, we had to walk across a bridge. This bridge was not sturdy, but it was safe. About every foot there was a piece of wood for you to step on and wires for you to hold onto. We were tied up to a wire above us so if we fell it would be fine. But this was probably the scariest part because we actually determined our speed, plus the tour guides were shaking the bridge making it harder for us to walk. When we made it across we went to the first zip line. I thought there was only 1 but there were 4!!! They were all sooo long and soo much fun. I can not even explain them. I was standing at the top of the mountain thinking to myself. “I am in Morocco zip lining, how awesome and fortunate is this!!!!”
After making it safely across all the zip lines we went to lunch which again was awesome and then headed home. Wow, I just called the ship home. Weird. So we made it home just in time. My time in Morocco was really fun. My favorite part was the zip line. It was soo cool to bond with the people on the trip. When the ship left the port they came on the loud speaker saying that as we turned the corner there was going to be extremely rough water and to take every thing off the self’s and to take cover. Now this exact same thing happened as we came into the port so I didn’t think it was going to be so bad; however, this time was really bad. My roommate and I were in our room watching Hotel Rwanda. It was soo bad I thought the TV was going to come out of the wall, so I was standing up holding onto it. All of the sudden a huge wave came and I went flying across the room. It was soooo intense. I landed on our dresser!! And of course my roommate Meghan got it all on tape!!! We watched it over and over again laughing. Right now the water is still pretty rough. But I have not gotten sea sick. Thank goodness.
We have eight days at sea until we get to Namibia. I am not looking forward to these days; they are going to seem long. During one of these days is Neptune Day because we cross over the equator. Usually when this happens everyone shaves their heads, including girls. So who thinks I should shave my head???? Well I better get some stuff done. Hope everyone is doing well.
Love
Michelle
Sorry I have not written in a while. I have been in Marrakech for the past couple of days and have not had my computer. These past few days have been awesome!!! First I will start with Wednesday. I woke up at 6am to get ready for my trip to Marrakech. There was a group of SAS students going for a treasure hunt and zip lining. We got on three different buses, and I have to say mine was the best. Our tour guide was Les McCabe who is the dean. So my bus had about 12 people on it including the McCabe family. I was the last on the bus and got the very back row in between his children. Erin who is 16 and Ryan who is 14. I had sooooo much fun!!! The bus ride was 4 hours long and we were entertained the entire time.
When we finally got the Marrakech we went straight to lunch. The food there was not so good. We had an interesting salad and a huge piece of lamb that we had to pick through the fat. It wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the best. The dessert was pretty good. It was like a milky yogurt. Then we split into groups and did a treasure hunt around the markets. My group had three other girls and it, the same girls that I had hung out with the day before in Casablanca. So the mission was to find certain things in the market and buy them for a good price. We were supposed to bargain. So we found the first 2 clues really easily but the 3rd one was really hard. We never found it so we just gave up and did some shopping. I got some souvenirs and pretty much watched people to learn about their culture.
The best bargain that I got was a tee shirt. The starting price was 280 dirham’s Which is about $30 in us money. I said NO WAY. So we talked for a while I sounded interested but not going to pay that much. When I started walking away he would lower the price. So I finally got it for 20 dirham’s which is about $2.50. So I went from 30 to 3. Not too shabby. I was pretty proud of myself. It is known in the markets that if you get a really good deal and bargain well the store tenet will either give you tea or kiss you on your checks. I got some kisses :)
So after the markets, oh yeah my team came is 2nd!!!, we went to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for dinner. The hotel was pretty cool . they did not have any heat which was bad because it was cold and rainy outside, and they also try to conserve energy, so you have to have an electricity card and they keep the lights off in the hallways. So it was very dark.
For dinner we went to the really cool place called Chez Ali fantasia. It is kind of like the show Midevil Nights, I think that is the name, in America. The food was awesome, we had cuscus, chicken, vegetables, bread, fruit, and soup. It was really good. The room that we ate dinner in was tented with pretty velvets and lots of fabric. It was perfect to put us in the Moroccan mood. After the dinner we went back to the hotel for bed.
On Thursday we woke up early again and headed to the Atlas Mountains to go zip lining. It was also raining and very cold today too. So we drove about 30 min and stopped because our guide got a call saying that we might not be able to zip line because of the rain. This was very upsetting because this is what I was looking forward to the most. So we waste an hour before heading up the mountain. Our tour guide set us up to go on a tour of a house of about 20 women who make oil. This was very interesting. Only divorced or widowed women work here because they have to make a living for themselves. The way they made the oil was very interesting. I have videos if you want to see them, but not till I get home.
So after an hour we got a call saying to come on up the mountain. It had cleared up. I was sooo happy!!! When we got there I stepped off the bus and thought what did I just get myself into. I saw the zip line and it was insane. It went down a cliff thousands of feet off the ground. Super scary, but I was not going to miss out. Everyone in the group got suited up and we were ready to go. I thought we were going to walk to the zip line, but no. First, we had to walk across a bridge. This bridge was not sturdy, but it was safe. About every foot there was a piece of wood for you to step on and wires for you to hold onto. We were tied up to a wire above us so if we fell it would be fine. But this was probably the scariest part because we actually determined our speed, plus the tour guides were shaking the bridge making it harder for us to walk. When we made it across we went to the first zip line. I thought there was only 1 but there were 4!!! They were all sooo long and soo much fun. I can not even explain them. I was standing at the top of the mountain thinking to myself. “I am in Morocco zip lining, how awesome and fortunate is this!!!!”
After making it safely across all the zip lines we went to lunch which again was awesome and then headed home. Wow, I just called the ship home. Weird. So we made it home just in time. My time in Morocco was really fun. My favorite part was the zip line. It was soo cool to bond with the people on the trip. When the ship left the port they came on the loud speaker saying that as we turned the corner there was going to be extremely rough water and to take every thing off the self’s and to take cover. Now this exact same thing happened as we came into the port so I didn’t think it was going to be so bad; however, this time was really bad. My roommate and I were in our room watching Hotel Rwanda. It was soo bad I thought the TV was going to come out of the wall, so I was standing up holding onto it. All of the sudden a huge wave came and I went flying across the room. It was soooo intense. I landed on our dresser!! And of course my roommate Meghan got it all on tape!!! We watched it over and over again laughing. Right now the water is still pretty rough. But I have not gotten sea sick. Thank goodness.
We have eight days at sea until we get to Namibia. I am not looking forward to these days; they are going to seem long. During one of these days is Neptune Day because we cross over the equator. Usually when this happens everyone shaves their heads, including girls. So who thinks I should shave my head???? Well I better get some stuff done. Hope everyone is doing well.
Love
Michelle
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Proud to be an American
Journal #10
February 3, 2009
Well today was quite an experience. It was my first day in Morocco and I have learned soo much in one day. First of all, all of my friends left early this morning to go on SAS overnight field trips. Soo I was all alone, and there was no way I was going to go around the city all by myself. So I went to breakfast early and met up with some people who were going around Casablanca. So off we went after breakfast. When we first got off the ship I knew I was going to be uncomfortable in this city. When we were walking down the street there were taxies on either side. They were all talking Arabic very loudly and all of the sudden a police man pulled up in a car. I am guessing one of them said something bad because the police man starting yelling, got out of his car, slammed the door, and chased after the guy. This is the first time I have ever feared for my life :( Not a very good first impression.
So after about a 20 min walk we finally got out of the port got into the city and found a bank. All of the people in my group got their money exchanged except one girl. She had a travelers check and they did not accept it there. So we got directions to a bank that would do that. Walking around a busy city with no street signs and no crossing lights is extremely hard. So we probably walked about 3 hours, walked into at least 6 banks and we never found a bank that would exchange her money. Talk about annoying, but at least I was able to tour the city. So after that the group wanted to go back to the boat and eat lunch, but I was not quite ready for that. So I met up with some other SAS students to shop in the Markets. Now this was the most culture shocking thing that I have seen on this trip. I can not even begin to explain what it was like. Men were everywhere trying to get you to come into their shop to buy stuff. Now you are allowed to bargain in these markets so that was extremely exciting for me. Its like theater, you act and when you get a good sale you get free mint tea. I GOT SOME!!!!!! The tea was awesome and I got an A for one of my projects in my class!!!!! So back to the markets, the ground was muddy and it smelt quite bad. Kids were on the sides selling cigarettes, stray cats were everywhere. I can not believe the poverty that these people live in. The homes were falling apart. My heart was hurting for every single person out there.
Then we made our way to lunch, it was hard to find a place because every restaurant we went to only had men in them. I don’t think women are allowed in them. Really weird. So we finally found a good place that had some other SAS people in it. After a really good lunch, margarita pizza, we went to the mosque to look around. The Mosque was gigantic and gorgeous. We were not able to go inside but I was still able to look inside and see the rugs and people taking their shoes off and stuff. The building was mostly marble and mosaics. The colors were absolutely breath taking. Then we made our way back to the ship, it probably took us about an hour. I was never soo happy to see my ship!!!! I learned a lot today. The way the men treat the women here is soo different compared to the US. Women are not allowed to look men in the eyes, they have to cover themselves, and most of them don’t even come out onto the streets. I am soo blessed to live in a country that I have the privilege to be independent and equal to men. I could not imagine following these customs. Although I am sad I was not able to go to the orphanage, I am grateful for my time spent in Casablanca and for me being able to see their customs and the way they live their lives. Tomorrow I am headed to Marrakech at 7am so I need my sleep.
Love you guys
Michelle
February 3, 2009
Well today was quite an experience. It was my first day in Morocco and I have learned soo much in one day. First of all, all of my friends left early this morning to go on SAS overnight field trips. Soo I was all alone, and there was no way I was going to go around the city all by myself. So I went to breakfast early and met up with some people who were going around Casablanca. So off we went after breakfast. When we first got off the ship I knew I was going to be uncomfortable in this city. When we were walking down the street there were taxies on either side. They were all talking Arabic very loudly and all of the sudden a police man pulled up in a car. I am guessing one of them said something bad because the police man starting yelling, got out of his car, slammed the door, and chased after the guy. This is the first time I have ever feared for my life :( Not a very good first impression.
So after about a 20 min walk we finally got out of the port got into the city and found a bank. All of the people in my group got their money exchanged except one girl. She had a travelers check and they did not accept it there. So we got directions to a bank that would do that. Walking around a busy city with no street signs and no crossing lights is extremely hard. So we probably walked about 3 hours, walked into at least 6 banks and we never found a bank that would exchange her money. Talk about annoying, but at least I was able to tour the city. So after that the group wanted to go back to the boat and eat lunch, but I was not quite ready for that. So I met up with some other SAS students to shop in the Markets. Now this was the most culture shocking thing that I have seen on this trip. I can not even begin to explain what it was like. Men were everywhere trying to get you to come into their shop to buy stuff. Now you are allowed to bargain in these markets so that was extremely exciting for me. Its like theater, you act and when you get a good sale you get free mint tea. I GOT SOME!!!!!! The tea was awesome and I got an A for one of my projects in my class!!!!! So back to the markets, the ground was muddy and it smelt quite bad. Kids were on the sides selling cigarettes, stray cats were everywhere. I can not believe the poverty that these people live in. The homes were falling apart. My heart was hurting for every single person out there.
Then we made our way to lunch, it was hard to find a place because every restaurant we went to only had men in them. I don’t think women are allowed in them. Really weird. So we finally found a good place that had some other SAS people in it. After a really good lunch, margarita pizza, we went to the mosque to look around. The Mosque was gigantic and gorgeous. We were not able to go inside but I was still able to look inside and see the rugs and people taking their shoes off and stuff. The building was mostly marble and mosaics. The colors were absolutely breath taking. Then we made our way back to the ship, it probably took us about an hour. I was never soo happy to see my ship!!!! I learned a lot today. The way the men treat the women here is soo different compared to the US. Women are not allowed to look men in the eyes, they have to cover themselves, and most of them don’t even come out onto the streets. I am soo blessed to live in a country that I have the privilege to be independent and equal to men. I could not imagine following these customs. Although I am sad I was not able to go to the orphanage, I am grateful for my time spent in Casablanca and for me being able to see their customs and the way they live their lives. Tomorrow I am headed to Marrakech at 7am so I need my sleep.
Love you guys
Michelle
Monday, February 2, 2009
Storm in the High Seas
Journal #9
February 1, 2009
Well today has been very relaxing. I woke up at 9 for my Global studies class to learn about Morocco. After that I came back to my room. I was extremely tired from Spain. After taking a 4 hour nap, I walked out to the deck to see a very ugly gloomy day. It was rainy and cold; however, the faint scene I could see was awesome. I saw over ten ships and large mountains. On the bottom of the mountains were cities. This was surrounding our boat. We were in Gibralter. Our captain had planned to take a pit stop here and fill up on gas. Now this was suppose to be about a 5 hour stop. So I was wondering why we were still there. During dinner time I saw the boat coming to fill our ship up with gas. I was extremely happy because I had heard rumors saying we were going to be a day late to Morocco because we could not get gas. After a not so bad dinner I went to our meeting about safety in Morocco. In this meeting they told us that they were not able to fill up with gas because the seas were too rough. Ahhhhh, this means we will most likely not be able to get to Morocco on time. Tonight we are supposed to have a storm come through which will delay our stay even longer. When I heard this I was very sad because I am going to miss my orphanage visit the first day :( But I later realized that this is mother nature. We have to go with the flow and be flexible. Maybe being on the boat for a couple of hours will allow people to get more sleep and not get sick. I know me and my roommate are both feeling a lil sick, but nothing too serious. I am sitting in my room right now watching the super bowl. Yes, we were able to get it on TV but it is in Spanish, hahaha how many people can say they watched the super bowl 36 in Spanish :) Other then a lil upset today has been good. I caught up on a lot of my misc. stuff and organized my life. I made my calendar for February and I can not believe how fast this month is going to fly by. We only have about 12 days of classes, and that makes me very happy. All the other days are at different ports. Looking back on Spain makes me realize how much I learned about myself and other people around me. I can not wait to get to other countries to learn even more. I am very nervous about Morocco because none of my friends really know the language, girls have to cover their entire body because most of the people there are Muslim, girls are not allowed to look guys in the eyes, and there is a lot of crime in Morocco. I am eager to see how I react to these situations though!!! Well I better get to watching the super bowl!!! Although if I wanted to watch it all I would be up till around 5am because it is 1am now. Yikes!!!
Love everyone
Michelle
February 1, 2009
Well today has been very relaxing. I woke up at 9 for my Global studies class to learn about Morocco. After that I came back to my room. I was extremely tired from Spain. After taking a 4 hour nap, I walked out to the deck to see a very ugly gloomy day. It was rainy and cold; however, the faint scene I could see was awesome. I saw over ten ships and large mountains. On the bottom of the mountains were cities. This was surrounding our boat. We were in Gibralter. Our captain had planned to take a pit stop here and fill up on gas. Now this was suppose to be about a 5 hour stop. So I was wondering why we were still there. During dinner time I saw the boat coming to fill our ship up with gas. I was extremely happy because I had heard rumors saying we were going to be a day late to Morocco because we could not get gas. After a not so bad dinner I went to our meeting about safety in Morocco. In this meeting they told us that they were not able to fill up with gas because the seas were too rough. Ahhhhh, this means we will most likely not be able to get to Morocco on time. Tonight we are supposed to have a storm come through which will delay our stay even longer. When I heard this I was very sad because I am going to miss my orphanage visit the first day :( But I later realized that this is mother nature. We have to go with the flow and be flexible. Maybe being on the boat for a couple of hours will allow people to get more sleep and not get sick. I know me and my roommate are both feeling a lil sick, but nothing too serious. I am sitting in my room right now watching the super bowl. Yes, we were able to get it on TV but it is in Spanish, hahaha how many people can say they watched the super bowl 36 in Spanish :) Other then a lil upset today has been good. I caught up on a lot of my misc. stuff and organized my life. I made my calendar for February and I can not believe how fast this month is going to fly by. We only have about 12 days of classes, and that makes me very happy. All the other days are at different ports. Looking back on Spain makes me realize how much I learned about myself and other people around me. I can not wait to get to other countries to learn even more. I am very nervous about Morocco because none of my friends really know the language, girls have to cover their entire body because most of the people there are Muslim, girls are not allowed to look guys in the eyes, and there is a lot of crime in Morocco. I am eager to see how I react to these situations though!!! Well I better get to watching the super bowl!!! Although if I wanted to watch it all I would be up till around 5am because it is 1am now. Yikes!!!
Love everyone
Michelle
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