Port Louis, Mauritius

We got a villa in Mauritius... 19 of us. It was a fun time of going to the beach, making meals, and having a generally good time. That's all that I will share. Unfortunately I have very few pictures because I didn't want to bring my camera to the beach for fear it would get ruined with the sand.

All in all, a good time in Mauritius. It was Semester at Sea spring break.

Neptune Day

When a ship crosses the equator, there is a large celebration for everyone on the ship. Anyone who hasn’t crossed the equator before is known as a “Pollywog” and once you have crossed you become a “Shellback.” Rumors on the Semester at Sea ship were flying the day before Neptune Day (called that because Neptune is the sea god.) There were rumors about when or how we were going to be woken up, what would we would have to do in order to earn our “Shellback” title.

Rumors were dispelled however when everyone was woken up by a loud banging of pots and pans, whistles, and cymbals. The crew marched through the hallways in toga-esque attire at 7:30-8:00 am. Half an hour or so was allotted for people to change into swimsuits, but by 9am the majority of the ship was on the top 7th deck getting ready to shed their “Pollywog” status. Every student stood in the shallow end of the pool as some of the administration poured buckets of unidentified bright green goop each person’s head. It was representing fish guts, however it was actually fish paste and kool-aid mixed together. Next step was jumping into the pool- I though this would help since I had gotten some of the mystery liquid in my mouth… but unfortunately the pool had the same fishy taste and color as the liquid poured on my head. Waiting around in the pool was fun, but upon getting out, everyone had to kiss a fish. Some people even bit or made-out with the fish. After being crowned by the Executive Dean, I had successively crossed the equator and become a “Shellback.” I immediately bought a kitkat to get the fishy taste out of my mouth. Luckily I escaped the second half of the ritual of head shaving. About 50 people (a dozen or so girls) took a razor to their head and went bald. I love my hair too much to give it up, and I wasn’t so sure I could rock the Natalie Portman look.

The rest of Neptune day was filled with relaxation. I laid out, read, and enjoyed a delicious barbeque in the evening with chicken, corn and strawberry ice cream. I love it when we have planned event days because the food is so much better and everyone is in a great mood.

Indian Transitions

When you drink, transitions are usually the first to go from the memory... but I don't think I'll ever be able to forget moving from place to place in India. We took the most common forms of transportation- auto, taxi, and train.

Auto: Autos are much like rickshaws except powered by a mini car instead. Driving in India is ten 10x worse than in Vietnam. It is almost complete and total chaos. Dodging oncoming trucks, cars, motorcycles, and autos by just a few inches is apparently a breeze for the experienced Indian, but I found my self gripping my seat. Usually we could squeeze three people into the small auto, and I always chose the middle seat, just in case we hit a bump too hard I wouldn't go flying out of the vehicle without doors.

Taxi: The taxi services in India were known as fairly sketchy unless you hired a personal driver which is what we did. On our way to Pondicherry, we chose to hire a driver and a translator that tagged along with him. Unfortunately, they took the fact that we were "Americans with money" and ran with it. The rate would change every time we discussed payment and they found a way to get extra money out of us in every little way possible. The translator (named Mjiva) "borrowed" Oliver's sunglasses and drove off with them. When we called to get them back he returned 25 minutes later, but demanded about 20$ compensation for driving back to us... The drive was pretty exciting however with constant indian music being blasted at all times.

Train: Oh the trains! The trains in India were possibly the least forgettable part of the trip. Arriving at the train station after 3-4 hours of taxi driving from Pondicherry, I was gross and needed to go to the rest room. I payed all of 2 cents to go into the washroom where I bypassed the makeshift showers and found the toilet. Unfortunately a woman and her son were squatting over the hole in the ground that was the toilet bowl. Needless to say it looked like they would be a while. I chose to pretend to be disabled and use the handicapped bathroom. I shut the door behind me and I was thrilled that it was a western style toilet! But... I was shocked and almost gagged when I saw that surrounding me, on all three walls and the seat of the toilet was poop. Poop was smeared everywhere. Crap. (no pun intended) Well I really had to go, so I squatted and finished up quickly when I heard a click. I thought I had dropped something, but as I plugged my nose I didn't see anything on the ground other than a few scattering cockroaches. I went to open the door, and to my horror I was locked in! Someone had locked me in the bathroom! This was possibly my worst nightmare-locked in a poop chamber. I frantically searched around for a way to get out. I contemplated breaking the glass door part, but instead I found a hole next to the sink. I clumsily hopped on the sink and hoisted myself through the hole that probably only I could fit in. Why in the world would a handicap toilet have a lock on the outside is beyond me, but I ran out of the bathroom to meet the other guys I was traveling with feeling scarred and violated. I vowed I would never use another Indian toilet. (I did, but the experience was much better than the last thank goodness)
When traveling from Chennai to Cochain, we had to take a sleeper train for 11 hours. We were lucky to get AC 2- a bunk bed with curtains and a fan. We met some amazing people on the train. One man owned a paper mill and was fascinated by our story from around the world. We showed him pictures, told him stories, and in return he generously called a friend he knew to bring us fantastic Indian food (that we knew we wouldn't get sick on) Yes, the train was a fun, but dirty experience. I won't forget any of it.

Pondicherry, India

For the majority of my time in India, I ditched the Semester at Sea sponsored trips, traveling with the parentals, and opted to travel independently to the southern part to a city called Pondicherry. Pondicherry is essentially two towns smushed together, one side heavily Tamil Nadu (an Indian State) and the other influenced by the French. It was a stark contrast, especially when dirty streets morph within seconds to avenue-esque tree lined walkways, but somehow it all came together perfectly. Pondicherry is difficult to describe unless you go and experience it yourself, but I think the 3 days I spent there were some of the best so far on the trip.
I traveled with three other boys-Oliver, Matt, and Adam (I’m sure my father was thrilled with that) but I had the time of my life with them. There is no girl drama, or having to wait around for someone to get ready, and we just did what we wanted. Pondicherry is a beach community that moves at a much slower pace than Chennai. It was nice to be able to wander around without a purpose, taking in the salt air and foreign sights. It was much cleaner in the south. The four of us got a villa that was only a block and half from the water. When we were looking for places to stay we had heard from previous visitors that they signed up for 3 days, but ended up staying for 4 months. I can see why. The villa was in the open-air allowing breezes to flow in and out, but the rooms were cooled to perfection with air-conditioning. The landlord was very hospitable, making us breakfast every morning (toast, croissants, and omelets) and if we needed anything he would go out and get Indian prices for us.
We did the tourist things around Pondicherry. Went to the ashram where “The Mother” was buried and a place of meditation, visited Auroville (essentially a failed communist community centered around a gold ball that looked like Epicot Center at Disneyworld) and we all were blessed by an elephant. That was probably my favorite part. Giving the elephant a small coin that she sucked up her nose and then wrapped her trunk around my head. What a rewarding experience! We also visited a local market. It smelled (nothing new though) and the ceilings were created by tarps for practically midgets. No problem for me, but I enjoyed watching Oliver, Matt and Adam maneuver and duck through the intertwining corridors of the stalls.
The rest of the time spent in Pondicherry was mostly relaxing. Again, I can’t stress enough that to understand the lifestyle there, you have to go there. The four of us spent a lot of time tasting the local cuisine, trying the local beer, hunting for hookah, and playing cards. The food was pretty good, although a little too spicy for my taste. I don’t really like curry so much, and at points I felt like I was sweating curry… The national beer of India seems to be Kingfisher, which I preferred the lighter version. The other guys seemed to prefer the heavier stuff though. We played a ridiculous amount of Hearts and Euchre (a game I haven’t found many people to play with back home, but was so glad others like it just as much as me!) I also learned plenty of other games (drinking and non) such as Hockey, F the Dealer, etc. It was a great time. I think we all agreed we could have stayed multiple more nights, but alas, we had to head back to Chennai to catch a train to Cochain on the 15th.

Chennai, India

Everyone warned me before arriving in India about the horrors I would see. Unhealthy people with unimaginable diseases and deformities, a vast gap between extreme wealth and extreme poverty, dirt streets; I was told I may not be able to look up for first day. When I got off the ship in Chennai, India, it was definitely a completely different world. There was hardly any paved streets and buildings were certainly no higher than 2-3 stories. Dirt was everywhere! Not just a light dusting, but a thick coat of black grime that if you sat down would most likely permanently stain your clothes and most definitely left a nice tan dirt line on my foot, clarifying where I had shoes on and where I didn't. India was an assault on my senses at first. The smells at points were so strong that my nose didn't know how to process it, so my mouth took over and I could essentially taste the scent instead. (Not exactly pleasant... kind of like accidentally eating poop. Not sure how one would normally do that, but in India, it was very possible we ate some poop...) It also was blazing hot, but we had to wear covered shoulders and knees. I discovered a new places I could sweat, it was a level of sweaty. Who knew eyebrows could sweat that much? Yes, for the good first few hours spent in India, I thought I would be miserable. But the dirt, grime, and extreme smells are only a surface layer. I soon found that India is an incredibly beautiful country made up of beautiful, kind people who want to learn as much about others as we wanted to learn about them.

I only spent one day exploring Chennai. I went to Spencer's Mall, a run down (yet "high class") shopping area where I purchased some Indian clothing- I got aladdin pants and gold beaded shoes! I expected that the fashion would be similar to a western style since we were technically in a large "urban" city, but the fashion for women in India is almost solely the sari, the multi-colored textiles and dresses with scarves around the neck. The colors were gorgeous. Against the brown backdrop of dirt, the seas of people that walked the street were brightened by a rainbow of colors. Amongst the vibrant colors were warm faces of incredibly happy people, yet they seemed (at least on the outside) to live in despair. I was fairly confused. I mean, I've seen people who live in villages without electricity, or have to walk a ways for water- but in that case I sorta felt ignorance was bliss. The people were happy with what they had because they had been innovative, even with a simple way of living. But in India, most people knew what other standards of living were out there. Bollywood is huge, depicting romanticized versions of life.

My Global Studies project for the end of the semester is based on "happiness." Myself and six other students are exploring what makes people of other cultures "happy," how do they define happiness, and is it sustainable. In the US many might say "The American Dream" is happiness, yet a consumer way of living is hardly sustainable today. In India it was difficult to decipher what others defined happiness as, however after much digging I believe happiness in India revolves around the family. Families (whether they are immediate or extended) stick together. Those that seemed the most content were usually surrounded by friends or family, just enjoying each others company. Family is what each member pays their respects to and they are unified by the god that they worship in the Hindu religion. Honoring the family gives them the satisfaction they need. The next day I was heading off to the southern part of India, wondering if their beliefs were the same.

Sea Olympics

Life has returned to "normal"- well, as normal as life can be when you're sailing around the world on a luxury cruise liner. I'm so glad to have more than two days down time between countries. By the time i got to Vietnam I felt like I was still tired from Japan, and recovering from China, all while trying to soak up as much of Vietnam and Cambodia as possible. In between Vietnam and India we have 8 days (sadly 2 of which I spent incredibly sick). The eight days were supposed to give us time to get back in the groove of school work, which as you can imagine was basically impossible. Every time I stepped outside I heard the lawn chair in the sun calling me, "Katie! Katie! Come sit and procrastinate on me!" How could I neglect a chair that even knew my name? Sometimes I indulged in some school work with a book, but since I have developed narcolepsy while being on the voyage, I frequently have been just falling asleep in the sun (and i have had to lather up on sun lotion because the equator sun is a brutal monster that has already made its mark. Yes, lobster girl has returned! All I need is a little butter and I would be ready to eat at any moment.)

Semester at Sea must know how much students adamantly do not want to go to class and work (besides, we learn more in the countries than I ever could in a classroom) because it seems every few days we now have a fun day to break up the "monotony of classes." A few days ago we held the Sea Olympics. As most of us were unable to watch the real olympics this past month, it was exciting to compete in our own. My team was the Red Sea, composed of maybe 30 kids that live close by on the same hallway. We were perhaps the least enthusiastic at the opening ceremonies and most certainly the least organized. We had never had a sea olympic meeting, half of us weren't wearing red to support our team (and the ones that were all sported different shades.) We joked about how funny it would be if we won since most of us didn't even sing our cheer.

The games begun the next day. They were a lot like field day games- sponge pass, crab soccer, dodgeball, asain cube scramble, tug-o-war, pull up challenge, flip cup, synchronized swimming, hula hoop, lip sync, etc... I competed in the first event of the morning, extreme musical chairs. They tied our hands behind our backs, and threw wads of paper at us and we danced around the chairs to heavy metal music. My team got second place in the event. As the day progressed our team was seemingly silent, but deadly. One by one we were dominating events, either winning or racking up points with second or third place. Before we knew it...we had one the entire olympics! Out of nowhere! We beat the Adriatic Sea (they had a great banner and a mascot of a shark) and the Mediterranean Sea (they had a really awesome chant.) We won bragging rights and our sea gets to get off the ship first when we dock in Florida at the end of the voyage... but I don't want to think of the voyage ending right now. I'm having too much fun!

The days after the olympics were a little less exciting, but a nice way to recoop before India...tomorrow! It's hard to imagine that the next country has crept up so quickly! All i've heard about India is that its a completely different world, I can't wait to experience it for myself!

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Phnom Penh was a fun "urban" town to see, but it was Siem Reap that really took my breath away. Home to Angkor Wat (which the entire time I was there I thought the city was called) it a must-see destination for many tourists. The ancient ruins of Angkor Wat are still working buddhist temples, so when we visited there were many little monks in crimson and orange robes running around. They were so cute! in the sunset the grandiose architecture was absolutely stunning with the orange sun sinking slowly behind it and its silhouette sharp against the sky. What was upsetting however was that although there were monks praying in peace, the physical surroundings told another story. Much of the temple was riddled with bullets, silently reminding the world of the struggle Cambodia has gone through. You could even find left over bullet shells in the divots in the walls

Everything we saw in Siem Reap revolved around temples. Angkor Wat was the most well known, but we also visited three other temples (that unfortunately I can't remember their names, oops!) My favorite however was the temples that Tomb Raider was filmed at. Of course I took a few pictures pretending to be Lara Croft (smaller and less endowed however.) It was so much fun to crawl all over the caved in roofs, crumbled walls, and trees that had grown over and in the ruins! My dad and I even were daring and crawled up on the stones of a "danger" zone.

We stayed in a Resort and Spa which I figured was arranged specifically to cater ti the parents, although Semester at Sea does a great job of finding comfortable hotels usually. Although the accommodations were wonderful- air conditioned rooms and great food!- I felt bad when I stepped just outside the hotels boundaries and was greeted by tuk tuk drivers that wanted work or children who hoped I had spare change. I did manage to take a tuk tuk though, and what a ride it was! I was riding at night to go out to pub street and it was fairly safe, although I admit I held on to the others riding with me, just for good measure. Didn't want to be thrown out into the streets, which are just as busy as the ones in Vietnam. Pub street was fun, unfortunately I got there a little late so I didn't get to have my feet cleaned by fish like some kids did, but we drank drinks out of buckets that looked like upside down hats at a bar called "Angkor-What?" If you ordered two of these buckets you got a free tshirt sporting their bar name and on the back a slogan "Promoting irresponsible drinking since 1989." Perhaps they weren't wrong because a group of us went back to the hotel and hopped in the pool at 1am, blasting country music until we were kindly asked to get out of the pool because they needed to "add chemicals to the pool." Oops!

Cambodia was certainly an exciting experience as I had no idea what to expect. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I guess it just gives me an excuse to go back!

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia was a short, but a well worth, trip while docked in Vietnam. It was technically the parent trip so about 10 students and their parents accompanied me on an hour plane ride. I have heard a rumor that the less developed countries receive old retired planes that have served their time in the U.S. or U.K. After the very bumpy and seat gripping ride over the Vietnam border, I wouldn't be surprised. The landing was less than pleasant and I could have sworn we lost pieces of the carrier or a wing with all the rattling that occurred throughout the flight. Nevertheless I made it all in one piece, got off the air conditioned plane, and was met with a blast of thick, hot, moist air. Throughout most of my time in Cambodia I felt like I was swimming through the air or being wrapped in a hot hot blanket.

We stayed the first night in Phnom Penh, the capital of the country. Our day consisted of learning about Cambodian culture at the National Cambodian museum and seeing the city on a beautiful boat ride in the sunset. Before dinner we went to an orphanage. This orphanage was completely different than the one we went to in Beijing. When we arrived the children came rushing out to meet us, immediately introducing themselves and giving us big hugs and grins that stretched miles. They seemed so genuinely happy to have us there, unlike the other orphanage where the children shied away. One girl seemed to get very attached to me and gave me my own personal tour of the school rooms, dormitories, and play grounds. We must have looked like we were having fun together because many other kids came to hang out with us. One boy made a particular impression when he came up and gave me a purple bracelet, "a beautiful bracelet for a beautiful girl." I should stay in Asia, they seem to love me! :P He was nineteen and was going to be leaving the orphanage next year to get a job, but wasn't sure if he'd be able to get one. Poverty in Cambodia is very prominent. It was common place to see women and children asking us for money or to buy bracelets for a dollar as we got off the bus. And there are 10,000 tuk tuk drivers in the city (like rickshaws but attached to motorbikes) and each needs 5 dollars to live. Although a lot of people come to Cambodia for tourism, I don't think there are 10,000 tourists that always want to take a tuk tuk... and even then, they only usually cost about 2 or 3 dollars a ride.

The next day in Phnom Penh was not as friendly as our visit to the orphanage. We visited the Genocide Museum and the Killing fields. It was incredibly emotional and difficult to learn about. The museum was almost an untouched memorial to the citizens that were interrogated, tortured and killed at an old run down school. We saw the cells they stayed in, where they were hung, and what was worse, there were walls and walls of pictures of each person who was admitted. It's one thing to learn about genocide in history classes, but its quite another to see first hand where men. women and children were beaten and murdered. Especially when you're looking right into their eyes of a picture that was forcibly taken. The killing fields weren't much more uplifting. in the center there was a 17 story memorial dedicated to those found there in the over 100 mass graves. The 17 stories held skulls, back bones, arms, legs, jaws, anything they dug up. All of this happened only 30 years ago. Our tour guide was brave, for his mother was killed there, yet he was able to speak steadily and authority as he led us around. I don't think I'd have the strength to go back. Heck, it was hard enough to imagine being in their place- digging my own grave and then eventually being bashed over the head and falling into the pit I just finished digging. It was a horrifying sight. I'm glad I went however. It has shed so much light on the terrors of genocide and helps me to understand Darfur a little and inspires me to want to help.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

I arrived in Vietnam having no real preconceived ideas of the country. All I really knew about it was from watch "Apocalypse Now" and history class on the Vietnam War (which the vietnamese call "the american war.") So actually stepping foot in the country was completely new and exciting.

The first thing that hit me was the heat. Coming from Japan and China where I was bundled up in my green winter jacket, it was certainly a shock to immediately start sweat bullets. The heat was not helped by all of the vehicles whizzing by on the streets emitting exhaust. It was stressful to watch a wall of motorcycles as I contemplated crossing... its not like crossing a normal street- except maybe at UVA where we tend to think we own the roads and cross wherever we want- but Vietnam streets are worse. No stoplights, no street signs, and rules of the road are more like "guidelines". Every time I crossed the street I pretty much feared for my life and danced around the motorcyclists as they artfully dodged me.

Shopping in Vietnam was unfortunately just as stressful. Although it makes many of the goods sold in the United States, it is a fairly poor country. DVDs and silk scarves are cheap for us to buy there, but each dollar they earn from our purchases is a meal. Walking through the markets it was hot, crowded, and too much stuff. Everyone touched me trying to get me to buy something and at one point I was literally dragged into a stall that I really didn't want to buy boys boxer briefs. It was so different from China where they cajoled me into buying something by complimenting me, as opposed to shoving products in my face. It seems that personal space is not an issue.

Less stressful, was the food! Oh, the food was delicious! One of the most common dishes to find was pho. It's basically thin noodles in a soup with whatever you want in it- chicken, beef, pork, etc.. a lot of people even bought shirts that said "I LOVE PHO!" because it was so good. Drinks were a fun thing to try as well. Exotic juices such as watermelon, dragonfruit, lichii were all squeezed fresh and their banana milk shakes were to die for! It was like drinking a crushed up banana, no sugar, nothing else added. Of course, trying local beer was interesting. Tiger Beer was a favorite- very light- but I stayed away from 333 that had formaldehyde in it.

My favorite part of Vietnam (other than the cuisine) was the people. Although they were a little pushy with selling things, they were incredibly relaxed and nice! Vietnam was a good switch from the constant movement and business of China to a slower, but no less exciting experience. Perhaps it was the heat that slowed everyone down though. I felt like I developed a case of narcolepsy because every few hours I would want to fall asleep just from the lulling sound of the street and perfect weather in shade.

Sadly I only got to spend 2 1/2 days in Vietnam because I was fortunate enough to go to Cambodia. But I loved my time tehre and I hope to go back in the future!