On the boat on our way to Cape Town! its getting colder as we move farther away from the equator... so sad because it is going to majorly screw up my tan. i have a 10 page paper to do before i get to cape town which will be hard. I am supposed to compare my experiences in either Manaus or Ghana with the books we read set in those two places. My teacher read an example that i though was amazing and so well done and he said it was either a B or B+. Not sure how i am going to do if that really good paper was only a B... Rumor has it that there are fries for lunch today. BIG day. its kinda sad i feel like my days revolve around when i am going to eat. always hungry on the boat haha. Classes are going well though. I got a 100 on my first religion test and think i did pretty well on my Global Studies quiz. Today in class we talked about HIV/AIDS in Africa and how in some countries in the last 30 years the life expectance has decreased by 10 or more years. really sad reality. anyways we are going forward another hour tonight so i will be 7 hours ahead of everyone! hope all is well at home and in cville!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! hope everyone is having a great day! about to watch an ice cream cake eating contest....

GHANA!

Random things from Ghana:
        Not that many dog but goats are EVERYWHERE!
        All the children are so adorable and love waving at you when you walk by.
        Ghanaians are obsessed with Obama and love Americans
        When you are trying to buy something you have to cut their offer price by at least half. (even though they say because you are my friend I will give you a good price)
        Every woman carries their baby on their back with a colorful piece of cloth. The babies cheeks are pushed against their mothers backs and is the most adorable thing ever. (wish I could upload a picture)
        The women carry everything on their heads. Some of the baskets are half the size of the women and they don’t even need to support it with their arms
        Toilet paper barley exists. Had to drip dry more than I would like to say
        The safe (and cheaper) water comes in 5 x 5 plastic bags that you would see everyone suck on. The sad part was that everyone would just throw them on the ground when they were done.
        Being gay is illegal (which was a bit of an issue because there are so many gay people on the boat)
        Every child has to go to school by law so on a week day you see all the children in different school uniforms
        There is rice with every meal which was AMAZING!
       
After 9 days of being on the boat I was so excited to get off and see Ghana. First day I went to the two main slave castles, Cape Coast and Elmina. We went to Elmina first and on the way I found out that my teacher from UVA who taught Art and Culture of the Slave South (where I first learned about the castles) was on the tour as well. He talked about drumming in African culture and I remembered his lecture on that topic back when I took his class the spring of first year at UVA. At the castle we walked through where they kept the female and male slaves and heard about the system of the slave trade. One of the most interesting parts of the tour was how Africans took such responsibility of the whole system of the slave trade. I really had only ever thought about the demand side and how the west created and perpetuated the buying and selling of people out of West Africa but in our tour the tour guide kept emphasizing how there could never have been a slave trade without the in depth involvement of Africans of capturing and selling other Africans. Cape Coast Castle had much of the same history but was a bit bigger. The male slave dungeons held 1,000 men and had no bathroom, lights, and barely any ventilation. The whole day was very heavy and intense. The weird part as well was that when you were not where they kept the slaves it was a really pretty fort with gorgeous views. Wish I could upload pictures to show you all! It was interesting going to Cape Coast as well because Obama (who everyone in Ghana LOVES and wherever you go they always talk about) was there in 2009. At both castles they had “the door of no return” where the slaves would walk through before getting on the boats for the middle passage which they have renamed because people now can return through the doors. All in all was a very interesting and worth while day. Very sad and moving but an interesting place to visit.
Right across from the boat was a duty free shop so that night everyone convened at the duty free to drink and hangout before the superbowl. The fact that they really only sold handles of alcohol prob wasn’t the best… Ghanaian men came up and started drumming while everyone was hanging out and I saw one of my teachers, who was really drunk, dance for like 30 min. pretty entertaining. Next we went to a bar called Ocean Bar which kinda sketchy but because there were so many SAS kids there it was fine. Went back to the boat in time for the superbowl but only stayed awake for a little of it.
Day two I had to wake up at 6am for a 7am trip to Kumasi. Hangover hit about 2 hours into the 6 hour drive… pretty rough. Got to Kumasi around 12 and had lunch of spiced rice, chicken and French fries (which I found they had pretty much everywhere). The highlight of the day was going to a ceremony where the king of the Kumasi region appointed a new council member. Everyone was wearing black cloth wrapped around them in the traditional material worn for funerals and other serious events. We got to the ceremony right when the new man was announced so men began to drum and the royal women danced. We stuck out like a sore thumb but everyone was fine with us being there. I guess the king is extremely powerful because of all the money he gets from gold mining in the region. The president of Ghana has to have a good relationship with the king or else he will have no control over the Kumasi region. That night we stayed at a hotel and I got to call mom and dad!!! Was so so nice to hear their voices! Im getting so excited for lizzy and mom to come visit!!!
Next day we went to villages outside the main city to see where the made crafts like wood carvings and their traditional woven cloth. Weaving is taboo for women to do because the loom is close to your stomach and they think that if women weave and they get pregnant it will mess up the pregnancy. They have 1, 2, and 3 weaves. The 3 weaves are only supposed to be worn by royalty and if you wear it in front of the king you have to take it off and change into something less nice. Everywhere we went they followed us around trying to sell stuff to us. I am used to dealing with that and bartering just because of the other traveling I have done but some of the other people on the trip were extremely uncomfortable and I had to talk to locals for them. The trip was a ton of fun though especially because it was only 4 students and the rest were life long learners and teachers so I got to know more people on the boat much better.
We got back to the boat and I couldn’t have been happier to get back to my room and take a shower and eat normal food. Im starting to appreciate more and more the kind of traveling I am doing. Normally when you travel home base is a hotel but for me I get to go back to a room that’s mine, food that’s safe to eat, and a shower that has hot water. Anyways that night we went to Axim beach which was about an hour drive away. After a stressful drive there where the bus driver really screwed us with how much he charged us we got to spend the night on the beach just drinking beer and watching drunk people go skinny dipping in the ocean. There was no way in hell I was going to go in the water. It was dark and we were in Ghana, I had no idea what was in that water. (ps why has the blog been a lot about me and water??? I’m a freak) Next morning I didn’t have a bathing suit at the beach so I wore my friends athletic shorts and a sports bra. I looked reallllyyy cute. We left around mid day and went back to Takeradi and the boat. The cab ride back was no AC and my lungs were filled with dust by the time I got back. The had turned back on the water, which they had turned off to conserve while in port, so I got a nice cold shower.
That night was back to the duty free, this time in smaller numbers because many people were doing overnights outside the city or still at the beach. After duty free we went to another sketchy bar called Spike…. The bar was like caged in (maybe so people couldn’t steal alcohol??) anyways went back at a decent hour and had to make the 20 min walk back to the boat. AHH I haven’t said anything about the port and where the boat was! So we were docked in a shipping yard where we had to walk 20 min through a construction and shipping area to get to any taxis. Was a little creepy at night so always made sure to be with a lot of people.
Next morning was another early one. I went on a SAS trip to what they called a Water Village. We took a two hour drive outside the city to the welcome center where we were all given life vests. And oh yeah it was pouring raining… I was just wearing shorts and a tshirt. Four of us got in a canoe and a man in the back paddled us through this stream and lake for an hour. We were absolutely soaked when we got to the town. On the way people were putting their hands in the water and stuff. So weird. That water was brown and I had no clue what things were living and swimming in it. The canoe we were in was barley wide enough for a person and when we moved it would tip. I was not a happier camper to say the least. Anyways the town was really interesting. They had built their houses on stilts out in the water and had had a village there for over 400 years. It was sad though to see all the children barley clothed and all the garbage in the water everywhere. It was also a bit hard for me because I felt like I was intruding on their lives. People would go up and look into windows and take pictures of the local people. It makes me so happy how fortunate I am to have all that I do. After walking through the village (which was really slippery because of all the rain and I was petrified of falling off into the garbagey water) we took the hour long canoe back to the bus. We all looked like wet dogs when we got back. I was freezing cold and think I am going to get a cold soon because of it. Im just thankful I didn’t fall in and I wasn’t struck by lightning. I had three of my friends with me as well which made it much better. We would all just start laughing randomly because of the absurdity of the situation. After the two hour bus ride back I immediately got in a hot shower and stayed there for a solid 20 min. was amazing.
Back on the boat now. Today we passed through the prime meridian and equator. I guess that’s a big deal?? I don’t really get it. Today was absolutely gorgeous though. Sat outside and red for two hours in the afternoon and could not have been happier. I am sitting out on the 7th deck right now. I watched the sun set while blogging this absurdly long post. Its dark out now and I can see the stars. I’m sticky with salt from the wind. So happy. Love you miss you all

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while! right now we are on the atlantic on our way to Ghana! haven't seen land in like 5 days. I think i am starting to get used to the waves because i don't notice the boat rocking as much anymore. will have pretty funny sea legs when i get off the boat in Ghana. We just had 6 class days in a row and now have a day off for the Sea Olympics which basically is just sections of the boat competing in weird sports activities like basketball and synchronized swimming. (decided not to sign up for anything athletic so my team wouldn't hate me. instead im cheering everyone on) Only issue is that it is raining today so a lot of the activities had to be switched and moved inside. Probably good it is not nice out because i have a test tomorrow that i need to study for. Today my group presented for Global Studies. WE did our presentation on the effects globalization has on inequality in Brazil. The presentation went well and because we were one of the first to present, we got some extra credit. we keep having to set our clocks forward so we are now 4 hrs ahead of home.
Annie- I am so jealous you are going to FL! you will have so much fun! tell everyone hi for me

Manaus!

My time in Manaus has flown by! I have to say I am excited to be back on the boat and going to another port. Although I have had fun there is really not that much to do in the city. I think the next voyage should go to Rio instead. I loved Rio when I was there two years ago. Anyways I should probably just do the day by day of what I did so here we go:
Sunday:
Got to port at 8am Sunday morning. I had two FDP’s (the trips that are assigned by teachers that you have to go on for class) that day so was pretty busy. The first trip was “Getting to know Manaus”. The first stop of the tour was to the fish market that was one of the coolest things, if not the coolest thing, I saw in Manaus. The original market is in this building that was designed by the guy who did the Eiffel Tower so but they are doing construction on it so the market is in a big long temporary building. We could see the other one though and the iron work was really cool. So we walk to the market and you can start smelling the fish before you even get there. All the men were in white outfits that were covered in fish guts and blood. There were tons of different types of fish that looked different from anything I had ever seen. There were crazy stripped fish, sucker fish and spotted fish. Some of the fillets off the fish were massive. I wish I could upload pictures so you all could see! Each vendor had his table where he was cutting up his fish or stacking the whole for display. This one type of fish they were cutting long slits in the fillets all in a row down the body of the fish. Couldn’t figure out what it was for… Next we went to the opera house which was the main attraction of the city. Manaus used to be a big hub and was crazy rich from exporting rubber. Our guide told us that the rich Europeans used to send their laundry to Paris just to get washed. Anyways, the opera house was a rusty pink color and had big stairs and white pillars. It had what looked like a mosaic tilled dome on top as well. Went to the top floor first were there was a ballroom with oil paintings on the walls and ceiling. It was odd because when I was inside I felt like I could have been in Europe. Downstairs was the opera with a big stage and red velvet chairs. All the architecture was really nice around the square where the opera house was but a couple blocks away and it was run down city buildings. It was weird to see some really cool old building and the pretty iron work of the fish market surrounded by falling down buildings with graffiti (which was not nearly as cool as it was in Rio) and broken sidewalks. The afternoon FDP was “From Rubber Boom to the 21St Century”. Unfortunately, this tour was not what I expected mostly because the tour company that did it didn’t really know what my teacher was looking for. We basically had a 3 hour bus tour of the city where our guide told us a little about rubber and then the free trade zone of Manaus but mostly just random stuff about the city and different neighborhoods that we were going through. It really wasn’t that informative and being on a bus driving around for 3 hours was miserable. That night a group of us went out to dinner and I quickly realized how hard the language barrier is! We ordered drinks and the waiters started bring out food which we had not ordered. I guess its pretty common but most places just have a set menu and that’s just what you eat but it was hard trying to communicate with the waiter that only some of us were eating and to stop bringing out so much food. I think it’s traveling with the heids but I totally took control of the situation and did most of the talking. Pretty much hand signaled my way through telling them what food and drinks we wanted and how to spilt up the check (which was REALLY hard). Everyone thinks im really on top of stuff and for the rest of our time here kinda went to me to talk to people and try to communicate even though I didn’t even know Spanish. I did remember Obrigado though which is thank you in Portuguese. After dinner we just went back to the boat and hung out for a little bit out on deck. The area around the dock at night was pretty sketchy and got ushered through pretty quickly to the boat.

Monday:
I had an early morning with an FDP at 7am to the University of Manaus. For 3 and a half hours we heard lectures on environmental topics of the Amazon and work that professors at the school had done. It was really hard to pay attention though because the professors would speak in Portugese and then the interpreter would translate into English for us so the sentences were fragmented and by the end you didn’t really know what they were talking about. Some things just didn’t really translate… My afternoon/night adventure was really the interesting thing of the day. We left the boat at two on a river boat and headed up the Amazon. We were in the boat for about an hour and a half. The city of Manaus was really the only built up area around. The river banks were derserted for the majority of the ride. Once we got to the beach our guide told us that we were going to have to get out of the boat and wade through the water to the shore. Let me preface this by saying in our pre departure meeting on the boat the doctor said that you should not go in the water because you can catch something and if you do you need to towel off immediately. No else really seemed to be bothered by any of this and I had to mentally deal with not only having to wade through thigh deep WEEDY water but also the fact I may catch a worm or something that will burry itself in my legs or feet. I remembered I had flip flops in my bag so quickly put them on (everyone looked at me weird but I didn’t care, no way was I going to touch the bottom with bare feet). I was hyperventilating the whole way to the shore. I made it though. On the beach were our guides who were in the army and trained in jungle warfare. One girl on the trip disregarded the instructions to wear long pants and a long shirt and shows up in black spandex booty shorts and is basically told she we have cuts and bug bites from the hike. Thank god I had the right clothes on. They told us to tuck our pants into our socks so that bugs wouldn’t get in our shoes or anything, needless to say I looked really cute. Lets also keep in mind that it is 85 degrees out and super humid. On the beach I was already sweating. The hike to the camp was broken up by stops on the trail where we would learn some type of survival technique for the jungle. At one stop I learned how to make a fire with a stick or with steal wool and two batteries (hopefully I will never actually have to know these things but can just use them as party tricks). At another stop I learned how to build traps and set them up so I could trap and kill animals. All pretty cool stuff. My outlook on the whole situation changed though when we got to the camp. I thought it would be a camp site with an eating area maybe and a wooden deck where the hammocks were. Oh no, there were just a bunch of hammocks with mosquito nets tied between random trees. There was no site. It was completely in the middle of the jungle. Everyone else in the group AGAIN was totally fine with everything. I consider myself someone who likes the outdoors and enjoys camping but this was on a whole other level. At this point too it was starting to get dark so I chose my hammock and put my backpack in it and applied more bug repellant. Dinner was just a bunch of grilled chicken which we ate off of leaves. I literally ate 5 pieces. I was absolutely starving and didn’t want to be hungry later that night. Funniest part of the night was when I was talking with this kid and found out that hes from around Hanover and we think his dad (Andy Smith? Or something like that. I know last name is smith, not that that is very helpful) was in the same high school class as my dad! (DAD DO YOU REMEMBER A GUY BY THAT NAME?? he now owns motorcycle dealerships or something. I told him that my dad had a triumph and he said those are really fun bikes. Anyways back to the jungle, after we ate I pretty much just wanted to go to bed and have it be the next morning so I could take a shower ( I was so sticky and gross from sweating all day and then having it dry). First big issue was that I had to go to the bathroom though. There was no bathroom there of course…. When I asked the guide where to go he told me a story of how someone when to squat and got bit in the leg by a massive snake and had to get carried out of the jungle… cool. We had also been shown earlier that day bullet ants which I guess if they bite you feel like you have been shot and can kill you. They build their nests at the bottom of trees and come out at night so you have to bang on the tree to see if any come out cause if they are on the tree you put your hammock you are screwed because they react to movement and vibration (aka swing of your hammock). So I am TOTALLY freaking out about going to the bathroom and so a group of girls all come and we go barley 5 feet away from one of the hammocks. Everyone was fine except the poor girl who was on her period and had to carry her used tampon to the trashcan because I didn’t want blood attracting animals. I then went back to my hammock and tried to deal with sleeping with my big backpack in the hammock with me because bugs would crawl in it if it was on the ground. I slept in the same cloths and still with my sneakers on my feet. Next big step though was securing my net so that NOTHING could get in in the middle of the night (literally my biggest fear). I also was so freaked out that something, a massive tarantula, would fall on my net in the middle of the night and I would wake up to it crawling above my face. So there I am fully clothed and still sweating in the hammock trying to fall asleep with the noise of the jungle freaking me out every second. I resorted to putting in my headphones and listening to Harry Potter (7th book obvi) to make me fall asleep. I also opted out of the midnight hike and swim in the Amazon. I would sleep for like an hour then wake up then fall asleep again for another hour. Was not a very good sleep at all. At least I had Harry to keep my company. Next morning we were woken up at 5am. It was still dark but I got up quickly because I was so excited to get back to the ship. The hike back to the boat took about 45 min and then it was back through the water to get to the boat, it was a little less terrifying the second time around but still close to painful. I slept on the floor of the boat the entire way back. I don’t think I have ever been so happy to shower and get in my bed with my comforter and my pillow.
OK I have been writing for like an hour and need to go to bed so will try blogging about the rest of the trip tomorrow. ALSO i got another offer to go back to Bloomberg!!! so nice i know i have something to do this summer!!!!

overnight adventure!

leaving for my overnight in the amazon in 45 min! the trip involves a rigorous hike. we'll see how well that goes.... can't believe its so cold up north!! try to stay warm! i will try to blog about Manaus soon!

the first nice day on the amazon!! its a reading day on the boat so everyone was outside on the deck enjoying the amazing sun. as of now i have not gotten burned! was really good about reapplying the sunscreen. had to get in the pool multiple times because it was so hot though. there were random rain showers that cooled everything down as well. going to read and nap before the big meeting tonight to get us ready for Manaus.
ps i tried attaching a picture of my room to this email to my blog so let me know if you can see it!