Life on the Ship

So I don't think I really talked about life on the ship and what it's like so I'll try to briefly write about it although I think seeing pictures will be the best was to describe it. I've had such a refreshing experience by doing semester at sea that helps me as a young professional in student affairs to see the bigger picture and realize that yes, the things we do impact the lives of our students. I know when I return to the states, I'll have a withdrawl and feel lost and confused. I'm coming from a community where you know a lot of names, something about them, and most of the faces are pretty familiar by this point. You also get 200+ instituations represented and so for someone in student affairs, being able to talk with these students and learn about their schools helps me in turn think about how I work with my students at NYU and in the future.

In my daily routine as the RD for my sea (Caribbean sea) and in charge of student programs. I get a taste of both worlds. I continue my work in residential education and deal with the typical roommate conflicts, homesickness, and in general great students who I live with. I also get to be in many ways the director for student activities. I advise the student groups, support their programs, put on movie nights, talent shows, and set up a place for student to take a break from the intensity of their academics. Aside from going to Global Studies, having a meal with a student, or engaging them in conversation gives a completely different feel to things. I'm starting that point on this return journey in which I know there will be a void for some time. When I've been focusing on human interaction on a morning to night basis...having no access to television or excuses that I'm busy...that will be a big change.

Athens and My Birthday

So leaving Egypt, I also took a stomach bug with me if you know what I mean. They've been making light of it and calling it "Pharaoh's Revenge". About 300+ people caught this bug so I did not feel alone in this process. I tried to take Immodium at first but that did nothing for me. I went to Athens with stomach cramps and you know what. So I made it through the first day where I saw the Acropolis and walked through the ruins of ancient greece. I really liked Greece a lot, Athens being the only big city, I was enjoying it more than Rome because it wasn't as crowded and you got to walk through it all. I think my pictures best describe that piece. I was on duty that night so I split of with my friends who left to Mykonos that first day and dealt with a night of duty that kept me up until 4am. Got 2 hours of sleep and then caught the ferry to Mykonos to meet up with everyone. While Greece was an expensive trip, I thank all those that sent me birthday wishes and I had a blast. I celebrated my 27th birthday in Mykonos and Athens having nothing but good food, a welcoming place, and great friends. Sitting around the beach and experiencing what the locals and rest of Europe were doing during their "holiday" you see another important aspect of life. In many of these places I've met very friendly individuals wanting to engage in conversation about the US. It reminds me to think and learn about the other. So many people know things going on with the states that you feel embarrassed. so leaving this journey I'm reminded to think about the other. Other than Thailand and London this has been my biggest journey in seeing the rest of the world, now that I can put a mental picture to what I briefly saw while I was here.

My Time in Egypt

The night before we arrive at each port, we have a cultural and logistical preport. This is a chance to give some basic language, arts, music, and cultural information about each port. Our academic dean or executive dean generally begins the presentation with “name of port, tomorrow” so in this case “Egypt Tomorrow” or a few days ago. Wow, I was not ready for Egypt by any means. It was a place where I unlearned all that I was taught from 10th grade World History and even in earlier grade school. While I was taught about Pyramids, Kings, Queens, Mummies, Tombs, and in general Ancient Egypt, not knowing much about modern Egypt took me to a different place. We docked in Alexandria named after Alexander the Great. It was a pretty hot day but Marco, Kat, and I decided that we would spend the day wondering around given that we would be going to Cairo the following day. Walking out of the terminal into the city you are greeted with individuals who want to drive you around. You get prices that vary and persistent individuals. As I attempt to say “no thank you” and walk away you are reminded that you no longer are on the ship or in Italy but a developing country with individuals trying to earn a living. We hit the waterfront and go in the wrong direction that we had intended on. I see a bakery and think oh great my first introduction to some Egyptian delicacies. We enter a store and find on one side of the store desserts that I find in the states strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, chocolate cake. On the other side you find items that I don’t have a name for. You taste different spices mixed in giving you a moment in appreciating the other. You also find yourself unable to communicate with the salesperson only to try asking for a few pieces and walking out with 1 kilo worth which included about 50+ 2x2 square inch sweets. Luckily we found a group of students walking by that we were able to share it with. Again I was at a place where I had to find other ways of communicating. I did not understand them and they did not understand me. Is it rude using your hands to make gestures? I’m not completely sure. But the gentle smile on their face and the sigh of relief and smile on my face communicated that we both reached our goals. She got me the desserts I came to buy and I walked out with my desserts. Kat split off after that, it was about 92 degrees with 77% humidity so it was hot. I don’t think any of my shirts had been completely drenched in any of my trips so far. We made our way to the original goal, the Alexandria Library, finding that we were exhausted and made way back to the ship. On the walk back, we see the city moving, the heart of life is centered around the square and shops in the streets, what you find at a bazaar but this was much of the city center. There are not traffic signals anywhere and you do your best to make sure you cross without getting hit. I’ve now learned the skill of dodging cars. The rest of the night was uneventful, we had to get up early for the Cairo trip so we walk around. The city is not awake until 11am and most stores close up shop around 1 or 2am. You find everyone walking around, men at hookah rooms smoking and drinking mint tea. You see the mosque awaiting individuals for prayer. You see women covered up from head to toe. You see the differences of values and culture and are humble to be reminded of the diversity you see in front of you and the diversity and freedom of being in America.

The next morning we took off for Cairo, a 2.5 hour bus ride where we see salt lakes, and industrial pollution. Nivene our Egyptologist guide is giving us a history lesson and glimpse into the world of Egyptians. She prepares the Americans for what they will be seeing. The cultural sights and how to protect oneself from the aggressive individuals trying to sell you things. During the history lesson, I’m taken back to high school, being reminded about how pyramids were built, the king and queens that ruled the Nile, the British colonialism, and much more. I start to make sense of things and boom we past by the pyramids, built over 4500 years ago and I am taken out to the dessert trying to create an image of ancient Egypt. We visit the tombs of the dead called “Mastaba’s” and experience the intricate details designed to honor the dead. I see paint bushed on by papyrus trees still intact. You see the images of life and understand why people love history and why history matters.

In short the trip was filled with visiting pyramids, museums, and stopping at the bazaar. While I could continue to write about how beautiful it was to see the pyramids, what I truly walked away with from this trip but a humbling reminder of my privilege, going back to what I started writing about earlier.

Looking around and seeing the living conditions of the city and seeing people bare the 100 degree weather in hopes that a tourist would buy the white cloth that you wrap on your head or the postcard, small statues, pictures, clothes, and so much more. In this process you realize that while they set the price so that you can bargain, I just wished I didn’t have to and that I could just give them a value to a product that was reasonable. I do this because having the bargain and be told by our guide to do it reminds me that people come into Egypt in hopes to get cheap goods. While everyone wants a great deal, it was really hard to not want to give them their asking price. While they asked for 1 dollar, having to bargain down to 50 cents was a conflict. While this is part of the social networks of the countries to do the bargaining, how does one choose one store over the other because someone gave it for 20 cents less? The students I think found themselves in a place where they could appreciate what they have as they saw what others did not have. I was pretty impressed by how the students reacted. I think given that I had gone to Thailand before, I wasn’t really surprised, but with students who’ve for the first time left the United States, I hope they are eagerly waiting on their next trip back. This wasn’t a place where you could hit up the designer stores, sit at clean cafés, relax by the pool. It was a place where life was happening and you were experience it. I have so much to still think about Egypt and that’s why it’s taken me a while to write this post but I look forward to more.

From Istanbul to Cairo

This post is a series of post regarding my time in Egypt. On July 27th two nights before we were to arrive in Instanbul, Turkey we received news regarding two terrorist attacks that took place in Istanbul killing 13 and injuring over 150+ individuals. We spent July 28th anticipating a possible change in itinerary awaiting information from the US State Department and other ISE sources. At 6pm on July 28th it was announced that we would be going to Alexandria, Egypt with side trips to Cairo. We all gathered in the union to hear this news. When it was announced the entire union jumped with joy. I on the other hand was feeling bitter sweet. While I agree that it was a good decision to move, we didn't get to process it. For me of the 8 ports that we have/will visit, Istanbul was in the top 2. I had heard so much about it and I was so thrilled to finally get a chance to see its beauty. I am not angry because I never anticipated that I would be going to Egypt and to see the history that I've learned from a young kid until now, this also was a dream come true. I hope there was a similar sentiment amongst my community but who knows. Could you really compare the ruins of some 5000+ year pyramid and tombs to the Hijia Sofia or Blue Mosque? I also want my Turkish Bath but I guess I'm getting a sweet in the desert. 

All in all I got a great deal and just need to put Istanbul on my agenda of places to visit in the  future. I spent all day in Alexandria today and wow talk about culture shock but i'll do that after I come back from Cairo.

And Then Some...

My trip to Italy provided a comparison and contrast between central and southern Italy. Of course 4 days is never enough to absorb the culture and history, it gives you a small taste, urning for the the next trip back. We docked in Naples and similar to Bergen, the city is built on hills, you see layers of homes stacked on top of each other. In Naples you find many things, in this case the most evident is a city trying to put itself back together. A trash strike left the city with trash piled up on streets for over a year. While we were lucky to not have to deal with that. All it took was a street similar to Manhattan to change the feel of the place. You find that people hang their clothes on their balconies. You see the luxurious hotels, apartments, and homes by the water and up on the hills, while the city areas have apartments that in my lens would be unbearable to live in. Again that's where I see my privilege. I led a city orientation where the guide gave us some history behind Naples, once being the capital when Italy was two kingdoms. She left us in the Palace Square to situate ourselves in hopes that we would come back to the palace, basilica, opera house, etc...I went to the place that everyone congrugated: Gambrinus. I enjoyed a cup of Caffe Fresso Con Panna (Iced Coffee with Cream). I entered a happy zone, it was no more than about 4 oz and dark, but somehow I found myself getting 3 cups of it daily for those 4 days. None compared to Gambrinus but they were all good in their own way. We would stand by the counter, have my drink, and be off. This is what people did and I got to do what people who do it on a regular basis do it. After the city orientation, my attempt to visit Capri for the rest of the afternoon failed so I walked around and got lunch at a pizzeria, not knowing that you get a cover charge of 1.50 euros to sit down, I ate the pizza only to pay a bill that I wish I didn't have to pay, but it was pizza and I was in Naples.

John and I headed to Rome the next day, the train ride was 38 Euro's each way so I had to make the most of the $100.00 USD ticket. We walked and walked and saw all the things people tell you to see. We sat at Cafe's, had Gelato, and relived history. Being in the present and now helps you feel so more complete. No longer was I reading books and taught this material, I was seeing it first hand. While traveling in Rome in the summer isn't the most pleasant thing to do, I was able to get us at a nice hotel that allowed for some R&R after a long afternoon. Zuri finally made it to the hotel after not being able to communicate with me (I had no more minutes, he lost his phone). It took us a while to pick a place for dinner but we did, it wasn't amazing but I have never been the biggest fan of Italian food. After dinner, I joined Zuri on a night walking tour of the city, seeing everything I saw in the morning and afternoon all over again. It was a beautiful evening and seeing the lights of the Colliseum was just sooooo cool. We ended up walking into a free play at the Rome Forum which was also really cool. We walked and walked and walked and saw the city and it was great.

The next day we woke up as early as we could to see the Vatican City and stopped first at the Sistene Chapel which we dogdged groups and made our way there in a pretty good amount of time. All I can say is that I was taken to another place seeing that piece of art. I felt as if the images were reaching out and taking me into the painting back to where the scenes dipicted were. Now that sounds like an exageration, so I will say that it was really awesome. We walked around more, ate lunch at in Farmosa which I had a nice big plate of lasagna and loved it every bit. We eventually made it back to Naples. So to see the city of Rome and Naples, it was just so different. It's amazing how tourism does impact a place. Naples is trying to up its ante by attracting more people but it was definately a very unique 2 places to be.

I'll keep Capri short because I need to come back and fully experience it. I was trying to meet up with people but that didn't work out so I justed hiked and walked around myself. In the area where we ported, I took the funicular up to the city center and what I got off on was the Rodeo Drive/5th Avenue of Capri. It was all designer stores, expensive 5 star hotels and resorts and you could just smell money throughout the streets. I enjoyed my David time a lot walking down the hills and seeing the blue water so I need to come back and formulate my conclusion about it. For now the blue waters and hot sun cannot be beat.

Amsterdam

The difference you learn about a summer voyage compared to a fall or spring voyage is that you don’t have the luxury of in between time to unpack everything you experience from the prior port. Given that in many ways, I’m also on a more privilege itinerary meaning that aside from Russia and Turkey many of the countries I’ve visited either speak English so it makes communication easy and it’s relatively easy to navigate on your own. I know I’m saying this really early, but I definitely want to come back, this has truly been an amazing experience.

 

When I come to a new place that I have quiet prepared myself for, I get tense. I believe this is the type A personality in me but when I can let my guard down and remind myself that this is the purpose of the journey I find myself ready to learn, compare, and embrace. So a group of us headed over to Amsterdam, the city center right by the train station was busy and I wasn’t really impressed by the city. It wasn’t until after you leave the area that you find the true beauty of the canals, buildings that look slanted, and green trees lined up from sidewalk to sidewalk. Given that the city is built over water, the metro system runs street level and you really need to look left and right before crossing the streets since a train could easily take you with it if you weren’t careful as I very quickly learned while dodging cars, bicyclist, and trains. We all needed to use the restroom and Zuri who has lived in Belgium took us to a café that he knew of and surprisingly enough it was called the “420 café”. So walking in, you find a room that smelled of pot, it was like sitting in a hot box. I couldn’t handle the heavy smells and after using the restroom and looking around, I had to walk out. So given the heavy unregulated use of pot and drugs in Amsterdam, the café/bar sold only water, juice, and drugs. The menu was a list of drugs that you could buy, in order to not mix drugs and alcohol, they could sell one or the other. So that was lesson #1 in Amsterdam. Right across the alley was a pleasant surprise, “maoz”, a falafel restaurant that has found it’s way from Amsterdam/Europe to NYC. I had to try it out and it tasted exactly like the one back in NYC. To another pleasant surprise I ran into “Wok to Walk” which has also found it’s way to NYC. It was really cool to see how much of NYC has imported these unique stores from other countries and truly making it a global city. After eating Maoz, we found our way to the Red Light District. When you first enter it, it looks like any regular street in Amsterdam but boy was it different. Windows one after another with women dressed in bikini’s tapping at the window in hopes of grabbing attention of the patrons on the street. Many of the women were extremely attractive and you start to wonder why they would choose this profession. It was that same moment that I had to step away from my American centric mentality and viewpoint because similar to if they would visit the states, I’m sure there are going to be moments in which they question the values and behaviors. Mixed in between these windows were bars and sex show venues. Most places charged about 25 euros to enter and it would be watching live sex. As we strolled along the way the group of us are called out on the street by our students about 10 of them standing in front of one of the places. They had walked into what was a 2 euro for 2 minute venue where in about 12 doors that would then look into a frosted window until you deposit your 2 euros. At that time you are greeted with a man and woman having sex on a rotating bed. So that felt like the longest 2 minutes of my life. The awkwardness of watching but the even more uncomfortable feeling of being watched by the performers, it is an art in a way isn’t it? After walking out of the show, we all had comments about the action of, but we didn’t really talk about the feeling of. I had always heard about the red light district and while it was stepping out of my comfort zone, I am glad I did go and experience it rather than walk around passing judgments.

 

The red light district was located next to Chinatown so you walk through it to get to the Chinese community. I always enjoy seeing Chinatowns in all the neighborhood, it gives me a sense of comfort and that I could find a place to recharge even if it meant seeing people, street names also written in Chinese, and the smell of Chinese spices, not I didn’t mention the smell of food. We ate at a Chinese restaurant for dinner and while it wasn’t bad it wasn’t the bed that I’ve tasted, but it was okay I hadn’t had really sit down Chinese food in over a month which I don’t recall ever having done in my life so thankfully I got a taste of home. We walked around to the bars and ended up at this place called “club nasty” it wasn’t really that nasty, they had cheap Heineken beer so that’s all that mattered, by the way I’ve decided to try a beer in each country, yes David is drinking J it has actually been really cool and to see openair bars have been really cool. Being tired from the day, Marco and I called it quits early since we wanted to do some museums the next day so while the others went out more, we hailed our Mercedes taxi, the weirdest thing about Europe is that all the cabs here are nice leather seated Mercedes. Although we told ourselves that we were going to be waking up early, we didn’t get out of the hotel until around 9ish where we went to the Anne Frank House. I remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank when I was younger but only bits and pieces remained, so going through the museum and seeing first hand what, where, and who she was writing about was touching. The rest of the day was spent walking around and just being amongst the locals. I didn’t get to talk to any of them, but nonetheless it was some good times.

 

This  trip was mixed with lots of things, the food was great, the people were nice, the emotions ran in a myriad of directions. I look forward to talking to others who have been to Brussels, Amsterdam, Antwerp to hear about your perspectives. I miss the waffles and I learned that Belgium chocolate does not cause me headaches.

Antwerp and Brussels

So we were cleared to take the Kiel Canal from Denmark to get to Belgium which was really cool because for 11 hours I got to see a bit of Germany. We saw mainly land but right at the end of the canal before we hit the rocky waves of the North Sea we were greeted by the community along shore or more so we interrupted the festival that they were having. So while I never got off the ship, I saw a piece of Germany, hope that counts but I definately want to go back and visit.

The shipped docked in Antwerp which is the 2 largest city in Belgium with over 450,000 people. After doing the RD job of passing back passports, I left the ship with Laarni and Marco and along the way we made a new friend, more like a grandpa of sorts. We walked into city hall which we thought was a tourist office and looking lost an older man very enthusiastic and energtic approached us and asked where we were from. We told him we were a part of the ship and he got really excited as well. His name we learned was Jan, age 73 living out his retirement and just happened to be visiting the city, he lived on the other side of the river. Wow, his energy was beyond belief, he took the three of us on a private 2 hour tour of the city. We stopped for coffee at a really nice cafe which used to be a rich persons home converted into a cafe/restaurant, we know this because every rich home would have it's own private altar so that was really cool. Since it was a monday morning and we were looking for a waffle given that it was Belgium after three attempts at the authentic good stuff we find a place. It was like food heaven, a waffle topped with lots of fresh fruit including one orange looking item which I did not know what it was so it was really cool nonetheless. Jan has travelled the world, he spoke spanish, flemish, french, english, and more. He loves Thailand and spends many months there as well. He was a kind man and we really appreciated his hospitality. Lesson learned, get lost and maybe someone will stop and talk to you.

We headed back to the ship for a trip to Brussels! this city rocked as well. It was what I had imagined as the typical European city, it had more gothic cathedrals, smaller streets, lots of brickstone roads, and tourist! the other places were at least more calm...

getting sleepy, i knew this would happen...to finish tomorrow :)

Malmo and Copenhagen

The last day I took a train into Malmo where you cross this long bridge which I think is called the Osund but I could be messing that one up, i'm trying to write about the last few days. I really liked Sweden and Malmo was a smaller version of Copenhagen. What I really love about these countries is their emphasis on the environment. They all have these really cool self-guided walking tours that are eco-friendly based. To see what these countries are doing by adding bike paths and making it a priority that they don't leave behind a footprint is amazing. I walked through a park the size of central park, it was a beautiful day, I just got lost and kept wondering around. I ate lunch at a tiny cafe and had a salami and brie on a wheat baguette, it was really really tasty. I was there for about 4 hours so I just went from one place to another getting lost along the way. I would definately like to go back and explore stockholm and other places in Sweden but so far Norway, Sweden, and Denmark all have a 2 thumbs up for me :)

I Love Denmark

I love love love....I will write denmark a love song!!! so you could tell that I had a great time in denmark. The ship docked in a neighboring town of Korsor, population size 20,000 with one movie theater, a few small shops, but wonderful people. In doing my planning, many of us were not aware of the distance between Korsor and Copenhagen that many people did not plan ahead for hotels, hostels, how to get there, etc...luckily I bought a rail pass for Denmark since it was the cheapest and was able to take advantage of the benefits for it. so here's a run down of my 4 days in Denmark.

Day 1 July 8th: Once we were allowed to disembark, Kat, Laura, and I headed out for Copenhagen. We walked 3km to the train station, it took us an hour and we stepped out into the central station which in many ways resembled Grand Central Station in NYC. Walking out, the initial image of the city brought me to a calming peace. After the anxiety of St. Petersburg, I was extremely thrilled to just know from the moment I stepped foot into Copenhagen that I would have a great time. We walked to drop our bags off at our hotel located in the city hall area. It was the palace hotel which was being transitioned to a Le Meredien hotel. It was a beautiful room, I got to take a nice bath and sleep in a bed with a down comforter...little things I miss from my daily routine. So we walked around, lots of canals and bridges. The buildings were a mix of old and new. You could see the history mixed with the future. Again you'll see these in my pictures. We walked into Christiania which is a micronation. It was a truly unique experience. You have a very free spirit community of individuals who were enclosed in their time and space and visitors of the area were transiting into their space and time. There was a point of entry and a point of departure, makes you think about how we live in such open space. We saw the sights, everyone was biking and happy. We were told that the Danish were the happiest people in the world and you truly saw this energy in everyone you interacted with. Lots of beautiful attractive people who didn't really care about how they looked. Again the media of the US has created and embedded these images of beauty that to others they just don't care about. The Copenhagen International Jazz Festival was taking place during this time as well, so there were over 500+ performances, it was so awesome to get some food or grab a beer (10 dollars a pint/very expensive) and just listen to great music. Laura and I ended up at a jazz restaurant and we met Mark a fashion photographer who had such a great look at life. "life without expectations and pressure other than what you want is the life worth living." I love that and wished we could do that in the US. Oh back to the environmental issues...wow is all I can say. Recycling bins throughout the streets, more bikes than cars, green space, they care and recognize they need to shrink the footprint. They are concerned about the US and our role and I'm sadden that we don't do more in the states!

Day 2 July 9th: Today was focused on sightseeing and shopping. I only had until 6pm since I was on duty and needed to return to the ship by 8pm. Ate at a chinese restaurant and was able to use my chinese to probe and ask. They had operated the restaurant for over 40 years, the decoration similar to the styles in China back in the 1940s. Over 3 generations of operation. Not only did they maintain their chinese language, they spoke Danish and English! such a multicultural place.

Day 3 July 10th: I went back to Copenhagen with a stop into Sweden going to Malmo. I'm tired of typing so i'll write about this in a little while!!!

Fourth of July in St. Petersburg and also the 5th

So to continue on with my last post. The fourth of July started with me joining Marco, Justin, Kristen, Zuri, and Megan at the Hermitage. We left early because the lines are ridiculous so we left around 830am and walked across the bridge. Before getting there, we saw a baby bear with his with a man and it kinda sucked that the bear was being exploited, he was trained by someone at a circus but his mouth had a guard over it and he looked kinda sad. If people paid money, they would pet him and take a picture. There's always a fine line to walk as a tourist in a different country and having to negotiate the values and ethics that you're used too, at this moment, what ran through my head was that I most likely would never be able to be in such a close proximity with a bear, although I only watched from a distance I did take a few pictures of others with him. You'll see it in the pictures. So I like museums but it's not really my thing, I enjoy seeing it but the Hermitage was a like beauty in the beast. This palace had hundreds of rooms and was large! so imagine that with just rooms filled with art. It was beautiful to look at but overwhelming and exhausting at the same time. It was more of a tourist attraction than a museum. It wasn't well maintained or designed, at least to the standards of other places that I've been too and seen. The walls were dirty, the air conditioner was not on, you had Da Vinci's next to a window that wasn't covered. It was just pictures next to another. I lasted about 1.5 hours and just couldn't handle to massive tour groups in there. After the Hermitage, we found our way to this cafe called the "The Tea Room" it was absolutely delicious, our group ordered a bunch of blintze that were filled with cottage cheese, apples and cinnamon, strawberries, yum yum yum is all I say about that. By this time we were having food coma and tired, plus the group planned on going to another Ballet. I had a ticket but luckily I convinced Kristen to take it while I would hold the duty while she was there.

The night was uneventful and Laarni, Kat, Laura, and I decided that we needed to do the 1:15am-3am white nights boat tour around St. Petersburg. So I got to see the city in the day on foot and boat with Dean and Sarah and then was able to do it again at night. It was just beautiful, peaceful and serene mixed with loud and busy. It seems like a complete contradiction but I can make sense of it. You just block the rest of the world out and see yourself and your friends and the city nights all to yourself!

Coming back to the ship at 3am was upsetting and scary. I won't go into details but outside of the dock is an open air bar where most of the students were drinking. A fight broke out where the locals were running into the streets and a guy who got beaten up really badly. At some point a gun was seen. So rather than slowly make their way onto the ship, they were just there. We went to let them know that we encouraged them to get into the ship because the police were being called and if stories about what we heard were true those that listened were smart. But that was upsetting nonetheless, lots of drinking that were uncontrolled and just added to the image of what others see American's as. We can talk in person about this more!

I stayed up with Marco, Kat, to help Kristen out with duty, it was a pretty hectic night and found myself in bed about 5:30am. The next day was very relaxing and peaceful, we just did one last round of shopping, dropped off postcards at the post office, had lunch and I came back to prepare for the BBQ that we had on the ship that night!

okay so that in a nutshell was St. Petersburg. Lots to do and unpack, I went through lots of emotions here, fear, excitement, embarrassment, serenity, laughter, and lots more!!! 

see pictures soon

Happy 4th of July

Wow,

It's been almost a full week since my last post and a lot a lot has happened so i'll try to recall as much of it! The theme of our summer voyage is Russia and the West and so the entire curriculum is inter-weaved to ensure that in our ports, global studies class, and focus is on how Russia impacts or is impacted by the other places we are visiting. The day before we arrived in Russia, we had no classes and it was "russia day". There was a series of presentations, language workshops, and cultural information to help us prepare for the experience. First the positives: I went to a workshop put on by Photo Mike, the ships photographer and it really made me rethink how I approach my photography. He talked about space and how we need to be culturally sensitive when we're taking pictures. At what point are we disrupting the lives of others for our own benefit. I loved it and want to do this presentation when I get back. I'm going to talk to him about whether he'll let me do something similar! Now the not so good, there has been  a huge emphasis on safety and I completely agree with it but there was a heightened warning about zenophobia and racism especially towards people of Asian/South Asia/Darker Skin. So when you have a small population of staff and students who are of color, this did not make my arrival into St. Petersburg very exciting. I was freaked out to be by myself and travel the streets and at one point asked for someone to escort me to the subway station.

The first day we arrived was a mess, we had to get our passports stamped by customs which took a total of over 3 hours waiting in line. A lot of students missed the scheduled tours that were to take off 3 hours earlier. Nonetheless, my first trip that I signed up for was to visit a russian family. Along with 7 other students we visited the home of a ex-ballet dancer and her mother. She also has a daughter who was away at university. We were greeted with tea and desserts which was fantastic. She has made the napolean herself the morning off. We talked about where we were from and the stereotypes we had about Russians and vice versa. The only barrier was that none of us spoke Russian and she did not speak English. We had a translator there and she helped us explain everything. I'm not sure where the home was located but it was a fairly large apartment built in the 1800's. That was the best part of it, rich history. Along with the cultural experience, what I was able to walk away with was a revisit of the privilege that I have. I'm so fortunate to have a nice home and sometimes there's too much value put on making the place look good that I forget that some of the most simple things can do just fine. So that was great!!! 

The next thing I had planned was the Russian Ballet and so after returning from the Russian Home visiting, grabbing a quick bite to eat, we headed off to the theatre to see SWAN LAKE. I was blown away!!! it was the most beautiful and moving piece I've seen. The talent on stage was amazing! The theatre felt like a theatre, we dressed up and I put on my suit, we had our own box of 4 chairs and it was shaped like a U. The only problem was that it was not air conditioned and really hot. I almost passed out a few times so other than that it was great!!! After I got home I had a huge headache which I tried to get rid off but had to assist with an incident that happened the morning off so for the rest of the second day my muscle was tight and I walked around not feeling so well.

Day 2 in St. Petersburg! I woke up after not getting a full nights rest and having to assist with the incident to meet up with Sarah and Dean who were in town for a conference and celebrating their honeymoon. We went by the Church of Spilled Blood and had lunch at a cafe eating Beef Stroganoff. Sarah ran into a small injury which made it difficult for her to walk around the city and I had a headache so we called it a day! I went back to the ship to sleep off my headache and after feeling better, Megan, Kristyn, Zuri and I went to dinner looking for a Georgian restaurant but ended up eating amazing sushi!. Sushi is a national dish so being close to the water, it was fantastic some of the best that I've eaten!!! We then met up with John, Caroline, Sarah (another person on ship) and went to a few bars! Carl and Abbey showed up and enticed me to join them for a 1:15am boat tour of St. Petersburg (at night the bridges go up so that ships can go past it, St. Petersburg is known as Venice of the North so lots of canals and bridges). We ran for our lives to get there but missed it by 1 minute, how awful is that! In Russia, pedestrians do not have the right of way so at points we were dodging cars! Not only did we miss the boat tour, we missed the window to cross the bridge back to the ship so we needed to wait it out until 3am to cross over. During that period of time, we got food at Hotel Astoria the swankiest hotel here in St. Petersburg. I just had fries but it was too salty. When it came time to either getting over the bridge during our 30 minute window or waiting until 5am, the hotel hailed a cab for us, one that we were told never to take but it worked out and we got over the bridge and I got to go to bed!

Day 3 I met up with Sarah and Dean again, we had lunch and because of Sarah's injury and wanting to walk close we ate at a sushi restaurant as well. go figure I come to Russia to eat sushi! After that Sarah said let's take a boat tour and for 20 dollars we got to see all of St. Petersburg on water. It was definitely really pretty and we got to see everything!!! I parted ways with Sarah and Dean but it was great to see a familiar face so far away! They went back to Paris to finish up their honeymoon! I was so tired from walking around the city that I just stayed local, we finally ate at a Georgian restaurant and the food was amazing. The flavors were rich and refreshing, it was like a mix of all types of cusines. LOVED IT! 

I'm tired now so I'm going to stop writing and will post about today later! sorry, this is extremely long and unedited

This isn't easy

Last night when we were pulling away from the dock of Bergen I was rushing with lots of different emotions. The most prevalent was sadness. It's funny how a few days could go by so quickly and being the Type A personality that I am, I was freaking out about August 22nd when I get off the ship and head back to NYC. 

After the trip to see Ole Bull's home I had to head back for duty. I had one incident which was really nice because you really need to think creatively about how to support the students when you have limited access to services. So that morning I woke up, had lunch, laid out, and then went and saw more of Bergen. I took John and Marco shopping at the place that I bought my jacket and shirt. It's almost like G Star but way cheaper. During this second visit in which Marco went back and forth with the items he picked, and John being the high roller and buying a cool pair of Jeans and a Sweater both which was not flattering on my growing gut (which I worked so hard to try to maintain/lose during my last few months in NYC). This time we also became friends with the sales person. His name is Ivan whose an international relations student at the University of Oslo. He's interested in studying abroad in the US so we talked about schools. He invited us to watch the Russia vs. Spain game at a local bar and which I had no interest in futbol, it was a really cool sight to see. It's not as intense as US football games, people were excited but not going crazy. We then headed to a bar where Charlotte, Ivan's girlfriend who joined us at this piano bar called "The Scotsman". People were dancing to the music and the piano man knew every song. The music was in English which I found in my conversations with Ivan and Charlotte who also spoke perfect english that Norway residents take English classes after the 3rd grade, so for them English is the second language spoke in classes. We got into conversations about the US politics which really opened my eyes into how the rest of the world may be interested more so in our politics than some of our own people. Nonetheless, there was a lot of eye opening conversations that I had! We ended up going to a club where all our students were also at and only stayed for a little bit. It was great to see a mix and diversity of people in the room. There were no stares that often times happen in the US when you walk in with someone. 

We got home at 3ish, I went to bed at 4ish and woke up the next morning at 10am because I didn't want to waste my last day away in Bergen. Laarni took us to this cafe that was off the city center that was really nice. I ordered a toasted bagel with creme cheese, pepperoni, and mango...talk about a combination!!! you should totally try it out in the states and tell me if it was good!!!

Ivan met up with us again, we walked around, and then we had to head onto the ship. I hope to keep in touch with Ivan and Charlotte and invited the two of them to NYC to visit! I'm not sure if I'll open up all these invitations but the two of them were individuals who I felt an instant connection with! I think it was their open minded welcome that made me feel that this world is full of good people...you just need to find them and sometimes when your shopping.

Check out facebook for updated pictures!!! More in a few days when I arrive in Russia...so nervous but really excited!!!

David

Bergen Norway (Norge)

God Dag (go dahg),

Havordan har du det? (Vordan hahr doo day?) (How are you?) Over the last week we've been introduced to key phrases in Norwegian so that we would be able to communicate with the locals. We are told that they are one of the nicest people you would meet and showing a genuine interest in attempting to speak in Norwegian will allow for new friendships to form. This is very true, it gives you a moment to reflect on the type of people we interact with on a daily basis in the US and in many ways, I'm disappointed that we aren't nicer and in a society where people get along.

So, we arrived into Bergen at 6am on Tuesday 6/23. As a ritual, everyone wakes up super early that morning to watch the "pilot boat" drop of the port pilot that would then help the captain steer us into the dock. So by the time I got up at 5:30am, only having gone to bed at 1am, I was excited to see the students, faculty, and staff get together to experience the arrival together. It was a very special moment that I don't think I've had or ever experience except "check in" morning. So many of the pictures that you see in this "Bergen" album is from the early morning. As we slowly move in you see the shoreside properties. It was interesting that in the starboard side we would see houses that looked like we were in New England and on the port side houses that look like I was in Laguna Beach. So we headed off to breakfast because a diplomat would be giving us a briefing. Norway history is really unique and cool, I would go into detail but just know that they are one of the riches countries in the world. Cost will be another topic of discussion as I sum up my current expenses in Norway.

So we finally got clearance to leave the ship and since I had to lead a trip at 12pm, I only had 2 hours to try to walk around the city. A bunch of us walked off, only to be greeted with rain. Bergen is famous for its fish including (whale meat) which is another discussion about values. I'm not sure where I stand with it, I think I've only recently in the few years become more environmentally conscious, so I'll have to think about it some more and then formulate an opinion. What was interesting about it was that the US doesn't agree with Norway's practice on whaling but then they don't agree with our stance on the War in Iraq, so everyplace will have it's own opinions and values.

I think i'm jumping a bit as I try my best to contain all the info. Laarni and I split up with the large group because people just wanted to walk around and we entered a cafe. As we got the courage to practice our Norwegian, they ended up speaking to us in English which made things all so much easier. We had coffee at this "cafe spelled kafe" and I ordered the best Caramel Macchiato that I've ever tasted before. Starbucks, as much as I love you cannot compare with the authenticity of a nice drip coffee with a layer of foam. As I was sitting in the kafe, I really tried to soak in my environment. The decoration was very modern with colorful paintings. Everyone was mainly by themselves enjoying their cup of coffee. To the right of me, against the wall sat a man in his late 30s who just had an expression of thought. One look or in my case, staring at him, I caught a glimpse of emotion. Sometimes I forget to just take a moment to look and in this case I got that chance to.

I was running late as I was heading back to the ship and was freaked out about missing the tour but I made it with a few minutes to spare after doing a costume change since my clothes were soaked wet. The tour was scenic and beautiful, it gave us a historical perspective of the city which was nice, we ended the tour by going to the top of Mount Floien which is a classic attraction. We rode this cart like we were going up a rollercoaster and from the top had a picture perfect moment of the entire city. It reminded me of my visit to Chiang Mai in2006. I think being able to see the city from that perspective allows for you to appreciate the beauty.

After getting back, the group decided to meet up for dinner. We soon learned that traveling in a large group would be nearly impossible and not the best idea. After having a slight disagreement, the group split and went in separate ways. This wasn't a bad thing and we were all okay with it. We ate a pub and it was really nice, the server was friendly and helped answer questions. I was exhausted by the end of the day and after unwinding from the night, caught some sleep.

I almost slept over my trip today, luckily I wasn't the trip or bus leader so I didn't feel bad that I was running late. We went to the island of Lysoen where we visited the home of Ole Bull who is a famous violinist from the 1800s. He is also popular with the US as he was in Europe. His home was beautiful. It had a mixture of many cultures and countries. The outside of it looked like mix of russia, india, and the US. The inside living room where we had our orientation had carved wood from floor to ceiling that was made of pine from the trees on that island. Read more about it if you're interested.

Sorry my hands are getting tired of type. The last thing I would leave you with is that I need to start a "Norway" consummed my budget fund. Everything is really really expensive. A soda is 6 dollars, coffee is 5-6 dollars, and a meal is about 20-30 dollars for simple things. I think I've spent over 100 dollars just on food.

Okay if my hands are not sore, I will try to type some more later.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=40936232&l=92a19&id=813178

David

Pictures Finally

I finally got it to upload, so click on this link if you don't have facebook to check out my pictures. mainly sunsets as i've been on water for the last 6 days.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2324333&l=240a8&id=813178

So in the last few days the weather has gone from rocky to soothing to rocky. I feel like a baby in a rocking chair or crib going back and forth back and forth causing me to feel nothing but a desire to sleep sleep and sleep. Last night we had our first talent show and first large program after a night of monitoring 400+ students at our "pub night". They are allowed up to 4 drinks per night. So we stand, we mingle, and we make sure they follow the rules. For the most part the students on the trip have been great. This experience has reminded me of why I love doing what I do. It's just interesting to be back in the halls again when NYU's system is so unique in its setup. The talent was hilarious, we have piano playing (without sheet music), guitar, dance, poetry. A wide range of raw talent. I also advise the various student groups and that's really cool, I enjoy these student initiated events.

so enough about work, how's david doing? I'm doing great, while its hard to stay in my room for long periods of time, i'm pretty into a routine, getting 6-7 hours of sleep a night but then the day just goes and this job by no means is easy. I feel challenged to think about how I do things given the limits and resources that I have on the ship since we ain't getting any special deliveries from birds or anything. 

My first stop again is in Bergen, tonight we should be passing the tip of Ireland and England, and we'll be in on Tuesday at 8am. I have some trips planned including hiking, city orientation, and meeting some of the locals. It will be interesting to be in a place that I finally don't speak the language of. It's really expensive in Norway so we'll see how much eating out I do, but if someone could send me some pad thai with no bean sprouts that would be greatly appreciated. While the food is not bad on the ship, David's high taste buds is really itching right now. I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks, if feels so much longer than that!

Still At Sea!

So we're still at sea! we left sunday night and now I believe it's thursday so 5 more days until we see land. So what have I seen in the last few days, the weather has been a hit or miss, yesterday there was about 4 hours of sun time where I was able to splash on the tanning oil and lay on the deck to get some sun but then in the evening we started seeing 20 foot waves, sometimes coming up to the 7th deck which is a bit scary. Remember I can't swim! It's pretty rocky right now, students are running out of class and throwing up left and right...not a pretty sight but needing to be supportive you ask and offer your help. So the water is a mix of grey and blue, it depends where the sun is shining. if you look to the left you see grey but then to the right blue! interesting I think not!!! what else, so there are birds that live in the water before they fly, i did not know that. We thought we were close to land but the ships info says we won't see land for about 1700 more miles and we roughly cover 350 miles a day! There was also lots of dolphins!!! that was a pretty cool sight to see. They were in sync as they traveled together in a pack. The last time I saw dolphin's was my trip with Maya, Sue, Gary to the Bahamas but the dolphin's were part of a show and they weren't really "natures beauty". So that's pretty much all. Other than that, I love my residents, they are some of the coolest people that I've met. Makes me rethink my interactions with my residents when I go back to NYU and how to reshape the interactions to really engage in more meaningful conversations! sorry i'm using exclamation marks alot...okay have to run to class. While a requirement, it's kinda cool to be back in school in a sense. We have to take the "global studies" class that everyone takes but you learn and prep for the trip. Can't wait to see the first place, I feel like it's been sooooooo long since I left but really it's been about 2.5 weeks, odd!

Exhausted But Excited

Today was the big day, the students boarded the ship and we set sail for Bergen, Norway. It was filled with excitement knowing that within every step the students took while wandering the ship or meeting new people, there was a common experience. You look a residence hall and you may not get this type of excitement. Aside from running around, meeting residents, we hit the waves again and as I type the bed is shaking. After finally getting all the students on board and most of the luggage, we set sail at 7pm or 1900 hour. We had our first sea meeting that's how the divide up the deck and I'm in charge of the "caribbean sea". I have about 87 residents in my sea and I feel like an RA all over again at opening day. I think of them I have about 15 names down but I still have lots to do. I'm in charge of running our activities fair, I'm pretty much in charge of an OSA type project. I help to set up clubs, run our large programs, and advise the students. I have a student who is already interested and will be putting on a production of the play "a doll house". We have college bowls, talent shows, and many fun events that I have yet to come up with. I'm going to crash any minute now. They extended the internet into the room, but i'm still going to try to limit the use!

Picture Updates!

So for some reason i can't post my pictures on blogger right now and facebook isn't working either. i may have to wait until i get to an internet cafe in bergen before i can share my pictures. so i attempted at writing a haiku about the serene beauty of the Halifax Hudson today but that didn't really sound that great. It was extremely windy this windy today so walking out in flip flops wasn't the best idea. But another day of training, learning more about my job but also realizing that 1 day translates more to about 3 days here or maybe more. It's already friday, we have to wrap up training, we have a parents reception tomorrow evening and then 7am the students move onto the ship...sounds familiar doesn't it :) well at least to my res life friends. It's really surreal, i think i've said that before, i won't lie to say that the hotel like feeling is definitely going away and i'm thinking about home, my bed, but mostly my comforter. it's fun and all but a sheet over a thermal blanket isn't necessarily my idea of comfort hence the name we call out fluffy blankets. so you all are most likely telling me "wah wah" but seriously, i'm having a great time and i'm sure these are the same emotions my residents will feel when we hit day 2 or 3 on sea. I signed up for a few more trips and the faculty are really amazing. This floating campus is really cool and it puts into perspective another view of faculty in residence. So what am i doing now, i most likely will be doing some work and maybe go out with the other ppl for drinks but i'm not sure. i know you want to hear about my travels but for now you can hear about my day to day on sea!

Dinner in Halifax

I know I know you want pictures...last night when I got back from dinner and watching the Lakers v. Celtics (not really) I did upload my pictures and sorted a few that I'll be posting really soon onto the blog.

So after a long day of training which was really cool to hear the history of semester at sea and where it's been and going...I found out that NYU was an academic sponsor of the a similar program in the early 1920s! so i'm pumped and ready. I have a total of 87 residents in my "sea", I'm in charge of the residents living in the "carribean sea" so last night I was trying to decide to go with the English pronunciation or the American pronuciation of it...what do you all think I should do??? We ate dinner at this restaurant called "little fish" it used to be an old art school where the author of "Anna and the King" used to write so that was a little cool fact of how old the building was. The menu was mainly seafood (fish) and for those that know me, you know that I'm not really a fish fan but it's food and it was different than ship food which I had eaten many many consecutive meals I needed a change. The special of the evening was shark and I had to pass on that one but many of the others got the special and enjoyed the shark meat. I went with a pan seared scallops that was delicious! and a bowl of Grilled Corn and Crab Chowder...that was okay, but combined together it was great! It was the right portion for a good meal. not too little not to much. we have more training and tomorrow they have are doing a parents reception so i have to switch into that mode but i definately want another meal!

Day 2 and 3

It's amazing how you can lose track of time so quickly. It was a rocky night entering Halifax, waves crashing pretty loud and the night was spent rocking, however it was soothing nonetheless. I made it through my first night on water and when we arrived in Halifax we walked around downtown. I found a vietnamese pho restaurant and the group ate there for lunch. It wasn't the best, they used dried noddles rather than fresh ones but knowing that I wasn't going to be having access to my favorite comfort foods and spices I needed one last kick. After doing a bit of shopping, I come across my favorite but addictive past time: a casino. I tried not to but I couldn't resist the temptation so I went but only for about an hour. I lost some money decided that I wasn't going to gamble for the rest of the trip and focus on seeing the city. Oops I need to back track a little. During our walk of downtown Halifax, we stopped by the Halifax Citidale which was really cool. But we didn't go in! After doing what I love to do best, negotiating with the cashier to consider us a group, he kindly offered the group price, but the interest wasn't there. I saw pictures of it and recommend it to others. Moving back, before entering the casino, we stopped by a coffee shop that had a really good raisin scone so I had some afternoon tea to prep me for the gaming that would happen right after that.

We returned to the ship to eat dinner and meet up with the others that didn't go on to the casino. Afterwards, we wandered back into the city, and had drinks at a local bar, listened to some live music, and ate pizza with ranch dressing. The night ended with me moving to my permanent room and unpacking all my belongings.

Today (wednesday) was the night that I had a somewhat decent schedule until the intercom in our room went off at 8am to inform us that we were to not smoke on the deck while they were refuling the ship. But one message was not enough, a second one came about an hour later and no more sleep was to be had by dpe. I decided that I needed to change up my routine given that these next 2.5 months would offer me time to do some reflecting...so the first thing I decided I would do was the run along the harbor. The morning jog was really nice, serene, calming, but cold. Since i haven't run outdoors in a while, it was pretty hard on my lungs, but i hope to do it a few times a week or when i'm in port at the different countries. this way I could say I ran my way through Europe.

Tonight after our orientation meeting and dinner, we decided to take a stroll along the harbor to get ice cream at "COW's" a pretty neat place, but prior to arriving, we saw a bunch of younger kids running on what was a wave, it's hard to decribe, i'll put pictures up. So all of us decided to run up, I barely made it, but I did but getting down was the hardest. I decided I would pretend it was a slide and slide down only to find my face biting the dirt. Again, pictures to follow! Decided to pay one last visit to the casino since others were interested in playing and walked away with being up 40 dollars! go wheel of fortune, I got a spin.

Okay so you're like David thanks for the play by play...really how is it. It's definately been long, I feel like each day is like a week passing by. The RDs and now we've looped the TAs into our social group have been spending time socializing and getting to know each other. I think knowing that our time is physically capped at these next 72 days, we want to cherish the moments and experiences. I'm still me and have been me with them...my humor continues to bring on punches and reminders of what I said later in conversations so I guess they remember what I say!

Anyhoo...we have training all day tomorrow, not sure how much to report. I think we're going to eat at one of the local restaurants (seafood yum) tomorrow night so I will definately post pictures up.

I'm struggling to select my favorite picture so i'll put a few but you gotta have facebook in order to see it :)

dpe

The First 18 Hours

As I type I’m trying to not letting the vibrating monitor get to me too much. So I boarded the ship about 1pm in NY and we officially left the dock at 5:30ish. As I sailed past Chelsea Piers, Downtown NY, the Statue of Liberty, I felt for a moment this isn’t so bad but when that those images started fading away, it finally kicked in that I was really going away on this “journey of a lifetime” as the Semester at Sea website states on its main page. When we sailed pass, Brooklyn then Staten Island and started seeing nothing but water it really kicked, but what really got me was the churning in the stomach and the desire to do nothing but hold onto my chair, close my eyes, and tell myself that I was not getting sick. Since I thought I wouldn’t get sea sick, I decided not to pack any medicine, but luckily, Laarni shared her Dramamine and for the rest of the night I drank club soda and lime. So the people here are fantastic!!! It’s nice to be at a place where when I say I’m the RD they get excited for me. Right now the ship is on an “Alumni Voyage” where past participants could sail from NYC to Halifax and the stories they have to share, their experiences just ignite that fire and thirst to explore and reflect. The ship is beautiful and when you walk up the stair wells, they have these really cool quotes that do make you think about what you’re about to embark on. The food has been good but I’m not sure if that’s the case for all the meals. We get the next few days to just relax and meet people which has been really cool. There are 5 out of the 8 RDs on the ship right now and we’ve been hanging out, (thanks to facebook) allowing for us to make connections prior to the start of this trip so that the ice has already been broken in a sense. So hopefully it will warm up in a bit so that I can lay out and catch some sun.

Ciao for now!