Love is...

My supervisor Drew, who is also an LLC, was going around today getting people to write "Love is..." and then their definition of what love is on these pieces of paper. He is the Intercultural Competency and Diversity LLC on the ship, so as one of his programs he's making a wall that says, "Love is not a man and a woman. Love is..." and then it has everybody's responses under it. I think that is so cool. I saw some people's responses, and they ranged from serious to funny to sad. I'm really exciting to see it all together. I wrote, "Love is...accepting yourself for who you are." Drew told me it was really good. That made me smile.

 

I survived the Hunger Banquet, having only rice and water until late night snack time (which was past the 24 hour mark). It went well, and I was able to educate quite a few people about why I was doing what I was doing. There was a relatively good turnout for those who were participating.

 

Today was really busy in terms of work. I had a stack of letters to address and deliver to people's doors. There was literally about 75. It took me quite some time to deliver them all, but it was a nice workout! I had to then compose an email and sent it out to this list of people, and I have to make two more to send at various times tomorrow.

 

In Race, Class, and Gender today we watched a video called "Class Dismissed" about television's influence on people's ideas of class, as well as other identities. It was definitely interesting.

 

I was not able to have my dinner with Staci tonight because she was really sick. Hopefully we will be able to get together tomorrow.

 

Sorry this was not a very good blog post. Today was not a very exciting day overall. Hopefully tomorrow will be. It is our last day at sea before Morocco, which is exciting, but also terrifying at the same time since Morocco is our last port. I'm trying not to think about it.

Good Morning World

I woke up earlier than normal this morning because we've gained an hour two days in a row. I decided to take a walk around the ship and see who or what I could run into. I ended up in the campus store, where I started talking to the lady who works in there, Yvonne. I had an wonderful conversation with her. She is from Jamaica, and she has been working for SAS since 2002. I asked her how many countries she has been to over the years, and she said that it was hard to keep track after 53. How incredible. She was telling me about her life and how she got to where she is today working with SAS. I asked her what it is like to be disconnected and away from family and home for so long. The crew doesn't get free internet access. Can you imagine being on a ship for 9 month periods of time without free internet access? It made me so sad that that isn't provided for them. Yvonne was also telling me about how her sister is planning on sailing as a student for the 2012 Maymester Voyage, and what a huge deal this was for her. She said that people often use the fact that they are from Jamaica as a reason not to persue their dreams. "Oh, I'm from Jamiaca, this doesn't apply to me. I won't be able to do this." Yvonne's sister was determined and is making it become a reality. It touched my heart because it is paralleled to my story, but she is coming from an even more disadvantaged position. Yvonne told me that she was planning on sending her sister her bank card so that she could help her out. It really restored my faith in humanity of the world. Here is this woman who doesn't make a great deal of money, who is making sacrifices to allow her sister to persue her dreams. I just thought that was so special. I wish I had the money to even be able to help her out a little bit.

 

I had the best time chatting with Yvonne. It continues to amaze me how much I can grow and learn just from encountering different people on this ship.

 

When I left my room this morning, I looked out the window and the ocean was a deep blue with a sky to match. I came back about a half hour later, and now the ocean is an ominous grey with no color in the sky. Crazy how fast it can change.

 

I'm going strong on my Hunger Banquet. It's hard with the time change because I woke up earlier than I normally would, and now I'll have to wait longer to have my rice. I can do it though. Millions of people around the world face much worse than this everyday.

 

I have two hours before my first class, so I think I'm going to try to knock out some papers before then. I'll update again before I go to bed tonight.

SAS Talent Show, Hunger Hurts, & Our CLEAN Cabin

Great news!!! I got an 86 on my Global Studies exam!! Normally I would not be this thrilled about that grade, but because it is Global Studies and I thought I failed it, I am very pleased.

 

I am so stressed out with school. I have so much work and so little time. So many papers...

 

As of tomorrow, there will only be 2 weeks left of my voyage. I can't think about it or I'll start crying. I can't believe it really is almost over. What a whirlwind this summer has been. I have never missed anything the way I will miss this once it's gone. Ths is the most special place with the most special people. My heart lives here.

 

Tonight was the SAS Talent Show, and it was so much fun. There were all kinds of acts...singers, dancers, slam poets, commedians, skits, kids, students, adults. It was great. I had such a great time. I love the events where the whole ship is in the Union, and you can feel the sense of community. It's wonderful.

 

Until 7pm tomorrow I will be unable to eat or drink anything other than rice and water. I am participating in a Hunger Banquet to raise awareness for the large population across the world that goes hungry everyday. The main problem is that I'm already hungry, and I won't be able to eat until lunch tomorrow because knowing me I will sleep through breakfast. The other problem is that I'm supposed to get dinner with Staci tomorrow, and it's kind of a bummer than I can't get real food or a glass of wine. I'll survive though. It's for the starving children of the world. I have a really cool sticker that my supervisor Drew made with the SAS logo on it and big bold letters saying, "HUNGER HURTS." It's supposed to get people's attention so I can spread awareness about the cause.

 

ALSO...BREAKING NEWS!!! CABIN 4138 IS CLEAN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY!!! Kendra, Amanda, and I went to work last night and cleaned the entire cabin. It is amazing. We have a floor, a desk, a table, and a nightstand!! Who would have known those were there under the piles of stuff? Edwin, our cabin steward, was so proud. He is getting off the ship in Morocco (the crew works for 9 month periods and then they get some time off), to go back home to the Filipines to be with his family. I am going to miss him very much. He is absolutely the sweetest man, not to mention everything he puts up with between me and my roommates. Edwin is also the world's best bed maker. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I don't have him to make my bed for me anymore.

 

Oh! And also! Today I made my favorite purchase of the trip from the campus store!!!! I got a stuffed MV Explorer!! It's like a stuffed animal, but it's my ship! It looks just like it too! I felt like I was 4 years old with the giant smile I had on my face when I bought it, but I don't care because it's awesome. It will be nice to have when I'm missing SAS. I love my little stuffed ship!

 

We're gaining another hour tonight, which is great. I am loving the amount of sleep I am getting. I would be down with 25 hour days all the time.

SAS Auction, Feeling Beautiful, & the Disaster of a Cabin that is 4138

Well my Global Studies exam went horribly. Most of the people I talked to said they felt the same way, so hopefully there will be a decent curve. I know I didn't get an A on it, but it will be alright.

 

I've come to realization that I walk more on this ship than I do on AU's campus. I am always climbing stairs or walking back and forth from the opposite ends of the ship. Today especially involved a ton of walking as I was delivering info packets to people's doors all over the ship. Between all of the walking on the ship and the enormous amount of walking in the countries, I have gotten in such great shape. I have never felt better about myself and my body image than I do now. It is so liberating. To actually be able to look in the mirror and feel beautiful is the most amazing feeling. I know there's a lot of people who would be really proud of me for that. I'm proud of myself for that.

 

Tonight was the SAS Shipboard Silent and Live Auctions. It was so much fun. When we first got there, one of the staff members was talking about how the SAS community is a family, and then they had scripted this guy in the audience to get up from his chair and say, "You know what, SAS really is a family." We Are Family started playing, disco lights came on, and a flash mob of selected people spread throughout the entire audience started doing a choreographed line dance. By the end of the song the entire room was up dancing. It was fabulous. It also stuck a note with me because SAS really is my family. The friends I have made on this trip will be my best friends for life, my professors have opened my eyes to so many new ways of thinking and learning, my supervisors are two of the most amazing people you could ever meet, various other staff members have touched my heart in so many ways. This is my home. This is my family. I have an infinite amount of love and appreciation for Semester at Sea.

 

Anyway...They were auctioning off the funniest things, such as getting warm cookies and milk delivered by one of the LCC's (Living-Learning Coordinatiors...RA's basically) with a bedtime story, taking a bubble bath in the dean's office (who know the dean had a bubble bath in her office...), getting to blow the horn when we arrive in Boston, getting to steer the ship, getting to pick the menu for the entire ship, getting to be the dean for a day, various lodging for vactions all over the world, a private dance lesson by a 9 year old dance sensation on the ship, etc. It absolutely amazed me how much money some of these kids were dropping. So many items went for over $1,000, some for over $2,000. I can't even fathom being able to throw out that kind of money at 21. While it disgusts me in theory, it made me very happy tonight as all of the money was going toward providing the next generation of students with the possibility of the SAS experience, and I believe that this should be accessible to every student with the dream. I know I wouldn't be here without the generous donations of others.

 

On a completely different note, you know how I always mention what a disaster our cabin is and how we feel so terrible for our steward? Well...today we got a letter saying that our cabin was inspected again, and this time under the notes section it said, "Your room is very messy and cluttered. It is difficult for your cabin steward to maintain." Guess which three girls are spending the night cleaning...

 

GREAT NEWS: We gain an hour back tonight! Woo! 25 hour days!!

An Insanely Busy, Incredibly Inspiring Day

Today has been utter maddness. In fact, it will continue to be utter maddness until I am finally able to go to bed.

 

In addition to having all of my classes today, I had an essay to complete for tonight, an enormous list of names to type up for work-study, studying to do for my Global Studies midterm tomorrow, the TEDx event, and the Global Amassadors informational session to go to for work. Crazy day! It's 2230 and I still have to study for my midterm.

 

Despite the fact that today has been the busiest and most stressful day of my life, it has also been one of the most inspiring and profound days of my trip. It's funny to think how even the days when I'm not in the countries are able to be just as important and impacting.

 

Lately I have been struggling with the need for a role model who models all of my aspirations, embodies the same spirit, and has the same passions as me. I've been needing someone to look up to, someone to push me, someone who can be my friend and my mentor. Today, it was as if the universe was on my side. During my Race, Class, and Gender class, three staff members came to talk about their different identities (ie race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.) impact their experience in their professions. One of them was one of the Assistant Coordinators for the Dependent Children Program on board. Her name is Staci, and I had met her at the very beginning of the voyage. As she spoke and talked about herself, her life, and her work, it was as if she was talking about me. Everything she said reflected who I am or who I want to be. She is the perfect example of a strong woman, a quality I highly admire and very much aspire to obtain. Listening to her speak, I have never felt more validated about my identities, even those that I sometimes struggle with. I knew that she would be the absolute perfect role model and mentor for me. After class, I went and talked to her. Even just the 15 minutes we talked for was so beneficial for me. We are going to start getting together for meals, a glass of wine, just for the fun of it, etc. I am ecstatic. Staci is exactly what I need in my life.

 

Today was also the very first TEDxSemesterAtSea event! It was awesome. The theme was "Live with Purpose, Work with Purpose, Travel with Purpose," and they had two professors speak, two students play the piano, two students speak, and they broadcasted a stream of a speaker from the TEDxDubai event. The most profoundly inspiring talk was from the theatre professor on the ship. He talked about the importance of storytelling, and how he uses it as a tool for inspiration through the theatre. He talked about how biologically humans across the world are 99.9% similar; we are all the same. We are the same as MLK, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Hitler, Stalin, Kobe Bryant, Shakira, etc. We are all one. Through his theatre, he created an incredible program known as the Anne Frank Project. Initially it started out as a theatrical production where they did The Diary of Anne Frank. They had a fantastic twist on it though. It was double casted. There was the traditional Jewish, German Anne Frank, but they also had the Tuti, Rwandan Anne Frank. They used the exact same script, the exact same words of Anne Frank, but applied them to the Rwandan genocide setting. He then went to Rwanda and taught the children there about the genocide and the need to be there for each other (since we are all one as humans), and to help make the world a better place through acting. I'm not doing his speech any justice through my description, but it was the most moving and inspirational speech I have ever heard.

 

Some of the other speeches talked about languages dying, the need for financial literacy programs in our schools, ways to live a better life, and various methods of making the world a better place. They were all so inspiring and motivating. It was during the TEDx event that I had an epiphany about what I want to do with my life. Before coming to SAS, my plan was to get my PhD in psychology and then work with victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. I wanted to be the psychologist version of Olivia Benson from Law and Order: SVU. Since I have been on this voyage, I have been conflicted about this plan. I need to travel. I need to change the world. I need to do something on a much bigger scale than just becoming a therapist. Tonight, it hit me. After I finish my undergrad, I am going to join the Peace Corps. I am going to help those who need it the most. Once I have fulfilled my commitment there, I will go and get my PhD in psychology. I will use my degree and my passion to open up a shelter and a safe haven for women of domestic abuse and sexual assault in a country that has nowhere for these victims to turn to. I want to spend my time on this Earth making it a better place. I want to be there for those who have no one. I want to inspire. I want to change lives.

 

Before I save the world, however, I have to pass my Global Studies exam, so that is where I must turn my attention to for the rest of the night. I'm worried about this one...

Palaces of Istanbul & the Asiatic Side

I have officially been to Asia!

 

Today I did my field program to four different palaces of Istanbul. It was a looong day. We were looking at palaces from 9-5. The first one we went to, the Dolmabahce Palace, was by far the most extravagant. This two story building had 285 rooms! Of course we only saw a tiny fraction, but what we did see was mesmorizing. Everything was so lavish and detailed. We got to see the world's largest chandelier! It was fantastic. This was definitely my favorite palace of the day.

 

The second one was the Yildiz Sale, which was actually a chalet, and was rather anti-climactic after the Dolmabahce. It was beautiful in it's own right, but after seeing such a phenomenal one in the beginning, it was not nearly as exciting. It's ridiculous to think of a palace as being capable of being anti-climactic.

 

At this point in the day everyone was exhausted, hungry, and ready to be done, but we were only halfway. We stopped to eat the ridiculous box lunches the ship makes for us. I don't know if I have ever talked about what they pack us. They give us the same thing every time, and it is the most absurd combination of food ever. A salami/bologna sandwich, a chicken leg, a hard boiled egg, Oreos, an apple, cake, and a Capri Sun. It's silly, right? We ate lunch and then headed across the Bosphorus Bridge into Asia! The third palace was the Kucuksu Pavillion, which, like the second one, was anti-climactic. I think it would have been smarter to reverse the order and put the Dolmabahce after those two so that they would seem great as well.

 

Just when everyone was feeling pretty palace-d out and ready to go home, we arrived at our final stop: the Beylerbeyi Palace. It was a perfect way to end the trip. While it was much smaller than the Dolmabahce with only 26 rooms, it was just as grand and ornate. The chandeliers were stunning. Each room was a different color. The detail was exquisite. I really enjoyed this last palace as well.

 

During the trip I spent most of the time with a girl named Victoria, who is actually from China. I learned a lot about her and her culture. She told me that if I ever want to come to China I have a place to stay. I really hope I can take her up on that offer someday.

 

After I got back to the ship, I went for cake to celebrate my roommate Amanda's 21st birthday! She had a good day. Later on I went up to the pool deck to watch us depart from Turkey. It was breathtaking. The sun setting behind the city of Istanbul was the most beautiful sight. I ran into Deb (one of my supervisors) and her husband Rich, and they wanted to see my Beacon News article. I showed them and they thought it was fantastic. Deb is going to send it to SAS's communication and PR departments. How exciting. In celebration of my article, Deb and Rich bought me a cheeseburger from the pool bar (you can pay for food outside of the dining room), and we all sat down to eat. They are the nicest people. I had a really great, long talk with them about all kinds of things. We talked about their experiences on SAS in the past, my experiences in Turkey, my future, etc. It was the best way to depart from Istanbul. I like them so much.

 

After dinner with the Reslings, I returned to my cabin for a group nap with my roommates (it's what we do). While I was still awake and my roommates were asleep, Craig knocked on my door so I joined him back up on the pool deck. We ran into a bunch of friends, and our night ended with 8 of us playing cards in the Garden Lounge (one of the dining rooms) until 12:30am. It was the perfect end to the night.

 

Now it is almost 1am, and I need to get to bed as I have the largest amount of school work I've ever had in my life to do within the next few days. We have 4 days at sea before Morocco, which will be nice instead of the usual 1 or 2. I'm very sad to be leaving Turkey. Turkey has been the most meaningful country for me by far. It was the most different from the US. It was the most culture shocking. I engaged with the locals. I questioned. I learned. I explored. I delved. It was beautiful. Turkey itself has had a profound impact on me. Gears are turning in my head. Dreams and passions are being ignited. This country has left me inispired. I am very much looking forward to Morocco and everything it has to offer. I can't wait to be out of my comfort zone.

 

I have about a million things to say, but I am absolutely exhausted. Time for bed. Back at sea once again.

Turkish Bath

I did one of the most incredible things today. I got a Turkish bath! My roommates and I went together as a roomie bonding day. The entire experience of getting a Turkish bath was fabulous. The package we decided on had a bath and an oil massage. When we first arrived, we were directed to a locker room, where they gave us a pair of underwear to change into and a towel. We were taken into the bath room, which was so neat. The air was like a sauna. The ceiling was a dome, and light was pouring into the dimly lit room through star shaped cut outs. It was beautiful. They had us lie down on a marble platform, where we were given our bath. It is a very strange concept to have someone else bathing you, but it was the most relaxing and refreshing experience. They even washed our hair. After the bath itself, we got to go into an even dimmer room and relax in a pool of hot water, which was nice for a while, but eventually the hot air and the hot water was too much. We went back out into the waiting area until we were called for our oil massages, which was fantastic. I haven't had a real massage in 3 years. It felt so good to have some of my tension worked out. We got to shower after the massage and wash the oil off. They had refreshments for us while we relaxed after the whole experience before we changed back into our clothes. I had the absolute best time. Getting a Turkish bath is on the list of "1,000 Things to Do Before You Die," and now I can definitely see why. The particular bathhouse that we went to has been opporating since the 1500's! The whole practice of the baths is so rich in Turkish culture and history. This will definitely go down as one of my top ten experiences on SAS.

 

After our bath, we headed to the Grand Bazaar, where once again I bought about a million things that I probably don't need. I got some more gifts for others, which I am excited about, including a few more things for my parents. Another experience of my day will go down in my top ten list. Kendra and I went into a pashmina store, and we stayed and talked to the guy who owned it for two hours. He was the most intelligent, hard-working, friendly person I have ever met. We had the most amazing discussion about the differences between America and Turkey, the cultures, the attitudes, the impressions we have of one another, what it is like to be in each other's shoes, politics, hopes, dreams, the future, etc. It was absolutely wonderful. It's amazing the things you can learn when you take the time to get to know the locals in these countries. Our conversation with this young man was probably the best conversation I've had in my life. Like I've said before, moments like this one are the reasons why I am here. I would elaborate much more on the conversation, but it is 3:00am, and I am trying to stay awake long enough to finish this update.

 

Today marks the first day of Ramadan, which is very important in the Muslim faith. I need to learn more about what exactly it represents, but everyday for a month they fast during the day, and then once the sun goes down they celebrate. I think it is really great that we were in Turkey for the beginning of such an important holiday. Kendra and I tried to be very conscious throughout the entire day not to eat or drink in front of the locals who could not consume anything.

 

We we went out for dinner in our last night in Istanbul. I shared a grilled chicken kebob (how do you spell that?) with my friend Jeff, and it was delicious. So good. After dinner we went to a hookah bar and talked for hours. It was great.

 

I am literally falling asleep as I write this (but I wanted to make sure I updated today), so I apologize for how poorly constructed this post is, and I really need to get to sleep for the night. I have a field program tomorrow called "Palaces of Istanbul and the Asiatic Side." I'm going to Asia!!! So cool!!

 

Goodnight, Turkey!