Ericka is at Sea

2008-03-19T11:44:00.003-05:00

10 days later

2007-05-25T11:21:00.000-05:00

I've officially been in the United States for 10 days and so much has happened already. I rushed back to Pennsylvania to spend time with all my old friends and then graduated from Penn State on Saturday. It still hasn't hit me that I am a college graduate. Everyone was right though, no one really understands my semester at sea experience, but I don't blame them. It's one of those things you just have to experience for yourself. While at Penn State I ran into a friend of a friends who did SAS Spring 06 and when we saw each other we immiediately hugged, for the first time ever. We were never friends, but it was like the SAS experience brought us closer, even though we were on different voyages. My friends and family are both sick of me talking about SAS and I find myself calling my ship friends to talk to them about little things that remind me of places we've been to. I can't wait til July when they all come out to see me. I love them all and feel a little empty without them, but I know I still need more time for adjustment. As for my real life back in the states, I plan to spend the summer in State College with friends and then this is tentative, but I may be moving to nyc in the fall for an Americorps position. In the meanwhile, Ill be applying for dental school.

Before I close this blog, I appreciate everyone who has read up on it. I know there are people out there who read this and we probably have never met, but thank you for taking interest in my journey around the world. By far, it was the most amazing experience of my life til now and every second was worth every penny. I love SAS, all the crew members for all their hard work, all the faculty and staff, and all my peers. God bless all of you on your journey in life. I am so happy I got to spend this 4 month dream with all of you!

Check this website out...

2007-04-29T03:53:00.000-05:00

The first day in Kobe, us girls were walking around the shops and were trying on hats and sunglasses. The owner of the store took a picture of us and put it on the stores website. Once you are on the homepage and click on ''Diary'' in the lower left hand corner and then scroll down. Next to our picture it says something about the US, but the rest is in Japanese. Enjoy our fame..

http://www.casquillo.jp/

A day in Kyoto

2007-04-29T02:29:00.000-05:00

NIJO CASTLE
On the fourth day in Kobe I decided to take a day trip to Kyoto all by myself. Now that its over, I wish I would have done more trips by myself. It was so nice to just do what I wanted and not wait for other people, plus I felt more independent. Everything kind of just worked out. On my way to Kyoto, I was having problems getting my ticket and a guy from Michigan came to my rescue. He’s studying here in Kobe working on his PhD in developmental biology. We had a good conversation on the train and when he left, I realized that we never exchanged names. Kinda sad how we shared a few moments together and we will probably never see each other again. Mystery...........

When I arrived in Kyoto, again I was lost and didn’t know which way to go and a young man from India came to my rescue. He walked me to the Nijo Castle, and here I ran into another sasser, Jeff. He was by himself too so we talked and walked around the castle together. He was using the bus system around the city so he showed me where/how to catch the local bus. He also recommended the Kiyomizu Temple so I decided to go there. The entire temple was made from wood and there was a beautiful garden behind the temple. After this, I then walked to the Gion area which is known for the geishas. I saw a few, but they walked past me so quickly I didn’t get a chance to take their picture.

Japanese Garden at the Nijo Castle

Me & Jeff

Kiyomizu Temple

Treats I bought for my brother.

Poster of a Geisha in the Gion

YMCA Service Visit in Kobe, Japan

2007-04-28T07:11:00.000-05:00

On the third day in Kobe, I did a service trip to a few YMCA`s with SAS. There were 7 of us girls and the trip was all day. The first stop was to a kindergarten class. This is a picture of me passing out pencils and toys to the kids. They were so well behaved; they actually waited in line for me to pass out the goodies. Im sad that this was my last service visit. :[

Each age group wore a different color cap. This is a group of 4 year olds.

These are training chopsticks that the little kids used. How adorable is that?

I am lighting incense before entering the temple.

This is the group of girls I went on the service trip with. In the back you can see our two tourguides. They both work for the YMCA.

At the end of the visits to the schools and nursery, our tourguide took us to a local temple.

Baseball Game in Osaka

2007-04-27T02:34:00.000-05:00

The baseball game in Osaka was a lot of fun! The fans were really energetic anｄ crazy! Here is a picture of me before the game started. Ethan and Jakey, you would have had a lot of fun at this game too!

I thought this was kinda neat...these girls walked around with mini kegs on their back and would fill up beer for people.

Balloons are a big deal at these games. During the 7th inning stretch, everyone releases them into the air and it looks cool in the stadium.

And TWICE I got put ont he big screen!!!!!! Naturally,I was excited!

Me and the Mascot

These are a bunch of 13 year old Japanese girls I met while walking around the stadium. They were really funny and were practicing their English with me. All they wanted to talk about was my boyfriend....

Hong Kong

2007-04-25T02:30:00.000-05:00

HK has an awesome skyline

all the sassers out

with our vodka, classy

dim sum

street food

play in HK

Bruce Lee

streets of HK

When you all asked what Hong Kong was like, all I could think of was that it was like New York City, but with Chinese people everywhere….and it is. Luckily for me, I had Shelly who knew the ropes of Hong Kong because she studied abroad here last semester, so she was my own little Chinese tour guide. The ship only docked into Hong Kong for two days but we had the option of meeting the ship at its next port, Qingdao, which is a city northeast in China. Most people either flew or took the train to Beijing to see the Great Wall, but since my grandma and I took a trip there after I graduated high school, I decided to just spend four full days in Hong Kong.

Since Shelly was familiar with everything, she took us to all the hot spots of shopping and places to get cheap massages. On the last day I got my eye lashes permed, and I love it. So now for the next few weeks, I don’t have to curl my eyelashes. Hopefully it’ll last til my graduation so you all can see it. In HK we did some site seeing, but mostly walked around the city shopping and just absorbing in the city life.

Since all the sassers were still in HK the first night, we all got to go out and of course take over an area. Everyone migrated to a district called LKF where we chugged a bottle of vodka that was purchased at a local 7-11. Later we learned that many locals pregame outside of 7-11’s because its cheaper. As usual, the night was fun….and ill just leave it at that.
The rest of the nights, Shel took us to places where it was ladies night meaning not only free cover, but free drinks all night, or until the wee morning hours. We also got to hangout with Shelly’s old friends from the university and that was fun too. The highlight of my Hong Kong experience was definitely eating great food.

On April 21st, we flew to Qingdao in the afternoon and arrived late night. It was a pain getting to the ship because no one spoke English and Shelly couldn’t use her Cantonese skills since everyone in China speaks Mandarin. After we collected our luggage and went through customs we finally communicated with a guy to take us to the ship by showing him Chinese characters which supposedly meant the address of the port that the ship was at. Little did we know, he was bullshitting us and did not know where the ship was and we were lost for almost an hour. He ended up calling one of his friends who spoke English to talk to us, but even that was difficult since her English wasn’t very well. Finally, we saw some sassers randomly walking around and they pointed us in the right direction. I will confidently say that I think that Qingdao was one of the worst ports we’ve been to. Our ship was docked in an industrial area where there were bulldozers and ships that looked like they were digging for oil or something. It was not very welcoming and was pretty shady. Barely anyone could go out because of lack of communication and because of shadiness.

On the last day I went on an SAS trip to a home visit and it was also probably one of the worst SAS trips I have been on, but I guess they are just hit and miss because most of the SAS trips I’ve been to have been excellent. The tour guide was not very informative and it was definitely not organized well at all. We hung out at a local family’s house for about 45 minutes where we asked them questions and they asked us questions. The family had great hospitality; they served us tea, fruit, and other snacks. No one in the family spoke English, but our tour guide translated for us. Later that day I met up with the girls back at the ship. We had our last authentic Chinese meal and then did some shopping at another market. We were only there for a short while because the quality of everything was poor and nothing at this point could have beaten the shopping in Vietnam or Hong Kong. So we went to Wal-Mart and stocked up on ramen and water, haha. I think its safe to say that SAS should change it’s port of call when Wal-Mart is the highlight of everyone’s trip.

Overall, HK definitely made up for the lack of Qingdao’s tourist opportunities. I wish the ship could have just stayed in HK longer, but supposedly it costs 20K for us to port there for one night. One last thing to mention about Qingdao, it was cold! The first port where I needed a sweater! And it was cold on the ship the days between China and Japan. It’s supposed to be warmer after we leave Japan, lets cross our fingers so I can work on my tan before I head home. I can’t believe we’re at our last port already =o( So sad……

Lost Pics from KL

2007-04-22T05:18:00.000-05:00

around the pool

The view of KL from the poolside at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel

VietCong Continued....

2007-04-22T04:49:00.000-05:00

in the CuChi Tunnel

Shooting that AK

Buying my bullets

at the CuChi Tunnels

me in front of a US tank from the Vietnam War

proving the strength of the monkey paw

jenna,me,lauren (aka lulu)

During the last two days in Ho Chi Minh, Lauren and I went to a few museums around town. We hit up an art exhibit and also the War Remnants Museum, which was very interesting. Here in Vietnam, it’s not the “Vietnam War”, but it is known as the “American War.” At the museum there were a lot of US aircrafts and other artifacts pertaining to the war, including tanks and jet fighters. There were stories about how the Americans sprayed agent orange in the air and how it affected the lives of many Vietnamese, including the children of those affected. The children end up growing with many physical deformities, especially shorter or even no limbs. This museum was intriguing because we were seeing the war in the perspective of the Vietnamese.

A group of us also went to the Cu Chi Tunnels where we toured the tunnels and saw different booby traps that the Vietnamese used. They were pretty tiny, I almost didn’t fit into them. Here at the tunnels we shot guns, and I shot a gun for the first time and it was kind of scary at first. I shot an AK 47 and also an AK 1 (machine gun). I still can't believe I actually shot them. Even though the guns were held still on a stand, they were so powerful that I jumped back after shooting and we all felt a little hood after that. For the rest of the day we did a little more shopping and then had some authentic Vietnamese food. On the last night we celebrated Lauren’s birthday. First we drank cheap beer at the night market, checked out Gossip (a techno dance club), and then to Apolcolypse Now, the hottest club according to Lonely Planet and we took over this bar every night we were in Vietnam. For late night, we were at Go Two til the wee morning hours. I think Lauren (aka Lulu) had a great birthday. I also got her an ice cream cake on the ship. On the last day in Ho Chi Minh, Lauren and I relaxed at a spa and got more massages, then we picked up our tailor made dresses for the Ambassadors Ball. I also got a pin striped suit made and when I picked it up and tried it on, it was too small!!! I don’t know how it was too small since they measured me and it was supposed to fit my body, but they fixed it in an extra hour. I must have gained a few pounds those three days in between.

2007-04-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

gettin ready for our massages

Students at the Handicapped School

Second day in Vietnam: After about three hours of sleep last night, it was a struggle to wake up at 730 am to make my trip at 8. A group of about 15 sassers and I went to the Da Thien School for the handicapped. There were children ranging from 8 to 14 years. When we first arrived, the principal informed us about how the school works and about the students. At this school there are a total of 57 students, 14 of which are deaf. They had so much energy and were so excitd to see us. SAS provided us with toys and games to interact with the children, and I brought toothbrushes and stickers to give to them. They went wild!!! I had a brief tear moment and had to bite my lower lip to keep from crying because I felt so bad for these children, but I was strong and didn’t (flashback to El Salvador mission trip). The kids loved to pose for the camera as do I so I think you will all be entertained when you look at these pictures. It was great interacting with these children; they have so much joy!

Later on, Lauren and I spoiled ourselves and when to a spa. I got a head and shoulder massage, pedicure and manicure, eyebrow shaping, and ear wax all for $19 usd!!!! How amazingly cheap is that? I definatey am going back there one more time before I leave. The ear wax was a little painful, but at least my ears are dirt (from India) clean free! Now it’s Tuesday night and I am using this internet café which is across the street from the port. I plan on sleeping early tonight because I have another service trip tomorrow morning to a blind elementary school. On Thursday I have an all day trip to see the CuChi tunnels which are tunnels underground that the Vietnamese used during the Vietnam War. These tunnels are so intricate and huge that theres even a hospital! When Im at the tunnels Im going to be shooting a gun for the first time….an AK 47! I’ve got an exciting few days ahead of me.

Vietnam, nam, nam

2007-04-10T09:54:00.000-05:00

On the first day in Ho Chi Minh City, Lauren and I went shopping at the Ben Then Market which is one of th biggest in the city. Its an indoor market and they sell everything from fish (view pic) to Luis Vuitton purses. We ended up buying a lot of things, including some polo shirts, paintings, shoes, however there was no Northface fleece like everyone was talking about. Hopefully I will be able to find some at a different market. So far, I really like the city and the people, although not many people speak English. Everyone drives motorcycles here; driving a car is a bit rare. Even the motorcycles are taxis and you just jump on and pretty much every destination is $1.

Kuala Lumpur & Penang.....Malaysia

2007-04-10T09:03:00.000-05:00

The first day in Malaysia I signed up to do an SAS trip to see 5 different temples and mosques in Penang, which is the city where the ship disembarked, actually Penang is an island. The Buddhist Temple was my favorite. It was huge consisting of different rooms and many Buddhas everywhere. There was also a huge reclining Buddha that was larger than a semi truck. We also went to a Hindu temple and we were visiting right in the middle of a ritual. The men were wearing toga looking outfits, had paint on their face, and were making strange noises. I felt a little uncomfortable. We also went to a snake temple where I thought there would be snakes everywhere, but there were only a few. Behind this temple there was a snake farm where we could pay to feed a snake. One of the girls in the group bought a hamster and I got to view the snake devour the hamster. It was intense, especially when the head of the hamster was sticking out of the snake’s mouth for about two minutes. Later that night, a few of us had a scrumptious Malaysian meal and experienced the nightlife.

We didn’t get back to the ship until 4am and my roommate, who I am now calling Lulu, woke me up at 6am so we could catch our flight to Kuala Lumpur (KL) at 8. I was so tired I could not get out of bed and when Lulu attempted to wake me up I said, “Im going to catch a later flight.” Haha, but of course my friends did not let me do that. The flight from Penang to KL was about 40 minutes and my round trip ticket was only $50. In KL, we stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, which I will describe as a 6 star hotel because it was so luxurious, but since we crammed a bunch of people in the room, it was pretty cheap per person. Our room had two double beds, we requested a pool out bed, there was a huge shower with glass doors, a mini hot tub in the bathroom, and we also had a great view of the Petronas Towers. These towers, aka the twin towers is the main highlight of this city and up until 2003 they used to be the tallest in the world. These are the towers that were in the movie Entrapment with Catherine Zeta Jones. Since we were all exhausted, we decided to relax by the pool and this place was so nice that the pool boys layed out towels for us, gave us free water, and also cold scented towels for our face. After having lunch and napping by the pool, we then went shopping in the market. Just like in India, Shelly and Angela went wild with their shopping and Lulu and I couldn’t keep up. I didn’t buy much except a few dresses and tops. There was a lot of knock off purses, watches, etc, but everyone insisted on waiting til Vietnam since the shopping is really cheap there. After about four hours of shopping, the girls and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant and then hung out with other sassers. This was the night my video camera was stolen from my purse! Naturally, I am very upset and depressed about the entire situation, but I am pretty sure I know who stole it. There was a local guy who kept on harassing me the entire night and I think it was this ASS who stole it. But I keep on telling myself that there could have been far worse things that could have happened to me, although, losing 30 GB of my semester at sea footage is devastating.

Besides the horrible fact that my camcorder got stolen, I still had an enjoying time in KL. This was the most modern city yet and I was really surprised. The last day in KL, Shelly and Angela flew to Langkawi which is a small island while Lauren and I flew back to Penang. On the last day in Penang, I signed up to hike the Penang Hill and it needs to be renamed Penang Mountain! It took us 3 hours and it was 5 km long, but the first half of it was a 60 degree incline of uphill. It was so hard and by the time I finished I could squeeze my shirt and sweat would drip from it. A few other girls who climbed the hill the first day said it was the hardest thing they have ever done and half of them hitch hiked the rest because they couldn’t finish it, so I was a little intimidated before climbing, but Im very proud I didn’t give up! During the hike there were a few long tailed Macau’s and we fed them cereal. They were so cute and not shy at all.

Sea Olympics

2007-04-09T06:48:00.000-05:00

The day after Mauritius was Sea Olympics and it was so much fun. I didn’t know how big of a deal it was to everyone, but first place did get the privilege of disembarking first in San Diego. Basically we did not have school and there were competition events all throughout the day. There was tug of war, slipper twister, juice pong, lip syncing, synchronized swimming, and so much more. I participated in the Limbo event and since then my lower back has been in pain. My sea, which is the Arabian Sea, ended up getting 2nd place so we get to get off in San Diego second!! After Sea Olympics, I was busy with school and had three papers and projects due.

Mauritius so Delicious

2007-04-09T06:40:00.000-05:00

“You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius” – Mark Twain

I will agree with Mark Twain and say that Mauritius was gorgeous, and this is where I got to spend my spring break! A bunch of friends and I stayed at the Easy World where we rented two apartments across from the beach in a small town called Flic en Flac. This town, approximately 45 minutes southwest of Port Luis, is the capital of Mauritius and also where we docked. We pretty much spent most of our time in Flic en Flac and it was such a cute little town. Even though it was small, there was a casino and a bunch of bars on the tiny strip. The locals were also very friendly. We learned in global studies that most of the people in Mauritius are people from India, and they speak French. Although French is the main language, most people still speak English. Our apartment was okay for the price we paid…$30 per person for two nights, but we did find a cockroach in our bathtub. That still did not stop us from cooking in the villa. We, actually just Shelly and I, made burgers, pasta, chicken, French toast, etc. It was nice to cook for ourselves for once. We also had a joint balcony between the two apartments and I enjoyed eating dinner to the sunsets. During the days in Flic en Flac, we layed out on the white sand beach and snorkeled in the clear blue water. It was a relaxing time, but it went by so fast. The seven of us weren’t the only sassers at Flic en Flac either. I would say there were about 300 other sassers in this town so it was fun to hangout with everyone on the beach and at night at the clubs. Some people got a little crazy on our “spring break” but it was all still fun. On our last day, we took our taxi back to Port Luis and spent the day shopping. I didn’t buy much because most of the items were from India and I figured I would wait til I was actually in India.

From Bombay to Delhi

2007-04-05T03:30:00.000-05:00

This is a motor rickshaw
Those are all chickens
Taj Mahal

Eric, me, and Henry

Snake Charmer outside of India Gateway
Lotus Temple
Chicken Tikki Masala

Gandhi Memorial

Bombay Pictures

Of course it was my lame idea to do a B-O-M-B-A-Y picture at the airport, but you have to admit it is kinda cute, haha. So when we arrived in Bombay we were planning on all cramming into the most luxurious hotel in Bombay, The Taj Mahal. But when we got there, there were not any more rooms left so after searching we ended up staying at the Hotel Supreme; about a 3 star step down from the Taj Hotel, but it was only $17 usd per person so we saved money. In Bombay is where we ate mucho good food and throughout the entire trip I think I ate chicken tikki masala approximately six times. I was a little disappointed because it wasn't at creamy as I would have liked it to be but milk is such a shortage in India its hard to find a place that makes it creamy. The second day in Bombay, we walked around the city, saw the Gateway to India, and did some shopping. I thought that I loved to shop, but Shel and Ang are the ultimate shopaholics, I could not keep up.

Late that night we flew to Delhi and this is where chaos began. Since there were six of us traveling we could not all fit in a cab from the Delhi airport to the hotel so we split into two groups. Unfortunately, my cab driver didn't know where our hotel was and the others had the address so we were lost for about an hour. Eric, Henry and I decided to stay at another hotel, which actually turned out to be cheap and very clean. We figured out the address of where Shelly, Angela, and Margot's original hotel was, but when we got there the next day, they were gone. So we were separated for two whole days!!! I was alittle worried bout them, but with Shelly's bargaining skills and Ang's aggressiveness, lol, I knew they would be okay. Even though I was with two guys, I still would have felt safer with Shel and Ang,haha. So the three of us decided to hire a driver that would take us around Delhi and then drive us to Agra, the city where the Taj Mahal is located. In Delhi, we ate more good Indian food and visited the Gandhi Memorial, the gateway to India, the president's house, and a temple shaped as a lotus. That evening we drove in an UN-air conditioned car for five hours to Agra. It was brutal very brutal, especially since it was hot and since India is by far the dirtiest country we probably will be going to. There is so much pollution in the air, the sky is never a clear blue...it is grey. Along the way we saw a saw a snake charmer and monkey performing trips and of course we were hussled for money when we took pictures. We stayed at another cheesey hotel similar to the Hotel Supreme in Bombay. The next morning we woke at 6am to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise and it is by far the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen. Lots of people on the ship who have been before claimed it was overrated, but I loved it. It was like a picture from a fairy tale book, I wish we could have spent more time there. You may think that the pictures are beautiful, but it doesn't do it justice. I wish I still had my video camera :( to show everyone, but it got stolen in KL. This will have to be a story for the next blog. Take Care everyone! And hope everyone has been receiving my postcards.

Chennai, India

2007-04-05T02:43:00.000-05:00

My trip in India was absolutely amazing! We ported into Chennai which is on the southern east coast of the country. Many compare this city to New Jersey saying that its the armpit of India, and after going to Bombay and to Delhi, I would have to agree. I only spent one day in Chennai and it was fun riding in little motor rickshaws. During the day I went on an SAS trip to a rural village and farm visit. The farmer was very hospitable and he also served us lunch while informing us about his rice crops. After this, we then took a ride on a cart getting pulled by bull oxes. This was fun and my cousins,Ethan and Jakey, would have enjoyed this! The cart went through a small village where I passed out toothbrushes to little kids. Later that night, I also attended the India Welcome Reception where I got to eat more yummy Indian food and watched some Indian dancing.

21 is soooo overrated

2007-03-27T07:40:00.000-05:00

Two days after South Africa was my 22nd birthday! I actually do feel old now, especially since my roommate will be turning 20 in two weeks. So for my birthday, Lauren got me a huge ice cream cake and it was delicious! As you can see from the picture it was bigger than me (also look at my dimple on my chin, oh so cute!). We celebrated with dinner, drinks, and some gifts. The day after my birthday I got another cake from the librarian ladies, and it was also ice cream….. So yummmmy! I had a great birthday! Thanks to everyone for the cards, money, and gifts!!!

Akuna Mattatta.....it means no worries

2007-03-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

South Africa is over and my mom is now gone, sigh. But I had such an amazing time. The day after the Safari, my mom and I took a town ship tour. In one town ship, Langa, the population was 100,000 and in another the population was 1 million. I couldn’t believe that many people lived in little shacks with roofs made out of tin and trash bags.

We visited a spirit healer and that was quite interesting. There were herbs everywhere and also bones of dead animals hanging from the ceiling. Kinda gross…

After that we went to a kindergarten class that had children from ages 0 to 5. I promise to you that the place was smaller than my Cedarbrook apartment and amazingly it held 60 children. We spent about 15 minutes with the kids and this was my favorite part about visiting the town ship. They sang for us and also loved looking at their picture after we took pictures of them. A little boy who was only 1 came up to me and put his arms up to me because he wanted me to pick him up. I held him and played with him and every time I tried to put him down or when the teacher tried to take him away he would start to bawl, it was so sad. Another little girl was really affectionate with my mom and kept playing with her hair. These kids were yearning for affection, I felt so sorry for them.

Later that day, my mom and I took a tour out to the wine lands which was about 45 minutes north east of Cape Town. It was absolutely gorgeous there and we tried wines from two wineries. Both my mom and I wanted to buy some but since she cant being it on the plane and I cant bring it on the ship, we didn’t. They were really delicious though.

That night, I went out with Lauren, Peter, and Paul to Long Street, which is the popular street in Cape Town with all the clubs and bars. As usual it was full of drunken laughter. Peter, Paul, and I practiced our skydiving faces for the next day.

On the last day at 1pm Cape Town time, I jumped out of a plane. Ahhh, I was so scared, but am so happppy that I did it. It was amazing; I can’t wait to do it again some day. At first I was a little nervous about the place we were at, but the place we jumped out of is where Prince Harry jumped out of as well. The guy who jumped out with Paul also tandem’d with Prince Harry, so it kind of reassured me a little more. Peter, Paul, and I were in the same plane with our tandem guys and they were all trying to freak me out. We we’re squeezed into this tiny plane for about 20 minutes which was the worst. We jumped out at 9,000…. I was the first to jump out and Peter took a video of me while I jumped out and the video is hilarious because I am freaking out. I also have a video of me while jumping and I pretty much screamed the entire time. My mom has both the videos and I plan to put it on youtube when I get a chance so hopefully you guys will get to see it. Sky diving was definitely worth it though. Unfortunately, I couldn’t convince my mom to do it with me.

After sky diving my mom and I shopped and relaxed on the ship before she had to catch her flight. We had dinner on the ship and took some pictures. I will always remember this as the birthday I spent a week in South Africa with my mom.

Jungle Book

2007-03-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

Our Safari in Africa is at its end and we are now back in Cape Town. Early Saturday morning we took a plane to Johannesburg and then a hot 4 hour bus drive east of Jo’burg to a small town called Nelspruit. My mom and I stayed at this backpackers hostel called Funky Monkey for the night and it was a cute hippy looking place and was comfortable after traveling all day long. At Funky Monkey we met a girl who was working in a township nearby. She was here for the Peace Corps and has been there for about a year a half. Ironically, she’s from a town near Pittsburgh where my old roommate Adrian is from, and she actually knew her. Small world right?

The next morning, Sunday, we got picked up at 5am and took an hour drive to the Kruger National Park. Right when we arrived, we hopped into a Safari truck with 5 German girls and 2 guys from Italy and took a 3 hour game drive. This was our best game drive of our trip because we saw so many animals, including giraffes, zebras, and elephants. After this game drive we had breakfast, went out for another game drive, came back and chilled by the pool, had lunch, went for another game drive, then came back and had dinner. This was pretty much our schedule the next day also. The entire trip we did 7 game drives and fortunately we were able to see the BIG 5, which includes the elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, and buffalo. Personally I liked the giraffes because of their long curly eyelashes and also the impalas, hence the Chevy Impala. These antelope/deer looking animals are very pretty. Their skin looks so soft and smooth and they leap very high. I’ve included some pictures of my favorite animals. I also enjoyed the baboons even though they are naughty and mischievous. While we were out on a game drive, a baboon went into one of the German girl’s tent, went into her bag and opened a bag of cookies. Also on the second day while my mom and I were by the pool, a bunch of baboons came into the area and were digging through all the trash cans for food. And…during a game drive we stopped to take pictures of the baboons and they were throwing nuts at our truck. Our tour guide, JJ, informed us that they can be very dangerous.

We camped out for two nights at this camp site, Pretoriuskop, which was right in the middle of the Kruger Park. Not only were baboons in our camp, but also impalas and different types of birds. On Tuesday morning, after our last game drive, we took the same route back, a bus ride to Jo’burg then a flight to Cape Town. We came back to the ship where I made my mom work out with me; we had dinner on the ship, and are now at her hotel resting up for our last two days in Cape Town. Tomorrow we plan to visit a township, which is a euphuism for ghetto/projects, then to the wine lands, and our last day I am plan to go skydiving!! Cross your fingers I don’t chicken out!
PS: Thanks for the mail Grandma Dina and Brook!

In Cape Town

2007-03-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

We docked into the Cape Town port around 6am on Friday morning, March 2nd, but we didn’t disembark until 11:30am. My mom was allowed to come onto the ship for the diplomatic briefing where the premier of South Africa spoke for about 30 minutes. Once this was over, we had lunch on the ship, and then did some sightseeing around Cape Town. Unlike our previous ports (Puerto Rico & Brazil), the port in Cape Town is right on the waterfront where there are many shops, restaurants, and bars; right in the middle of everything. My mom and I took a Hop On-Hop Off double decker bus tour of the city. Even though I’m in Africa right now, Cape Town does not seem like it at all. It is so modern here, I feel like I’m in a cleaner version of San Francisco, minus the trolleys and hills. This is off the subject, but I would just like to say that I am so proud of my sister because she just got accepted to the University of San Fran! Alright, back to Cape Town…. on this bus tour we could hop off the bus and get back on later so we stopped at Table Mountain. These are what these pictures above are from. We took a cable up to the mountain and as you can see, there was such a great view of the city. Later that night, a bunch of sassers and I experienced the nightlife at a club called Opium. Through the savvy of my friend Shelly we didn’t pay cover charge and overall had a lot of fun! After the club I met my mom at her hotel because we had a flight to Jo’burg at 6am!!!!!!

My new cell phone number....

2007-03-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

I got my global cell! It is an Estonia number so you will need to get an international calling card to call me, but while on land you should all be able to get a hold of me. The number is 372-5317-2311

more ship life before cape town

2007-02-28T17:04:00.000-05:00

It’s been about week on the ship and only two more days until Cape Town. I had a really busy week with three exams, a paper, and other little assignments. Saturday was celebration for Neptune Day and I was woken with pounding on my door and people screaming and chanting through the hallways at 7:30 am. The deep sleeper I am, I ignored the sounds and took this opportunity to finally sleep in. Along with half the other students on the ship, I missed the beginning of Neptune Day because I didn’t get out of bed until around 11:30. All I missed was more shaving of heads (pic of girl getting head shaved) and the captain dressed up as King Neptune. They also filled the pool with fish guts and other nasty things and made everyone who didn’t shave their heads jump in. I missed the opportunity to kiss a fish and I am definitely not too disappointed. Fortunately, I did not miss the best part of Neptune Day, the amazing barbeque out by the pool. This was the only meal I had this day, but I filled up quickly with a burger, hot dog, chicken, ribs, corn, potato salad, cakes, and even ice cream. You all know what kind of eater I am =)! It was also beautiful eating dinner while watching the sunset.

My days are still consisted with the usual: classes, working out, teaching aerobics, working in the library, and studying. At nights, just like a regular cruise, there is an abundant amount of activity to keep me entertained. One night there was a comedy show in the Union and it was hilarious. A few students performed and I was very impressed; there are some funny kids on this ship. Also one night there was the Faculty Staff Talent Show and that was also impressive. A few of my professors were singing, dancing, and playing instruments. I finally got to go on a bridge tour and it was cool to see the view from the front of the ship. They offer them a few times a week, but they are always full. Captain Jeremy is really funny and he let me take a picture with his captain’s hat. One night a group of us played my favorite game of all time….Taboo! It was a lot of fun, but a few of us (including me) got a little too competitive. We played outside under the stars for about three hours one night. If you really know me, you know how addicted I am to that game, but tonight I think I will give Cranium or Scattergories a chance. I’ve also been watching Lost with Angela and Shelly and we are almost done with the first season. Justin gave me the first season of Hereos and everyone has been raving about how good that show is so Im eager to jump into that soon.

Yesterday in Global Studies, the subject of the lecture was Apartheid in South Africa. So as an exercise the entire ship practiced Apartheid for the entire day. Instead of segregation by skin color, we were segregated by our heads; those who shaved their heads were the elite. When they made the announcement over the intercom that we were doing this I was taking my daily nap. At the time, I just brushed it off like it wasn’t going to be too serious, but when I woke up and left my cabin, it was definitely a serious thing. Those with hair were not allowed to use the public restrooms, we were not allowed to eat in one of the dining halls, and we had to give up our workout machine if a shaved head wanted to use it. There were signs all over the ship saying, “Only Shaved Heads.” What really annoyed me was at 10pm when I went up to the 7th Deck (which we were actually not allowed to enter) snack bar and they wouldn’t serve me. Even the crew took this exercise seriously. All I wanted was a cup of Ramen noodles!! Fortunately, I found one of my friends who did shave his head to go up there and buy it for me. Although I was annoyed for a little bit about this situation, I will admit that it was a good technique to teach us more about Apartheid. Not only did we learn about it in class, but we actually were able to have some emotions involved. Good thing it was only for a day though.

Today in Global Studies, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the lecturer and he will be tomorrow as well. Before this morning, my experiences with him were just saying hello as we passed him by or just seeing him as he ate his meals in the dining halls. His lecture was about South Africa Apartheid, his experiences, and just about his life in general. He’s full of energy and is a funny little man. I didn’t wake up in time to get a seat in the Union where he was speaking so I had to watch in one of the satellite rooms, but tomorrow I plan to wake up extra early, actually grab some breakfast, and then get a seat in the Union to watch this man speak in live.

Overall, my week has gone by extremely fast and I am not complaining about that. A week on the ship is tiring and I cannot wait to get into Cape Town. It’ll be nice to get off the ship and to take a break from school, plus I’m excited to see my mom. I’ve been looking forward to this part of the trip. By the way, everyone on the ship is very surprised at how hard the classes are! All my classes are kicking me in the butt. It’s so hard to get into the mode of class when I could be laying out in the sun just a few steps away. Anyways, Cape Town, my mom, and the packages some of you sent me in two days!! Yayyy!

this is what i want for my birthday...please!

2007-02-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

Hey all! Im about leave Brazil (in 2 hours) and I know what I want for my birthday...a global cell phone. my friend has one and she got it at www.gosim.com. The phone is $100 and the global sim card is $50 then it would be possible for you guys to call me for only 10 cents a minute and for me to call u for about 50 cents a minute. Its all prepaid. I think this would be very convenient because its kinda annoying when i use a pay phone (which is more expensive to use) and try to call you guys and you aren´t there. So you would be able to call me whenever i am on land. If someone wants to get it for me soon it could get shipped to my mom before Sunday and she can deliver it to me when she meets me in South Africa on March 2! Thanks

brasilia has bomb food

2007-02-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the last day of Carnaval and I plan on going to the Pelourinha tonight with some other people. Fatboy slim is going to be in the parade and I had the option of being on there with him but it was not worth $150 to me. Since today is the last day of Carnaval that means that it’s Fat Tuesday and tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and I still do not know what to give up for Lent. Anyways, about Brasil, as the Britains spell it. The first night of Brazil, Lauren, Angela, Peter, Paul, and I went to a spot called Baha Beach where Carnaval was supposed to be hot, but there were nothing but locals and it looked very sketchy. I was really scared and Angela was so scared, the first chance she got she hopped back into a cab with other scared sassers and went back. I decided to stay and I am so happy I did because I ended up having so much fun that night. We actually ended up bumping into about 6 other guy sassers and hung out with them so that made me feel a lot safer. I literally had 6 guys walking around me like bodyguards. The area was really crowded with people and there was a parade with huge busses full of people singing. The energy of the place was awesome, I don’t even know how to describe it. That night I also rolled down a hill where men were peeing on so I had mud full of pee all over my body. It was not fun, but I dealt with it and washed myself with beer. I wish I had pictures of me going out at night, but it’s so dangerous that I didn’t want to risk bringing my camera out. A bunch of girls got mugged the first day. They said it happened so fast they don’t remember it but they got pushed into an alley and all their cameras and money were stolen. But back to Carnaval the first night…..so even though I was crying after I had Brazilian pee and shit all over me, ten minutes later I was laughing and dancing among the locals, it was exhilarating.

Now onto Lencois (pronounced: Len-soise)…I mentioned that there were 15 people planning on going on this trip, however there were only 4 spots left on the bus so only 4 people got to go and luckily for me I was one of those 4 because that is just how I roll. Me and 3 other guys (Jared, Scott, & Justin) ended up taking the 11:30 pm bus to Lencois on Sunday night. We arrived into Lencois at 5am and walked through the empty town and slept on couches in a hotel lobby until we were kicked out at 8 am when it opened back up. One of the janitors in the hotel offered to take us on a hike for 15 Reals (Brazilian currency pronounced: Ree-Allas) each which is only $7. We ate this kick ass breakfast which was so amazing for the $3 we paid for it (view pic). Then afterwards we hiked for about 5 hours to three different waterfalls in this national park. I struggled a little bit and was lagging behind all the guys, but I was a trooper. We climbed up hills, rocks, and also hiked through rivers (view pic) and saw a cute little monkey jumpin from tree to tree. After the hike it was about 3pm and our bus wasn’t scheduled to leave Lencois to go back to Salvador until 10pm that night so we hung around the town. We ate more good food as you can see from the pictures. The food here in Lencois was definitely a lot better and more traditional than in Salvador. We also used the internet for about an hour, and for a small town with a population of only 9,000 people, I am surprised they had Windows Vista. Very impressing. For most of the evening we chilled at a local bar throwing back Skol (Brazilian beer) and playing cards. We also bumped into other Sassers and hung out with them for a bit. We ended the night with an Italian dinner and wine then took the bus back to Salvador where we arrived at 5am this morning. So we basically spent just one night in Lencois. Today I did a little more shopping and went to the beach for a few hours until we got rained on. The beaches in Brazil are not as nice as Puerto Rico, but I guess I should have known since the Atlantic Ocean is shitty and probably the worst ocean out of them all.

So now its the last night in Brazil and we leave Salvador tomorrow night at 11pm and ill be on the ship for another straight 8 days. Im not looking forward to it since I have 2 exams and a paper. However, I am looking forward to Neptune day (celebration of crossing the equator) where everyone will be shaving their heads. I am also looking forward to seeing my mom in a few days! ciao for now...

Arrival in Salvador, Brazil

2007-02-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

We just got into port in Salvador and the first thing I wanted to do was use cheap internet so here I am using internet for less than 40 cents a minute. So many peopole have already run out of minutes on the ship they are buying more. My neighbor just spent $250 for 700 minutes. So ridiculous. So Angela and I are at this internet cafe outside our port and we have a city tour later from 130-430pm. Then tonight we´re going to the Pelhourinho which is the hott spot for Carnival. Back back in the day this used to be where they whipped the slaves, hence Pelhourinho means whipping post. I think im bout to pull an all niter tonight because we have an early bus to Lencois tomorrow morning. We have a group of about 15 ppl, more or less. And dont worry, half of them are guys, BIG guys. But Im not sure how many days we will be in Lencois, we dont even have a hotel/hostel booked yet. I looked in some travel guides and there are places we can stay at for as little as $6/nite, but if everything is all booked we´re thinking of renting tents and going old school. So this is my tentative plan for now, but in a few days ill let you all know how it goes! Oh and remember this guy from Moesha & Save the Last Dance? My roomies in the Bahamas chilled with him the night I didnt go out

out at sea

2007-02-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

I ’ve been so busy on this ship, I finally have time to sit down and relax. Four more days til I’m in Salvador, Brazil and I am so psyched for it. Carnival is supposed to be the largest party in the world and I cannot even comprehend it. In Global Studies the prof said that the life expectancy for a young boy in Brazil is only 25 because it is so dangerous there. I’m pretty nervous, especially about going out at night. In the advice we’re given were told not to wear any bling bling, to be in groups with guys, to only carry $20 in cash and stuff it in your shoes, and to NOT wear skirts because the Brazilian guys reach in between! Isn’t that sick? Im scurred!!! We arrive on Saturday the 17th which is supposed to be the craziest day. Carnival ends on Fat Tuesday and then we leave on Wednesday so we’re there for a good 5 full days. I signed up for a walking tour of Salvador on the first day we’re there and then Im planning on going to a Condomble which is a spirit possession ritual. I’m scurred for that too!! Im not that disappointed about going to Rio anymore because Salvador is supposed to have a better Carnival anyways. Im also planning an indy trip with a few other ppl to Lencois which is an old mining town about 6 hours west of Salvador. There is a national park there that I want to check out. Ill probably spend one day hiking up to see the highest waterfall in Brazil. We haven’t decided if we’re going to sleep/camp in caves or if we’re going to stay at a cheap hostel.
So what have I been doing on the ship? Well we had our Activities meeting on Monday and I signed up for mad activities. I’m doing Vicarious Voyages which is keeping in contact with a classroom back in the states. This other girl from Minnesota and I have a 2nd grade class in Apple Valley, MN. We collect items from each country and send it to the class along with a letter and the students then write you letters while Im on the ship (so I know for sure ill be getting some hard copy mail J). From Puerto Rico I got some postcards, maps, magazines, and menus. Hopefully when we’re all done with the trip I can visit the students. There are a total of 19 of them. I also signed up for the Social Committee which is just planning out events. Our first event is tomorrow on Valentine’s Day, a Stoplight Dance. So if you’re taken you wear red, if you’re single you wear green, and if you’re confused you wear yellow. Other events we have are the Talent Show at the end of the trip, a Casino Night (which is on my birthday), Ambassadors Formal, movie nights, etc. On Sunday night we had our first pub night and I actually did not have as much fun as I thought I would. Alcohol is served on the 7th deck by the pool and you’re not allowed to bring it back into the ship, kinda lame, but I must say it was pretty hott just chillen outside under the stars. I should also mention that they changed the alcohol rules for this SAS trip. Instead of just specific days of drinking we’re actually allowed to drink every night now and instead of just 4 drinks, we can now have 6. The idea of being able to drink every night doesn’t appeal to me as much because it’s not that big of a deal, but 6 glasses of wine can def give you a good enough buzz.
My days have consisted of going to classes, working in the library, and working out. The RD (resident director) for health and wellness is still working on the aerobics schedule so I haven’t had a chance to teach classes, but Im excited & eager. There are about 4 other fitness instructors on the ship and we’ve talked about maybe doing joint classes later on in the semester. I’ve kept my celebrity status even here on the ship. Two girls from PSU came up to be a few days ago telling me they love my full body class. Those compliments always put a smile on my face J. I’ve also been waking up at the crack of dawn (730am) every day so I’ve been taking much needed power naps. Yesterday when I opened up the library for work, Archbishop Tutu came by looking for books. I didn’t have a chance to talk to him, but hopefully I can have a conversation when I get him to sign my journal. He has autograph times throughout the voyage. The captain also has bridge (like the cockpit of a plane, but for the boat) tours throughout the voyage. Lauren and I took a picture with him (view pic), he’s British and is the one who has hair. Hope everyone back in the US is doing well, I miss you . But laying out every day after class makes up for it! Loves u. PS: I am black!

2007-02-09T23:39:00.000-05:00

This is our last day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and I must say what a fun first port to start the trip. Lauren and I have been hangin out with these kids from our floor, Peter & Paul. Coincidently, they are both from Minnesota and they are also true wiggers. The first day with them (Wed) we walked around Old City San Juan and took a tour of the Bacardi Factory, where it was free admission with 2 complimentary drinks. Interesting fact: The reason why the bat is the Bacardi symbol is because when the original creators opened their first distillation factory they found a swarm of bats in the attic. That is what I learned. We then took a ferry back to the city for only $3 and had some dinner at a local pizza spot, so authentic I know. That night was fun because I went to the Welcome Reception at the University of PR with Lauren, Ang, Shelly, Kristi, Julie, Shana, & around 200 other SASers. It was hella fun mingling with the locals. We ate food with them, salsa’d, and got some cool souvenirs including a drinking cup & PR flag. Most of all I had the most embarrassing experience of my life. Here it goes….So the bathrooms consisted of 2 separate rooms with 1 toilet each so both guys & girls go in the same bathroom, but one at a time. It’s my turn to go so I do my thing & take a numero 2. Of course this would happen to me & the f’in toilet doesn’t flush and theres a long line of guys outside the door. Im freaking out wishing there was a window to crawl out of. I don’t know what to do but I hear the guys outside the door, “What is she doing in there?” So the only thing I could do is walk outside the door, shut it, and say, “You CANNOT go in there! I took a #2 & it will not flush.” After about 2 minutes of laughter & mere embarrassment, another Sasser, Dannie, goes into the bathroom and flushes the toilet for me by opening the back tank and putting her hand into the tank and pulling the string. An idea that Yes did pop into my head, but def was not about to put my hand into that dirty tank, but very thankful that Dannie did otherwise those guys would be peeing while watching my turd float around the bowl. Moving on….that night we went out to a local street, San Sebastion, with local bars rather than goin to the cliché spring break Senior Frogs. Since there are 702 of us Sassers we pretty much roll deep everywhere we go. Now comes day 2 of lounging on the beach with the immediate fam, Lauren, Petey, & Pauly (look @ pic). We chill here for around 3 hours then take a cab to Kmart where we get all the necessary things that we all forgot. Petey was so kind to spot me $70. We then walk across the street where the 4 of us made the purchase of a life ship time, our walkie talkies. Ever since this purchase it has been nonstop talking on this badboy and everyone on the ship is jealous. I will briefly also mention that I missed my trip to the bioluminescent bay and am still very upset about it. And that is all I will say about that because that ruined my entire night up until about 10 pm when the fam rolled out to San Sebastion street for another night of bonding. All I need to say is that the night started out with tequila shots and ended with Lauren and I on a mic singing ‘Hit me baby one more time’ at an empty local bar where the boys had to drag us out (view pic).

The ship has now disembarked and I am again feelin a little homesick with a combination of exhaustion. Being in port really does kill you. Overcap of today…I chilled with Roxy, Amy, & Condolia. We enjoyed the beach then went into Old San Juan City where Amy & Condolia got their nose pierced. Im very jealous because Ive always wanted to get it done, but am not trying to go for that Indian (dot) look, you all know what I mean. We then walked around got some last minute souvenirs, ate empanadas from street vendors, and then chilled at this hot spot alley bar where we got $1.50 beers. We pounded a few before heading back to the ship & we also met a Puerto Rican little girl who was at the bar with her mother. This “responsible” mother was watching her daughter jump rope while throwing a few brews back. The little girl’s name is Shaniqua (shan-ee-kwah) and she was very adorable so I decided to take a pic with her and as you can see, she loves me. To conclude, we are all on the ship with 7 consecutive days of classes. I am looking forward to #1. teaching aerobics for the first time on the ship #2. our first pub nite this Sunday and finally #3 Feb 17th where I am oh so excited to celebrate Carnival in Brazil!

ship life

2007-02-09T23:36:00.000-05:00

I wrote this blog on Wednesday Feb 7th, but didn’t have a chance to post it til now.
We just arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For those of you who do not know this, Puerto Rico is a US territory/colony so the people here are US citizens and better yet, I can use my cell phone (so call me before Friday)!!! So all 702 students have been on the ship for 3 days (since Sunday) and so far we had our orientation on Monday and our first day of class on Tuesday. On Monday I missed a lot of the meetings for orientation because the night before I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever! L I took some ibuprofen and took mucho naps during the day so by Tuesday I felt a lot better. They purposely want everyone up by 9am because Global Studies, which is mandatory for everyone starts at 920, but me so unlucky have an 8am class, Spirit Possession & Ethnography. I was going to drop it and add a later class, but it seems really interesting plus the professor is pretty cool. I guess by the end of this trip ill have seen a ritual where someone actually gets possessed by some sort of spirit. I’m def kinda freaked out by it, but we’ll see how it goes. After Global Studies on Tuesday I had to work in the library til 2 and it wasn’t so bad at all. I reshelved books and made labels for the books, it was pretty easy. After that, I then had Marine Biology which also seems pretty cool. Sadly, today I missed the whale during lunch, but Im sure Ill have more opportunities to see whales swim along our ship. I missed dinner because I took a much needed 3 hour nap and I am also proud to say that after my fever recovery I still made it to the gym today with Kristi & Angela. I hope to teach some aerobics classes soon, but we’re not planning all that til after PR. Last night before bed I hung out with Roxy and watched The Sweetest Thing ß absolutely love that movie. I haven’t seen it since freshman year in Katie & Kelly’s dorm room with Kasey & John. “Too big to fit in here!” Haha do you girls remember that? So now I’m about to leave the ship and take a tour with some people to the Bacardi Factory. I heard that the drinks are complimentary so that will be exciting. I then plan to layout on the beach, get some authentic Puerto Rican grub, and go to the Welcome Reception tonight where there will be Puerto Rican students. Angela and I hope to be successful in finding a hott club to go to tonight! Buenos Dias!!!! Enjoy the pics of my room!

My New Home: MV Explorer

2007-02-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

I finally made it on the ship! I was so psyched cuz i got a porthole in my cabin and I def was not expecting it. Im one of the lucky ones! The first nite here we just went to meetings and I also met my roomate, Lauren Shea from NJ. She goes to PACE in nyc & she is also work study. Our room number is 4161, in case any of you want to call me. I work in the library with 4 other people and I think it'll be pretty easy. Cody, the coordinator said that we have the best deal cuz not only do we get on the ship early, but we're making about $31/hour :) Tomorrow will be crazy though because everyone is going to be boarding. There are 702 students, the largest SAS class ever. This is a pic of me on deck 7, the deck where the pool, spa, and gym are. The picture above that is me and Lauren with the crew, all filipinos! The food so far isnt so bad. They serve food accordingly to each country we visit, so I've been eating a lot of different Bahama fish. On Monday we have orientation all day and then our first day of class on Tuesday. Everyone on the ship has to take Global Studies and Im also taking Marine Bio, Health Promotion, and Spirit Posession and Enthnography. On Wednesday Ill be able to use my cell phone and make calls.....Puerto Rico here I come!

24/26.wat.wat.

2007-02-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Ahh i cant complain right now...nappin on the beach, sippin on cocktails...this is the life :) My roomates, from left to right are Julie from Ohio, Angela from cali, me, Michelle also from cali, and then Kristi from rhode island. They're all really cool & love to have fun just like me. We call ourselves 24-26 girls, hence our room number, lol. My drunk idea, of course! The first night we got here we went to Senior Frogs and met tons of other people who are also doing SAS. There are a lot of kids from Cali & Colorado!! Then we went to this local after party! It was kinda scary....but still fun. It was called Cocktails & Dreams. Now its Friday and I gotta be on the ship in an hour for work study orientation. I can't wait to see the ship...my new home.

Bahama Mama

2007-01-31T01:34:00.001-05:00

I should be sleeping right now, but I am so anxious and excited! I finally finished packing and my bags are now sitting by the garage door. I leave for the bahamas in 5 hours and will arrive around 2pm, eastern time. I am staying at the Atlantis Hotel with 5 other girls, two of which are from the Bay Area in Cali. Im verrrry eager to meet everyone & sooooo stoked to finally get a tan, cuz you all know ive been complaining about how 'pale' I am! ;)

Pweese Send Me Mail

2007-01-16T03:31:00.000-05:00

I would really appreciate it if you would send me mail while in port! Especially for my birthday (March 10th) hint hint! In order for me to receive mail on time, you must send it at least 2 weeks before the ship arrives at port. Below are the addresses of where you send the mail along with the date you must send it by.
Thanks loves!!!

PUERTO RICO- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN JANUARY 24TH

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives February 7, 2007
Cruise Plus Service & Sales
1760 Fernandez Juncos Avenue
San Juan, PUERTO RICO 00909

BRAZIL-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 3RD

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives February 17, 2007
Oceanus Agencia Maritima
Av. Estados Unidos, 397, Room 601-604
40018-900 Salvador, BAHIA-BRASIL

SOUTH AFRICA-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 16TH

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives March 2, 2007
John T. Rennie & Sons
PO Box 702, 1 Thibault House
8000 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA

MAURITIUS-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN MARCH 1ST

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives March 15, 2007
Ireland Blyth Limited
1 Queen Street, P.O. Box 53
Port Louis, MAURITIUS

INDIA-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN MARCH 11TH

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives March 25, 2007
J.M. Baxi & CO
52 Rajaji Salai
Chennai- 600 001, INDIA

MALAYSIA-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN MARCH 19TH

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 2, 2007
4th Floor Unit 4B
Wisma Saw Chong Thuah
39-c, Pengkalan Weld
10300 Penang, MALAYSIA

VIETNAM-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN MARCH 26TH

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 9, 2006
General Forwarding & Agency
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM

HONG KONG-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN APRIL 3RD

ErickaBuyco
C/O: MV Exlorer
Arrives April 17, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
No 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG-CHINA

CHINA-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN APRIL 7TH

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 21, 2007
Penavico Qingdao
21 Wuxia Road
Qingdao, 266002, P.R. China

JAPAN-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN APRIL 11TH

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives April 25, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
Kenryu Bldg II, Room 303
6, Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku
Kobe-shi, Hyogo-Ken 650-0024, JAPAN

HAWAII-- AIRMAIL NO LATER THAN APRIL 23RD

Ericka Buyco
C/O: MV Explorer
Arrives May 7, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
Gentry Pacific Services
260 North Numitz Hwy, Suite 103
HONOLULU, Hawaii 96817, USA