Namaste, India!

“Namaste” (nah-mah-stay) is said during an Indian greeting in which one’s hands touch palm to palm and held near the heart while the head bows with respect. I found South India to constantly be greeting me with a warm and respectful welcome. I had such a great time in India and already am wanting to go back to see and do more!

1/6 of the world’s population is in India. 2.1 billion people live there with diverse cultures and many different languages. 4 main religions are practiced: Hinduism (most predominant- 150 million people), Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Christianity arrived in 52 AD with St. Thomas and is now practiced by 2.5% of the population. India is a place where some of the earliest philosophical texts, dialogues, and discourses were developed. Muslims repeatedly invaded and then ruled from 11th-18th centuries. When the Islam Empire declined, the British rose into power. They instituted educational systems, built industries, developed infrastructures, and made English the connecting language. However, their colonial rule was oppressive and India was demanding self-rule. Ghandi fought for civil liberty with nonviolence and believed in greater courage than retaliation. India became independent from Britain in the 1940s but then had an uneasy relationship with Pakistan. Today there are 300 million people in deep poverty that live on less than a dollar a day. India is a land of great diversity… where cows roam the streets freely, rick-shaws haul around travelers, 4-member families hold on tightly to their motorcycle, beautiful women walk around in saris with a jewel on their foreheads, deities and temples are found throughout cities, and barefeet and dirt line the streets…

Friday morning, soon after we docked, I attended a yoga demonstration since this is the land where it all started. A lady spoke while 2 of her students showed us their moves. Man, are they flexible and disciplined! It has such a calming and relaxing effect to those who have mastered it.

That afternoon I went to Missionaries of Charity Orphanage in Chennai. Mother Teresa started and worked with Missionaries of Charity starting in her 20s and for the rest of her life. She developed children’s homes, elderly homes, homes for the dying, and soup kitchens all throughout India. I felt so privileged to see an orphanage that she had started! The gated building houses about 5 sisters 25 children. We first went up to the prayer and worship room. On the wall there was a wooden carving of Jesus on the cross with the words, “I THIRST.” Below it was an alter that said, “DO NOT FEAR I AM WITH YOU.” There was also a Bible written in Hindi with colored pictures. The rest of the time was spent hanging out with the children and sisters. The children were all abandoned, either at the doorsteps or on the streets. Many of them have mental and physical disabilities. We brought things to play with them, such as coloring books and bubbles. They go to school everyday but had this day off because we special visitors were coming. They were all so joyous! And smart too! I worked with 2 girls on word-finds that were in English and they found nearly every word (keep in mind that they were mentally challenged…)! It was such a wonderful atmosphere to be in… you could just feel God’s presence. The sisters had a complete calming and sweet persona and the kids were just filled with joy. I think Mother Teresa would be happy with her Chennai orphanage!

That evening my friends and I were blessed by the generosity of a local Indian family. A sweet couple from my home church contacted their cousins in India about my arrival. So that evening we met up with their cousins for a most enjoyable time. Well, first of all I should tell you about our rick-shaw ride before meeting them. They first pedaled 2 of us to the gate but then we needed to pick up 2 more of our friends. So we piled 4 of us onto this rick-shaw that’s surely not made to hold all of us! 1 of the 2 seats broke so lap-seats it was! Well, we were a bit heavy for the peddler so 2 of his friends stood on both sides helping push! We were ready to jump out and walk to take him out of his agony, but then we arrived! So anyway, we found our new friends and were off in a vehicle made to actually hold all of us lol. We first stopped at a local market and shopped some. It was a bit different than the U.S.: when you find something you want, a form was given to you but they delivered the item; then after all your shopping was done you took these forms and paid for it all; then you took that receipt to another desk and picked up all your items. It was neat to be in a local’s market rather than tourist market. Then we went to the beach—WOW! It is the 2nd largest beach in the WORLD! It goes on for what seems forever and is also very wide! We walked to the water and it was just beautiful at night! We then went to dinner for our first taste of real Indian cuisine… and mm mm mmm, it was GOOD! I really enjoyed being shown around and engaging in conversation with them. It was a great contribution to my time in India.

Saturday morning I attended a celebration for SAS—you see, the voyage I happen to be on is SAS’s 100th voyage! So this was celebrated in India at a college. We arrived to people dressed in costumes who put (REAL!) flower leis around our necks. They also gave us tea and biscuits (cracker/cookies), which I found to be quite common in India. They then put on quite an impressive performance for us. Young and older children and college students had prepared numerous traditional to contemporary dances. This includes a finale of outstanding female hip-hoppers and also 3 girls singing Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean” a cappella! They were all impressive performances to celebrate SAS’s 100th voyage.

I then went on a 2-day trip with the RIDE (Rural India Developmental Education) Program. It strives to fight child labor in the rural areas by educating children and providing parents with jobs. We drove into southern India and first went to one of the RIDE schools. There were a few large classrooms with no desks or chairs inside and a large garden. The kids put on a performance for us with singing, dancing, and acting. We then got to play with them for awhile… duck duck goose was a hit—when I joined, a boy decided to “goose” me and then have me chase him around the circle at least 5 times rather than sitting in his new spot. Haha. We also tossed balls AND played with snow… yes, I said snow! Our trip leader is a science teacher and brought this powdery stuff that grows into snow when it gets wet! These kids were having so much fun with it because they’ve never seen snow before! That night we ate dinner while talking to the founder of RIDE. I learned that these kids we had just interacted with are victims of child labor. Their parents send them to work in the quarries, which makes $1.50 a day for the family. Their parents don’t quite understand why education is so important but rather see their children laboring as more important and financially successful. Many times the parents try to get jobs but employers would rather higher children, so the kids are literally the source of the family’s income. The RIDE program goes to homes each day to try to convince the kids to come to school that day rather than work. The turnout at school differs greatly each day. Many times the only incentive to go to school is that they will actually be fed a meal that day. So we learned that the RIDE program is trying to convince a culture of their values that they are having trouble understanding.

The next day, Sunday, we got to see the other end of the spectrum of the RIDE program—it’s emphasis on adult labor which in turn allows for child education. We first stopped at an old temple and deity statues. We then went to a village that I really enjoyed. RIDE has helped provide loans to allow parents to get businesses started. They warmly welcomed us with prayers and blessings and of course… tea and biscuits. We got to tour the village president’s house and speak with his family. I’ve learned that I really enjoy any village visits I’ve gone on! We then went to another village where we saw a father’s pottery-making business and parents’ food-making business that RIDE started to fight child labor. We then went to a silk-weaving factory with the same cause. This was really impressive, especially seeing a sari being made because it was with real gold! In each place we had the chance to support their businesses by buying pottery or silk clothing. This trip was fabulous because it focused on a huge problem in India and how they’re working to fix it.

That evening I met up with some of my friends and we headed into Chennai. Our taxi drivers really wanted to help us and also really wanted pictures with us lol. We went to City Center mall, bought movie tickets, and shopped in a bookstore. The taxi drivers insisted on taking us back because it’d be hard to find a taxi later at night. So they picked us up and enjoyed teasing us on the way back to the ship. We were asking them cultural questions, including what the driving age is in India. So after answering he asked us if we wanted to drive the car! Uh, definitely not! Especially since they drive on the left side! But he kept jokingly insisting that we drive the taxi and it gave us some good laughs.

On Monday morning, I went on an SAS Service trip to Samarpana Orphanage for the Handicapped… this was a REALLY great experience! They house, take care of, and teach abandoned people with mental retardation, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, and spinal bifida. They gave an extremely warm welcome with handshakes and golden smiles. First we worked, then we played. My job was cutting nails! Yes, finger nails AND toe nails! For those of you who don’t know, I do not like feet at all, so the toe nails was a big step for me! These feet walk barefoot constantly on dirty Indian grounds and toenails haven’t been cut in awhile… but isn’t that what service is all about? Breaking through our uncomfortability to benefit another? And it really did benefit them… not just physically but mentally too. Since they’re living in a group home they don’t get a lot of one-on-one attention. So simply by focusing on them, touching their hands and feet, they were feeling loved. I truly enjoyed this service work. We then had time to interact with them for a while. Oh, what joys they are! I tend to be drawn towards those that are overlooked… so my friend and I played with 2 little boys that had spina bifida, moderate-extreme mental retardation, and couldn’t talk. Oh, they were such joys! They just had the best smiles that you can only return with a bigger smile. They then had classes and were divided into mental capabilities. I was in the room with the lower-functioning and my favorite little boy. I was so impressed by him! He had learned a puzzle of shapes and colors and would point to where each piece belonged! WOW! There were some boys that came in the room to bicycle. I later learned that one had been the first member of the orphanage and couldn’t even walk when he first came. They each impressed me with how driven and joyful they were. They not only were happy to have Samarpana as a home, but they had built a strong family connection with the others that were there too. It was a most enjoyable time at Samarpana Handicapped Orphanage.

Once we arrived back on the ship, I met the Vietnamese interport student, Anne, and we invited her to join us for the rest of the day. We went back to City Center mall for our afternoon movie. It was spoken in Hindi but didn’t even have subtitles, so it was quite interesting. Bollywood films in general are quite interesting. After 1 hour and 45 min, “Interval” came on the screen… we couldn’t believe it was only intermission! But nonetheless, it was a neat cultural experience to watch an Indian film where we could only guess what was going on. Lol. We also shopped because we wanted some styling Indian clothes… so I found some for my first clothes I’ve bought!

Tuesday morning I went on a trip that focused on the socioeconomic problems in India through a program called MCDS (Montfort Community Development Society). I really like their diligent goals: provide a community for children with disabilities, fight against child labor, provide support and supplies for poor schools, empower women through self-help groups, train youth for self-employment and social awareness, provide a school for drop-outs and failures, improve water/hygiene/dental/physical health of the area, provide care for the elderly, and grow awareness with other networks. We went to the slums on the outskirts and where the tsunami hit the worst 5 years ago. We saw a 1-room school for the children and also talked with the women’s self-help group. We saw another school, walked through the local market within the slums, and viewed the care facility for the disabled. They took one of their students to the Special Olympics a few years ago in Ireland and she won a gold medal! Oh, she was so proud lol. Just as I’d seen in the orphanage the day before, they were all so happy to be there. MCDS focuses on not just providing a building for the disabled, but a community as well where they are integrated with others without disabilities. This is a fabulous program that has developed strongly and already changed many lives.

The rest of my last day I spent with my friends around Chennai shopping and site-seeing.

I was very sad to say goodbye to India. I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous about my time there… but it turned out to be one of my favorite countries. Its wide diversity has created such a rich culture. And they’re so welcoming with an unspoken respect. I had a wonderful taste of South India… and hopefully someday I will see the rest of India. What a tremendous country!

I am now on the ship for 6 days… Next stop: Vietnam.

I hope you are all doing well—may you find many blessings this week!

Sailing Through the North Indian Ocean

We have spent the past 5 days sailing north in the Indian Ocean… and I can gladly say that we didn’t get attacked by pirates! As much as this is a joking matter, it’s actually quite serious. Our voyage was originally supposed to go through the Mediterranean Sea to Turkey, Croatia, and Egypt, then on to India. But because of the pirate attacks in the north-western parts of the Indian Ocean, our route got redirected to go around Africa up to India. I think our new route was just as great, if not better. I REALLY enjoyed Africa and am thankful we got to go there. And I’m also thankful that we escaped any possibilities of a pirate attack!

We had classes 4 of the 5 past days. On the free day we had Sea Olympics! Each “sea” (which is equivalent to a dorm floor) competed in different activities all day. I represented the Balearic Sea in “Dean Byron Says” which is SAS’s version of Simon Says. Sadly, I didn’t win… I got out when I was too quick to give the person next to me a massage and forgot that Dean Byron didn’t say to! Haha. Out of about 10 seas though, the Balearic Sea came in 3^rd! Whoot! That same day was the prettiest day we’ve had on the ship yet. It was about 85 degrees out and the ocean was so smooth and calm; it looked like glass! The past few days the ocean has bee so incredibly calm. In fact, so calm that the ship hasn’t rocked me to sleep like my body is used to! The crew cooked us a BBQ the night of the Sea Olympics (which was delicious!) and there was the most beautiful sunset yet. Colors were splattered all across the sky with fluffy clouds and a beautiful reflection on the ocean. WOW. So it was a BEAUTIFUL day!

I went to a seminar by a guy who was finishing a documentary on the health in Nepal. He had been working as a videographer in Washington and just got stuck in the rut, wanting something more. He found a group of people who were heading out to Nepal to hike the Himalayan Mountains. He joined them this past April and his life was changed. Nepal is one of the poorest of the poor areas, living on $2 a day with medical care hours away. We watched his 90 min almost-finished documentary and were shocked. They visited the villages of Nepal and talked about what they could do to help. They then climbed the mountains of the Himalayas as a fundraiser. This money sent 3 students to medical college who will go back to their villages and provide useful health care. I feel so blessed to constantly be hearing stories about how people are taking action on poverty throughout the world. We each have so much we’re capable of doing. We each have ways to help the impoverished.

My mom pointed out that people might be interested in hearing how SAS prepares us for each port. There are numerous ways. Our individual classes right before a port normally focus on that country. For example, my 2 Global Music classes this past week have discussed music in Northern and Southern India. We also have a class called Global Studies that every SAS student takes. They bring in inter-port lecturers that will speak numerous times in class prior to arriving. These lectures are normally about economics, politics, and any major issues. For example, prior to arriving in Mauritius we learned about how small islands are most affected by global climate changes. There are also 1-2 inter-port students that are on the ship a few days before arrival. They go to our classes, hang out, and give advice about their country from a 20 year-old’s perspective. 2 nights before arrival we have Cultural Pre-Port, which our dean, inter-port lecturer, and inter-port students put on about the culture of their country. The night before arrival we have Logistical Pre-Port, which our dean, doctor, field office workers, and assistant dean put on to cover the logistics of the SAS trips, health, and basics of the country. We are given a “Green Sheet” which has all the information about where we’re ported, telephone numbers, currency rates, transportation info, etc. on it that we are recommended to keep with us at all times. The morning of port we sometimes have a Diplomatic Briefing in which the country’s diplomats welcome and advise us. Lastly, most countries will provide a hospitality desk on board with maps and people to answer questions. So as you can see, SAS makes sure we are prepared for each country through a variety of ways.

Well, we port in Chennai, India in the morning. I’m very excited for this port. I hope your past few days have flooded you with blessings.

Bonjour, Mauritius!

What a beautiful island! Each country never ceases to amaze me. Mauritius may be small and unknown, but I am happy to tell you how “rich” it actually is. Mauritius is a “tossed salad” in the Indian Ocean. Africans, French, Indians, British, Dutch, and Chinese all share this island with a deep respect and interdependency with one another. For a quick history lesson, the Arabs first discovered the desolate island but never settled it. Then the French came and brought along Africans as slaves. The British later came in and pushed out the French colonialists. Once the African slaves were freed, a large population of Indians (which now makes up 50% of the population) and a small group of Chinese (now 3% of population) came to live in Mauritius as well. English is the official language, French is the most spoken language, and Creole is the first learned language. A variety of religions, Hindu, Muslim, Christianity (mostly Catholicism), and Buddhism, are all practiced. The island is volcanic and has a number of craters. Its number one industry is tourism, followed by textile. It takes about one hour to drive from the farthest side to the other. The Mauritian cities have a European style with some tin-pieced homes (like South African townships) on the outskirts. The core value in Mauritius is family.

As we pulled in on Thursday morning we had a gorgeous view of the mountainous island. In fact, it looked like a mini Cape Town! Once the ship was cleared, a few friends and I headed into Port Louis. However, our ship was docked a ways from the waterfront so a land taxi or water taxi were recommended. So we hopped into a water taxi for the fun little ride to the waterfront. The water taxi was pretty sweet- a small antique-ish boat with car tires tied all along the outside. It felt good to be closer to the water in comparison to when we’re on the ship. And the water was beautiful! Definitely a bit cleaner than Grand Lake ☺ We then went on into Port Louis to get our first feel of what Mauritius was like. We acquainted ourselves with the city: a beautiful mosque, lots of markets and street vendors, China Town, and Mauritian restaurants on the water. To save some money, we decided to try to walk back to the ship… which we learned quickly why SAS recommended us taking taxis instead! It took about 45 min and went through the industrial part of the city. But it was neat to see the outskirts of the city and it felt really good to just be able to walk after being confined to a ship for a few days.

That afternoon I went on an SAS trip to the Children’s Village of Beau Bassin. What a cool place with a dazzling concept: give abandoned children homes and a “family” to grow up with. Children are sent there if they are abandoned, their parents go to jail, etc. and move into a house with a mother, auntie, and about 7-12 other kids of all ages. They live in the children’s village their entire childhood until they are able to move out and live on their own. They go to school just like everyone else and fortunately now have a family to come home to. They always have kids around to play with and have a “mother” as a role model. It is government-owned, which pays for 50% and corporations pay for the other 50%. It is also highly supported by Mauritians who constantly send support, including presents at Christmastime. We spent the first 10 min learning about the village and then the next few hours to talk to the families and play with the kids. I visited the home of one family that currently has children ages up to 18 and are getting a 2 yr old brother next week, which they were all excited about. We also hung out with the kids, playing games and laughing. The kids love being there and they truly feel like it’s their home.

Friday morning/afternoon I went on an SAS Service trip to several different locations. We first stopped at the church and tomb of Father Laval. He came to Mauritius when the slaves were freed to help take care of them and start a Catholic church. We then went to Gayasing Ashram (Home) for the elderly and disabled. This was a very lovely place… As I mentioned earlier, family is VERY important to Mauritians. They take care of their members until they are no longer able to, in which they are then sent to a home. This Ashram held the elderly and disabled and took care of them very well. They were all very happy to be there. We were given a tour of the facilities and then interacted with a few of them. Each staff takes care of about 8-10 elders. The men with disabilities had a chained fence with barbed wire around their home, where as the women didn’t have anything at all. They told us this was because the women are more tamed. Haha. The numerous facilities were very welcoming and surely provided a good home for each person. After that we visited a small hospital. It is especially known for massage therapy… They help a French boy who has been paralyzed for many years. His mother brings him to this hospital to get a massage 3x a week. He is now able to talk well and walk some. They are proud of his success and want others around the world to know about their hospital. We then went to Cite le Cure neighborhood to visit Teen Hope, a school for underprivileged and troubled children. Although many of these children are drop-outs and rebels, they seemed to be very happy at this school. They are taught at the pace of their classmates and learn in fun ways. We interacted with them through a translator and drawing pictures. So a funny thing happened during this time… Some kids asked if that was Britney Spears and pointed to ME! HA! Wow… Anyway… They then put on a singing and dancing presentation for us and then quickly grabbed us to dance with them! They taught us Sega dancing (Sega is a Mauritian-style of music. It’s similar to Reggae and the dance moves are similar to belly dancing.) and we attempted to learn it. I really enjoyed these visits because it reiterated how important family and friends (and American pop artists) are to Mauritius.

I then met up with my friends and we took a 40 min taxi ride to Grand Bai, which is on the north coast of Mauritius. Our taxi ride was pretty fun. We talked with the taxi driver about his favorite music, which included Michael Jackson… so he got out a Michael Jackson CD and we jammed to it on the way. Haha. When we told him he could put back on his Indian Music (mostly because we can hear MJ anytime we want!) he said, “No! Not for you!” haha. Anyway, we’ve been told that you can’t go to Mauritius and not spend time on the beach, so… that’s what did in Grand Bai! The sand was white and the ocean was a soft blue-green. We later watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean on the Mauritian Grand Bai beach ☺ BEAUTIFUL! We ate dinner at a Mauritian/French restaurant… might I add that I had a banana-mango milkshake that they made FRESH and it was AMAZING! After dinner we ran into some locals on the beach that were jammin’ with a guitar. We talked with them for awhile and ended up hanging out with them for quite a few hours. They sang us some songs and taught us more Sega dancing. Mauritians and the whole continent of Africa are just sooo welcoming and friendly. They are incredibly giving and warm to whomever they run into. This entire day was definitely one of my favorites in my lifetime so far!

Saturday, the final day, was a good last day. 2 friends and I wanted to see more of the natural sites of the island. The hospitality desk on SAS bartered with us and we ended up getting a personal tour guide driver for only $20 USD for the entire day! This is a great deal considering the SAS trip was over $100… And what a BEAUTIFUL tour it was! We first stopped at a crater that is estimated to be 700,000 years old. Then we went to a giant Hindu Shiva statue that is the largest outside of India. We then went to a sacred lake with a Hindu temple on the coast. We were blessed in this Eswarnath Shiv Jyotir Lingum Temple and marked with red paint on our foreheads. Our tour guide took us to several different overlooks of the beautiful ocean and waterfalls. We then went to Black Gorges National Park that had a very long waterfall. What a beautiful day for it- a rainbow shone beside it! We then went to a Mauritian phenomenon called the 7-Colored Earth. Because of chemical processes, several layers of the earth have 7 different colors. It was just amazing and very beautiful! There were also some giant tortoises nearby that were pretty cute, I think at least! The day tour ended with a drive along the west coastline. And then it was time to board the ship and say farewell to Mauritius. As usual, my friends and I went on the 8th deck to watch Mauritius fall away in the dark of the night.

I hope all is well with you! ☺

Tears through the Indian Ocean

“The real voyage of discovery consists not [only] in seeing new landscapes,

but in having new eyes.”

–Marcel Proust

When boarding the ship and saying goodbye to a country, we SASers re-enter into this comfort world… we go to classes, study for exams, work, hang out with friends… the world that we have come to know as “home.” But our comforts had just been stretched as we were out in a country. Sites that widely opened our eyes had just been surrounding us, humbling us. We claimed to “never be the same ever again” because of what these countries were just showing us. But as easy as it is to go up the steps to board the ship, those changes easily evaporate as we re-enter our comforts, our home, our normalities. I hate this… I absolutely hate this. I don’t want to be temporarily changed… I want my eyes to remain wide open and for me to re-adapt my life to these changes. As much as porting then sailing then porting then sailing can be a downfall (because we re-enter our “home” and those changes slip our mind), it is also a gift… When we forget the first time, we still have another port that will re-open our eyes again. If we forget a second time, we will still have another port to peel those eyes back open. During this period of time at sea between South Africa and Mauritius I have found myself to be more consumed by what I’ve seen off the ship. Those temporary changes are becoming permanent, I can only hope at least. I am finding myself to be more emotional… as images of Torgorme village, South African townships, Habitat’s new homes, and many others keep popping up in my mind. Just thinking about it gets me teary-eyed… And to think that I’ve only seen a tiny portion of all the world’s brokenness… So bear with me as I get more emotional… grasp on to my emotions and take the journey for yourself… be affected too…

I’ll share with you a few of the events that have triggered my tears…

First, Amy Biehl, a young American, went to South Africa to work with the Peace Corp in the early 1990s. Her passion was to help with the black’s struggle against apartheid. Amidst the riots and violence, Amy was pulled out from her car in 1993 and stoned to death by 2 black men who had mistaken her for their white oppressors. She had been in South Africa to help with the terrible never-ending struggle, but was killed. Her parents understood their daughter’s passion and didn’t want it to die with her physical death so they established the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust. The foundation continues their daughter’s work fighting against the effects of apartheid. In addition, they met the 2 men that killed their daughter… and forgave them. Those 2 men now help lead the Amy Biehl Foundation. We too should take advantage of the power of reconciliation and contributing to others’ passions.

Second, there are “Explorer Seminars” every night on the ship in which people can lead a seminar on whatever topic they choose. One that I attended this past week was called, “Living Life on the Extreme.” What does this extreme living consist of? Living life to the full, loving what you do, and doing what you love. But the reason this seminar was so meaningful was because of who was delivering the message. Lynn is a SAS Life Long Learner partial voyager. She was a student here many years ago and has been a partial voyager other times. About 15 years ago she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Her daughter was just 2 years old and as she told us, “[Her] daughter will never know what she was really like.” This degenerative disease with no known cause or cure is slowly taking away her once known mobilities. This was the first seminar she has given since the disease started taking away her voice. But although Parkinson’s is slowly deteriorating her life, she is not letting it win. She shared with us her “6 Steps of Happiness” and how she twists every battle into something positive. She encouraged us over and over to do what we love and we will truly be happy. Words like this are said a lot… but when they come from a lady who has reasons to be negative, the phrase comes alive with much more meaning. So as Lynn says, live your life to the full… doing what you love.

Third, the distribution of wealth in the world is sickening. It is way too easy for the U.S. and other developed nations to be ignorant about how vast poverty is in the world. As I’ve been spending time with these impoverished areas, I’m becoming quite disgusted with my own life. Why do I complain about the lunch food… when I am at least guaranteed a lunch? Why do I complain about a school class… when I at least am being educated? Why do I think I need one more sweatshirt… when so many don’t have even one? Why do I care if my shoes match my outfit… when many are concerned about even having clothes and shoes to wear? Why do I spend money on ice cream… when that money could feed a family? Why have I learned about these things but not taken initiative to do something about it? We have so incredibly much… so much more than most of the world… and so much that could help that world. $100 could give an entire village clean water for 5 years. Half my wardrobe could quadruple the wardrobe of 3 families. The money I spend on needless snacks in a week could feed a family for a month. It’s sickening… Why am I, why are we, ignorant and selfish in this world? Why do we hold back from sharing this wealth, from distributing a portion of our materials to those that truly need it? Mother Teresa once said, “God does not create poverty; it is created by you and I because we do not share.” The world is an uneven playing field, but we have the capabilities to level it. And it’s not even hard. It’s so easy for us to do this… The things I excessively want… are exactly what many people need. My little can give others much… Our little can give other incredibly much…

We port in Mauritius tomorrow morning. It’s a tiny little island in the Indian Ocean just east of Madagascar. Shiplife these past 6 days has been filled with the norm… classes, midterms, work, friends, trip-planning, Salsa, Flamenco, Hip-hop dancing… but lots of thoughts too. I hope that my thoughts may become your thoughts now too...

:)

Molo (click), South Africa!

This is a greeting in Xhoso, one of the many dialects of South Africa. It is especially interesting because there is a “click” of the mouth when words are spoken.

South Africa is quite a country… There has been so much turmoil there for so many years. White people colonized it and totally overruled the blacks, taking away all freedoms and drawing strict barriers between the groups. The blacks were forced to live in shacks made out of scrap metal and wood in townships while the whites developed the city and lived in nice homes. This huge gap, called “apartheid,” (uh-PAR-tide) only widened and there is now literally a 3rd world country and 1st world country co-existing in South Africa. Many blacks fought back… but failed. You may recognize the name of Mandela, who got thrown into prison for about 30 years on Robben Island but continued fighting for black rights. In 1994 Mandela was released from prison and was voted in as the 10th president and 1st black president of South Africa. This was anticipated as the end to apartheid, although it’s very obvious it is not. The government promised the townships that each shack would be replaced with a small cement home. Many were started but left unfinished. Today the majority of 79% Africans are still living in metal shacks in undeveloped townships and 9.6% whites are in nice homes in the developed city. South Africa has one of the highest crime rates. 1 in 5 people have HIV and 1 in 3 children are malnourished. This statistic really got me: A South African black girl has a higher chance of being raped than being literate… Apartheid, extreme poverty, unfair treatment, crime, rape, HIV- they aren’t problems of the past in South Africa… They are still every day struggles for the majority of the population. The land is gorgeous, the people are wonderful, but the problems are extreme.

As usual, I will share my days and experiences with you.

Saturday morning many of us woke up early to watch what we heard was going to be the most beautiful sunrise out of all our ports. And it most definitely was! As soon as I woke up I looked out my window and could see the distant shoreline filled with mountains. Then on the 7th deck we had the most glorious view of Table Mountain with the sun rising beside it. WOW. I also spotted a few seals jumping in the ocean as we pulled into port! (So far I’ve seen whales, dolphins, and seals jumping around in the ocean!) We pulled into our reserved dock, which was so close to Table Mountain. I could see one of the side mountains from my porthole and the entire Table Mountain from the back decks of our ship.

As soon as the ship was cleared, we headed out. We explored the area of Cape Town called Waterfront, which is actually where the port is located. Here we saw the very developed wealthy part of South Africa. As one of my friends who was in Cape Town earlier this year kept saying, this was not South Africa… We had the entire day free so a few of us decided to do one of the “musts” of Cape Town, a tour of the winelands. The drive there started showing us the contrasts in South Africa… beautiful mountains, very nice houses, then thousands of shacks beside thousands of shacks, then beautiful rolling hills where wine was produced. Our first stop was at Zevenschwat and second at Saxenburg. This area had tons of wineries and winelands, definitely a top production for Cape Town. Our guide, Stanley, was a cute short older man who was just plain silly. We were also on the tour with a couple from India and a lady from France. This mixture made for good conversations and fun laughs. We passed zebras, ostriches, and antelope on the way to the 2nd wineland. So here’s a funny little story: Stanley, our guide, stopped so we could take pictures. He asked if my 2 friends and I would want our picture taken with the zebras in the background. We said yes and he started “focusing” the camera. With his sillyness he kept saying, “3 ladies… and a ZEBRA!... 3 ladies and a ZEBRA!” After about 5 min he finally had finished his photography masterpiece. The Indian man chuckled and said, “You might want to check the quality of that picture.” We looked at the picture and laughed hysterically. Stanley most definitely got that zebra in the picture! But he missed 2 ½ of our heads, mostly getting only our chests! So we kept joking around and called the picture, “3 chests and a ZEBRA!” (I apologize for any inappropriateness to any youngsters… I guess this blog is rated PG!)

As our tour continued Stanley showed us the only strawberry in Cape Town (aka a giant sign in the shape of a strawberry advertising a farm) and then brought us to a cheetah reserve. However we missed it’s closing by 10 min so we could only see the cheetah through fences. But, from this tour I sort of had my own “African safari” in which I got to see zebras, ostriches, antelope, and a cheetah!

On Sunday I took a tour of Cape Peninsula and Cape Point. Cape Town (there are many different “Capes”; don’t get confused!) sits on the northwestern side of the Peninsula and Cape Point is on the very southern tip. We drove along the western coastline that was just gorgeous with mountains, beaches, giant rock boulders, and ocean. This area of Africa is known for sharks… and I’m about 95% sure I saw a shark fin peep out of the water! Towards the southern part of the peninsula is a national park and reserve for the impressive wildlife of flora and fauna (baboons, ostriches, etc.). At the very tip is Cape Point consisting of a lighthouse on a mountain looking over a gorgeous coastline. This is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans are said to meet! On our way back around the eastern side of the peninsula we stopped for lunch on Boulder Beach. There are 2 really cool things about this area: 1) there are HUGE rocks lining the white sand beaches, and 2) there are African PENGUINS! We spent time watching them play around with one another in their natural environment. They were just too cute. It was a neat tour of the southern tip of Africa.

Later that evening we spent time at a local market where the locals sold whatever goods they specialized it. It was so neat to see the different artwork that they paint representing their land. They guaranteed us “closing prices” and “the best price for you, lady!” Haha. We also walked around the mall in the Waterfront area. Since crime is so high in South Africa, SASers were advised to stay only around Waterfront or Long Street at night. So although these were more touristy areas, they were safer and also had some good live music. We had met 2 local men the night before who cook food for those getting off work in the middle of the night. We ended up conversing with them this night for 2 hours! These conversations really shed a light on the country. They were quite talkative and openly shared their views on politics, apartheid, government, economics, pollution, disabilities, and the list goes on. They even talked about Obama! (Side note: Every place we’ve visited so far has mentioned something about Obama to us Americans! Ha. Either we’re walking down the markets and they yell “Yeah, Obama!” when they see us, or we see a Hotel Obama or Obama crackers, or they try to sell something to us and say that Obama bought it when he was there. Lol). They were quite excited to be able to share their stories and their land’s history with us foreigners. And those conversations are the ones that teach you the most.

On Monday I attended a program that taught us about Operation Hunger, which is a South African organization that focuses on the malnourishment and health of the people in townships. Operation Hunger is an incredible program. They have 5 different areas that guide their work: wellness, nutrition, food gardens, water, and relief. They seek to increase each of these in specific townships. They set up soup kitchens to feed kids a meal a day, hippo water rollers to provide clean water for townships, rainwater harvesters to collect clean water for townships, vegetable gardens to teach and feed others, nutrition classes, trauma/stress/coping with HIV/AIDS counseling, and many others based on what is needed most. The great thing is that there are people in Operation Hunger who are willing to help and serve their time to help those in need. The sad part is that their funds run out and they no longer have resources to care for them. SAS took 3-day trips with Operation Hunger while in South Africa. It cost us each $29 and with that they are now able to sponsor a new township that we visited. This township was definitely impoverished, just like many others… We started at the church where the town’s children were brought. We helped measure their height, weight, and arm circumference and then calculated whether they are undernourished, average, or overnourished. You can guess that most were undernourished. They take these measures once a month to watch the progress and determine what they can do to improve the health. We then went to a pre-school (it is in one of my posted pictures)… It was a small cement block building with one main room, one desk, 4 tiny chairs, and a slide as a playground. This school was to hold all of the children in the township. However, it holds much less than that on an average day. It costs $5/week for a child to go to school but these families couldn’t afford that… Therefore, their children didn’t go to school. For those that did, they learned from 2 caring unpaid teachers with the limited supplies they had… there was one shelf that held everything, all the toys, paints, books, etc. They were so short on supplies that when we asked what they needed, they couldn’t even find a pen to write a list down. The hearts to teach these kids are there… but the money and supplies are not.

We then all piled back onto our safe comfortable bus to go eat our guaranteed fulfilling lunch. This “satisfying” time of the day left me so unsatisfied. It just wasn’t fair… I was just in this village where they barely have enough to get by, and here I was comfortably eating a packed lunch. They needed it so much more than me… Our leader let us know that we would be going to another township after lunch and then helping out at a soup kitchen. Any uneaten food could be given to those at the soup kitchen. This was the perfect opportunity to take action on the changes going on inside me. I ate enough, but then saved the rest for those that actually needed it. To me it was another box lunch… but to them it was like a grand buffet.

We arrived at the next township, which was in even poorer condition than the previous (I posted a picture of this one as well), but also a more common condition than the other. We walked along the outskirts and then through the little spaces between the homes in extreme disbelief that these people really lived this way. They took scrap pieces of metal and wood and built a house that somehow withstands some weather (definitely not rain or strong winds). Most people had some sort of metal fence or barbed wire blocking the crime from coming into their homes. Loads of trash, metal, broken glass, poop, and tin cans lined the ground. I have never seen anything like it.

We then moved on to a “soup kitchen”… but not one like you’d think. A black lady who had a bit more money felt called to still help out her fellow neighbors. She built a small nice house right on the edge of the township, cooked soup in her kitchen, and had the school children over every single day to feed them their one meal. That day we joined her, and I have tears just thinking about it again. When we showed her all the food we had gathered from our lunches, she was ecstatic and so excited to see the kids eat more than just soup. We helped her prepare it all in the kitchen and then eagerly awaited for the kids. They started gathering but were impressingly patient for the food and more excited to talk with us! The soup kitchen lady gathered them all together then had them “perform” for us… they sang so sweetly, both fun and serious praising-God songs. It was very touching that these same kids, some with amazing voices, were living in those metal homes we had just seen. Then it was time to feed them, and oh the joys! They swarmed towards the food and were so excited to also get an apple slice and sandwich with their soup! We continued to play and talk with them as they ate. They kept wanting us to take pictures of them and got the greatest kick out of themselves when they looked at it. We were pulled away too quickly when it was time to go. So many wanted hugs goodbye. Watching them eat as we left was so humbling… I would share and give my meal everyday with an African child if I could…

After my day on Monday, I was so ready to work and do something to give to the townships. It was very convenient that I had signed up for Habitat for Humanity this day. As I mentioned above, the South African government promised to give each family in a shack a cement block home but then never finished this project. Habitat for Humanity has been working to build these homes so families can move out of tiny shacks into an “upgraded” longer-lasting home. Semester at Sea and each SAS Habitat worker sponsored a new house in a township. We started it on Monday and it was finished by Thursday! The house was being built right in front of the family’s blue shack. The new house was about 20’ by 20’ and made out of cement blocks. The family was entirely deaf but just so sweet. They were so gracious for our work. We had a great group of workers and Habitat leaders. The leaders were just full of energy and always singing. (Here’s a shout-out to Shining Through!:) They even sang Siya Hamba but changed the lyrics to, “We are building in the light of God, we are building in the light of God!” One of the most fun jobs was using the house floor to mix the “daga” (the mixture that holds the cement blocks together). The leaders’ cheers to get us pumped about it went, “DAGA DAGA DAGA!” and we’d respond, “OY OY OY!” I learned a few days later that the Habitat leaders also live in shacks in townships… but they choose to build others houses rather than themselves. Wow. By the end of the day the walls had moved from being about ¼ done to all the way to the roofline!

We had taken our lunch break in the middle of the day but were instructed that we must eat on the bus otherwise the kids would come up to us. The bus didn’t stop that. The kids ran up to the sides and stared at us while we ate. Some even held out their hands… Ugh, so heart-breaking. But thankfully again, any food we didn’t eat was given to the family, leaders, and kids. After lunch we took a tour of the township. Many of the “upgraded” houses had been built in front of the shacks already. As we walked around, kids gathered and started clinging to us. I had the sweetest girl, Flamenka, attach to me (there’s a posted picture of us). After awhile she jumped on my back and we had fun together. On our walk back she laid her head into my back and started singing the sweetest song. I sang some with her and then she sang to me. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard. She was a hard one to say goodbye to! What another humble day spent in the townships…

On Wednesday, a friend and I went out and explored more of Cape Town. We saw many old pictures of historical Cape Town, including African tribes and the industrialization of the city. We also fell into conversation with a sweet African lady. She was excited to tell us about African traditions and how important God is to them. Later a larger group of us went to a place on Long Street called Mama Africas, which was sooo cool! It had live music, a band called AbAvuki. They had 3 marimbas, a drummer, a cowbell/drummer, and a singer. The marimbas were really unique in that they didn’t have any “black keys.” So basically all the music was in one key. They had so much fun dancing around, pulling us up on stage with them, and singing their lungs out.

Thursday morning was spent finding a place with internet and then uploading pictures to my blog ☺ If you have any questions about any of the pictures or blogs, email me at kjsmith@semesteratsea.net! So after that, a group of us rushed to Table Mountain (that’d be 7 of us in a tiny taxi… haha, fun times!). We took a cable car up to the top and, oooooh, what a view! This mountain is just plain awesome. It’s basically flat on top, hence the name Table, but reaches out into the ocean and is normally covered by clouds. We could even see our ship from up there! We all cheered with oreo cookies up top lol. I wish we could’ve spent more time up there, but it was time to head back to the ship so it didn’t leave without us! We made it back in time with even a few min to run to the grocery store and spend our last bit of change. As always, we watched the ship pull out of the harbor. The sun had already set and Cape Town was all lit up.

As soon as we pulled out the ship started REALLY rocking… It soon started hitting the roughest waters. It felt like a constant earthquake. However, it calmed down the next morning and has been pretty decent since.

We have had 2 days of classes so far (yup, you heard that right, class on a Saturday!) but have a study day tomorrow then 3 more days of classes until we’re in Mauritius! I will post again before we port. Keep taking care everyone, and enjoy the pictures!

South Africa

working with Habitat for Humanity in South Africa

touring a township and 2 of our new friends :)

working on the Habitat house--- the lady is in the family that it is for.

working hard!

Habitat for Humanity in South Africa... before we started

children with Operation Hunger... we joined them after school and prepared/fed them their meal for the day... very humbling.

Squatter camps in South Africa... this is most of the population minus the extreme wealthy. 2 worlds in one country...

the Pre-school we visited

African penguins on Boulder Beach!

Cape Point! You are looking at the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans!

Cape Peninsula coast in South Africa

the mountains of South Africa

I've been blessed with the most wonderful friends on SAS (and I mean really really blessed)! Clockwise starting on my right: Mary (glasses), Lizzy, Natalie, Aleks, and Tiffany

The view from our ship! Whoa! That's Table Mountain and Waterfront.

sunrise as we approached South Africa... That's the world-famous Table Mountain. Gorgeous!

Ghana & Neptune Day

Neptune Day! That guy would be our "King Neptune" aka... our Captain of the ship!

Ghana Drumming and Dancing workshop

on top of the highest peak in Ghana! Mount Afadjato!

the view of Ghana from Mount Afadjato!

my host mother in Torgorme village and another SASer

Torgome village and the wonderful kids... one of the best experiences of my life

my 2 favorite buddies in the village

the kids taught me how to dance African-style!

these kids got RHYTHM!

the ceremony they put on for us! lots of impressive dancing!

Morocco & Spain

that'd be a camel... with a nose ring!

morning trek

Sahara sunset

camel trekking in the Sahara!

that's me! ON A CAMEL!

RIDING A CAMEL!

camel trekking in the Sahara :) (I'm not in this pic)

The High Atlas Mountains! Amazing!

Chez Ali performance in Morocco

Moroccan musician

Marrakech markets

Left side: Morocco, AFRICA... Right side: Spain, EUROPE!

Gibralter, Meditteranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean

Friends and I saying goodbye to Spain on our home, the MV Explorer!

Friends in Spain

Plaza de Espana in Seville, Spain

Spanish white villages

Grazalema Mountains - Spain

friends!

Flamenco night --- flamenco dancinc, horse taming, and amatuer bull-fighting... AWESOME!

Spain & Nova Scotia

Cadiz, Spain beach

Windows in Cadiz

My friends and I hanging out in Spain

Semester at Sea finally disembarking from Nova Scotia!

Nova Scotia