Seychelles

We had a little pit stop in the Seychelles, and it was lovely! It
was only a one nighter, as to break up the long crossing between
India and South Africa, as well as to re-fuel.

What a paradise! It reminded me a little of Mauritius, which is not
too far away, except smaller and with seemingly less of a touristy
feel. Sarah, Amanda, and I decided to take a bus to a hiking trail
that led to a beautiful beach where we were planned to camp. The
views of the Indian Ocean from our hike were breathtaking. And it is
was a sunny hot (HOT) day, so we definitely stopped frequently to
check out those views. We eventually made it to the beach, with no
one really in sight except for two tourist police and the "Coconut
Man," who lived off the trail in a house on the hill. The Coconut
Man, bless his heart, was marching to the beat of his own drum; yet
he watched over us as we slumbered on the beach in our little tent,
jumping at the sound of falling coconuts and scooting crabs. And the
next day, after snorkling (I saw a sting ray!) and playing in the
beautiful Indian Ocean, which for the most part we had all to
ourselves, our wonderful Coconut Man brought us some fresh cut
coconuts to sip. The funniest part about the whole trip was the
strange reactions we received when telling the local people we were
camping. Apparently people don't really camp in the Seychelles. As
usual, we learned something new...:-)

Shipboard Update

An update from the Bridge...

There is so much that happens onboard the ship, and each day feels like a flood of moments.  It's like drinking out of a fire hydrant--I want to take in as much as I can, yet there is only so much that I can take in at once.  I'm sure I have said this before.

Well, we have just arrived in Cape Town and are waiting for the ship to clear!  I woke up early this morning to watch the sun rise over Table Mountain, as I remember it being such a spectacular sight from two years ago with SAS.  It was a cloudy foggy morning, so we only saw partial faint images, yet beautiful nevertheless.  The scene itself was almost surreal because at one point the Captain stopped the ship, and we had to wait for the fog to clear, similar to when we were in Shanghai at the beginning of our journey. Actually, I think it's very symbolic for this to have occurred again at the "midpoint" of our voyage, as it truly feels like a midpoint in so many ways.  It's a midpoint in time, as we now have less than 2 months left.  It's a physical midpoint, as we sail around the southern tip of Africa.  And it's a time for all of us to reflect on where we are and where we want to set our intentions for the remainder of this journey.  It's like "half-time" (Funny to use a sports analogy when I don't play sports.)--an official "break" point, that although short, seems like a good time to re-evaluate, regroup, and reset my intentions.  We have the potential to work very long hours onboard, and because there is no natural boundary between our work lives and personal lives, it takes a conscious effort to create and honor those boundaries for myself.  That's my intention.  I don't want to forget that I am living on a ship, sailing on the ocean.  And from my experience with SAS, I know that the things I will remember and miss the most will have nothing to do with the intranet, the checklists, the order forms, and the meetings.  

So in thinking about what I will remember, or rather what I want to remember, here are some of the highlights, mixed in with  a few little tid bits... 

* Hunger Banquet--This event was carried over from the first voyage, as you might recall.  It's an exercise that simulates the unequal distribution of food in our world.  You randomly drew whether you were in the upper, middle, or lower economic group and received food rations accordingly.  I was in the middle SES group but felt so awkward being there, especially as the people from the lower SES group watched us get our food.  Many of us ended up going to sit with the lower SES group and shared our food with them.  It was an interesting exercise, and might have been even more impactful after India.  What was interesting was my first reaction: As I got up to get food, I couldn't make eye contact with the people in the lower SES group because I was ashamed at the privilege I had.  It took a few moments to realize this and for me to consciously turn and face them.  I wonder how often I do that in real life.  It wasn't until I went to sit with people from the lower SES group, that I felt a little less self conscious, yet there was still a sense that I didn't belong, that I didn't really know the experience I had temporarily chosen (because people in upper and middle SES groups actually have a choice, right?) to step into.  In some ways, I felt like a fraud, and it definitely left me thinking, which in the end, is the intention of the event.

* Cultural Shows: We have an amazing student leader, Pablo from Spain, who is organizing a series of cultural shows with Ann (one of our IRC's--if you remember from the first voyage, she's the one I was with in Portugal when that lady yelled "CHINA!").  So far we've had "Asian & Australia Night" and "Africa & Middle East Night", and they've both been such a hit!  Each show consisted of a series of performances (dance, music, song, poetry), stories, and presentations.  I love to see the look of pride on people's faces as they are sharing about their culture and being appreciated for doing so.  I did a mini-presentation during "Africa & Middle East" Night with Malak (She's half Iranian, half Mexican.) and David (Iranian, too), two of our fabulous students.  And both from California.  Our little presentation was hilarious and very improv.  About twenty minutes before the show, we dressed up David as "Haji Firooz" (the herald of the Persian New Year--like Santa Claus).  I didn't grow up with Haji Firooz, and neither did David, and neither did Malak, yet we whipped together a random little costume for David to wear on stage--with a sign that said "I am Haji Firooz".  It was one of those stories that's funnier in the moment, mainly because of it's randomness.

* Intercultural Communications Class: Someone somewhere along the line decided that it wold be helpful for our Onboard Life team to audit an Intercultural Communications, given that all our students are taking it.  Some of the OBL team already have a background in intercultural communications, but I hadn't, so it's been particularly helpful for me.  Not only am I learning more about the field, but it also helps me to be more familiar with the models, concepts, and terminology that the students are learning.  One model in particular is called the "Intercultural Communications Competence Staircase Model", where people may move through stages from Unconscious Incompetence to Conscious Incompetence, to Conscious Competence, to Unconscious Competence.  The final stage is the one which reflects one's ability to spontaneously move in and out of communication with people from a new culture--In other words, they can "code shift" effortlessly between intercultural communication systems.  We've also been learning about differences in communication styles--high context vs. low context, direct vs. indirect, circular vs. linear, etc.  Very cool, as it draws attention to the subtle nuances and the complexities of a given culture.  

* Career Planning: It's been really fun to continue applying my career development experience to the program.  I've started a Career Advising Group, set up individual appointments, and am working with students to organize career panels, the first one which was a couple of weeks ago and went really well!  Since UC Berkeley is one of our steward universities, I asked if I could post and distribute their materials to our students.  They have a very comprehensive job & internship guide,so that's been a great resource. The programming has also been a nice way for me to feel like I am contributing something important and valued and to connect one-on-one with students.  More and more I have been thinking about starting "re-entry"  work with study abroad students and incorporating the career planning piece.  I think it would be fun to actually start such a program on a land campus.  Could be a possible "next step" for me...

* Lyrical Fun: One of our students, Nick, is directing a musical, and he asked me if I would help write lyrics.  This has probably been one of my highlights in the voyage so far.  Our sessions have feel like what I would imagine a creative music team session to be.  I wrote some lyrics, another student named Nate wrote the music, and together, we put the words to a melody.  The song is called "Oceans Apart", and when I hear Nate play and sing it (because we all know the singing is not coming from me:), I feel so moved and excited and proud.  What's so funny to me is that when I think back to when I was little, my neighbor Amy C. (from Texas) and I would write and sing songs!  We even "hired" our neighbor Brannon to be our "Manager" for five cents an hour!

* TSS Research Institute: One of the unique aspects of TSS is that it has a component for oceanography and atmospheric research, which is cool because when you think about it, we have an opportunity to collect ocean data from points where no one else has collected before.  Two of the IRC's that I supervise (Dana and Mel) are part of the Research Team, so I have been interested in learning more about it from them.  Dad, I know you are smirking right now--Takes you back to the Krebs cycle days, doesn't it?  So, a couple nights ago, we had the opportunity to sign up to help with the research team's XBT deployments, which involved shooting a probe down 760 feet to measure the ocean's temperature.  Once the temperature is gaged, it appears as a graph on a computer.  I got to do two of them in row, and it was very cool.  And in case you are dying to know...The temperature measured at 760 meters was between 8 and 9 degrees celsius.  Just a little something to tuck away.  I feel so scientist-ish.  

* Yoga: Derek, our Recreation Specialist, talked a few of us into leading yoga classes, and now Pat (our Academic Dean) and I are leading a yoga class every Green day morning (Our class schedule consists of   "Green" and "Blue" days.).  At first I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing--Teaching it is more difficult than I thought it would be.  I was always used to just focusing on what I was doing, that having to call out and explain postures to a group was different.  But now Pat and I have a little routine down,and it's been great!  Our classes are at 7:15 am outside on the Aft deck--such a nice way to start the morning.  I've toyed with the idea of going through a yoga teacher training course, and now I'm really considering it.  

* California Dreamin': The other night I had a dream, and in that dream, I was hugging my mom.  I woke up that morning with such a warm comforting feeling.  I realized that it had been a long time since I dreamed about anything outside  of our little ship world.  It was really refreshing. 

Okay, I just re-read these last few lines...Haha, yes I am 30 years old:-)

Almost to Cape Town!

Hello!

We just passed Cape Agulhas today! This is defined as the point
where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean (34 degrees 49.60
minutes south, 20 degrees 00 minutes east). Pretty cool, huh? I'm
starting to learn more about oceanography. Dad you'd be so proud of
me--It's SCIENCE!

I still have updates to share on Shipboard Life and the Seychelles
(beautiful Seychelles!). It's been a crossing, but I plan to write
and post soon...

How do I give justice to this experience? Incredible India, as it's referred to, is indeed just that. So here is my attempt...

Incredible India
A place of polluted skies against blood orange sunsets
Where dark brown skin meets ruby red saris.

A place of white-toothed smiles against hungry mouths
Where rats crawl out of toilets and the red clay earth meets the soft blue sea.

A place of golden temples, of ancient temples, and orange-draped sadus who watch with soulful eyes
Where the deafening horns of buses meet the sweet stillness of meditative caves.

Where smells of urine and trash collide against jasmine-flowered hair
And spices hit the tongue and tantalize the belly, and warm chai sweetens the taste buds.

A place where coconut chutney slips through your fingers, and papaya juice drips down your chin
And school-bus yellow tuk-tuk's meet lime green rice patties across the countryside.

Where privilege coats your skin and guilt fills your pores, as poverty pulls you by the hand
And hospitality rolls out the yoga mat, to a wedding where beautiful children dance with the melodic drums.

Where cows meet monkeys and elephants bonk you on the head
And gurus walk the ashrams, and mothers give hugs.

A place where three determined women take a bus to Goddess knows where
And eventually find their way to surrender, holding one another's presence, in frustration, laughter, discomfort, and awe.

Incredible India, beautiful India
A land of contrast
A land of juxtaposition
A land of layer, after layer, after layer
Whispering it's secrets
Flooding my senses
And once again, beckoning me back for more.

"The Land of Smiles"

"Sawatdee Ka!"

About two years, following Semester at Sea, I remember trying to
decide what was "next." I had vowed to take one big trip a year to a
new place, somewhere I had never been. Thailand was #1 on my list.
I loved the places I had visited in Southeast Asia, and was anxious
to get back and continue exploring. I had even written to one of
the schools in Thailand, asking about teaching opportunities. So as
you can imagine, I was very excited when I found out Thailand was on
the itinerary for the second voyage.

The ship docked right outside of Bangkok. Actually it was more like
1-2 hours outside of Bangkok, depending on traffic (brought
flashbacks of the 405 during rush hour). We were greeted by Laura,
Kloy, and Marilyn, three of our students form the first voyage. Kloy
is from Bangkok, and Laura and Marylin had been traveling since
December. It was great to see them again, and I think really good
for them to be back "home." I really resonated with the feelings
they expressed about being back on the ship and the "homesickness"
they were experiencing. I remember the first time I went back on the
MV Explorer for our first Semester at Sea reunion, I was surprised at
how emotional it was, and I felt grateful for having the opportunity
to "relive" what I missed most about being onboard.

After the ship was cleared, a group of us went with Kloy and Laura
into Bangkok for a short jaunt around the city and a nice Thai
lunch. Before heading back to the ship that afternoon, we stopped at
the mall to check out the Mac store--Amy had to get her computer
fixed, and I was in the market for a hard drive (Henri, my fear of
"losing data" was creeping in.). Amy didn't end up getting her
computer fixed, and I didn't end up buying a hard drive (a little too
pricey), but we did end up seeing something fun outside one of the
stores. There was a tall advertisement stand for The Scholar Ship!
Isn't that such a fun coincidence? We took pictures beside it, of
course, which I imagine seemed a little strange to passerby's.

I had to end the evening a little early to head by to the ship for
duty. But before I hopped on the bus, Christy and I bought our first
of many fresh coconuts to sip on the way home!

Days 2-6:

Neither Amanda nor I had an AFP, so we decided to take a trip
together; somewhat of a parallel to our second port on the first
voyage. We went to the airport, walked up to the reservation booth,
and said "We'd like to go to an island...Somewhere called "Ko Pha-
ngan", which was a placed recommended by Cherine but of which neither
of us had heard. So we booked flights for late that afternoon and
headed back to the city for a late lunch before it was time to
board. Back in the city, we had another fresh coconut, some sushi,
and took a little tour around the shopping area. After lunch, we
ended up finding a little t-shirt stand that does monograms, so we
looked into getting shirts made for our little T.S.S. group with Ron
and Ashley. But it ended up being too expensive, so decided who
needs professional monograms when you can just use a marker?

Cultural moment: Buddhism is the dominant religion in Thailand and is
clearly reflected in the culture, on a variety of levels. Right next
to a McDonalds, there was a statue of Ronald McDonald, with his hands
in prayer position, signaling a traditional Thai gesture called
"wai." This gesture is how the Thais greet one another, and the
position of your hands reflects the type of person you are greeting--
whether it be an elderly person, a monk, etc. And of course, it was
never given without a gracious smile. Truly a beautiful symbol of
the Thai culture and its people.

Back to the airport--and our adventure continues. We arrived in
Surat Thani, where we were to take a bus and then ferry to Ko Pha-
ngan. Upon exiting the airport, we met this travel-tour-guide-of-a-
person, who gave us the options of leaving the next morning by bus
then ferry....OR leave tonight on the overnight ferry. He was
clearly a strong supporter of the latter option, so we decided to
trust him (Mom, I know you always brace yourself for these
stories.). So we took a short bus to were dropped off at travel
agency near the harbor and were told to return by 9:00 pm in order to
leave for the 11:00 ferry. This was a little confusing for me given
the two hour time gap, but whatever. When in Rome, right? It was
around dinner time, so Amanda and I took a little walk and found a
local restaurant near the water. Side note--We noticed a fair number
of out transgendered folks, which was very cool. I had heard that
the healthcare system (Manoosh, did your ears perk up?) is very good
and that people come from all over the world for medical care and
surgical procedures.

Okay, back to dinner...The place was quaint and friendly, and the
food was "interesting." I ordered a seafood dish, which seemed to
have a lot of items in it. I know "items" is a weird word to use
here, but I think it most clearly reflects my meal. After dinner, we
headed back to the travel agency, where we were picked up in a taxi
truck and (Are you ready for this?) were dropped by ONE BLOCK away at
the ferry boat, where we were told to return in two hours for the
11:00 pm departure. Isn't that hilarious? What was more hilarious,
though, is that this "ferry boat" was actually a CARGO boat!
Literally. Stocks of produce, birds, and...a PIG! Of course there
were sleeping arrangements, which consisted of rows of mats and
pillows. Mom, I know you would been a little squirmy at the
cleanliness factor. It was definitely no Holiday Inn. But Amanda
and I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I mean, how often do
you have the opportunity to sail with produce and a pig?

After moments of amusement, we got our second coconut of the day and
walked a few blocks (past the travel agency street) to an Internet
cafe, where we caught up on some email, etc. Upon boarding the cargo
boat, we could see a variety pack of travelers, from those who were
clearly first-time cargo boat sailors, to the regular customers.
Amanda and I found our "assigned bed mats" (which were numbered) and
proceeded to make ourselves at home, inches away of course from the
South African couple next to us. Laughing to ourselves (and aloud)
the whole time. To add to the amusement, our engine choked at one
point, during which the "Captain" was pacing around the boat on his
cell phone, shouting ten octaves louder than the average, and smoking
a cigarette, for all of us to enjoy.

The engine finally kicked in, and we did end up sailing to the
island, waking up to sun rise as we pulled into port. Am I addicted
to boats? I seem to go from one to another. Anyway, since it was
just before 7:00 am when we arrived, the island was still waking up,
so we enjoyed a fresh granola breakfast and caught a taxi to this
little place called "The Yoga Retreat." We didn't have reservations,
so we were just going on a whim, hoping for accommodations. However,
the little place (and I mean little) was booked. We were greeted by
the owner and his little boy, who were from England (Kess and Jess--
Yes, they rhyme. And guess what his partner's nickname is? Tess!).
So Kess, was really nice, and drove us up the road to another place
called "My Way", where we found a basic little bungalow, close to the
water, for $10 per night. It was even within walking distance from
The Yoga Retreat, but Kess said they do free pick-ups" for class. We
went to our first class that afternoon, which was wonderful. And
because it was Wednesday, we followed class with an herbal steam
experience, where we met a funny (funny as in "bless his heart") man
from England/India who seemed to be OD'ing on Tiger Balm, but very
nice. He actually end up giving us a ride back to My Way on his
little moped.

The rest of our stay on Ko Phan-gnan was blissful relaxation--Morning
yoga classes--with the view and sounds of the jungle, $10 Thai
massages on the beach, fresh young coconut, delicious (and spicy!)
Thai cuisine, a hike down a waterfall in the rain (with directions
that followed, "Walk down into the jungle and past the elder woman's
house..."), a trek around the island through neighboring beaches,
falling asleep in the restaurant hammocks to the sounds of the rain--
gently awakened by the restaurant staff (who might have thought we
were a little nuts), snorkling and spotting eel...and ending our last
evening at a beach-side restaurant with signs that read "Thank you
very big." (Meagan T., I thought of you--It was almost like "Thanks
big time!"). All of these wondrous blessings for the mere price of...
30, 547 mosquito bites. But worth every bite (given that I don't get
Malaria in 2 months).

I really enjoyed our time together--As I said back in Panama, I think
Amanda and I make great travel partners. I realized at one point,
that spending time with her reminds me of being with my sister. It's
the spontaneity, the openness, the depth of conversation, and the
comfortable silences which provide a unique space for reflection and
connection. At one point--I think it was when we were sitting on the
rocks above the waterfall in the pouring rain--Amanda turned to me
and said, "It's nice to just embrace the rain, when we are so often
trying to run away from it." We then continued to sit in silence for
what was probably an hour, listening to the rhythm of the rain and
feeling it's warm gentle drops against our skin. It was one of the
moments.

Our return back to Bangkok was almost as adventurous as our trip
there: There was a cancelled ferry boat, a series of transportation
methods from ferry to bus to shuttle to plane (which ended up being
quite delayed)...and an opportunity to meet and some fellow travelers
from all over the world, from Australia, Germany, Denmark, and Hungary.

By the time we finally arrived in Bangkok, it was close to 9:00 pm.
We decided to take a bus to Khaosarn Road, Bangkok's "bohemian
heart", bustling with market stalls, eateries, bight lights, and a
mix of foreign backpackers. Amanda and I found a hotel, which was
clean and friendly and with an actual shower and toilet that flushes
(as compared to the basics of little bungalow at My Way--which of
course was charming for just those very same reasons). Side note to
my friends Briana and Karen..I just realized..."BUNGALOW!" The scene
on Khaosarn Road was quite the contrast to our sleepy little island
of Ko Pha-ngan (But really it was only sleepy during the time we were
there--Ko Pha-ngan is actually the spot of the "Full Moon Party", a
world renown island party that attracts thousands of people from all
over the world.). So we finished the night off with a young coconut
and headed back to our hotel (called Villa Cha Cha--Doesn't the name
just make you want to dance?) for a wonderful night's sleep.

Day 7;
The next morning, we headed out to the markets and went on a city-
wide hunt for gag gift underwear (which Amanda and I decided would be
more fun than the monogramed t-shirts). This little hunt in and of
itself was an adventure, not to mention fully supported by the many
Thais, who helped us along the way. Eventually, as we raced against
the clock (in order to make it back for the 1:30 pm shuttle), we
found our pot of gold, which actually wasn't really gold, but rather
neon green with a bright orange waist band.

"Sawatdee Ka, Thailand!"...You are truly the "land of smiles."

"Kop koon Ka!"