Re-entry

Round 2 of my explorations circumnavigating the globe by ship is almost complete. Three more days at sea until we dock in San Diego, CA. I can honestly say this has been the fastest 3.5 months of my life. Either I’m getting older or the world is becoming smaller, but it really went by with a blink of the eye. It has been an amazing journey and I can’t quit tell just yet what impression it will have on me in the long run but I know it will be a big one. My fondest memories are those moments I spent with locals, from breaking the fast during Ramadan with our colleagues in Morocco to shopping for Saris with our new friends in India. I will also cherish the amazing food and what I learned about the countries I visited and of course what I learned about myself. I don’t know where I am going next, but I am already exited.

Falling for the colors of Japan

When I stepped off the train in Kyoto I emerged into an explosion of fall colors. Fall is my favorite season and having been away for the past 2 fall seasons has left a hole in my heart. That void was filled in 3 days in Kyoto. I felt like I was dreaming, having just spent 3 months traveling to mostly hot tropic climates to all of a sudden appear in this land of colorful trees and cool air. I could not have been in better company to enjoy the fall than with the Japanese. We arrived on a holiday weekend and crowds of people from all over Japan flocked to Kyoto to spend their holiday enjoying the foliage. As part of the fall celebrations select Temples in Kyoto set up lights to view the maple trees at night. Each night I was in Kyoto I went to a different Temple to see the bright red and orange leaves light up the night.

Put out the good China

I never gave much thought to why people would refer to their dishes as China. I didn’t make a connection between the ceramic dishes and the country of their namesake. That is until I found myself in Shanghai, China. The Chinese perfected the art of making porcelain and the Shanghai Museum is home to a huge collection of the most amazing collection of ceramics. They are so beautiful, well crafted and also capture so much history. Different styles were created during different dynasties and the Emperors even had their own kilns creating ceramics just for their households. It was totally random but I really enjoyed diving into Chinese history through ceramics.

A Dosa Reality

India was my favorite port before I had ever been there. It was a natural fit really, I love all things Indian, movies, music, clothes, food, and people. India is always a port that transforms people. When you step off the ship you are hit by a wave of heat and dirt as you enter the industrial port. Men walk around wearing only a garment around their bottom that resembles a diaper. So of course right away your impressions are that of a completely different world. Having previously been to India, 2.5 years ago, and already been through the culture shock, I couldn’t help but wonder what new revelations I would have on this trip. When I arrived, everything was just as I left it. The port, the school we worked with, the people I had met, the stores I shopped at and even the rickshaw driver that took us around. Where was my new revelation? Well, it didn’t happen. But what did happen was I made some amazing new friends, especially through the Rotary Club, whom we had been working with through the $100 Solution project. I think it might take a longer trip and more extensive traveling outside of Chennai to continue my India transformations. For now though, India is always a place I can call home because everyone you meet makes you feel like family. Oh and I am famous there. See below (it's my name on the sign)!

So Mauritius, So Delicious

I made my return to the northern part of the island of Mauritius, where I had been, 2.5 years ago, on my last voyage. During my short stay, on the rainbow nation island, I relaxed by the beach and with the help of a scooter and an excellent driver; I explored some of the local neighborhoods. We left the tourists strip and cruised past beautiful public beaches and lively local neighborhoods many of which had colorful Hindu temples (52% of Mauritian people are Hindu). I chowed down on excellent roti and fresh pineapple which I ate as I sat on the beach.
As we were getting ready to depart this tropical paradise, the people of Mauritius were preparing for Diwali, stringing up lights over their houses and businesses and purchasing fireworks. Needless to say, as the ship pulled out of the harbor, Mauritius was lit up like the 4th of July.




Pretty



Our neighbor, Mr. Turtle.

My Return to the Western Cape

Cape Town was the first repeat port! It was nice to go to a familiar yet foreign place. I hiked Table Mountain which made the view that much more spectacular and saw lots of wildlife without even going on a safari. I also spent time in a refugee camp where over 20,000 foreigners were relocated during the height of the xenophobic attacks. South Africa is full of so many complex issues that it’s hard to wrap my head around them all, especially in the midst of so much beauty.

The cure all soap

Jon and I set out to film in a Liberian Refugee camp. After hours of travel, we arrived at the camp only to be denied access; our run and gun GNG style failed us. We decided to take it in stride and explore the neighboring area. There we met a group of girls that worked for a medicinal beauty product company called Rexcom. The company pays their rent, provides them with a van and they also earn commissions from sales. They spend their days packaging the products in their own home and take road trips all over Ghana to sell the goods. While the girls worked in their living room feverishly packaging the products their male friends who also live with them, rent free, sat around, unemployed, not even helping. Maybe we came on their day off. It was inspiring to see this group of young females embracing entrepreneurialism, working together and supporting themselves.

Ramadan tastes real good

Is being in Morocco during Ramadan a blessing or a curse? The entire country is fasting so by default I too was fasting...sorta. I felt a sense of guilt as I snacked on a power bar to get me through the day. When the sun went down, the taste of food was legendary. To break the fast we ate dates, a veg soup that was full of chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs and sweet treats. After everyone broke the fast, they would take a nap or socialize with their families and then head out. Stores would open at 8 PM or 10 PM and stay open for a few hours during the late night hours. Everyone would eat a second meal between 12-3AM and that was supper. The whole country was on a very different time table than the rest of the world or the non Muslim world I should say. Sleeping during the day and working at night during the hours that they could eat. Of course there were plenty of people that did not have that luxury and had to work through the day without food or water. Is it cheating if you just shift your daily schedule to accommodate your fast? Does that defeat the purpose?

Where the wild things are…

September 7th, 2009. 10:30 PM- Cadiz, Spain

The summer is coming to an end and kids are getting ready to go back to school. The children are running wild in the streets! While children in the U.S are asleep in their beds, kids in Spain are playing in a concrete jungle gym on the streets of Cadiz.

It's all coming back to me now

I have fallen off the wagon and I don’t feel good about it. In the spirit of micro blogging I am going to shorten my blog entries to short recaps of select moments from my experiences and post pictures. Maybe this new style will keep me more on the regular this time around. Get ready for an explosion of updates!

Poutine not Putin!

People say that you can't find good poutine outside of Quebec but while in Halifax I was determined to find the real deal. I did a quick computer search and jotted down the addresses of a few places I found online. On my first night in town I tried the poutine at a Alexandra's Pizza on Queen St. Instead of using curds they used mozzorella. Um hello those are Disco Fries! It seemed like everywhere I turned were signs that said 'Poutine with "real" curds'....meaning a blend of shredded cheese. On day two I decided to find a place I read about online called Bud the Spud. I found the truck parked in front of the public library. It seemed so promising. But once again no real curds. Across the way was another truck called Billy's.  Billy's had this sign on the truck...

Could it be the real deal? 

I think so. 

Yum. 

If you ever find yourself in Halifax go to Billy's truck on Spring Garden parked outside the library for real Poutine. 

Feels Like Home

On Monday, I headed down to Norfolk, Virginia to board the MV Explorer for the Fall ‘09 Semester At Sea (SAS) voyage. As I entered the ship, I took a deep breath and inhaled the cold, over air-conditioned ship air. It immediately brought back a wave of memories. The last time I sailed with Semester At Sea was in the Spring 2007. I had only been out of college for a little over a year and a half, - not much older than the students onboard. I struggled to distinguish myself from the 702 students on board and to feel confident in my role with GNG. I also didn’t fully grasp to what extent we could be a part of SAS and not just our own autonomous group onboard. But something I never expect to happen, happened when I returned home, I felt like an SAS alum. I felt a part of something above and beyond the work I did with GNG. I all of a sudden cared about what was going on with SAS and where the ship was going next and who the staff and faculty were. I gushed about the program with other alums when I happened to run into them. Some might say SAS Alums are a cult of sorts and it may be true. The most magical part of the experience was when I realized how badly I wanted to get back on the ship and do it all over again.

Now, two and a half years later I am back on the ship and it feels like coming home. I get a big grin on my face when I see crew members that were on my old voyage and they recognize me. I look forward to enjoying my meals on the 6th floor deck. When the snack bar opens I will be gobbling up veggie burgers and fruit shakes. And, when we dock in South Africa, our favorite cab driver will pick us up and help us get to where we need to go. In Ghana, we will get to meet our partners that we have videoconferenced with numerous times but have never met in person. In India, we will have the warmest welcome from the teachers and students and fed more than we could ever possibly eat. The list goes on and on of new places to make new connections and old places where we will return to old friends.

I could not be more excited to be back on the ship and to be a part of such a wonderful and unique program.

We arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia tomorrow. Land Ho!



12 Pieces of Luggage.

Arriving at the ship.


Virginia is for lovers. The ship before departing Norfolk, VA.


My pimped out cabin. Window, desk, fridge, T.V what else could I need?

My bathroom