7 Days Is Not Enough...

My heart is in South Africa. The past 7 days have been unbelievable. Like the other ports, my posts here won't do it justice! The extended time was perfect and DEFINITELY not too short! I saw Amber everyday, went out 5 of the 7 nights including a big excursion to Stellenbosch which was amazing. I cycled in the winelands on Wednesday to the point where I do not believe I need to work out ever again ;) I walked around the Waterfront on Tuesday after we got into the port so late and only got off the ship at 2pm. The experiences are honestly indescribable. I visited Khayelitsha Township on Saturday, went to Robben Island today, went to Camps Bay for lunch twice, went on a Township Music tour on Thursday with SUCH good food and music (some of us split the cost of a CD), went up to Table Mountain on the cable car - I should have hiked it but I didn't feel like there was enough time. On Saturday evening I went to the Rugby game at Newlands which was so cool. My cousin Amber taught us all the rules. I ate pies, samosas, biltong, droewors, and droewors all week. I was also lucky enough to visit Amber at University of Cape Town on top of seeing her everyday, plus seeing my uncle Dave and Grandma, too! I was fortunate to have family here to take care of me and drive me around at times. The clubs and the nightlife are my favorite - especially when it's with locals and NOT a ton of SAS students! Last night I took a few friends to my uncle's for a Braai (a bbq) which was SOOOO good - ship food gets so bland and boring. This is just a quick blog update, it doesn't even touch on everything I did, everything that happened, or the amazing friends I have made. Each port just gets better and better. Nothing compares to this experience, I am soaking it all in, getting NO sleep in port, but hey, you only live once, right? No regrets at all, I can certainly say I have none from South Africa! Enjoy the pictures, being halfway around the world rocks. Can I just spend the rest of my life on Semester at Sea with all these people? I am loving life, nothing could ever do this justice, the words and thoughts in my head are incredible and the memories just keep getting better and better, I know I keep saying that but it's so true. I meet new people on some of the trips and through other friends and I love relating all the crazy stories that people have. Just...wow. This is amazing and I love it. Next stop, Mauritius!!

The Amazon!

I have just spent 3 amazing days in the Amazon. Words cannot truly describe or capture the experience, the sights, the sounds, and everything else. It was unbelievable. 25 of us boarded a 2-level semi-run down boat that was to be our home for the next 2 nights. Hammocks were hung practically on top of each other on the upper deck – how much fun to have a ton of roommates! It was such an experience and our boat (Yellow Group) bonded so well, just like I bonded with my hammock… and now I own it!! I am going to try to keep this update short, as I am currently exhausted from travelling, staying up late and getting up early, and doing so many things I can’t even remember them all. Our incredible activities with our awesome guides, Chico and Tiago, included hiking through the rainforest, alligator catching at night, visiting an abandoned village, piranha fishing (I didn’t catch one), a Luau, lots of naps in my hammock, playing cards, eating lots and LOTS of papaya and plantains, and playing soccer with the older kids in one of the villages we visited.

 

The highlight? HOLDING A SLOTH!! While we were being shown the Amazon in little motorized boats, young kids in canoes would paddle to us with anacondas, sloths, and alligators. We would hold them and pay them a dollar for pictures. The sloth was the cutest thing in the world! It was 3-toed and just wanted to grab onto anything and everything – including the pillars on the boat and the seats, so I have some pictures of me attempting to pull it off. So cute! And really soft. Its head could turn almost 180 degrees which was cool and it had the most adorable face ever. I seriously considered taking it home with me! ;) What a great pet, haha. While on our rainforest walk, I swung from a vine, that was cool.

 

Yesterday, 30 minutes after I got back from the Amazon, I raced off to a Brazilian Soccer Game!! It was amazing – at least 50,000 fans, shouting and screaming and being belligerent. It was such a blast and a great way to end the trip to Brazil. Overall, I will say that Salvador was a scary city, and even though we were warned about the dangers, it was quite a bit to take in, especially the poverty. It was eye-opening and I am very glad I visited it, even for 1.5 days because of my trip, but I will say that I doubt I’ll go back again.

 

Now we have 8 days until we arrive in South Africa and I couldn’t be more excited, of course! Our Inter-Port Lecturer/Guest is Dennis Brutus who was introduced to us this morning during Global Studies. He played a huge role in the abolition of Apartheid and even spent a few years alongside Nelson Mandela in Robben Island. It will be extremely interesting to hear him speak tomorrow during class and for the next week.

 

This was just a short entry – I hope you are all doing great! Next entry? Probably sometime after Cape Town and between Mauritius. I joined the Students of Service committee (SOS) and am helping out with organizing events, like a huge game of Spoons, Texas Hold’Em, Bingo, a dance party/marathon, and possibly an auction to raise money for charity. It’s going to be a blast! Time to get back to studying…