All ye POLYWOGS be weary because I am no longer among you! Officially, at this moment in time (Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 at 10:45am) I am a SHELLBACK! This means I have been initiated by the MV Explorer crew because right now I am in the Southern Hemisphere! I crossed the equator! Woo!!!!!! This equatorial celebration is called Neptune Day, and I just spent the last two hours watching people jump in fish guts, kiss a fish, bow to King Neptune (played by our very English Captain, Jeremy), and most of all.... GET THEIR HEADS SHAVED!!!!
Don't worry, I didn't shave my head. But there are tons of guys and GIRLS walking around the ship bald as babies! I kissed a fish though and let's just say it didn't taste like sushi.
So now I am no longer among the polywogs who have never crossed the equator. I am now, and will always be, a shellback!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Ghana, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!
This was Semester at Sea's first time ever (in all their 100 voyages) stopping in Ghana. Not only is our stop in Ghana historic for SAS, but it is also important for Ghana. We are the largest group of Americans EVER to enter Ghana at one time. The entire country seems to know we're here. And they are EXCITED. Ghana sees our voyage as an olive branch connecting the US with their country and they couldn't be more proud. How authentic did this make some of our excursions? Well, its not like they wouldn't know we were tourists--suddenly 900 white people descended on Ghana!
Our ship was docked in Tema, which is an Industrial City. In fact, there is nothing but industry. Nothing. Accra, the city we all thought we would be staying in, was only 18km away but with Ghanaian traffic that usually took about an hour. They had free shuttles from the ship to Accra, but of course those never came when they said they would! I didn't really have a chance to explore the little that there was in Tema, but I did get a lot of time in Accra.
Now, where to begin to describe Ghana? Words will fail. This country is unlike any I have been to or learned about. It was everything I expected and nothing I could've imagined.
Day 1: Bright and early we boarded the buses for a long day in Accra on a city tour. Although I probably spent more time on the bus than actually out of the bus (that Ghanaian traffic!!!), I had a blast! We went to the Nkrumah Memorial Park. Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana upon their independence from the UK in 1957. (On that note, English is the official language of Ghana thanks to that lovely institution called colonization.) Nkrumah was overthrown by rebels, but that apparently is not how Ghana likes to remember their first leader. This park was literally a shrine to the man who would have been 100 years old only but a few days ago. It was a rather new experience for me to see an elected president erected in a gold statue, and I haven't fully processed it internally.
After the park, we went to the "cultural arts center" which is the main drag of shops that have cloth, dresses, masks, drums, etc. I bought a beautiful dress and a really neat tie-dye top. We followed this with lunch at a hotel. I won't even attempt to explain the life-changing experience that is trying your first Ghanaian plantain.
Then, we hit the W.E.B. DuBois center. At 93, DuBois moved from his home in the US to Ghana in a fulfillment of the Back to Africa movement. I am very interested in DuBois' poetry and theory about double consciousness, so this trip to his Ghana home and his grave was rewarding. I plan to read his entire book (as I have previously only read excerpts) "The Souls of Black Folks."
After the city tour, I went to reception for Semester at Sea students and the local university students. It was so much fun to talk, eat, and hang out with Ghanaians my own age! When I told them I was a theater major, they all kept saying I should come back to Ghana to study traditional African theater. Let's just say I am SO not opposed to that idea! I headed straight to bed after this long day.
Day 2: I woke up at 6am (gross!) to, yet again, hop on the bus towards Cape Coast. The group of us visited the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles that once held hundreds of slaves in transit during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The castles structures were so beautiful--all the more upsetting because of the ugliness those very structures supported. I would hope that everyone got the chance to visit these cites. Walking on the very same stones that have become fossilized with human remains, human waste, and human blood of people forcibly removed from their families and their countries is, well, it is hard to describe. Not overly sentimental, each tour ended with a stop to the gift shop! Since the Obamas had just visited Cape Coast in July, our tour guide proudly shared that he was the very guide who toured our President!
Day 3: At the crack of dawn (again!) we hopped on the bus towards a village outside of Accra and Tema. We thought we would maybe get a tour of the village and perhaps play with some kids for a few hours. But, NO, not in Ghana! In Ghana, a trip to a village means the entire village gathers playing music, dancing, cheering, and marching you around so you can shake hands with all the elders of the tribe! It was amazing, humbling, exciting, and heart-warming. "You are welcome" should be the national slogan. Then at the village, we participated in a traditional naming ceremony! All of us SAS students received African names. Ones first name depends on the day one was born, and I'm not quite sure how they get the second name, but I am not terribly concerned. When they called our name, we received a bracelet of amazing and hand-painting beads, along with a bowl that says our African and Christian names! My African name is Akosua Venunye. If I still remember this name in December, I will be expecting all of you to stop calling me Monica entirely. : )
After the village, we ate lunch at a picturesque hotel on the beach. The food was strange though! It was as if they were attempting to make American food. Let's just say they failed miserably.
Then, we drove to the Shai Hills Reserve where we bouldered through rocks into a cave where insect-eating bats live! It was so cool! There were flies and bat poop everywhere but I was standing among bats (!!!!) and I didn't have many complaints. We also tried to look for some baboons, but it was so hot outside that we only saw a few run by very quickly.
That night, some of my friends and I decided to go out into Accra and see the night life. We went to this fantastic bar that had live jazz and Ghanaian high-life music! After a fun-filled and peaceful and all together safe evening, we hopped in a cab to head toward the ship. That was until we were pulled over by a policeman yielding a machine gun. He accused my friend Vicki and I of not wearing our seat belts. We told him there were no seat belts. He told us to go into the police station, and upon our entering of the station demanded a bribe to be let go. I refused. It may have not been my most intelligent move, but I was livid. Ghana has been the nicest, most genuine country as of yet. The people are so proud of the progress their country has made, and seeing these government officials behaving in such a low and disgusting manner upset me. The people of this wonderful country do not deserve that. Finally, after some arguing with him, I convinced him to come out into the taxi to prove that there were no working seat belts. He just kept saying, "What will you give me? What will I eat?" Finally he believed us that we were not "refusing to wear seat belts," but were simply trying to get home to our ship. He let us go.
My taxi was one of the luckier ones. Everyone who went out into the town who came back late was pulled over and made to pay the police. Rumor has it that one guy was held up by those lovely machine guns they yield and was forced to give over every cent he had. Who knows if that is true, but I wouldn't be surprised.
I refuse to let this one incident damper my experience in Ghana. Corruption is, indeed, everywhere, even in the US. Still, it was not the best experience of my life to say the least. I hope Ghana can start to pay their policemen working salaries so that they can sustain themselves and not bribe people. Apparently, this happens all the time, though, and not just to tourists. Locals we told about it were not in the least bit surprised.
Day 4: Today I tried to put the end of last night behind me, because I still am resolute in my love for Ghana, and I went into Accra. We went to this store called "Global Mamas" (look it up--they have a website!). It is an NGO non-profit that helps women learn job skills, gain income and confidence by employing and training them. The products this little shop sells are the products of these women's labor. Let's just say I spent an insane amount of GhanaCedi (Ghanaian money) in Global Mamas! And don't be surprised if you end up with a gift from this amazing, wonderful, inspiring store.
After lunch at an awesome and upscale restaurant, I spent my last Cedi and headed for the ship!
My roommate Kelsey has a very high fever, so I've been taking care of her all this evening. Sickness goes around so easily when traveling and living in a contained environment all at the same time.
I know this entry was long and rather insufficient in explaining fully the country of Ghana. I would like to end here by saying, come to Ghana. You will love it. As the locals say, "I Love Ghana!"
Our ship was docked in Tema, which is an Industrial City. In fact, there is nothing but industry. Nothing. Accra, the city we all thought we would be staying in, was only 18km away but with Ghanaian traffic that usually took about an hour. They had free shuttles from the ship to Accra, but of course those never came when they said they would! I didn't really have a chance to explore the little that there was in Tema, but I did get a lot of time in Accra.
Now, where to begin to describe Ghana? Words will fail. This country is unlike any I have been to or learned about. It was everything I expected and nothing I could've imagined.
Day 1: Bright and early we boarded the buses for a long day in Accra on a city tour. Although I probably spent more time on the bus than actually out of the bus (that Ghanaian traffic!!!), I had a blast! We went to the Nkrumah Memorial Park. Nkrumah was the first president of Ghana upon their independence from the UK in 1957. (On that note, English is the official language of Ghana thanks to that lovely institution called colonization.) Nkrumah was overthrown by rebels, but that apparently is not how Ghana likes to remember their first leader. This park was literally a shrine to the man who would have been 100 years old only but a few days ago. It was a rather new experience for me to see an elected president erected in a gold statue, and I haven't fully processed it internally.
After the park, we went to the "cultural arts center" which is the main drag of shops that have cloth, dresses, masks, drums, etc. I bought a beautiful dress and a really neat tie-dye top. We followed this with lunch at a hotel. I won't even attempt to explain the life-changing experience that is trying your first Ghanaian plantain.
Then, we hit the W.E.B. DuBois center. At 93, DuBois moved from his home in the US to Ghana in a fulfillment of the Back to Africa movement. I am very interested in DuBois' poetry and theory about double consciousness, so this trip to his Ghana home and his grave was rewarding. I plan to read his entire book (as I have previously only read excerpts) "The Souls of Black Folks."
After the city tour, I went to reception for Semester at Sea students and the local university students. It was so much fun to talk, eat, and hang out with Ghanaians my own age! When I told them I was a theater major, they all kept saying I should come back to Ghana to study traditional African theater. Let's just say I am SO not opposed to that idea! I headed straight to bed after this long day.
Day 2: I woke up at 6am (gross!) to, yet again, hop on the bus towards Cape Coast. The group of us visited the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles that once held hundreds of slaves in transit during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The castles structures were so beautiful--all the more upsetting because of the ugliness those very structures supported. I would hope that everyone got the chance to visit these cites. Walking on the very same stones that have become fossilized with human remains, human waste, and human blood of people forcibly removed from their families and their countries is, well, it is hard to describe. Not overly sentimental, each tour ended with a stop to the gift shop! Since the Obamas had just visited Cape Coast in July, our tour guide proudly shared that he was the very guide who toured our President!
Day 3: At the crack of dawn (again!) we hopped on the bus towards a village outside of Accra and Tema. We thought we would maybe get a tour of the village and perhaps play with some kids for a few hours. But, NO, not in Ghana! In Ghana, a trip to a village means the entire village gathers playing music, dancing, cheering, and marching you around so you can shake hands with all the elders of the tribe! It was amazing, humbling, exciting, and heart-warming. "You are welcome" should be the national slogan. Then at the village, we participated in a traditional naming ceremony! All of us SAS students received African names. Ones first name depends on the day one was born, and I'm not quite sure how they get the second name, but I am not terribly concerned. When they called our name, we received a bracelet of amazing and hand-painting beads, along with a bowl that says our African and Christian names! My African name is Akosua Venunye. If I still remember this name in December, I will be expecting all of you to stop calling me Monica entirely. : )
After the village, we ate lunch at a picturesque hotel on the beach. The food was strange though! It was as if they were attempting to make American food. Let's just say they failed miserably.
Then, we drove to the Shai Hills Reserve where we bouldered through rocks into a cave where insect-eating bats live! It was so cool! There were flies and bat poop everywhere but I was standing among bats (!!!!) and I didn't have many complaints. We also tried to look for some baboons, but it was so hot outside that we only saw a few run by very quickly.
That night, some of my friends and I decided to go out into Accra and see the night life. We went to this fantastic bar that had live jazz and Ghanaian high-life music! After a fun-filled and peaceful and all together safe evening, we hopped in a cab to head toward the ship. That was until we were pulled over by a policeman yielding a machine gun. He accused my friend Vicki and I of not wearing our seat belts. We told him there were no seat belts. He told us to go into the police station, and upon our entering of the station demanded a bribe to be let go. I refused. It may have not been my most intelligent move, but I was livid. Ghana has been the nicest, most genuine country as of yet. The people are so proud of the progress their country has made, and seeing these government officials behaving in such a low and disgusting manner upset me. The people of this wonderful country do not deserve that. Finally, after some arguing with him, I convinced him to come out into the taxi to prove that there were no working seat belts. He just kept saying, "What will you give me? What will I eat?" Finally he believed us that we were not "refusing to wear seat belts," but were simply trying to get home to our ship. He let us go.
My taxi was one of the luckier ones. Everyone who went out into the town who came back late was pulled over and made to pay the police. Rumor has it that one guy was held up by those lovely machine guns they yield and was forced to give over every cent he had. Who knows if that is true, but I wouldn't be surprised.
I refuse to let this one incident damper my experience in Ghana. Corruption is, indeed, everywhere, even in the US. Still, it was not the best experience of my life to say the least. I hope Ghana can start to pay their policemen working salaries so that they can sustain themselves and not bribe people. Apparently, this happens all the time, though, and not just to tourists. Locals we told about it were not in the least bit surprised.
Day 4: Today I tried to put the end of last night behind me, because I still am resolute in my love for Ghana, and I went into Accra. We went to this store called "Global Mamas" (look it up--they have a website!). It is an NGO non-profit that helps women learn job skills, gain income and confidence by employing and training them. The products this little shop sells are the products of these women's labor. Let's just say I spent an insane amount of GhanaCedi (Ghanaian money) in Global Mamas! And don't be surprised if you end up with a gift from this amazing, wonderful, inspiring store.
After lunch at an awesome and upscale restaurant, I spent my last Cedi and headed for the ship!
My roommate Kelsey has a very high fever, so I've been taking care of her all this evening. Sickness goes around so easily when traveling and living in a contained environment all at the same time.
I know this entry was long and rather insufficient in explaining fully the country of Ghana. I would like to end here by saying, come to Ghana. You will love it. As the locals say, "I Love Ghana!"
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Ghanian Greetings from a Whale
OMG! I'm just casually eating my breakfast, watching the tip of Ghana begin to appear on the horizon, when two WHALES start doing flips right by the boat! It was the coolest thing I've seen so far! Everyone was freaking out and ran to the side of the boat to see these beautiful creatures play. There so playful and majestic and beautiful! Wow! I've never seen whales in the wild like that! Talk about a welcome to Ghana.
In a few hours, after freaking out some more about how cool the whales were, I will be off to a city tour of Accra, Ghana. I'll be visiting the W.E.B. Dubois center, which is something I am so very very excited about. Dubois and his wife are buried there. Then, I be dropped off at for a "Welcome Reception" where I will dine and chat with local Ghanian university students! So excited! Not to use the same word over and over and over, but I am so freaking excited!
More soon! : )
In a few hours, after freaking out some more about how cool the whales were, I will be off to a city tour of Accra, Ghana. I'll be visiting the W.E.B. Dubois center, which is something I am so very very excited about. Dubois and his wife are buried there. Then, I be dropped off at for a "Welcome Reception" where I will dine and chat with local Ghanian university students! So excited! Not to use the same word over and over and over, but I am so freaking excited!
More soon! : )
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Today
Today has been a day of sights! I started off my day with some light rain around 7am, followed by a dolphin sighting just before my class started at noon! They were very tiny dolphins and they were swimming right up to the ship! It was so fantastic; I saw their whole bodies in the water! Then, I saw beautiful sun while I laid out on the top deck, catching some rays. And, just a few minutes ago (it's about 9pm) I went out with the Astronomy professor to star-gaze and we could see Jupiter!
I'm getting excited for Ghana; it is only a few days away! Even though we were in Africa in Morocco, in my Western, Lion-King-educated mind, Ghana feels like the REAL Africa to me. I can't wait to load up on Kente cloth for our apartment!
Even though my birthday was a week ago, my friends surprised me today by ordering me a birthday cake from the cafeteria! It was so kind of them! And of course delicious--it was chocolate!
Talk to you soon, probably after Ghana... I'm sure by then I'll have some wild tales to share!
I'm getting excited for Ghana; it is only a few days away! Even though we were in Africa in Morocco, in my Western, Lion-King-educated mind, Ghana feels like the REAL Africa to me. I can't wait to load up on Kente cloth for our apartment!
Even though my birthday was a week ago, my friends surprised me today by ordering me a birthday cake from the cafeteria! It was so kind of them! And of course delicious--it was chocolate!
Talk to you soon, probably after Ghana... I'm sure by then I'll have some wild tales to share!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Ridin' the Marrakech Express
Morocco, it has been said, is a country of contradictions. That is the best way I can describe this strange, uncomfortable, dirty, beautiful, and somehow altogether welcoming country. I had some great, almost magical times during the five days I've been here. I've also had moments of sheer despair when this country's imbalances and oppression seem to slap me in the face. In the city, it is all greed and dirt, poverty next to excess. In the Berber villages (the Berber are the indigenous people of Morocco) it is all mud, hard work, and simple pleasures, if any at all. Perhaps this long-winded account of my time here will help you better understand this unsettling place.
Day 1: We docked in Casablanca, Morocco at 8am. The port area is DISGUSTING. We're a fifteen minute walk from the exit gates of the port! They have free shuttles for us, but they never come when they say they will, of course, so basically you just walk through a dangerous and confusing African port that smells like sewage because, hey, that's what it is!
But anyway, aside from Semester at Sea's poor choice in berth location, that morning I left immediately for my overnight trip with SAS. We took the Marrakech Express from Casablanca to Marrakech which took about 4 hours. We were in "first class." Then, we had the afternoon to explore the tourist capital of Morocco. It was amazing! Google "Morocco souks" to get an idea of these market places. There were snake charmers, henna artists, beggars, shops that sold bags, shoes, clothes, hookas, orange juice (which apparently is big here?), pottery, jewelry, scarves and so much more. The shop owners are aggressive in a way that I have never known. I was literally grabbed and thrown into stores against my will, forced to look at their products! Not that I'm complaining too much, I left with a TON of stuff, including pink leather flats that everyone in Morocco wears, some presents (!!), some jewelry, oh there was so much I can't even remember right now!
Then we went to this horrid tourist trap called "Chez Ali." It was like the Disneyland of Morocco, only they weren't being forced to smile so they all looked miserable. They looked miserable because they were miserable. Clearly underpaid and possibly forced to work there, they sang and danced in traditional Moroccan styles. They also had a horse show. The horses were clearly being abused and it was literally painful to watch. Returning from Chez Ali, I was at first upset and confused as to why Semester at Sea would send us to this horrible, uneducational, and downright disgusting place. But, as time went on, I started to understand that this horrid mistreatment of the Moroccan culture was, perhaps, part of the overall Moroccan culture. They have to exploit their traditions for tourism. This country is run down and without resources.
We stayed in a lovely hotel in Marrakech that night, which almost made up for the crappy evening at Chez Ali. My roommate for the night and I watched Moroccan music videos on our room tv!
Day 2: Mohammed, our tour guide, woke us up to get started on our hike up the High Atlas Mountains! We were a group of 20, and everyone was really eager to experience the "real" Morocco. We took a bus to a starting point on the mountains and began our hike! We hiked for about 5 hours that first day, passing plains straight out of The Lion King, rocks and sand like no color I've ever seen, and breathing the clean mountain air. Traveling with the 20 in our group was our travel guide as well as the mule-men, who tended to the mules that came with us to carry our baggage! Ah, the smell of mule in the morning... and afternoon... and evening... and all night....
We finally reached our destination, which was a village gite, which is the Moroccan word for "guest house." Children of the village greeted us with unconditional love. It was fantastic and fun and moving and overwhelming. One of the girls, Fatima, was 11 and spoke English, Arabic, French, and the local Berber dialect. She was incredibly sweet and gifted. The kids showed us their school and their village. Then we ate dinner in our gite, followed by music by the men of the village! The little girls were all such good dancers and put us all to shame! Two of the girls wanted to braid my hair, but had trouble with it because it is such a different texture than theirs. They ended up just playing with my hair for about an hour while their mother gave me a henna tattoo! They were the most open and welcoming people I've ever come into contact with, and most of them didn't even speak enough English to allow communication! The hospitality more than made up for the lack of a toilet with a seat, the fact that the electricity went out just as we sat down for dinner and didn't ever get fixed, and the beds... or should I say mats. The "showers" were interesting. They're called "hamans," or steam baths, but they certainly aren't like our steams baths in the US! Let me describe it: the haman is a room with one basin of hot water and one faucet of cold water and on the floor there were several basins. Five people go in at a time and if you want to get rinsed at all, you basically have to bathe each other! Some people were super uncomfortable, but I kept urging everyone, "When in Morocco!" So I, along with 4 other girls, were the first to try out this "shower" and I couldn't have been happier with my bravery! It was so relaxing and in a weird way it sort of released me from any remaining connection to civilization. And, of course, it made me grow really close to the other people in my group! It was an experience to say the least!
I slept pretty well that night, except for my... ahem... rude awakening at 3am and then again at 4am by the call to prayer. It is Ramadan right now, and since 99.9% of Morocco practices Islam, the call to prayer (which, I think, cites verses from the Koran) is blasted by loud speaker into each and every village, no matter how remote. So much for religious freedom--Islam is with you in a village even when running water is not. Still, it was pretty hilarious to shoot up from slumber twice by the screeching of Arabic song! Well, maybe hilarious is not the word....
Day 3: Mohammed woke us to warm bread with fresh fig jam. Indescribably fantastic. Then, we hiked. And I mean hiked. Four hours completely uphill, starting from 8 in the morning! Then, we stopped in a village because we needed a break. A woman had us for tea and nuts. I don't think I could've gone on without some of that mouth-watering Moroccan tea and the amazing and fresh sugar-coated nuts. Well, after our break we trekked on, still almost completely uphill. Finally we stopped for lunch and everyone took a nap. About 7 hours from our starting point that morning, we finally made it to our gite for the night. This gite made the one from the last night look like a palace! Can I describe this dwelling in words? I certainly tried to through pictures, but even photographic evidence could not capture the essence of these Berber's homes. We finally hit the village, greeted by the village's manure storage area. And by storage area, I mean pile. Literally. Oh, and, of course, next to the manure pile was the village's trash pile. Amidst these piles were all sorts of lovely creatures, most noticeably flies and chickens.... Yum. They had a "toilet," which was a ceramic hole in the ground, but without running water, the hole was full and never went down. So lets just say using the restroom was something you did outside, next to the manure pile, which smelled a lot better than that bathroom.
There were children at this village too, but they didn't speak any English and weren't as friendly. The food wasn't as good and the beds were, somehow, impossibly, worse than the beds from the night before. I slept near the window in the girls bedroom because, as I mentioned, smelling the outside (manure and trash) was better than the inside (a toilet without running water).
Day 4: We woke up and walked down a bit to get to the vans that were going to take our group to the train station so we could return to the ship. This little walked turned into a hike because the drivers got lost and we had to keep going along the trail until we got to them! It had rained and many of the roads were closed and, I guess, this made for some confusion for the van-drivers. Oh, Morocco. We did get to the train station and rode the Marrakech Express back to Casablanca. I smelled SO bad. I'm not kidding. Donkey, rained-on mud, sweat, manure, Morocco in general, and dank train cars. Mixed together. In the Casablanca humidity. Kelsey almost gagged when I came home to our cabin. She immediately let me into the shower, though!
After I showered and became human again, we went to Rick's Cafe, modeled after the cafe in the classic movie, "Casablanca." It was cheesy, tacky, and incredibly fun. I went to bed early, so thankful for a toilet, water I could drink, a pillow, a blanket that was bug and twig free, and, most of all, a real shower.
Day 5: Today, I'm still sore from hiking, but, of course, I didn't let that inhibit my adventuring. I went to a lecture on Moroccan hip-hop culture that was given by the queen of Moroccan hip-hop herself, a young female rapper named Fati (spelling?). Check it out at www.ilovehiphopmorocco.com.
Then, I explored Casablanca for the first time, really. I have to say, I'm not a huge fan. All the negative things I had heard were true. It was dirty, uneventful, and did I mention is was dirty? I bought some stamps for a few postcards and spent the remainder of my Moroccan currency.
Let's just say its good to be back on the boat, albeit for a week, headed towards Accra, Ghana.
Day 1: We docked in Casablanca, Morocco at 8am. The port area is DISGUSTING. We're a fifteen minute walk from the exit gates of the port! They have free shuttles for us, but they never come when they say they will, of course, so basically you just walk through a dangerous and confusing African port that smells like sewage because, hey, that's what it is!
But anyway, aside from Semester at Sea's poor choice in berth location, that morning I left immediately for my overnight trip with SAS. We took the Marrakech Express from Casablanca to Marrakech which took about 4 hours. We were in "first class." Then, we had the afternoon to explore the tourist capital of Morocco. It was amazing! Google "Morocco souks" to get an idea of these market places. There were snake charmers, henna artists, beggars, shops that sold bags, shoes, clothes, hookas, orange juice (which apparently is big here?), pottery, jewelry, scarves and so much more. The shop owners are aggressive in a way that I have never known. I was literally grabbed and thrown into stores against my will, forced to look at their products! Not that I'm complaining too much, I left with a TON of stuff, including pink leather flats that everyone in Morocco wears, some presents (!!), some jewelry, oh there was so much I can't even remember right now!
Then we went to this horrid tourist trap called "Chez Ali." It was like the Disneyland of Morocco, only they weren't being forced to smile so they all looked miserable. They looked miserable because they were miserable. Clearly underpaid and possibly forced to work there, they sang and danced in traditional Moroccan styles. They also had a horse show. The horses were clearly being abused and it was literally painful to watch. Returning from Chez Ali, I was at first upset and confused as to why Semester at Sea would send us to this horrible, uneducational, and downright disgusting place. But, as time went on, I started to understand that this horrid mistreatment of the Moroccan culture was, perhaps, part of the overall Moroccan culture. They have to exploit their traditions for tourism. This country is run down and without resources.
We stayed in a lovely hotel in Marrakech that night, which almost made up for the crappy evening at Chez Ali. My roommate for the night and I watched Moroccan music videos on our room tv!
Day 2: Mohammed, our tour guide, woke us up to get started on our hike up the High Atlas Mountains! We were a group of 20, and everyone was really eager to experience the "real" Morocco. We took a bus to a starting point on the mountains and began our hike! We hiked for about 5 hours that first day, passing plains straight out of The Lion King, rocks and sand like no color I've ever seen, and breathing the clean mountain air. Traveling with the 20 in our group was our travel guide as well as the mule-men, who tended to the mules that came with us to carry our baggage! Ah, the smell of mule in the morning... and afternoon... and evening... and all night....
We finally reached our destination, which was a village gite, which is the Moroccan word for "guest house." Children of the village greeted us with unconditional love. It was fantastic and fun and moving and overwhelming. One of the girls, Fatima, was 11 and spoke English, Arabic, French, and the local Berber dialect. She was incredibly sweet and gifted. The kids showed us their school and their village. Then we ate dinner in our gite, followed by music by the men of the village! The little girls were all such good dancers and put us all to shame! Two of the girls wanted to braid my hair, but had trouble with it because it is such a different texture than theirs. They ended up just playing with my hair for about an hour while their mother gave me a henna tattoo! They were the most open and welcoming people I've ever come into contact with, and most of them didn't even speak enough English to allow communication! The hospitality more than made up for the lack of a toilet with a seat, the fact that the electricity went out just as we sat down for dinner and didn't ever get fixed, and the beds... or should I say mats. The "showers" were interesting. They're called "hamans," or steam baths, but they certainly aren't like our steams baths in the US! Let me describe it: the haman is a room with one basin of hot water and one faucet of cold water and on the floor there were several basins. Five people go in at a time and if you want to get rinsed at all, you basically have to bathe each other! Some people were super uncomfortable, but I kept urging everyone, "When in Morocco!" So I, along with 4 other girls, were the first to try out this "shower" and I couldn't have been happier with my bravery! It was so relaxing and in a weird way it sort of released me from any remaining connection to civilization. And, of course, it made me grow really close to the other people in my group! It was an experience to say the least!
I slept pretty well that night, except for my... ahem... rude awakening at 3am and then again at 4am by the call to prayer. It is Ramadan right now, and since 99.9% of Morocco practices Islam, the call to prayer (which, I think, cites verses from the Koran) is blasted by loud speaker into each and every village, no matter how remote. So much for religious freedom--Islam is with you in a village even when running water is not. Still, it was pretty hilarious to shoot up from slumber twice by the screeching of Arabic song! Well, maybe hilarious is not the word....
Day 3: Mohammed woke us to warm bread with fresh fig jam. Indescribably fantastic. Then, we hiked. And I mean hiked. Four hours completely uphill, starting from 8 in the morning! Then, we stopped in a village because we needed a break. A woman had us for tea and nuts. I don't think I could've gone on without some of that mouth-watering Moroccan tea and the amazing and fresh sugar-coated nuts. Well, after our break we trekked on, still almost completely uphill. Finally we stopped for lunch and everyone took a nap. About 7 hours from our starting point that morning, we finally made it to our gite for the night. This gite made the one from the last night look like a palace! Can I describe this dwelling in words? I certainly tried to through pictures, but even photographic evidence could not capture the essence of these Berber's homes. We finally hit the village, greeted by the village's manure storage area. And by storage area, I mean pile. Literally. Oh, and, of course, next to the manure pile was the village's trash pile. Amidst these piles were all sorts of lovely creatures, most noticeably flies and chickens.... Yum. They had a "toilet," which was a ceramic hole in the ground, but without running water, the hole was full and never went down. So lets just say using the restroom was something you did outside, next to the manure pile, which smelled a lot better than that bathroom.
There were children at this village too, but they didn't speak any English and weren't as friendly. The food wasn't as good and the beds were, somehow, impossibly, worse than the beds from the night before. I slept near the window in the girls bedroom because, as I mentioned, smelling the outside (manure and trash) was better than the inside (a toilet without running water).
Day 4: We woke up and walked down a bit to get to the vans that were going to take our group to the train station so we could return to the ship. This little walked turned into a hike because the drivers got lost and we had to keep going along the trail until we got to them! It had rained and many of the roads were closed and, I guess, this made for some confusion for the van-drivers. Oh, Morocco. We did get to the train station and rode the Marrakech Express back to Casablanca. I smelled SO bad. I'm not kidding. Donkey, rained-on mud, sweat, manure, Morocco in general, and dank train cars. Mixed together. In the Casablanca humidity. Kelsey almost gagged when I came home to our cabin. She immediately let me into the shower, though!
After I showered and became human again, we went to Rick's Cafe, modeled after the cafe in the classic movie, "Casablanca." It was cheesy, tacky, and incredibly fun. I went to bed early, so thankful for a toilet, water I could drink, a pillow, a blanket that was bug and twig free, and, most of all, a real shower.
Day 5: Today, I'm still sore from hiking, but, of course, I didn't let that inhibit my adventuring. I went to a lecture on Moroccan hip-hop culture that was given by the queen of Moroccan hip-hop herself, a young female rapper named Fati (spelling?). Check it out at www.ilovehiphopmorocco.com.
Then, I explored Casablanca for the first time, really. I have to say, I'm not a huge fan. All the negative things I had heard were true. It was dirty, uneventful, and did I mention is was dirty? I bought some stamps for a few postcards and spent the remainder of my Moroccan currency.
Let's just say its good to be back on the boat, albeit for a week, headed towards Accra, Ghana.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Spain, Losses, and Musings
I'm on the ship now, and we take off for Morocco in a few hours. We'll be in Casablanca in less than 2 days! I'm excited but nervous for this vastly different country.
Anyway....
The Top Ten Reasons I Love Spain:
1. The food! I've eaten seafood paella, the world famous (and rightly so) ham of Southern Spain, tapas, tapas, y tapas, the best ice cream and sweets, Mexican food (LOL) that was fantastic, and even more tapas, and SEAFOOD!!!
2. Sevilla. Me encanta Sevilla! It's about 2 hours out of Cadiz (where our boat was docked) and Kelsey, me, and some other girls rode the train there yesterday for about $20. While Cadiz is amazing and quaint, Sevilla is beyond words in beauty, shopping, and culture! I want to live there! I took a picture outside of a house for sale, so hey, you never know! Kelsey and I went into the famous Catherdal in Sevilla. It used to be a mosque, but when the Christians came, they destroyed all the Muslim relics, replacing them with their own. The current result is a Moorish structure with Christian artwork. It is unlike anything else I've seen. It is the home of Christopher Columbus' tomb, which was something to see. We bought a lot of stuff in Sevilla! I bought a wrap at H&M (lol) that will be a great head covering or shoulder covering for countries where I need to be more modest, like Morocco and India. In Spain a lot of women wear these pants that are reminiscent of Aladdin; they're flowly and puff out at the bottom. Well, for only 4,50 euros, I bought a pair! They are rather silly, but they are really really thin and will be great for the humid countries! Okay, but the best thing I bought in Sevilla was at a Borders-like store. I couldn't escape Europe without buying, of course, a DVD! I bought "El Graduado," which is the Spanish-dubbed "Graduate!" (I know what you're thinking, Megan and Ashley, will the obsession with "The Graduate" ever stop?!?!) It is my most awesome souvenir as of yet. We ate great food in Sevilla too. The best part was how many times we got lost in the University of Sevilla. We seemed to keep being forced to enter its grounds, only to come out the wrong end, surrounded by students going in all directions! The line of the day was, "Donde Estamos?" which means "Where are we?" When we asked locals that, they usually laughed at us and gladly showed us the way! Sevilla was a fantastic day trip!
3. The people. They come off stern and cold when you pass by the Spanish on the streets, but the second you ask for directions, or try to speak Spanish, or just talk to them, they turn from stern and cold to excitable and warm, playful and wild. They are so fun to hear and to be around. And they sleep all day and party all night! Which leads me on with my list....
4. Siesta. Siesta is Spanish for "nap." At 2pm, everyday, day in and day out, all Spaniards take a siesta. They close their shops, restaurants, and offices, and take a THREE HOUR lunch/nap break until 5pm. This may seem very odd to us Americans, being so obsessed with proficiency and speed. But no, in Spain, you sleep until 9am, open your shop at 10am, close from 2pm-5pm, and open again at 5pm, staying open until 11pm or midnight! All the Spanish stay out all night! The restaurants and bars don't even start serving dinner until 8pm or 9pm, and they all close at 6am!!! No joke! At 1am, there will still be little little kids out with their parents. The parents will be drinking and smoking cigarettes and the kids will be petting pigeons! It is actually pretty funny, because in America, family life is so different. But I guess when you sleep for 3 hours during the day, you can stay out later?
5. The history. The newest buildings in Cadiz seem to be from, you know, the 1700s. The forts that protected the city from Napoleon are still up, as well as the old wall that surrounded the city. It is so humbling to stand on cobblestones that thousands of years and even more feet have seen.
6. The Roman Ruins. Did any of you know that the Romans came into Spain?! I guess I should've known that, but I certainly was surprised to find Roman ruins all over Espana! I saw an old Roman theater, to name one structure. In Cadiz, the Romans were welcomed, as the Cadizians had been ravaged by other invaders, and thought Cesar would give them a hand! He did, and all people of Cadiz were given the privileges allowed to the Romans, including citizenship! I learned all of this on my trip to Gibraltar, thanks to my amazing tour guide, Maria-Carmen.
7. The beaches. Cadiz has the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. The softest, whitest sand and the bluest, clearest waters, surrounded by beautiful jagged rocks, and flanked by old forts from I don't even know how long ago. At one beach in Cadiz, they have little huts that sell tapas and drinks during the late nights! So awesome to eat and drink in a hut on the beach of Spain! Down in that area they also had little huts that sold bracelets that I could've bought in Venice Beach, CA. LOL
8. One the second night, we went to the aforementioned beach area to shop and hang out, we ended up going to the only restaurant with seats open, which was a Mexican place! But, the food was sooo amazing and, most excitingly, the waitress spoke English! She loved us and kept bringing us free drinks! It was so much fun!
9. I love everything about Spain.
10. Tapas.
The Top Ten Things that SUCKED in Spain:
1. Wearing a money belt under my clothes. Uncomfortable, sweaty, and hard to use. I guess it is better than getting something stolen... maybe...
2. On the first day, I lost 20 euros.
3. On the third day, when we were in Sevilla, it was 10pm and we were getting ready to board the last bus home to our ship in Cadiz. We bought our bus tickets that morning so that if we ran out of money shopping (which we did) we would at least be able to get home. Well, at least we thought. As we start to board the bus, I realize I don't have my bus ticket. And the ticket teller refused to help me and just yelled at me in Spanish. Luckily, the bus driver believed me and my friends and let me on without a ticket.
4. On said bus ride home, I realized I had a horrible heat rash all over my legs. Lovely.
5. Oh yeah, then, this morning, I lost my debit card and my ID. (Don't worry, Mom canceled my card.)
Currently? Awaiting for embarkation towards Morocco and musing over traveling as a whole. When traveling, one risks so much--loosing luggage, passports, DEBIT CARDS, MONEY, BUS TICKETS, plane tickets, and valuable items. One risks being afraid and confused and yelled at because of language and cultural barriers. One risks missing the familiar. Missing it a lot. But then, one sees the Rock of Gibraltar and Sevilla, buys Aladdin pants and El Graduado, eats the best food in the world, and gets blasted by the Andalusian wind. It is easy to say the risks are worth it when standing in front of the oldest building in Europe (from, like, 900 AD?!), but not so easy when you are trying to buy lotion for your heat rash and you realize, as the cashier yells at you in a language you barely understand, that your debit card is missing. I'm trying to take the mistakes I've already made in Spain with me to the other ports I'm headed so as to not make silly mistakes anywhere else (especially since the other ports will be more dangerous and foreign to me than Spain has been).
I've just decided that these little mistakes are not going to ruin my image and feelings towards the most beautiful and magical place I've ever been in my life.
Anyway....
The Top Ten Reasons I Love Spain:
1. The food! I've eaten seafood paella, the world famous (and rightly so) ham of Southern Spain, tapas, tapas, y tapas, the best ice cream and sweets, Mexican food (LOL) that was fantastic, and even more tapas, and SEAFOOD!!!
2. Sevilla. Me encanta Sevilla! It's about 2 hours out of Cadiz (where our boat was docked) and Kelsey, me, and some other girls rode the train there yesterday for about $20. While Cadiz is amazing and quaint, Sevilla is beyond words in beauty, shopping, and culture! I want to live there! I took a picture outside of a house for sale, so hey, you never know! Kelsey and I went into the famous Catherdal in Sevilla. It used to be a mosque, but when the Christians came, they destroyed all the Muslim relics, replacing them with their own. The current result is a Moorish structure with Christian artwork. It is unlike anything else I've seen. It is the home of Christopher Columbus' tomb, which was something to see. We bought a lot of stuff in Sevilla! I bought a wrap at H&M (lol) that will be a great head covering or shoulder covering for countries where I need to be more modest, like Morocco and India. In Spain a lot of women wear these pants that are reminiscent of Aladdin; they're flowly and puff out at the bottom. Well, for only 4,50 euros, I bought a pair! They are rather silly, but they are really really thin and will be great for the humid countries! Okay, but the best thing I bought in Sevilla was at a Borders-like store. I couldn't escape Europe without buying, of course, a DVD! I bought "El Graduado," which is the Spanish-dubbed "Graduate!" (I know what you're thinking, Megan and Ashley, will the obsession with "The Graduate" ever stop?!?!) It is my most awesome souvenir as of yet. We ate great food in Sevilla too. The best part was how many times we got lost in the University of Sevilla. We seemed to keep being forced to enter its grounds, only to come out the wrong end, surrounded by students going in all directions! The line of the day was, "Donde Estamos?" which means "Where are we?" When we asked locals that, they usually laughed at us and gladly showed us the way! Sevilla was a fantastic day trip!
3. The people. They come off stern and cold when you pass by the Spanish on the streets, but the second you ask for directions, or try to speak Spanish, or just talk to them, they turn from stern and cold to excitable and warm, playful and wild. They are so fun to hear and to be around. And they sleep all day and party all night! Which leads me on with my list....
4. Siesta. Siesta is Spanish for "nap." At 2pm, everyday, day in and day out, all Spaniards take a siesta. They close their shops, restaurants, and offices, and take a THREE HOUR lunch/nap break until 5pm. This may seem very odd to us Americans, being so obsessed with proficiency and speed. But no, in Spain, you sleep until 9am, open your shop at 10am, close from 2pm-5pm, and open again at 5pm, staying open until 11pm or midnight! All the Spanish stay out all night! The restaurants and bars don't even start serving dinner until 8pm or 9pm, and they all close at 6am!!! No joke! At 1am, there will still be little little kids out with their parents. The parents will be drinking and smoking cigarettes and the kids will be petting pigeons! It is actually pretty funny, because in America, family life is so different. But I guess when you sleep for 3 hours during the day, you can stay out later?
5. The history. The newest buildings in Cadiz seem to be from, you know, the 1700s. The forts that protected the city from Napoleon are still up, as well as the old wall that surrounded the city. It is so humbling to stand on cobblestones that thousands of years and even more feet have seen.
6. The Roman Ruins. Did any of you know that the Romans came into Spain?! I guess I should've known that, but I certainly was surprised to find Roman ruins all over Espana! I saw an old Roman theater, to name one structure. In Cadiz, the Romans were welcomed, as the Cadizians had been ravaged by other invaders, and thought Cesar would give them a hand! He did, and all people of Cadiz were given the privileges allowed to the Romans, including citizenship! I learned all of this on my trip to Gibraltar, thanks to my amazing tour guide, Maria-Carmen.
7. The beaches. Cadiz has the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. The softest, whitest sand and the bluest, clearest waters, surrounded by beautiful jagged rocks, and flanked by old forts from I don't even know how long ago. At one beach in Cadiz, they have little huts that sell tapas and drinks during the late nights! So awesome to eat and drink in a hut on the beach of Spain! Down in that area they also had little huts that sold bracelets that I could've bought in Venice Beach, CA. LOL
8. One the second night, we went to the aforementioned beach area to shop and hang out, we ended up going to the only restaurant with seats open, which was a Mexican place! But, the food was sooo amazing and, most excitingly, the waitress spoke English! She loved us and kept bringing us free drinks! It was so much fun!
9. I love everything about Spain.
10. Tapas.
The Top Ten Things that SUCKED in Spain:
1. Wearing a money belt under my clothes. Uncomfortable, sweaty, and hard to use. I guess it is better than getting something stolen... maybe...
2. On the first day, I lost 20 euros.
3. On the third day, when we were in Sevilla, it was 10pm and we were getting ready to board the last bus home to our ship in Cadiz. We bought our bus tickets that morning so that if we ran out of money shopping (which we did) we would at least be able to get home. Well, at least we thought. As we start to board the bus, I realize I don't have my bus ticket. And the ticket teller refused to help me and just yelled at me in Spanish. Luckily, the bus driver believed me and my friends and let me on without a ticket.
4. On said bus ride home, I realized I had a horrible heat rash all over my legs. Lovely.
5. Oh yeah, then, this morning, I lost my debit card and my ID. (Don't worry, Mom canceled my card.)
Currently? Awaiting for embarkation towards Morocco and musing over traveling as a whole. When traveling, one risks so much--loosing luggage, passports, DEBIT CARDS, MONEY, BUS TICKETS, plane tickets, and valuable items. One risks being afraid and confused and yelled at because of language and cultural barriers. One risks missing the familiar. Missing it a lot. But then, one sees the Rock of Gibraltar and Sevilla, buys Aladdin pants and El Graduado, eats the best food in the world, and gets blasted by the Andalusian wind. It is easy to say the risks are worth it when standing in front of the oldest building in Europe (from, like, 900 AD?!), but not so easy when you are trying to buy lotion for your heat rash and you realize, as the cashier yells at you in a language you barely understand, that your debit card is missing. I'm trying to take the mistakes I've already made in Spain with me to the other ports I'm headed so as to not make silly mistakes anywhere else (especially since the other ports will be more dangerous and foreign to me than Spain has been).
I've just decided that these little mistakes are not going to ruin my image and feelings towards the most beautiful and magical place I've ever been in my life.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
My future home.......
....is Espana!!!! I love it here and I don't want to leave ever! I hopped on a bus and we toured the amazing, breathtaking Spanish coastline with its bright blue water and fine sand. Then on the tour, we hit the Rock of Gibraltar! After getting off our first bus, then walking through the border control (because Gibraltar is a colony of the UK and is not technically Spain), we got on a second bus to ride up to the top of the rock! There were monkeys everywhere! I couldn't believe it--they would just run right up to you! Needless to say, I got some fantastic pictures of me with various monkeys, as well as various pictures of monkey butts! ; ) We also went inside the rock where there was a cave! It was really cool.
When I got back, I took a siesta (I'm in Spain, after all!) and then one of my roommates, Liz, and I hit Cadiz! We walked around and saw the city. The Spanish stay up all night and sleep all day! And I'm not kidding, at midnight, there were still young children with their families everywhere! We did as the Spanish do, and tried the famous Sangria and ate tapas! It was a lot of fun! I have some great pictures, too. At one place we went to, a British couple was sitting next to us, so we talked to them for a while. It was fun to talk to someone in English! The Spanish refuse to talk to you in ingles, even though the tourist industry demands that they know the language, and they do. But they still are very proud about their culture and language. It makes me want to brush up on my Spanish so I can come back and stay forever! I say that now, but everyone says you will say that at every port, that you want to stay forever. We'll see if I want to stay in Ghana forever!
Today, I slept in, as I haven't had a day where I could sleep past 7:00 in over a week (which is NOT okay when they constantly keep advancing the clocks!). Then, I'm going to get lunch on the ship to save some euro, then walk around Cadiz with some friends. Tomorrow, we leave for Seville!
OMG--so I lost or misplaced 20 euros! I was really upset because it is only the first port and I'm usually really good about that stuff. I was wearing a money belt too, so my only thought is I dropped it somewhere. I guess I will just have to be more careful on the rest of the trip. I can't believe I've only been on the MV Explorer for a week; it feels like home already.
When I got back, I took a siesta (I'm in Spain, after all!) and then one of my roommates, Liz, and I hit Cadiz! We walked around and saw the city. The Spanish stay up all night and sleep all day! And I'm not kidding, at midnight, there were still young children with their families everywhere! We did as the Spanish do, and tried the famous Sangria and ate tapas! It was a lot of fun! I have some great pictures, too. At one place we went to, a British couple was sitting next to us, so we talked to them for a while. It was fun to talk to someone in English! The Spanish refuse to talk to you in ingles, even though the tourist industry demands that they know the language, and they do. But they still are very proud about their culture and language. It makes me want to brush up on my Spanish so I can come back and stay forever! I say that now, but everyone says you will say that at every port, that you want to stay forever. We'll see if I want to stay in Ghana forever!
Today, I slept in, as I haven't had a day where I could sleep past 7:00 in over a week (which is NOT okay when they constantly keep advancing the clocks!). Then, I'm going to get lunch on the ship to save some euro, then walk around Cadiz with some friends. Tomorrow, we leave for Seville!
OMG--so I lost or misplaced 20 euros! I was really upset because it is only the first port and I'm usually really good about that stuff. I was wearing a money belt too, so my only thought is I dropped it somewhere. I guess I will just have to be more careful on the rest of the trip. I can't believe I've only been on the MV Explorer for a week; it feels like home already.
Friday, September 4, 2009
SPAIN
So, I haven't been off the boat yet, but Spain is the most beautiful country I've ever been to. Off to Gibraltar, then exploring Cadiz, then traveling to Seville! I will write more as soon as I can!
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