MYANMAR (BURMA)

BURMA (MYANMAR)

DAY 1

So, after we sailed up a river to get into the port that we are docked at about 7 members of the US Embassy boarded the ship for our diplomatic briefing. Basically they let us know all the stuff we can’t do here. I’ll list some:

1) We can’t photograph military personnel, bridges, airports, etc.

2) We can’t ask the locals what they think about their government or the US government.

3) We can’t buy anything with the exception of educational products and original artwork.

4) Women cannot look a monk directly in the eye.

5) We cannot accept literature that speaks against the government.

6) We cannot talk on a cell phone and google, hotmail, and yahoo are illegal as well.

There are many others, of course. These strict rules are because Burma (the country’s old name and what the US refers to it as) is now under the control of an oppressive military regime. Many countries around the world, including the US, are boycotting Burma because of the government’s policies repress universal human rights.

So, needless to say, after this briefing many of us were confused and just wanted to survive the next 6 days without getting arrested. Hopefully we will be successful. I can make no promises though ;o) Don’t worry I just knocked on wood. I’ll be okay!

We have to take a shuttle to get into the downtown Yangon. It runs basically every 2 hours and it takes approximately 1 hour to get there. We took the 4:00 shuttle and once we were dropped off at Trader’s Hotel (SAS drop-off point) we walked around very briefly before taking a taxi to the Karaweik Restaurant on Royal Lake. It is a absolutely beautiful area where you can take walks and what not before or after having dinner. The restaurant itself was stunning. It was pretty ridiculous actually.

After we finished dinner we thought about walking around a bit, but it was dark and we really didn’t know where to go. While we were deciding myself and my friend, Bailey, managed to get bird pooped on us. There were a ton of birds around the restaurant and let’s just say we figured out that it wasn’t a good idea to walk under the trees. My bookbag got the most of it, thankfully, and it wasn’t too bad. We ended up just taking a taxi back to the Trader’s Hotel and hung out in the bar area upstairs until the shuttle came to take us back to the ship.

My first impression of Myanmar is strange. Our ship is docked in a pretty rural area. On the shuttle ride to the city I saw random cows and villages spread out along the road. Once you get to the downtown area it’s much more city-like. Buddhists make up about 87% of the Burmese population. Because of this, Yangon is a pretty safe city. People are comparatively more quiet and reserved. Women don’t have to worry about getting hassled as much as in other countries and major cities. Despite the seemingly serene environment we still have to remember that the government is still in control. I say it’s strange because we don’t really know what there is to do here. We have five more days. I have some day trips, so hopefully I’ll be able to fill my time here creating valuable cultural experiences, not to mention legal ones. Only time will tell…

DAY 2

Today, Nicole (my roommate) and I spent the afternoon on the half day city orientation in Yangon. It was okay. We got to see a couple of pagodas. The first pagoda was called Sule pagoda. In a pagoda you must remove both shoes and sock and then circumambulate (walk around clockwise) the stupa (the center structure of the pagoda). There are various shrine dedicated to Buddha and many people praying including monks. Monks are pretty much everywhere you go in Yangon and probably Myanmar in general. The detail of the pagodas is pretty amazing. Again, I’m sorry I can’t show you pictures, but just imagine lots of golds, reds, and shiny structures. If you are really interested you might be able to look online, but the govt. might have that regulated too. The second pagoda we went to was the famous Shewdagon Pagoda. This pagoda is over 2500 years old and is said to be made of over 60 tons of gold and it was over 4,000 diamonds on the tip of the stupa. It was a pretty incredible sight to see. I took lots of pictures, so you won’t be left in the dark for too long as to what it actually looks like.

We also went to the Myanmar National Museum. It was alright. They had huge thrones from past dynasties. Our last stop was at the reclining Buddha. This structure was redone in 1978. It’s absolutely the largest Buddha I have ever seen! Don’t worry, I took lots of pictures of this as well.

Nicole and I left the tour before it headed back to the ship and caught a taxi to the Trader’s Hotel to meet some other people. We chilled in the bar until they arrived and then went across the street to Café Aroma to have dinner. During this dinner a boy was waving and dancing through the window at us. Nicole smiled at the kid and waved. However, she did not know that this signal meant that she promised to buy a packet of postcards he was selling. So, once we left, this kid followed us across the street trying to get us to buy these postcards. It’s really funny because Nicole often gets herself into these situations. In fact many of her souvenirs are ones she didn’t really mean to buy in the first place. Fortunately, she managed to stay strong this time and didn’t come home with 20 postcards she didn’t want. After dinner we went back to Trader’s and sat around in the lobby until the bus came to take us back to the ship.

And that brings us to the present moment where our ship’s water has been turned off. ::SIGH:: Fortunately I managed to take a quick shower before this happened. Hopefully the water will be back on in the morning.

DAY 3

So, today I visited the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf. Obviously, I was really excited about this field trip. Even though ASL (American Sign Language) is different from Burmese Sign Language there were many similar signs and the kids showed us that they had been practicing the ASL alphabet and numbers. It’s a residential school, as most Deaf schools are. Some students are orphans, but I think most had parents who sent them there. They also learn vocational skills such as sewing and stitching.

This visit was technically considered to be a service visit. However, we ended up being the ones being served. It started out by one kid showing us a type of massage they had spent the last month learning by demonstrating on a SAS student. By the end every one of us were laying on blankets and getting a massage from a student at the school. The massage lasted about an hour. It was strange because I didn’t want to disrespect them by refusing the massage, but I also didn’t want them to think that they had to give me a massage. It was an interesting massage, to say the least. Maybe I’ll demonstrate it on some of you once I’m home.

After the massage I showed my ASL textbook to the adult teachers and workers at the school. I think they appreciated looking through it and seeing the differences and similarities between the two languages.

The kids were absolutely wonderful. Of course they loved us taking their pictures, but they also all lined up by the gates and waved good bye to us with the “I love you” sign. The girl who gave Nicole her massage pulled her aside before she left and showed her a piece of paper that read, “Please don’t forget me. I’m very happy to see you.” She then gave Nicole a picture of her to remember her by.

I’m definitely glad I got to go on this trip. It’ll be something I know I’ll never forget.

Now, I’m back at the ship and guess what! The water is still not on. Yeah, I know!! I really do hope it comes on before we leave for Yangon tonight. Nicole and I are meeting up with some others to spend the night in the city. It should be fun, inexpensive, and I would like to at least start off the night relatively clean. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

DAY 4

So, we decided to stay at the Trader’s Hotel which was really nice and didn’t cost too much either. I also ended up going to a soccer game between Myanmar and India last night as well. It was so awesome! It cost less than $2, and it was fun to see the whole crowd get into it. Myanmar ended up winning 10-0. It really was a great experience to go to a soccer game outside of the US.

After the game we just hung out at the hotel before calling it a night. I played some darts and a game of pool. It was pretty chill. This morning we woke up and while part of the group went out shopping, myself and a couple of others decided to head back to the ship, catch up on some rest and get ready for our last two days in Myanmar.

Yesterday and today the water is only on for 3 hours a day. Hopefully, tomorrow they’ll let the water stay on for longer. Until then…

DAY 5

I woke up rather early today to board the bus for my last Myanmar field trip entitled Traditional Handicrafts. We went to various places. It was more of a shopping trip than anything. We went to this warehouse that sold laquerware and wicker type furniture. Then we visited a place where pagoda umbrellas were being made. They are like these metal structures that are either painted or gold leafed shaped like, you guessed it, pagodas. After leaving that place we went to Scott Market where I picked up some small paintings that I probably overpaid for. It’s much harder to barter here because everyone is so nice. I know, I know. It’s a bad excuse, but you try telling a Buddhist that his paintings are worth less than what he thinks. They are nice paintings at least.

The real interesting part of the trip, however, wasn’t the souvenirs I picked up. It was actually our tour guide. I can’t really give him justice through the written word. Remind me to tell you about him once I get home. To satisfy your curiosity about this individual for the time being, just think marijuana and impressions of famous Burmese singers. For now just let your imagination do the rest. I’m sure it won’t be too far from the truth.

That was basically my day. They are still rationing the water supply. We’ll see how long this lasts.

DAY 6

The rationing of water continues. This is getting pretty ridiculous. I think once we are back out to sea, it’ll get better, but as it is not having water is making a lot of people sort of cranky.

Today I just went into Yangon to do some final shopping in Scott Market and get some lunch. We had to get back for on ship time and I wanted to be here when the water turned on, so sorry today wasn’t that exciting. I’m sure Vietnam will bring more interesting stories.

Love and Miss everyone! I hope all is well!

Lauren

INDIA!

INDIA

Before we docked in Madras Harbor in Chennai, India we were told countless things to expect about India. We were told that India was dirty, and then we found yards and yards of white plastic and cardboard laid all over the ship’s floor to protect against the dirt and mud that we would inevitably track in on our shoes. We were told India was crowded. With over a billion people overpopulation is a major concern, and there would be over 10 times as many people you would find in New York City. We were told that India was hot and humid. The monsoon season started early this year and rain is forecasted all throughout the week. We were told that India was poor, and there was no way to avoid staring poverty in the face. We would have to make choices. Do we give or not give to the beggers on the street that are clearly dying of starvation while holding their children in their laps, children who are frail and even more helpless. We were also told that India was amazing, filled with a culture that is diverse, intriguing, and different than anything we’ve ever seen before. We were told that the people were warm, generous, and welcoming. We were told that India was a beautiful country, and those who were returning to India looked forward to it. The most important thing we were told, however, was something that was implied in all of the above statements. India would be a turning point. Once we experienced India there was a good chance that we would be changed, changed in our outlook upon humanity and changed in our very souls.

I didn’t know what to make of all this. Last week I quickly became anxious for the very first time while on this voyage. How would I react to India? How would India react to me? Would I be one of the many that India has changed? How would I make sense of the next 5 days? Well, on Day 1 I started to find out…

DAY 1

We pulled into port around 8am. Our port in Chennai is a cargo port. Our ship does not belong. Nevertheless we are welcomed with a traditional Indian band and the stares of the Dalits (India’s Untouchables – lower than the lower class). We were welcomed with clouds that gave way to heat and humidity. I didn’t have a good sense of India until I went out into the streets of Chennai on my field trip to Prasad Group, a post-production film studio. I saw a crowd of yellow rickshaws (3-wheeled scooter taxis) and crowds of people about the equivalent of NYC, not quite 10 times. I saw countless mopeds and motorcycles carrying families to their morning’s destination. I saw beggers, although at this point I was able to distant myself from their reality as I sat in the air conditioned tour bus. The only way I can describe it in a way some of you might understand a little better is that Chennai reminds me of a less modern, dirtier Times Square. There were huge billboards everywhere you looked advertising in English, Tamil, and other languages.

Touring the Prasad Group was extremely interesting. A little about the Prasad Group: they are the second largest studio in India and have various departments all over the world. They own the second largest IMAX theatre in the world and had the highest box office gross for Spiderman 2 and was in the top 3 for the third Harry Potter. They work on about 950 films a year and 450 are feature films. We were able to tour the sound mixing studios, editing facilities, set design warehouses, special effects studio, graduate school, and other post-production departments. Visiting the Prasad Group only solidified the fact that one day I want to work within the film industry.

I came back to the ship for dinner before heading back out into Chennai with some friends to see a movie. We boarded a taxi, but found out that the movies all started at 10pm, and we didn’t want to wait around for 1 ½ hours, so we walked down the street to the shopping mall instead. During this walk and upon exiting the mall I got my first taste of India’s poverty. They were children, couldn’t have been more than 7 years old. They would gently touch your elbow, trying to get your attention. What do I do? Do I ignore this kid and pretend he doesn’t exist? No, I can’t do that because he does exist. Do I give in and give him a few rupees (currency) and in doing so encourage begging? No, because by encouraging begging I may be feeding poverty, and how do I give one kid some money and not all of the kids. How am I supposed to choose who that lucky kid is and forever have the faces of all the kids I turn away imprinted in my mind for the rest of my life. I try my best not to look into their eyes. It hurts too much. I didn’t want that power of money and privilege, at least not at that moment, but I have it nonetheless. I still don’t know what to do with it. I am hoping that this journey will provide me with some type of insight, some kind of clarity.

Today I found out that India is truth staring you cold in the face whether you like it or not. India is powerful, and India is changing my outlook on humanity. India is changing me.

DAY 2

I woke up pretty early this morning to board the bus for my field trip to Kancheepuram and Mamallapuram. Today would be spent visiting various Hindu temples. The two we visited in Kancheepuram were “living” temples where people still came to worship. We had to remove our shoes before entering the temple. I really wish it hadn’t been raining last night and early in the morning. Needless to say my feet got a little dirty. It wasn’t the dirt I was worried about, more like the amoebas that could potentially enter through my feet. Fortunately, I survived both temples amoeba free. The first temple I went to was called Ekambareswara. It was constructed in the 16^th Century. The second temple was called Kailansanatha Temple. It contained paintings from the 7^th and 8^th Centuries. These temples were pretty amazing to look at and walk through. I had been learning about them for the past week in my architecture class, so it was interesting to see one in person. I would go into all the deities that I know about, but I’ll spare you guys the Hinduism lesson.

After visiting these two temples we visited a silk weaving shop. Kancheepuram is famous for its traditional art of silk weaving. The city itself is not very industrialized because 40% of its people are silk weavers. Once a child turns 12 they can begin to take evening classes in silk weaving after school. The whole family takes turns weaving. When we were visiting two men were making sarees (the dresses the Indian women wear). They said it takes about 10 days to make one solid color saree. They were extremely beautiful.

We had lunch at the Heritage Inn Hotel. I don’t think I’m cut out for Indian food. I’m weak and can’t really take the spiciness. I know I’m disappointing some of you now. After lunch we drove a couple more hours to Mamallapuram to visit the Five Rathas, or Five Brothers from the Mahabharata (some of you may have heard of this before b/c different versions were made into American films). These were large stones that were carved into temple prototypes. Then we headed to the Shore Temple. This temple was built right on the beach 1200 years ago. The tsunami would have destroyed it if it weren’t for the stone wall located right behind it. Before heading back to the ship we made a quick stop to see the biggest bas-relief in the world called Arjuna’s Penance. It is a huge carving in a boulder that depicts the descent of the Ganges from Siva’s (Hindu deity) and other fables from the Panchatantra.

Needless to say, after all that, I am now back on the ship and completely exhausted. All those temples can take a lot out of a person. Especially the crowds of sellers and beggers right outside these temples. Many were relentless in trying to get you to buy whatever it was they were selling. They’d follow you until you got onto the bus and they couldn’t follow you anymore, and even then they would tap on your window and try again to get you buy something. They had everything from carved elephants to postcards to karma sutra statues. I don’t think they knew the meaning of the phrase, “No, thank you.”

Okay, well, I’ll be back for Day 3. Hopefully I’ll have something exciting to write about. We’ll see…

DAY 3

Today was a “free day,” so basically a day for shopping, and let me just say it’s a good thing that India’s cheap. Well, technically it’s not a good thing because it indicates the country’s low economic status, but for my wallet’s sake it was a good thing that 43 rupees is the equivalent to $1. A couple of friends and I boarded a rickshaw and began our shopping adventure. Initially we just want to go to the shopping mall because we knew that: 1) there were pretty good prices there and 2) it was out of the heat and humidity (I think the humidity here is worse than New Orleans and that’s saying something). We quickly found out that we were not going to be able to go straight to the mall. You see, the rickshaw drivers get money for bringing Semester at Sea students to various stores. Just to get a good price for the ride to the mall we had to make at least 3 stops beforehand. We are only required to look in the stores. We don’t have to buy anything.

The first store was a combination jewelry/saree/rug/carvings store. I picked up a couple of things there. I know I’m weak. Now, here’s the funny part: So the guy who was helping me in the jewelry section was making small talk: do you have a boyfriend? What are your hobbies? Do you like Indian movies? Yatta yatta yatta. Until….he started asking me questions about why it was American women seem to naturally have large breast. You see, he explained to me that his girlfriend was lacking in that area and was curious if I knew anything he could do to improve the situation. I really couldn’t believe I was in this conversation. I just told him that not all American women have large breasts and those that do is sometimes because of surgery. This conversation really went on longer than it should have.

The next couple of stores were quick stops. We grew stronger realizing we had more time and more money to be weak with in the mall. These stores were more expensive comparatively. The mall proved to be successful. I got some VCDs (they will play on my computer). I picked up Batman Begins, The Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, and Chocolat. Each costed about $4. Pretty good deal, I thought. I got some other things. I looked for postcards, but there were none to be found. I know, weird. If I don’t find any, I’ll just have to skip postcards this country. I know, sad.

A couple of hours in the mall and we were exhausted, so we headed back to the ship to eat and just chill out for a while. Tonight we watched a Bollywood movie a friend of mine bought. We didn’t finish it because Indian movies in general are pretty long. This one was 174 minutes, and with the subtitles it was too much for us to concentrate our tired minds on. We saw about 45 minutes of it which let us see two music videos (a Bollywood thing—they love random music videos in the middle of their movies) and get pretty confused. We’ll finish it later.

Now, I’m le tired, so I will say goodnight and get ready for Day 4.

DAY 4

I went on a service visit today to a disabled children’s home. It was a pretty intense visit, but definitely worth it in the end. Once we arrived we were taken on a brief tour of the facilities. The home has different services that it provides. It takes care of about 100 children from 5-15 that have various disabilities. Many of the younger kids have mental disabilities while some of the older ones are living with polio. There are also vocational programs for women to learn sewing with the hopes of starting a tailoring business or working for one. In addition to these programs the center also has a workshop class devoted to adult males with mental disabilities. The work that this center does is pretty amazing. They get a little govt. funding, but most of their money comes from private donations. They have orthopedic surgeons that perform operations of the kids at the center, and they have an out patient orthopedic facility for the community. During our tour we had to opportunity to meet many incredible people. However, there was this one guy who was living with cerebral palsy. I had actually seen a documentary on this guy at one of my college visits my senior year in high school. I think it also aired on HBO. Anyways, this guy could paint amazing pictures using only his feet. He has even been trained in graphic design, so he showed us his different projects on his computer. Later, before we left the center I bought some of his greeting cards and a print of one of his paintings. Seriously, this guy is RIDICULOUS in the very best sense of the word!

After the tour we quickly got put to work. Half of the group was assigned to landscaping duty while the other half go to bask in the cool (comparatively, there was no AC at all) painting blackboards. I ended up doing the landscaping which was incredibly draining because even though this is considered India’s winter it sure as heck doesn’t feel like it. I think I sweated off like 10 pounds today. It was worth it though. I think I did pretty good work considering I really don’t know the first thing about gardening or whatever.

Two hours later we had lunch and then got to have play time with all the kids. They were really good kids, and they were so happy. I came in thinking that it might be a sad experience seeing these kids, but their faces lit up so much I couldn’t even think those thoughts. You can tell the center is doing really great work. At the end of the day I felt so good. There was a quote posted in the center that describes it pretty well: “It is not the receiver that is blessed, but it is the giver.” I truly believe that helping others is the best selfish act that a human being can perform.

Once I got back to the ship, I was ready for a shower. The rest of the night was basically spent in recovery. Tomorrow we have a much earlier on ship time, and with work that I need to get done before Myanmar and the money I don’t have to spend, I might not even make it off the ship for that small amount of time. So, until Myanmar…

so long sweet summer, I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays...

So school has officially started and already kicked into high gear. I have midterms like the week after next. Crazy. I'm taking a Shakespeare class, which is not as bad as I was expecting. A Comm class on doc film which is much more boring than I expected. It's just that it's in the afternoon and the room is so dark and I am so tired...You get the idea. Oh and Intro to Race and Ethnicity in the 21st Century, which is super interesting and fulfills a GER I need. Sweet. I saw the hematologist and it was a complete waste of time. Basically he said nothing as he hadn't even looked at my test results yet and then he emailed me to say that he thought the "mutation" (quotes are his) was exaggerated (by my other hematologist) and in his opinion, it is not relevant to my case and what happened to me. So really I dunno what the deal is. It seems like I need to get a 3rd opinion or something. In other news,
I DECLARED!
Yep, I am officially an English major complete with an advisor and program proposal and I'm so excited about it. My advisor is this really nice professor who does a lot of stuff with gender and sexuality (my concentration) and 19th century literature (my favorite). So I stopped by her office hours, chatted some, and she said she'd be happy to be my advisor. And I got an advisor for Comm. Jeremy Balienson. Which probably doesn't mean anything to anyone except Lauren and Danny who should understand why that is a good thing. I also decided I'm not staying this summer to make up the quarter I missed because I'm not priority for finanicial aid this summer since I'm not a senior who needs the quarter to graduate. So, I will walk with you guys and either stay the summer after my senior year or come back for fall and finish up and get my dipolma. So school is good. Things with Duchess are great. I've had a few dinners with Annie, Jeanette, and Nadya and there will be more, but it'll be great when ya'll get back and we can have a big fun reunion. Love you guys!

MAURITIUS!

MAURITIUS

DAY 1

So, originally I would have been writing about Kenya, however those of you who read my last blog/email will recall that Kenya became a no go, so instead I am currently in Mauritius. Mauritius is an island east of Madagascar. It is, technically part of Africa, although the island is comprised of a variety of ethnicities. Indians make up the majority with 70%. There are also Creole, Sino-Mauritians (Asian decent), Africans, and French. The two official languages are French and English. However, Creole is mostly (a broken French with African influence) spoken.

Sounds like a pretty cool place, huh? Well, I’m sure it is and perhaps I will discover that tomorrow. “What? You didn’t discover that today, Lauren?” you ask. Well, no. No, I didn’t. The description of the field trip I went on today was not very accurate at all. We were supposed to visit Chinese temples, Hindu temples and other sacred places. Instead we drove by them and saw glances behind trees. We went to one Hindu temple and that was it. We also went to a mall on the waterfront, but all its stores were closed because it was Sunday. Then, we had lunch at a very Westernized restaurant where we ate chicken and fries while listening to a Shania Twain CD on the restaurant’s speakers. Fortunately, the last third of the trip was a success. We went to a SOS Children’s Village. There are SOS Children’s Villages all over the world. They provide homes and a family atmosphere for orphans and other children with domestic problems. Many children come to the village with psychological damage and some with physical damages such as physical (including sexual) abuse and some have been badly burned. The kids were great. I got to bring back some of my high school French, play with paper airplanes, draw a hopscotch grid, and one little boy gave me flowers. Sure, he ripped them off the village bordering bushes, but it was the thought that counted.

For dinner we went to this restaurant called KEG. It’s an English restaurant and pub. Then I got tired and headed back to the ship. I know boring night, but whatev. Tomorrow we are going to check out something that’s supposed to be cool, so read on to find out what that is…

DAY 2

Alright, so the second day in Mauritius was definitely A LOT better than the first. We started off by renting a van and driver for the day, so we could be taken all over the island to different must see sites. I won’t go into a whole lot of detail but we saw a crater formed by a volcano (not too exciting, just a big hole), a couple of waterfalls (very beautiful), the Mauritius Glass Gallery (pretty cool), and a place where they have seven different colors of sand (I got a small souvenir and plenty of pictures so all of you can see). We ate lunch at a nearby Mauritian restaurant outside on their patio. The food was excellent, although by the end the flies were pretty annoying.

We got back to the ship in time to take showers and go out to dinner. The nightlife in Mauritius leaves a lot to be desired, so there’s nothing too exciting to write about. Tomorrow we are going to try to check out a beach, so I’ll let you know how that goes.

I know this wasn’t a lengthy summary, but I promise to show you the pictures once I’m home.

DAY 3

Day 3 in Mauritius went well. We headed to the bus station in Port Louis and caught the express bus to Grande Baie to spend some time at the beach before leaving for India. It took about 30 minutes to get to there. There were some nearby shops, so we browsed around them for a bit before making our way to the beach area.

The beach was absolutely beautiful. Clear blue water and clear skies. It was quite relaxing. We made friends with a stray dog (don’t worry, we didn’t touch her or anything). She came and laid out with us, and we eventually gave her the name of Mauritius (I know, creative right?).

The last bus left Grande Baie at around 5:00, so we boarded then and headed back to Port Louis. We had a cheap dinner and hung around the waterfront before going back to the ship.

So, all in all, Mauritius was a very interesting place consisting of a unique grouping of peoples and cultures. I think it will be a good initial introduction to India, although I know the culture shock I experience in India will be totally overwhelming. I’ll be spending the next 6 days preparing myself.

Since this email is short I feel like ranting, so here goes…

Rant #1: Okay, so there is this set of twins on the ship: the Lundy Twins. And to use a quote from another of my shipmates, “Oh my gosh, they are so entertaining!” How are they entertaining you might be asking right now. Well, they, despite being around 20 years old, still dress exactly alike. No, seriously, they coordinate their outfits down to the most minute detail. It really can’t be healthy. Everyday I pray that I’ll see two different personalities, and everyday I’m disappointed. I feel more pity for them than anything. Okay, so I’m actually completely weirded out by the situation, but who wouldn’t be? If only I could show y’all pictures!

Rant #2: Alright, so apparently we will not be able to refill our water supply from India to Vietnam. This mean rationing our water, so less laundry and maybe limited showers. I’m really not looking forward to this.

Rant #3: Okay, so what’s the deal. I’m getting no emails. I’m really not feeling the love, guys. Thanks to the few of you that have replied even with a short note. As for the rest…pick up the pace, people. How did I not get any emails about Nick and Jessica’s breakup, Katie’s pregnancy, or the earthquake in India!? So, tisk tisk. I’m expecting emails, please don’t disappoint me. If I have to I’ll bribe with souvenirs. Don’t think I won’t sink that low.

Okay, I’m done. I hope everyone is doing wonderfully. I send all my best hugs and smiles to those less affectionate types. ;o)

Love,

Lauren

PS-I’m serious about those emails. I’m just going to say that many of them got lost in the internet mail world. That had to have been what happened b/c I know I’m loved much more than that, right?

school sucks butt

hello my friends, so um, yea, school sucks butt.
i'm taking 13 units. and im so tired and busy every day. anyways, i ran into a friend today who was in berlin last spring and summer, and he told me of this bar that i need to definitely go to, so i thought i'd tell you about it...

Die Kneipe liegt im Potsdam. Sie heißt Meierei.
ok, enough german - so, to get there is really crazy. you have to take the S-bahn to Potsdamn Hbh, or the RE1.
then take Strassenbahn92 from Potsdam Hbh, and then Chris forgot the next bus. but i'll ask him again. i guess taxi there?

He said this place was amazing because they have ridiculously good beer, i think it's a light, sweet beer. it sounds amazing, and it's their own brew. so go there and try it out.

Also, he also told me of a clothing store - second hand, that sells by the kilo. mad cheap. he said 14.99/kg. and supposedly happy hour on wednesday where its 9.99/kg. it's on Bergmannstraße between Meringdamm and Zossener Straße.

anyways, i miss you all so so very much. i really like faisan a lot. my freshman here are amazing, i like all of the people. i think i have decided to apply to be RA for westflo.

so um, i'm going to not finish my update and just go to bed. much love.

all you berlin kids...

what's your mailing address? I would hate to not be able to share all the wonderfulness that is going on in Stanford, California. Seriously though, let me know.

Fotografieren

hey kiddoes. here are a few miscellaneous pictures, as promised. i also promise to have more complicated themes in the future. i'm working on my photography skills.


...dina and the hostel we stayed in before moving to osp.


...the wall: a few shots from the bus tour.


...lastly, the view from the osp center and a bar called "bahamas" where they dumped pounds and pounds of sand on the floor inside and stared at us. me and dina walked past this big group of guys near the restroom who were all staring at us intently. raise your hand if you know whether we should have been flattered or terrified.

germans gawk A LOT, by the way. we've all noticed that old ladies will look at you on the subway without hesitation or shame, even when you meet eyes with them and frown. if they want to look at your weird american shoes, they will do just that. our professors call it curiosity. i call it a lack of home trainin'.

we are going to weimar this weekend. and during trip we are visiting the Bauhaus school! that deserves capitalization. if you don't know what it is: the Bauhaus is the international powerhouse for design and architecture. you should be jealous.

and just for fun, here is the website for my host mom's art. pretty cool: www.fengshui-beuter.de

love *manda

SOUTH AFRICA!

SOUTH AFRICA

Let me start off by saying having the Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah Tutu travel with us from Brazil all the way to Cape Town was an extreme pleasure. Before his arrival I already had the utmost respect for Desmond Tutu, but having met him and witnessed his amazing generosity of spirit and kindness this respect has deepened immensely. For those of you who are unaware of who this person is here’s a brief bio: Desmond Tutu was born in South Africa under the Apartheid government. The Apartheid government, which was abolished in 1994, was a system of govt. where the white minority in South Africa oppressed the black majority. Desmond Tutu, along with former South African president, Nelson Mandela, worked to end Apartheid. The contribution Tutu offered was crucial to ending this oppressive rule, and his contribution after Apartheid with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has helped South Africa come a long way. I cannot express to you what a privilege it was to have the Archbishop on our ship for 8 days. During these 8 days I had the opportunity to have breakfast with him and his wife. It was an experience I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life. I truly believe that I am a better person for having met him.

Okay, now…

DAY 1

I woke up at 6am, I say woke up, but in truth I had never really went to sleep. From Brazil to South Africa we lost 5 hours, so my biological clock is completely confused and screwed up. Anyways, I got up at 6 and went out to watch the sunrise come up over Cape Town, South Africa. Boy, was it COLD, not to mention windy! It was truly ridiculous. I braved the cold until the sun finally revealed itself from behind Table Mountain. It was amazing and definitely worth the early “wake-up” call. Don’t worry, I have pictures, and I’m sure all of you will see them eventually.

Once the ship was cleared we disembarked and a group of us headed to Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a mountain (obviously) that has a flat peak. It looks strangely like a table top. We took the cable car up to the top and walked around taking lots of pictures before splitting up. Some decided to hike down the mountain, but I had to take the cable car back down because I had a trip to meet for at the ship. Unfortunately, the taxi failed to get me back to the ship on time, and I missed it. So, since I had some free time to kill and I went out and walked around the waterfront. Cape Town’s waterfront is amazing. It’s so different than the other ports. Cape Town reminds me a lot of San Francisco, only much flatter and less dirty.

Did I mention I LOVE SOUTH AFRICA! It’s a good thing too seeing as how we are spending 2 extra days here. Unfortunately Kenya had to be cancelled because of piracy along the East African coast and Al Quaida (sorry, can’t spell) threats against Maritime Vessels. So instead we are spending extra time in South Africa and then heading to the island of Mauritius (east of Madagascar) for 3 days before reaching India. I’m bummed about Kenya, but hopefully Mauritius will prove to be a good back up country. I’m sure it will be.

Tonight we decided to find a seafood restaurant on the waterfront to eat at. I wanted to try the popular South African lobster, but they didn’t have any in the kitchen. Fortunately, the prawns proved to be delicious and pretty inexpensive. After dinner we walked around the mall, yes there’s a mall on the waterfront, before heading back to the ship. Oh and something odd also on the waterfront is this huge, expensive hotel. No, that’s not odd, but the golden statue of a seal is odd b/c on the base of this statue to has the names of people who have visited this hotel. The first name I read was President Nelson Mandela, a very respectable man followed by South African’s current president, Mbeki and Charlize Theron, also understandable because she’s South African. Then I started to read names like Robert deNiro, Danny Glover, Michael Jackson, and Naomi Campbell. I really don’t need to ask you if you agree with me that this is odd. I know it is. It’s actually pretty comical and I just thought I would share it.

Well, I desperately need sleep. So until DAY 2…

DAY 2

Sleeping in this morning was glorious! I no longer feel like a zombie, which is pretty much a good thing. I went out today and really just explored the waterfront. There’s so much going on and so much to do, I easily killed 3 hours. I did some souvenir shopping and still haven’t gotten accustomed to the exchange rate of the rand. I feel like a have a good amount of money, but usually I only have the equivalent of 7 US dollars. I’m debating on whether or not I should just carry around a small calculator (I’m sure my dad would advise this).

I found some really neat craft stores where they make things out of other things. For example, there were bags made out of record vinyl and license plates, lots of things made out of soda cans, etc. I’ll probably end up going back later on in the week. During my time out I noticed that there was a performance about to start in the amphitheatre on the waterfront, so I sat down. Why not, right? Free entertainment. It was a group of high school kids (I’m guessing they were in hs), girls and guys. They had on matching uniforms. I figured they were some type of dance group, and they were, however, I highly overestimated their skill level. I was incredibly disappointed. The choreography reminded me of an amateur teeny pop band. Their movements were not in sync most of the time. As much as I would like to imagine that these kids never practiced at all and this performance just reflected that, I have a sneaky feeling that they probably practice almost everyday and this was their best performance to date. Their uniforms looked too legit to convince me otherwise. So, I applaud their effort and admire their bravery. I made sure to take some video of it, so I’ll get all of your opinions on their performance once I’m home.

DAY 3

Today was a humbling day. I visited the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust and some of the programs that benefits the foundation. For those who do not know about Amy Biehl here’s a quick synopsis of her life. Amy Biehl was an American Fulbright Scholar who came to South Africa to help with the social problems caused by Apartheid. She worked to increase voter participation and women’s rights in South Africa. In 1993, Amy was stoned to death by four black South Africans working under the PAC (Pan African Committee), a group that was becoming more and more militant against white South Africans. Her killers were not aware that she was American. All four of her killers received amnesty under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and earned the forgiveness of Amy’s parents. Two of her killers currently work for the foundation. Our tour guide was one of them. Pretty amazing story, huh? So like I said, today was a very humbling experience. We visited the primary school that runs the music and peer education programs for the foundation and went to the “driving range for the people” created by the foundation right outside a township. We also visited another township and got to see how the people live there. Let me just say, we are so fortunate. I can send you pictures, but just trust me for right now.

Tonight we went out to a jazz club/restaurant which was a lot of fun and then followed it up with a movie. We saw Crash. If you haven’t seen this movie, go rent it as soon as you can. It’s worth it. Tomorrow comes another exciting very South African day, but to find out about that you’ll just have to read on…

DAY 4

Ok, well I guess I’ve held you in enough suspense so I’ll tell you how Day 4 went. Myself and two other girls decided we’d go horseback riding in the winelands, do some wine tasting, and then spend a night at the opera. Yes, Dahlings, we were very high class today, I must say. Horseback riding was a lot of fun, although my body is paying for it today. I wish saddles had more cushioning. My horse was interesting. Her name was Peggy, and she liked being in the lead and if she wasn’t she pick up her speed to make sure she was. At times I felt like I was riding Seabiscuit. Ok, may not, but you get the point. The wine tasting was fun. I felt like I was in the movie Sideways, but of course I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I wanted to ship a couple of bottles home, but unfortunately NC requires you to have a permit. I think it should be pretty easy to find the wine in grocery stores at home though.

The opera we went to see was Carmen. It was interesting because it wasn’t an adaptation or anything, but the company is actually 90% black South African and the audience definitely consisted mostly of white South Africans. The performances were really good, and it was actually directed by a former Semester at Sea theatre arts professor.

That was basically Day 4. As usual it was another wonderful day in South Africa. Have I mentioned I really like it here?! On to Day 5…

DAY 5

Today was a pretty chill day. I went with my roommate, Nicole, to St. Elmo’s pizza place for lunch and ran a few errands. For dinner we went to Harrie’s Pancakes. It was delicious! I also managed to go see a couple of movies while I was out. I saw the indy film Mysterious Skin starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was good, but extremely intense. Then I saw The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for the second time, and it was just as good as the first time I saw it. :o)

Sorry, not that exciting of a day, but I’m sure I’ll have more stuff to write about on Day 6.

DAY 6

During the first part of the day I went to the District Six Museum. District Six is an area of Cape Town that was basically taken over by the Apartheid govt. for exclusive use by white South Africans only. Starting on February 11, 1966 all of the blacks and coloreds (anyone who’s skin looked mixed) were kicked out of their homes and many had to watch their homes get demolished by huge cranes. The irony of the situation? No whites wanted to move to that area, some because they didn’t approve and some because they didn’t want to live somewhere that blacks and coloreds used to live. The museum is dedicated to the memories of former residents. It was founded by a half Indian/half white man who was kicked out in the 1970s. It was very important to read the stories. Coming from a country who has struggled with its own race relations and realizing that these problems exist in other places around the world. It’s even more amazing to think that even though conditions were getting better before, Apartheid wasn’t abolished until 1994. I was 9 years old.

The second half of the day was mainly spent just hanging out of the waterfront. We grabbed a bite to eat and then headed over to a bar called Mitchell’s and talked with some of the locals there. Most were just curious why there were 650 young people hopping of a cruise ship into their country. The people here have been really really great. Everyone is super nice, that is with the exception of the middle-aged drunk man that wouldn’t leave us alone. Eww!

Tomorrow is our last day here. I’m excited to get to our next destination, but I know that I will miss Cape Town, South Africa very much. This week has been pretty amazing, not to mention ridiculous.

DAY 7

We took a ferry over to Robben Island. Robben Island is where former South African President Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life. We took a short bus tour around the island. We saw where they would put the prisoner to work at the lime quarry and the community center and school that now teaches around 27 kids from 1^st to 7^th grade. Robben Island only reopened as a museum in 1997. We toured the prison with a former prisoner and saw Nelson Mandela’s cell and other ex-prisoners cells. It was extremely interesting to hear about some of the prisoners stories. After the tour we went to the Penguin Boardwalk where we saw a ton of African Penguins.

After returning from Robben Island we walked around the waterfront a little bit, stopped by Mitchell’s to say bye to Vanda, a really nice bartender we met earlier during the week, and headed back to the ship before having our last meal in South Africa.

There’s a township choir performance on our ship tonight, so I’ll probably check that out, then at 11pm we are off to the island of Mauritius.

I miss you all and hope you enjoyed the extra long email this time around. Oh, and don’t forget to keep the pop culture updates coming. They brighten up my day! Just a quick not even makes my day better!