The Spaghetti Feast

Wow. Spain.

Cadiz is a great little city that I would certainly love to get to now a little better. Today was a long but fruitful day. It started off with me not being able to sleep with excitement and actually watching us pull into port out the window at about 645am. Then, incredibly excited, a bunch of us went out to explore the city a bit on our own. Unfortunately, our group ended up  I think  a little bigger than we would have liked. I don’t know if you have any experience traveling in large groups that are not lead, but its not easy. So after a lot of going one way and then another and some people wanting to stop and blah blah blah, a group of us that had a tour at 1230 broke off to pick up some lunch beforehand. Well this turned out to be more of an ordeal that we had expected. After rushing around trying to find real food, we finally found a place to sit down for a bit and get something. At this point we had about 45 minutes until we needed to be back to the port.

So we sat down and in my rusty Spanish sort of ordered, but I was honestly not completely sure about what I had ordered. Well time started to pass and we all started sweating bullets about getting back to the dock in time. Long story short, one of my friends inhaled a piping hot plate of spaghetti, we left before the second course of the meal and bolted making our tour barely on time. One of the guys that was with us thankfully wasn’t on the tour so we left him with some money. Later I found out that, although the waiter was upset with our leaving before the second course, the guy we left there got a big plate of lamb and French fries. The best lunch he ever had he said!

Anyways, the tour we took was a city orientation that was somewhat helpful, but more ran me down. By the end of the tour I was exhausted. I then met up with some other friends who had been shopping all day (I was and still am jealous) and we enjoyed some tapas before going to our Andalucian Flamenco Night.

Flamenco night was definitely not what I was expecting. We were all given some sherry and escorted to sit in an arena type thing. Then the show began. BEAUTIFUL horses pranced around in the ring surrounded by women dancing flamenco. Then there was a mock bull fight. It was pretty silly actually. The “bull” was really a calf and they were more teaching him to charge at the blankets. It was pretty cute actually. Then we went into a dining room where we ate assorted meats (the best I’ve had so far on this trip) and watched amazing Flamenco dancing!! Check out my facebook for videos eventually.

When we got back we went in search for Paella, but were ultimately unsuccessful. After being followed by a “creepy guy” who turned out to be crew on our ship, we returned to the ship for a well-deserved rest!

I know that past SAS students always say never sleep in port, but I don’t think I would survive! I don’t do well out late and I think I would be miserable the next day! Plus I’m not sure that I am really into the club scene. I guess it is just something that I will have to figure out on my own. Tomorrow I am off on the White Town Route. I’m not really sure what that is all about, but I am bound to come back with some great pictures!!
<3
I miss my kitties!! (there are tons of them all around Cadiz!)

Spain Awaits!

1/26

Day 8 at sea and I can’t wait to see land.



Being on this ship is pretty exhausting! We’re on our 6th day straight of classes and not having the weekend is really difficult. Until today, my sea sickness had ceased. However, as we get closer to Spain it will get worse. We’ve slowed down a lot so as not to arrive early in port and because of this the captain has turned off the stabilizers. That means that the rocking is slow but big…if that makes sense.



Other than that things are going well. All the activities started a couple days ago and as usual I signed up for too many. I auditioned and got into the play! Yay! It’s a Greek tragedy called The Persians and it’s possibly the most boring play I have ever read. Hopefully it will turn out ok!



Other than that there is not too much else new here! I’ve started to get accustomed to the boat and have been able to find my way around pretty well. I think we’re all starting to get a bit stir crazy, so practically two weeks in port in Spain and Morocco will be greatly appreciated! Only one more day! I think were also all tired of eating potatoes and pasta.



If you would like me to send you a personal email, please email me so that I can reply! Unfortunately none of my contacts transferred over so I have hardly anyones email addresses!



Much love!

More Learning and Discovery

Well I have officially been to each one of my classes and I am pretty excited about the way that they've turned out! My International Short Story teacher is goofy and has made it clear that the class is very experimental. I also signed up to do a practicum led by him to meet an Indian writer in her home so that should be interesting! Today (On the ship we have A day and B day of classes) I had intro to drawing and Place and Space in Rhetoric. My drawing class was fun! We did blind contours of the people sitting next to us, meaning that we drew their face without lifting our pencils and without looking at our papers. You might be able to pass mine off as some sort of Picasso-esque type of portrait...but worse. My rhetoric teacher is a hoot! Clearly very liberal and Jewish. She speaks in a loud sort of scratchy voice and has already told us to be on the lookout since were always being watched on the boat.

I had a very interesting experience yesterday exercising for the first time. I never though that it would be so difficult! You are moving forward and backward while trying to keep your balance as the boat rocks back and forth! At least I'm getting a little something in! It seems that the most edible things on this ship are the carbohydrates which make exercise a must.

That's all for now!
I hope all is well with you! I only have 120 minutes of internet time (2 hours for four months...) so it is difficult for me to check my blog and see if you're commenting. If you have a comment that you would like me to respond to please email me at lvclopp@semesteratsea.net. Our on-board email account is free! yay!

<3

A Quick Update

Hello Everyone!

Well it seems as though my international email on my phone isn't quite working yet. I've tried to send a few updates to my blog through my phone but they haven't been delivered yet, so my entries might be a little out of order.

Our current location is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at 28 degrees latitude and 62 degrees longitude. Our rooms are nicely sized with a housekeeping service everyday! My roommate is really nice but probably not a person that I would hang out with 24/7. So far I haven't really met that one person that I really click with, but it will come I'm sure. The seas are definitely taking their toll on us. Yesterday I had a date with the toilet that was rather unpleasant. The food is less than to die for, but what can you expect when floating in the middle of the ocean. Yesterday we halted activities to watch the inauguration and I was absolutely thrilled! We even had a little celebration with cake and champagne last night that I tenderly attended watching carefully for the nearest restroom. Today is our first day of classes and although my first real class is at 4:15pm (1615 in ship time), I had to get up early to attend the daily Global Studies course. As I was warned, it is definitely dull. Also as I was warned, there are many people here who really seem to be here for the party. I understand how it can be fun to drink and go out from time to time, but why would you waste your money on a a trip that you will hardly remember? Seems silly. It also seems silly to me to try to get with the opposite sex. By the end of the trip everyone will know everyone else's business and everyone will have slept with everyone else. We are a floating laboratory for all sorts of disease!

Anyways our dean is really nice and he's actually pretty funny! It's great to see all of the staff with their family on board. The kids are adorable!

The first day i experienced some pretty funny L&D! Supposedly it is well known that past voyagers write advice and little notes on the backs of the framed paintings in each room! Well behind ours, there was a little note that fell out! After giving us advice on what do to in each port, it said "p.s. look behind the desk for a surprise". Sure enough there is a little hatch behind the desk and inside of it there is a bottle with a small amount of some elixir! I don't think either of us have any intention of drinking it since its smell is not familiar, but it was a fun discovery!

Time for lunch now!
Until Later!

Lindsey
lvclopp@semesteratsea.net

Here we go!

So my journey began this morning at 450am when I awoken and taken to the airport by my darling mother. It was about a 5hr flight to atlanta it was a good flight once I shed a few tears looking out over the foggy bay. I actually passed out for most of the flight most likely with my mouth open which is pretty surprising for me! now I await my flight to nassau.

Although I have only been here an hour or two, I can already tell you that Georgia is very different from California. Flying over Atlanta, I noticed that most of the houses are big with HUGE backyards and they are all really far apart! All of the food service employees that I have encountered would probably be less bored watching snails cross the road and all of the food places are junk food. I was forced to choose between a hot dog and a personal pizza for lunch. I chose pizza.

Hopefully someone will show up soon looking sas bound. Until then I will continue being bored by the football game that's on...
"Loose your dreams and you'll loose your mind" -Rolling Stones

AHH!

T minus 2 days until departure

I can't believe its almost time for me to take this incredibly journey!
From now on I will most likely be posting from my blackberry! Hooray!

Also a quick note that my semester at sea email that I will set up to receive on my phone is lvclopp@semesteratsea.net


"Loose your dreams and you'll loose your mind" -Rolling Stones

Pre-SAS Info

Ok so I know that two posts in one day is unheard of but I wanted to give anyone who is interested in my future whereabouts some info.

Here is a link to our itinerary:
http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/spring-2009/itinerary.php

If you are interested in sending any good old fashioned mail here is what you would do:

Airmail: It is recommended to send international mail at least two weeks in advance preferably via courier. Do not send currency, food or
medicine. Sending packages is not recommended because of customs restrictions and/or duty charges (as a result, packages are not always
received by the intended recipient onboard). ISE is not responsible for any mail not delivered to the recipient. The port agent in each country is
able return it to the sender at the sender’s own cost. Please address mail to participants as follows:

MV Explorer – Spring 2009 Voyage
Attn: Lindsey Clopp
Port Agent Address (from list below)

Address of Port Agent:

Cadiz, Spain (Send by Jan 14)
Perez Y CIA S.L.
C/ Ecuador, 2
110007 Cadiz, SPAIN

Casablanca, Morrocco (Send by Jan 18)
LASRY MAROC S.A.
30 Avenue des Far
20000 Casablanca, MOROC

Walvis Bay, Namibia (Send by Jan 31)
OCEAN LINER SERVICES
The Maritime Building
2 Third Street/ PO Box 4
Walvis Bay, REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA

Cape Town, South Africa (Send by Feb 4)
JOHN T. RENNIE & SONS
19th FLOOR
No.1 Thibault Square
8001 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA

Port Louis, Mauritius (Send by Feb 13)
Ireland Blyth Limited
Shipping Operations Department
No 6 Dr Ferriere Street
Port Louis, MAURITIUS

Chennai, India (Send by Feb 19)
J. M. Baxi & Co.
3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex
4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai
Chennai 600 001, INDIA

Bangkok, Thailand (Send by Feb 27)
OIA GLOBAL LOGISTICS (THAILAND) Ltd
1168 / 20 - 4th Floor
Lumpini Tower Rama 4 Road
Thungmahamek, Sathorn
BANGKOK 10120, THAILAND

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Send by Mar 6)
General Forwarding Agency
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM

Hong Kong, China (Send by Mar 13)
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
N° 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG – CHINA

Shanghai, China (Send by Mar 19)
Penavico Shanghai
3/F 13 Zhong Shan Road (E 1)
Shanghai 200002, P.R. CHINA

Kobe, Japan (Send by Mar 23)
Inchcape Shipping Services (Japan) Ltd.
Kenryu Bldg, Room 502
6, Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku
Kobe-shi, Hygo-ken 650-0024, JAPAN

Yokohama, Japan (Send by Mar 26)
INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES
2F Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg
36, 4-Chome Honcho, Naka-ku
Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 231-0005, JAPAN

Honolulu, Hawaii (Send by April 3)
Inchcape Shipping Services
521 Ala Moana Blvd.
Suite 256
Honolulu, HI 96813

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala (Send by April 14)
Transoceanicas S.A.
Modulo #208
Nuevo Edificio de Servicios Auxiliares II
Puerto Quetzal, Escuintla, GUATEMALA, C.A.

I would LOVE to get mail while I'm at sea! I will also have my new international phone that recieves emails and should opperate on the same phone number. I suggest however looking up how much it costs for you to call me based on where I am at the time. It would probably be easiest to just email me at clopp100@mail.chapman.edu

If you would like me to send you post cards please leave comments with your addresses!

Love you all and can't wait to tell you all about my journey : )

Africa

As many of you know, I have been a very lucky girl this year when it comes to travel opportunities. Last January I visited Australia, and this summer I went to the Galapagos islands. I have also just returned from celebrating Christmas in Tanzania and am about to embark on a journey by sea around the world for about four months. Case and point.

Let me tell you about Tanzania.
I have never been to a country where I felt more welcomed than Tanzania. And it wasn't that "I'm so glad you're here to spend our American money" kind of welcome, but a truly genuine welcome. Our amazing tour guides were Maliga and Godliving (great name I know) and they carted us around through the bustling town of Arusha, through the high grasses surrounding Lake Manyara, into the enormous Ngorongoro Crater, over the vast plains of the Serengeti and finally to the birthplace of Lucy the Australopithecus, Olduvai Gorge.

Lets start with Arusha. What a great town! It is bustling with markets selling lost shoes of tourists and live chickens. People line the streets mostly walking to their destinations. You see the occassional Maasai wearing their shoes made out of recycled tires, carying their sticks and sometimes even riding bycicles! We stayed in a beautiful Lodge in town situated next to a Christian school. Nearing Christmas, the voices of the students singing carols drifted into our rooms. We were also awoken each morning around 5am to the eerie singing of the Muslim call to prayor. We visited a local womens group who makes cheese and coffee by hand and even got to help out! The women were so much fun, dancing and singing and laughing with us.Then we went to a local potter's studio where we met the only male potter in Tanzania. There was a lot of emphasis on the fact that he was a man doing a women's job. It seems as though the women in Tanzania are the ones who do all the dirty work and the men do all of the "important" jobs. The next day we visited this Tanzanite place where they showed us a bullshit video on the "history" of Tanzanite and then sold us really small stones for really high prices.

In the afternoon, we moved to Maramboi Tented Camp in the Tarangire-Lake Manyara area. Before we left for Africa, I had a sore throat and was put on Amoxicillin with no real diagnosis and around this time is when the sickness kind of kicked in. The arrived in the afternoon and went on a very warm game drive where we saw all sorts of animals, but most notably, a herd of elephants that passed in between our two jeeps. The next day we went on another longer game drive and thats when I really started to feel it. I was nauseous and weak and was burning up so I skipped the afternoon game drive and tried to rest. We spent one more night in the Tangiere and then moved on to our next location.

The next day we departed for the Ngorongoro Highlands and on the way stopped at a local Maasai village. This was definitely my favorite part of the entire trip. The women in the Maasai village are the ones who do all the work so after a musical welcome where the women were dressed in Maasai robes and beads, we were asked to help patch a roof and put homemade cement (manure, dirt and water) on the walls. After we helped out a little bit, we were invited to share breakfast with them. This meant puncturing the jugular of a cow (not killing it), collecting its blood in a gourd, and mixing it with milk. Because it is "yummy food", in order to respect it you get on one knee and then drink. Feeling absolutely horribly, I didn't try it, but my uncles and aunt and cousin did. Then we were invited into the hut of the 1st (of four) wives hut where we asked and were asked questions by the four wives. They had amazing sense of humor and such a passion for life!

That nigth we arrived at the Ngorongoro Farm House and I took an interesting trip to the hospital! (Learning and Discovery as our tour guide would call it. Seeing as how I was not getting any better, we decided that it would be best for me to see someone. So we headed for town where we first stopped at a "laboratory" were an older man took my temperature and told me to come back in the morning to test my blood for Malaria. Then we went to a Lutheran hospital that was clearly closed, but our tour guide somehow scrounged up a doctor who ended up diagnosing and treating me for Malaria. Turns out that I most likely had strep throat and not really Malaria, but it took the Malaria treatment only helping a little bit and Cipro helping a lot for us to figure it out. The next day I rested in the room and tried to get better instead of going to the Ngorongoro crater which was a big bummer.

The next day we arrived at our tented camp in Serengeti National Park. Each tent was equipped with a flushing toilet and hot showers (operated by a member of the crew who hoisted a bucket of hot water over the shower and poured it into a shower head). We spent about four days at this camp (including Christmas) and had a great time doing daily game drives and hanging out around the camp. We even heard lions around our camp at night!

Then we returned to the Farmhouse where we stayed one more day and then to Arusha where we took naps and packed up. Then we started on our 26 hour journey home.

Although I got sick and the bugs and khaki got a little bit old, I had an absolutely amazing time. Our tour guides were amazing, the food was amazing, all of our accommodations were beautiful, and I can't thank my grandfather enough for giving us time to be together as a family.

I highly recommend visiting Tanzania!
(I will add photos and maybe a video or two later!)