Day 2

Well today has proven to be just as adventurous as yesterday. I spend the majority of my day being completely lost. (Or as I more commonly call it... temporarily displaced...) Amanda and I spent the day trying to find the Hagia Sofia (pronounced Eye-uh SEW fee uh) We looked for it for about 2 hours which was extremely frustrating because we could literally see the building from the street. Most of the cities that we have been in so far have been designed by the Romans. They make very straight and very organized streets. I never appreciated the Romans as much as I do now. The streets in Istanbul are insanely confusing. Everything is uphill and on angles leading north then west then east then everywhere else! It is almost impossible to "go straight up the hill" to get to really cool buildings unless you can fly. Anyways... after about 2 hours of searching, we finally get to this monument only to find that it is not the Hagia Sofia... it is another building that looks very similar to it. In hopelessness Amanda and I stumbled upon this little cafe where we enjoyed some Turkish coffee and pastries. This was enough to encourage us to keep going and find this building! (Oh and while we were eating we rescued a drowning bird from a bird bath... but that is a different story... We have a video of it though!) We wandered about 5 more miles to another part of the city and finally gave up and took a taxi to this building. The wandering was worth the wait. It reminded me of the movie Aladdin. We saw the Saltan's tombs and a lot of other neat stuff. When it came time to leave, we decided to just head towards the water because obviously... our ship is on the water. We got to the water and our ship was no where in sight. In fact, all of the places that we could see were things that we recognized as we were sailing into our port not things that are around our port. We decided to walk into a store and ask someone where we are on a map. He showed us... we were on the furthest side of the outlet of land on the European side of Turkey. We needed to go to the clear opposite side of land, cross the bridge and get to the Asiatic side. Of course you can leave it to me that when I get lost, I not only get the wrong street... I get the wrong CONTINENT! Nonetheless, we made our way back to the ship on foot and arrived about 2 hours later. It was a great way to see the city, but I am simply exhausted and ready to pass out. Tonight Amanda and I are staying on the Asiatic side of Turkey and we are going to climb a random hill to watch the sunset. We're hoping for a good one! I really do like Turkey... I just need a better map! I would also like to point out that when you are in a foreign country and you are looking for a bathroom... it is extremely helpful to know what the word bathroom looks like in written language. One day you might find yourself standing in front of 3 doors. The first door you might choose might be filled with 20 men on their smoking break. The second door you might choose might be a storage closet for a bakery and the third door might be your bathroom. haha. THEN it is extremely helpful to know if you are a bac or a bacan... but that is a different story. haha.

Thank God they Pray!

I have no idea of where, when or how to begin telling you about my day. I guess I will start at the beginning and see how this goes. This morning, Amanda and I woke up at 5 AM to watch the sunrise as we sailed through the Bosphorous Strait. Europe was on our right and Asia was on the left. The Topkapi palace and other huge buildings were sprinkled across the land as we sailed by. It was such a neat and sentimental moment. We finally docked in Istanbul and then customs came on board to begin clearing us for debarkation. When Amanda and I heard it would be about 3 more hours until we were cleared to deboard, we went back to our cabins to take a nap! Once we finally cleared and got our Turkish Visas we got off the ship and began our explorations! Istanbul is defintiely the biggest city that I have ever been in. There are 12.4 million people who live in the city and that is not including children and tourists. The chaos of the roads, the weird smells in the air and the hundreds of thousands of people are just fascinating. As part of the country's traditions, we (as women) are not allowed to show our shoulders or our knees. In normal weather this might be ok, but today it was 96 degrees and 48% humidity. It was miserable. But there are literally no women here who show skin. Amanda and I did not cover our hair in the morning because the hair covering is optional now in Turkey. I could go on and on about the religious information that I have been learning about this culture, but you would be sitting at your computer reading for DAYS! Instead... I will jump right to the highlight of my day... the grand bazaar! Oh my gosh, it was the coolest thing in the world! Four thousand-two hundred shops are all crammed together in ONE place all selling amazing little trinkets. The entire experience was unforgettable. The moment I walked in the door, the salesmen (emphasis on MEN) are immediately trying to get you to come to their store. Someone told us last night that there are 4,200 shops and two men in every store who will want you to buy their product... that's almost 9,000 men all competing for your attention. It was quite overwhelming. I felt so rude just ignoring these people as they called out, "Hi pretty lady, would you like to buy a rug? how about some earrings?" The stores that Amanda and I did stop at were so different that stores that we are used to in America. Nothing has a price! You ask how much something is, they say a ridiculous amount and then you barter your way down to something reasonable... sometimes. Many stores assume that because you are an American, you have money and they will not negotiate prices with you. Overall it was a great experience. A big problem that we ran into was the constant gawking from these sales men. It made Amanda and I feel very uncomfortable. We didn't want to stop and look at a beautiful vase even if we wanted to because we didn't want these men to talk to us in a provocative way. It is hard to describe... Amanda had the idea that maybe if we covered ourselves (or the rest of ourselves) they would respect us more. We ended up covering our hair with our shawls and the difference in treatment was instantaneous. The men barely said a word to us anymore. They bartered with us very easily and they did not say stupid pick up lines as we walked by. I could not and still cannot believe the difference a shawl makes. The shawl and hair covering has just recently been dismissed by the government and is now optional. The women who wear it are discriminated against and cannot find jobs. Women in general do not work outside of the home. There is a 16% female employment rate in Istanbul according to the US Representative who came on our ship today. Something else I found amazing is that the state governed exactly what the churches would preach up until 3 or 4 weeks ago. The state would literally write down what the church was allowed to talk about and the church would listen. If you were caught reading a Bible or teaching your children anything but what the state has governed, it would mean severe consequences for you. I cannot imagine living in fear simply because of my religion. It is also odd to me the fact that the Turkey/US relations are not very well regarded. Turkey only has a 12% approval rating of the United States but in the grand scheme of things we rank 2nd on their approval rating! It is definitely an experience when you tell someone you are from America. The reaction is either completely positive or completely negative. I could go on and on about my day today but I don't think I could physically type out everything that happened to me today. This is the craziest thing that I have ever seen and I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!

 

Oh and the story behind the title of this blog... There was this one store where I wanted to buy some scarves from... he wanted 50 lira for 2 scarves and I refused to pay that much for two scarves. I told him that I would not pay more than 35 lira for both. He refused. We went back and forth and he finally agreed to letting me pay 35 lira as long as he got to have tea with Amanda and I. He wanted to meet us tonight for dinner, but we lied and said that we had a class to go to tonight. So we ended up having tea right there in his store. He kept talking and talking and asking us questions and just being chatty... then he had to excuse himself because he had to go pray. Amanda and I both left that store kind of silent and we just said, "Thank God they pray!!" It was so funny. It was very different to see the men in the bazaar getting out their carpets and kneeling down repeatedly to pray. I have never seen something like this before. I am loving this experience!

Goodbye Bulgaria

I visited a Child Advocacy Center today through Semester at Sea. I knew that it was going to be an emotional day, but I was not expecting to be in tears within the first two minutes after entering the door. When we walked up to the doors of the center, we were greeted by one of the workers at the center. She directed us into a room where the kids were all standing and waiting for us. There were 16 kids ranging from 3 years old to 16 years old. They sang us a song about the colors of the rainbow. Every child was smiling and and so happy that we came to see them. I sat there and my eyes were filling up with tears. These kids are the children of gypsies/prostitutes in Bulgaria. These abandoned children are the "lucky" ones. The government was trying to reward families for bearing children so the mothers of these chlidren would have the babies, receive the monetary reward from the government and then abandon the babies in the street. The babies are usually adopted out quickly, but the older kids usually find themselves at this home until they are 18. After the show, the kids came and took me by the hand and showed me around. One girl took me over the the translator and asked her a question. The translator laughed and said, "She is asking why you can't understand anything she says!" The girl's name was Juliette. She showed me her garden and her slide. We blew bubbles together and took lots of pictures. I will never forget her! I felt such a pain inside of me. I wanted to take all of these kids home with me. I'm the type of person who wants to rescue people. I want to teach them, send them to school, clothe them, and love them. While I was there I felt so powerless but then I remembered that God is all-powerful and he already has his hand on these kids. I got their email addresses so I can email them the pictures that I have from today. It was such a lovely way to end my stay in Bulgaria. This country was the replacement country for Egypt... but now I can't picture myself going anywhere else but here. I just felt the boat start to pull away from the port... 20 more hours and we'll be in Istanbul for another great adventure.

Espress Yourself!

The adventures continued today as Amanda and I roamed the city of Varna. We left the ship in the late morning and stumbled across a cafe where we could eat a late breakfast and early lunch. The menu was only in Bulgarian... so we pointed at a few things and hoped for the best. We ended up getting chicken kebaps, potatoes with cheese and what we can best describe as garlic bread. It was delicious!! After that, we went looking around some shops as we made our way to the beach. We stayed at the beach all afternoon and then we decided to go find some dinner. We ran into an Italian place that sounded really good and was really cheap! We went in and had a 3 course meal complete with lasagna, pizza, ice cream, lemonade, and two espressos all for 11 lev! (which is about $8!!). After stuffing ourselves we decided to go shopping again!!! We found a bunch of places with cute dresses but they were closed! I'm going to go back tomorrow to make some purchases. We walked back to our ship and found out that we can't bring cherry juice back on board so Amanda and I are currently in our pajamas about to head down to the beach to sip on some cherry juice and watch a movie!! haha Our ship treats us like kindergarteners! Then again... there are the stupid people who abuse the system and make the rest of us pay the consequences. (Sorry I'm still a little bitter.) Oh well. We're going to have fun anyways. Oh and the reason that I called this entry "espress yourself" is because the sugar packets in the italian restaraunt that they gave us with our espressos had that logo on them. We felt it was a good slogan for our day!

Ithaka

I stumbled across this poem the other day and it really meant a lot to me. For me, Ithaka is my hopes and dreams... everyone has their own "Cyclops" and "Poseidon" in their life as do I... but the knowledge that I will gain and the experience I will gain will far outway any obstacles along my journey.

 

Ithaka
-------
When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean

Jeep Safari!!

Today was my first day in Bulgaria and so far it is off to a fabulous start! When we woke up my roommate and I went to get breakfast and then we went to a meeting with the US Ambassador from Bulgaria. It was very interesting talking with him and hearing about his work. Soon after that, I went and got my passport and headed off to my first Bulgarian excursion: A Jeep Safari!! It was so much fun! There were jeeps waiting outside of our ship for the trip that my friends and I quickly jumped on. The driver took us up the most magnificent mountains along the coastline of Bulgaria. We took a turn and soon enough we were off-roading through what felt like an Amazonian jungle. It was a moment filled with laughter, screams and lots of bumps! Our first stop on the trip was a whiskey distillery. They showed us how they make their whiskey and then we got to taste it. It was 48% alcohol and absolutely horrid. I could not even sip it. After another quick jump back in the jeep… we turned a corner and found ourselves amongst thousands of sunflowers. I think the entire group just went silent as we took in the view around us. The hills looked like they were rolling with gold. I decided to frolic through the fields to take pictures! It was childlike… but oh so amazing! Our next stop was a bee farm where we got to taste homemade honey. After honey-tasting, we went to a shooting range! Yes mom… I fired my first gun! It was actually a lot of fun! I missed the target both times, but it still was a memory I will never forget! Our final stop (but not our final adventure) was a restaurant in the middle of no where. It is an old Bulgarian home that they have transformed into a tourist restaurant. We ate kebabs and watermelon and then… out of no where… six men came down playing bagpipes, drums, guitars, and so much more. We all went out to this dirt square in the center of the home and they taught us a Bulgarian dance. It was so unique and fascinating. Our tour guide’s name was Nia and she is 18 years old. We asked her if she wanted to come out and show us the town tonight and she said yes! So we are going to go hang out with her tonight after dinner. The port that we are at is very nice. It is within walking distance from a beach which is actually extremely rare. Many Bulgarians have cautioned us about swimming in the sea here because of the extremely strong currents. They said that there are many people who drown every year and almost all of them are tourists who think they will be ok in the tides. So… I am going to stear clear of the seas and stick to the mud baths! Tomorrow Amy and I are going to attempt to find the mud baths in Bulgaria. Maneuvering around the city is extremely difficult. The language is completely foreign to all of us… the worst thing is that because this is not an extremely popular tourist town, the signs no longer have any English on them. Today Amanda and I just walked up to a menu and pointed to something to order because we did not have any idea what else to do! We ended up being happy with our order, but I have a feeling the next 2 countries will be the same as what we are dealing with now. It definitely keeps life interesting though!! 3 more days in Bulgaria and then only 2 more countries… it is going by so quickly!

A Magical Moment in Turkey

Our ship just entered the Bosphorous Strait as we are on our way to Bulgaria. As we approached it, almost the entire ship population was out on the deck watching the distant lights glisten against the pitch black sky. As the lights got closer, they almost seemed to twinkle and there were hundreds of them just scattered across the hills of Turkey. In the distance, it looked like we were heading straight into land. Our professor came up onto the deck with us and explained that the blue glistening lights in the distance are actually a bridge that we will be going under. We stayed out on the deck in awe of the Tokapi Palace and the largest castle in Europe on our left and the Asiatic monuments of Turkey on our right. The bridge began changing colors and lighting up like a lazer light show at Disneyland. As we finally went under it, fireworks went off and the entire ship cheered with excitement. I was taking so many pictures and so many videos that my camera ended up dying. It turns out that having a dead camera is the best way to enjoy the moment. We went under another bridge and this time my friends and I (along with tons of random people) had a huge group hug and cheer. I cannot describe in words how amazingly beautiful this night has been. We’ll be in this strait for the next 20 miles. There is no way that we are going to be able to sleep tonight… I am so perfectly content with this moment right now...

Mixed Emotions about Greece

This morning I woke up and ate breakfast on our ship overlooking Greece. The part of the city that we can see right now is all industrial so I'm not too impressed with the breathtaking views... yet. I'm kind of in a bad mood right now though because my roommate and 8 other girls are going traveling and renting a villa and then my other really good friend is going to another city for the entire trip. That leaves me... alone... in Greece. I'm not too sure how I feel about that yet. Our ship just cleared for debarkation but I don't know if I should leave or if I should stay or what! It is such an odd feeling and I truly dislike it. I know that I was not invited to these two trips because I am the "mom" of the group and I don't drink like these girls do/want to do. I am fine with that, I just wish they would have told me before today and yesterday so I could have made plans. Luckily I have some trips lined up, but I have 3 days with absolutely no plans that I need to figure out. Wish me luck. So all in all, I'm not sure how I feel about this welcome to Greece...

Update!

Hello Again! I haven't updated this thing in a couple of days because the internet on our ship has been down. People have literally been walking around twitching as they try to cope with the internet withdrawls. Since I last talked with you... we have left Croatia! I loved how picturesque the country was. It is just packed full of history and beautiful seaside homes. The island of Korcula apparently had it out to get me... the first time I went there it was 112 degrees and apparently the hottest it has been there in 100 years. The second time I went there I fainted. So I'm going to be happy with the fact that I tried twice and something just wasn't meant to be for me on that island. I am currently sailing in the Adriatic Sea down the coast towards Greece. I cannot believe that by this time tomorrow I will be in Greece! I am now 10 hours ahead of those of you in California. Greece seems like it is going to be a lot of fun. I have a few trips lined up here and there and then 3 days just free to explore. I have learned to love my free days to explore on my own. It is so much more relaxed and obviously less tourist-like. I love learning what our guides have to teach us, but sometimes it is so hard to try to take in the moment when you're being pushed from one spot to the next on a very strict time schedule. I have a question for anyone out there who is willing to answer it... What's new in the US?! The students on the ship and I haven't heard a newscast since June! We were all talking about it at dinner last night saying how we feel so disconnected from the latest happenings in our home country. Hopefully everything is just as amazing as we left it! I have more classes today and then a preport meeting for Greece tonight. Oh and guess what!?! We are having a Toy Story 3 movie night tonight!! YAY!!! I also joined a Bible study on the ship which is going really well. We meet tonight right before the movie =) It should be lots of fun! (especially since I'll wake up tomorrow and be in Greece!)

Long day, Beautiful night

My day has just been extremely long. You know those days when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, well today was one of those days for me. Having a sinus infection is not the best way to start any morning, let alone a morning that has to be starting at 6:30 AM. Everyone on my trip today was just exhausted before we even left the port. As soon as our bus pulled away and made its way to Tristeno, Ston and the Island of Korcula, everyone was asleep. Really... they should know... we are college students not early risers!! The first stop we had at Tristeno was beautiful but extremely hot and humid. You can't feel a single breeze in this whole country until the sun sets around 9:30 pm. Our tour guide was just taking us around this beautiful botanical guarden like the heat was nothing at all to her. Unlike most tours, we got to see how olive oil was made before machines came into the picture. Remember donkeys... they used to spin a wheel around as it turned a wheel to press out the oil from the olives. Hard, old fashioned work has been completely replaced by machines except for one press that is still powered by donkeys in Dubrovnik. Anyways, we got through with this stop and made it to Ston about an hour later. No one was outside in the cities today because it was so incredibly hot and there is very little shade to be found. Despite the fact that I was "extremely" excited about seeing the salt fields in Ston, I opted out of the tour and just sat on a bench to people watch. Sorry Ston... I was trying to save my energy (and my water) for Korcula. Korcula is the birth place of Marco Polo. (Or at least his legendary birth place.) We toured the incredibly hot island and then made our way to have lunch at a hotel in the area. Our first course: hot vegetable soup. I was extremely sad that it wasn't something cold! We had a few more warm courses that were delicious but then we got an awesome dessert fruitcake thing. It had layers of fruit-flavored cakes and pudding along with whole peaches and bananas. It was so refreshing! After that, my friend Mary and I went shopping in air conditioned buildings! We then dipped our feet in the water to cool off before our 3 hour journey home. My funny moment of the day: Amanda (my roommate) and I have a new phrase that we walk around saying. If some says Kuna, we just smile and look at each other and say Matata. Then we break into song, "It means no worries, for the rest of your days, it's a problem free philosophy, hakunamatata!" The ship just looks at us like we've lost our minds but deep down inside I know they're jealous they didn't think of it first! haha. Thanks for the emails I've been getting from you guys. It is so neat to wake up to an email from someone just saying hi. If you ever want to email me... use layoung@semesteratsea.net instead of my other email. Have a great day!!

Cliff Jumping in Croatia

For all of the worriers out there... you should probably just not read this one (That means you Nana...). First of all, we have officially arrived in Croatia. Amanda, Kelly and I went to the old city (downtown area) this morning. We got on the wrong bus, went way out of the way and then got on the right bus and ended up in the downtown area sometime around 12 when it only takes 30 minutes to walk there. Oops. Anyways... we got there and looked around and it was just amazing. To think that less than 20 years ago this place was in the midst of a genocide and an intense war is amazing. There are still houses where you can see the damage from the shells and air attacks. We met some girls at a place where we stopped for lunch. They were studying abroad from Yale and they gave us some ideas for what to do while we're here. Once we left lunch (which by the way was 380 kunos!) We headed down to the main part of the city which is where we ran into other SAS students. They were on there way to go cliff jumping. Amanda's face immediately lit up and my face immediately dropped. Cliff jumping is for insane people, I am not perfect but I like to picture myself as sane. I agreed to go but resolved in my mind that I would not be jumping. I didn't have a bathing suit so it led to an amazing and logical excuse. Once we got to the cliffs... adrenaline took over and before I knew it I was jumping off of 30 foot cliffs in nothing but my new dress from Italy. It was the most thrilling and most amazingly beautiful experience I have ever had. The waters were so crystal clear and they are extremely salty. The saltiness keeps you floating really easily. Before we knew it there were about 25 students from our program all at this cliff jumping off into the most beautiful water I have ever swam in. I still can't believe I did it, but I am so glad that I did. For any of you who might not believe me, I have multiple videos of me jumping in! For those of you who want to pretend like I didn't do this, just know that I'm ok and I won't be able to do it again for the rest of the time that I'm in Croatia (sorry Nana!). I am absolutely loving Croatia. The city we are in is not a tourist city so it is so nice to be able to see locals. The kids here are so nice too! It is so nice to see families in town and be able to see a grocery store. I don't even remember the last time I saw a grocery store. I definitely need to visit it soon. I'm running out of snacks for my cabin, laundry detergent, razors and q-tips. It's all part of the adventure that I'm on right now. My roommate and I along with a few of our friends will be heading out tonight to have some wine and get internet access to call home. I'm excited to talk to my family again!!

Rwanda

No, it's not a typo and yes I said Rwanda. Allow me to explain... I just listened to a presentation about a man who started a project called The Anne Frank Project. It is a movement helping countries recover who have been involved with genocide. In Rwanda in 1994, 1 million people were murdered usually by a machete within 100 days. That's 10,000 people each and every day. The man who started this is actually my theatre professor. His main goal is to correlate that theatre is a universal language and that theatre can help people express their pain, accept their situation and move forward to their future. He showed us videos of the kids who became orphans during this genocide and how they all live in churches throughout the towns. The new president has helped them get access to education up until 9th grade. When I was in Spain last summer, I heard about Semester at Sea and became completely set on attending this program. I feel like this lecture that I heard tonight is my new passion. I don't necessarily want to uproot my life and live in Rwanda, but I just feel like I want to get involved in any way possible. As of right now, I want to attend the annual Anne Frank project at my professor's university in Buffalo, New York. I am going to have breakfast with my professor and his wife tomorrow morning just to debrief all of these emotions that I am dealing with right now. I have always said that for my future classroom I want to have a sister classroom in another country. It would be such an amazing opportunity to teach my students about another culture as well as provide resources to the classrooms in countries such as Rwanda. I am not sure what God is preparing my heart for, but I feel like it's something big and I can't wait to see what is waiting for me in the upcoming chapters in my life.

 

Oh! And we just passed through the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. We are currently right in the center of the Strait and Sicily is on my left and the boot of Italy is on my right. The sun just set and the lights of the city are literally glistening in the night sky. I just sat up on the deck with Amanda and Randy and we just took in the moment. (Oh and we saw dolphins!) It has been such an amazing night.

Treacherous Night Ahead

Breaking News: Our ship is heading towards the Strait of Messina. This is the little strip of water between Sicily and the "boot" of Italy. According to ancient Greek legends, the strait is home to two gods Scylia and Charbdis. Charbdis is famous for causing a whirlpool to swallow your ship and Scylia is a 6 headed monster with four eyes on each head. She is known for eating your ship's crew as you pass by. Charbdis is closer to the cliffs of Italy and Scylia is closer to Sicily. Mount Etna (Europe's largest volcano) can also be seen as we sail through. Last year the lava was visible...

 

Even though I know that I shouldn't be concerned about the Greek legends, the captain warned us that the waters tonight will be extremely rough and that we will be getting tossed around a lot. What concerns me is that in all of the rough waters that we've been through so far he has never warned us about them. So if he didn't consider those waters rough enough to warn us... how bad are these waters going to be!? During his explanation he also announced that a pilot will be coming on board to assist him through the narrow passage way. (Did you hear me just take a giant hesistant gulp?) We will be passing through tonight from 9 pm - 10 pm my time so 12 pm California time. If you happen to think of me in that time, just be greatful that you are standing on solid ground! We are getting our cabins all cleaned up so that things don't fall over and break. I feel like I'm preparing for an earthquake! It's quite odd. Let's hope that those greek legends are simply legends and that Mt. Etna is sleeping peacefully as we sneak by.

 

Here goes nothing!

 

(Oh and plans are official... we are going to Greece with the presumption that matters there do not worsen within the next week.)

Ciao Italia

Seven days have never gone by so quickly in my life. It feels like I just got to Italy and now here I am 7 days later and our ship is making preparations to sail away tonight. I had such an amazing time here though. I literally saw things that I never dreamed I would ever see. I wished in the Trevi fountain, I saw the Sistine Chapel, I tasted wine in Orvieto, I had gelato in the streets of Rome… it felt like a dream. My roommate came back from her trip today which means that I now have my laptop charger! I am so thankful! (Mr. and Mrs. Hanes… if you’re reading this, thanks so much for bringing this to Italy!) Tonight’s agenda consists of dinner and then homework. Funny thing: when you’re in Italy you have absolutely zero motivation to do homework. Funnier thing: when you do not do your homework… it piles up on you and leaves you with 3 five page papers that need to be researched, written and turned in by tomorrow. Funniest thing: I am still sitting here on my computer updating my blog rather than writing the essays. Oh well. When we are finally in the middle of the Mediteranean again I might find some motivation. So Ciao for now! I have two more days of sailing until we reach Croatia. I am not sure what to expect there, but I am still excited. The ship is announcing their decision about Greece tomorrow at 9:00 AM. My fingers are crossed!

Driving through Italy

There are always those little things in life that completely amaze me... today it was a field of sunflowers. We were driving to Orvieto to explore the underground caves from 2700 years ago when I looked out my window to see miles and miles of the brightest yellow sunflowers I have ever seen. I could feel my face just light up as I stared out the window of my bus. I wanted so badly to just get out and go run through the fields. (Yes I would have looked like a 3 year old... but when is the next time I will be able to run through a field of sunflowers in Italy?!) Instead I took a few pictures and just enjoyed the view. Some people grow sunflowers instead of grapes or olives in order to produce sunflower oil. It was simply beautiful.

 

My trip today to Orvieto was lovely. I learned that I am slightly clausterphobic (sorry if that's spelled incorrectly...) In order to get down into the caves we had to crouch really low as we climbed down stairs for about 5 minutes. I couldn't wait to get to the bottom and be able to stand up. Knowing that I was 40 meters underground was kind of creepy though. After exploring the caves, my friends Shametrice, Chris, Evan and I all went to lunch and to explore. We accidentally stumbled upon this amazing cliff that overlooks the entire valley of the surrounding city. I felt like I was in a movie. I couldn't believe the views that I was seeing. I found out that it is possible for me to upload pictures at the wifi cafe in my port (aka subway) so you can plan on seeing them either tonight or tomorrow morning. :)

 

Tomorrow night I am going out with some friends to do a wine tasting event in a nearby town. I'm hoping they'll have a shipping service so I can send my family home some delicious Italian wine! After wine tasting, our ship will be departing Italy and heading to Croatia. I have no idea what to expect in that country, but that makes it all the more exciting!

Vatican City

Never once did I think that I would ever be inside the Vatican City. Never once did I think that I would see the original paintings of Michaelangelo. Never once did I think I would visit St. Peter's Basillica. Yet somehow I did it all today. My morning began with a tour of the Colloseum (the inside this time) which was interesting but extremely hot and extremely crowded. After that, we ate lunch and headed over to the Vatican Museum. I loved seeing the sculptures and the hundreds of rooms as we made our way to the Sistine Chapel. I cannot begin to describe the wonder inside the rooms that we were in. It was so amazing to see all of these amazing paintings from many famous artists all inside one building. The Sistine Chapel was beautiful. I don't think I can find any words to string together to allow you to experience what I saw today. Right after seeing the chapel, I made my way to the Basillica. It literally made me speechless. The immaculate details in all of the rooms and the sky scraping domes were incredible. I just stood there and took it all in. Yes, I was in Rome inside St. Peter's Basillica... hah. I still can't believe it.

 

On a side note, I found myself extremely irritated today with the general attitude of the people in my group. Everyone was complaining about the heat, or the crazy amounts of tourists, or being bored, etc. I was getting so frustrated because this is such a once in a lifetime opportunity and even though it was 103 outside and 95 inside, and even though there were 7 cruise ships that were taking a tour of the Vatican at the same time as us, and even though it took 6 hours to complete the tour... I will never have this chance again. It is so easy to be able to tell whose parents sent them on this trip and which students actually worked extremely hard to get to this opportunity. I am going to do my best to find internet tonight in my port somewhere to upload some pictures. I'm not making any promises, but I'll put them on facebook if it ends up working. Two more days of Italy! (Oh and the decision to keep Greece on the itinerary or not will be finalized on Friday. Please pray for the people who are making the decision to have amazing discernment!)

Roma e el "amor" de mio

At long last I made it to the picturesque city of Rome. The weather today was cloudy, hot and rainy. I kind of liked the change of pace though. I took a bus to the city of Rome and arrived this morning around 11 AM. The first thing my group did was visit a famous museum filled with ancient sculptures and treasures dating back to nearly 2700 years ago. It was very neat! After the 2 hour tour, we had free time until 6. I ventured out into the city with 5 of my new friends. We first found a place to enjoy lunch right next to the Colluseum. This also happens to be where our waiter decided that he has found love at first sight when he saw my smile. While it was the typical Italian flirtation...It was actually quite hilarious. I got some great pictures of the Colluseum as well as the Trevi Fountain!! My Italian is improving a little although not much. Workers and shopkeepers have been giving me items at a cheaper price than what is listed simply because I am attempting to speak their language. They seem to appreciate it a lot. Tomorrow I am going to tour the Vatican city and visit the Sistine Chapel. I will also be able to go inside the Colloseum which should be amazing! It's going to be quite warm though because we have to cover our shoulders and our legs before going inside these places. I also think that I should let you know that pizza in Italy is fantastic. I know that it's sort of expected and well known that pizza is delicious here, but oh my gosh, it is the best pizza I have ever tasted. I am also really just liking Rome a lot. It is so beautiful and easily accesible. Roman towns are built with lots of things crammed really close together so it makes it really easy to see everything you need to. In fact, on top of this one hill in Rome, you can look out and see the top of the Vatican, the edges of the Colloseum, the statue in front of the Spanish Steps and the top of the Trevi Fountain. I really enjoyed my trip there today and I'm so glad I'll be going back tomorrow. Oh and to make a great day even better, when I got back to my cabin, I had letters from my mom and brother waiting on my door. I almost jumped out of my skin because I was so happy to hear from them. Ciao!

A Rainy Welcome to Civitavechia

This morning I woke up and went to see the wonders of Civitavechia only to look out a window to see that it is raining! For those of you who know me well... you know that I adore the rain so Italy part two is off to an amazing start. Because of the rain we had to sail at a slower speed and we're not in port yet. I'm very glad I have a bus tour of the city today though. I can't wait to see Rome! On a side note, my roommate is gone traveling Italy which means I have the cabin all to myself. I really don't like it at all!! I miss my friend!! The captain's assistant just made the announcement that our pilot is on board and we are preparing to berth! I'm going to go put some warmer clothes on and then head out to explore!

Mount Vesuvius

Today I climbed, no wait... I conquered Mount Vesuvius in Italy! I woke up this morning at 6:30 AM and took a bus to the mountain. I hiked the mountain to the very top with 70 other students from SAS. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. My feet were killing me, but it was definitely worth it. I got to the top of the volcano and could see the entire city of Napoli and Pompeii 596 km underneath me. The Bay of Naples was also visible along with the islands of Capri and Anacapri. Oh and let's not forget the steaming volcano that I was standing on top of while admiring the views. The volcano last erupted in 1944 during World War II. It is still very active and scientists have monitors all over the top of it to keep a close eye on the activity of the sleeping giant. It was so peaceful at the crater of the volcano. It was weird being up there because I know that one day it will explode again, yet at the same time, there I stood on the edge of the crater just taking in the moment. I took so many pictures, but one of them was absolutely amazing. My friends and I went off the main trail that circles the crater and we went and sat on the actually edge of the volcano. The four of us were sitting there trying not to move as a German family took our picture. The man actually ended up taking a video with my camera instead of taking a picture, so I now have footage of me sitting on the lip of the volcano with my friends. It was an awesome mistake. Tonight we are sailing to Civitavechia and I am going to Rome in the morning. I am extremely excited! My feet and legs are killing me though, so for now I want to just take a nap. I can't wait to show you all my pictures. I was going to upload some at the internet cafe in Naples but 4 people have had their laptops stolen right out from under them as they were sitting in the cafe. I don't want to take the chance. Oh! Happy Fourth of July!!!

The Island of Capri

A lady who is sailing on our ship with us this summer has been on 20 voyages over the course of her life. She was talking to me about a week ago and told me that one of the trips that I will take will be my "wow moment". It will be a moment when I will just find complete assurance in the reason that I went on the trip, it will be the moment that I just find myself completely happy with who I am in life and who I am aiming to be. That moment came for me today on the Island of Capri.

 

I could go on forever about this incredibly beautiful island about an hour off the coast of Naples. It was simply magnificent. However, I am going to skip the minute details and jump right to my favorite part of the trip: Anacapri.

 

The island is situated with three levels. The first level is the beach and the shoreline. The second level is Capri and the third level is Anacapri. It is located 589 km above sea level and has a complete 360 degree view of the surrounding crystal clear waters. The views were simply breathtaking. I found myself once just sitting on a rock over a cliff and just smiling. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be in that moment just soaking it all in. I took a ski lift to the top of this incredibly steep mountain overlooking the entire island. When I got to the top, there was a giant spot where people can go and look out over the land and enjoy the scenery. I know this sounds crazy, but it almost brought me to tears. I was so thrilled to be able to see the sights. I cannot describe in words how amazingly beautiful the view was. Two of my friends and I just sat on "top of the world" and just stared in awe. We were all completely silent as we just let the moment soak into our memories. I took over 400 pictures just of the view today. It is officially my new favorite spot in the entire world.

 

It was weird having such a moving moment like this and knowing that I am going to remember this for the rest of my life. I cannot wait to be able to show you all the pictures and share the memories that I've made with you guys. I've started a video that I'm going to show you all as soon as I get back. I am having the time of my life over here.

 

We leave Naples tomorrow. I won't really miss it very much. The city itself is kind of disappointing. I don't feel safe here at night and it is very run down and old. I saw Pompeii and Herculaneum yesterday and I'm climbing Mt. Vesvius tomorrow. After that, our ship departs and we head to Civitevechia, Italy. Tomorrow night my friends and I are sleeping outside on the deck of our ship and the captain is going to turn off the lights on board so we can gaze at the stars as we sail from one port to the next. We are also having a burger night on the ship to celebrate the fourth of July. I am very excited!!

 

I am having the time of my life and I am so glad that you guys can catch a glimpse of what I am experiencing through my blog. Feel free to email me at anytime! Love Always, Lindsay

Good Morning Italy!

I woke up this morning and my ship was in front of Italy! I am so excited!! The view is exactly what I pictured it to be. I feel like I'm watching a movie because the view is so perfect. I am going to Pompeii today, so it should be lots of fun!!!!

 

 

Yippity Skippity We Won!!!

Yippity Skippity! (that is dedicated to my roommate Amanda…) Our team won the sea Olympics!!!!!!!! We had so many fun competitions like flip cup, relay races, tug-o-war, jeopardy, dean says, synchronized swimming, float your boat, limbo and wheelbarrow races. It was amazingly fun! Our Caribbean Sea tied for first place with the Baring Sea. We did a dance off for the first place prize and our team won! You can look for pictures on the semester at sea website under “current voyage”. They should probably be uploaded by the end of this week. It was so much fun! The prize… for those of you who might be wondering… is (drum roll please) we get to get off the ship FIRST in Boston when we get home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After another 10 days at sea I think I will truly appreciate this prize. I forgot to mention earlier that on the Semester at Sea website you should be able to find our ship’s current location as well as pictures and video clips. The website is www.semesteratsea.org for those of you who want to see. You’ll click on the “Voyages” tab and then click on “current voyage” either on the box on the right hand side or the bar on the left hand side. I hope there are not embarrassing ones of me on there… haha Italy is just around the corner!!!!! We just passed two islands in between Spain and Italy. One was an island belonging to France and I'm pretty sure the other one belongs to Italy. We have our preport meeting for Italy tonight where they will give us all of the information about our visit there and the trips we will be taking. I am pretty excited to see a new country!!