60 Days Ago...

60 days ago I boarded the MV Explorer to leave for a journey of a lifetime. 60 days ago I had fewer friends, less global perspective and a different lease on life. With three days left of my voyage it has been a interesting time to reflect and continuously grow. I cannot believe that I will be in America in 72 hours... its slightly terrifying. I am not ready to go back into the Monday through Friday life; I am not ready to be done traveling and I am not ready to leave the MV. This home away from home is like no other, the sense of community between faculty, staff, crew and students is amazing. The bonds are special and although I have only known these people for a short time, the bond is strong. 

In the past 60 days I have traveled over 12000 nautical miles, across the atlantic twice, throughout the entire mediterranean, covering four continents and 8 countries. What an amazing way to spend my summer. The memories will last a life time, funny moments in port and on the ship and all the little things that happen when living in a confined space. I have been blessed with many things on this trip, I had an amazing roommate, I had a great time in every country, I wasn't pick pocketed, robbed or, injured and I can not comprehend all the knowledge that I have gained. 

I have alot more to say but I simply cannot express it currently. So I'll end with a favorite quote:

"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." T.S. Elliot

A Night of Remembrance

Tonight on the ship they had a program for students to remember loved ones or special people that passed away. I got to share stories about Marybeth and how she impacted my life. We all received a flower to toss into the Atlantic so the memory will be carried around the world by the currents. It was very emotional but a nice way to start the journey home.

I also tossed a flower for my friend/roommate Alissa who lost her mother in May. They both have a passion for the MV and for traveling.

Thinking about all the important people in my life an those who have touché my life. Miss you all. And Love you bunches!

Journey Home

Today has been a quiet day because classes are starting to wind down and it was our first study day for finals. Alot of people on the ship are sick so this was well needed. I'm finishing up some final papers and then teaching some swim lessons this afternoon.

We have 4 class days left and then finals. This summer/semester went by fast!

This week we have an auction, a ball and many other events to keep us busy including a spirit week. We also have to pack and prepare to go home. That is gong to be the hard part. Saying goodbye and going back into a normal lifestyle will be tough.

I have lots to do so I'll update more tomorrow.

Flea Market, Oceanarium, Alfama and Sintra

These past two days have been jam packed. I guess trying to see and do as much as possible.

Yesterday Britt, Meredith, Jenelle and I started off the morning by visiting the flea market that operates on Tuesdays. It was huge and on a very steep hill. Venders were selling antiques and hand made goods as well a new items. I felt like a picker looking for the good finds. My friends and I all bought antique skeleton keys. We wandered for about an hour and then headed to the oceanarium.

The oceanarium was built for the 1998 worlds fair. It is the second largest in the world and is in a beautiful park right on the water. There is a cable car and cool fountains and statues too. The oceanarium is massive and has one large tank in the center that can be screen on two stories of the building. The large tank is surrounded by smaller exhibits. The penguin exhibit was awesome. I was so close to a penguin I could have picked it up and put it in my backpack. There wasn't even glad separating us. The otter exhibit was really run and the otters were so playful! I loved watching them! They also had seahorses and jellyfish. The special exhibit was all about sea turtles. Some of the turtles were really big. The whole oceanarium was awesome! I could have spent the entire day there watching the animals.

Alfama is the moorish district of Lisbon. We were told to be prepared to get lost but we navigated it pretty well. We walked the walls of the castle of San Jorge. Found the cathedral and the house of pointed stones. Alfama was a beautiful district. I enjoyed a waffle with raspberry gelato and Nutella on top. Oh was it yummy! We also sat by the water and had a little time to reflect. I think I have really learned that traveling is a journey and how the main goal is not always getting to the destination but wandering and finding the small unexpected things.

Today Meredith and I headed to Sintra a suburb of Lisbon (sorta). Sintra has an amazing environment. Very hilly, and green with forests and other plants. There is a very large castle there on the top of a mountain, of course that's where I wanted to go. So we started the trek from the train station and about an hour and a half later we made it to the top. The castle has amazing views! We could see the Atlantic ocean and Lisbon from the top! The breeze on the tower of the castle was heavenly.

Portugal has amazing pastries! The donuts are scrumptious. Nothing like an American donut. They have custard pastries and a cinnamon pastry called Queijadas finas. So yummy!

Bike Ride and Lisbon

This morning started with a bike trip at 8am. We had interesting bikes with motors on them but they looked like cruisers. The motor was kind of annoying. But the bike ride was on a gorgeous beach. I took a car nap on a bean bag chair on the beach while other seam in the freezing water.

Later I explored Lisbon with Meredith and Jenelle. We figured out the public transportation system and had a relaxed but super busy day. We went to a very quaint park and a huge department store called el corte ingles. It has everything you could imagine! A floor of the store dedicated for gourmet items. Other floors were filled with furniture and designer clothing, you get the general idea of the store. There were 7 floors full is stuff!

We had a fantastic dinner of various tapas and for desert we had ice cream with honey and chopped nuts on top. So yummy! We tried the traditional sour cherry liqueur, I didn't like it. Too much like cough syrup.

Tomorrow is another day packed with activities! Gotta make the most of the last 3 days in port.

Just a short blurb...

After being sick for 24 hours, I think I have recovered just in time for Portugal.

My favorite SAS staff member is going home tomorrow. I will miss his jokes and having dinner with him. Al just made ship life better.

Anyway, Im going on a bike ride tomorrow morning in Portugal. I hope to enjoy the beach and some other fun things.

Marrakech

To get from Casablanca to Marrakech it is a 3.5 hour train ride. The train had a nice interior and signs that said it was air-conditioned. It was cool at the beginning but as we went closer and closer to the desert it was unbearably hot. my seat was next to a mother and a young son, the children receive gifts during ramadan and he was so excited he kept kissing the bag that was around his toy. It was comical but refreshing to see a child so happy.

After stepping off the train, I didn't know what hit me i learned rather quickly that it was the heat. I just could not comprehend a climate being so hot. Meredith and I started exploring near the train station but soon realized that it was too hot to walk anywhere. We grabbed a petit taxi and went to the main square of the old town, where out hostel was near by. I have never been so happy to see a building in my life. The hostel was very eclectic and my favorite part of Marrakech. Meredith and I passed out in our room for a few hours to recover from the heat and then we headed to the souks.

The souks were great! Better than turkey because the shop owners didn't hassle us as much and we were more free to look and items with slightly less pressure to buy. They had lots of great crafts and cool stuff for sale. The souks felt at least 10 degrees cooler because they were in the shade. There was also a mosque in the center of the souk so shop owners could go to pray. Tourists are only allowed in one mosque in all of Morocco, so we could only see and hear what was going on from outside the door. We didn't stay long to avoid offending anyone.

The square has crazy henna ladies that will not leave you alone so you must keep your hands close. If they get a hold of your hand or finger or anything they immediately start covering it in henna and you have no choice but to pay them. It is the most common scam and many SAS students had issues with this. The square also had "snake charmers" which were more like snake harassers. They would play a little horn type things and then when the snake didn't move they would smack the snake around to make it rise up to meet the horn.

At night the square comes to life! many food stands set up and make amazing meals. There are benches to sit on. We found some people that stayed in our hostel and joined them for dinner. They had eaten in the square before so we trusted there judgement. We had mixed kababs, tagine, bread with a dipping sauce and a Moroccan salad. it was delicious and cheap. Mint tea is a very popular drink in Morocco, but it just didn't compare to apple tea in Turkey.

Marrakech kicked my butt. I do not get along with 125 degree heat. There was a slight wind in Marrakech but it felt like blowing a hairdryer on your face. I want to come back and visit but during the winter when the weather was more pleasant.

Just a short blurb about Casablanca. A professor from Morocco told us that Casablanca was the armpit of Morocco. That was a positive thought to go into the city with. I feel pretty neutral about Casablanca. It was difficult being in any Moroccan city during ramadan but especially difficult here. If it was time to break fast there was no chance of getting a taxi. There is not public transportation so walking was a must. The city has a lot of construction right now so many side walks are closed. But I did visit Ricks Cafe from the movie Casablanca and saw Professor Able dissect a hammerhead shark in the fish market. We also found a grocery store to spend our extra Dirham at.

All in all, Morocco was an interesting experience. I still need to absorbs all that happened. But we have one day at sea and then we are in Portugal. 2 weeks from now I will be in Midway airport waiting for my luggage. 3 weeks from now I will be moving into school. It weird to think that my summer is coming to an end. But this is only the beginning of traveling.