My Time in Morocco

The first country to recognize the independence of the United States was Morocco.  Something most Americans don’t know, and yet it is something most Moroccans are proud of to this day.

I am leaving Casablanca now and it has been a very different experience than Spain and in such a short amount of time.  I didn’t really know what to expect in Morocco but I wanted to come with an open mind.  Walking the streets and small corridors of the old Medina market the first day was almost overwhelming.  Traffic going every which way with no discernible pattern, horns going off everywhere, people walking through the streets, and people sitting outside of their shops trying to sell you almost anything.  It felt like the true definition of controlled chaos.  Nonetheless I found myself more comfortable as the days went on.  I have learned to adjust very quickly on this trip which is something I thought I had before but I was wrong.

Unfortunately I became sick with a cold on the way from Spain so my days in Morocco were not as adventurous as I was hoping but they were still amazing.  My time was mostly spent in Casablanca which is quite an industrial city and is in fact the largest in population as well as the economic capitol of Morocco.  It is not the most beautiful city but it is bustling with activity.  The most amazing landmark is the Hassan II Mosque which is the third largest mosque in the world with space for over 100,000 followers inside and outside.  It is an awe inspiring structure when seen close up.  The most amazing part of it is that over half of the mosque is built over the Atlantic Ocean and it has the most amazing glass floor and sliding roof.  This was inspired by a verse in the Qur’an that states, "the throne of God was built on water.”  A gift from the late King Hassan II after an earthquake struck the area, the mosque is a big part of the city and a true place of community.  People were sitting all around the mosque while many were going in and out.  Children and youth were playing in the water nearby while some people had set up small food stands.  You could tell how proud everyone was of this place and what it meant to their community.  I have never seen anything like that in the United States or Europe.  While we might meet up with our friends at the shopping mall they do it at this beautiful mosque.  I just felt lucky to be an observer of this culture that I think has been very distorted in America.  And although Islam may be the main faith of Morocco it is also a country of tolerance for other faiths which is great progression for being an Islamic country, but on the other side peoples of other faiths seemed to be very segregated from the main population.  This is just my observation at least.

Despite being sick I was lucky enough to go on a trip to Rabat in the company of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who as many of you know is accompanying us on this voyage.  What a joyous spirit he has, always happy and laughing about something.  Although I did not have much in the way of in-depth conversation with him all it took was a hello and a fist bump to make my day that much better.  Oh ya he likes to fist bump it is great.  I have also been laughing with my friends because while we were visiting a mausoleum for Hassan II in Rabat, Desmond pinched me in the side as he passed by so my friend told me I got “tickled by Tutu.”  I can only hope that I will be able to speak with him more in depth one of these days and I will of course keep you all updated.  I have started to read his book “Made for Goodness” and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

All in all my adventures in Morocco were not vast and wide but the experiences that I had were meaningful and they have left me with a desire to return one day.  Now we have a 7 day voyage to Ghana for which in my opinion cannot go fast enough.  I have heard so many wonderful things about this country and I can’t wait to discover them for myself.  For now life on the ship is as usual and I will be focused on classes at least for a little while.  I hope everyone is enjoying my posts and I enjoy hearing your comments and questions.  Unfortunately I could not get any photos uploaded for Morocco so look for those photos in about a week when I get to Ghana.

Thanks for reading!

My First Time in Spain

I was struck with panic when I woke up at 3 pm on the day we arrived in the port of Cadiz Spain but soon after I was relieved that we had finally made it.  It was freeing to be able to get off the ship, but what could I do?  I do not speak Spanish and I have never ever been here before.  I thought great, all the people I know have already left and are exploring the city without me by now.  Then I thought well I might as well go out and have a look around.  It was an amazing view from the top of the ship and the warmth felt so nice on my skin after having been on an ice box of a ship for a week.  Then as I was walking down to my room to figure out what I should do next I bumped into the first friend I had made as I was waiting in line to board the ship.  She told me that she was just going out to explore the city with some other people and I could join if I wanted to.  I was so relieved.

We were all very hungry so we stopped at a few places to get tapas (Spanish snacks).  None of us really spoke Spanish but people were very friendly and accommodating.  Twice people lead us around the city after we attempted to ask for directions.  We tried strange foods like liver, fried sardines, and my personal favorite octopus.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so you will just have to trust me on these facts.  I will see if I can snag some pictures from the people I was with.  It was a great introduction to the city of Cadiz and something I will never forget.

I was already having a great day when I got on the bus that evening to go see a traditional flamenco performance with an equestrian type show and an amateur bull fight (cow fight) thrown in.  Looking back now it was probably the best part of my time in Spain.  The equestrian dance show was nothing short of spectacular.  The horse was literally dancing with the women in time and everything.  Everyone was simply in awe of what was happening before their eyes, and this was just the start to the evening.  The amateur bull fighting which followed was truly amateur but it was entertaining nonetheless.  Then came the tapas and true flamenco dancing.  It was nothing short of captivating.  They danced with such intensity and passion it was hard to keep yours eyes off them.  It is such an angry dance but so beautiful at the same time.  I great introduction to Spain.

The next day I visited two towns, Arcos and Ronda.  They are referred to as white towns even though they are more like little cities.  Arcos is smaller but is very beautifully perched on a hill like most white towns about an hour from the city of Cadiz where the ship was located.  The views from the top of the city were very beautiful as you can see from the pictures.  Lining the streets were orange trees but of the bitter kind that they would ship to England to make orange marmalade.  We then moved to Ronda which is a fantastic little city up in the mountains of Spain.  The climate is very mild during the summer which is why it is a popular spot for vacation homes, well that plus the spectacular views.  I learned that the First Lady Michelle Obama was recently there with her two daughters getting toured around.  It also has one of the oldest bull fighting rings in all of Spain.  In fact while we were there they had a large festival going on which centered around a bull fight on horse back which was invented there.  Nothing short of an amazing history which would take me pages to tell you about so I hope you can look it up or visit it yourself.

The next day I unwillingly slept in again and decided to go explore the city of Cadiz some more.  After getting some coffee which was almost the best part about getting to Spain in the first place I just began wondering the streets looking for a store because I needed some things but also for some familiar faces because I was all alone.  It did not take long before I ran into some friends I had made at dinner one night.  We had fun exploring the city for the rest of the day and finding the best Wi-Fi to upload all of our pictures or Skype our families.  I think all I had for lunch that day was gelato so ya it was a good day.  I was always just amazed at the Spanish schedule.  Almost everything closes down in the afternoons for a fiesta and then reopens in the evenings until late at night.  How have we not adopted this in the United States it is brilliant.  Anyway I also got to visit Seville which is a beautiful town along a river and it has one of the most breath taking cathedrals I have ever seen.  It is called a cathedral but it was once a mosque and many parts of the mosque still remain from when it was built in the 13th century.  What an amazing place.

There is so much to say so I hope I am not rambling to much.  Anyway I felt very comfortable in Spain and it was a great start to this unbelievable adventure.  Now its on to Casablanca Morocco where I will set foot on a continent that is completely new to me and I hope my new experiences will be unexpected and fulfilling.

Life At Sea, The Atlantic

Hola, I am currently in Cadiz Spain but I wanted to share about my crossing of the Atlantic before I go into Cadiz which has been amazing.  Sorry about the delay but here it is.

After leaving Halifax I was filled with excitement.  This is really happening!  It was amazing to get out onto the open ocean, but then the seas started to get rough because of a nearby storm.  The ship is very light which is why it is very fast (well plus the 4 engines) but it is also very tipsy as a result.  Lots of people got sick but I was okay.  It did make having to go to classes that much worse though.  We all had to kind of crawl down the hallways so as not to run into each other.  Also, listening to all the lectures about the rules and regulations of the ship was mind numbing, but hey I cannot complain.

I met so many people the first day because I was helping people find there cabins which was really amazing.  The people I was working with thought it was amazing how many people I already knew or people who knew me.  This can be explained by chapman being the second most represented University after UC San Diego which has close to 70 students on board.  Remembering everyones names seemed like an impossible task but over the next week I would start to make a dent.  I still have the occasional “sorry what was your name again” but everyone is understanding.  Finding people on the ship is something of a unique challenge.  We are all living in such a compact space but we cannot use any of our modern devices of communication.  It is like the good old days when the only time you would see someone is if you bumped into them around town.  We do have cabin phones but no one really knows what cabin number people are in so they cannot call.  I imagine it gets better as people start to adapt but it seems pretty difficult now.  I am usually napping or reading anyhow and you can usually find someone in the dinning halls to sit with which is nice.

My classes are difficult and require a lot of reading but I am learning a lot.  Sleep is something of a novelty on the ship so you take it when you can get it.  We lost an hour almost every night while we were at sea which has more effect than you might think.  You are better off losing all 6 at one time than doing is slowly and painfully.  You might think I am crazy but dragging it out only makes it worse because you can’t really function correctly for six days instead of one or two days if you loose all six at once.  Anyway I napped quite a bit along the way, especially on the days of my 8 am class.

As some of you know I am working on the ship in the Audio/Visual department as a part of a work-study scholarship.  This has been one of the best things while at sea.  My shift takes place every evening while the ship is at sea.  This is a very busy time because it is when all the “seminars,” as they are called, are held about the upcoming port.  This is an enjoyable time for me because I don’t have to feel guilty about not studying and I get to hang out with some really cool people and still learn about where we are going next.  It is also a special position because we get to work with and hang out with two crew members, Alan (or Sparky as we call him), and Ludwig.  Most students do not get this chance because the company that manages the ship has a strict no-fraternization policy between crew and everyone else on board.  Sure you can chat for a minute in the hallways but you cant really kick back and share stories.  This is sad because most of the crew have been working with Semester at Sea for many years and they have many good stories to tell.  I have been fortunate enough to hear a few from Sparky, during work hours of course, about things that have happened on SAS in the past.  Some I had already heard about but there is nothing like a first hand account.  He told me what it was like to have a reality TV show on board and about the crazy storms they have been through.  Unfortunately for us, Sparky is leaving the ship in Cape Town to go back home to his family which I think he is looking forward to.  Ludwig has been tagging along to learn the ropes for when this happens.

I cant complain about my cabin and the food is decent so really what more could I ask for.  Life at sea was pleasant but I have to admit I could not wait to reach the shores of Spain and oh was I right about that anticipation.