A couple of years ago at a normal family dinner sitting around our round dinner table in the kitchen oh my home, my Bubbie gave me the best advice I've ever received. She told me that whenever I am walking alone or in an unfamiliar place “always walk with a purpose. Walk with a destination in mind”. That advice has stuck with me ever since that night and was most helpful when I was in India this past week.
We arrived in India on March 11th. I of course was nervous and resistant to this country because I knew going into it, it would be the most difficult to deal with and of course the big C-word (change) from what I am used to. On the other hand I was happy to be going on a four-day trip through India with SAS because I knew they would take care of all of the itinerary and in some ways “hold my hand” throughout the country. We left Chennai (in south India) during the first afternoon and flew to Delhi where we checked into a hotel, had our first Indian dinner and went to bed to prepare for an early wake up call.
The phone rang at 4am and I half asleep prepared myself for a 2.5 hour train ride to Agra. When we arrived in Agra we went straight to one of the most prominent landmarks in the world; one of the seven wonders of the world- the Taj Mahal. It was incredible and almost unrealistic to be standing in front of this building that I have heard so much about and seen so many pictures of. I felt like I was standing in front of a giant canvas painting of the building not the actual building itself. After taking close to one million pictures I walked closer to the palace and finally went in. The details of the marble carvings and inset jewels were beautiful. After spending about an hour at the Taj we headed back to our bus through the beggars and children asking for money. One of the hardest parts about being in India was ignoring the children asking for money. Our guide warned us that if we talk to anyone asking for anything they will take our “No thank you” as a “maybe” and continue to harass us. I had mixed emotions about this because I knew I had enough money to give to these children but I also knew that if I did give them anything more children would surround me and ask for more.
After visiting the Taj Mahal we went to a marble making place where we learned about how they make marble tables and how they inset the jewels into the marble permanently with a secret glue solution. I wanted to buy something from this place but it was all really expensive so I decided to try to find something similar somewhere else in India.
Next stop was Agra Fort, which are the ruins of an old palace used centuries ago for the king of Agra. We learned about his royal way of life and how he had may wives and servants at his disposal. Each room had different purposes but all belonged to him. After walking around this fort we got back on the bus for a 6.5 hour bus ride to Jaipur (also known as the “pink city”). On our way to Jaipur we stopped at another fort called Ghost City where we learned similar things in comparison to Agra Fort. After a long and bumpy car ride through the dangerous streets of rural India we arrived in Jaipur late at night and exhausted from a full day of traveling and experiencing India.
The next day we woke up early again to head into the center of Jaipur. We got to another fort and waited in line for about 45 minutes to ride an elephant! When we got to the front of the line 2 people at a time got onto a galley-backed elephant where we rode up to the top of an old palace. This was one of my favorite parts about my time in India. The elephants were decorated with blankets and paint on their tusks. They looked beautiful but I did feel bad for them because the harnesses looked like they were hurting and I could tell that this is the only thing they do all day and are not treated as well as they should be. I guess I have become more sensitive to different kinds of animal cruelty after going on the safari in South Africa and seeing the animals content in their natural environment.
After the elephant ride we were taken to a textile factory where we learned and saw how they make genuine wool and cashmere rugs. All of these rugs were beautiful and I impulsively bought a small very good quality rug made by hand by these Indian workers. It may look a little out of place in Syracuse, NY next year but it will always remind me of my time in India and on Semester at Sea. After the textile factory we went to a jewelry shop to see silver and precious stones and then headed to a local market. This was by far one of the most interesting experiences I had in India.
The street markets in India are full of stands selling saris, bangles, t shirts, fruits and vegetables and shoes made out of camel leather. My friend and I began walking around by ourselves but quickly learned that it would be better to walk with a couple of guys. We found some boys on our trip and began walking around with them so we wouldn't get harassed as much by the venders. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people staring at us and asking us for our money. I ended up buying some beautiful gold bangle bracelets but left the market early to make myself feel more comfortable. My friend and I walked with a couple of guys back to the bus but on our way saw a lot of teenage boys playing cricket in a field by the bus. We decided it would be fun to go play cricket with the boys or at least watch. As we approached the fence the Indian boys surrounded us because a) we are American and b) my friend and I are girls. The boys all wanted to shake our hands and take pictures with us. After doing this for a couple of minutes we decided to go over the fence to get closer to the cricket game. This was not the best idea for my friend and I. After getting over the fence we were literally surrounded by the boys who began to tease us, grab at us and tell us to take more pictures. We both became extremely uncomfortable (especially after one boy attempted to kiss my friend) so we quickly left and went to sit on the bus. I felt frustrated by this experience because as boys my other friends could easily hang out and watch the Indian boys play cricket, but as girls my friend and I were harassed and made to feel unwelcome. At this point I realized how much I as an American girl take for granted back at home.
After everyone returned from the Market we went to have dinner at an old palace then headed back to the hotel to rest up and prepare ourselves for our 1:30am wake-up call (yes…really 1:30am). We obviously didn't go to bed between 10pm and 1:30am but instead hung out at the roof top bar. At 1:30 we went back to the bus and began another 6.5 hour bus ride back to Delhi. The bus ride was freezing cold from the air-conditioning and uncomfortable. After getting to Delhi we headed to the airport for our 2.5 hour flight back to Chennai.
We got back to Chennai in the afternoon and I immediately jumped into the shower. I have never felt cleaner than after taking that shower because I felt so dirty the three days prior. After showering I then proceeded to the snack bar where I had a good ol' American hamburger which was delicious after spending the past 3 days eating rice, bread and being overly cautious and nervous about food poisoning from the bacteria in India. For the first time in port I was actually content and happy to be back in my new safe-haven, the ship. I spent the rest of the night hanging out of the ship, napping and regrouping from the culture shock that was and is India.
During our last day in India, my friends and I decided to go to a shopping center to buy last minute things. We took a 10 minute rickshaw ride to the mall which was definitely an experience. If anyone has been to India before they know that there are no traffic rules therefore, trucks and motorcycles all go as fast as they want while cutting each other off at every corner. Nevertheless, being in a three-wheeled tiny tin-can that is a rickshaw was an adventure. After surviving the rickshaw rides both to and from the shopping center we headed back to the ship for a final time in India.
So I survived India; the place I was most scared to visit, but the place I had to visit the most if I wanted to get over that fear of change that I talked about in my first post. I am proud of myself for keeping an open mind throughout the experience even though it was difficult at times. For the first time in my life I felt like a complete minority. Being stared at for being a white American was an interesting experience and being harassed because I am a girl was eye-opening. I don't feel the need to return to India anytime soon because I feel that I will never truly feel comfortable in such a different society; however, I am glad that I walked through India with the purpose to overcome this fear of change and with the destination of cultural acceptance in mind.
Top 10 Things I as an American take for granted:
1. Clean/safe tap water
2. Green grass
3. Equality and feminism
4. Strict traffic laws
5. Cleanliness
6. Domesticated pets
7. Toilets and toilet paper
8. Health insurance, doctors and hospitals
9. Air conditioning
10. Freedom (in every sense)
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Mauritius
When I first looked at the itinerary of this trip, there was one place that I had never heard of before- Mauritius. I didn't know what continent it belonged to, what language they spoke, or even how to pronounce its name. I quickly learned that Mauritius is a small island (only 205 mile circumference) off of the eastern coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is a very diverse country consisting of Indians, French, Africans, and Chinese. I also heard from past SASers that there isn't much to do on the island therefore the 4 days on land consist of renting villas or hotel rooms on the beach, sipping pina coladas, getting a tan, and going out at night. This was a pretty accurate description.
We arrived in Mauritius on March 1st. Right when I got off the ship I went on an SAS sponsored trip to Grand Bay where we went on a submarine trip! We went out into the crystal clear waters off the shore and got into a cramped and closterfobic submarine where we went 112ft deep in the ocean. We were under the water for about 45 minutes looking at the fish and singing “yellow submarine” repeatedly as a group. I can understand why many people loved this trip; however, the whole time I was under the water I felt like I should be scuba diving in the open water rather than cramped in an uncomfortable submarine. Nevertheless it was a cool experience being in a submarine.
That afternoon my friends and I headed to the hotel we had booked a few weeks prior and settled in for a relaxing next 2 days. I ended up getting my first migraine ever that afternoon so I layed in bed while everyone else sat in the sun which was frustrating but luckily it went away so I could go out to dinner with friends that night. The next 2 days were spent lying out on the beach and swimming in the clear blue waters. The hotel we stayed at was better than expected…a little small but right on the beach and all inclusive.
On the last day in Mauritius my group of friends and I went to a place called Adventure Park where we walked over hanging rope bridges through the forest and did a ropes course which they said was for people with intermediate physical fitness levels but was actually for experts…the ropes course reminded me of overnight camp except an extreme version of it. It was a lot of fun attempting to complete the course even though I was sore for the next two days, bruised and mosquito bitten.
Overall Mauritius was really fun and relaxing. It was great to learn about a country I had no idea existed before SAS. The island was fun but made me appreciate the other countries we are visiting more because I feel they will have so much more to offer…like my next stop- INDIA.
We arrived in Mauritius on March 1st. Right when I got off the ship I went on an SAS sponsored trip to Grand Bay where we went on a submarine trip! We went out into the crystal clear waters off the shore and got into a cramped and closterfobic submarine where we went 112ft deep in the ocean. We were under the water for about 45 minutes looking at the fish and singing “yellow submarine” repeatedly as a group. I can understand why many people loved this trip; however, the whole time I was under the water I felt like I should be scuba diving in the open water rather than cramped in an uncomfortable submarine. Nevertheless it was a cool experience being in a submarine.
That afternoon my friends and I headed to the hotel we had booked a few weeks prior and settled in for a relaxing next 2 days. I ended up getting my first migraine ever that afternoon so I layed in bed while everyone else sat in the sun which was frustrating but luckily it went away so I could go out to dinner with friends that night. The next 2 days were spent lying out on the beach and swimming in the clear blue waters. The hotel we stayed at was better than expected…a little small but right on the beach and all inclusive.
On the last day in Mauritius my group of friends and I went to a place called Adventure Park where we walked over hanging rope bridges through the forest and did a ropes course which they said was for people with intermediate physical fitness levels but was actually for experts…the ropes course reminded me of overnight camp except an extreme version of it. It was a lot of fun attempting to complete the course even though I was sore for the next two days, bruised and mosquito bitten.
Overall Mauritius was really fun and relaxing. It was great to learn about a country I had no idea existed before SAS. The island was fun but made me appreciate the other countries we are visiting more because I feel they will have so much more to offer…like my next stop- INDIA.
Monday, March 3, 2008
South Africa
(sorry about the delay with this post!)
I have fallen in love with the country of South Africa. We arrived in Cape Town on February 19th at dawn. I woke up at 5am to watch us pull into the port as the sun rose over the famous Table Mountain and skyline of Cape Town. We got off the ship as quickly as possible so that we could have a full day of exploring and discovering this land that once was so foreign to us. We walked around the port area then headed down to the middle of the city where we visited the local market called Green Market and Long Street. That night 6 of my closest friends and I decided to go on a sunset cruise around the bay. Although many of them were reluctant to spend a mere 180 Rand or $25, we ended up having a great time drinking free champagne and sailing on a catamaran for 2 hours as the sun set over the bay while the clouds slowly rolled off of Table Mountain. It was so much fun to do something I love to do so much (sail) with my new friends. After the sunset cruise we went out to dinner on the docks then headed back to the ship for a goodnights sleep and to prepare for what would become one of the best days of my life the next day.
Exhilarating, Inspiring, and Beautiful: 3 words to describe my second day in Cape Town. I woke up a nervous wreck at 6:45am to unsuccessfully mentally prepare myself to jump out of an airplane. YES I was about to go skydiving. My friend Leila and I met up with a group of 8 other people where we took a shuttle to the site 20 minutes outside the city. We were quickly split into groups of two and three, harnessed and sent to the tiny airplane where we squeezed into the cabin. Sitting between my instructors legs as the plane slowly ascended to 9,000 ft my heart was pounding as I realized that there was no turning back. The 15 minute ride up felt like hours. As I tried to take in the beauty of the city from the air I couldn’t help but keep asking my instructor if he was absolutely 100% positive I was hooked onto him extra strong. He assured me I would be ok and before I knew it the door was open and my friend Jeff fell out of the plane. I was next. I slid my legs outside, tilted my head back and held on for dear life as I free fell for over 30 seconds through the South African sky. After these exhilarating 30 seconds the parachute safely opened (thank god) and we floated down to the ground for the next 4 minutes. At one point my instructor let me take the reigns as I steered us towards our landing spot. With only about 500 feet left I was instructed to lift my feet as we headed towards the safe haven of land. We landed, I stood up, the parachute fell to the ground, I was unhooked from my instructor and I felt the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever felt. The 5 minutes it took for me to jump out of the plane, freefall and then float down to land was by far one of the craziest, most fun and breathtaking experiences of my life. Surprisingly, skydiving was not my favorite part of this amazing day.
I got back to the ship by noon and spontaneously decided to join a group of people going to visit a township outside Cape Town. Townships are villages filled with shacks made out of tin cans and people living off of literally nothing. During apartheid the South African government moved the black people to these overcrowded villages where segregation and racism grew. Although apartheid was abolished in the early 90s many aspects of it are still very much alive in South Africa and especially in these townships where black people still live. Words can’t describe the experience I had in this township.
We arrived at the Khayelitsha township during the afternoon when all of the kids were being let out of school. We then proceeded to walk through the township to an after school program called “Lifelines” held in a shack made out of cardboard, metal and scraps. When we entered this shack 30 kids ages 5-20 greeted us by singing a song and welcoming us into their “family”. They introduced themselves by giving us all hugs and we were told to stand next to two people we didn’t know. Both the poorest of poor black children and the richest of rich white kids were standing in a single circle together…all with smiles on their faces. We then played some games, talked to the kids and hung out for about an hour. After this hour the kids then continued to welcome us into their family by singing a few songs. They sang about faith and about how thankful they are for what they have. This was one of the most powerful moments of my life when I realized that these children are so happy, and so grateful for what they have…and what they have we consider to be absolutely nothing. They then put on a play about getting tested for TB (something becoming very prominent in their community). These children are some of the best singers and actors I have ever seen and the passion they put into what they do is incredible. At the end of the play we had a few minutes to talk to the kids and say goodbye. I brought with me a Polaroid camera because I heard from past SASers that children in these poor countries love seeing pictures of themselves. As I started taking pictures with children they all gathered around me and each wanted a picture. I felt bad because I didn’t have time to give each one of them individual polaroid’s but was also overcome by so many other indescribable emotions. That afternoon was one of the most eye-opening, happy but heartbreaking and inspiring afternoons of my life. I will always remember the faces of those children and remind myself about how truly lucky I am to have what I have and be able to have these experiences. (I could go on forever about the people in this township and the experience I had that afternoon, but I will stop here and tell you all more in person when I get home in May).
After the township visit we went straight to the bottom of Table Mountain where I met up with a couple of my friends and took a cable car up to the top. It was a perfect night to go up to the top of the mountain- not too hot, not too windy, perfectly clear without a cloud in the sky. We walked around for a while then ended up sitting on the edge of the mountain to watch the sunset. At one point I could turn my head to the right and see the sunset over the ocean then turn my head to the left to see the moon rising in the pink sky over Cape Town. It was absolutely beautiful and a perfect ending to an unbelievable day.
I got back to the ship late that night. As I sat in bed I was speechless and shocked by what I had experienced that day. From the EXHILIRATING experience of skydiving to the INSPIRING performances and interactions with the children in the township to watching the BEAUTIFUL sunset on the top of Table Mountain I can truly call my second day in South Africa one of the best days of my life.
On the third day in South Africa I woke up early to head out on a safari. We took a 2 hour plane ride from Cape Town to Johannesburg then quickly got on a bus for a two hour bus ride to the Ivory Tree Game Lodge in Pilanesburg, SA. When we arrived we immediately ate lunch then headed out for our first game drive. 10 of us piled into a custom made landrover with Hayley- our ranger for the next 3 days. On our first game drive we got right into the wilderness where we saw zebras, wildebeests, white rhinos, and elephants. At one point during our first drive we got stuck on the road between two elephants blocking our way. We were in a stand-off with these two elephants for about 15 minutes then they finally left the middle of the road so we could drive around them and move on. It was so cool to see these wild animals so up close. We got back to the lodge at around 8pm where we ate dinner outside by a bonfire. The food at the lodge was absolutely delicious- so much better than the shipboard food! After dinner we were all exhausted from the day of traveling and the excitement of our first drive so we went to bed early knowing that we would have to wake up at 5am to go on our first early morning game drive.
The next morning we woke up at 5am to head out on another drive. This was one of the most exciting drives of the trip. As we headed through the national park we came across a male elephant known as “steroid”. You can imagine why- he is huge and is known for having a bad temper. We stopped our car pretty close to him and as word spread that Steroid was in the road more landrover’s arrived. This must have angered him because he turned his head towards our car walked towards us then began running after us…we were being charged by a 2.5 ton elephant! Luckily I had my video camera out when this happened so I have proof on tape! After our morning game drive we went back to the lodge to arrange a trip to the Predator Park about 20 minutes away from the lodge.
That afternoon we went to the Predator Park where we saw many animals. I had mixed feelings about this place because the animals are all kept in captivity. After seeing how free many of these same animals are in the wild it was hard to enjoy seeing the lions, tigers and cheetahs in captivity. The one reason we came to the park; however, was to pet and play with baby lion cubs! We went into the cage and were able to pet them and play with them for about 15 minutes. There were three 4.5 month old males and they were so adorable! After leaving the predator park we went back to the lodge where we rested and prepared for our afternoon game drive. On our afternoon drive we saw lions! One of them even walked right next to our landrover.
The next day I slept in and relaxed then headed out for another game drive in the afternoon where we saw giraffes up close, more elephants and went searching for leopards and cheetahs. We didn’t see a leopard or cheetah but ended up seeing a lion who had just made a kill. After watching the lion eat his dinner we headed back to the lodge for our dinner. We ate outside next to the bonfire again while an African band played music throughout dinnertime. After dinner I showered in our outdoor shower overlooking the valley of Pilanesburg and got to bed to prepare to wake up again at 5am for our last early morning drive.
During our last drive we went back to where the lion had made his kill the day before and saw him and a couple other lions eating. We also saw more zebras (and baby zebras), giraffes, warthogs, birds, wildebeests, and many other animals. We wrapped up the drive by singing songs from the Lion King and headed back to the lodge where we got our bags and made our two hour bus ride, two hour plane ride back to Cape Town.
We arrived back in Cape Town around 4pm and had a few hours to go shopping and take in every last bit of culture before finally boarding the ship at 8pm. We ended up leaving the port the next morning because it was too foggy to leave the night before and we are now on our way to Mauritius (a small island off of the coast of Madagascar).
Everything about South Africa was absolutely amazing. From the markets in Cape Town to skydiving, the township, Table Mountain and the safari I couldn’t have wished for a better experience here. I only wish I had more time! If anyone feels the need or want to travel back to South Africa I would be more than happy to join you (maybe in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup?).
I have fallen in love with the country of South Africa. We arrived in Cape Town on February 19th at dawn. I woke up at 5am to watch us pull into the port as the sun rose over the famous Table Mountain and skyline of Cape Town. We got off the ship as quickly as possible so that we could have a full day of exploring and discovering this land that once was so foreign to us. We walked around the port area then headed down to the middle of the city where we visited the local market called Green Market and Long Street. That night 6 of my closest friends and I decided to go on a sunset cruise around the bay. Although many of them were reluctant to spend a mere 180 Rand or $25, we ended up having a great time drinking free champagne and sailing on a catamaran for 2 hours as the sun set over the bay while the clouds slowly rolled off of Table Mountain. It was so much fun to do something I love to do so much (sail) with my new friends. After the sunset cruise we went out to dinner on the docks then headed back to the ship for a goodnights sleep and to prepare for what would become one of the best days of my life the next day.
Exhilarating, Inspiring, and Beautiful: 3 words to describe my second day in Cape Town. I woke up a nervous wreck at 6:45am to unsuccessfully mentally prepare myself to jump out of an airplane. YES I was about to go skydiving. My friend Leila and I met up with a group of 8 other people where we took a shuttle to the site 20 minutes outside the city. We were quickly split into groups of two and three, harnessed and sent to the tiny airplane where we squeezed into the cabin. Sitting between my instructors legs as the plane slowly ascended to 9,000 ft my heart was pounding as I realized that there was no turning back. The 15 minute ride up felt like hours. As I tried to take in the beauty of the city from the air I couldn’t help but keep asking my instructor if he was absolutely 100% positive I was hooked onto him extra strong. He assured me I would be ok and before I knew it the door was open and my friend Jeff fell out of the plane. I was next. I slid my legs outside, tilted my head back and held on for dear life as I free fell for over 30 seconds through the South African sky. After these exhilarating 30 seconds the parachute safely opened (thank god) and we floated down to the ground for the next 4 minutes. At one point my instructor let me take the reigns as I steered us towards our landing spot. With only about 500 feet left I was instructed to lift my feet as we headed towards the safe haven of land. We landed, I stood up, the parachute fell to the ground, I was unhooked from my instructor and I felt the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever felt. The 5 minutes it took for me to jump out of the plane, freefall and then float down to land was by far one of the craziest, most fun and breathtaking experiences of my life. Surprisingly, skydiving was not my favorite part of this amazing day.
I got back to the ship by noon and spontaneously decided to join a group of people going to visit a township outside Cape Town. Townships are villages filled with shacks made out of tin cans and people living off of literally nothing. During apartheid the South African government moved the black people to these overcrowded villages where segregation and racism grew. Although apartheid was abolished in the early 90s many aspects of it are still very much alive in South Africa and especially in these townships where black people still live. Words can’t describe the experience I had in this township.
We arrived at the Khayelitsha township during the afternoon when all of the kids were being let out of school. We then proceeded to walk through the township to an after school program called “Lifelines” held in a shack made out of cardboard, metal and scraps. When we entered this shack 30 kids ages 5-20 greeted us by singing a song and welcoming us into their “family”. They introduced themselves by giving us all hugs and we were told to stand next to two people we didn’t know. Both the poorest of poor black children and the richest of rich white kids were standing in a single circle together…all with smiles on their faces. We then played some games, talked to the kids and hung out for about an hour. After this hour the kids then continued to welcome us into their family by singing a few songs. They sang about faith and about how thankful they are for what they have. This was one of the most powerful moments of my life when I realized that these children are so happy, and so grateful for what they have…and what they have we consider to be absolutely nothing. They then put on a play about getting tested for TB (something becoming very prominent in their community). These children are some of the best singers and actors I have ever seen and the passion they put into what they do is incredible. At the end of the play we had a few minutes to talk to the kids and say goodbye. I brought with me a Polaroid camera because I heard from past SASers that children in these poor countries love seeing pictures of themselves. As I started taking pictures with children they all gathered around me and each wanted a picture. I felt bad because I didn’t have time to give each one of them individual polaroid’s but was also overcome by so many other indescribable emotions. That afternoon was one of the most eye-opening, happy but heartbreaking and inspiring afternoons of my life. I will always remember the faces of those children and remind myself about how truly lucky I am to have what I have and be able to have these experiences. (I could go on forever about the people in this township and the experience I had that afternoon, but I will stop here and tell you all more in person when I get home in May).
After the township visit we went straight to the bottom of Table Mountain where I met up with a couple of my friends and took a cable car up to the top. It was a perfect night to go up to the top of the mountain- not too hot, not too windy, perfectly clear without a cloud in the sky. We walked around for a while then ended up sitting on the edge of the mountain to watch the sunset. At one point I could turn my head to the right and see the sunset over the ocean then turn my head to the left to see the moon rising in the pink sky over Cape Town. It was absolutely beautiful and a perfect ending to an unbelievable day.
I got back to the ship late that night. As I sat in bed I was speechless and shocked by what I had experienced that day. From the EXHILIRATING experience of skydiving to the INSPIRING performances and interactions with the children in the township to watching the BEAUTIFUL sunset on the top of Table Mountain I can truly call my second day in South Africa one of the best days of my life.
On the third day in South Africa I woke up early to head out on a safari. We took a 2 hour plane ride from Cape Town to Johannesburg then quickly got on a bus for a two hour bus ride to the Ivory Tree Game Lodge in Pilanesburg, SA. When we arrived we immediately ate lunch then headed out for our first game drive. 10 of us piled into a custom made landrover with Hayley- our ranger for the next 3 days. On our first game drive we got right into the wilderness where we saw zebras, wildebeests, white rhinos, and elephants. At one point during our first drive we got stuck on the road between two elephants blocking our way. We were in a stand-off with these two elephants for about 15 minutes then they finally left the middle of the road so we could drive around them and move on. It was so cool to see these wild animals so up close. We got back to the lodge at around 8pm where we ate dinner outside by a bonfire. The food at the lodge was absolutely delicious- so much better than the shipboard food! After dinner we were all exhausted from the day of traveling and the excitement of our first drive so we went to bed early knowing that we would have to wake up at 5am to go on our first early morning game drive.
The next morning we woke up at 5am to head out on another drive. This was one of the most exciting drives of the trip. As we headed through the national park we came across a male elephant known as “steroid”. You can imagine why- he is huge and is known for having a bad temper. We stopped our car pretty close to him and as word spread that Steroid was in the road more landrover’s arrived. This must have angered him because he turned his head towards our car walked towards us then began running after us…we were being charged by a 2.5 ton elephant! Luckily I had my video camera out when this happened so I have proof on tape! After our morning game drive we went back to the lodge to arrange a trip to the Predator Park about 20 minutes away from the lodge.
That afternoon we went to the Predator Park where we saw many animals. I had mixed feelings about this place because the animals are all kept in captivity. After seeing how free many of these same animals are in the wild it was hard to enjoy seeing the lions, tigers and cheetahs in captivity. The one reason we came to the park; however, was to pet and play with baby lion cubs! We went into the cage and were able to pet them and play with them for about 15 minutes. There were three 4.5 month old males and they were so adorable! After leaving the predator park we went back to the lodge where we rested and prepared for our afternoon game drive. On our afternoon drive we saw lions! One of them even walked right next to our landrover.
The next day I slept in and relaxed then headed out for another game drive in the afternoon where we saw giraffes up close, more elephants and went searching for leopards and cheetahs. We didn’t see a leopard or cheetah but ended up seeing a lion who had just made a kill. After watching the lion eat his dinner we headed back to the lodge for our dinner. We ate outside next to the bonfire again while an African band played music throughout dinnertime. After dinner I showered in our outdoor shower overlooking the valley of Pilanesburg and got to bed to prepare to wake up again at 5am for our last early morning drive.
During our last drive we went back to where the lion had made his kill the day before and saw him and a couple other lions eating. We also saw more zebras (and baby zebras), giraffes, warthogs, birds, wildebeests, and many other animals. We wrapped up the drive by singing songs from the Lion King and headed back to the lodge where we got our bags and made our two hour bus ride, two hour plane ride back to Cape Town.
We arrived back in Cape Town around 4pm and had a few hours to go shopping and take in every last bit of culture before finally boarding the ship at 8pm. We ended up leaving the port the next morning because it was too foggy to leave the night before and we are now on our way to Mauritius (a small island off of the coast of Madagascar).
Everything about South Africa was absolutely amazing. From the markets in Cape Town to skydiving, the township, Table Mountain and the safari I couldn’t have wished for a better experience here. I only wish I had more time! If anyone feels the need or want to travel back to South Africa I would be more than happy to join you (maybe in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup?).
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Ship Life
591 feet is not a lot of space for over 900 people to be living in for over 9 days straight without seeing land. We are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean right now on our way to Cape Town, South Africa. 2 days to go.
Ok, so it’s not really THAT bad. I am actually getting very used to living on the ship and almost feel like it’s my new home (almost). We are now over 3 weeks into the journey (the point I kept telling myself I wanted to be at before I even left Philadelphia). To tell you the truth these 3 weeks have been a whirlwind…slow at times, but now looking back on it; definitely worth it. My group of friends is still expanding, as I’m sure it will until we arrive in Miami in May. I feel like I’ve known them for so much longer than three weeks…it’s weird how close you can become to people when thrown into unfamiliar situations together.
My classes are also going really well for the most part. I had my first Global Studies exam a couple days ago which went pretty well (I hope). And I have another “midterm” coming up after we leave Cape Town. The other classes I am taking are:
Media Writing: consists of a lot of writing assignments (duh), but they are pretty interesting. Last week I had to interview “someone of significance” on the ship so I decided to interview a Lifelong Learner named Alvin from Boston. (Lifelong learners are older people that are coming along for the journey who live with us, take classes with us, do trips with us and experience SAS at a later age). My next writing piece has to be a Travel feature story due after South Africa. I really like this class and am sure it will help me in the communications world after I graduate.
Social Scientific Foundations of Communication: Although it has a fancy name it is basically an introduction communications class. Right now we are learning the fundamentals of communications. It is lecture based so I can get boring at times, but overall I am enjoying it. The professor is also really cool and has some great insight.
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology: It is what the title of the class is…an intro to anthro. This class has been a little bit disappointing. Although I love the teacher, I am not very drawn to the information being taught. We haven’t had any tests or quizzes yet so I’m not sure how hard it is going to be.
Expository Writing: This class is basically just a writing class that I find very easy. We write about a page a day that goes into a “working portfolio” and by the end of the semester we will have a “presentation portfolio” of our best writing. This I think will be good for my portfolio at home to show my writing skills.
Classes are definitely keeping me busy which is good because I certainly need something to distract myself from missing home, or wondering about the upcoming ports. Another distraction that was really fun was Neptune Day which took place on Thursday.
At 7am I was woken up by people running up and down the halls banging pots and blowing whistles. My roommate and I quickly got dressed, ate some breakfast then went up to the 7th deck aft (where the pool is) and were greeted by King Neptune and his crew. They then proceeded to “initiate” us “pollywogs” into their kingdom of the seas. One by one we each had fish guts poured on us (I don’t actually think it was because a) it was blue and b) it didn’t smell THAT bad). Then we jumped in the pool to rinse off, kissed a fish then got on our knees and kissed king Neptune’s ring. You didn’t have to participate in any of this if you didn’t want to, but my friend Leila and I decided to do it and I am so glad that we did because I am trying to make the most out of every possible situation during this trip. After the whole fish guts thing they proceeded to traditionally start shaving peoples heads. The head shaving went on for hours. My friend Todd shaved his head and a ton of girls did it which was surprising. And NO I did not do it, so don’t worry. Overall this was a really fun day EXCEPT for the incredible rocking of the ship. As we were passing over the mid-atlantic ridge it was REALLY wavy for about 36 hours. Eventually it got a little better, but it is still however pretty rocky and will be until we arrive in South Africa.
Talking about the rocking of the ship…I am getting a lot more used to it. At first I couldn’t sleep well and had a hard time concentrating, but now it is just background movement and I don’t really think about it. At times I feel it is very comforting and at times it gets really annoying but I am sure that by the end of the voyage I will love it and miss the ship rocking me to sleep when I get home.
Other things that I have been up to during these days on the ship include A LOT of card games, watching about 50 episodes of Friends (buying the entire series was a great idea- thanks aunt Julie and uncle Michael for the birthday amazon gift certificate!), hanging out in the piano lounge, and getting to know more people! We also had a dance the night before Neptune day that was really fun. We had to dress as our favorite animal…I dressed as a parrot because I borrowed my friends feather earrings. I also helped my friend make a lion costume out of construction paper that turned out great.
I am also involved in the Vicarious Voyage program which has been really fun. Me and two other girls have been paired up with a 5th grade classroom in San Francisco, CA. The basic idea of the program is that as we travel around the world they travel vicariously through us and study the countries as we tell them about our experiences. They write us letters and we send them back packages from the countries we are visiting. I collected a lot of things in Brazil to send back to them such as newspapers in Portuguese, bracelets, some brochures and little things like that. The first package we got from them was so cute. Each kid wrote a little index card about him or herself and drew pictures. Hopefully this summer I will be able to travel out there to visit them and talk to them in person.
Other than that everything is going really well. I am SO excited to go to South Africa…and you will hear about that when I get back to the ship on the 25th!
Thanks for reading and “traveling” with me! Keep commenting and emailing me…I love the feedback.
On a side note: I have tried to upload pictures but it takes a lot of time so I will try again if I find time and an Internet café in Cape Town. If not I guess you’ll have to wait a little longer for pictures…sorry!!
Ok, so it’s not really THAT bad. I am actually getting very used to living on the ship and almost feel like it’s my new home (almost). We are now over 3 weeks into the journey (the point I kept telling myself I wanted to be at before I even left Philadelphia). To tell you the truth these 3 weeks have been a whirlwind…slow at times, but now looking back on it; definitely worth it. My group of friends is still expanding, as I’m sure it will until we arrive in Miami in May. I feel like I’ve known them for so much longer than three weeks…it’s weird how close you can become to people when thrown into unfamiliar situations together.
My classes are also going really well for the most part. I had my first Global Studies exam a couple days ago which went pretty well (I hope). And I have another “midterm” coming up after we leave Cape Town. The other classes I am taking are:
Media Writing: consists of a lot of writing assignments (duh), but they are pretty interesting. Last week I had to interview “someone of significance” on the ship so I decided to interview a Lifelong Learner named Alvin from Boston. (Lifelong learners are older people that are coming along for the journey who live with us, take classes with us, do trips with us and experience SAS at a later age). My next writing piece has to be a Travel feature story due after South Africa. I really like this class and am sure it will help me in the communications world after I graduate.
Social Scientific Foundations of Communication: Although it has a fancy name it is basically an introduction communications class. Right now we are learning the fundamentals of communications. It is lecture based so I can get boring at times, but overall I am enjoying it. The professor is also really cool and has some great insight.
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology: It is what the title of the class is…an intro to anthro. This class has been a little bit disappointing. Although I love the teacher, I am not very drawn to the information being taught. We haven’t had any tests or quizzes yet so I’m not sure how hard it is going to be.
Expository Writing: This class is basically just a writing class that I find very easy. We write about a page a day that goes into a “working portfolio” and by the end of the semester we will have a “presentation portfolio” of our best writing. This I think will be good for my portfolio at home to show my writing skills.
Classes are definitely keeping me busy which is good because I certainly need something to distract myself from missing home, or wondering about the upcoming ports. Another distraction that was really fun was Neptune Day which took place on Thursday.
At 7am I was woken up by people running up and down the halls banging pots and blowing whistles. My roommate and I quickly got dressed, ate some breakfast then went up to the 7th deck aft (where the pool is) and were greeted by King Neptune and his crew. They then proceeded to “initiate” us “pollywogs” into their kingdom of the seas. One by one we each had fish guts poured on us (I don’t actually think it was because a) it was blue and b) it didn’t smell THAT bad). Then we jumped in the pool to rinse off, kissed a fish then got on our knees and kissed king Neptune’s ring. You didn’t have to participate in any of this if you didn’t want to, but my friend Leila and I decided to do it and I am so glad that we did because I am trying to make the most out of every possible situation during this trip. After the whole fish guts thing they proceeded to traditionally start shaving peoples heads. The head shaving went on for hours. My friend Todd shaved his head and a ton of girls did it which was surprising. And NO I did not do it, so don’t worry. Overall this was a really fun day EXCEPT for the incredible rocking of the ship. As we were passing over the mid-atlantic ridge it was REALLY wavy for about 36 hours. Eventually it got a little better, but it is still however pretty rocky and will be until we arrive in South Africa.
Talking about the rocking of the ship…I am getting a lot more used to it. At first I couldn’t sleep well and had a hard time concentrating, but now it is just background movement and I don’t really think about it. At times I feel it is very comforting and at times it gets really annoying but I am sure that by the end of the voyage I will love it and miss the ship rocking me to sleep when I get home.
Other things that I have been up to during these days on the ship include A LOT of card games, watching about 50 episodes of Friends (buying the entire series was a great idea- thanks aunt Julie and uncle Michael for the birthday amazon gift certificate!), hanging out in the piano lounge, and getting to know more people! We also had a dance the night before Neptune day that was really fun. We had to dress as our favorite animal…I dressed as a parrot because I borrowed my friends feather earrings. I also helped my friend make a lion costume out of construction paper that turned out great.
I am also involved in the Vicarious Voyage program which has been really fun. Me and two other girls have been paired up with a 5th grade classroom in San Francisco, CA. The basic idea of the program is that as we travel around the world they travel vicariously through us and study the countries as we tell them about our experiences. They write us letters and we send them back packages from the countries we are visiting. I collected a lot of things in Brazil to send back to them such as newspapers in Portuguese, bracelets, some brochures and little things like that. The first package we got from them was so cute. Each kid wrote a little index card about him or herself and drew pictures. Hopefully this summer I will be able to travel out there to visit them and talk to them in person.
Other than that everything is going really well. I am SO excited to go to South Africa…and you will hear about that when I get back to the ship on the 25th!
Thanks for reading and “traveling” with me! Keep commenting and emailing me…I love the feedback.
On a side note: I have tried to upload pictures but it takes a lot of time so I will try again if I find time and an Internet café in Cape Town. If not I guess you’ll have to wait a little longer for pictures…sorry!!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Brazil
Before landing in Brazil I didn’t have any real expectations. We arrived in Salvador on Tuesday morning and had our pre-port de-briefing where the deans gave us tips on safety, places to go, places not to go, and of course tons of information about the infamous Carnival. That afternoon we wondered the streets of Pelourinho, ate some native fruits and headed back to the ship early to get ready to go back out for the festivities.
You haven’t been to a party until you’ve experienced Carnival in Brazil. When we went back out around 7pm, 2 million people crowded the same streets that we had easily navigated 3 hours earlier. As my friends and I pushed through the crowds hand-in-hand we made our way down to an intersection where floats would be passing by. Every 10-15 minutes a different float would pass by with thousands of people singing and dancing to the performers on the float. People were all dressed up in different costumes (each representing a different group of people or float), and of course in Brazilian fashion some people were NOT dressed in costume if you know what I mean. One thing was for sure though and that was that everyone was having a GREAT time. Carnival was by far the best party I’ve ever been to (although dirty frat house basements in Syracuse come in a close second haha), and I felt that I really got a sense of the Brazilian patriotism and spirit.
You haven’t been to a party until you’ve experienced Carnival in Brazil. When we went back out around 7pm, 2 million people crowded the same streets that we had easily navigated 3 hours earlier. As my friends and I pushed through the crowds hand-in-hand we made our way down to an intersection where floats would be passing by. Every 10-15 minutes a different float would pass by with thousands of people singing and dancing to the performers on the float. People were all dressed up in different costumes (each representing a different group of people or float), and of course in Brazilian fashion some people were NOT dressed in costume if you know what I mean. One thing was for sure though and that was that everyone was having a GREAT time. Carnival was by far the best party I’ve ever been to (although dirty frat house basements in Syracuse come in a close second haha), and I felt that I really got a sense of the Brazilian patriotism and spirit.
The next day many of my friends left to either go to the Amazon or to Rio de Janeiro, but I stayed in Salvador. Tired from the night before, Todd, Liela and I decided to do something low key for the day so we went to the local mall (I know what you are thinking “you are in brazil and you decide to go to a shopping mall?!”). Truthfully that is what I was thinking as well when we first arrived; however, my presumptions changed quickly when I realized that there were no Gaps, Bloomingdales or Sephora make-up stores. Instead there were local boutiques, swimwear stores (all selling speedos for guys and thong bathing suits for girls), and TONS of Footlocker type stores selling soccer jerseys and expensive sneakers (the average Nike sneaker in Brazil is close to 400reals which is almost $250). After walking around for a while we decided to get a snack, which was an awkward experience. Not being able to speak Portuguese and Brazilians not being able to understand English makes for an interesting combination trying to order food. Luckily my three years of high school Spanish kicked in and I was able to order a small chocolate ice cream cone. From this point forward the language barrier became very evident.
On Thursday we woke up early to go on a schooner ride through the bay to look at the Salvador skyline and the surrounding forts from the 16th century. Although interesting, this trip was pretty boring overall. The boat we were on was pretty old and dirty and I (like always) had to pee half way through the trip so that didn’t help much. We learned some interesting facts about the city and saw it from a different angle, but I feel I would have rather toured the heart of the city on my own instead of the outskirts by boat. Luckily I had my mind on the night ahead of me the whole day. After the tour we headed to the local market where I bought a Pelé soccer jersey.
We got back to the ship, had dinner, I put on my soccer jersey and we headed to the Bahia (Brazil) vs. Ponces (Argentina) Futbol game. The one thing I have said since I knew the itinerary of this trip was that I wanted to go to a “real” soccer game and experience “real” fans. I was more than excited when I found out that Semester at Sea got 200 tickets to the game. The game was so much fun. I loved watching the Bahia fans yell and cheer on their team. Something I found very interesting was that at half time and at the end of the game 10 military men with shields, guard dogs and guns went onto the field to escort the refs off the field. I guess the fans have gotten pretty out of hand in the past. Bahia (the home team) won 2-0 and I was so happy that I got to have that experience.
The next day we went to the local markets where I bought a really cool hammock (so I can rock to sleep when I get home), a couple necklaces, a CD with local Carnival music, and a little painting. I was looking for a snow globe the whole time, but I guess since they don’t get much snow they don’t make them…so I suppose I am scratching the whole getting a snow globe in every country idea. That night we headed to the Upper City called Pelourinho where we went to a show where dancers preformed many native dances and traditional martial arts. The show was really inspiring because the dancers seemed like they were connected to their heritage and culture. After the show we went to a local Bahian restaurant where we tried many different native foods (aren’t you proud of me mom and dad for trying new foods?). My favorite was the coconut pudding for dessert.
On Saturday Leila and I woke up early to go on a SAS sponsored trip to Praia de Forte and the Tamar project for conservation of sea turtles. We walked through the tide pools then headed to the turtle conservation where we saw a few different species of turtles that migrate through and inhabit the waters off the Brazilian coast. We also get to see baby turtles that were only 16 days old…so cute! After we left the turtles we headed into a really nice shopping town that had a lot of boutique stores and restaurants. The town was beautifully decorated and clean unlike some of Salvador that is mostly dirty and smells really bad. After a lunch of grilled chicken (which I have been craving since the beginning of the trip) we began our hour and a half bus ride back to the ship. Back on the ship we took naps, hung out and waited until 9:30pm when we sailed away from Salvador and started our 9 day trip across the Atlantic to Cape Town, South Africa.
Overall I found Salvador Brazil to be great in some aspects and not so great in others. I loved the spirit of the Brazilians during the soccer game and Carnival; however, I felt uncomfortable at times because of the high rate of crime. At one point I saw a man get mugged (had his cell phone ripped out of his hand), and I myself almost had my purse taken. Luckily I only heard minor stories like these and we all got back to the ship safely. I also found the structure of the city to be very different. Salvador is comprised of really rich people who live in skyscraper apartment buildings and very very poor people who live in slums called Favelas. The slums are directly next to the nice skyscrapers and visa versa. Although I know there is a middle class I did not find that they were prominent at all like in America. I was also really impressed with myself when I was able to bargain with the locals who only spoke Portuguese with my high school Spanish that I thought I had completely forgot.
If and when I come back to Brazil I definitely want to go to Rio de Janeiro instead of Salvador. From my friend’s pictures and stories I think they had a deeper connection with Brazil as a country than I did from staying in Salvador. However I am so grateful that I was able to experience the last day of Carnival, which was by far my favorite part of the week. Who else can say they have literally been to the biggest party in the entire world proven by Guinness world records?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Puerto Rico
I have always thought of Puerto Rico as a great vacation spot- a fun and relaxing getaway. When looking at the itinerary of this trip before I left I overlooked the possibilities of Puerto Rico. I have been to Puerto Rico a couple times before and each time I have gone I've had a good time, but did not feel immersed in a different culture or a new society. I didn't think this time would be much different.
We arrived in San Juan on Saturday morning at 8am. As I waited for my ID number to be called to be cleared from customs, I felt anxious to get off the ship and step on ground for the first time in three days. After my friends and I were all finally cleared we left the port and took a 20 minute walk down to Old San Juan where we visited all of the old forts that were built to keep trespassers out of the island hundreds of years ago. We hiked up the fort's cobblestone steps and took tons of pictures of the historical site. One of my new friends, Rudy, is originally from Puerto Rico (although he was raised in and now lives in Boston), so he knew how to get around and where to go which was nice because without him we probably would have gotten lost a couple times. He took us into the town of San Juan where we ate lunch at a Puerto Rican restaurant and shopped for a while. Some girls went into the famous Coach outlet store but I chose to stay away from the “American-ness” of that and instead went into a small souvenir shop where I made the decision to collect a snow-globe, a piece of art, and a CD from each country I visit though out this voyage. After a long day of walking and touring the city, my friends and I came back to the ship where we had dinner and relaxed for the night.
The next day we got up at 10am to go on a Canopy Tour in the rainforest. We took a 20 minute bus ride to the rainforest where we met up with our tour guides and were strapped into harnesses, ropes, and carabineers. We hiked up a hill then got to our first zipline. Everyone was really nervous at first, but I of course got right up there and was one of the first people to go. I have to admit I was a little scared at first, but after the first zipline held up while I flew through the forest I knew I would be fine for the rest of the tour. We swung from tree to tree and made a full circle when we ended up back at the beginning about an hour and a half later. The zip lines ranged from about 20 feet off the ground to 70 feet which was pretty awesome. After the Canopy tour we headed back to to ship where we got our computers to go find an internet café.
I was proud of myself for not going online for an entire week (I think the facebook addiction is slowly going away). It was nice to get a couple emails from people back at home. Although it made me a little homesick it was great to hear that everyone is doing well (keep sending them hint hint). After we got back from the internet café we showered and got ready to go out that night. My friends and I walked around San Juan and found some cool places to hang out for a couple hours, but after such a long day of ziplining through the forest and walking around the town we headed back to the ship fairly early.
On Monday we all slept in and after eating breakfast on the ship decided to take a taxi to the beach. We sunbathed on the beach, played in the ocean and ate ice cream all afternoon until we had to leave to get back on the ship. We got back to the ship around 6pm and watched the sunset over the city of San Juan while waiting to take off. The ship left the port at 11pm last night and we started our 7 day trip down to Salvador, Brazil.
Overall, Puerto Rico was so much more than I expected. I felt immersed in the culture and think that I experienced three of the island's most important things- Old San Juan, the rainforest, and of course, the fun and relaxing beach.
We arrived in San Juan on Saturday morning at 8am. As I waited for my ID number to be called to be cleared from customs, I felt anxious to get off the ship and step on ground for the first time in three days. After my friends and I were all finally cleared we left the port and took a 20 minute walk down to Old San Juan where we visited all of the old forts that were built to keep trespassers out of the island hundreds of years ago. We hiked up the fort's cobblestone steps and took tons of pictures of the historical site. One of my new friends, Rudy, is originally from Puerto Rico (although he was raised in and now lives in Boston), so he knew how to get around and where to go which was nice because without him we probably would have gotten lost a couple times. He took us into the town of San Juan where we ate lunch at a Puerto Rican restaurant and shopped for a while. Some girls went into the famous Coach outlet store but I chose to stay away from the “American-ness” of that and instead went into a small souvenir shop where I made the decision to collect a snow-globe, a piece of art, and a CD from each country I visit though out this voyage. After a long day of walking and touring the city, my friends and I came back to the ship where we had dinner and relaxed for the night.
The next day we got up at 10am to go on a Canopy Tour in the rainforest. We took a 20 minute bus ride to the rainforest where we met up with our tour guides and were strapped into harnesses, ropes, and carabineers. We hiked up a hill then got to our first zipline. Everyone was really nervous at first, but I of course got right up there and was one of the first people to go. I have to admit I was a little scared at first, but after the first zipline held up while I flew through the forest I knew I would be fine for the rest of the tour. We swung from tree to tree and made a full circle when we ended up back at the beginning about an hour and a half later. The zip lines ranged from about 20 feet off the ground to 70 feet which was pretty awesome. After the Canopy tour we headed back to to ship where we got our computers to go find an internet café.
I was proud of myself for not going online for an entire week (I think the facebook addiction is slowly going away). It was nice to get a couple emails from people back at home. Although it made me a little homesick it was great to hear that everyone is doing well (keep sending them hint hint). After we got back from the internet café we showered and got ready to go out that night. My friends and I walked around San Juan and found some cool places to hang out for a couple hours, but after such a long day of ziplining through the forest and walking around the town we headed back to the ship fairly early.
On Monday we all slept in and after eating breakfast on the ship decided to take a taxi to the beach. We sunbathed on the beach, played in the ocean and ate ice cream all afternoon until we had to leave to get back on the ship. We got back to the ship around 6pm and watched the sunset over the city of San Juan while waiting to take off. The ship left the port at 11pm last night and we started our 7 day trip down to Salvador, Brazil.
Overall, Puerto Rico was so much more than I expected. I felt immersed in the culture and think that I experienced three of the island's most important things- Old San Juan, the rainforest, and of course, the fun and relaxing beach.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Getting My Sea-Legs
I am sitting in my small cabin, three days into what everyone is calling “the journey of my lifetime”. As you know from my past entry, change is hard for me…and this situation has been no exception.
(sorry this entry is so long…I will get better at not rambling and will also post pictures soon to make it more interesting)
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