Monday, October 11, 2010
Location: Casablanca, Morocco!
Greeted by dust, heat, and humidity we stepped off the gangway in Casablanca, Morocco! 12 short hours since departing Spain, there was no time to recharge or reflect-just onto the next adventure. Such, it seems, is the life of a Semester at Sea student. And so we had made it to port number 2! First stop on our Moroccan agenda- Mosque Hassan II, Casablanca’s main attraction and one of the largest mosques in Morocco (and maybe the world? I’m so uninformed). It was incredible to say the least. Immense in size and ornately decorated with tiles in bright colors and geometric patterns, it was truly a sight to behold. Its backside was actually a pier, bordering the ocean- the waves crashed on red rocks while gaggles of men and children (boys only of course) swam and sunbathed. They showed their courage with daring leaps off the pier’s edge into the murky waters below. We were soon befriended by a group of local boys- they couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11 years old but there they were attempting to start up conversations with a group of American students who didn’t speak Arabic or French. Eventually, through a series of improvised sign language conversations, we exchanged names. They laughed at our attempts at French, told me I had shiny teeth, and asked us to take their pictures on our huge cameras hanging awkwardly around our necks in that certain way that just screams ‘unfortunate tourist.’ Soon it was time for us to leave- what had started as a group of 4 boys had quickly turned into a mod of 25 swarming around us, asking for food or money, and giving us their phone numbers. We decided it was probably smartest for us to move into the mosque courtyard and away from the chaos filled pier. One of the original boys, whose name I can’t remember but who wore a yellow polo shirt and a red baseball cap, hugged me tight and asked me to take him back to America with me. A little heartbroken, we moved onto the mosque where even it’s grand scale and beauty couldn’t push the thoughts of the young boys from my mind. How different a place we had landed in- from the streets of Sevilla to this mysterious mosque in Morocco. Where kids spend their days in garbage filled water and play along the edges of cliffs. Where women peer at these strange American girls through veils and where we are told not to make eye contact with people we pass on the streets. Certainly a bit of a culture shock and certainly slightly scary but tomorrow I’m onto Marrakech and a whole new adventure ☺
Monday, September 20, 2010
Location: Sevilla, Espana!
[Still catching up on the blog! Will be updating soon about the rest of Spain and then Morocco! Traveling for 13 days straight makes internet access hard to come by! More soon, I promise!]
September 5th and 6th : (Continuation of our first night in Spain) After a lovely dinner of pizza and enchiladas (not very Spanish, but very delicious!) we headed over to some bars around our restaurant to grab a few drinks with some fellow NU-ers studying in Sevilla. After realizing that these small bars weren’t the best places for conversations we decided to head to the hilariously named discoteque Elefunk (glorious, I know.) A quick pit stop for a shot of vodka and directions from a few Spanish workers and we arrived at Elefunk just as Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” began pounding from the speakers (I signify this as a sure sign of a good night). A few drinks later, we parted from the tired few of our group and continued on to an after hours, locals-only flamenco bar across the river. The band was incredible and as the patrons clapped along and began dancing, there was no doubt that this was the real deal. After acquiring 2 very aggressive Spanish men stalkers we decided it was time to head home at the very Spanish hour of 5AM!
Day 2 in Espana: We awoke soon after 11am-extremely thirsty and desperate for a toothbrush (sure signs of a morning after). After hydrating and dental hygeining we headed out into the city once again. Finally finding the cathedral we so desperately searched for the previous day, we got a wonderful view of the upside to the Catholic Church. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets, taking photos, and eventually ending up sunbathing on our hostel’s rooftop terrace. In a very European move, we befriended a fellow traveler, an Australian named Dave, and two hours of chatting later we had agreed to accompany him to a bull fight! How very Sevillian of us, no? When in the bullfighting capital of the world…GO. So with our new Australian mate and his 2 Australian roommates, we ventured off to witness a real live Sevillian bullfight. Fun fact: Bullfighting = not as romantic as you might think. I mean sure I like a man in tight pants as much as the next girl but watching 4 animals being stabbed to death proved slightly harder to stomach than previously imagined. While I can see the cultural value and the incredible skill the sport possesses and exemplifies, I can safely say that’s gonna be my last bullfight for awhile.
After experiencing such violent and heinous acts as stabbing animals with spears, we were obviously hungry. So off we headed to a highly recommended tapas bar. The place was packed (always a good sign) with mostly locals (an even better sign) so we expected some good eats. And good eats we found as we feasted on beef with port sauce, roasted bell peppers, fried potatoes, steak with chili sauce, and authentic Spanish cheesecake coupled with a few cervecas, of course. The damage of the feat- a measly 8 euros a piece! So with both wallets and stomachs full we headed out for some nightlife, wandering for awhile before we found bar Berlin and at 12am became it’s first patrons of the evening (those Spaniards don’t start the party until LATE). The rest of the night was spent talking, laughing, and imitating YouTube videos until the wee hours of the morn. A truly authentic Spanish day filled with good friends, great food, and a few dead bulls!
September 5th and 6th : (Continuation of our first night in Spain) After a lovely dinner of pizza and enchiladas (not very Spanish, but very delicious!) we headed over to some bars around our restaurant to grab a few drinks with some fellow NU-ers studying in Sevilla. After realizing that these small bars weren’t the best places for conversations we decided to head to the hilariously named discoteque Elefunk (glorious, I know.) A quick pit stop for a shot of vodka and directions from a few Spanish workers and we arrived at Elefunk just as Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” began pounding from the speakers (I signify this as a sure sign of a good night). A few drinks later, we parted from the tired few of our group and continued on to an after hours, locals-only flamenco bar across the river. The band was incredible and as the patrons clapped along and began dancing, there was no doubt that this was the real deal. After acquiring 2 very aggressive Spanish men stalkers we decided it was time to head home at the very Spanish hour of 5AM!
Day 2 in Espana: We awoke soon after 11am-extremely thirsty and desperate for a toothbrush (sure signs of a morning after). After hydrating and dental hygeining we headed out into the city once again. Finally finding the cathedral we so desperately searched for the previous day, we got a wonderful view of the upside to the Catholic Church. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets, taking photos, and eventually ending up sunbathing on our hostel’s rooftop terrace. In a very European move, we befriended a fellow traveler, an Australian named Dave, and two hours of chatting later we had agreed to accompany him to a bull fight! How very Sevillian of us, no? When in the bullfighting capital of the world…GO. So with our new Australian mate and his 2 Australian roommates, we ventured off to witness a real live Sevillian bullfight. Fun fact: Bullfighting = not as romantic as you might think. I mean sure I like a man in tight pants as much as the next girl but watching 4 animals being stabbed to death proved slightly harder to stomach than previously imagined. While I can see the cultural value and the incredible skill the sport possesses and exemplifies, I can safely say that’s gonna be my last bullfight for awhile.
After experiencing such violent and heinous acts as stabbing animals with spears, we were obviously hungry. So off we headed to a highly recommended tapas bar. The place was packed (always a good sign) with mostly locals (an even better sign) so we expected some good eats. And good eats we found as we feasted on beef with port sauce, roasted bell peppers, fried potatoes, steak with chili sauce, and authentic Spanish cheesecake coupled with a few cervecas, of course. The damage of the feat- a measly 8 euros a piece! So with both wallets and stomachs full we headed out for some nightlife, wandering for awhile before we found bar Berlin and at 12am became it’s first patrons of the evening (those Spaniards don’t start the party until LATE). The rest of the night was spent talking, laughing, and imitating YouTube videos until the wee hours of the morn. A truly authentic Spanish day filled with good friends, great food, and a few dead bulls!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Location: Sevilla, España
September 4th - We have finally arrived in port! After 7 long days at sea crossing the Atlantic (and avoiding two hurricanes!), it is wonderful to be on solid ground again. We arrived in Cadiz bright and early this morning. It was a pretty wonderful feeling waking up and seeing land outside of our windows instead of endless waves. I ate breakfast while watching the sunrise over the beautiful city of Cadiz.
Having already packed our backpacks in anticipation the night before Jill and I (have I mentioned Jill yet? She´s my roomate, she´s awesome, we love her.) awaited our passports and promptly headed to the train station. After waiting in line with quite possibly every other SAS student, we got our tickets and beelined it for the cerveceria for a beer and espresso (LEGALIZED DRINKING IS FUN!) The train ride was comfortable and short, clocking in at just under two and a half hours, and we arrived in beautiful Sevilla before we knew it. Bidding adios to our SAS compatriots, we set off- Two girls. Two backpacks. 1 very unhelpful map. And no definite destination...Two hours, two hilariously unhelpful Spanish men, and 4 very sore legs later...We still have no idea where we are. WE JUST WANT TO GET TO THE CATHEDRAL! EL CENTRO, ANYONE??? INGLES POR FAVOR?? Okay, I exaggerate slightly but you get it- definitely an adventure. After a little more wandering and a few more poor attempts at excersizing our (very rusty) Spanish langauge skills we find ourselves in the Plaza de España. Now I still don´t know why this building was built, who built it, or what it is or was used for but DAMN is it pretty (see picture above for proof). And guess what else? It marks the first landmark that our map actually shows! DOUBLE WIN!! Now that we know where we are it proves much simpler to find the general city center and grab a bite to eat before meeting up with my wonderful friend Gaby who is studying abroad in Sevilla for the next 3.5 months.
Now. Seeing a friendly face anywhere is great. But seeing a best friend, in a foreign city, after 7 days on a ship with 800 complete strangers might just be one of the best feelings in the world. Having that friend both find and escort you to an adorable hostel (from which I am typing this blog post, free internet WHAT UP) in a great neighborhood of said foreign city is simply above and beyond. A little taste of home goes a long way in an experience like this and seeing one of my nearest and dearest Northwestern friends provided me with a much needed energy boost after our accidental walking tour of the outskirts of Sevilla. Couple that with the fact that I have been reunited with a little wonder called BBM and this world traveller is one happy camper. After a brief but refreshing rest at our hostel, we ventured back out to meet up with another wonderful NU friend, Alexandra! We soon found ourselves sharing a pitcher of sangria and exchanging stories about sororities, internships, and the glories of being employed by Abercrombie&Fitch. And now I must run because we are meeting for tapas! I need to make up for the usual ship food!
Love from Sevilla,
Tracey
Note to readers: While in port I will be writting blog entries in my journal and then trascribing them when I can so I´m going to start labelling each post as the day they were written as opposed to the day they are posted online! Keep reading!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Location: Still the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean
Classes have begun!
Hmm…I think I forgot about the whole academic aspect of this program…classes? Homework? Reading? It’s true, folks, it seems as though I will, in fact, be taking classes out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Did I mention Northwestern doesn’t accept credit from Semester at Sea? Seems as though I will, in fact, be taking classes out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for zero recognition back home in Evanston. Well here’s the good news—my schedule is far from rigorous. We are required to take 4 classes (12 academic credits) on the MV Explorer- one of which is required for all students. This is Global Studies- a kind of historical/political look at the world, globalization, and each of the individual countries we will be visiting. As the professor puts it, the class is like “waterskiing,” just barely skimming the surface of each topic and nation we address. Very cool and useful in theory but waking up in time for the 9:20 lecture is slightly harder than previously imagined (Have I told you guys about the time changes yet? We lose an hour almost every night we are at sea. COOL.) Directly after that I have Global Music- pretty self-explanatory, I think. Today we studied Flamenco music in preparation for our first port of Cadiz, Spain which was really amazing. Hopefully my trip to Sevilla will include some sort of Flamenco performance! After Global Music, a short 4 hour beak until my next class of World Short Stories. In this class we will be reading short stories from each of the places we are travelling to and discussing them in our small class of only 14 students. The professor is super friendly and engaging so that is a class I’m really looking forward to going to every week. So that is my A-day (today is A2, the second day of A classes). Here at sea, there are no days of the week. No weekdays, no weekends just A and B days. Aka we take classes for a week straight and then get off at port for a 5 day vacation. So my other ½ of days at sea consist of a single class- Introduction to Theatre. It happens to start my day off at 4pm, giving me ample time to wake up at 11:30, eat lunch, watch an obscene amount of Friday Night Lights, lay out, do homework (in theory), answer e-mails, and write blog posts in the sunshine. Can you tell this rigorous academic life is getting to me? So that is basically a day at sea. A lot of down time + a little class time = one very happy Tracey at Sea.
Speaking of being happy, one thing that makes me EXTRA happy is getting e-mails from all my friends and family stateside! So e-mail me at tscook@semesteratsea.net and I promise you a prompt reply while at sea!
Love,
Tracey
Countdown to Espana: 4 days!
Hmm…I think I forgot about the whole academic aspect of this program…classes? Homework? Reading? It’s true, folks, it seems as though I will, in fact, be taking classes out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Did I mention Northwestern doesn’t accept credit from Semester at Sea? Seems as though I will, in fact, be taking classes out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for zero recognition back home in Evanston. Well here’s the good news—my schedule is far from rigorous. We are required to take 4 classes (12 academic credits) on the MV Explorer- one of which is required for all students. This is Global Studies- a kind of historical/political look at the world, globalization, and each of the individual countries we will be visiting. As the professor puts it, the class is like “waterskiing,” just barely skimming the surface of each topic and nation we address. Very cool and useful in theory but waking up in time for the 9:20 lecture is slightly harder than previously imagined (Have I told you guys about the time changes yet? We lose an hour almost every night we are at sea. COOL.) Directly after that I have Global Music- pretty self-explanatory, I think. Today we studied Flamenco music in preparation for our first port of Cadiz, Spain which was really amazing. Hopefully my trip to Sevilla will include some sort of Flamenco performance! After Global Music, a short 4 hour beak until my next class of World Short Stories. In this class we will be reading short stories from each of the places we are travelling to and discussing them in our small class of only 14 students. The professor is super friendly and engaging so that is a class I’m really looking forward to going to every week. So that is my A-day (today is A2, the second day of A classes). Here at sea, there are no days of the week. No weekdays, no weekends just A and B days. Aka we take classes for a week straight and then get off at port for a 5 day vacation. So my other ½ of days at sea consist of a single class- Introduction to Theatre. It happens to start my day off at 4pm, giving me ample time to wake up at 11:30, eat lunch, watch an obscene amount of Friday Night Lights, lay out, do homework (in theory), answer e-mails, and write blog posts in the sunshine. Can you tell this rigorous academic life is getting to me? So that is basically a day at sea. A lot of down time + a little class time = one very happy Tracey at Sea.
Speaking of being happy, one thing that makes me EXTRA happy is getting e-mails from all my friends and family stateside! So e-mail me at tscook@semesteratsea.net and I promise you a prompt reply while at sea!
Love,
Tracey
Countdown to Espana: 4 days!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Location: Middle of the Atlantic Ocean
First Full Day on the Ship! Orientation and lots of it, meetings started at 9am to discuss all of the dos and don’ts of living on the MV Explorer. It introduced us (the voyagers by numbers)- 603 students, 27 international students, 12 countries, 15 port cities, and 50+ faculty and staff make up our on-ship community. BY THE WAY, I’M NOT ALLOWED TO CALL IT A BOAT. IT IS A SHIP. SORRY IM NOT SORRY. So the SHIP is really cool but quite confusing with it’s forward and aft, portside and starboardside, and not exactly clear map and sign system but I’m trying my best to find my way around. Being here is nerve-wracking and exciting and surreal. I really cannot believe that I will be living on this ship for 4 whole months. The constant rocking (which got especially bad last night—oh hey did I mention there are two hurricanes that we are trying to go BETWEEN) makes me sleepy as I am supposed to be paying attention to on-board safety procedures. I can’t believe I’m actually here and that SAS is finally happening. I especially can’t believe that I will be in ESPANA in a week!!
I already feel a little changed being here and it’s becoming more and more obvious how truly special this program is. I already know I could never explain this boat to someone- what it feels like to have the Atlantic Ocean as your backyard, to look out the window and see nothing but endless waves (BIG WAVES), to have the ocean rock you to sleep every night. Life is different here- you say hi to everyone you pass in the halls, you sit at a random table at lunch and in class, introducing yourself to whoever’s around, you continually repeat your hometown, college, and major just like freshman year Welcome Week. But it’s not the same as meeting people that you know you will go to school with. Because these people on the ship…these people are the ones you are going to go to school with, and live with, and eat with, and see the freaking world with and it’s definitely a whole world of possibilities with each new person you meet.
So then you sit a lot and listen a lot about safety and drinking and field programs and community. And you are bored and sleepy from the waves that you aren’t quite sure you’ll ever get used to. And right when you are about to fall asleep in your chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu strides up to the podium. (Did I mention we’ll be travelling with an archbishop for 4 months? And that he walks around and wears t-shirts and jeans like the rest of us?). And then Desmond Tutu- the man who changed the face of Africa and the world through his fight against apartheid- tells you that YOU inspire HIM! That young people leave him in awe. He tells you that you CAN change the world. That your belief that we can end world hunger and poverty ARE attainable. He tells you not to ever believe that you can’t do whatever it is you set your mind to. And so it is a good day.
I hope the feeling I had after he spoke stays with me in each new country I visit and with each new experience that this voyage brings me because I always want to feel that way. Full of hope and promise and trust that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
I already feel a little changed being here and it’s becoming more and more obvious how truly special this program is. I already know I could never explain this boat to someone- what it feels like to have the Atlantic Ocean as your backyard, to look out the window and see nothing but endless waves (BIG WAVES), to have the ocean rock you to sleep every night. Life is different here- you say hi to everyone you pass in the halls, you sit at a random table at lunch and in class, introducing yourself to whoever’s around, you continually repeat your hometown, college, and major just like freshman year Welcome Week. But it’s not the same as meeting people that you know you will go to school with. Because these people on the ship…these people are the ones you are going to go to school with, and live with, and eat with, and see the freaking world with and it’s definitely a whole world of possibilities with each new person you meet.
So then you sit a lot and listen a lot about safety and drinking and field programs and community. And you are bored and sleepy from the waves that you aren’t quite sure you’ll ever get used to. And right when you are about to fall asleep in your chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu strides up to the podium. (Did I mention we’ll be travelling with an archbishop for 4 months? And that he walks around and wears t-shirts and jeans like the rest of us?). And then Desmond Tutu- the man who changed the face of Africa and the world through his fight against apartheid- tells you that YOU inspire HIM! That young people leave him in awe. He tells you that you CAN change the world. That your belief that we can end world hunger and poverty ARE attainable. He tells you not to ever believe that you can’t do whatever it is you set your mind to. And so it is a good day.
I hope the feeling I had after he spoke stays with me in each new country I visit and with each new experience that this voyage brings me because I always want to feel that way. Full of hope and promise and trust that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Location: Tampa, Florida
1 boat, 109 days, 11 countries, 16 port cities and one big adventure to go.
"Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't belive in magic will never find it."
Roald Dahl
More information about the Semester at Sea Fall Voyage can be found here!
http://www.semesteratsea.org/current-voyage/overview/
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