South Africa: SAFARI.

So, I went to sleep around 3am. Thank goodness I packed before I went to sleep. I had to wake up around 5:15am because I was supposed to be in the dining hall by 5:30am because we were to get on our bus to the airport at 6am. Well, woke up at 5:40. Freaked out a little bit, but I knew that I was fine. I threw on some clothes and while I was gathering everything I got a phone call! They told me to get on upstairs! So, I made it, grabbed a croissant for the road, and headed down to the bus.

Once on the bus and sitting comfortably next to Lauren Gray (who was my best friend on this trip! We had SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER!) they begin to call roll. Well, we knew there was a problem when they called some names that were not on the bus and didn’t call the names of people who were on the bus! Thank goodness my name was called! Ended up that the communication between the field office and the South African Tour Company had some major flaws. You might think this would be no big deal, but there were two different groups. One bus was to leave at 6am (my group) to catch our 8am flight, and the other half was to leave at 8am to catch their 10am flight. Well, there were people who had tickets on the 8am flight who had been told by the field office that they were on the later flight! Ahh! And you know, that you can’t just trade airline tickets! So, the field office had to call the 5 people who were still sleeping, not planning to get up for another hour or two – and told them to get down to the bus in 5 MINUTES! I felt sooooo bad for them! Miraculously they made it! Frazzled and still half-asleep they trudged onto the bus and we were off! I was amazed that the people who had to get off our bus because they were on the later flight complained more than the ones who were woken up and told to make it down to the bus in minutes! Probably because the people who had to get off of our bus were still drunk from the night before. Embarrassing.

After that little mix up, we finally made it to the airport and scurried to catch our flight. We flew to Johannesburg to connect to the Kruger Mpumalanga Airport. The flight to Kruger was on a small plane shaking the whole way! I loved it – made for a little adventure!

Once we landed, we hopped on a bus to drive to our lodge. The drive was beautiful. The landscape was a combination of small little towns, tall forests, and banana farms! So many banana farms! It took about an hour before we got to the lodge – which was beautiful! I was so excited to find out that Lauren was my roommate by chance (or, well, by “G” last names). Our room was nice – mainly because we each had huge queen size beds with four incredible pillows! It was heaven after sleeping so much in our little twins on board! The best moment was when we discovered that we could watch the Disney channel in our room! Oh, the comforts of home that we had not even realized we missed so much!

We threw our stuff on our beds and headed to grab out lunch. Just like everything had been on this trip so far – the food was FANTASTIC! Absolutely delicious. I do have to admit that South African cuisine surprised me. I think after Morocco and Ghana – where the food did not always agree with me – I was not expecting much here either. The combination of my low expectations and the actual high quality of every meal makes South Africa the prize winner of “Port with the best food,” – at least up to this point!

After swallowing our last bit of food, we went to grab our stuff out of the room for an evening game drive! I was incredibly excited to be able to wear my khaki safari shirt! So, thinking that I looked all official, we headed outside to hop in a vehicle! We tried to get in the vehicle that was not very crowded. It worked out perfect because each vehicle held 9 people, but we only had 6 in ours – so everyone was able to sit by the side and have their own unobstructed view of the bush!

Then, the best part happened. Our ranger. His name was John, he was 23, grew up in Kruger National Park because his parents helped create walking trails within the park. He knew everything about the animals, insects, trees, and especially the birds! It was a lot of fun to have him as our guide! I think I developed a little crush.

The evening game drive was really fun! We started out stopping to see the impala that were everywhere! They reminded me of the deer that overpopulate the US! John promised the next day we would not even think twice about them when we came upon them – he was right. The following day we ignored the poor little impala.

That evening we also saw huge elephants, a family of baboons, guinea fowl (this crazy bird with a blue head), a lioness basking on the setting sun, and a white rhino! No giraffes yet, but absolutely incredible to see these animals up-close and in their real habitat.

We had to get out of the park by 6pm. So, back to the lodge for a pleasant dinner outside. I enjoyed my conversations with different students that evening. I think that one benefit of taking a Semester at Sea planned trip is the fact that you are able to get to know people on a deeper level than just recognizing their face.

We decided to talk a stroll after dinner around the resort – so that we could burn of a little bit of dinner! But, before we got too far, this guy (who was staying at the lodge with his family for vacation) stopped us to point out a baby owl his family had seen fall from its nest a few hours earlier. They had picked up the poor little owl and set it up in the tree, but it had not moved and the mother had not come back. I felt so bad for the little baby!

That was about all the excitement for the evening. Everyone was pretty exhausted from waking up at the crack of dawn to catch our flight – and the next day we were to start our game drive at 5:30am! Wow.

Slept so well in the plush queen size bed, that it was really difficult to wake up the next morning. Yet, I was really excited to spend an entire day looking for animals and hopefully spotting a giraffe!

The day started off well, as John was our ranger once again. We got started and immediately a GIRAFFE! In case you didn’t know, I love giraffes. I think they are such interesting and beautiful creatures! We continued on to see warthogs, buffalo, hippopotamus, vultures, more lions (eating their kill!), kudu, a rock monitor, stienbach, birds of all kinds, and John’s favorite: the honey badger. This little creature is rarely seen. Last time our ranger had seen one was January, so it was quite an ordeal! It is deemed one of the most fearless creatures alive! How about that!? If you are curious, here’s more info: HONEY BADGER.

So, the day went well. We saw a ton of animals. We enjoyed our lunch at a nice picnic area inside the park, drove for the afternoon, and then returned to the lodge around 4pm. I wanted so badly to go swimming, or explore the resort, but my body only wanted to sleep. I went and took a nap. Big surprise there. But, the beds were SO COMFORTABLE that I did not regret missing out on swimming or anything else. Dinner, again, was quite tasty, and the evening was filled with nice conversation late into the night.

Once again, we were up at 5:30 to get out and about on our last game drive. This morning we were not so successful at seeing the animals. No vehicle had any luck. It was a cooler morning, so it was like the animals were all still sleeping, and we were the only ones awake! We did end up seeing a very nice white rhino plop down into a puddle for a bath. That two ton creature is quite a spectacle!

After about 3 hours we returned to the lodge to grab our luggage and head back to the airport. Lauren and I were sad to go – we had enjoyed this trip so much!

Thank goodness the flight back was a straight flight. It was about 2 and a half hours – time that I had intended to be productive and accomplish some schoolwork. Once again, though, no surprises that I fell fast asleep.

The safari was a great experience. I know that it is a bit touristy, but I truly enjoyed being able to see a bit of wildlife and get outside the city. Thinking back, I really loved laughing so much with Lauren, asking John questions about the trees and animals around us, having late night conversations with people I didn’t know well beforehand, and seeing wildlife in action! I loved the fresh air I breathed every morning, the stars that shown so brightly at night, and most of all the vast African sky. It really is a big blue sky here in South African. Something to take in, and take home in your memory.

Skipping to South Africa

I will be writing about Morocco and Ghana soon - there is so much to tell about these countries! But, since we are JUST leaving Cape Town, South Africa - I'm going to write while it is all fresh! Here we go!

Back on the ship. Absolutely frozen at the moment after standing outside for the past hour as I watch us pull away from South Africa – yet, I am completely content as I sit here listening to some amazing African a capella and rocking with the rise and fall of the ship. I can take this rocking when I am sitting or laying down to sleep, but when I am walking from place to place I take one step, feeling like I am walking in thin air, as if I weigh 2 pounds and my head is so light it is floating in the clouds – and then this feeling is countered by a step in which I become overwhelmed with gravitational pull, suddenly I feel like the 2 ton rhino I saw three days ago in Kruger National Park!!

So, that explains the conditions in which I write, but with the thoughts of South Africa - its people, its wildlife, its controversy - swarming through all of my thoughts, nausea is trivial.

I woke up six days ago at 6:30 to see the ship approaching Cape Town. It was incredible – breathtaking, actually. No picture I took or has ever been taken of this place could do what was in front of me a bit justice. The sun rising, sky glowing and water rushing below me, Table Mountain dominated the skyline, standing as a great natural beauty amidst a sprawling city. The plan was to climb that big ole mountain. Conquer it right from the start. Table Mountain – I’m not scared of you.

Laurel and I stood outside for about 20 minutes, until we returned to our warm beds for another hour of shut eye. Then, I got up to make it to breakfast before 8:30 (because they shut down the breakfast line at 8:30 – can you say FRUSTRATING!??? – at least stay open until 9:00… please?). Regardless – I made it to breakfast. Sat down with the ladies I was planning to make the big hike with that day. I decided to make use of the travel savvy clothing I purchased at Eddie Bauer this summer – so I came to breakfast sporting the cargo shorts down to the knees. Super sexy.

The ship didn’t clear until 10:00am! Tymitz Square (which is where we were all waiting to get off the ship) was PACKED with SAS students! I don’t think we have been this anxious to get off the ship EVER. We all had a major case of cabin fever – and we were DYING to get off this ship! Watch out Cape Town – 520 students going crazy on this floating university and ready to take over your city!

We were set with Clif bars, water bottles, extra layers, and some Rand for a taxi. We arrived at the base of the trail. Platteklip Gorge was before us. The first route ever taken up the mountain in 1503. Ready, set, go.

Carley started to run up the stairs before us, but before long she realized this hike wasn’t going to be about rushing up the steep slope. Our hearts started pumping, our leg muscles were getting a work out! The climb took us about 2 hours. We started with a group of about 12 hiking together, but about 20 minutes into the hike we figured out who wanted to go what pace up the mountain – and our groups slimmed down to about 3 people in a cluster! Carley, Charis and I kept a decent rhythm while hiking, but we had to take our share of rest breaks! This mountain was a steep climb with no trees to shade – so the direct sunlight of midday was killer!

It was funny to see all the Semester at Sea kids climbing the mountain! One group passed us with music pumping to keep them going. Others were racing up the mountain! While others had to turn around, and take the cable car up to the top.

Carley, Charis, and I finally made it to the summit! It felt SO GOOD! The views were spectacular! (I’ll post pictures in about a week when I’m in Mauritius!) We walked around taking pictures, staring off into the big blue ocean meeting the African sky. What a scene!

After exploring the top of Table Mountain (which is flat – so you can walk all over the top of the mountain!), we went to the Table Mountain Restaurant to get some well deserved lunch! We all opted for a juicy cheeseburger to satisfy our taste buds! It hit the spot. We sat outside chatting, allowing our meals to digest. After about an hour we decided to take the cable car down. I think it would have been more fun to hike back down, but we wanted some time that afternoon to explore other parts of Cape Town.

The cable car was way too quick for my taste. It made me realize that it really is just for transportation up the mountain and not really for the opportunity to take photos. At the bottom, we hopped in a taxi shuttle to get back to the Waterfront (which is beautiful – you should check it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_%26_Alfred_Waterfront). The guys driving the van shared some local mixed music with us girls. It was really fun to enjoy the music and laugh all the way back to the ship.

Once we were back inside the Waterfront we decided to go for some ice cream. After savoring a scoop of some Haagen-Dazs, we explored some of the shopping in the area. We went into a store to look around, when the man working at the place started chatting with us. He wanted to know about Semester at Sea and what we were studying and wanted to do in our lives. Before we knew it, all 4 girls (Carley, Charis, Olivia, and I) were encircling this man, discussing our lives, politics, world cultures, our talents and dreams! It was really fascinating. I have found in both Ghanaians and South Africans a strong desire to learn, ask questions, and seek out opportunities. It is refreshing to meet people who are not just studying to get through school, but who really are curious to know about the world and people around them.

After a while we finally made it back to the ship to get ready for an evening out on the town! All dressed up, we went out for dinner and ended up at this restaurant serving everything from pasta and pizza to fish and steak. I ended up with a pumpkin ravioli that was DELICIOUS. Savoring not only the flavors of our meal, but also the sweetness of being together off the ship – we finished our dinner with good conversation and excitement for the rest of the night.

We caught a cab to Long Street – which reminded me a lot of New Orleans. There were people everywhere. We hopped around – seeing eager Semester at Sea kids everywhere. At one place called Mama Africa’s there was a great marimba band playing. Another place we went was PACKED with people. Almost no fun because you literally could not push your way through without getting awkward stares and grabs! Not too much later we called it a night and went back to the ship. I had to get up at 5am the next morning to leave for my safari in Kruger National Park!

I was back in the cabin late! I quickly packed before I went to bed in case I overslept (like the morning Ruthie and I didn’t get up for Nicaragua in time…) – and then proceeded to get about 2 hours of shut eye. Good thing there were plane rides to sleep on the next day.

Keep on Keeping On.

UPDATES:

1. If it is not already obvious to you, I am struggling to keep up with the pace of this trip. I have already been to Spain, Morocco, and Ghana and I am still telling you stories from Spain! Yikes! The plan is for me to get to the point. So, I apologize if my stories are not as detailed in the future! I just HAVE TO get this stuff down! Mom wrote me an email the other night, “Please do catch us up with all your adventures on your blog.” In an effort to please not only my mother, but also friends and family I am going to put in some extra effort to share with you all my thoughts and experiences ASAP!
2. I hope that you enjoyed the photos posted earlier. I am afraid, though, it is not possible for me to post many more! I am only given so many minutes online – and uploading photos takes up too much time! (and if I run out I have to buy more minutes!) So, if I am in a port and get free Wi-Fi, I’ll be sure to upload as many photos as possible! But until then, you are stuck with just my words! Sorry!

So, onto my last few stories of Spain…

The Sights, Surprises, and Silliness of Sevilla

Oh, looking back on Sevilla now is quite funny to me. I was still so unfamiliar with what this semester was going to look like, who the people I was meeting really stood for, and what in the heck I was going to do while I was in Spain.

I somehow got a group together to go to Sevilla. Six of us – 3 girls (Lane, Laurel, and me) and 3 boys (David, Bryan – who went to Indian Springs, and Peter). It was the perfect number for us to be able to book our own room in a hostel. Yes, mom, I stayed overnight in a hostel. It had the best rating on hostelworld.com, so I felt pretty good about it! I figured out fast that this group was quite a hodge-podge! But we made it work – and it led to some interesting situations.

None of us woke up until 11:00am that next morning. We met for lunch here on the ship and then decided to hit the road! So, we walked to the bus station (a long WINDY walk that is) in Cadiz and bought round-trip tickets to Sevilla. Our bus didn’t leave until 3pm, so we scouted out an Internet café to help us waste some time. Finally 3 o’clock came and we piled onto the bus. (Reminds me of the first-year adventure to Washington DC with Ruthie, Margaret, Kaitlin, and Caroline on the GREYHOUND! Ha!) The bus ride was about an hour and a half of beautiful Mediterranean scenery – of course sprinkled with the occasional grouping of wind turbines. Lane and I sat toward the back, snoozing on and off the entire way. I attempted to journal, but sleeping is always too tempting.

We finally arrive around 5pm and hop in a taxi to get to our hostel. We are dropped off on this main street (not like the many NARROW streets that characterize the rest of the city) and are lost. In desperation I whip out some of my pathetic Spanish, and get the taxi driver to point us in the right direction. Turns out, the hostel was about a block away on the other side of the street. I guess my hostelworld.com expectations were too high – at least when it came to street appeal. We step inside the Samay Sevilla Hostel, greeted by our hippie front desk man, Kian. He was really nice. He helped us decide what to do around Seville and got all six of us in our own room. The inside of the hostel ended up being pretty nice. I felt like I had walked into Ikea. All the furniture was bright colored and simple. Felt clean and welcoming. So, we threw our stuff down in our room, freshened up a bit, and then started out on our adventure in Sevilla.

Kian mentioned that there was to be a bullfight that evening at 7pm. It was actually really lucky for us to be there when there was a bullfight because in September they only have three! My mom had somewhat prepared me for the blood and gore of this event, but I’m not sure that everyone else was ready for it.

Well, we started walking to the Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (the bull’s place of doom). It was very hot outside, but the scenery took our minds off of any discomfort. Seville is BEAUTIFUL! As the artistic and cultural capital of Andalusia, everything is worth pausing to take in. My only problem with sitting back and enjoying every bit of this picture perfect place, was I felt that because I had somewhat organized this trip that I was responsible for its success. Looking back, I realize this unnecessary pressure on myself may have made me a little bit uptight, but as the trip went on I definitely loosened up. Our group dynamic was so interesting – because it never just worked! We were all so different! It was a fantastic way, though, to learn about each other and it made us all realize how short of a period we had known one another.

Back to the story though, we get tickets to the bullfight. We buy the cheapest ones for 11 euro – but we will be sitting in the blistering sun. No big deal. I brought SPF 50 sunscreen. We went to go grab some tapas and water before coming back to the plaza at 7. The boys, though, wanted to go to McDonald’s. The girls could not believe it. So we let them go and wandered the streets by ourselves until 7. Arriving at the plaza, Lane and I purchased fans because it really was ridiculously hot. We scurried up the stairs to our seats, and then adjusted to another location out of the sun! Having fans with us made it so much better! Not only did it help to cool us down, but we also felt to Spanish! Corny, yes - but really fun.

The ceremony began. The first matador made his way out into the plaza. After teasing the bull with pink capes, horses, and yelling – the red cape finally was brought out. Blood was already streaming down the bull thanks to the several stabs from previous rounds. Thank goodness the bull was black or the impact of the gushing blood would have been even worse! The first matador was an amateur and did not kill the bull with one final stab but had to make several attempts. Finally, the bull fell. Then, a team of horses came out with a chain dragging behind them. The chain was attached to the bleeding bull – and was then mercilessly dragged out of the rink. What a sight.

Believe it or not I was okay with all of this. I know that the meat is eaten, and that this is not about brutally killing an animal, but the art form – the tradition and history that it holds. Kian, the guy at the hostel, suggested for us to read Ernest Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon in order to better understand the deeper meanings and beauty of the bullfight. Maybe I’ll get around to that one day. Caroline – you should add it to your reading list.

The bullfight was to continue five more rounds, each round with a more experienced matador. But, Lane was not comfortable. She was ready to go. So, Laurel, Lane, and I left the guys at the bullfight and decided to try and make a service at the Cathedral of Seville since it was a Sunday. Ends up that there was no service, so we just took plenty of photos. This Cathedral is gigantic! Its presence is simply astounding. There was a beautifully set restaurant across the way, so we checked out the menu, and decided that is where we wanted to return that night.

So, later on, after cleaning up and changing for the evening at the hostel, we went to eat dinner. The conversation sitting around the table can only be described by one word: immature. Two of the guys did not catch the hints to change the subject and pursued a topic that I would prefer not to discuss in one of the most beautifully set meals I had ever experienced. As Lane put it, we were eating dinner with 5th graders.

Regardless, it was beautiful. The food was good and we had a nice white wine with the meal. After dinner we walked through the warmly lit narrow streets of Seville – some of the most romantic places in the world are here in this city – I am sure of it. Even after experiencing Venice and Florence in the evening – Seville wins.

We ended up at a swanky, outdoor bar that was situated along the River Guadalquivir. Several Semester at Sea kids came in at once – somewhat embarrassing because every Spaniard there was staring at the site of American college students lining up at the bar. I took a back seat for a bit and just took in all that was around me. Then, I noticed that Peter had started talking to two guys. I went over to join the conversation. Turns out they were from Holland and on vacation for a few days. We ended up talking for a couple of hours about everything from American Politics to the importance of family and so much more! It was a great evening – some of the best conversation I have had on the entire trip. We were hoping to meet up with them the next day to walk around Seville a bit, but my phone wasn’t working. I received some messages from them, but I don’t think my phone was allowing me to send texts back. Disappointing, but at least we all enjoyed talking to the both of them that night.

The next day we went to the Cathedral again to walk through it. It is a gothic style cathedral – and the 3rd largest church in the world! Honestly is was pretty amazing. We climbed to the top of the tower and looked out over all of Sevilla. That afternoon we wandered around for a bit before catching the bus back to Cadiz.

The final day in Cadiz I met with my film documentary class to learn some tricks of how to go about filming in the countries. I absolutely love my professor for this class, Paul Wagner. He has actually received an Academy Award for one of his documentaries! The main thing I like about him as a teacher is that because he is not a professor at UVa, but just a resident of Charlottesville who does some stuff with the Media Studies department – he doesn’t talk to us like he is above us. Instead, he teaches what he knows and wants to help us love what he loves to do.

So, we were setting up the tri-pod to talk about how to deal with outdoor lighting and the exposure on our cameras. Well, we randomly see this Spanish man feeding cats in the park that we were in. Paul (he prefers Paul over Professor Wagner – it is difficult for me to get used to) decides that this is a chance to get a story on film. We approach the man and ask if we can film him. He sort of understands, so we start to film. He is giving cat food to three little kitties in the park. It was getting a little bit awkward standing around this man as a group, watching and filming his cats eating. So, I struck up a conversation with the man. He feeds these cats that live in the park everyday. He considers them his own – having given them names. He pointed to each cat and mumbled some name, we shared smiles and laughter at the fact that neither of us fully understanding one another.

Well, Paul got all of this on film. The next week in class he has made it into a short minute clip about students in a park befriending a man who was feeding his cats. It was just lovely seeing myself on the big screen speaking my superb Spanish (all of you who went to Nicaragua with me can laugh at this point).

All and all, Spain was simply fantastic. As I wrote in a paper for my US South class – Spain, for many of us, was an extension of the familiar. A part of the Western world – sharing many of the same ideas about life. It was nice to have Spain as the first port because it was a place that did not cause an immediate culture shock. All of that was about to change by simply sailing a short distance to Casablanca, Morocco.

I felt safe that final day walking around Cadiz by myself for several hours taking in the sights and sounds. I did a little shopping – bought myself some sandals and a hand-painted dish. I got lost in the maze of narrow streets, discovering small family owned shops and restaurants. Inevitably – siesta time arrived – the stores closed, the streets cleared and I pulled out the map to find my way out of the maze. I walked a great part of the city that afternoon – and it was nice (even as an ENFP) – to be alone by myself and think about all that is to come on this adventure.

I also was able to call home with a calling card for about 45 minute! It was so nice to hear Mom’s voice and to hear how everything was going. I hope to have the chance to do that in South Africa!

I now have finally finished my rambling about Spain. There are more stories embedded within my overview – but you will just have to ask me specific questions to get those stories out of me!

In case any of you do not know, I am able to access e-mail for FREE on this trip! So, shoot me an email if you want to know more! I’d also love to hear how you are doing. Rlg2d@virginia.edu.

Thoughts on a B Day.

Some changes in LAG that Semester at Sea has made possible.

1. I now where a sporty watch. I mean I wear this baby everywhere. I’m not sure what I would do without it.
2. I own Chacos. Caroline was the first to know of this phenomenon – I called her the day I made the purchase – it was a big deal.
3. I have not washed the “bangs” once. I miss all you lovely ladies at UVA who understand just how big of a change this is in me! Ha!
4. I have not jumped on the bandwagon to join every possible club. I decided to make this trip about discovering who I am and what God wants to do in my life – and not focus my time here on applying for something like Student Ambassadors where I would end up spending a lot of time planning and setting up for events.
5. I can now pack everything I would need for a four day trip (to the Sahara dessert might I add) in my small North Face backpack. Everything from jeans to tennis shoes strategically squished into the bag – makes for a smelly, sand-filled unpacking process in the cabin – but I have succeeded nonetheless.

Some changes that Semester at Sea has not been able to accomplish

1. I continue to find myself procrastinating. I have a list of reading that I need to get done. I have done more on this trip than normal, though, because the classes are so small that you have to know your stuff.
2. I am still directionally challenged. I either need a really good map or a really directionally talented friend. If one of these two things is not in the picture, I will be in deep mud. Sorry, Dad, I don’t think this will ever change.

Graceful.

The city of Cadiz was captivating that day. By night, it was mysterious, exciting, and full of surprises.

4 charter buses pack with students bumbled out to a neighborhood 30 minutes outside of Cadiz. We were all anticipating a night complete with tapas, cocktails, and a traditional Spanish flamenco show. Exiting the bus, we were greeted by waiters offering drinks and mingled with one another until directed to find a seat for the show.

The show was to take place in a small arena, I mean really small, that was a dusty bowl surrounded by a concrete wall painted a terracotta red. The music started on the speakers and these two women in black and white polka dot flamenco outfits emerged onto the “stage.” The dancing began with an addicting beat and layered skirts flowing. There was also a horse that showed off his own skills, very similar to the dressage I saw in Bedford last summer.

Finally, there was an amateur bloodless bullfight. A young boy, not a day over 15 ran out into the middle of the rink, red cape in hand. Then, emerged a baby bull – almost too young to have any anger toward the minor matador. Yet, it proved to be exciting as the little black bull succeeded in making contact with “Junior”. It was intense because we were all scared for this young boy when the bull would rush him. I wish you all could hear all the girls gasping in the crowd.

The entire show was funny, though, because it seemed as if it was a family business. It was definitely touristy. I started to think about the idea of flamenco dancing in total, and truly it is a tradition in Spain that exists for much of the purpose of tourism. The only thing I can think of in the US that is somewhat analogous to this is hula dancing in Hawaii.

After the show was over, we were directed to walk over to a banquet hall in order to relax, and enjoy some more flamenco dancing. Well, the trek consisted of walking about the length of a football field on a half-gravel, half-concrete terrain. Easy, right? Why the heck would I even write about the 250 or so steps I took in order to enter into a candle-lit room complete with tapas and Sangria? Well, let’s just say that Momma Gilbert did not include the name “Grace” as one of the four names she gave me – for a reason. I’m walking along with Lane, chatting about flamenco dancing and our travel plans for our adventure to Seville the next morning. I managed to trip. A little catch. No big deal. Well, at least I didn’t think so.

My thin little flip-flop was unable to protect the fate of my big toe. The skin was torn back, and blood was flowing. I wasn’t freaked out by it at all, just so stinkin upset! My first night in a foreign country and I already had an open wound – a target for germs and who knows what else!

The most insane part included how the adults handled it. As soon as I realized I had to clean this situation up, I looked around for an adult who would know where a first aid kit. Well, the first professor in sight came over to help and when I told him I had cut my toe open – he interpreted that to mean I had broken my toe and began explaining to me how to splint it. I tried explaining that it was just cut, but the communication just wasn’t working out. Lane and I went to the ladies room and started to wash it out when these little Spanish ladies brought us some rubbing alcohol and bandages. After pouring about half a bottle of alcohol on the cut and spraying some “On-the-go NEO” everything was okay. I rejoined the group for the rest of the evening.

It was hilarious to me that when I returned to the ship a few days later, people were trying to figure out what bad things happened in the country. No one had any extreme situations – except evidentially someone broke her toe. Wow.

The flamenco show in the banquet hall gave us time to really take in the culture and tradition that is found in the dancing. Lane and I realized that so much of the intrigue of flamenco dancing was the attitude – full of pride, arrogance, and mystery. At the end of the show the dancers tried to teach us some moves. After about ten minutes they gave up on our American hips and played that Macarena. Perfect.

Afterward we went out to experience the famous Spanish nightlife. We went to the strip along the beaches in Cadiz. It was funny because you could pick out the Semester at Sea kids so easily. Somehow we all ended up in this night club dancing and having a lot of fun. Before it got too late we hopped in a taxi with Gio and made it back to the ship to snuggle up in our beds for the night. The plan was to leave for Seville the next morning around 9am. Yea right.

BUCKLE UP.

Well, hello there! Please join me in a delightful game commonly referred to as “Catch Up.” No, not the tomato sauce that you commonly squeeze onto french fries, hamburgers and hot dogs (others seem to also enjoy the flavor on rather strange foods like scrambled eggs or black-eyed peas and even the occasional serving of green beans), but instead a sort of relay – a relay that will take several days for me to complete. This game involves concentration, imagination, and endurance. Think you can handle it?

Ultimately, I am the one being tested here. It is my job to transport you from the place you are currently occupying (whether it be a comfy chair in Alderman café or your kitchen table) to incredible places like Cadiz and Sevilla in Spain and Casablanca, Marrakech, and Zagora in Morocco – all through the little buttons I am pressing on my keyboard. I have been training for weeks now, and hope that I can live up to the challenge.

You must first know that I have an overwhelming amount of information, stories and photos to share with you. If I was stupid enough to attempt to write it all in one single blog entry, I think that each one of you would need to somehow obtain Ritalin (no matter what shady method you have in mind) in order to stay alive reading it all. So that no one has to do that, I am going to take it one or two days at a time.

Approximately 11 days ago, the MV Explorer pulled into Cadiz, Spain. We had been sailing across the great Atlantic Ocean for a full week.




(Above photos from the “Mix-Up Dance” here on board)

Ship life felt like summer camp. Everyday we were going to class, but at night we were hanging around the snack bar upstairs, people were playing card games in the Garden Café, the piano bar was chalk full of socializing. Every one was settling down, still shaking hands and meeting new people. Still skeptical about the people we were planning trips with. Still wondering what the heck we were doing on this boat in the middle of the ocean!

So, when the sun streamed into my room on that Saturday morning, I was almost confused by the sight before me. There was a gleaming orange light reflecting off the Spanish architecture in the distance. The world we had just pulled up to was waking up with me, and my excitement could not be contained. Excited, yes indeed, but there was also this overwhelming feeling that what I was seeing outside was unreal, a little fairy-tale land, a Truman Show set, and all 520 students on board were on hidden camera. Being on the ocean for so long made the sight of land and civilization seem so magical.

With this rush of emotion, I pretty much jumped out of my cozy little twin bed, threw on my favorite nubby UVa sweatshirt, snatched up my camera and scurried up to the 7th deck to capture some shots of our Spanish surroundings.



After pretending to be a pro at this photography thing (which I am FAR FROM), I loaded up a plate of fruit, yogurt, and scrambled eggs (no ketchup) to fuel up for the first day back on land after our Atlantic passage. The day was to include a “Churches of Cadiz” tour with Professor Vaughan, who teaches my US South class, and later that night an evening of Flamenco Dancing. Swallowing my last bite of breakfast, I took a deep breath of the fresh air before trampling back down to the 4th deck to shower and get ready for the day.

I was concerned about my attire since, after all, the tour was titled “Churches of Cadiz,” and I vividly remember the epic high school adventure to Italy with Mrs. Booty, and having to sport a skirt to step foot inside some of the Cathedrals. I opted for a dress that was comfortable, light weight, and the closest I thought I could ever possible come to looking European (darn this easily identifiable American face!).

Well, lets just say the Spaniards are a big group of fantastic, easygoing people who really don’t see the need for the silly tourist stepping inside the building to wear anything in particular. I was stuck in the dress. At least I still felt cute. Until the 20 mph winds in Cadiz that day decided to plays games with me. I think the goal of the game was to see how many times Leigh Anne’s dress could fly up in the most inappropriate moments. Lovely.

Back to me in my cabin preparing for the day. So, I’m dressed. Got my Euros, cameras, hand-sanitizer and SAS student ID card in stow. It’s about 9:30 and I need to head down to the dock to meet the bus. I cannot believe after those six days scrounging around this cruise ship that we had finally made it. I was in SPAIN for crying out loud! Europe! Beauty! Mystery! Romance! I swipe my card as I leave the gangway, and cautiously walk down the steep metal stairs (in my flowing dress). We have made it to port numero uno!



Originally, I definitely did not plan to go on this tour, but because my professor was leading it, I thought that I could count it toward my class assignment. (We have to participate in three FDPs or Field Practicum – educational trips – for each of our classes). I was looking forward to it, though, because my roommate, Lane, was attending too. Side note – Lane and I as roommates has caused our room to be dubbed the “Southern Belle” room being that she is from Mississippi and I from Sweet Home Alabama. It has been so easy living with her!

I join up with the group loading the bus for the tour. Everyone has cleaned up nicely – and by the looks on their faces, thrilled about having finally arrived in Europe. I find an empty seat on the bus, delighted that I know so many people going on this trip. There is Caroline from South Carolina who has a voice that sounds exactly like Miley Cyrus, Gio and Steven – two great friends from San Diego, Peter who I met the first few nights of the trip, and several others. Before even pulling out of the port we took some snapshots together – capturing the beginning of a great adventure in Spain.




An overview of the tour: a lot of standing, a lot of churches, and a lot of Catholic art. The tour began driving around the city of Cadiz. It is quite charming. There were some great views of the coast, so we stopped the bus to take some photos.




I’ll give you a bit more information about the tour… I don’t believe the above description was sufficient. The first church that we visited was beautiful. The large doors were swung open wide because there was to be a church held there that afternoon. Our tour guide told us that so many women in Cadiz want to be wed in the big cathedrals so they will book a date 3 years in advance when they are dating someone pretty seriously. When that special day rolls around, in most cases the girl is no longer dating the poor first guy, and is set to marry someone else! The church we were standing in was not extravagantly decorated for the occasion, yet being inside I could sense the excitement for the upcoming ceremony.

Dragging out feet on the cobblestone streets, we visited the final church. I was fascinated by the way each church buildings was a part of the planned city – not set apart as its own immense structure. We would take a sudden turn through some doors on a narrow street, and I would find myself inside a magnificent place of worship. By the end of the tour, though, we were all exhausted and ready for some food! On the ship lunch starts at 11:30, so when the tour was finished at 1:30 our stomachs were growling.

We weaved in and out between the scurry of people walking up and down the narrow streets. Finally, the streets opened up to a square complete with a flower market in the middle. The colors, sounds, and smells of Spanish tapas overcame each and every one of us.



There was a quaint restaurant right off the square, where we sat outside to enjoy our first meal. We ordered some sangria and paella – two things that were absolutely necessary. Steven ordered a fish plate – and when it came to the table it was basically whole fish deep fried – eyeballs included! Ah! Well, Caroline and I were splitting a paella which took longer to prepare, so we both tried the head of a deep fried sardine. Wow.


That afternoon we leisurely strolled through the streets of Cadiz. It was bizarre, though, to discover the reality of the SIESTA. Everything stops. Stores close, markets shut down, the streets clear out. So, we just took in the scenery.


After our afternoon of wandering we went back to the ship to clean up for Flamenco Night. Details to come soon.

Morocco - I'm already so behind! No time to THINK!

I am supposed to be making my way up to the Union to collect my passport and get on the road to Marrakesh! There is so much to talk about Spain, and will probably be even more to tell about Morocco.

On this camel trek to the Sahara I think we spend a total of 24 hours on a bus! So, I'll compose some thoughts then! More to come soon!

And if you need a really good laugh this week just picture me traveling out to the Sahara - everything in my little backpack for 4 days of travel - and mainly PICTURE ME TRYING TO GET UP ON THE CAMEL IN THE DESERT!!!!!

This should be interesting. I'll be posting some photos SOON!!!