cadiz and sevilla, spain

not sure when the last time was that i wrote my last blog but do remember that this is my third blog :)

we just left cadiz, spain about thirty minutes ago and are now making our way to gibraltar to refuel-we should be there is about eight hours. it will take us about five hours to refuel and then we will make our way to morocco arriving there on monday.

my time in spain was great! after being on the ship for eight days i think i was too excited to sleep so i woke up at 6:45 am, opened my window shade and found a white bird flying right next to my window traveling with us to spain. i could see the night lights of cadiz and as we pulled into the port i noticed lights going on in homes as people were waking up to start their day.

before we could get off the ship we had to hand out passports to the folks who were leaving cadiz to explore other places overnight-sevilla, cordoba, granada, barcelona, madrid, etc. once the passports were handed out, i head to the gangway with some friends. it took us about 45 minutes to get off the ship-everyone has to swipe their semester at sea i.d. card when they come and go from the ship. the computer was down so this process took a bit longer.

once off the ship we began our search for an atm to get euros. after we had our euros in hand we headed for the heart of cadiz where we sat at an outside cafe and ordered churros con chocolate, cafe con leche and sangria. while we ate our meal and took in the sites around the cafe a small protest began-people were blowing whistles and holding signs expressing their frustrations about money being spent on new buildings for the city's hundred year anniversary.

the afternoon was spent on a city tour in which we saw several cathedrals, museums, the town hall and many plazas. seventy percent of the buildings in cadiz were made from oyster shells, the streets are so narrow that only one car can fit through at a time and at times we found ourselves pressed up against building walls to avoid being hit by a car or moped. above the shops were homes with balconies that held brightly colored flower pots and bird cages.

the architecture in and outside of the buildings was amazing-intricate details of gargoyles, family crests and mosaic tiles. the artifacts in the cathedrals were equally detailed and usually were made from pure silver or inlaid with gold. as we descended down the stairs of one cathedral we came upon a crypt area.

on my second day in spain i ventured out to sevilla with the witer-dukes family. we caught a bus at 9am and arrived in sevilla at 10:30am. we got off the bus and began our search for the jardin de alcazar. we made one stop to enjoy some tapas and after asking for directions three times we made it to the alcazar gardens. we spent most of the morning and mid afternoon at the gardens and then walked passed the world's third largest cathedral-it was impressive to say the least. the architecture of this building is indescribable and must be seen to truly be appreciated.

having not used my spanish for a long time i was very leery to attempt a conversation or ask a question. however, once i got started it became familiar and i found myself asking questions, ordering food, reading menus, signs and newspapers and translating for other folks.

after walking around the cathedral, we found a small cafe where the witer-dukes family enjoyed bogadillos and pan dulces while i made my way to the starbucks where i ordered my first venti soy no water chai and a chocolate donut. it had been two weeks since my last chai so life was good :) i took my treat back to the cafe but was asked to leave since i had brought in outside food (i had been kicked out of my first restaurant ever-and it had to be in sevilla, spain !?!)

the next morning i met up with the witwer-dukes clan and we attempted to find the tower in town that showed a picture of the entire town in real time via a shadow box. after walking for a mile we were unsuccessful so kathy, harry and maddy decided to return to the ship while gary and i went in search of a department store were we could find clothing, food and sporting goods. we were told this store existed about one mile from the train station but after walking for more than two miles the only thing we found was mcdonalds.

barely able to walk we made it back to the ship. after dinner i joined some friends for a night out in cadiz. we stopped for gelato and then made our way to a bar for tapas y tinto. dinner in spain does not begin until 9:30 so partaking in mini sandwiches and wine was perfect at 8:00pm. we were hopeful to see some flamenco dancing at 10:30pm but once it started to rain we opted to return to the ship for the night.

this morning we again made our way off the ship and spent our day in caidz. we stared out at la marina cafe were we had churros y chocolate and cafe con leche (the two staples in spain) at 11:00am. we then made our way to the local market where we were greeted with the aromas of fresh meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables. we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around cadiz knowing that we had to be back to the ship by 4:00pm in time for gangway duty.

in order to leave on time, everyone had to be on the ship by 6:00pm so we could be on our way by 8:00pm. overall we made it-one overnight semester at sea trip got back late and we had some folks wait until after 6:00pm to turn in their passports but all in all checking back on to the ship was successful.

my time in spain left me wanting to live in cadiz. the people are kind and nice. the town is sweet and quaint and living in a small apartment above one of the squares, with my own balcony and potted flowers and singing birds, is very appealing. opening my window to the smell of orange trees and enjoying churros con chocolate at a local cafe would be the life for me. i like the idea of working in the morning and then closing up shop for siesta at 2:00pm and then enjoying the rest of the day with my family and friends. as i saw friends and family strolling the streets, stopping to engage in lengthy conversations or sitting sipping cafe con leche with their families or laughing and talking with friends over tapas and tinto, it made wonder if we as americans would truly appreciate our lives and our families and friends more if we lived more like the people of spain.

bahamas

wow, i can not believe that it has been four days since i wrote my last blog. time has gone by fast and slow all at the same time.

we now have over 700 students on board and we are on our third day at sea. before we arrive in spain on wednesday we will have been at sea for eight days. the atlantic ocean is a phenomenal body of water with its multiple shades of blues and yet i must admit that not seeing land for this long is getting a bit long.

as we were leaving the bahamas there were parents scattered everywhere on the docks-some holding signs, some waving and some crying. with everyone at the aft (back) of the ship we were beginning to wonder if we might sink :) once underway, we had quite a few students get sea sick as they adjusted to the rolling of the ship. we spent the rest of the evening in orientation and then ended the night with sea (floor) meetings.

i would just like to add here that watching a sunset in the bahamas while on a ship that is sailing towards another destination is phenomenal! the burnt oranges and reds racing across the sky as the sun set left me speechless (and for those of you who know me that is hard to do)

the next day was filled with more orientation meetings. the exciting news was that we were able to get a live feed in order to watch the inauguration. once everyone on the ship turned off their computers we sat in the union, classrooms and all the other nooks and crannies of the ship to watch history in the making. being alive to witness such an incredbile event and to do so while sailing across the altantic ocean will be a memory to share for years to come!

the evening of the inauguration was spent celebrating with cake and champagne.

the next day was the first day of classes. it is mandatory for everyone on the ship to attend the daily world cultures class from 9:20-10:35am. the first day of class we learned about photosynthesis and some other stuff (guess it has been awhile since i have been in class since my mind tended to wander at times)

after class we had our daily staff meeting and then went to lunch. the afternoon was spent trying to figure out who does what and when and why. in the evening, we had an activities fair in which students could sign up for recreational activities (basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc), clubs (students of color, spiritual, lgbtqa, photography, etc), bands and extended families. there were over 300 students who signed up to become a part of an extended family. the extended family is a student's chance to connect with a faculty or staff member and spend time together having meals, hanging out, doing things together in different countries, celebrating birthdays and other special occasions.

wednesday night was also the first night we served alcohol. students can have two alcohol beverages at dinner and then from 9-11pm there is an alcohol service on deck 7. students can get beer, wine or wine coolers for $3.50 a piece and can only have four drinks during the 9-11pm service. we are required to work during this time to ensure that students do not remove alcohol from the seventh deck and that they are drinking responsibly. it has been fun to watch the students during this time-it is a time for them to mingle and meet others, sing while jordan (student) jams on his guitar, play cards and eat pizza, hamburgers or other snacks from the bar. they even have veggie burgers!

on thursday night we showed the video, haze, in its entirety. (we had shown the trailer during student orientation) not sure if anyone has seen it but it is about the cu boulder student who died from an alcohol overdose in 2004. we have 80 cu boulder students on this voyage so they had mixed feelings about us showing it. our hope was to get students thinking about the good samaritan policy which asks them to look out for themselves and each other.

today is friday, i think. since leaving the bahamas we have added one hour to our clocks each night. i am guessing i am five or six hours ahead of those of you in colorado. i attended world cultures class this morning and struggled to pay attention due to a little bt of motion sickness. i am wearing sea bands (thank you so much andrea!) and they seem to work for the most part. the idea behind the sea bands is to put pressure on the pressure points on one's wrists to alleviate the motion sickness. the sea bands are so tight on my wrists i think the idea is to have you focus on the pain from your circulation being cut off and you forget about being sea sick!

as i end this blog, i just want to thank each and everyone of you who has sent me an e-mail message. i have been homesick at times so hearing from you all has helped to make that a bit easier. i also want to apologize for providing you all with the wrong blog address-does not sound like it was a very nice blog so i am sorry if you were offended or hurt in any way.

please keep sending your e-mails, pictures, funny stories, questions, etc.

miss you all!

miami, florida

this is my first attempt at blogging so i must admit i am somewhat hesitant to provide you all with my blogger site address ( i think that's what it's called)

after leaving colorado on wednesday, january 14, 2009, i arrived in miami, florida then took a bus to take a train to take a shuttle to get to the ft. lauderdale airport where i then took another shuttle to get to the hotel. upon arriving at the hotel, i met four other folks who i would be working with while at semester at sea. (ben, nicole, kate and andrea)

on january 15, 2009 we made our way to the port by way of yet another shuttle. after our luggage was checked through security we walked out to the port to find the mv explorer. as we boarded the ship we took in its size-it is 591 feet in length, 83 feet in breadth and weighs 25,000 tons!

once on board, our luggage was taken from us only to magical appear at our cabins later. we checked in receiving our cabin keys and giving up our passports (am still a little worried about this) and went to our cabins to settle in until our first meeting.

our first meeting began at 4:00 with a welcome and introduction to the ship. after a few hours we had a social gathering in the faculty/staff lounge. i took this opportunity to get off the ship in order to do pick up a script in miami-this was initially a good idea until it became dark and i had a five mile walk back to the ship for an 8:00pm meeting that was about to start in fifteen minutes. i was able to catch a taxi and made it just in time.

in order to avoid port fees we shoved off from the miami port on wednesday night and spent some time wading in the ocean until we left for the bahamas on saturday night. during this time we spent our days and nights training from 8am until 11pm.

on sunday morning we arrived in the bahamas and after a few hours of training we were able to get off the ship and tour the bahamas. they have a starbucks! (believe it or not i did not get a venti soy no water no foam extra hot chai)

the bahamas is a very commercialized place right next to the port-it resembled a large outlet mall where we were able to purchase gucchi and coach handbags and eat at mcdonalds or burger king. upon passing senor frogs i believe lots of our students/participants for the spring 2009 semester at sea voyage were there :)

as i continued to tour the town i stumbled upon the pompey museum of slavery and emancipation but it was closed since it was sunday. after buying a few more items we rushed back to the ship to meet and greet the parents.

the parents were curious, skeptical and worried. they were taken aback but the beauty and size of the ship. after touring the ship, mingling and eating hors d oeuvers, the parents went to the union where they learned more about the semester at sea program.

after the parents left the ship we had dinner on board and then some folks chose to watch the football game in the bahamas while some of us chose to stay on the ship to work on bulletin board, welcome letters and such since the students would begin to arrive the next day at 7:30am