My Worldwide Adventure

One Last Time...

2010-05-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Comments – Chris – dude you know I planned it around you guys! That way we can both hang out haha. And we will both be done with our semesters! Man a redhawks game sounds bomb! That would be so tight. Yeah I have been able to keep up with the Thunder because we get access to the NY Times online for free and their sports section isn’t terrible (its no ESPN or Rivals) but it gets me scores and summaries. Heard we lost a heartbreaker in game 6. I’m just glad because people know to respect us now. That’s what’s up baby! Good luck on finals brotha! 2 more days and we’re juniors!! Esther the ____________(you know what goes in the blank ;) - Haha jk. It will be awesome to be home! There are a lot of things I miss and my friends (you all) are at the top of the list. We will definitely get to chill before you and Kayla leave. At least we should be able to! Good luck on finals to you too! Haha and yeah my hip and butt are sore but I’m just glad it wasn’t worse which it easily could have been. I was/am kinda surprised as well…knock on wood. Lexie – yeah day one was interesting and I will be happy to email you in 3 days once I am home. Sound good? Hollis – haha yeah I can only imagine you and your crazy busy school/dance schedule. You are ridiculous chica! Can’t wait to get back and chill…don’t worry I believe ya!! Haha have a good week of school!!

Well my finals are over and in 48 hours I will be on a plane heading towards my final destination…home. I can’t believe this journey is over. We have been on East Coast time for the past 4 days and with the exception of Mountain Time zone (which I flew through on my way to San Diego), I have lived in all 24 time zones in the past 109 days. How many people can say that? I have been around the world on a ship…I crossed the equator 4 times…I have been in all 4 hemispheres…shoot I even lost an entire day because of the International Date Line. Once my land lands at Will Rogers International here in two days I will literally have circumnavigated the globe beginning and ending in the exact same place. I literally went around the world, using planes, buses, and of course the MV Explorer (my ship).

I feel like just yesterday I was unpacking my bags and meeting Adam for the first time (my roommate). I remember saying goodbye to Mexico, knowing we wouldn’t see land again for 11 days...my first meal on Deck 5 and then my first meal on Deck 6…meeting someone new every five minutes of the first two months of the voyage (actually I am still meeting people for the first time…I mean c’mon there were 600 of us)…waking up to 13 unique and exciting ports…living every moment to the fullest.

I woke up to a different sunrise everyday…and ate dinner while watching a different sunset every night. I experienced rocky waves, calm seas, and everything in between. I saw dolphins, sea snakes, flying fish, whales, albatross, and even sea turtles.

The friends I met on this trip made my experience what it has been. I still can’t believe how close we have all come in these few short months. By the second week it felt like we had known each other forever. We really did become a family in every sense of the word. We were a giant family and it truly was one of the greatest atmospheres I have ever been a part of. If I didn’t know someone but we were in the same place…well we knew each other when we left. That is so cool! There was no being shy…no being reserved…we were ourselves and we accepted each other for who we are.

Ship life was indescribable…just today I was outside on Deck 7 from 12:30 – 5 playing volleyball and swimming and just chillaxing…on a boat…in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Granted my right arm is killing me from volleyball but who cares! From Sea Olympics to Neptune Day and their respective barbeques, we knew how to have fun and it was never boring on this ship. Our pounce marathons were a weekly event and we are all ridiculously good at that game now. Like SICK NASTY good! The coffee houses and the talent shows, volleyball, soccer, and dodgeball at sunset, man life was good!! All of this amazing stuff was possible because of the friends I had made. Let me just say that I never would have made it through a pre-port or diplomatic briefing if I wasn’t surrounded by my friends. And those bus rides in Ghana would have absolutely sucked without close friends to talk to and learn about along the way.

I will never forget the ports I visited and the people I met while in those ports. The things I did…some stupid, some crazy, but each one unique and incredible. Two years ago as I was graduating high school (much like you are now Court) I would never have dreamed I would get to run across the Great Wall…eat scorpions on a stick…jump off a waterfall…see lion cubs playing with their mom…go to a Ghanaian soccer match…play with Indian orphans…see Mt. Fuji…snorkel on a coral reef…go cage diving with Great White Sharks…shoot an AK-47 in Vietnam…and so much more that I have already told you all about. Crazy what can happen in two years…you just never know! Where am I going to be in two years from now? Only one person knows, Christ…and you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now all these things are in the past…my Semester at Sea is rapidly coming to a close. I don’t know what to say. I wanna thank each and every one of you for reading this blog. Seeing you all read this and comment on my blogs gave me a small taste of home every time I commented back. I still can’t believe that I have such amazing friends and family that care about me enough to read my blogs from around the world and keep up with me while I was gone. You guys are more than I could ever ask for and I thank God everyday for putting you all in my life. You are the best friends and family I could ever have and I love each of you more than you know!

Well I think that is a good way to end it. I will be home the night of May 5th so I better get to see all of you ASAP in the next week or two! Oh and Court if you are reading this you better kick some serious tail on Tuesday night because I wanna watch you play on Friday night more than anything else. Show whatsup chica!

Love you all and can’t wait to see you!

T

And Then WE'll Deet It Again

2010-04-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Howdy Everyone!!

Hope everyone is doing well! We have left Brazil and are now headed home. It’s hard to believe that in 9 short days this epic journey will come to an end. No more foreign ports, no more languages to learn, our journey is rapidly ending. The worst part is that we are now entering our version of finals week and you know that sucks. Definitely not what I would call a good time lol.

Shout Out – Definitely want to give a shout out to my sista! It was senior night on Monday at her soccer game and I am so pissed I had to miss it. Definitely not cool! Anyways just wanted to say I love you girl and you better lay someone out for me in the first round of playoffs. If I don’t hear about it from dad then you didn’t lay them out hard enough. Show em what’s up baby!! Love you and play hard!

Picture – The picture I chose is from my 4th Day in Brazil when we went hiking to the top of a mountain…I don’t want to say anything more because you can read about the rest below. Anyways, the mountain as you can tell was gorgeous and the people I was with were (from left to right) Bridgette, Becca, Brooke, me, Adam, and Theresa. Our guide Matteo took the picture. (click on pic to make it bigger)

Alright so Brazil was insane! Definitely had our share of ups and downs due to weather and other incidents but all in all it was a good time. The first day in Brazil was unique for several reasons that I won’t go into. Some really cool things happened and some really bad things happened. Out of respect for some of my fellow shipmates I have decided to not blog about day 1 because that would not be appropriate based on several things. When I get home I will be happy to tell you all about day 1 but it is not something I am going to post on this blog.

Now the rest of Brazil I will be happy to tell you about!! It was crazy awesome!! This blog is also unique because this is the first (and only) port where no one (not even my parents) had any clue what I was doing…so this is news for everyone.

Brazil was the first port where I didn’t do anything through SAS. Everything I did was independent and it was SAAAWWWEEETTTT!!! We decided to travel to a small little backpacking village called Lencois that is located in one of Brazil’s best known national parks, Chapada Diamantina. Okay so this national park was absolutely gorgeous. Think of the prettiest place you have ever been, multiply it by 10 and that is this place. Everything was green, there were birds everywhere, waterfalls, rivers, streams, rocks, just everything. Mountains as far as the eye could see…it was absolutely incredible. The town is extremely small, about .2 miles by 1 mile, very quaint and absolutely gorgeous. It is tucked into a valley bordered by mountains with a river running through the middle. The town contains about 6 hostels, one hotel, and numerous little shops and restaurants. By far one of the coolest town/villages (not really sure which one it is classified as lol) that I have ever been to. The people were so chill and everyone was so neighborly. They all knew each other and the locals were always smiling and asking us if we needed anything and how we were doing. There were dogs, cats, donkeys, and horses just roaming around the streets and no one even cared. All the streets were cobblestone and for the restaurants they set up plastic tables and chairs in the middle of the street and that is how we ate.

Our group for Lencois consisted of Adam, Theresa, Brooke, Bridgette, Becca, Mem, Lettie, Zach, Lauren, and myself. We left the first night on the 11:30 pm bus from Salvador. The bus ride was 6.5 hours so we decided to take the overnight bus so that we didn’t waste half a day traveling. I actually slept a little too…I usually can’t fall asleep on buses but this one was super comfy and I was able to grab some shuteye. We arrived in Lencois around 6 am on the second day in Brazil right as the sun was coming up. The town didn’t really come alive until around 8 am so for the first couple hours we wandered around to get used to the town and found one stall that opened early to buy breakfast and coffee (water for me…you know I don’t like coffee haha, although they said the Brazilian coffee was AMAZING). Anyways then we headed to the hostel where we were staying called Pousada Daimesona. It was a simple place owned by a woman named Patricia and her husband. It was simply a lofted room above their house that consisted of 8 beds and a hammock. Very simple layout and it couldn’t have been sweeter. Our lofted room had windows on all sides that looked out over the rooftops of the town and offered amazing views of the surrounding mountains. Patricia was absolutely amazing and made some really nice breakfast spreads for us every morning. It was so legit and we were all just amazed at how friendly and welcoming she was towards all of us.

After dropping off our bags we hung around the town and the girls did some shopping. I chose to sit in one of the town squares and read (Cussler trumps shopping anyday). We grabbed an early lunch, which was absolutely delicious (I didn’t eat one Brazilian meal that I didn’t like) and headed off on our first of many adventures into the national park. We went alone, no guide for us, in search of one of the highlights of the area around Lencois, the natural rock waterslides!! They were located about 4 km away from the city so it was a nice hike down to the area. By the time we got there we were all nice and sweaty and the water looked absolutely amazing (in reality it was definitely not clean water, mom no way you would have gotten in it). There was a local boy there who was chilling and he was sitting on a cliff/rock overhang when we got there. He waved at us and jumped off the cliff into the water. Well Adam and I were like “Dude if he can do it, we can do it!” So we did. It was SICK!!!

From that point on I was absolutely in love with Brazil. Our trip got better every minute! Hitting the water was awesome. It was refreshingly cool without being too cold…just perfect!! Okay then for the water slide. It was a huge section of rock at something close to a 45 degree slant and about 80 yards long? Not quite sure how long on the length but I have pictures for you all to make your own judgment call. To get up to the point where you can start to slide you had to climb up the side on the dry rocks and then cross over into the water without losing your balance and go down the middle, that was the smooth slide part. Our little local friend helped show us. The far side was too rocky and the water was too quick and the near side where we climbed up had a huge trench and was rocky near the bottom. We had to cross at the point where the trench was narrow enough to step over and keep our balance…mind you we were stepping onto slick rock covered with moving water so it was tricky getting into position to slide. Several of the girls didn’t do it because of this which was fine…but you know I did it more than once. Adam was the first one to go and I was right behind him! It was WICKED SWEET!! I was riding down a natural rock slide in the middle of Brazil with 9 of my friends into a huge pool at the end. How sweet is life?!!??! Freaking sweet!

Alright so the boys had done the waterslide and we talked some of the girls into doing it after seeing that we had done it safely. We are climbing up the side to get to the top when a nice little injury occurred. It was Adam, Mem, Brooke, and me because we had finally talked Mem and Brooke into doing it. Adam was in front so that he could get into the middle and help Mem step over the trench with me helping her from the other side and then we were gunna help Brooke. So Adam gets out there no problem and we are both ready to help Mem. Well she goes to plant her foot on the other side (like in the water on the rocks) and doesn’t do it right (like just had her weight all wrong and wasn’t ready for the water) and she totally loses her balance and falls. Well with her momentum and Adam’s help she was still able to clear the trench and ended up being fine…I on the other hand got the brunt end of the deal. She definitely didn’t let go of my hand and pulled me straight into the trench, AKA the one part of the slide our little guide friend told us not to go into. All I could think was “Well this is great, I’m gunna snap my leg in between these rocks and we are an hour hike from the town that doesn’t even have a hospital. This is just peachy.” When I fell I couldn’t really brace myself because that would have just made it worse so I just fell and tried to swivel so my body was in a feet first position. Well the upper part of the trench wasn’t the bad part; it was the lower part that really screwed me over. The trench narrowed to about 6 inches real quick and my left leg got wedged pretty good. Well that didn’t stop me because the water kept me going so my body got torque around and I felt my hip pop (pretty loud pop) but somehow my leg came free and I kept going. Only problem was now not only was I backward going down (which would have been fine cause that is what we were doing on the “safe” part for fun) but I was on the rocky part that wasn’t as smooth. Well of course I ran into a rock that was jutting out which felt just lovely before I tumbled in the water. This all happened in the span of about 25 seconds mind you. All in all I ended up a lot better than I thought when I initially fell in. Now I definitely tweaked my hip because it had a nice bump (actually it still does 5 days later) and it was a nasty blue/purple (again there is still a blue spot). Then I either bruised, cracked, or broke my tailbone, not really sure how to tell the difference, but since then (again this was last Thursday) I haven’t been able to sit down on my butt comfortably and I can’t sleep on my left side. Now feel free to laugh…I know I did, hey it was a funny looking accident, so I was told by everyone who saw it. Yeah it kinda sucks but no way was I going to let that slow me down, I just didn’t do the water slide anymore after that haha. I just jumped off the cliff a couple more times!

We hung out at the water hole for around an hour and a half because there were all kinds of rocks on the sides that we sat on and just chilled until we got hot enough to jump in again and cool off. Or we would just sit at the bottom of the waterslide and chill too while the water hit our backs. After we had chilled for awhile we decided to hike down the river a little farther just to see where it went. Now when I say hike I mean jump from rock to rock and climb from rock to rock down the middle of the river. Some of the girls didn’t think that was the safest idea (probably wasn’t but oh well) and they decided to head back to town. So Bridgette, Brooke, Zach, Adam, Theresa, and I headed off not knowing where we were going and just winging it like any good SASer has learned to do the past 4 months. We hop scotched our way down the river a ways until we came across a small natural lake tucked in between two of the mountains. It was so peaceful we just sat there and took it all in for a little while, although I wasn’t sitting, partly because I can’t sit still but mainly because my butt really hurt from falling haha.

After chillaxing we started heading back to the water slide/swimming hole and eventually the town because it was getting late and we didn’t think it would be the best idea to be hopping across a stream on rocks in the dark. We made it back to the hostel and caught up with the other girls. We hung around the hostel and sat in the street for a little while before going to dinner at one of the restaurants recommended by Patricia for dinner. Like I said earlier, the food was incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed everything I ate. We took our time at dinner just enjoying eating at a table in the middle of the street and listening to the local sounds and enjoying each other’s company. After dinner we walked around the town for a while and got some ice cream before calling it a night and falling asleep at the hostel. Zach tried to sleep in the hammock but gave up after a while and fell asleep in a bed. We went to sleep with the windows open and the sounds of the city winding down outside. It was awesome!

Day 2 in Lencois (3rd day in Brazil overall) was a more laid back day. We semi slept in, although I wouldn’t consider it sleeping in, and woke up to a breakfast at the hostel. We took our time eating and waking up before heading out for a morning hike. Mem, Lettie, and Lauren decided to take a guided tour to some of the highlights of the park that you had to drive to because they were leaving that night, so it was just Zach, Brooke, Bridgette, Adam, Theresa, and I for the day. We didn’t really have a specific goal in mind and just kinda asked random locals where waterfalls were. They said to head up the mountain above the town and so we did. We hiked for an hour and a half along a trail but never found the waterfall which was supposed to be semi close according to one villager. Oh well we didn’t really care because the hike was legit and we got some really cool views of the surrounding valleys and an overall shot of the entire city of Lencois tucked in between the surrounding hills and mountains. Bridgette, Brooke, and Becca decided to head back because Bridgette had to register for classes but the rest of us were determined to find these waterfalls/pools. Toward the beginning of the hike we had heard water and there had been a smaller path that branched off that we had neglected to take so we headed back till we hit that path. We followed it for like less than 10 minutes before it took us straight to the top of the waterfall. We were able to hike/jump down the side to get to the pools at the bottom which we were able to relax in awhile and rest in the cool water. The waterfall was super small but it was more of the pools that we were interested in. It was just a landscape that I have never been around before. There were just huge rocks everywhere with water flowing over and around them that emptied into pools. It was surreal man and I already really miss it.

We relaxed in the pools for a while before finding our way back to the trail and heading back into town. It was around 230 when we got back into Lencois and we were starving so the first place we went was somewhere for lunch. Our group split into 2 groups to eat and Zach, Becca, Brooke, and I decided to eat at a little restaurant that was owned by one of Patricia’s friends. Again the food was just unbelievably good and it was worth every penny! There is also this special Brazilian soft drink called Guarana which is super popular over there so we drank plenty of that. It reminded us of a sort of Cherry Cream Soda but better. For the rest of the afternoon we bummed around the city, some of the girls did some shopping, some people napped, I chose to sit in the city square with my book (can’t get enough of Cussler) and a nice cold Guarana with some ice cream after a little while. It was so relaxing. Just being around the locals and seeing them going about their lives while sitting in the middle of the perfect little town in the middle of one of the coolest places I have EVER been! It was absolutely unbelievable! Everything was just perfect, except for the fact that I had a blue hip and couldn’t sit down straight, but hey that stuff will heal eventually so I didn’t let it affect me. We all met up again later that night and then met up with Micha (spelled that wrong probably), Ali, and Sarah who were also in Lencois to go grab some dinner. We decided to eat at a local pizzeria that was having a special that night for two people. So the majority of us just paired up and shared pizzas because it was such a good deal. Bridgette and I shared a large Margharita Pizza and it was absolutely delicious!! Polished that baby off quick haha. Afterwards we walked around the town again, including another stop at the ice cream place (there is no ice cream on the ship except for soft serve which costs $3…so we take advantage of ice cream opportunities in port haha). Most of us crashed pretty early again because hiking just wears us out so that was day 2 in Lencois! Oh and Mem, Lettie, Lauren, and Zach decided to take the overnight bus that night home so they left us after dinner and our group was now just Brooke, Bridgette, Becca, Adam, Theresa, and I.

For our last day in Lencois (day 4 overall in Brazil) we decided to take a guided tour around the park to reach some of the sights that were farther away. The six of us left around 8 am with our guide for the day, Mateo. We had our own car and so we could go pretty much wherever we wanted. Patricia recommended several sights and we chose a tour that consisted of 6 spots along the way. Our first stop was about a 20 minute drive. After the drive we took a short 15-20 minute hike to get to an absolutely gorgeous waterfall. It was the tallest and widest waterfall we saw in Brazil. Not nearly as big as the one in Hawaii or Ghana but definitely wider and just a really cool looking falls. The waterfall emptied into a very large pool which was super deep…you know what that means…cliff jumping baby!!! Probably the first thing I asked my guide and he was like “Oh yeah you can jump if you want.” It was a pretty tall waterfall but the trick is to not think about it and just jump, that way you can’t psych yourself out. So I just ran out to the edge and jumped. It was such a rush…pretty much like the cliff diving we do at the lakes back home, but for some reason it was just way cooler to jump off a waterfall. Being in the air with the waterfall next to me was a SAWWWEEEETTTTTT feeling, and hitting the cool water felt absolutely amazing. Adam and Brooke were right behind me and then we were able to talk Bridgette into it after she saw that the three of us were fine. Nothing like jumping off a waterfall to start the day huh?!?

After swimming around and jumping off a couple more times it was time to hike back to the car and head to our next stop of the tour, one of the mountains that provided a stellar view of the surrounding area. The hike to the top of the mountain was pretty easy compared to some of the stuff I have done the past 3 months but still a stinking awesome hike!! The top was just a bunch of flat rocks with a complete 360 degree view. Kinda scary because there were no railings or anything, you could pretty much walk straight off the edge if you really wanted to, although we were pretty high up (called a mountain for a reason) so that probably wouldn’t have been the best idea haha. It was also super windy which added to the experience. The picture above was taken on this mountain and we were all just so happy to be there. We took our time taking it all in and just sitting and looking. It’s not every day that you get a view like that and we wanted to take it in as much as we could before we had to leave and hike back down to the car.

The next stop for us was lunch which happened to be at the 3rd and 4th stops as well. Lunch was buffet style where you pay for your food by weight at the end, a popular style of eating in Brazil that we took advantage of on a couple occasions. I especially liked it because I was able to try a bunch of different Brazilian dishes and not just get stuck with ordering one thing. Very tasty meal again, I’m sure you guys are sick of me saying that haha. Down the hill from lunch was a natural swimming pool that emptied out of a hole in a cliff so we relaxed there for an hour and a half to swim around with all these tiny fish and then the girls decided to lay out for a little while. It was just another amazing little slice of nature that I still can’t believe we got to experience. After relaxing at the pool we took a short walk to a naturally blue luminescent pool. Now we weren’t allowed to get in the water because whatever natural chemicals causes it to be that color are apparently really bad for humans so it is strictly off limits. Figured it would be a good idea to listen to my guide and not jump in haha. All we really did at that particular spot was take pictures, which is fine because it was stinking cool to see something like that occurring naturally in the environment.

Our last stop of the day was to the famous caves of Chapada Diamantina. This spot was a little bit of a drive away but that was okay. We get to the spot and the first thing they made us do was sign a waiver saying that if we got lost or fell down somewhere that we couldn’t sue the people. Again fine with me, I have “signed my life away” so many times on this trip it is like second nature now…shoot we had to do it just to get on the ship! Haha anyways…we followed a different cave guide for this portion and he took us off into the jungle to find the cave entrance. Okay so this sucker was a really big cave…I was expecting something smaller but NOOOO. This thing was massive! We start hiking down into the cave following close to our guide because he had the kerosene lamp that was our only source of light. The only other thing manmade was rope going through so that if you got separated you could use it to make your way back to the entrance. Our guide only spoke Portuguese so I didn’t necessarily learn anything but that doesn’t matter, I’ve learned about stalagmites and stalactites before, no sense in hearing it all again. We spent about 1.5 hours going through the cave and in the middle he turned off the light so that we could all experience true darkness. They say there is no such thing as absolute darkness unless you are in a cave and after Hawaii and now this I would say that is definitely true! We are talking like pitch black with no sounds but the dropping of water from the ceiling onto the floor.

After the cave hiking our tour was over for the day and we headed back to Lencois. We arrived around 530 and proceeded to say goodbye to Patricia and check out of our hostel. She was so nice that it was actually really hard to say goodbye, and considering all of us had such a good time that no one wanted to leave at all. We ate one last meal at a burrito restaurant in Lencois and enjoyed the city life one more time with our traditional ice cream stop after dinner. We took the 1130 bus back to Salvador again. The bus ride was uneventful and we arrived at the Salvador bus station a little before 6 am. We took a taxi back to the ship and I took the first shower I had taken in 4 days. The only thing close to a shower that I had was swimming in the waterfalls and natural pools every day, and they were not what I would call clean, but oh well. After showering I proceeded to sleep because I was physically exhausted and “sleeping” on a bus definitely doesn’t count.

And that concluded my time in Salvador. I can’t say enough about my time in Lencois and hiking/exploring through Chapada Diamantina. The stories I have portrayed above don’t do it justice (I know, I know… “I say that a lot”…but it’s true…I will just have to explain it to you all better in person). Everywhere we went was just another breathtaking view or experience. This national park really was absolutely amazing and I am so glad I got to experience it. This was definitely one of my highlights of Semester at Sea and it was an absolutely perfect way to spend my time in our last port.

The best part of being in Lencois and the national park was getting to experience the beauty of God’s creation first hand. I know that God’s creation is everywhere but this place was absolutely gorgeous. It took my breath away looking at these waterfalls and seeing green hills and mountains as far as the eye could see (look at the picture…it is green and beautiful as far as the eye can see). God is so amazing you guys…nature sings praise to Him constantly…now are we? The creator’s touch is blatantly obvious all around us, in the trees, the flowers, the rocks, the water…what about us? Do people see Christ through us when they are around us? We should constantly be mirror images of Christ…we should love like He loves…forgive like He forgave us. It’s simple when you think about it…so why do we make it hard. Mark Shultz paints an amazing picture in his song Broken and Beautiful.

“We’ll he’d never been to church before, but he came today as a last resort. His world was crashing in, and he was suffocating in his sin. But tears rolled his home-brushed hair, he closed his eyes, raised his hands, worshipping, the God who can, BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE AGAIN!! And it’s beautiful, beautiful. Come as you are. Surrender your heart. Broken and beautiful, beautiful, come as you are. Surrender your heart, broken and beautiful.”

Are we like the man in this song? Do we realize that we are nothing without Christ? When this finally clicks for us, then and only then can we portray an image of Christ for others to see. We have to surrender whole-heartedly, making ourselves nothing. This is what we should strive for.

Love you guys and I can’t wait to hang out with you guys!! I’m posting this on Tuesday April 27. One week from tomorrow I get home. Crazy to think how soon this is all coming to a close…it’s scary lol. But I am SOOOOOO excited to finally get to see all of you guys and hang out and catch up! Praying for you all!!

T

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Habitat Hillbillies

2010-04-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

How are things back at home? Hopefully good! Alright so I told you guys about my first two days in Ghana, now for the next two days, which were just as exciting as the first two I might add!

Shout Outs – Pops – Alright funny guy, they aren’t golden locks…they are just wings lol. And I’m gunna take Brazil by storm baby! They aren’t gunna know what to do with me haha. I guess you could say the waterfall was kind of like needles but it was so unique that it wasn’t like a painful needle…more like a massage! I will definitely continue to play hard and take advantage of the opportunities presented to me…no promises on the studying though haha. Chris – dude yeah you would have been in heaven chilling in Ghana. You would have fit in a lot better than I did and I can’t wait to hear how much fun you have this summer. Alright well I will hold onto that Rand for you and we can swap when I get home. My plane gets in the night of May 5th so I will definitely be bugging you to chill shortly after haha. Can’t wait to chill man…and you gotta fill me in on any and everything that has been going on at home. Love ya bro and can’t wait to chill!!

Picture – Alright so the picture I chose is from my 3rd day in Ghana. The group in the picture is the Habitat Hillbillies, wut wut!! Explanation of the will come later on. Our group was LEGIT and I won’t bother saying who was who because there were a lot of us and I honestly forgot a couple of the people haha…but I’m the one sitting on the ground in the front in the white bandana if that matters. Anyways I wrote more the day below so read on and enjoy! (click on the pic to make it bigger)

Okay so day 3 in Ghana I signed up for another SAS trip which was a service visit to a local Habitat for Humanity site. This trip was really special because instead of just sightseeing like we do every other day we were actually doing something that made a difference to the people and left a lasting impact that wasn’t limited to a candid photograph or a brief 4 minute video. We stepped out of our role of tourists and college students studying abroad and were able to work side by side with locals to produce a meaningful result. It was like any other habitat experience but for some reason this one just felt more fulfilling. It turned out to be an extremely rewarding day.

Our group left the ship around 7 am and the bus ride to the sight was about 3.5 hours. Toree, Bekah, and Sally were on my trip again (the four of us were pretty much together for all of Ghana except the first day where we actually ran into each other at lunch so we joked that we were all Ghana buddies). Jeremy and Scott were also on my trip and then I became close friends with the rest of our group. It is easy to build bonds with people when you are sweating and doing manual labor.

Upon arrival at the site we were given a brief intro and then split into 3 groups to work at three separate sites within the habitat complex. Our group consisted of 16 people I think and of course we had to make a name for ourselves. So Hillary suggested Habitat Hobos and then Habitat Hillbillies. I immediately said I favored Habitat Hillbillies (duh!!) and so did the majority of the group so that is what our group of 16 referred to ourselves as the rest of the day. Habitat Hillbillies baby!!! Of course then I had the song Hillbilly Bone stuck in my head all day but that’s okay cause it’s a bomb song haha.

So the Habitat Hillbillies were tasked with moving dirt from two large piles into the cement-base framework of a house, basically just transporting dirt into framed holes using a wheelbarrow and 3 shovels. Well real quick we realized there were 16 of us and only jobs for about 4 to work efficiently. Well that just wasn’t okay with me and two of the girls so we went and asked the neighbors if we could borrow their tools and equipment if we promised to bring it back. They said yes and didn’t ask us twice about borrowing it. We managed to find another wheelbarrow, 2 more shovels, a pickaxe to break the dirt mound up, and 3 huge pans. With a group of about 6 working the wheelbarrows and 3 of the shovels, the rest of us used 2 shovels and the giant pans/bowls to form a chain to carry dirt into the holes. We nicknamed ourselves the “bucket brigade” and not to brag but at some points we were definitely keeping pace with the wheel barrow.

I got really lucky with the group I was assigned to because everyone one of the Habitat Hillbillies worked hard from start to finish. Other groups complained about not having enough tools and just standing around but we were able to find more so that we could work. Like I said earlier, it was a nice change being with 16 people who not only were serving, but they were eager and excited about it! We worked hard despite the heat and get this, we used all the dirt. That’s right, we actually ran out of dirt because we all were working so hard. The homeowners who were working alongside us (some very cool guys I might add) looked at us and were like “Well there is nothing else for you to do…you did it all. Thank you.” Now when they said thank-you it was incredible. The look on their face was something you don’t see often. A look of 100% gratitude, and knowing that I contributed to putting that smile there made the entire day worth it. No-one cared how dirty, sweaty, or stinky they were. They just cared that we had actually done something significant.

We actually ran out of dirt about 30 minutes before we were supposed to leave anyway so it wasn’t like we just sat there forever. We talked with the future homeowners we had been working alongside and played with several of the kids. We were all pretty tired but managed enough energy to entertain the kids until we were forced to get on the bus (around 3 pm I think, like I said I was pretty beat). I don’t know if you can tell from the pic but I was definitely dirty from moving the dirt with the buckets and dumping it out and the Habitat Hillbillies nominated me as the dirtiest member when we walked back to the bus. Fine with me, I like being dirty, especially if I have a good excuse; and I’m pretty sure helping someone build a house is a good enough reason lol. Oh and my friend Sally was wearing sunglasses all day and had one of the sickest raccoon eye tans I have ever seen. She was trying to make fun of me for being dirty (which wasn’t working cause like I said I didn’t mind being dirty) when she took off her glasses and we all got a nice laugh. She is probably going to kill me when she hears that I posted this on here but oh well I think it was a funny story that needed to be mentioned.

The bus ride back to the ship was another nice 3.5 hour trek (with a short 10 minute stop for cold drinks and street snacks in one of the villages) and most of the bus fell asleep fast because they were all so beat. Well I don’t really take naps as most of you all know so I just read a book and got some time to reflect on my experience while listening to music traveling the back roads of Ghana. It was a great day and extremely rewarding. Not to mention that the ice cold shower at the end of the day was the best shower I have had on this boat lol.

I spent day four in Ghana (our last day in Africa) on another SAS trip to a Torgorme Village for a day experiencing their culture. I wanted to do something authentically Ghanaian that was outside the city and this was my best option. Toree, Sally, and Becca were again on my trip, but Cara, Trevor, and Christina were also on the trip so we had a nice huge group of us running around together all day. The trip was the shortest bus ride I had in Ghana, only a little under 2 hours!! It was a joke compared to what I had been doing the previous 2 days haha.

Upon arrival at the village we got to experience a traditional naming ceremony as the village chief’s guests of honor. The ceremony took about 2.5 hours and was filled with traditional dances, ritualistic introduction of the chiefs, music, traditional drumming, and each of us receiving a traditional African name from the chief’s family as well as a welcoming into the family.

The experience as a whole was surreal. The entire village attended the gathering and everyone was dressed in ceremonial dress and some even had on paint for the dances and rituals. The African name given to me (they base it on year of birth, day of birth, month of birth, day of week of birth, and something else I forgot) was Kuadzo Agbenyga. They also told us the literal meaning of our names and supposedly it is supposed to define our lives. Well it was a little creepy how accurate they were with mine, they got my name spot on. The literal translation givin to me for my name was “Life is Great.” Not just “good”…no no…life is “GREAT!!” Considering that has been my life motto anyway I was thrilled when they told me that is what my name when. And life is great isn’t it. I mean you are breathing aren’t you? And you obviously have access to a computer if you are accessing this…and you can obviously read this if you are this far. So I would say we are all in pretty good shape and life it GREAT!! Waaahhhhhhhhhhoooooooo!!!!

After the naming ceremony, which concluded everything I listed above and even an opportunity to participate in one of the tribal dances with the members of the tribe, we were given a brief tour of the village which was mainly just the kids dragging us around haha. The kids were really cool and it was fun getting to chill with all of them. Following our look around the village we were transported in our bus to a nearby Mess Hall where we were fed lunch. The lunch was super good and the best thing was the plantains because the way they cook them is similar to a caramalization and they were delicious!! We were able to take our time eating without being rushed and it was nice because we all got to compare our African names and get to know each other a little better.
The last activity of the day was a trip to a nearby nature reserve area where we got to explore one of the famous local caves that is known for its bats. Going to the cave we were able to see a lot of impala and even some baboons running across these rocks cause they were scared of the bus. The hike to the cave wasn’t even really a hike, more like a short walk, and we were able to take turns squeezing into this little crack to get to view the bats. I was toward the end cause I had been climbing around on some rocks while we had been walking and I had also tried to find another way into the cave. Me, toree, sally, and cara where the last 4 in the cave and basically there was this spot where everyone had been standing to see the bats right inside the opening but that is as far as everyone had gone. Well I wanted to go into the cave farther, not just stand in the opening, I mean what are a few bats gunna do to me? So I jumped over and started walking farther in, although unlike Hawaii I didn’t have my flashlight this time so I had to go pretty slow.

Okay going farther in was a way better decision. It was a totally different experience than standing at the front. The ground was covered in so much guana (bat poop) that it was like walking on a sponge. The smell didn’t really bother me cause it just smelled like a natural cave, although some people definitely didn’t like it lol. So going in we could see the bats fluttering around (they clearly didn’t like us in their cave) but they were still farther in. Again I wanted to keep going so I did, but the girls didn’t really want to. I was like “Guys how many times are you gunna be in Ghana, Africa in a bat cave? Let’s go get closer!” As I was saying this I was walking farther in and all the sudden a hat flew into my head. Yeah hit me in the head. I think it was attracted to the white hat but what do I know? I was like “Whooaaa!!” and my hat flew off and that really freaked out the girls. I thought it was funny so I was cracking up…I got hit by a bat!!!...in Africa!!! CRAZYYYYYY!! We kept inching in but eventually couldn’t go too much farther, right as we reach the end I lifted up my hand to point at the opening that we could see and I got hit AGAIN! Yeah I got hit by another bat! I basically clothes-lined it with my arm. So I got hit by two bats!! Well that pretty much ended it for the girls because they didn’t want to get hit so they started to leave. Right when they turned around another bat hit Toree in the face….haha she screamed so loud and jumped so high!! It was AWESOME!!!!!!!! She didn’t really think so at the time but as soon as we got back to the bus she had no problem bragging about the fact that she got hit by a bat. Oh and I forgot, Cara got hit by one in the leg too! Basically Sally was the only one who went farther in that didn’t get hit by one, so we decided that she could take credit for one of my two haha. Oh gosh it was a fun 15 minutes in that cave man. Freaking awesome!!!

See it pays to go off the beaten path!! First in Hawaii and now in Ghana, two really good cave experiences if you ask me! The bus ride back to the ship was a short 1.5-2 hours so it went fast. When we arrived at the ship it was about on ship time so we all boarded and that concluded our time in Ghana and in Africa as a whole.

Our second to last port is now behind us and tomorrow we land in Brazil to experience our last port of call before beginning the journey home. Although in a way we have already begun the journey home ever since we left India and began the second half of our journey with Florida as the final destination. It’s weird to think that tonight is my last pre-port briefing and tomorrow will be the last foreign port that we pull into. Crazy man…everything just happens so fast!

Thank you all so much for your prayers, they are felt and greatly appreciated everyday! Love you and praying for each and every one of you guys!

T

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

4.5 Hour Bus Ride...At Least Give Me a Challenge

2010-04-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Whatsup Everybody?!?!?

Well we left Ghana late last night and are currently making our way across the Atlantic headed for Brazil. It is crazy to think that we have been to 3 different and unique African countries and are now on our way to the last port on this incredible voyage.

Shout Outs – First of all, Dan-the-Man, don’t know if you are reading this but I wanted to say congrats! Heard you are getting to play some varsity tennis as a freshman (or at least that’s how I interpreted what mom and dad said). Dude that is crazy cool!! Can’t wait to get back and come to one of your matches!! Esther – Girl peeing your pants would have been fine…most of the people peed in their wet suits anyway because it warmed em up in the freezing cold water. And duh I had to mention the hippo sex…according to our guide it was a huge deal so I had to pass that on. Besides it was just too funny not to mention. And yes I am NOT the planner….glad you all finally realized it. We are just gunna let that little ridiculous joke die once and for all. And my panties are never in a wad…neva! Chris – Hey man I know you didn’t comment but I have some info for ya. I have some South African currency left (it’s called Rand) and I was wondering if you wanted to buy it from me so that you can have some when you head over there. It’s not an outrageous amount but it will be enough for a meal or two or a couple cab rides. Anyways I was going to just exchange it at the Fort Lauderdale airport but if you want it I would be happy to bring it for you to buy from me. Let me know stud…just wanted to give you the option.

Picture – The picture I chose is of me in front of the Wli Waterfall I visited on the 2nd day. I gave a pretty detailed description down below so I won’t bore you with repeating it lol. Although I do want to point out that the picture doesn’t do the waterfall justice as far as how tall the sucker really was. Look how small the people are in the background and then you have to keep going farther back to try and get some perspective. It was absolutely huge and one of the prettiest things I have seen in nature. God is so GREAT isn’t He?!?!? (Click on the pic to make it bigger)

Ok so Ghana was CRAZY COOL!! Like Mauritius, I knew nothing about Ghana before Semester at Sea and had no idea where in Africa it was, let alone anything about it. No one really knew what to expect from Ghana because SAS had only been there once before and that was in the fall on the last voyage, so basically we were still a sort of guinea pig group in a way haha.Well that is not the case now. I loved traveling in Ghana and it reminded me a lot of previous places that I had visited. The people were amazingly friendly and we so interested just to talk to us and ask us a thousand questions about our lives and our views on Ghana and other areas in Africa. It was kind of intimidating because none of us wanted to say something offensive so we were pretty generic with our conversations so that we didn’t get put into any uncomfortable conversations. Anyways let me just tell you about it!

Day one in Ghana was different than most of our entrances into countries. We didn’t have to do any face-to-face immigration (I actually haven’t seen my passport since South Africa) and there was no diplomatic briefing so we basically just waited for them to clear the ship and then got off the ship ASAP! Originally Adam, Theresa, Brooke, and I were planning on going hiking in one of the major national parks but found out it was a 10+ hour round-trip depending on traffic so we had to scratch that idea…so we proceeded to do what 8 countries of experience had taught us so far on Semester at Sea…we headed into the city with no plan except to experience the country to the fullest. Wingin It!!!!!

Our ship was docked in a city called Tema which is actually about a 45 minute bus ride from Accra which is the capital and main destination of our ship. There was a complimentary shuttle that was “supposed” to run every hour on the hour between Tema and Accra. Let’s just say that besides the first shuttle every morning it was never on time and you were basically just stuck guessing and hoping you got lucky with timing the shuttle departures right. The other thing that SAS didn’t bank on was every student getting off the ship as soon as we could; although why wouldn’t we? We were in Ghana, Africa!!...of course we wanted to get off the ship!! Duhh!! So there were about 500 students standing next to the ship and the shuttles had only taken about 90 something on the first run. So we said forget this and started walking to the front of the port and were just going to snag a cab. There were about 19 of us with this idea and at the port entrance there was actually a tro-tro (basically an old van converted into rows of seats) that took all of us into Accra and basically just dumped us in the middle. We were all crammed and we had no clue where we were but that was part of the adventure so we didn’t care!!

We wandered around where we had been dropped off because none of us had any money so we all needed an ATM. We eventually found one that wasn’t out of service. By the time we had our money it was around noon so we were like “Alright lunch time!!” Now it was a Sunday and Ghana is a fairly religious country so nothing was opened around us. We hailed a cab and asked a nearby security guard to help us tell the cabbie that we wanted some traditional Ghanaian food at a place that was opened on Sundays. The cab driver understood and drove us to a different part of Accra to a restaurant that was opened. Well just about every other SAS group had run into similar trouble finding a place to eat and all of their drivers had taken them to this place too. There were about 20 SASers there when the 4 of us arrived and while we were there another dozen or more showed up too. The place was called Papaye and the food was amazing!! The menu was simple (kind-of reminded me of Cane’s back in Norman…dang that sounds so good right now…oh great, now I’m drooling cause I want Cane’s…great haha) but the food was so good! We all ate all our food and then headed out. Brooke and Adam wanted soccer jerseys so we went and found a guy selling them at his shack and they picked out some cool ones.

Afterwards we heard there was a local Ghana league soccer match at 3 so we were like “Uh yeah we are totally going to that!!” On the way we were able to stop at some of the Independence monuments in the middle of the city and some sort of huge political rally center that we didn’t really understand but it was still cool to see.

Okay the soccer game was definitely the highlight of the day! It was insane! We paid the general admission fee and entered the “stadium” through a little side gate. It was basically just like a high school stadium with wooden bleachers on the ends and some shaded seating on the sides if you wanted to pay more. We didn’t mind the heat (and it was hot…Ghana is like right on top of the Equator) and we ended up having seats with a bunch of the locals in the end zone so we got to sit in the middle of all the cheering and chanting. Gahhhhhh it was SICK!!! The match was between the Olympics vs. Arsenal (and no not the English Premier league Arsenal…just the same name). As soon as we walked in a local yelled “Hey Americans, come sit with us!” His name was Kevin and we ended up sitting with him and his buddies. We were like “So what team are you all cheering for?” They were like “Olympics…we hate Arsenal.” So we were like “Alright then we are cheering for Olympics too! Wahoooo!!”

The game was close the whole way through but our team ended up losing 1-0…oh well it was still fun! At one point we got into a yelling match with some of the fans from the other team that walked by and even though we have no clue what they said it was just fun to scream “Go Olympics” and hoot and holler whenever we did something good. The Ghanaians we sat with were awesome and it was a blast getting to know them and just relax (well kinda…in between the yelling) at a soccer game for the afternoon. Made me miss watching you play Court…which reminds me, level someone at your next game for me.

After the game we wanted to check out one of the local beaches because that is supposedly one of the highlights in Accra. We asked our buddy Kevin and he told us that we needed to go to this one local beach because it was a huge local hangout spot on Sunday nights (ironic but whatever). We grabbed a cab and headed off for the beach. Well Kevin wasn’t kidding about it being the place to be. You had to pay an entrance fee to get onto the beach and there were literally thousands of locals chilling on the beach, playing in the water, and of course, soccer on the beach. The best part is that there were like hardly any other SAS students around. We only saw like 10 others besides the four of us so we were pumped that it was just us and the locals.

We ended up being at the beach from like 530 till 9 because we found a spot where we could also eat right there on the beach (literally like chairs and a table in the sand watching the sun going down about 10 feet from the water coming in). We met a group of locals who were playing soccer on the beach and they all absolutely loved Brooke and Theresa…must be the long blonde hair appeal like in Nicaragua and other foreign countries. Anyways they both got like 2 dozen email addresses so they are going to have some serious emailing to do haha. Two of the guys ended up eating dinner with us, Shammoo and Mike, and we talked to them for about two hours while we ate and asked them all kinds of questions about their daily lives and families etc. They in turn asked us about everything from Beyonce to Barack Obama…for those of you who didn’t know, Obama recently visited Ghana over Nigeria and South Africa so the people there are literally in love with the guy and that is all they want to talk about. Let’s just say that I bit my tongue a lot when I was talking to the locals and they brought him up. Oh and by far their greatest interest is British Premier League Soccer. Man U played that day so that is all they were talking about. They wanted to know who I cheered for and who my favorite player was and when I told them the truth that I didn’t follow it and didn’t have a team they were shocked. They were like “You don’t watch futbol? Then what do you do?” Haha Mike and Wes you guys would have had great conversations with them but I however wasn’t able to talk about soccer. That is when all the other stuff I just mentioned came up.

After dinner we made our way to the shuttle bus stop to catch the bus back to the ship and got lucky enough to get there while one was still sitting there so we didn’t have to wait in an abandoned parking lot for too long. We waited about 30 minutes for the bus to fill up and then headed back to the ship…arriving a little after 1045 I think. I called it a night because I had an early trip the next morning. As a whole day 1 in Ghana couldn’t have been better. We got to experience a soccer game which was one of the sickest things ever because they are crazy about soccer. It is on every add and all they talked about. Then we got to walk around the streets, interact with the vendors, find some locals on a beach, and talk to them over a nice African dinner. Couldn’t have been a better day and to think we had no plan when we stepped off the ship…that would have driven my parents nuts hahahahahaha.

For the second day in Ghana I went on an SAS trip to see the Wli Waterfall and the Mona Monkeys. Now the road system in Ghana is one of the worst I have ever experienced…actually very similar to Nicaragua when you get outside the bigger cities. So to get anywhere takes a significant portion of time. That was the case with this SAS trip. The bus ride to the waterfall (our first stop) was 4.5 hours. Now some kids definitely didn’t like this but again Henderson Hills has trained me well. After you drive to Florida and back every summer on a bus, 4.5 hours is a joke. My friends Sally, Bekah, and Torrie were on the trip with me so I also got lucky because that made the ride better. Torrie and I had known each other but after a 4.5 hour bus ride there wasn’t much we didn’t know about each other lol. Like I said earlier, the road system is not in good shape and most of the time we weren’t even on paved roads so it was so bumpy that sleep was definitely not an option. That left talking and riddles to pass the time as we made our way to the waterfalls.

When we got to the waterfalls it was about a 45 minute hike (would have been faster but we stopped to look at random stuff on the way) to the waterfall. On the way we were supposed to pass over this river 11 times so each time we took a picture holding up the number of the bridge we were crossing. It started out as a joke between Sally and Bekah but turned into a must-do at every bridge. Okay you guys this waterfall was insane. I thought the ones in Hawaii were cool…yeah not anymore. We were like walking through the jungle and all the sudden there is this giant waterfall that literally took our breaths away. It was huge! This specific waterfall is the tallest one in West Africa and just the amount of water was impressive! The scenery around it was also really cool! It came out of these cliffs with vegetation growing on them and there were hundreds of bats flying around where the water came out. Someone joked that it was just like the movie Avatar and it definitely was. There were huge plants and then the bats were kinda like those flying creature things. It was absolutely gorgeous and so cool to get to experience. Like I said the picture doesn’t really do it justice cause it looks smaller than it was so just kind of think of it bigger.

We were given about 30 minutes at the waterfall so of course we all got in and headed toward the waterfall to get under it. The water was really shallow and it never even got above our waists, but I still got soaked cause you better believe I charged right into that sucker. About 15 feet away there was a pretty strong mist like what you see in movies and once I was under the water it was way cool. Best free massage I have ever gotten. Although it was so much water there was no way you could look up and some people didn’t like how hard the water was falling. Like I said, I just acted like it was a really good massage but it was definitely the most powerful amount of water I have been hit with. Ahhhh it was just so cool!! Our 30 minutes went by WAY to fast and we were all really reluctant to put back on our shoes and start the trek back to the bus. It was just so surreal that no one wanted to leave.

After making it back to the bus we drove another hour and a half to the Mona Monkey sanctuary located in some random little village. The Mona Monkeys are considered sacred to the tribe of people living in the region of Ghana and many of the monkeys inhabit the jungle surrounding the villages. We were able to buy bananas and the monkeys would come up to us, peel the banana while we were still holding it, then run off with the fruit back into the safety of their tree. They were quick little rascals too…they would just run up and within seconds they had about 2 inches of the banana peeled away and the fruit stuffed into their mouths. The monkeys were about the size of a big cat (uggghhh just saying the word cat makes me wanna hurl) and really cool looking. I had never seen monkeys that looked exactly like these (not even in pictures) so that was cool to see and experience for the first time. We were only able to interact with the monkeys for about 10 minutes, mainly because they ate the bananas so quick and once they are gone they really have no reason to stay around so they just run off haha. We walked around the village for about 20 minutes but weren’t able to stay because this was just a small part of the tour. Although like I said, we pretty much saw everything at the monkey “sanctuary” (really not much security) and I felt like we had a really good experience.

We loaded back onto the bus for our trek back to the ship which took about 4 more hours because the monkeys were kind of on the way back from the waterfall…although not really. We ended up back at the ship around 7 and ate dinner on the ship and just decided to stay on the ship for the evening. It took effort getting from Tema to Accra with the shuttle irregularity so we just decided to rest and recover because we all were on other SAS trips the next morning as well and wanted to get some sleep. Fine with me and I was tired…actually ended up being a really good decision to sleep but you will have to wait until my next blog for the reasoning behind that haha.

That sums up my first two days in Ghana and I will tell you all about the next 2 in my next blog which will hopefully be sometime in the next couple days before I get to Brazil.

I really wanna pass the following on to you guys cause it has been on my heart for the past couple days…

Now the day light flees…now the ground beneath…quakes as its maker, bows His head. Curtain torn in two…dead are raised to life…finished the VICTORY CRY!!!!!!!! This the power, of the cross! Christ became, sin for us. Took the blame…bore the wrath…we STAND forgiven at the cross!! Oh to see my name…written in the wounds…for through Your suffering…I am FREE! Death is crushed to death…life is mine to live…wraught through Your selfless love. This the power…of the cross. Son of God…slain for us. What a love…what a cost…we stand forgiven at the cross.

For the past week and a half since Easter Sunday this song has been on my heart and every time I hear it I just get chills. I have heard the Easter story a hundred times but it NEVER gets old. Death no longer matters to us…we are free you guys…FREE!!!! Free to live! Free to love! Free to pass on the knowledge of this new life! We are victorious through Christ…we have already won! Doesn’t it just make you wanna cry out in praise! Just couldn’t help but pass on this feeling! Join me in crying out to God!!

I love you guys so much and, as we are getting closer to the end of this voyage, I can’t wait to see you guys and chill! Miss you guys and can’t wait to hang out here in a couple weeks!! Speaking of hanging out…there are a lot of American foods/restaurants I am craving so we will need to hit up a lot of those ASAP!! Praying for each and every one of you! Hope all is well!

T

(oh and ps mom – my hair is the longest it has been since middle school and I definitely have “wings” as my friends on the ship are saying haha)

I'm Allergic to Not Hving Fun

2010-04-10T02:30:00.000-07:00

Hello hello hellooooooooo

Long time no talk huh? Haha don’t really know why I said that…oh well. How is everything going?!?! Hopefully good! We are almost to Ghana…we actually arrive tomorrow. Gahhhh it’s just one port after the next. I still haven’t caught up on sleep from South Africa. Oh well haha.

Comments – First off I just have to say that this is a place that almost every one of you would have loved (some of you not so much, but I won’t name names lol). I kept thinking how much my friends back home would love this place and I really with you guys could have been here to experience it with me. Really miss you guys and I can’t wait to get home and chill!! Kayla – well sorry I don’t watch the Beverly Hillbillies haha, I’m sure I could quote movies you don’t know too. Yeah I miss Henderson Hills more and more everyday…I can’t wait to get back to it!! Shopping = blahhhhh!!! Oh my gosh it was so amazing being in the water with the Great Whites! LOVED IT!!! Oooooo look at you being funny…missed you too dork haha.

Picture – The picture I chose for this section obviously had to be an animal picture! I got really lucky with the quality of this shot and am fortunate that it turned out the way it did! These elephants were part of a big group of around a dozen that we saw on our first trip out and the male on the far right with its ears flared definitely got annoyed with us and started charging the 4x4. Definitely scary when something that big decides it doesn’t like you and starts being a tough guy…oh well that added to the excitement. Made the whole experience feel more real when we really are out in the bush with nothing between us and the animals. (click on the pic to make it bigger)

Alright so Africa round 2, there is just so much to write about!! This post is all about a 3 day safari that I was fortunate enough to go on during my stay in South Africa. Don’t really know where to start so this might be all over the place haha. I already told you guys about days 1 and 5 in Cape Town so this will focus on the 3 days in between…here goes!

My second day in South Africa started extremely early with a 3:45 a.m. wakeup (we had to be in the Union at 4:00 for check-in with our group). Needless to say that was an experience in itself…you guys can only imagine haha. After our entire group showed up (of course there were stragglers) we loaded onto a bus and headed to the airport. The first leg of our journey was a 2 hour flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg (referred to as Jo-berg by South Africans). We arrived in Jo-berg around 8:30 I think? I don’t really remember because I slept on the plane and was still waking up lol. The next leg of our journey was a charter flight that went from Jo-berg to a place called Hoedspruit which is just an airport. Okay well our experience in the Jo-berg airport was definitely one to be remembered. There was some confusion between the charter company, the airport, and then our SAS group which resulted in a 30 minute layover turning into a 2.5 hour layover including losing boarding passes and switching gates. I personally didn’t think it was that bad (nothing like our layover experience in Atlanta on our way to Israel…remember that Dennis and Mom? Oh wait…I forgot. You guys were under the influence of sleeping pills so that probably didn’t seem like that big a deal to you all. Haha sorry couldn’t help it) but there were some pissed off people in our group. Oh well I just kinda went with the flow.

Once we actually got to our plane it was a smooth 35 minute flight to Hoedspruit which was an old military base that is now used for charter flights to drop people off for safaris in the nearby areas. It was absolutely huge but it was also kinda weird because we were the only plane in sight. Had the whole place to our self! Just a really cool experience getting off the plane and being all alone on an airport tarmac with our 4x4s waiting for us! The lodge had sent the vehicles to pick us up and transport us to the lodge for check-in. We loaded up and headed off within minutes of arrival. It was sick!! We were in the African bush…and it was AWESOME!!!!!

The safari that I was on was located on a private game reserve called the Kapama Game Reserve. It encompasses an area of more than 24,000 acres and provides a natural environment for animals to live in and remain safe from outside influence. The reserve actually has 3 separate lodges located within its boundaries and the one I was fortunate enough to stay at was the Kapama River Lodge. Okay this hotel was by far the nicest hotel/resort I have ever stayed at. Everything was open air so you felt like you were actually out in the bush but it was all super nice at the same time. Everything was wood so it had a nice rustic feel…man I was right at home! Loved every minute of it!! We had to travel about 20 minutes into the park to reach the lodge so we got a nice little intro safari on our way there. Man we were all so pumped…I’m getting excited just typing about it!!

We arrived at the lunch around noon I think. We were given a brief intro about the layout of the lodge and safety measures. You see there are fences but wild animals can still get inside the perimeter of the lodge and they are free to roam around. For instance, on the path from the main lodge to where our rooms were located, there were constantly kudu (a type of African deer that are bigger than what we have in the states) and one kid even saw some little monkeys. Crazy huh?!?! So we checked in and dropped our backpacks in our rooms before hitting up lunch. Our schedule for the next 48 hours that we were there consisted of the following:

5 a.m. wakeup
5:30 coffee, tea, and pastries
6:00 game drive
9:00 full breakfast
1:00 lunch
4:00 afternoon tea and dessert
4:30 game drive
8:30 dinner with our guides

This schedule was absolutely amazing! The highlights were clearly the game drives but the huge chunk during the day was so nice to relax and just chill in the open area lodge. We really bonded with each other and spent a lot of time playing cards and other random games. Oh and how about getting tea twice a day?!? And it was good tea…not the crappy cheap stuff, actually good quality tea…yeah I was in heaven!! And it wasn’t just tea…it was like a full buffet of sandwiches, snacks, and desserts as well. So in a way I was eating 5 meals a day and loving it!! Oh and on our game drives we stopped for snacks in the middle so that was like 2 more small meals on top of the other 5! Gahhhhh life was so good!! Who cares about the 5 a.m. wakeups?!? We all woke up quick when we remembered that we were in Africa living it up!!

Alright so clearly you all want to hear about the game drives because I mean that is the reason we were all there. I don’t know where to start but here goes. I am just going to outline for you all some of the basics and list everything I saw and then tell some of the more unique stories. Then I will save the other stories for you guys when I get home and can tell you in more detail. Deal?

So for each game drive we were with the same driver and tracker so that we didn’t focus on the same animals over and over and we made sure to see as much as we could. Our driver’s name was Frikkie (yeah coolest name ever right?!?! I was definitely jealous) and our tracker’s name was Enock. Two very cool people and if you ask me we had a great pair to work with. The group in our car consisted of Dr. Robbins (our trip leader), Melinda, Melissa, Brittany, Kathleen, Caroline, Rebecca, Kevin, and me. Our group was stinking awesome and we had a great time horsing around and seeing so much cool stuff. The 4x4s were totally open air and we basically just drove off on random trails and searched for game. All of the drivers used radios so that if they saw something cool then they would radio other people so that they could come and see the same thing. You know like the rarer stuff. It was actually a very successful system and there were some other restrictions and stuff but that can wait till later.

Funny story about the title of my blog - on our first drive our guide asked us if any of us had any allergies because we would be exposed to alot of bugs, plants, and trees. No one said anything so I just shouted "I'm allergic to NOT having fun!" Everyone laughed (which was the point...duh!) so for the rest of the trip everytime we saw someone Frikkie would turn around and ask me "So Tyler you having an allergic reaction or are we good?" Haha it was a little joke in our 4x4! Just thought you guys would like to know!!

The Kapama Reserve is set up in the way that nature is allowed to run its course without human interference. With the exception of the cheetah program (a species rapidly becoming extinct) the animals are left alone and the only human intervention is keeping poachers out to protect the animals. The animals aren’t fed, they feed themselves. Our guide, Frikkie, described it like this, “You know all that stuff you see on the Discovery channel? Yeah you can find it here. This is the circle of life. Animals eat other animals and the herbivores eat the grass.” Crazy huh?!? We were even told that the night before we arrived one of the cars had witnessed 4 lionesses take down a water buffalo and then eat it. I mean we literally had the potential to see any and everything and we couldn’t wait to get started!

Throughout our various drives we saw so much stuff. We saw Kudu, called the black ghosts of the bush….basically just really big deer with horns. Giraffes…lots of both males and females. Warthogs…every time we saw one Caroline yelled “Pumba” (well not yelled because then we would scare them away but loud enough so everyone in the car could hear it). A pair of Terpins in one of the watering holes. A mongoose on top of a termite mound snagging some dinner. A couple random wildebeest. Several termite mounds that were centuries old…one was even bigger than an SUV…definitely bigger than our 4x4. Cape Buffalo…several dozen…known as the most temperamental of the animals in the bush and considered the most dangerous of the Big 5. A chameleon climbing on a tree. Over a dozen African elephants including an albino baby (creepy looking) and an enormous male who did not like us and was extremely aggressive. Never charged but Enock and Frikkie were clearly uncomfortable. A cheetah in the wild…our guide said this was the rarest thing we could see and we got to see it on the first night…didn’t get to see it run but it was still super cool!! Hundreds of Impala that were everywhere!! Definitely the most common animal we saw. We saw the “Zazu birds” as our guide referred to them as…you know the blue bird from the Lion King…so that was cool! Plenty of zebra…they were everywhere…and they interact well with other animals so on multiple times we saw warthogs, giraffes, and zebra all together with each other. A couple random jackals…they don’t really like attention. A really big porcupine…like freaking huge!! So yeah we saw so much stuff!! Now I will tell you about some of the really special highlights of the trip.

On our first morning game drive (so really the second day we were there), the weather was off and on rainy…nothing like a down poor, more what you would call the occasional spit. Some people were complaining but Kevin and I were like “Yeah buddy!! Bring it on!!” The rain wasn’t anything significant enough to give us trouble and it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because of the clouds and that feeling of rain in the air, a lot of the animals were more active and in more “playful” moods as Frikkie put it. So we are driving along and we round this bend and there are three lions staring at us about 25 yards from the 4x4. It was a female lion that Frikkie estimated being about 6 years old, and then her two 9-month old cubs! That’s right, I got to see two little lion cubs playing in the wild! And when I say playing I mean playing. One of the cubs was female and one was male so it was a little brother/sister combo just tagging along with their mom. Like I said, the weather was causing them to be more active so we got to see the little cubs jump on each other and wrestle around, then they would both try to jump on mom and she would just hit them off and keep walking. Haha it was so sweet seeing this little family group, and the coolest part was that it was so random! No one had seen them before us and we literally just rounded a corner and caught them playing. The female lion cub was definitely the coolest to watch because while the male was messing with the car (he had serious little lion syndrome), she would hide in the bushes and then jump him from the side when he wasn’t looking. It was so funny!! Definitely one of the cooler things we saw.

Okay then we got to see Hippos having sex!!….that was definitely an interesting experience cause the male is pretty much drowning the female lol. This was definitely a really cool site because in 10 years Frikkie had only seen this once before and Enock had never seen it. They were just excited as we were so that is how we knew that we had really stumbled onto a treat. Something that very few people get to see in the wild.

Perhaps the biggest treat that we got to experience on a 4x4 game drive was the second night we were at Kapama, or the last evening game drive that we took. We had already seen a lot of stuff but we had no clue what we were about to see. We were driving along when all of the sudden Frikkie heard something over the radio and floors it. Like instant acceleration and we were like “Oh this has to be something really good cause he is hauling!” We are buzzing through the park when we get to a spot where another jeep has his spotlight on something. We pull up next to it and realize that they had found the big male lion that lives in Kapama!! This might not seem like a huge deal to you guys but here is the back ground story. We had been told upon arrival that we weren’t going to be able to see the big male lion because he was on his “honeymoon” and they hadn’t had a visual on him for the past 5 days. They knew that he was somewhere in the river area because that is where he goes on his honeymoons but there was no way they could get the 4x4s back there and they didn’t want to disturb the “honeymoon” because that is considered human intervention. So from the beginning we had been sure that we weren’t going to see the big male and we had been okay with it. So just imagine how happy we were when we come over this hill and see this giant lion laying on the ground! Oh my gosh he was HUGE!! I mean you see pictures but getting to see one of these giant males in real life was absolutely amazing! He was gorgeous. His mane was so cool and his paws…let me just tell you…there were stinking massive! I have no doubt that he could easily rip my face off with one swipe of that huge claw! Pretty cool man, pretty cool! So then the 4x4 who round him left and another one showed up but we were in charge of maintaining the visual so we got to stay and watch him. Okay then something even sweeter happened. Mufassa (that is what we were referring to the giant male as because nothing else seemed appropriate) heard something in the bushes and jerked his head up. He looks toward whatever he heard and started to roar. I mean like legit roar. Gah it was SICK!! I got to hear a big daddy male lion roar in the wild!! Yeah it was indescribable. The lion was basically like “Yeah I own this area…back off!” How awesome is that?!?! We watched this guy for like an hour and never once did we get bored…just something that we tried to take in as much as we could before it was over.

That was obviously a vague list and then some random stories but don’t worry there are plenty more. Including our wild attempt at trying to find a leopard, elephants charging the car, water buffalo challenging us, flat tires in the middle of nowhere, getting stuck in the mud, and so much more. Don’t worry I will just save those stories for this summer cause it would take too long to tell them all now! And I will retell the above stories in greater detail with pictures and videos!

Now everything I just told you guys refers to the first three game drives I went on (first day night, second day morning, and second day night). Now I will tell you about the third day morning game drive because that was a totally different experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity! We were given the option of taking an Elephant-baked safari the last morning (if we paid more money for it of course…nothing is ever free anymore lol)! Well I mean how many times will I get the chance to be in the middle of the African Bush and ride around on the back of an African Elephant for 2 hours…the answer…not many! So of course I did it! Couldn’t pass it up man…it is super rare to get to ride African Elephants because they are more temperamental. If you see pictures of people on elephants it is usually an Asian Elephant (which I neglected to do in India because I was holding out for Africa!) because they are more common. We were also told that there are very few places in the world that offer the chance to ride these giant African elephants and this was one of the them. We were assigned two people to an elephant plus a trainer. So really all we had to do was enjoy the ride and take pictures! My elephant’s name was Somapani and his trainer’s name was Isaac. Somapani was one of the bigger males of the group and it was sweet to get to ride an animal that is so massive. We rode around for like 2 hours and got to see the elephants do tricks before and after. I will tell you guys about that later though. Getting the opportunity to see these massive animals was absolutely incredible and then being fortunate enough to ride them was even better!

Here is the deal…we saw so much cool stuff and I have so many stories that I really can’t even begin to describe it…I did my best but this is something I really don’t know how to describe in just this blog. I know I have said this before but this was by far my favorite experience so far on Semester at Sea and I will tell you a much better version of this when I get home in May. What I just blogged about was like 1/10 of what we saw so just wait and I will tell you so much more in person! So whatever questions you have just save them until then!!!

The scenery we got to experience was absolutely amazing. With the exception of the lodge we were literally in the middle of nowhere and I was right at home! There were no city lights, no car noises, just us and the bush! Gahhhhh it was awesome!! Loved being out in the country again and just getting to experience nature. Driving around and seeing everything that we did, I really saw nature praising God. I know that sounds weird but everywhere I looked; I consistently saw the evidence left by God’s hands. How great is our God?!? Look around! Even at home in the states look around. The trees, grass, flowers, animals, smells, sounds, everything! What a gift from God. Seeing nature undisturbed by human influence and the way God intended it was breathtaking. Seeing the circle of life and how God literally thought of every individual detail during the steps of creation…I mean how sick is that?!?! Something that is so simple that we take for granted every day. Nature!! Walk outside…look around…and just take it in. Remember who created the earth around you, the same Creator who made you and me individually.

Love you guys so much and I hope everything is going awesome!

T

Bikes, Boats, and Sharks Oh My!!

2010-04-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

Howdy ya’ll!!

How are you guys?!? I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend and I am sad I didn’t get to experience it with you. How is good old Oklahoma? Hopefully awesome…don’t know why it wouldn’t be haha! As I begin to write this it is April 5 and we are actually still stuck in South Africa due to weather but we aren’t allowed off of the ship because we don’t know when we will be cleared to leave and there is no other way to keep track of us. This day is also significant because exactly 1 month from today I will be home. Crazy huh? I feel like I just got here…but at the same time I am really missing home and all of you guys! So much has happened to me in the last 78 days that it is just weird to think that there is just 1 month left!

Shout outs – Shirley – bro we are gunna have the sweetest stories after this summer. It is gunna be EPIC!! And yeah I hadn’t heard of Mauritius but man am I glad I got to go there! It was crazy fun and I definitely wouldn’t mind going back. How is good ole Memorial going? Bet you are just itching to be done with it huh? I remember that last stretch after Spring Break…all I wanted was for summer to come and then college to start lol. Esther – ummm excuse me how was I wrong? We have pictures to prove it ya dork…you were definitely stuck and without Evan, Jarrett, and I using common sense and simply engaging your four wheel drive to simply drive away, you would have been stuck there until you realized that your car had four-wheel drive. Hahaha gah that story NEVER gets old…and it’s not that bad. I mean I got the ranch suburban buried once…that was a fun walk back lol. Heard my parents got to see you the other week…wish I could have been there! Can’t wait to see ya this summer! Natalie – Yeah girl it was an AWESOME day! And no one even thinks twice about any of the girls with no hair. It is just normal for all of us on the ship! Some of my really good friends on the ship did it and they have no regrets!! You wouldn’t have regretted it…you would have LOVED it!! Wish you were hear chica!! Can’t wait to come bug you in Norman and distract you from studying when I get back!! Chris – Dude bro I really wish you could have been with me in South Africa...you would have absolutely loved it!!!!!!!! I am so jealous that you are going to get to spend an extended amount of time there this summer!! You are going to absolutely LOVE IT brotha! Haha your summer sounds like my last couple…it’s alright, there are always small jobs that pop up and God will open doors. Besides you have so many contacts in the church that I bet you get more small job offers than you want lol. Dude I wanna chill with you so bad! You are definitely one of the first people I am calling when I get back and I will do my best to distract you from studying as well haha!! JT – yeah Neptune Day was tight! Definitely understand why you liked it so much!! Yes Mauritius is definitely a tourist economy…but the coolest part is that you can definitely still experience the local culture if you try hard enough! The people were super chill which I really enjoyed and it was so cool to chill with them. It is also kind of a melting pot of people as far as local origins so it was cool seeing so many different influences in music, dress, food, etc. I really enjoyed myself! And yeah there are definitely other foreigners that visit and it is an annual tourist industry! I can totally see why too with the beaches and forests and mountains! Very cool place! Esther again? – Well you definitely called it because I was totally shaking my head and mumbling that under my breath when I read your “p.s.”….that takes skill girl cause you totally called it. Too bad you are wrong!! I am not the planner girl and the more you guys call me that…the less I wanna plan stuff. Which would include the ranch…so I would stop calling me the planner…haha you crazy girl! Hope all is well!!

Thank you guys so much for posting!! Gives me a nice taste of home and it is nice to talk to you guys!! Love you all and hope you all are doing awesome!! Can’t wait to see and hang out with all of you guys!!

Oh and this is a random story that you Henderson Hills people will appreciate (especially Brett Middleton if you are reading this). So we are sitting at dinner on the ship the other night and we actually had fresh bananas which is rare on the ship so my table had grabbed a bunch of them. Emily was sitting next to me peeling her banana and she started singing (it was one of those things where it was super quiet but a little louder than she thought) the following: “Form banana, form form banana. And form banana, form form banana.” So naturally I was like “Peel banana, peel peel banana. And peel banana, peel peel banana.” Then Shannon who was also at the table was like “Go bananas, go go bananas!! And go bananas, go go bananas!!” (All of us are like dancing and going bananas in our seats at this point, because I mean Helllooooo…that is what the song tells you to do!) Then we all just died laughing, oh my gosh it was so funny!! It was just so random but no one missed a beat and we all just started laughing when it was over. Hahaha gah I love this ship!! It’s just so laid back and everyone is so spontaneous! Love it!!!!

Okay so South Africa was by far the best 5 days I have had on this adventure so far. It was absolutely AMAZING!! It was so hard to get back on the boat knowing we had to leave. I did so many different things in the time I was there and had some many unique experiences it will be impossible to tell you guys everything. I will do my best but there is just no way it is possible…oh well gotta save something for the summer right? And the stories will be easier to tell you all when I have pictures to go along with it. So if I am not clear on something or you want to know more just ask me when I get home this summer.

Picture – the picture I chose for this blog is definitely from Shark Diving. I mean I had to include one about it…duh!! This pic was taken on our way out to the cage from the top of the boat. From left to right it goes me, Courtney, Steph, and Shannon. We were so hyped up on adrenaline when this picture was taken, all we wanted to do was get in the water lol. (click on pic to make it larger)

So day one in South Africa was a day of extreme sightseeing if you will. We arrived in Cape Town and had a guest speaker upon arrival before being allowed to get off the ship. As soon as I was allowed to I was off the ship…I mean we were in Africa hello!! The port area where we were docked was absolutely gorgeous with the open ocean and then Table Mountain looking over the port area. Oh and for those of you that are interested (particularly Chris Wilson) one of the brand new soccer stadiums built specifically for the World Cup this summer was about .25 miles from our ship so that was cool to see. We weren’t allowed to go in and I only saw it in passing but it was definitely a very cool stadium from the outside.

Okay so very quick after arrival I met up with the group I would be Shark Diving with that day. That’s right Shark Diving!!!!!! I willing got into a cage in the water with GREAT WHITE SHARKS!! Oh my gosh it was SICK!!! I still can’t believe I got to do it!! How crazy is that?!?!? Anyways we met our tour agency guides on the pier and as soon as everyone showed up we were off. Our group consisted of about 35 people so it took two big vans to transport all of us. We were taken about 2.5 hours outside of Cape Town to a little town called Gansbaai which is known as the Great White Shark capital of the world. If any of you have ever watched Shark Week on the Discovery channel, yeah most of that footage about Great Whites is filmed in the waters outside of this bay. Ahhhhhh it was so cool cause we were actually there!!

Upon arrival at the place we were given a light lunch and then split into boat groups. One boat took 11 of us and the other boat took the other 25. I ended up on the 11 person boat which I was kinda bummed about at first but it ended up being WAY better. For one we were able to be in the water more because there were fewer of us to cycle through, AND our boat ended up seeing more sharks and getting better activity than the other group! Guess someone upstairs was looking out for us or something lol.

It was about a 20 minute boat ride out to the actual dive spot and we were all so pumped up on adrenaline that it didn’t feel that long at all. Once we got there they attached the cage to the side of the boat and started chumming the water while we all started putting on our wetsuits and getting dive masks. The water was 55 degrees Fahrenheit so it wouldn’t have been possible without the wetsuits. Within minutes (literally like 2-3) of the first bucket of chum hitting the water, the first shark of the day showed up, a medium sized male. Six people could get in the cage at a time and man they jumped in fast once that shark showed up. The guides on our boat did a good job of making sure there were constantly people in the cage and even when it was time to rotate, one person jumped in as soon as someone came out.

The cage was set up to where the top was on hinges to allow easy entry and exit from the boat. The top foot was always above the water, except for the really big waves, so we didn’t have scuba gear or snorkels. We would just keep our heads above the water and when the shark spotter saw one coming close he would yell “Divers down!” followed by which direction and we would hold our breaths and go under to see it. It was so intense!! Sometimes we would go down and the shark would be swimming right alongside us and other times we wouldn’t see it at first and then it would all of the sudden swim out of the gloom and be right there. Intense huh? It was like Hollywood special effects…first you don’t see anything, then all of the sudden this massive shape appears. Ahhhhhh I still can’t believe I was in a cage surrounded by Great Whites!! It was just so cool!!

Like I said earlier, my boat got really lucky with the number of sharks we saw and the quality of our viewings, in the 2.5 hours we were floating with the cage we saw 5 different sharks. The coolest was this really big female. We knew we were lucky because our guides got really excited when she showed up. These guys do this 364 days a year (nothing on Christmas or New Years) so when they get excited about the size of a shark you know that it really is a good sized shark. I mean this baby was huge!!!!!! They said it was around 3.2 meters…that doesn’t sound like much but think about what a meter really is. Then think of a shark that big with rows of teeth that comes right into the cage and thrashes against it.

Oh did I not mention…on multiple occasions we had the sharks attack the cage and thrash around. Yeah it was probably the most exhilarating thing ever. My first rotation in the cage I was on the end of the line in the corner when the first shark hit the cage. He came in for the bait and the guide maneuvered the bait so that it was closer to the cage…yeah the shark got the bait and then decided he wanted the whole thing and not just a little bit. Well that involved thrashing and he came face first into the cage on my corner. So I am holding my breath under water looking at this shark when it took the bait then headed toward me with an open mouth and started ramming the cage and thrashing. We are talking its jaws were opened around the cage literally less than a foot from my face. Less than a foot…from a Great White with an open jaw snapping open and shut!!! What?!!?!? Talk about an adrenaline rush! There were bubbles everywhere and all you could see were teeth flashing and the body moving from side to side….it was SICK!!

This happened multiple times with our boat group and I kinda felt bad for the other boat because we saw some really cool stuff. During one of the thrashes by one of the sharks the tail actually slapped through the cage and hit Steph so she was pretty proud of that…I mean she did get slapped by a Great White! I would be pumped too! It was also funny because at one point I was next to Courtney and this shark surprised us by coming out of the gloom right for us and she screamed underwater which was absolutely hilarious!! The best part was after all of the good hits and passes we would come up to catch our breath before going back under and we would all be like “Whooaaa!!!” and “That was so sick!!” and “Holy crap can you believe that just happened?!” There were obviously other really cool parts but it would just take too long to describe everything! Oh and two of the girls on my boat got sea sick cause the seas were pretty rough but that just meant that I got to be in the water more so I didn’t mind lol.

Despite being in 55 degree water (which is soooooo cold!) and having to hold our breaths, you didn’t even think about either when we were underwater looking at these sharks. I held my breath so much longer than I thought I could and the only time I was ever cold was when I was on the boat letting the other group have their turn. Being in the water with them was just so captivating that we weren’t thinking about anything but watching that animal and waiting to see what would happen next. Seeing these animals in the wild was absolutely indescribable. They were so graceful swimming through the water it was absolutely gorgeous! The really are beautiful animals and it was cool because never once did I ever feel like they wanted to hurt me. They just wanted the tuna heads we were using as bait and were attracted by the smell of the chum. Definitely gave me a new perspective on an animal that is so publicly feared. Don’t get me wrong I still wouldn’t want to just be floating in the water outside of the cage because seeing those teeth right in front of my face was definitely a scary, exhilarating, freaking awesome experience all at the same time! It was definitely worth every penny.

After returning to shore we were given some hot chocolate and coffee and then we were able to watch the video of our experience. Now I know I did an awful job of describing this but I did buy the DVD of the dive with all of the highlights so that I could show you all this summer! So if you wanna see something wicked sick then ask me this summer and I will be happy to show you the video and you can see them coming into the cage and thrashing right on top of me and in my face. Sooooo…sorry this was a bad description and I know I left out a lot of details and small stories but I promise I will tell you all everything this summer lol.

After buying DVDs and T-Shirts we loaded back into the vans and headed back to Cape Town for the evening. By this time it was close to 6 and we didn’t arrive back to the ship until after 830. We were all super hungry and wanted an authentic African meal so Shannon, Steph, Grillz, Mikey, and me jumped in a cab and told our cab driver to take us somewhere authentic. Our driver was awesome and he was super nice about driving us around and making sure we were good to go. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant but it was super cool! There was a live band playing traditional African music which added to the feel of the place and the food was absolutely amazing!!! I had a venison burger (which I think was Springbuck maybe?) and a chocolate shake for desert. Some people had ostrich, others had pasta, it was just a great variety of food. After our excellent diner we returned to the ship and called it a night because all of us had to be in the Union at 4 a.m. the next morning to leave for our safaris!! Whoop Whoop!!

Alright so that was day 1 in South Africa, now I am going to tell you about day 5. I know that is weird and I am sorry for skipping but I will definitely tell you about days 2, 3, and 4 in my next blog…promise. Okay so day 5 in Cape Town was also sadly my last day in South Africa. Bummer I know but I guess it had to end sometime right. For my last day I was on an SAS sponsored trip that was a bike tour through the wine lands outside Cape Town. The trip left at 9 a.m. and it was a little over an hour drive to the place where our tour started. Our trip consisted of 17 people which was a perfect number because it was an easy group to control, and there were a lot of adults which was okay because they were able to keep up and it didn’t slow us down or anything.

Okay the wine lands were absolutely gorgeous!! The town we started in was very small and it reminded me of a little town in Colorado or something because it was tucked into a little valley with these mountains and hills on all sides. Gahhhh it was so cool! And the temperature was perfect! Not too hot but not too cold…just perfect! We spent about 45 minutes walking through the town while the guides prepped our bikes. Eventually we were assigned bikes based on bikes…okay these bikes were so nice!! There were actually mountain bikes because part of the tour was on a gravel/dirt road so road bikes wouldn’t work too well haha. I couldn’t believe the bikes were so nice…it was a nice surprise. The tour started out with a 24 km ride up through the hills and down the valley behind the town and eventually dumped us out on the outskirts of town at a winery where we enjoyed lunch. Honestly the lunch was kinda small and I would have preferred some more food but it was delicious and the scenery couldn’t have been better. I mean we were in the middle of a vineyard!! Very very cool setting to enjoy some lunch!

After lunch we finished the ride with a 6 km stretch that was mainly up and down hills so it was a nice challenge to end the day. When it was all said and done we had biked 30 km which we were told translates to a little less than 22 miles. I don’t know if the conversion is perfect but 22 miles?!? That is a pretty good chunk if you ask me… and it was through some of the prettiest country I have ever seen. Gahh it was just stinking incredible!! It was nice because we got the scenery and a really good workout which is rare on the ship. Sure there are like 3 elliptical on the ship but it is so boring running indoors. So outside of short sprints on the port side 7th deck it is hard to get much exercise except for in port so I personally really enjoyed this trip! It was a great way to say goodbye to South Africa! After everyone reached the end of the bike stretch we made a brief 45 minute stop in another little village (that I also can’t remember the name of) to get some drinks at a little bakery and just sit and chill. The ride back to the ship was about an hour and then a little more because of rush hour traffic, Cape Town style. We arrived at the ship right before on-ship time so we got in line and boarded the ship. Saying goodbye to South Africa was NOT fun and I already wanna go back haha.

After getting on the ship there was an Easter service in the Union which was really nice. I definitely missed Henderson Hills and it was weird not being with my family but at the same time I was with a different body of believers. It was a simple service and it was so cool to get to experience Easter Sunday with fellow shipmates. Being reminded of what Christ has done for us is absolutely amazing! I know everyone has been hearing it for the past week but gah how lucky are we? Christ died for us!! What did we do to deserve the greatest gift of all? Nothing…we did nothing, and we are still nothing without Christ. It still blows my mind thinking about it! The best part – HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN!!! He conquered death for sinners like me. Think about that…what love! How He loves us! “When all of the sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory! And I realize just how beautiful You are, and how great Your affections are for me!!” (David Crowder) He loves us so much that words can’t describe it!!!

I hope you guys had an amazing Easter! Remember the love that Christ showed us through His death on the cross and the AMAZING gift He gave us! Have a great week!

T

Luke 24:1-12

A Jam-Packed 34 Hours

2010-03-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hey hey hey!

So how are you all?!? Hope everyone had an amazing spring break! Can’t wait to hear about it! We are currently sailing from Mauritius to South Africa and as I am typing this we are somewhere off the Southeast tip of Madagascar. Altho by the time I send this we will probably be past Madagascar or off the west side. I am never able to finish a whole blog in one sit down so it usually takes me a day or two to completely type it and then send it lol. There is just so much going on aboard this ship!

Shout outs – Kayla – What up girl?!? So Chicago huh? How was that? I have never been there, well actually I have been in the airport but never the actual city. It’s on my list though. Haha yeah it’s weird because I wouldn’t consider Edmond very “hickish” but when I tell them stories about stuff we do on Friday nights and our epic ranch trips then they are all like “Haha yeah Tyler you are definitely a country boy.” And you know what that’s fine with me! I like being simple and laid back, makes life more fun . So who the heck is Jed Clampett? I’m not familiar with him? Shirley – Haha dude your good…I’ve been there with the Swine Week craziness so no sweat. I have heard some really awesome things about Ecuador from my sister and dad. I am super jealous of all of you and I would have killed to be there. God is so freaking awesome! Man that is so cool about college…what are you talking about?!? Sure I will miss ya but at the same time you are fulfilling a calling and that is the coolest thing ever!! Although you know that now we have to hang out like ALL summer to make up for being apart in the fall. Can’t wait to catch up my man, now we both have plenty of stories to share haha. Esther – Girl you crack me up. Yeah I like that they know I’m a country boy, then they all know I’m chill and just lovin life baby!! And which country friends would you be referring to? The ones who get their 4 wheel drive cars stuck on a flat piece of land that was anything but a ditch? Haha oh good times! I’m not really in any hurry to watch Slumdog because I know that it won’t be anything like what I saw cause that is like all people talked about when they were reflecting. Sorry that it took so long to respond. The last 4 days have been nuts! For an exact position the moment I am sending this, we are in between Madagascar and the Southern Tip of Africa and we will arrive in Cape Town in 3 days.

Picture – The picture above is of Grillz(far right), me(middle…duh!), and Toby (actually his real name is Ben, but that is a whole different story) in our van on the second day. The second day is explained better below but I just like this picture so I threw it in here. I honestly could have picked any of my pictures from Mauritius, there were just too many to choose from. There were pictures of the island, the beaches, the trips, and everything in between. So don’t worry there are plenty more pictures for me to show you this summer. If you click the picture it gets bigger...gotta love technology ;)

Before I tell you all about my adventures in Mauritius, I wanted to briefly mention an event that happened while sailing from India to Mauritius. We have a day aboard the ship that is called Neptune Day and it is a day to celebrate crossing the equator into the Southern Hemisphere. I personally don’t think it was that big of deal but hey…we got the day off with no classes and another barbeque dinner! Hey that’s good enough for me!! The biggest thing that happens on Neptune Day is head shavings that occur in the morning. It is a maritime tradition to shave your head and become a shellback the first time you cross the equator by taking a ship. I personally didn’t shave my head because it wasn’t that big of a deal to me and I have shaved my head before. The big deal is the girls that partake in this. Let me just tell you, I have an amazing amount of respect for every girl that shaved their head. And I mean shaved…like #1 buzz cut. I was honestly surprised by the number of girls that did it, over 25 girls shaved their heads. It was so cool because no one judged them afterwards when they were bald. It was like “Hey you shaved your head for Neptune Day that is so cool!” A couple of my really good friends, Rorrie and Ali (B.B.) shaved their heads and it was cool because they just don’t care what people think and wanted to do it for themselves. You don’t find that mentality much anymore in the states with mass media telling everyone how they “should or shouldn’t look.” It was nice to see everyone living in the moment. And while they were shaving their heads there was like a miny dance party/karaoke session that went on which was a blast because we were all just dancing around the pool to songs like Don’t Stop Believing and Summer of 69 (personal favorite) and having an awesome time not going to class. I didn’t have enough to write an entire blog about Neptune Day but I still wanted to mention it so there you go!

Okay so let me just start out by saying that Mauritius might just be the prettiest place I have ever been in my life. It is hard to compare it to Switzerland or Alaska because those are totally different environments but compared to anything similar, Mauritius takes the cake! Think Hawaii but more gorgeous...yeah I said MORE. We pulled into the harbor and it was just breathtaking. The water was the clearest water I have ever seen in my life, the beaches were white like you see on postcards and in books, and the mountains in the center of the island were like something out of a movie. Pictures don’t do this place justice so clearly my words can’t even begin to describe the environment I was in.

Not many people have ever even heard of Mauritius, I know I hadn’t until I saw that I was going there back in the fall. It is a small little island that is off the eastern edge of Madagascar. And I mean small, you can’t even see it on most maps without a magnifying glass. From any point on the island you can get to the opposite side in around an hour if the traffic cooperates. There is a coral reef that surrounds the majority of the island, white beaches as far as the eye can see and the middle of the island consists of mountains sporadically placed. Probably the most unique mountains I have ever seen simply because there would be like one by itself then a quarter of a mile away there would be a small chain of 3-4. Just so amazingly unique and beautiful. Over 1 million people call this island home but honestly I didn’t think it was that crowded and I was never overwhelmed by massive amounts of people. Altho I did just come from China and India so I guess I have a biased opinion currently. French is the dominant language spoken although most of the citizens speak some English, mainly as a result of the tourism industry which is a significant portion of the country’s income.

Our stay in Mauritius was just a short 2 days, actually not even that long. More like 32 hours from the time we got off to the time we got back on. Needless to say that didn’t matter to any of us. We made the most of it! Day 1 in Mauritius was extremely eventful. My morning started at 730 with breakfast, followed by immigration/customs clearance at 800 and then a diplomatic briefing from the American Consul around 845 I think. We had people going through customs so I can’t remember the exact time. After the briefing we were dismissed off the ship. I was going on an FDP with my Marine Biology professor to go snorkeling on the coral reef so we got to get off the ship first and load up our buses. There were about 45 of us in total and it was an awesome group of people. I had a lot of friends on the trip which of course makes it more memorable.

The first leg of our journey was about a 30 minute bus ride. Our first stop was at the Ministry of Agro Industry and Fisheries Division for a lecture on sustainability in the Mauritius fishing industry and in the waters surrounding the island. It was interesting to hear their take on the issue of sustainability and how passionate they are about what they do. The lecture was brief and after about an hour we said goodbye and loaded back onto the buses to head to our next location which was the highlight of our day, the Blue Bay Marine Park. After about an hour bus ride we arrived and loaded onto 2 glass bottom boats. We spent about 45 minutes traveling back and forth along the bay looking through the floor of our boat and checking out the coral and fish species that called this place home. It was crazy because the fish weren’t afraid of the boat at all and spent the majority of their time ignoring us and going about their daily lives of swimming around and eating (don’t really know what else fish do but it sounds like a good life haha).

Our boats took us to a private island for lunch where we had quite possibly the best buffet I have ever had. There was chicken, freshly grilled shrimp, prawns that were unbelievable, lamb chops with barbeque sauce, fresh fruit that was amazing, and then bananas fosters!! And the best part was that it was all we could eat, and I ate ALL that I could eat! I think I had a whole plate of the bananas fosters, gahhhhh it was freaking delicious!!

After everyone had their fill of food we finally got to snorkel!! We grabbed fins and masks that were provided for us and jumped into the boats to get out to the reef. We get to the buoy where our captain tied the boat up and the captain motioned for us to get in. Well the people who were back by the ladder didn’t hear him or didn’t notice and no one really moved to get up. I was near the front of the boat with Jeremy and we were like why is no one moving. Must have been one of those language barrier things I dunno. I motioned to the captain to make sure it was okay to get in and he gave me the thumbs up sign. So since no one moved, I just jumped off the side through the space between the canopy and the railing. I mean I wanted to snorkel on the reef man! Everyone in our boat looked at me like I was nuts and I was like “What, the captain said I could.” Jeremy was quick to jump in too and then Tom followed him; by that time the rest of the boat was starting to file off the back but I didn’t really pay attention because I was face down in the water at that point.

Okay this was the sweetest thing I have ever done in the ocean. Like I said earlier, the water was crystal clear and you could see forever under water. We were anchored off a reef about 10 feet and the depth of the area we were snorkeling ranged from about 4 feet to 12 feet in some areas. It was crazy!! As soon as I put my mask on and looked around I was in the middle of literally hundreds of fish! I can’t prove it because my camera isn’t an underwater camera but I swear that it’s true. Just to be able to float along and see the inner working of the coral reef population was awesome!! We saw fish, snails, sponges, and several different types of coral. Some fish were super tiny, like just 2-3 inches, then there were some big ones too that were longer than a foot. We didn’t see anything super big because it was a very shallow bay that was protected by natural barriers so it wasn’t good habitat for bigger fish species or marine mammals.

I don’t even know how long we were in the water but I think it was about 30-45 minutes (which only felt like 5) we were called back into the boat and returned to the beach so the other half of our group could take their turn. It was a bummer that we didn’t get to spend more time swimming through the reef with the fishes but we just didn’t have time. We were ferried back to the buses by our glass bottom boats and driven across the island back to our ship. I still can’t believe that I got to snorkel on a reef for school purposes. My classroom was literally a coral reef. How sick is that?!? I still can’t believe it!

After showering and changing out of our swimsuits, I met up with Emerson, Isaac, Shannon, and Shelly and we went out to explore the Port Louis area and grab some dinner. We decided to walk because the waterfront/city center was only about 1 km away and walking allows you to see the city so much better and get a better feel for the layout/environment around you. We ran into Kelly and Cosette at an outdoor grill near the water front and decided to join them for dinner. It was really good food and everyone thoroughly enjoyed what they ordered. The best part was just the atmosphere, we had a nice breeze coming off the water, there was great music playing in the background, and just a great atmosphere to chillax in and enjoy the evening. After dinner we spent some time exploring the city which included stopping at McDonalds for ice cream cones (it was cheap ice cream and I like cheap!) and taking pictures with a Ronald McDonald statue. After exploring the city we headed back to the ship and I decided to call it a night because we were waking up to leave early the next morning. Had to take advantage of the precious time we had in Mauritius man!

My second (and sadly last) day in Mauritius began super early with a 730 breakfast where I met up with Grillz, Emerson, Shelly, Isaac, and Shannon. Grillz worked out a deal with a tour agent who had a representative on the ship and we were able to get a van and driver for the day for just $30 a person. We wanted to go hiking so we headed off in our van to the Black River Gorge National Park in the center of the island. It was about an hour ride there which was quick because we had a 16 passenger van and there were only 6 of us so we were able to spread out and relax. I wasn’t really tired so I just enjoyed the view as we headed inland.

When we got to the park we told our driver we were going to go hiking and be back in an hour. He proceeded to tell us that we should be careful and not go on the trails without a hiring a guide because it was “dangerous.” Well we definitely weren’t about to pay to hire a guide so we set off on the trail and just decided to “risk it.” The trail was really easy to follow and started out as more of a rough road that you would take a jeep or 4x4 on. I say started because it gradually got steeper, narrower, and more difficult the farther up we went. Our group was moving at different paces, Isaac and Shannon wanted to take pictures of a lot of the flowers, Emerson and Shelly weren’t really wearing the right shoes, and Grillz and I were going too fast for everyone else. So to satisfy everyone we split into 3 groups of 2 so that we could go at our own pace and see what we wanted to see. Like I said the trail progressively got steeper and steeper, but Grillz and I wanted to reach the top so we just kept going. I should also mention that it had rained the night before so it was slick and muddy a lot of the trail, especially the higher up we got. About 75% of the way up the trail to the summit it got to the point where we were climbing straight up the side of the mountain on our hands and knees using tree roots and make-shift steps made out of plywood. We were SOOOOO dirty by the end of it and I was caked in mud. About 15 minutes from the top we ran into a group of Europeans coming down. We could have gone around them but we realized that we had to start making our way back down to meet the rest of our group and our driver and if we passed them we would get stuck behind them on the way down and it would take forever. So we regrettably started our way back down. Okay, so it was much harder going down than coming up. I’m not gunna lie, I definitely bit it a couple times and so did Grillz. I never fell really really bad but it was definitely slow going because it was wet rocks and mud especially on the part where it was straight up and down. Oh well…we eventually caught up to the rest of our group and proceeded down to the parking lot with them at a slower pace. At the bottom near the parking lot there was a river so we were able to wash our shoes and legs off before getting back in the van. Some people were giving us weird looks but we didn’t really care cause we were hot and sweaty and the water felt really good!

We loaded back into the van and headed off to a local beach called flic and flac to spend the remainder of our day and find some lunch to eat. It was about a half hour drive and when we got there we ran into Graham, Brooke, Colin, and Drew and picked a little hole in the wall bar and grill right off the beach to grab some lunch and sit for a little while. The lunch was good and it was nice to just chillax near the beach and people watch. After lunch we chilled on the beach and went to the local supermarket to load up on snacks. On the beach I met up with another group of SASers and decided to sit with them. At 3 we met up with our driver for our ride back to the ship because we had only hired him until 4. Toby was on his way back too and he hitched a ride with us since we had room in our van. The picture above was taken on our way back to the ship. We all had ice cream cones but Grillz and I had already finished ours, Toby was just “savoring the goodness” as he put it.

So on the way back to the ship our driver starts turning down these back roads and we were like “Hmmmm this isn’t at all how we came.” We asked him about it and he explained that he received a phone call about a big wreck that was blocking the entire street and he was trying to go around it to save time. Well apparently a lot of people had been tipped off by friends because our back roads became jam packed and we were literally in stand-still traffic. It was terrible! Although at the same time kinda cool because they handle traffic situations very different than us. One reason it was so bad is because they have no sense of the “zipper system.” It was more of a free for all and whoever nosed their car out farther and/or had the bigger vehicle won out and got position. It took us 1 hour to move about 100 yards and what was supposed to be a 30-40 minute ride turned into 2 hours and 30 minutes. We arrived at the ship 30 minutes before on-ship time and there was a huge line to get on the boat. We were like running through the parking lot trying to get in line before other buses full of kids because if you aren’t back on the ship by on-ship time you get dock time in the next port and I was not about to miss time in South Africa. I barely made it…had like 10 minutes to spare when I made it inside the ship. Even if you are inline you still get dock time. You have to be checked in on the ship through security before 6. We found out later that a significant amount of people got dock-time that were coming back from flick and flac because of the wreck and bad traffic. Guess we just got lucky lol. Although we were in such a hurry to get out of our van and run into line that I lost my phone (pretty sure I left it on the back seat of the van pictured in the picture above…which is another reason I chose this pic haha).

I thought I would be more upset about losing my phone but honestly it wasn’t that bad. Sure it sucks and I’m out like $200 for my new phone but that could have been a lot worse. In the past 2 months this is like the only bad thing that has happened to me. I count this as not bad at all and I am so thankful that nothing else has happened. I mean, think if I lost my camera and wasn’t able to take pictures, or lost my passport and had to stay in a country and quit this journey. Or I could have gotten sick but I haven’t (although apparently malaria takes like 8 days to show symptoms so technically I could have malaria and not know it). Haha oh well knock-on-wood right?!? No I count myself lucky. God has definitely been looking out for me and I praise Him every day for that. Also you all praying back home has been a big part of that. Thank you so much and your prayers are greatly appreciated!!

Sorry it took so long to post again. It’s been crazy busy and I wanted to give everyone a chance to catch up from the ones I posted during your alls Spring Break. My next post won’t be until after South Africa so it will be about a week. Sooooooo until then…just enjoy this one!

Hope you all are doing amazing! Miss all of you more and more everyday!

T

John 3:29-30

Cochin - One-of-a-Kind

2010-03-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

Whatsup everyone?!?!

I hope you all had great spring breaks! Depending on when you are reading this, I either just left India or am about to reach Mauritius. If you are reading this here around Wednesday or Thursday then I just left India about 24 hours ago. If you are reading this after Spring Break then I will be arriving in Mauritius within 24 hours (heck I might even already be there lol). I can’t wait to hear about your all’s Spring Break adventures!

Shout Outs – JT – Yeah Mocha was legit! We beat the SAS rush by about an hour and a half so we actually got to experience the chill factor and meet some of the locals. As far as not seeing as much, definitely saw everything I wanted to in Cochin. Met a lot of cool people and got to experience more of their everyday life. But you can read about that below. Oh and I didn’t make it to a McDonalds, stuck with the cheaper street food lol. Esther – Haha I actually wondered what happened to you! I bet Florida was a blast…glad you enjoyed yourself!! As far as Slumdog Millionaire…I actually never saw the movie because I didn’t want it to impact my perception of the country and give me a preconceived bias. I did however talk to people who saw the movie and they said the movie provides an absolute horrible view of India. I’m actually going to watch the movie this summer and compare but from what I hear, the movie in no way portrays India like it really is. For your two friends who are doing Semester at Sea, give them my facebook profile page and when I get back this summer I will be happy to answer any and all questions they have. JT helped me out and I owe her huge!! I would love to return the favor and I would love to give them tips!! Oh and no Asian Honeys…I’m too busy finding trouble and exploring haha. Oh you know I am going to the ranch at least a couple times this summer! Gotta get back out to the country baby!! Zac – Dude how the heck are ya?!? Can’t wait to get to see you next time you are in Edmond. Glad I could provide a distraction for you during what sounds like a class I would sleep in. You know me and politics/law…just doesn’t quite add up to a good time haha. Some of the stuff I have done I wish you were here for man! You would love the people on this ship and getting to chill with them in port! Wish you were here brotha!! Go blow something up for me (I haven’t been able to blow anything up/light anything on fire lately and I need a fireworks fix bad haha)…peace bro.

Picture – The picture I chose it from the SOS Children’s Village Service Visit I was lucky enough to participate in while in Cochin. The little guy was my friend for the afternoon. He grabbed me before I was even fully off the bus and showed me around, taught me how to play cricket, I taught him the hokie-pokie, and then taught him kickball too. He was one of the coolest little kids and it was a blast hanging out with him and his friends for a couple hours. There is more about him written below so I won’t repeat myself. (If you want to see the picture bigger, then just click on it)

Cochin was our second port in India and it was a totally different experience than Chennai. The people and landscape were similar so I won’t go through all that again (my previous post about Chennai goes into detail about the country and some of my thoughts and opinions). Cochin as a whole was a lot easier to get around in and I was able to meet more locals and see different sites within the city itself. The city is split into 3 major sections that are 3 peninsulas sitting side by side. The middle peninsula is the industrial port area and is where our ship was docked. Then one of the peninsulas was the modern area of the city and the other was the older city of Cochin that was more historical.

The first day I arrived in Cochin I had the morning free so I decided that I wanted to see the older area of the city. I walked off the ship and immediately met up with a rickshaw driver who spoke rough but remarkably good English and I went off with him and his partner. It was just me so they gave me a good deal and just showed me the areas of the city that I wanted to see. I spent the whole morning with them and saw the majority of the old city. I got to see the inner workings of a spice market and meet the people who sifted ginger and then laid it out to dry. It was really cool to get to be taken “behind the scenes” and meet the actual workers. They were like “You want picture? Take our picture!” It was super cool! I saw Hindu, Muslim, and Christian temples/cathedrals that represented the 3 major religions of the region. The area I enjoyed the most was the fishing wharfs on the tip of the Fort Cochin peninsula. The shoreline was lined with Chinese fishing nets that were these huge wooden poles extended over the water with these giant nets hanging down that they would drop into the water and pull up after a little while with fish and whatever else inside. The locals were hard at work fishing and it was cool getting to see them go through their routine. I returned back to the ship a little before lunch and ate on the ship to save my money.

The afternoon of the first day was by far my favorite experience in India. There was an SAS trip going to an SOS Children’s Village for a service visit that I was going to try and get on. I ended up getting a free ticket from a guy who didn’t want to go and it was incredible!! We drove our bus 1.5 hours outside the city to a rural area where the “village” was located. As soon as we got off the bus the kids were everywhere! They ran at us with balloons and smiles and they all kinda latched onto us. I had a little guy who grabbed my hand before I was even off the bus and was like “Come Come!” He was 7 and just had the biggest smile ever. The first thing was a welcome reception for all of us. They gave us all our own coconut to drink (coconuts are like HUGE in that part of India as far as drinking and eating them goes) and preformed a traditional harvest dance and then 2 of the boys performed a Backstreet Boys dance for us. Haha it was hilarious! We were all cheering and they just smiled and laughed at us.

After the reception the kids grabbed us and started showing us around the complex. The village consisted of a pavilion in the middle with a wide open field. Then a lot of houses scattered throughout the grounds. Each house was run by a mother and contained 8-10 kids at any given time. The mother is not the biological mother of the children but more of a foster care mother for the kids. For those of you in Edmond think of an Indian version of the Boys Ranch Town but with boys and girls, not just boys. The children go to school in the surrounding community and then return to the village afterwards. My little buddy (I couldn’t pronounce his name so I just called him “buddy” and he was okay with that) took me straight to his house and I met his mother who spoke a good amount of English and his sisters who had brought back their own SAS kids. We were served tea, coffee, and shortbread cookies while being shown around the quaint but amazingly sufficient house and learning about the family.

My little friend spoke almost no English and only knew random words so we communicated mainly through sign language and pointing. This was easy for me after some of the mission trips I had been on so we had a great time. After seeing the houses we had about 1.5 hours of free time with the kids to just hang out and play. My friend Brooke and I grabbed about 6 of the kids and taught them the hokie-pokie which they thought was really funny. I can’t even remember the last time I did the hokie-pokie but I remembered it and we were able to teach the kids and they even sang it in English after like the 3 time. I was so impressed with their ability to pick up our language. I already forgot how to say hello in their language (different regions in India speak a different dialect so “hello” and “thank you” were different every city I went to) and it just amazes me that they are so eager to learn my language. Why am I as an American so privileged? What did I do to have my language be so desirable?

Anyways, bottom line was that I had no problem communicating with any of the kids. After some hokie-pokie action we got to play cricket and then kickball. Alright definitely something that was right up my alley!! Who cares if it was hot (nothing compared to Mexico in June) or dirty (I get more dirty at the ranch) it was absolutely amazing! The kids had never heard of kickball so we had to teach them by doing an example. It really just turned into them kicking the ball and running the bases until we either pegged them with the ball or they stopped each other. I loved it! I just stayed in the outfield and let them keep bating over and over again. There was no score, no real rules! Just a stinking ton of fun!! After about an hour of kickball I was covered in dirt and it was SO worth it. The kids were smiling the entire time and just to make these kids laugh put the biggest smile on my face!

After chilling with the kids, learning as many names as we could remember/pronounce, and then taking numerous pictures, we unfortunately had to leave and return to our ship. Needless to say that none of us wanted to leave and it was really hard to get back on the bus with all the kids lined up and waiting. Gahhhhh I want to go back right now and just play some more with em!

We returned to the ship a little after 630 and I caught up with some people who were just finishing dinner. I ate some food cause it was free and I was hungry and then we decided to head out into the city to see what the night would bring us. The group consisted of Candace, Kaylee, Grills, Emerson, and Michael. We took the ferry to the more modern peninsula of Cochin and just started walking. There were a lot of stores and market type stalls and we just kinda walked along with nothing particular in mind. We stopped at some of the shops but I didn’t want to spend any money, actually I didn’t even take any money with me except for 2 U.S. dollars. After walking around for an hour we stopped at an Indian restaurant that was attached to a cinema because some of the people in our group wanted food. Candace, Michael, Emerson, and Grills all ordered food and the portions ended up being HUGE. Well Candace only ate about ¼ of her food and Michael and Emerson about ½ of theirs. Enter Tyler. I just waited till they all said they were done and then picked up a fork and started eating. I finished Michael’s and Candace’s dishes and then made some progress on Emerson’s but I didn’t really like it too much.

Anyways after everyone watched me clean the table they payed and we set off to make our way back to the ship. We made the walk back to the ferry only to realize that we missed the last one by about 10 minutes. Well we were 13 km from the boat so walking would have been a little far (I was up for it but there was no way I was talking em into that haha). So we went to find a rickshaw that could take us back. Here is where it got interesting, there were 6 of us and so far in Cochin I hadn’t seen any more than 2 in a rickshaw. We were okay with taking more than 1 rickshaw but the trick was haggling the guys down to a cheap enough price. The first guys we talked to wanted way too much money and we were like “Nah we will just find someone else.” Then we found a group and were like “Alright who is gunna give us the best deal?” They started throwing out prices and then one guy steps up and goes “I will take all 6 of you in my rickshaw for one price.” We were like “Well it will be crammed but let’s do it cause it’s cheap!” Okay this was just a normal sized rickshaw. To fit we threw grills in this little compartment behind the seat above the engine that maybe could have fit like 3 backpacks but not much more, then the other four crammed onto the bench seat with Candace sitting on Kaylee’s lap. Now where was I going to go? Well I was sitting next to the driver; now when I say sitting I don’t mean sitting. I had one leg braced against the frame of the car holding me in while the majority of my lower body was hanging outside the car. My arm was holding this bar thing on the inside of the rickshaw that is pretty much the only reason I was able to stay in the cab. I was “sitting” on maybe a square inch of the seat because the seat was barely big enough for the driver, let alone 2 of us. That is why I say sitting in quotes because I really wasn’t sitting. We were all cracking up the whole way back to the ship and saying how this was like the Beverly Hillbillies making their way across the country. Oh and I pretty much almost died every time we made a right turn because they don’t really slow down and I would get flung out of the cab. It was so intense it made the ride way more fun!! We made it back to the ship in one piece and called it a night.

My second day in Cochin was also my last day in India. For this last day I was scheduled on a day trip to the Alleppey Backwaters. Alleppey is a region outside of Cochin that is extremely rural. The majority of the area is at/below seawater so the area is mainly lakes, rivers, canals, and rice patties. This trip was appealing to me because it showed me the country side of Indian life. First thing I noticed…the people were some of the happiest people I have ever seen in my life. Every person smiled and waved and shouted “Hello” or “Yo” at us as we passed them. We got to see people at work in the fields, attending a daily religious service, taking a swim break, and even a wedding preparation for the following day.

Our trip was smaller, only about 25 of us in total which was fine with me. I like the smaller groups, it’s just easier and you don’t feel so much like a tourist. We headed about 1.5 hours outside the city along the coast. Upon arrival we were dropped at a hotel for lunch. Alleppey is a booming tourist location for Europeans and Americans in the last 10 years with the attraction being a nice stay on a houseboat for a couple days. The hotel resort we ate lunch at was very nice and there were a significant number of Europeans around. Our lunch was buffet style consisting of entirely traditional Indian food, which means a lot of vegetables and very little meat. This would be the exact opposite of what I would normally eat but since I was in India I had to try the food. Part of experiencing everything ya know?! Oh and the best part was definitely the fresh watermelon juice, and when I say fresh, I mean fresh. I seriously think they just mashed up chunks of watermelon and poured them in the glass. The fruity part was in the drink so it was thicker than normal juice but it was SOOOOO good! By far the freshest watermelon I have ever had. (Even better than that one we had last labor day at the ranch Nat)

After eating more than I should have, we hopped onto our tour boat for the rest of the afternoon and settled in to see the backwaters. We sailed around for 2 hours and saw everything. Houseboats with tourists, people living life on the banks (like I mentioned above), people swimming, people fishing, the trees, the rice paddies, the wildlife, just everything. It was its own little world and it was awesome! It was a side of India that not many people from our ship got to experience and I was lucky enough to get to. My Marine Biology teacher, Professor Able (but he said I could call him “Doc” which I definitely do…I mean Back to the Future hellllllooooooo!) was also on my trip so I got to sit by him and discuss the marine life in the area and the impact of the locals overfishing. It was very cool getting to experience that with a teacher and talk about the stuff we got to talk about while taking in such an amazingly diverse area in India that is only recently being affected by modernization. Very very rural area. Our tour ended after 2 hours and we were driven 1.5 hours back to the ship with a stop for a “coke break” at a cantina type place in a hotel on the way back. By the time we got back to the ship it was on-ship time so we headed onto the ship and proceeded to eat dinner and unwind from our time in India.

As I am writing this it is March 17 and I have been on this ship for 2 months. It’s hard to believe that just 2 months ago I was sailing away from Mexico and starting this journey. Just 2 months!! When I look back on what I have seen and done in just 2 months it is amazing!! My journey is more than halfway done and in just a month and a half it will come to an end when we pull into Florida. This is sad but at the same time how can I be sad?!? That would just be silly! I am about to go to the 4 ports that I am most looking forward to and I CANNOT WAIT!!

After two months we all feel like we have known each other for a lot longer than we have. I feel like I have known some of my friends for years and we are at the point where we are comfortable with each other and can talk about anything. Then even the people that I’m not super close with I still feel like we are all one big group of brothers and sisters and it is amazing getting to travel around the world with this group. Everyone knows now that I always wear a hat and if I don’t wear it then I have like 50 people asking me “What’s wrong Ty” or “Dude where is your hat?” Haha wouldn’t have it any other way. Oh this will make some of you all smile. I have been givin the nickname of “Garbage-Disposal” by some of my friends because I eat so much. Yeah the food on the ship isn’t just absolutely amazing but it is in no way bad, AND it’s buffet style. At lunch and dinner I usually eat about 3 plates full of food plus dessert and everyone is just amazed. I don’t even consider it to be that much food. It’s just 3 plates? Part of it is also the fact that there is nothing to snack on between meals unless you wanna buy the over-priced snacks (which I don’t) so I don’t get to snack and only have the meals. So therefore I eat more when I get the chance to eat the free stuff! Really just simple logic. Oh and then some people think that I am like the biggest hick ever. Maybe because they have just never seen people wear camo before but for some reason they just think I am just a huge hick. I think it’s just cause I always talk about being outside and going to the ranch to get away from the city, but I try to tell them I’m really not that big of a hick and they just laugh and say "Okay whatever Tyler." Haha oh well I really don’t care because I like being a laid back, content country boy. Just a little bit of reflection for you guys. Felt it was appropriate given that today starts the 3rd month of our voyage. Crazy huh?!?

The following are the lyrics to a song by Hillsong United that have been weighing on my heart heavily. Listen to the truth in this song. It is so simple and so powerful!

“Falling on my knees in worship, giving all I am, to seek Your face.
Lord all I am is Yours.
My whole life I place in Your hands, God of mercy, humbled I bow down.
In Your presence, at Your throne.
I called You answered, and You came to my rescue and I, wanna be where You are!
And my life…be lifted high.
And my world…be lifted high.
And our love…be lifted high...higher HIIIGGGHHHHEEERRRRR!!”

These lyrics are my cry for the remainder of this voyage! I don’t want this to be for me but for God. But why should I limit this to this voyage? No, I want this to be my attitude ALL the time. I wanna see Jesus Christ to be lifted high. Not me. I am NOTHING. I want my WHOLE LIFE to be Christ’s and Christ’s alone. I bow down before Him in complete surrender. I am His!!

Think of what God could do if we had this attitude. I’ll tell you…ANYTHING!! He could do whatever He wanted. Nothing is impossible. So why do we not live like this…why do we keep ourselves in reserve? Why do we not live to the fullest?! I challenge you to take this song to heart. Listen to these lyrics and live this out. This can be simple, so why do we make it hard? Love like Jesus loved! That’s easy. Show people what Christ has done for you. That’s easy too. Share the gospel with them. Show them Christ’s love for them, by loving them like He does. Again…easy.

Thank you all for your prayers these past couple weeks, they are felt and greatly appreciated! If you can continue to pray about what I mentioned in my previous blog I would greatly appreciate it! Love you all!!

T

Chennai - Culture Shock

2010-03-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

Yo yo yo whatup?!?!

I know you guys are on Spring Break right now so I hope you all are having a BLAST!! Congratulations to all you EMHS kids on a great job at Swine Week. I heard you all raised over half a million dollars…you make us alumni proud haha! Go DOGS!!!! Also, I want to send out a special prayer for all the Henderson Hills participants on the various mission trips this Spring Break. You all are doing great things and I envy each one of you. Can’t wait to hear what Christ does through you all these next couple days!!

Shout Outs – Mike if you are reading this, I saw that the Giants made a nice move to get Rolle as a free agent. Guess it will be even more impossible for the Cowboys to complete a pass now haha. Also saw that Flacco got a significant receiver upgrade by obtaining Boldin, dude Ravens are gunna be legit next year if that defense stays healthy. Don’t know if you are reading this either Wes, but dude the Bears seem to be upgrading. Peppers AND Chester Taylor!! Dude not good news for the Pack. Your thoughts…Mike and Wes?!?! Miss talking football with you two. Chris – dude yeah we had an awesome time!! I already miss it haha. That is tight you got to see Nate! I can’t wait to get to see him when we are both back and hear what God has done through him while he is there. Haha you and your chacos! You would fit right in on the ship, people here love their chacos and flip flops. They always look at me crazy when I tell them I don’t own a pair of flip flops or chacos. Oh well I’m used to it from you all back in Edmond giving me flak for the same thing. Dude thank you for the continued prayer. The opportunities are presenting themselves more and more as friendships are developing more on the ship. It is amazing what God will use to start a conversation. It’s crazy cool and I greatly appreciate your prayers. Can’t wait to get back and chill with you man!! Love ya bro!

Picture – The picture I have chosen for Chennai was taken in a rickshaw our first night there. Our driver was definitely sketchy and I am still impressed that we were able to reach our destination lol. Austin is the one on the far right and Natalie is on the far left. Then the handsome lad in the middle is your’s truly…ME. Haha jk. But it is me, wasn’t kidding about that part. Oh and I know the image is small but if you want to see a bigger version just click on it.

Ok so India so far is definitely the most unique country I have ever been to, although not in ways that I would have expected. People always talk about how India is extremely filthy and that poverty is the worst in the world. These are both true but again not in ways that I could have expected. India was dirty but there were clean areas. The dirtiest place I ever was happened to be the port where our ship was docked. It was clear that Chennai does not get many tourists via ship so there was no terminal or passenger area. We walked off the ship and were smack in the middle of an industrial port with railroad tracks and shipping containers on both sides. It was about half a mile walk to the port entrance where the rickshaws and taxis were waiting and you definitely got dirty walking there. Especially with the trucks and trains stirring up the dirt and filth, you could literally taste the dirt.

The smells were likewise overwhelming. I have experienced extreme poverty on occasion before but never to this extent. This was not simply one or two areas; this was the majority of places we went. It was extremely humbling and it gave me chills on more than one occasion. I witnessed numerous people living on the street and was bombarded by beggars on more than one occasion.

One thing that greatly surprised me was the layout of the city. I was expecting it to be easy to move about Chennai because of the poverty level but the opposite was true. The layout of the city streets was extremely confusing and very few sidewalks existed within the city. At one point we had arrived at our destination and had planned on walking back to the ship. Well the streets weren’t labeled, the sidewalk like I said was only in select areas, and there was no real method for crossing the busy streets. Crosswalks don’t exist and the traffic lights were only on the major roads. I wasn’t afraid to cross the streets and did so on a few occasions but it was time consuming. Basically we were stuck with taking rickshaws everywhere which was fine, but you just had to barter the driver down to a reasonable price because they were intent on ripping us off for too much money.

There are a lot of cultural practices unique to India, one of which is using your right hand to do everything. You eat your food with your right hand, there is no such thing as using silverware in India. When you pay for something or shake someone’s hand, you always use your right hand; to use your other hand is a sign of great disrespect. This is because your left hand is intended for other practices. An example is using your left hand to wipe yourself after you have relieved yourself. The vast majority of people in India are extremely poor and there are many more important needs than toilet paper. This may sound disgusting but in reality it makes perfect sense. Why waste what little money they have on toilet paper? I don’t know but it makes sense to me. Just another example of something we take for granted. It is also culturally acceptable to relieve oneself in public. It is common to see this. Oh and the beaches in Chennai are not the beaches you would expect. There was no one swimming, no one lying out, work is done on the beach, and the people use the sands as a sort of giant litter box. We were told to not go to the beaches for sanitary reasons and you never know what you might step in lol.

The food in India is also extremely unique. The majority of the country is vegetarian so it was hard to find meat in the city. I understand because it is part of their culture but I am definitely more of a carnivarian than a vegetarian. I mean who doesn’t enjoy a nice piece of meat or some fried chicken?!?!?! Guess that is just the laid back country boy in me haha. The food I enjoyed the most was called DOSA. It was basically a really thin fried crepe with a variety of things in it. The one I ordered was filled with potatoes and some sort of cheese, although some how this turned out to be some sort of green mush; but it tasted good so who really cares lol.

The first day in Chennai I attended an FDP that took a visit to the American consulate in Chennai. This trip was led by my American Politics professor. We got to see the inner working of the consulate and learn the differences between an embassy and a consulate. It was semi interesting and I learned a lot that I didn’t know. The trip happened in the afternoon after lunch.

Upon returning to the ship, I met up with Austin, Kevin, Natalie, Abby, Katie, Rebekah, Flicker, Jimmy, and Scott. It was Bekah’s birthday the next day and we went out to dinner and to see the town for her birthday. We went to a local spot called Mocha that was recommended by my friend JT (thanks girl!!) who took this trip a couple semesters ago, and was also recommended to us by one of the inter-port students. It is not a very big tourist spot and is more of a spot where the locals like to chill. We relaxed at Mocha for a couple hours and by the time we left the place was packed with SASers who had heard about it from rickshaw drivers or the inter-port students as well. Chennai shuts down earlier than most cities. The majority of the city is in bed around 9ish and the few restaurants that stay open past then are shut down around 1130. We were back on the ship before 11 and were able to get a good amount of sleep before our second day.

Day two in India was spent seeing what little there was to see in the city and wandering through one of the local street vendor districts. I hung out with David and Adam for the day. We saw the Chennai Snake Park where they had a variety of local snakes, crocodiles, and other marine life. We enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant and then spent some time wandering through the Perry’s Corner District of the city in search of trinkets or other knick-nacs. The most popular items were definitely pirated DVDs which were the main focus of many of the shacks. The quality of these DVDs is not as good as the ones we found in Vietnam and the vendors were focused more on quantity than quality. While making our way through the shops we met a local man who helped us find certain things that we were looking for and helped show us around and help us not get ripped off by the locals. He was extremely helpful and we enjoyed spending our time with him.

Our time in Chennai was short and we left port the 2nd night to sail to Cochin. If you remember from Japan, we have the option of sailing with the ship between ports in the same country. I chose again to save my money in India so that I can better experience upcoming countries like South Africa and Brazil that I am looking forward to more and where there are more options for things to do. There are less than 120 total students, faculty, and staff on board right now and the past 48 hours has been spent watching movies and reading out by the pool in 100 degree temperatures. We rounded the tip of Sri Lanka late last night and are proceeding up the west coast of India on our way to Cochin. We arrive tomorrow morning and will have 2 short days in our 2nd India port. The majority of people who chose to travel independently in India are making their way to the Taj Mahal. This will be very cool for those people but I made my choice to save my money and spend it on things I will better enjoy in future ports. We enjoyed a nice 5 course meal last night and in about 45 minutes I will be getting another 5 course meal tonight, and the food at these meals is AMAZING!!

I know this was a shorter blog but I really didn’t do too much in India. It was harder to get around and I wanted to save some of my money. The emotions I experienced/felt cannot be described with any degree of accuracy in this blog so I will be more than happy to tell you about it this summer.

Hope everything going well with all you guys back home!! By the time you all are reading this you will probably be getting back from Spring Break and I hope you had a great time with whatever you did. I also have a prayer request for you all back home. I was recently asked about a possible internship this summer. I won’t go into detail but I really need some prayer. I want to make sure that this is God’s plan for my summer and not just what I personally want to do. If you remember or get the chance I really need you all to pray for me to make a Christ-centered decision and make sure that His will alone, not mine, be done. I am currently praying about this and trying to discern the Lord’s will. Thank you all and I greatly appreciate your prayers!! I don’t know what I have done to deserve friends and family like you all, and I thank God every day for each one of you.

Love you all and praying for you!

T

Romans 6:15-18

Sea Olympics!!!!!

2010-03-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

Yo yo yo!

Well we have been at sea for 8 days since we left Vietnam and tomorrow we will arrive in India!! A lot of stuff has happened in the last few days so I thought I would do a short little blog to say hey and tell you about it. I know Swine Week is going on so I want to give a special shout out to you all. As well as all the Henderson Hills teenagers and college kids going to either Ecuador or Arizona here in a couple days. You all are being used by God and it is awesome!! Be His hands and His feet and just let Him use you. I guarantee you that it will change your life. Just let go and LET GOD!! Love you all and praying for you!!

Dad – Yeah the lawyers would probably throw a fit if we tried to get that okayed in the States. Honestly it really isn’t that big a deal, just restrict it to people that know how to use a gun haha. Yeah my friends know I’m a big hunter/outdoors person (which has actually sparked some interesting debates with some of the vegetarians/tree huggers on the ship haha) but they were still surprised that I was so comfortable shooting/handling a gun. Don’t worry, riding an elephant is definitely on the “to-do” list. My best shot will probably be in South Africa because the safari place I am going to said that there is extra curricular stuff we can do in the afternoons if we are willing to pay for it. Haha yeah the great wall was sick…mom would have been very upset though. Oh well its over so she can’t get mad now!! Have in Ecuador pops! I am way jealous FYI!

Picture – The picture I chose is definitely of my Sea Olympics team! Mediterranean Sea babay!!!!! I’m over on the back right somewhere. My dad also informed me that you all can click on the pics to make them larger so from now on I will be uploading smaller pics to save some of my internet time so that the upload goes quicker. So I know it is a smaller pic but just click on it and it will be larger.

The ship was extremely dead after Vietnam because everyone was so exhausted. Looking back, from the first day in Japan to the last day in Vietnam we had experienced 3 countries in 3 weeks with 2 very short 48 breaks in between. No one wanted to waste any time in port so these 3 weeks were filled with little sleep, close to no breaks, and numerous stories and adventures. So needless to say that is finally caught up to everyone by the time we were done with Vietnam.

After 4 days of class, which was weird cause we hadn’t had that much class in one stretch since before Japan, we got to experience the best day on the ship so far. Not the best day in port, the best day on the ship! SEA OLYMPICS!!!!!! You all already know about the ship being divided into seas so those were our teams for the day. Each sea has a color (mine was green!!) and you wear that color all day and cheer on your team at events. When I say all day, I mean ALL DAY! The first event started at 9:30 and the last event didn’t end until around 6:30, and most of the time there were 2-3 events going on simultaneously all over the ship. Okay well luckily Henderson Hills has prepared me well, it was nothing compared to a week of rec. Main difference is that it was nonstop for like 10 hours which was exhausting in 95 degree heat but it was awesome!

Okay so my sea was AWESOME!!! We are the Mediterranean Sea…what what!! We actually did really well! We ended up getting 3rd overall (out of 10 seas) by a very small margin. We didn’t care though because we won in the Spirit Contest and the Singing SASers!! Yeah it would have been nice to win overall but the Singing SASers was the most anticipated event and we WON!! It was basically kind of like a music video/lip syncing show that each show put on. Our song was a thriller remix and our sea killed it! I wasn’t part of that event because I competed in 4 other events but the people that won it for us were awesome and our whole sea really showed up to support them!

From the very beginning at the opening ceremony our SEA established itself as the team to beat on the SPIRIT front. Our team was INSANE!! At the opening ceremony every team got a chance to do a cheer in front of the whole ceremony and ours was SICK!! Actually I need to back up first. For the past week our sea has been planning events and practices our skits excetra. People signed up to be in charge of things and it all started coming together. Well the day before we realized that no one had been putting together a chant. Someone mentioned it while we were chilling one night and I was like “Shoot that’s easy, I’ll make one up if no one else will.” (Again thank you Beach Week and Middle School Camp) So I remembered one that I had used a couple years ago at Beach Week and we altered it a little to fit the Mediterranean and told it to 3 of our teammates. Right before the opening ceremony we all met up to learn our chant and walk in together and the girls I had told the chant to were like “Hey guys Tyler made a chant.” So I told everyone the chant and they were like dude HECK yeah! So we walk in and sit down as a team. Once everyone was in the Union they started the Opening Ceremony. Each team had two captains who walked in with the team’s banner and then that team got to do their cheer. A lot of teams had really good spirit but didn’t really practice their cheer or it was just really basic. Well let’s just say when it was the Mediterranean’s turn we knocked their socks off. Our ENTIRE TEAM got into it! There wasn’t one person wearing green who didn’t participate and we carried the momentum with us all day.

Our team bonded in a BIG way! We constantly had an enormous presence at every game cheering on our team and whenever we had enough green members (remember our color was green) hanging around I would start screaming the cheer and everyone would just go nuts! People would try to compete with us but it would just motivate us to cheer louder and longer and we would overwhelming drown them out! Ahhhhhhhh it was awesome because our team was just SO solid!! We bonded so much, it was like we were all instantly best friends which was the coolest part for me. Since then we will see each other and be like “Yo Med!! Whatup?!” It was just really cool.

Sea Olympics was by far the best day we have had outside of port. No questions asked, everyone on the ship will tell you the same thing. It was cool because everyone really got into it. People were dressed in their sea colors all day so it was cool seeing like the different seas of color running around. It was gorgeous weather and everyone was just in the best mood. Ok then one of the best surprises came after the last event right before the Closing Ceremony. We got a good ole fashion American Bar-Be-Que out by the pool! They had all the hamburgers, pork ribs, baked beans, corn, and cake we could eat…and did we EAT!! I ate so much it was awesome!! Everyone was stacking their plates SO high! All that was missing was Apple Pie haha. As we were eating we got to see an awesome sunset and it was just the perfect ending. Everyone was still in their sea colors and sweaty but we had great food, better company, and a picture perfect sunset. Everyone was just chillaxing and it couldn’t have been better. It felt like a perfect summer, country barbeque! Perfection!

The Opening Ceremonies were at 9 p.m. and that is when we found out who won the events such as Synchronized Swimming, Singing SASers, Spirit, and Overall. Our sea went nuts when we found out we got 1st in Singing SASers and 3rd overall. But we went absolutely CRAZY when we found out we won spirit. We did our chant one last time and it was the best time of the whole day! Our team was AWESOME and I was on the best sea in my opinion! It was way fun getting to be super crazy and spirited all day. I almost lost my voice but I chugged so much water before bed that I somehow managed to keep it. Again I have to give credit to Henderson Hills youth camps every summer cause I am used to screaming for Rec lol.

Sea Olympics were awesome and everyone on the ship is upset that it was only one day. Everyone was just so chill! The past 3 days have been consumed by 2 midterms and recovering from the Sea Olympics (my entire body is sore from hoootin and hollerin and jumping around all day, so worth it though!!). Some other things that have happened in the past week since Vietnam includes seeing dolphins a couple times, passing the Nicabar Islands, doing a man overboard drill (them actually throw a dummy in the water, I wanted to volunteer but that didn’t really work out haha), seeing sea snakes, and witnessing numerous flying fish. I ate dinner with 3 professors the other night and it was really cool getting to talk to a teacher outside of class about everyday things like missing stuff back home or what a privilege it is to be on this adventure. Very cool experiences that just don’t happen back home with teachers. It really is a one-of-a-kind experience living with them on this ship. As I am sending this we are exactly half way around the world from Oklahoma, or at least we were before our 30 minute time change last night. That’s right, I said 30 minutes. India didn’t like the whole idea of their country being on 2 separate time zones so they made one time zone for their entire country and it is 30 minutes difference that the time zones on either side of it. I know it’s confusing and a little weird but it’s whatever. One more thing to add to the list of things I have done. Now I have been in a “half time zone” haha.

The following is a quote taken from a popular Casting Crowns song. Every time I hear this quote in the song I get chills. Think about it for a second. Take a minute to digest what it is saying. It is absolutely unbelievable and something that is forgotten far too often.

The bible was inscribed over a period of 2,000 years. In times of war and in days of peace. By Kings, Physicians, Tax Collectors, Farmers, Fishermen, Singers, and Shepherds. The marvel, is that a library so perfectly cohesive, could have been produced by such a diverse crowd over a period of time which staggers the imagination. Jesus is its Grand Subject, our good its design, and the Glory of God its end.

Chilling huh? Ahhhhhhhh God is so AMAZING!! Nothing even compares!! Hope you all enjoyed the blog!

Miss you all and have a great Spring Break!

T

Vietnam - Let's Do it Country Style

2010-03-05T22:04:00.001-08:00

Greeting from somewhere in the Bay of Bengal,

How are you all?!? I hope you guys are doing awesome! We are currently approaching midterms here on the ship so everyone is pretty focused on school right now. I have done a pretty good job of keeping on top of my work so I found some time to write
this blog again.

Shout-out Comments – Nat – Girl that is so cool! It’s crazy thinking about such simple things in these new ways huh?!?! I love it!! Oh I know!!!...We are going to have to make so many panera runs when I get home to catch up on everything! Can’t wait girl! Haha and yeah I have actually been wearing a bandana a lot lately, it helps with the sweat in these humid countries lol, and I really like it I just rarely get to wear one except in the summer. But it is summer for us right now in terms of weather. Hasn’t gotten below 80 in the past 2 weeks and it is only getting warmer from here on out! Be jealous lol. You’re the best! Can’t wait to chill!! Kayla – Congrats on VR girl!! Glad you girls could make it happen!! Really?...I thought you like losing? Maybe I’m getting you confused because I could have sworn that you hated to win haha. Ohhhhh I see. Well I am not going to bungee jump in Africa anymore because I am doing too much there. But that’s okay because I can find somewhere else to do it eventually. I forgot you were doing Kanakuk, that is going to be SO awesome!! Hey I can’t wait for summer either! I’m pumped to go back to camps again! It’s gunna be awesome!! Your summer is going to be AWESOME!! Can’t wait to hear how God is going to use you!! Haha I love how you just said “pencil me in.” I’m not going to be that busy you dork!! Love ya friend!!

The picture I chose for this blog is of me on my Mekong Delta Trip. Read below for more information on the delta itself. I chose this picture because I kinda got in trouble for taking it. We were walking along with our tour guide when she stopped in the middle of the bridge to tell us about the boats and life using the river below as a highway through the islands. Well, all I could think about was what a sweet pic it would be if I was up on the railing of the bridge with the trees and river in the background (and you have to admit it is a cool pic, right doc?). So B.B. and me waited for the tour guide to continue and casually hung back, I climbed up real quick while she took the pic of me. Well right when I climbed up I heard the tour guide yelp, apparently she had turned around and saw me. She didn’t really care because I mean Quinnie was tight, but Stacey, the SAS sponsor on the trip wasn’t exactly thrilled. She was like, what if you had fallen? What would your parents say? I was like “Well my dad would have been taking the picture and my mom would have been yelling at him not me.” Those of you who know my family know this to be true. It happened in Spain exactly like that actually, except that is was Court, Me, AND my dad. Stacey didn’t exactly believe me but she ended up not caring. This was my same tour leader from my China trip so she kinda expected me to be doing the crazy stuff. So that is the story behind this picture.

Okay so I told you guys about my first 2 days in Vietnam. Now let me tell you about the rest of my time! On day 3 I went on an SAS trip to a Cao Dai Temple and the Cu Chi tunnel system. The day started with a bus ride about 2 hours outside the city for our first stop at the biggest Cao Dai Temple in Vietnam. On the way we were given information on daily life in Vietnam, cultural customs, and tips for tourists by our tour guide, Quinnie. We also passed an old U.S. airbase from the Vietnam War, referred to as the American War by the Vietnamese. The airbase is now used as an airport and the new international terminal was finished just 3 years ago. I should also mention that this day trip included parents that had come on the parent portion of the SAS trip to Vietnam. For those of you that don’t know, every semester, SAS does a parent program where they pick a country and offer a special trip for parents to go on. They are there by themselves for a couple days and then they meet the ship and get to hang out with their kids for a couple days and do things with them. So that was cool getting to meet some of my friends’ parents. Candace’s mom was on our tunnel trip and it was cool getting to know her. Just added a different element to this specific trip.

At the Cao Dai temple we were given about 45 minutes to walk around the grounds and experience the culture that was so evident around us. The temple grounds consisted of a couple acres and there was a significant amount of people there on the specific day we were there. It was a weekend so our tour guide explained that since people didn’t have to work, it was common for the temple to be crowded on the weekends.
After touring the grounds, we got the rare privilege of witnessing a Cao Dai service. It was cool seeing how a different religion held a service and the customs associated with the gathering. The temple had a wrap-around balcony and that is the only area tourists were allowed to be. The floor was reserved for the members of what I would call a clergy and then the participants in the service. We got to see the lighting of the incense, the traditional chanting, and the procedures the participants went through. It was cool but I couldn’t help thinking what they must have thought about so many foreigners observing them from a vantage point for a 30 minute service, and it wasn’t just SAS kids, there was a significant number of European tour groups there as well.

After the service we took a short bus ride to lunch at a traditional Vietnamese restaurant. Our meal was in a second story open-air room in the only restaurant near the Cao Dai Temple that was big enough to accommodate tour groups. It was a nice family style coursed meal that was absolutely delicious! The food is just so good I can’t even describe it!! I was sitting with Andrew, Che Che, and one of the Chinese Professors from the ship. It was cool because Che Che is from Nigeria and then the professor lives in China so we had some really cool cultural discussions. We were asking him all these questions about China and he was very curious about our homes and family lives etc. Definitely a great experience!

Then for the highlight of the day, the Cu Chi tunnels!! This was what I was looking forward to the most in Vietnam and the first thing that I signed up for on the ship! Cu Chi was an area in Vietnam that contained the most significant portion of the Vietcong tunnel system. This area was never controlled by American forces due to the persistence and cunning of the local Vietnamese in the area. Our guide told us that 30 years ago after the war there were no trees left because of the B-52 bombing runs and you wouldn’t even know it today. It is dense, thick jungle that you can’t see into. They said it is getting back to what it was like before and during the war. It was eerie walking through the jungle and knowing that literally where I was walking people had died. We walked through varying stations above ground and they showed us a number of things preserved from the war. There is an American tank that has been left where it was destroyed, it was hit by a delayed mine and destroyed by Vietcong. We were allowed to get up close and see the burn marks and AK-47 holes in the weaker parts of the armor. I got the shakes pretty bad because I mean the Americans in the tank literally died right there. After the tank we were able to see the crater left by a B-52 bomb. Okay stinking huge crater, the grass has grown back and there are trees around it, but the crater is just the way it was 30 years ago. It’s crazy seeing the end result like that man. Crazy. After the crater we saw replications of homemade traps used by the Vietcong in the jungle to maim enemy soldiers and make their progress difficult. Basically like the stuff you saw in Rambo, literally. They sharpened bamboo and put them in pits and made swinging traps and stuff.

After the above ground stuff we go to explore the underground section…the tunnels themselves. So we got to crawl through these tunnels, and I mean literally crawl, for about 100 meters is what they told us. Okay I was so dirty! My friend Andrew and I were the tallest two on the tour and we were scrunched so small working our way through these holes. Some of the people in our group really freaked out about halfway through because it was close to pitch black and the most claustrophobic space I have personally ever been in. You wouldn’t have made it mom, your claustrophobia would have kicked in quick! So after we do it they were like “You thought those were pretty small huh? Well those are the tunnels we enlarged for tourists, here are the real ones.” I was like WHAT?!?! You call that enlarged?! So they showed us the real sized holes and they weren’t kidding, it was a tiny little entrance! We got to take turns trying to fit in, don’t worry I made it, but my legs were bent in like 4 different directions trying to cram down into this little bitty space in the ground. After our crawl through the tunnels we got to see a replica of what the underground kitchen looked like and then the air holes they used to ventilate the entire tunnel system. They did a really good job of disguising them above ground too, it was impressive.

Ok so then my guide turned around and was like “Hey, so who wants to shoot an AK-47.” I was like “Does a bear crap in the woods?!?! Yes I want to shoot an AK!!!” He was like ok well come over here and we have a shooting range set up. We walked through the jungle and sure enough they had a shooting range set up for people that wanted to pay to shoot guns used in the Vietnam War. They had AKs, Thompsons, an M-60 (freaking huge mounted gun), and then M-16s. The M-60 would have been sweet but I mean c’mon…how often do you get to shoot an AK in Nam?!?!?!!?! Ahhhhhhh I was pumped! It was like “Here Tyler, come shoot a gun for fun at some targets.” Uhhhh “Yes please!!” I wasn’t the only one either. About 8 people in our group paid to shoot the AK. I paid for my clip and walked down to the range. I was one of the last people to go and it was entertaining watching some of the kids shoot a gun for the first time. When it was my turn I walked up to the guy in charge and handed him my clip (they were very picky about safety measures which was cool because I would have done the same thing with a bunch of tourists.) The guns were mounted to a cinder block type barricade so we couldn’t fully pick them up but you could still aim them at the targets and get a little range of movement. Kind of a bummer but I can still totally understand why they do it that way. They guy turned off the safety and motioned for me to step forward and started to show me the proper way to hold the gun. I say started because he didn’t really get the chance to finish cause I just walked up, picked it up like any other rifle, and took aim. I got a feel for her with my first three shots then put the rest of the clip into the target on fully auto. Dude it was a rush! Oh and you would have been pround pops, I missed the target once. Hit it 9 out of 10 times at 100 yds. I stepped back and was like “Ahhhh that was awesome!!” Then I turned around and some of the SAS kids were staring at me. I was like “What?” They said they were just really surprised that I was so comfortable with a gun. It was weird because the Vietnamese dudes were pretty surprised too. My friend Natalie was taking pictures for me and she was cracking up after because the way she described it: the guy was absolutely shocked that I knew what I was doing. She said that he was like getting ready to help me when he saw me walk up and it was clear I knew what I was doing, then she said he just stepped back. It’s weird that something that I didn’t even think twice about, other people were shocked about. I still think it is so cool learning about differing points of view not only across the countries we visit, but also just between people from different states in the U.S. It’s okay “Cause I am who I am, that’s the man I’m gunna be!” I still can’t believe I shot an AK in Vietnam!! Crazy!!!!!

After experiencing the different aspects of the Cu Chi tunnel area we loaded up the buses for our ride back to Ho Chi Minh City. We got back to the ship pretty late and I was like, “Food time!” I ran into Bridget and Ali (B.B.) as they were getting back from a different trip and we decided to head out to eat together! We walked out of the port area and found 3 of the motorcycle guys I told you all about last time. We gave each of them 2 bucks and they took us right to the front door of the restaurant we wanted. Those “motorbikes” or “motos” as they were called were so fun! It was a great way to see the city, especially at night! Probably not very safe tho lol. Oh well, already did it mom, can’t get mad!! Haha love you! We ate at this Vietnamese restaurant that I forgot the name of, and enjoyed yet another good meal. (I bet you guys are getting sick of me saying that but I can’t help it lol…it’s that awesome!) I ate some sort of meal that I think was a type of Pho but with like every possible type of meat in it and a lot of veggies…that’s right, I’m still eating those veggies. I know you all don’t believe me because I hate things that are green, but what can I say, I’m broadening my horizons haha. Although you will still be happy to hear that I am constantly wearing Crimson and Cream and Texas Still Sucks! Guess somethings just don’t change no matter where you are in the world. After dinner we walked around the city for awhile before calling it a night and heading back to the ship to get ready for the next day.

Day 4 in Vietnam was my trip to the Mekong Delta! With the exception of The Great Wall, this was by far my favorite day on SAS so far!! It was incredible! Our day started with an 8 a.m. departure (pretty normal for SAS day trips). One thing that was cool was that I had the same tour guide as the day before…Quinnie!! So that was cool because we had talked on one of the bus rides the day before and so it was nice having a familiar tour guide. The first stop on our way out of Ho Chi Minh City was to a Buddhist Temple. It was pretty much like any other Buddhist temple so I won’t go into detail there but the one unique feature about this temple grounds was this huge Buddha statue next to the temple. The most entertaining part was the fact that for some reason the architects/sculptors decided to give him a GIANT butt. Like HUGE booty. I thought it was entertaining and we all had a nice laugh when we first drove up.

After touring the grounds for about 30 minutes we headed to the main attraction…The Mekong Delta. The delta is located at the mouth of the Mekong River and is composed of a number of small islands. To get to the islands we were loaded onto these little boats and crossed the river amid the massive amount of river traffic. The reason this was so stinking cool for me was the fact that it was like the country side of Vietnam. Don’t get me wrong there were still plenty of people but it was a simpler, more rural style of living and it was awesome! The people were so friendly, there were kids running around with dogs and chickens, and we got to see SO many cool aspects of their daily lives. As we were touring the islands (we went to 3 of them) I really couldn’t help but thinking about Nicaragua and Mexico and the striking similarities. I actually was mentioning it to Ali and one of the girls in our group overheard me and was like “Oh my gosh I was thinking the same thing!” She had been to Nicaragua about 2 years ago and she felt like she was back there too. Weird how two countries on literally opposite sides of the world can be so amazingly similar!

Our day consisted of fruit tasting, tea drinking (delicious by the way), witnessing the process of making Coconut Candy, sampling the candy, a horse drawn buggy ride, seeing water buffalo, holding a python, taking a smaller boat ride on the many estuaries, and an amazing lunch. Oh and of course my little picture taking incident that I mentioned earlier haha. Again I could write a paragraph or more about each one of these activities but there just isn’t time for that so I will just tell you some of small bits and pieces. I spent the majority of the time with Alyssa, B.B., Christina, and Jamy. Adam was on the trip but he was on a different bus so we weren’t ever together. The lunch was really, really cool personally because they took an entire Elephant-Ear Fish (about 2 really big Large Mouth Bass for a reference), fried it, then put it on a stake in the middle of our table. I was like “Hecks to the Yes” but some of the people at my table were not thrilled at all. One of the girls was a vegetarian and another didn’t eat fish. Fine with me because I got to eat their portions!!!! I ate so much fish it was awesome! Like a good ole fish fry in the jungle! The little boat ride was an experience because it was only 4 of us and we were literally being paddled down the river with giant trees cowering over the water. It was like a scene from a movie…SOOOO cool!! The snake was of course cool, and again really funny because some people did NOT like snakes and kept so far away. All the food was good except for this one type of fruit, but we tried like 8 different kinds so I mean not liking 1 is ok. We were all just amazed at the amount of things we got to do. We all thought we were just going to be walking around the islands; we had no clue all the little bonus activities we were going to be privileged enough to participate in. It was by far the 2nd Best Day I have had on this trip yet (#1 being the Great Wall, I mean that’s just going to be hard to beat lol). I was just mad I didn’t have my cowboy hat! But it’s all good, I still Rocked it Country Style!!

After experiencing life on the delta and seeing in my opinion the better half of Vietnamese life, we took our boat back across the river and loaded the buses for our return to Ho Chi Minh City. We got back to the ship and relaxed for a little bit before heading out for our last night in Vietnam. The group I was with for the night was Kevin, Bridget, B.B., Stephen, Aaron and myself. We all wanted to have PHO again because it was just so good. We went to a restaurant called Pho 24 which serves only different Pho dishes and it was incredible!! I had the Chicken Pho because I had only had beef up to that point and it was delicious! Great meal and again for less than $5, everything was SO cheap in Vietnam it was awesome! After dinner our group split up and it ended up being Steven, B.B., and me. We explored some of the night markets, met 2 Australians who were taking a break and doing some traveling (very very cool people that were fun to talk to for a little while), met an 8 year old Vietnamese girl who spoke perfect English and came up to us because she liked Steven’s shirt, took a Moto Ride throughout the city (almost got hit by a bus, but no worries it missed me by like 2 inches (not exaggerating) which is more than enough room), checked out some cheap DVD’s, and then ended the night by finding a cheap Gelato place. It was actually really good Gelato!! After gelato we walked back through the city and slowly made our way back to the ship.

My last day in Vietnam was relatively short. I slept in a little bit (not too much, I mean I was in Vietnam, can’t be wasting time!!) then headed to an internet café for a little bit to do some more research for some of our future ports. I walked to the internet café and then walked back so it encompassed the majority of my morning because I had to be back to the ship around noon to grab some lunch and then I had an FDP at 1 for my American Government class. For those of you that forgot, an FDP is a Faculty Directed Practicum that is just a trip led by a teacher that relates to class work. Kind of like a Field Trip for college students. Our trip was about Sustainable Development in Vietnam and consisted of a visit to a college in Ho Chi Minh City that specializes in Economic Development with a focus on Sustainability. We listened to a short lecture by the President of the School and one of their teachers before getting a chance to interact with some of the students and ask/answer questions for about an hour. The students were brilliant and we were privileged to get to spend time with them. It was cool cause they were our age and it was nice getting to interact with them. After receiving a short tour of the campus, we loaded back onto the shuttle and arrived at the ship just in time for on-ship time.

My time in Vietnam was much shorter than I would have liked. I definitely did NOT want to leave! I am sad just writing this because I want to go back so bad!! Yesterday we made a stop at an off-shore filling station off the coast of Singapore to refuel the ship because apparently we didn’t do that in Vietnam. The station we were at was at the mouth of the Strait of Mallacca which is what we are sailing through right now. If you have been watching CNN, apparently there has been recent pirate/terrorist activity in the area and there was an active threat on ships in the area. The ship staff tried to keep it quiet, but word eventually got out and we all knew about it. We had our own military gun boat escort all day and into the night as we refueled and began our journey up the straight toward India. So apparently we were in a little bit of a “hot-spot” yesterday but it’s all good now, nothing to worry about. (Bet my parents are loving reading this part haha) Oh well just one more thing to add to the list of situations I have been in and experienced.

The Sea Olympics are tomorrow and then I have a mid-term the next morning so the next 24 hours I will be extremely busy so your all’s prayers are felt and much appreciated!! I love you guys and I hope everything is going well!!

T

Vietnam - Walk with Confidence

2010-03-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

Whatup everybody?!?!?!

So Vietnam was so awesome! I honestly don’t even know where to start haha.

So I will take the easy way out and do some shout outs to you guys first! Kayla – Well I’m glad that I could entertain you from so far away…I do my best lol. Sorry but this guy isn’t a McPhearson, he is a MaCasland so I don’t think that is what you are interested in, my bad. Dang you sound like you are having a majorly jam packed semester. You are crazy girl! Hey I want to go bungee jumping just as much as you, but there isn’t really much I can do about it right now because I am on a boat with really expensive internet, so why don’t you take advantage of free internet and find us something to do this summer lol. You know I’m down…just tell me when and where!! Gahhhh that is so cool about Big Weekend, you and Chris are making me very jealous right now. Yeah I gotta give you all something to look forward to this summer, and it won’t all fit in the blogs (I already feel like I write too much). Can’t wait to chill this summer, speaking of, what are your plans for the summer?!?! Love ya girl!! Nat-Attack – Haha don’t worry about me chica! We heard about the earthquakes and tsunami but it didn’t affect us at all. Although the seas are pretty calm and boring right now so we could use some waves to liven things up lol. Thanks for your concern though! I guess you probably shouldn’t read about some of the stuff I have been doing because safe isn’t the best word I would use to describe some of my adventures haha. Miss ya girl, can’t wait to catch up!! Chris – Dude you crack me up, I laughed out loud in the middle of the computer lab when I read your comments. Heck yes about the Mulan thing!! Kevin and I were actually talking about that when we were hiking up the steps on one part cause we felt like hooks were all the sudden gunna come flying over the wall. Dude I am sooooooo jealous of you getting to be a part of Big Weekend! I would totally prefer it to be at the church instead of the Wellness Center…just like the good ole days! That’s awesome that you had my bro in your group! That is a solid group of boys and they definitely got the best leader if you were in charge of them. I wish I could have been there to see the youth leading worship in big church. We were seeing that more and more this summer and I think it will do only good things for the church as a whole. Those kids have a passion for worshipping Christ and it is very contagious! Again I am jealous of you going on the Mission Trip, you are gunna have a blast bro! God is gunna use you in crazy ways man, I have already seen Him do it through you and He isn’t done yet! Love you bro! Oh and no landmines for me, so I’m all good lol!

The most important shout out of this blog goes to my favorite bro!! Happy Birthday Daniel!!!!!!!! For those of you that don’t know, my brother turned 15 on March 2nd, so yesterday I think. Don’t really know what day it is back home, or here for that matter. So if you see him tell him Happy Birthday! Love you brother and I am sad I couldn’t come see you for your B-Day!! Hope it was great and make sure Mom and Dad treat you to a nice dinner, although I’m sure they already did by the time you are reading this haha. Hope all is well my man!!

The picture I chose was from one of the nights in Vietnam after dinner when we were walking around the city taking a round-a-bout way back to the ship. It was just Ali, Bridget, and me that night and this was just a random pic we took while walking back to the ship. Bridget is on the far left, I’m in the middle, and then Ali (or B.B.) is on the right, or more like the front of the picture.

When Americans hear something about the country Vietnam, the first thing that pops into our heads is “Oh yeah we fought a war with them a little while ago.” While this is true, it is sad that this is the prominent thought process held by Americans. Vietnam is an absolutely amazing country and it is extremely hard to believe that this major city was once reduced to nothing as a result of the war. I walked through forests that 30 years ago contained no trees and now it is so thick you can’t even walk through all the vegetation and growth. Probably the most shocking thing to me was the Vietnamese attitude toward Americans. They were so welcoming to us and you would never know that any hostilities had ever happened between our two countries. People smiled and waved at us, they called us friends after talking for only a couple seconds; it was incredible to see such acceptance when they have every right in the world to hate us. Seeing what Vietnam has overcome and accomplished in the last 20 years is mind-boggling and something that has truly changed my outlook on not only Vietnam, but other countries and people groups that I have previously held a bias about. I will no longer solely think of Vietnam as a country that we fought in a war and is our enemy. No, from now on I will remember the people I met and their determination, friendship, hospitality, and optimism exemplified in the way they live their lives.

I am going to tell you all about Vietnam a little differently than the other countries. It was so stinking cool! I don’t know where to begin. Don’t get me wrong, China and Japan were awesome, but Vietnam was a different kind of sweet!! Instead of huge cities with everything in English and subways and shopping malls, Vietnam was the total opposite. It was still big and all but definitely on a different scale; the closest thing I can compare it to is Managua, Nicaragua. The city was formatted like a big city but with very few huge building and the majority of the shops were just little holes in the wall, literally. Much more the kind of city I like to hangout in. I was getting pretty tired of the big cities and Vietnam was just so much more my style. The people were amazing, the kids were running around outside and would say hi to you, and the layout was just so much simpler. Oh and the weather. Every day in Vietnam the temperature peaked around 95 degrees Fahrenheit and then dropped to a comfortable 80ish at night. It was nice change for me after China and Japan. Some people complained about the temperature a lot but they didn’t really have good reasons, they were just being babies if you ask me. Don’t know about you all in Oklahoma but I have an awesome tan going right now (didn’t burn thanks to my Indian blood) and have been wearing shorts, t-shirts, and cut off shirts for a little over a week now, and it’s only gunna get better!! Nothing but tropics and warm weather from here on out!

One interesting thing about Vietnam was the unique smells we would encounter as we moved through the city. In some areas there was a lot of people selling stuff right on the street corner. Everything from sea snake in a fish tank to exotic fruits to coffee. Now imagine all of those smells in 3 stalls lined up touching each other and your sense of smell is in for a serious shock. Then there are the Mekong River and Saigon River which give off their own interesting smells. Again just another very unique aspect of Vietnam. One of the coolest places I stumbled upon in Ho Chi Minh City was this little district under an overpass that was a poorer part of the city but at the same time so much more interesting. I was by myself at the time because I didn’t want to shop with everyone else so I just walked off. I stumbled upon the district and oddly enough I felt more at home walking through it than in the touristy parts of the city. The people were all smiling and laughing; there were kids, dogs, and chickens running around everywhere (although I doubt the chicken knew that the kids would probably be eating it the next day lol). Oh and hammocks!!! They were everywhere! Wherever there was a stall, there was usually a hammock that the owner would chillax in while he/she waited for their next customer to come by.

The preferred modes of transportation in Vietnam are mopeds and motorcycles; actually preferred isn’t really a good word. I mean, they are preferred, but it’s more like a necessity in some ways. Literally the only other things on the street are buses, trucks for transporting cargo that is too big for the motorcycles, and then the very rare care (one of my tour guides said that only the people that work for the major car companies are the people with cars). Okay so when you cross the streets it is absolute chaos! There are no traffic lights and the flow of traffic is unlike anything I have ever seen anywhere else in the world. Sure there are lines on the road but they are more of guidelines than really meaning anything. There are also “crosswalks” but because there are no traffic lights there isn’t ever a time when you can just walk across while the cars are stopped. So, the saying goes “When you cross the street, walk with confidence!” Two key words in that phrase: “walk” and “confidence.” You literally just start walking (not running or jogging, walking) and the traffic will weave around you based on your pace. The confidence is just the process of getting past the mental block in your head of, “oh crap I’m walking into a death trap.” I personally thought it was kinda fun because I mean you never know what could have happened. The American diplomats that came on board for pre-port also told us that the #1 accident or incident that occurs to visiting Americans is getting hit or clipped by buses or motorcycles. I thought it was cool because it made walking around the city that much more interesting and we all got really good at just walking and hoping that everyone was paying attention and wouldn’t hit us lol.

Ok so the food in Vietnam was incredible!! There was only one thing that I didn’t like and that was this papaya drink thing but everything else I tried was awesome! The dish that is most popular in Vietnam is called Pho and it is basically broth with noodles, chicken or beef, and then some random vegetables depending on the place you are eating. They had Pho restaurants and then you also had people selling Pho from a cart on the street corner. Like I said just picture Mexico or Nicaragua and you have a pretty good idea of some of the people selling food on the sidewalks. Oh gosh the food was amazing! Everything from the street fair to the fresh fruits was just so good! I even tried Vietnamese pizza which was interesting, oh and they have a Vietnamese style yogurt place that was basically just like Orangetree but with different flavors and topping so we tried that just to say we did. Little taste of home, but not really because the food was so different on some many levels lol. I was talking with one of my buddies on one of our day trips and we both mentioned how half of the stuff we were eating we would never even think about eating in the states, mainly because we have so many options that we know we like and are comfortable with. Well you all are in for a shock because I told myself in January that I would try everything cultural that I could get my hands on; and I HAVE! You all are gunna flip when you see the pictures of all the vegetables I have eaten (I have taken a picture of every meal I have eaten in port, and every snack) and then the weird stuff I told you about in China. Now there wasn’t anything too too extreme like in China, except for this one thing I had but just to spite Kayla I will make you guys wait for the pictures and story for the summer haha. Oh and I still haven’t gotten sick thanks to my little buddy Pepto, although I probably just jinxed myself haha. With the temperature we were CONSTANTLY drinking water although we had to be careful because the tap water is NOT sanitary. Even the locals don’t drink it cause it will make them sick. There was just too much pollution in the rivers where they get their water supply from.
My first two days in Vietnam were completely random so I am just going to tell you all about them in one fail swoop and try to give you a rough idea of everything that I did, saw, and experienced in a short 48 hours. This will no doubt be impossible because I have about 200 little stories I could tell you and there is just no way I can do that sufficiently in this blog. So again, just wait for this summer when I have pictures and hours of stories to tell you all!

So the first day we arrived in port, we spent the morning going through our normal customs routine and receiving a diplomatic briefing, which was actually very informative and brief because the girl from the U.S. consulate in Vietnam had a friend do Semester at Sea and he had told her what we wanted to hear and didn’t want to hear which made it more enjoyable lol. We got off the ship around noon and started walking into the city. One of the big things to do in Vietnam is get a custom suit made so some of the guys I was with wanted to do that first. No way did I want a suit, I mean hello do you know who you are reading about?!? Me buy a suit…YEAH RIGHT haha!!

The rest of the day was spent walking around the city and experiencing the different areas of the city the way a Vietnamese local would experience it. We took a taxi at one point, rode a rickshaw at one point, and then definitely took a ride with some locals on the motorcycles or “motos” as they are referred to in Vietnam. The moto rides were definitely an experience cause you were just weaving in and out of traffic, in the wrong lane and the right lane, it was just crazy! But they were so cheap and it was way quicker than a bus or taxi so we actually used them a couple times. Despite the occasional use of moto, we spent the vast majority of our time just walking. Yeah sure it was hot but we didn’t care, we were in Vietnam!! We saw the touristy sections of the city with the famous landmarks and markets, then at one point I went off by myself and experienced the poorer sections of the city near the docks and that was really cool to be able to experience that. Oh, and Wes if you are reading this, I got hit on by a Vietnamese woman as a was walking down the street. Just waved and kept walking but I still thought that would make you laugh.

We visited the Vietnam War Remnants museum which was eye opening because we got to see the Vietnamese side of the story. It was a touching experience and one I will not soon forget. The museum had a lot of artifacts and even simulation prison systems used by the Americans and South Vietnamese that really open your eyes to the way in which the war was fought and handled. Just a very interesting opportunity to get to hear a drastically different perspective on something that I have grown up hearing a one-sided story. We also spent some time visiting Reunification Palace which is very significant to the Vietnamese people because it signifies the unification of the country after the war and the beginning of a new era in their history. The palace has been left exactly how it was in the late 60’s/early 70’s so when you walk into it, it is like you are walking back in time. Some other sights that we visited were the Notre Dame cathedral located in Vietnam, the Opera House, the Central Post Office of Vietnam, and of course the giant market in the middle of the city, the Ben Thanh Market. Located in a central area of District 1 of Vietnam, this market is the main market of Ho Chi Minh City. They sold everything from food to silk clothing, all types of souvenirs, and ripped DVDs. Vietnam is known for its pirated movies and TV shows, and they were abundant in the market. The market catered to tourists and Vietnamese alike so it wasn’t too touristy but at the same time it wasn’t an authentic, Vietnamese only market. All of the stuff was really cheap though, and if you know how to barter you could get stuff at an amazing price!!

One night while walking alone through the streets of Vietnam, the words from a Jeremy Camp song came to mind. Don’t ask me why or what prompted it, but all of the sudden I could not get the following lyrics out of my head: “All my life, I have seen, where You’ve taken me, beyond all I have hoped, and there’s more left unseen. There’s not much, I can do, to repay all You’ve done, so I give my hands to use. This is my desire, this is my return. This is my desire, to be used by YOU.” In the little more than a month that I have been on Semester at Sea, I have experience people, places, and things in ways that I never even considered back in the United States. God is teaching me new and exciting things each and every day and it is absolutely incredible. I am learning to be mindful of other people’s opinions (students on the boat, teachers, and the people we interact with in these countries) despite the fact that I may or may not agree with them. I am experiencing different viewpoints from these countries that are halfway around the world and realizing that we aren’t too different and have way more in common than people think. God has taken me places I never dreamed I would go; He has shown me things in a different light, the most prominent being that His children are scattered throughout the country and every person on the planet was created and loved by Him. This is also true in the United States, especially in Oklahoma. Look around today, every person you come into contact with was created by God. Who are we to judge them, reject them, or ignore them? We are called to love them like Christ loves them. Unconditionally and without reserve. I challenge you to think about that as you go through your daily routine. Love, Accept, just like Christ has done for you. God is absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to see what he has in store next.

I know this blog was a little different than previous ones, but I just loved Vietnam so much I had so many random things to tell you all. What I wrote doesn’t give Vietnam and my experiences there justice, but I will be able to make up for that this summer. This is only my first Vietnam post and I will tell you all about the other half of my time in a second blog that I will post here in the next couple of days.

I hope you guys are doing awesome! I’m praying for each one of you!

T

Hong Kong - Farewell China

2010-02-25T22:11:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

Guess I am just gunna post a bunch at once (gotta take advantage of that free wifi ya know?!)

Answered comments in one of the other ones I am posting with this one.

Picture – this picture is of me atop Victoria’s Peak looking out over the entire city of Hong Kong on a decently clear night (rarity for China). It was our last evening in China and it was the perfect ending to a truly amazing country.

Well my time in China ended almost as abruptly as it began. Day 7 in China (6th day of our SAS adventure, February 22nd) consisted of an early wakeup call at our hotel 3:45 a.m. to be exact. That was an experience getting to see 100 people, most of which you haven’t known for longer than a week, fresh out of bed. Definitely saw some people’s true colors during the whole process of loading the bus, leaving the bus, going through customs, clearing immigration, and boarding the plane. I thought it was fine at the airport, definitely one of the easier customs at an airport, and there was no line to wait in. Some people however (the morning grouches) were not happy to do anything and just complained the whole time, personally I don’t see what there was to complain about; we were in China and had just had quite possibly the best 6 days anyone could ever hope to have in a foreign country. How could we be unhappy?!?!? It just didn’t make sense to me.

The plane ride to Hong Kong lasted 4.5 hours and the majority of our SAS group slept. I only managed to get an hour of shut eye and spent the remainder of the flight listening to music and reflecting on my journey. Sitting on the ship 3 days later I still can’t believe some of the things I got to experience! I truly had an adventure of a lifetime inside of an experience of a lifetime (Semester at Sea). How did I get to lucky? What did I do to deserve this? I kept making spiritual parallels with the worldly opportunity I had just been given and the spiritual opportunity I was given some 2000 years ago. God gave us the ultimate gift, He gave up his one and only son to die on the cross as payment for our sins, sins we have already committed and sins we have yet to commit. Again I ask…how did we get so lucky? What did we do to deserve this? The simply answer…nothing. We are completely undeserving.

Upon arriving at Hong Kong it was about a 1 hour bus ride to the ship where it took another hour for the ship security to screen all of our bags and allow us to board. By this time it was 1 p.m. and Jeremy, Kevin, and I decided to unpack, change out of the clothes we had been wearing for 3 days, and regroup around 3:30 to go out and see stuff. We were told that some must see places in and around Hong Kong were the markets in the temple district and Victoria’s Peak, so that is what we decided to do. We headed to the temple markets which have absolutely nothing to do with a temple, the street they are on is simple called Temple Street. There was a ladies market, a flower market, a goldfish market, a food market, and an everything market. We walked up and down the vendor lined street for about 3 hours taking in the sights and smells. I personally didn’t buy anything but a soda because we had already loaded up on souvenirs in Beijing and I didn’t want to spend any more money in China that I had to. Oh let me tell you about the Hong Kong subway. Ok so it was crazy crowded!! We were told in pre-port that this would be an issue in Hong Kong and you will never believe what they told us to do. They literally told us to shove people aside to get onto the subway train or you wouldn’t make it in. I had experienced some pretty packed subways in Russia before but this was different. It wasn’t so much that people couldn’t fit but that people would step into the subway and just kinda stop. Apparently the Chinese push each other too so it isn’t considered rude or inappropriate, simply something you have to do. Luckily it was just the 3 of us so we didn’t have to worry about leaving anyone and it wasn’t too big of an issue because the 3 of us were taller than most of the Chinese so we could muscle our way in pretty easy. Just another way of experiencing Chinese culture I guess lol.

After seeing the extent of the various markets we hopped back on the subway to return to the port area in search of dinner before hopping on the ferry to Victoria’s peak. The port terminal that our ship was docked at just happened to be the biggest 21st Century shopping mall in Hong Kong. They had all the major stores that you would expect to find in any mall in America (over 1,000 stores in all). Honestly I looked at a registry and except for regional stores back in Oklahoma there wasn’t one main store that I could name that wasn’t in this mall. Well we just so happened to an American burger joint. The three of us had all had our fair share of authentic Chinese food for the past 6 days so we were craving something different and we couldn’t have asked for anything better. They even had A&W Rootbeer…only my favorite Rootbeer!!! Ahhhhhh I can still taste that bacon, cheeseburger. SO worth it!

With full stomachs we headed to the end of the terminal/mall to the ferry dock and loaded up for our trip across the harbor. The boat ride took all of 6 minutes and we were on Hong Kong Island. Our ship was docked on Knowloon island, which is still Hong Kong, all the islands are just separated by the bays. From the Ferry Dock on Hong Kong Island we hopped on a bus which took us to the cable car station at the bottom of Victoria’s Peak which we rode straight up (literally almost a vertical incline) to the top. Everyone who knows about Hong Kong will tell you to go up Victoria’s Peak at night and they definitely know what they are talking about. It was INCREDIBLE!! You can see the ENTIRE city lit up! We could even see our ship sitting across the harbor gleaming in the night. Then you could walk around on top of the building overlook and look to the south and see ships coming into the harbor and ships sailing out to sea. It was awesome. The pictures I took don’t quite give the view the respect it deserves but I mean what can I say, I just can’t live up to the standards my Dad has imposed on me in the picture taking category, so I apologize if this picture isn't up to snuff pops. Haha oh well I have moved on. We chilled on top of the mountain for awhile just taking it all in before making our way back down the cable car, hopping back on the bus, taking the ferry across the bay, and walking through the mall to our ship. Jeremy decided to stay out later and went his own way at the bottom of the peak when Kevin and I hopped on the bus. By the time both of us returned to the ship is was nearly midnight and we were both about ready to drop like a sack of potatoes. 7 days in China, 6 of which were on a non-stop SAS trip including a 3:45 wake up that morning had finally taken its toll on the 2 of us. It was the best night of sleep I have had on Semester at Sea yet!!

My last day in China was honestly very uneventful. I slept until about 1030, I thought I had set an alarm but honestly I might have turned it off and rolled over because I was so tired I just don’t remember. There really wasn’t much left to do in the city of Hong Kong itself unless you wanted to shop or go outside of the city which I didn’t have a whole lot of time for before on-ship time. So I decided to take advantage of the free wifi in the mall/terminal our ship was docked at. This was the point where I uploaded my first two China blogs. After starting the China blogging process, I did some major research on some of the other ports I am visiting here in the next 2 months because I had access to the good travel sights and not just wikitravel. Before you knew it I had accomplished everything I needed to online and it was rapidly approaching time for me to be on the ship. I re-boarded the ship and said goodbye to China from the back decks of the ship, taking in the lights of Hong Kong harbor one last time.

As I have finished writing about my China travels I am currently in my next port…VIETNAM!! It was only a short 2 day sail and after 1 A day of classes and 1 B day of classes we woke up in Ho Chi Minh City!! Crazy huh?!? I stepped out of one world and into another in the blink of an eye it seems like. I still can’t believe all of this is happening so fast! Well I’m off to explore Vietnam, enjoy the three blogs I just uploaded, sorry again for not being as thorough with some things as some of you might like. If you have any questions about specific things that I might not have mentioned (sorry everything seems to kind of mesh together when I have written so much about China) just make a comment about it on the most recent blog post and I will try my best to address it in the next blog.

Love you and praying for you all!!!

T

“Lord I wanna feel with your heart……see the world through Your eyes.” – Casting Crowns

The Great Wall...Nough Said

2010-02-25T22:07:00.000-08:00

Hey again!

I know I just posted another blog simultaneously but I am trying to take advantage of as much free internet as I can because it is expensive on the ship! This blog is about the greatest day I had in China so I felt it was necessary to dedicate an entire post to it.

I responded to comments on the other Beijing blog that I posted right before this one at the same time so no point in doing it again.

The picture I chose is me on the wall and there is a story behind it but I explained it in detail below so I will just let you read it.

Okay so our final day in Beijing (Day 6 in China, Day 5 of the trip, February 21st, and my dad’s Birthday!!) was my most memorable day on the trip so far!!! We woke up early as usual for breakfast at the hotel before loading up the buses and heading outside the city. Our first stop of the day was at the Beijing International Kungfu School!! It was crazy!! The students at this school focus on learning the art of Kungfu. To pay for their schooling, they put on demonstrations and even act as stunt doubles/extras in Hollywood movies. The campus was a simple dormitory building, a courtyard used for training and exercise, and two smaller demonstration building used for performances and competitions. We weren’t exactly given a tour of the facilities but we kind of got one because we had to walk through the courtyard to get to the demonstration building where the students put on a private demonstration for us. Yeah we got to see a Kungfu Demonstration!! Kungfu is widely known as a martial arts form but not many people are aware of the artistic nature behind the skill. Our demonstration was composed of 5+ segments. It’s hard to describe exactly what they were doing but it involved a lot of flips, kicks, jabs, and rolls. It was SICK!! The coolest part in my opinion was watching them do the session where they broke a lot of stuff. To name a few: one guy broke an iron plate on his forehead and another snapped a wooden pole in half with his adams apple. With his ADAMS APPLE?!!?!?! If you don’t believe the last one (I wouldn’t either if someone told me so I don’t blame you) I have a video to prove it. After the demonstration we were allowed to hang out with the monks and take pictures as well as get a small lesson in simple moves that we could practice. Some of the pics we took were sick because the monks would like act like they were kicking us or poses where they jumped over us. Definitely a cool experience to see them perform, and then get a chance to interact with them.

From the school we headed out of town a ways and stopped at lunch at a local restaurant that was located in a greenhouse. It was a little weird eating in a greenhouse and something I never thought that I would do personally. The lunch was the normal family style Chinese cuisine but for some reason we all really like the rice at this place. Don’t know what it was but the rice was just really good! They also gave us this pork dish with peanuts, let me just tell you it was hotter than anything I have ever had before. Nothing in Mexico compared to this stuff. My sinuses cleared up so fast! Then none of us could get the taste out of our mouth lol. My friend Allison and me where two of the first people to try it, so everyone got a good laugh when we started freaking out and chugging water. I mentioned earlier that the Chinese serve a lot of vegetables with their meals. Well you all would be very proud of me, I branched out and ate a good majority of the vegetables. It was a big joke because I bet I ate more green vegetables in the past 8 days than I ate all last year. Haha oh well…when in China, do as the Chinese do!!

After lunch it was time for the highlight of the day. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!!!!
Ahhhhhh I don’t even know where to start?!?! It was indescribable! The section of the wall that we went to was the Mutianyu Great Wall. For this section you have to take a gondola from the parking lot up to the wall because this is a section that is nestled into the mountains. Getting to explore this mountainous section of the wall was special for a couple reasons. First, the views were incredible. I love being in the mountains and then to be standing on the GREAT WALL of China and seeing it winding between mountain peaks and disappearing in both directions was just surreal. Second, there were no other tourists around. This section isn’t the most easily accessible section and far enough away from Beijing that not many foreign tourists visit the spot. Besides some Chinese tourists it was basically just our SAS group and the wall. We hiked along 8 stations of the wall (a station is the section between 2 guard towers) and took more photos than any of us know what to do with.

Okay mom don’t read the next part cause it might upset you. Haha just kidding…kinda. So the guard towers that I just mentioned were situated along the walls at intervals but there was no way to get to the top of them because the ladders had been removed. Well I really wanted to get on top of one! Soooooo, Jeremy and I noticed that there weren’t any signs saying we couldn’t climb on the wall, and there was no police or “wall guards” (I mean it is a pretty big wall, it would take a lot of cops to guard) so we were like, “Let’s climb it!” If you climbed up on the side of the actual wall, which was easy, then you could walk across the side and get over to the tower where we found a foot-hold to propel ourselves up high enough to grip the edge and climb on top. The only dangerous part was that if you slipped you feel off the wall and about 70+ feet to the mountain side below. Oh well we made it and it was AWESOME!!! We got some really sweet pics, including the picture that I did for this blog post. The reason I like this picture so much is because it is very similar to a pic I took outside Barcelona a couple summer ago (except for the fact that The Great Wall is WAY cooler!!!). You can kind of tell but I am standing on the edge of the wall in a little nook, but the edge none the less, with a straight drop behind me. Sorry mom…kinda lol. Well we had been ahead of most of the SAS group so when they saw us up on the tower a lot of people decided they wanted to do it too. That’s right…trend setta baby!!! The views were sweet from on top of the tower and it was awesome getting to chill up there for a little bit. Getting down from the tower was a little hairy but we all made it down safe and sound for the most part (couple people scraped themselves up but nothing serious) and continued hiking around.

Gahhhhhhh I still can’t believe I got to experience the Great Wall!! A year ago I had no clue I would get the opportunity to go on Semester at Sea, let alone see the Great Wall! A couple of us were talking about it as we were walking along and it was so weird thinking that we were actually there. We were actually walking on the Great Wall of China!! After 2 hours of hiking around it was time to head back down to the base of the mountain to do a little market shopping before boarding the buses. I mentioned that we used a gondola to get up, but to get down we got to ride in little single person toboggans on a steel track! Okay that was fun…all you have is a hand break and using it is optional. Yeah I didn’t use mine except for when I came flying around a corner and Jeremy, who was in front of me, had stopped because there was a slow Chinese family making their way down in front of us. Yeah I didn’t stop in time and plowed into Jeremy but we just laughed and kept going. The toboggan was just another random surprise that none of us knew about that was so sweet!!

The bus ride back to Beijing was a little over 1.5 hours so a lot of people slept (not me, how could I sleep after seeing THE Great Wall?!?!). Our last dinner of the trip was at a local restaurant that was similar to everywhere else we had been. But the real finale to the trip was after dinner. Our last activity as a group was to specially attend an authentic Chinese Acrobatic show. The show was held in a theater much like you would expect to watch a Broadway show in. Okay these acrobats made the Kungfu dudes (which were wicked sweet) look lame. They were doing things that were amazing!! A couple of people in our SAS group had seen Cirque De So Le before and they said it didn’t even compare to what we all saw. They said that these acrobats made the Cirque De So Le people look like amateurs. I personally don’t know about that but because I haven’t seen Cirque De So Le, but all I know it that whatever I saw was outstanding. We were all sitting on the edge of our seats the whole time just waiting to see what they would do next. It was the perfect ending to the best SAS trip we could have ever asked for!!

Looking at the Great Wall, I couldn’t help but think about my tower and source of protection…Jesus Christ. Compared to Christ, even something as Immense and Incredible as the Great Wall is reduced to nothing. The protection provided by the Great Wall pales in comparison to the protection provided by our Lord and Savior. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” Proverbs 18:10. “Jesus, Jesus, you are my tower Lord. Jesus, Jesus, the rock I stand on. Jesus, Jesus, there is no other name, like Your name…there is no other name, like Your name…ohhhhh Looorrrddddd and, I am weak, but, YOU are strong, and, I know I must learn to wait on YOU!!!” Brad Kilman. Christ will never leave us nor forsake us and His power is second to no one.

Love you guys and hope all is well back home!

T

Beijing - Where to Begin...

2010-02-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

Yo Yo Yo!!

How are you all?!?! I know I am posting these super fast but I am getting the chance to use free internet so I figured I would just load all the China blogs that I have typed in the past 2 days. After this it will slow down for awhile because I will be living it up in Vietnam. Enjoy!

Shout Out Comments – JT – Haha yeah I got really lucky and got to see a ton in China! That market was crazy cool and they were really good with their English. It’s weird to think that we probably bartered with some of the same people haha. Yeah I am actually uploading these blogs from a hotel business center in Vietnam while waiting for the War Museum across the street to open. I already love Vietnam and can’t wait to spend the next 5 days here taking in the culture. Vietnam is beautiful and the people are awesome!

The picture I chose for this section of the blog is of Kara and I in front of the famous gate separating Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden Square (read on for a better description). You can see the famous picture of Mao Zedong in the background. Kara and I were in front of this little dragon/lion figure (it is over my left shoulder, kinda looks like it is biting me actually) so we decided to give our best impersonation attempt. Got some weird looks from people but it’s whatever! Not like we will ever see those people again right lol.

Hope you all enjoyed the first couple China blogs. As I start to write about the rest of my journey I am overwhelmed by the fact that I have no clue where to begin. Guess I will just start writing and see what happens so here goes nothing!

Alright so day 3 of my China tour trip (overall it was day 4 in China and February 19th). The morning consisted solely of transferring to the airport in our buses and taking a 1.5 hour flight to Beijing. All three groups were together on the same flight this time so that vast majority of the plane was all the SASers traveling in a huge group. We flew with a different airline this time but the experience was pretty much the same. The cabin crew was excellent and the food was even better! They definitely blow the American airline companies out of the water as far as good food being served. Upon arrival in Beijing we were transferred by buses (still in the same 3 groups as in Xi’an…Bus C for life!!) to our hotel for the duration of our stay, the Courtyard Marriot Hotel. On the way to our hotel we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. Very similar to all the other Chinese meals up to this point: family style food (lots of it), chopsticks only, and your basic meats and vegetables.

After eating our group meal we proceeded to the hotel to drop off our suitcases (wait didn’t have suitcases, basically just our backpacks lol) then we had the rest of the day to do as we wanted. This was the only part of our China SAS trip that we had as free time and they chose to give it to us at the beginning of Beijing so that if there was anything specific we wanted to see we could do it first. The group I ended up hanging out with for the remainder of the day was Kevin, Jeremy, Jose (my roommate for the 3 nights in Beijing), and Gabby. So the five of us took off as soon as we could because by the time we got to the hotel it was already close to 3 and we wanted as much time as we could while we had freedom. For the first couple hours we wandered around the city trying to make our way to the local market district. This was actually quite entertaining because we definitely got lost. Jeremy was the one who “knew where we were going” but this didn’t turn out to be true. Somehow we ended up at Tiananmen Square which was where we were going the next day so we didn’t want to waste time viewing it when it was built into our tour later on. We also ran into another group of 3 girls (Stephanie, Lauren, and forgot the 3rd girl’s name) who were trying to make their way to the same spot we were. We spent time trying to find someone who spoke English to give us directions and ended up finding a group of tourists from Iran who took some time to point out the right direction. They told us to go south of the Square for about half a mile and then head east and we would run into it. So off we went, blindly following some random tour guide’s advice and hoping that Jeremy would get us there. Kevin and I were convinced that we needed to head north despite what the tour guide said but our advice fell on deaf ears. Well I don’t know what kind of tour guide this guy was or if he was just a major rookie but he sent us in the totally opposite direction. We walked for about a mile and a half in the wrong direction before realizing that Kevin and I had been right all along. It actually ended up being quite funny and we had found some random shops to head into on the way so we didn’t really care but it was fun giving Jeremy and Jose crap the rest of the night and bragging that we (Kevin and I) had been right. At this point it was getting close to 6 so we decided to take a taxi to where we wanted to go instead of backtracking what we had just walked.

We ended up at the right place somehow after a taxi ride (split into 2 groups of 4) that included us passing the exact same spot we were at Tian’an men Square which gave us more ammo to hassle Jeremy with lol. Okay this night market was so legit!! There was a giant avenue that was closed to traffic. On one side there was a 21st Century mall with all your high dollar stores then on the other side it was like a totally different world with all these little allies filled with street vendors selling everything from fake hand bags to every type of street-fair-food imaginable. We headed for the vendors because that was just way more appealing to all of us. Okay the food was dirt cheap so we decided to try all sorts of things. I tried the Chinese version of a Gyro (nothing compared to a Gyro in the Muslim quarter in Spain), some basic pork buns which were INCREDIBLE, these candy coated strawberries which were like little drops of heaven on a skewer stick, then for the best item of the night…SCORPION ON A STICK!!! Alright I definitely had to try that, I mean how many chances do you get to try scorpion on a stick?!?! The scorpions on a stick came with 4 on one skewer for like $1.50 which was perfect because I wanted one, Kevin, Jeremy, and the other girl whose name I forgot wanted one; which was a perfect 4! Oh and I should also mention that the scorpions are alive and squirming on the stick and then when you pay for it they fry them in front of you and season them with something. So that was cool seeing them squirm and then eating them 2 minutes later. No one wanted to be the first one to try it so I was like shoot I’ll do it! So I did and it wasn’t bad at all, definitely had worse things before lol. With the seasoning and it being fried it was nothing we couldn’t handle. Jeremy and Kevin did fine with theirs too but the one girl struggled. She did not like it at all!! I actually have a video of all 4 of us eating it for all you doubters back home; just made sure I would have proof! Sampling the street food was awesome; I’m actually surprised it didn’t get sick the next day because they were like legit back alley street fair vendors. Oh well I guess Pepto really does work!

After our experience travelling through the various vendors it was closer to 8 and we were ready for dinner because we had all just snacked on the various small vendor foods. The three girls that had met us at the square earlier went and did their own thing because they weren’t hungry enough to eat dinner yet. We headed back out onto the avenue in search of a restaurant. Nothing was close by and eventually we settled on McDonalds because there were no legit restaurants anywhere close and Jeremy and I wanted to try a Chinese Big Mac to compare it to an American one. Honestly I didn’t think there was much of a difference except that the American Big Mac is definitely greasier. Jeremy swears that the Chinese Big Mac was better so I mean who really knows. Another bonus was the fact that the Olympics were on so we were able to enjoy some Women’s Snowboard Super-pipe while we ate which was nice cause it was a sport that was actually fun to watch, unlike curling that always seemed to be on at the hotels. It was nice having an American meal after 4 straight days of Chinese food and everyone enjoyed their meal. Afterwards we walked around the hotel a little more, found a nice tea shop where Jeremy bought some tea (I found cheap loose leaf tea the day before so I had already bought my bag of tea for China). Then Gabby got a Starbucks cause of course there was one of those in the mall. By the time we left the mall and walked around the city for a little longer, it had gotten pretty chilly so we grabbed a cab and headed back to the hotel. We hung out for another hour or two in the hotel before calling it a night.

Day 5 in China (4 of the trip, February 20th) was jam-packed with sights to see and things to do. Breakfast was served in our hotel like every other morning and then we loaded the buses for transportation to our first stop of the day – Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City! I was really excited for this because whenever you see pictures of Beijing or hear about people going to Beijing you hear about the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The Square was huge!! We found out that it is the largest public square in the world. It is famous because on the north end is where Mao Zedong gave his famous speech founding the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. We spent about an hour getting a tour of the square, a history lesson from our tour guide Jason, and then taking pictures with all our friends in front of the famous gate on the north end.

After the tour of the square, which was mainly spent walking across it, we entered the Forbidden City through the Rostrum (Tiananmen Gate) which is the big building connecting the north side of Tiananmen Square to the south end of the Forbidden City that has the giant picture of Mao Zedong on it. The Forbidden City was created in 1420 by Emperor Yongle and was home to 24 emperors after him. The entire complex consists of 8,706 rooms all within 170 acres that are surrounded by walls more than 30 feet high and within a 160 foot moat. The Forbidden City is split into an inner courtyard (where the emperor used to stay) and the outer courtyard which was for public events, guests, and the governmental leaders at the time. No one has lived in the Forbidden City since 1924 and its purpose now is a cultural landmark open to tourists and interested Chinese visitors. Like I said the city is situated on 160 acres so it took us awhile to cross from the south end to the north end while constantly stopping for pictures and explanations of the purpose behind certain building and/or structures. After 2+ hours of taking in the Forbidden City we exited through the north gate and walked a little ways to our buses that were parked down the street.

The next part of our day was truly as treat for everyone. We were split up into small groups of about 15 people and taken to individual families to experience a customary meal that would be served to visiting family and friends. It was awesome to get to see the inside of an average Chinese household, meet the family, and experience the famous Chinese hospitality firsthand. Before the meal we were given a private lesson on how to make Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi) by hand like the Chinese people have been doing for decades. The lady was very patient with us despite our inability to do it right; eventually we finished our lesson and were served all sorts of veggies and then the dumplings! They made us SO much food!! Chinese custom is to always make more food than is necessary to show that you are capable of being hospitable and providing enough food to satisfy your guests. It was very different from the customs of countries like Mexico where leaving food on the table is a sign of disrespect so it was a unique experience to me and I was privileged to have gotten the opportunity. The family also had a talking bird hanging above their doorway that would say “knee-how” (hello) back to you if you said it to him. That was also entertaining because the bird spoke more Chinese than all of us haha.

After spending time with our individual families and eating more dumplings than I could count, we were met by a fleet of Trishaw for a Trishaw tour of Hutong, a narrow network of lanes created by closely built quadrangular homes. The Trishaws were much like what you would find in New York City with a bicycle that was attached to a little carriage that could hold 2 people. We all paired up and went for our little tour of Hutong area. Mom it wasn’t quite as crazy as our ride through NYC as we didn’t have to dodge taxis, just other trishaws that our friends were in. My driver was named MAO and he was legit! I was riding with Ali and we would cheer and stuff and he would cut the other trishaws off and pass them if they went to slow. It was fun riding around and saying “knee-how” to the people as we drove by. It was cool seeing a more relaxed area of the city with fewer people and no traffic because the streets were too narrow for cars. Our trishaw tour was followed by a short stop at a local silk factory. Alright the silk factory was the biggest waste of time EVER and was totally unnecessary. It was just a modern tourist trap where they gave us a short 10 min talk on the process of getting silk and what they do with it; then they expect you to buy stuff at the store like scarves and blankets that were ridiculously overpriced. I think only one person bought something and it was a life-long learner so that doesn’t count. No one really enjoyed it and we were all ready to leave as soon as we got there lol.

The last stop of the day for our group was the Beijing 2008 Olympic Village. Alright that was way cooler than I thought it would be! I was looking forward to it but once we got there and were staring at the Bird’s Nest, Torch Tower, and the Bubble Aquatics Centre it really hit me where I was!! We got to walk down the streets where the marathons were held leading into the Bird’s Nest for the finish line. We weren’t given a tour of the village but simply got free time to explore the Bird’s Nest and surrounding area. The Bubble Aquatics Centre where Phelps won all his medals was undergoing renovation at the time so we weren’t allowed to tour the inside. Definitely a bummer but at least we still got to see. Ok so the Bird’s Nest was incredible!! We weren’t allowed to go on the floor because there was a winter festival going on and it would have cost a lot of money to go onto the floor which was covered with fake snow for the kids. So a group of us did the next best thing…we went all the way up to the far corner of the building on the top row to get some sweet pics! It was quite a hike up there but well worth it!! The architecture of the building is insane and it was just cool to know that so many Olympic events were held in the building, especially the amazing opening ceremonies with all the lights and drums. Very, very cool and we were all stoked to see the Bird’s Nest in its entirety. Just something about being there were so many people were a year and a half ago and imagining what they saw and the excitement in the air, it was so tight!!

Following our time at the Olympic Village, we loaded up and headed to our dinner location. This night we got the privilege of enjoying a traditional Beijing dinner…the Beijing Duck Dinner. We were taken to the Tangyuan Restaurant which specializes in preparing this duck. The customary way to cook this duck consists of slow roasting the duck in an oven at a certain temperature for a certain length of time in order to get the outside crispy but the inside extremely tender. I really like duck so I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner. Some people at our table weren’t too crazy about the duck meat which was fine because Chris and I did like it so we ate all the leftovers. The chef also was standing in the middle of the room constantly carving more strips off the duck to disperse among the tables. That was cool too because we got to see the entire duck before he started carving it, not really anything new to me cause I am around dead ducks all the time but it was cool to see their method of cooking and serving the duck. Much different than we do it at the ranch, but tasty nonetheless. Although I will definitely stay with the way we do back in Oklahoma pops. Nothing like a good marinade, so says the good Doc himself! Oh and I won’t go into detail right now, but there was also an incident between me and a waitress due to a language barrier but I will save that one for this summer. Just ask me about it when you see me if you wanna know. Dinner went late and afterwards I decided to call it a night after briefly chilling with some people in the hotel when we got back.

Well I just wrote 5 pages about 2 days in China and I feel like I didn’t do it justice. I could write so much more about what I talked about and then there are probably over 100 smaller stories that I could spout off but that would take FOREVER!! So this will just have to do for now I guess. Hope you all enjoyed it!

In Joshua 1:8-9 it says “For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Wherever I go. Even in China, surrounded by over 1 billion people, God never left my side. Little, insignificant me. God was with me. How flipping crazy is that?!?! One in a sea of many and God never took his eyes off of what I was doing. This truth is so incredible to think about, yet something that we so easily take for granted as we go through our daily lives. Think of how differently we would lead our lives if we dwelt on the fact that Christ was always right by our side? I guarantee you that it would make a difference! A drastic difference! Think about it, I know I did when I was overwhelmed by the mass of people everywhere in China.

Miss you all and hope everything is going great! Love you guys!!

T

Xi'an - I'm so Excited, I Just Can't Hide It!

2010-02-22T21:26:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

Guess I was able to post this a lot quicker than I thought haha. I’m taking advantage of some free wifi in Hong Kong. I’m actually posting this at the same time as the one before it so if you are reading this one before the first China one I would recommend going back one blog so that everything makes sense. The Shanghai blog is the first China blog and you will be able to find it by just going back one blog.

No point in Comment Shout-Outs because I answered the previous ones in the Shanghai blog that I just posted and no one has had time to comment yet lol.
The picture I chose for Xi’an is of me standing in front of the terra cotta warriors!! It was the highlight and main attraction in Xi’an so I definitely wanted to make it my pic! You can read more about the warriors below so I won’t ruin it. But yeah it was SICK!!

So Day 2 in China (February 17) was the beginning of my 6 Day/5 Night SAS trip to Xi’an and Beijing. Everyone on the trip was required to meet in the Union at 830 am to acquire our itineraries and check in. Once everyone was there they split us into 3 groups alphabetically and these were the groups we would be with for the rest of the trip as far as being assigned to a tour guide and bus. I was in the 3rd group…the one and only group C! We actually had a really bomb group and I am glad I was in Group C! We loaded up in the buses and headed to the airport. On the bus my friend Ali started singing “I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it,” which was true for everyone so we made that our motto for the beginning of the trip. Groups A and B were both on the noon flight to Xi’an while Group C was on the 1 pm flight to Xi’an an hour later. Some people in our group complained about this because their friends were on the other flight but I was the opposite and was excited because then we didn’t have to keep track of as many people; and we had assigned seats anyway so it’s not like you could choose to sit by your friends. I really like to travel so it was exciting flying on a Chinese airline for the first time and seeing their way of doing things on the plane. Honestly the plane was the exact same, the majority of stuff was in English; the only major difference was the food and beverage service. The Chinese know how to do it man, their airplane food was bomb!! It was actually real food and I didn’t hear anyone in our group complain.

Something you all should know, this was a 6 day/5 night trip and we were all only allowed to bring carry-ons. On all SAS overnight trips you are only allowed carry-ons so that we don’t run the risk of losing bags in transit and being slowed down at the airport. This of course did not sit well with some of the girls, because they were limited to either a backpack or small duffel, and then their purses. Haha it was really funny to see what some people considered priorities for a 6 day China trip, definitely had people from all ends of the spectrum as far as what was packed. I didn’t think it was that bad, but Mike Wall prepared me for this 3 years ago when we all just had a carry-on for the Nicaragua mission trip. Thank you Senor! And of course we had people who didn’t like flying but you always do in big groups.

The flight lasted 2.5 hours and was uneventful for the most part. No one really slept because we were all so stoked about the awesome trip we were starting!! At the Xi’an airport we met up with our tour guides and headed to our respected buses. The first stop of the day was to the Tang Dynasty Art Museum where we received personalized lessons in the art of Chinese calligraphy. Okay I didn’t expect it to be easy or anything but calligraphy is NOT easy. It took me 15 minutes just to get one symbol to where it didn’t look like a baby wrote it (Daryl I’m pretty sure Logan could do this stuff better than me haha). We were told it takes years of constantly writing the language to perfect it. The cool part was that there are only 8 basic strokes that are combined in various ways to make all the symbols; what they don’t tell you is that 5 of those 8 strokes are ridiculously hard. It was really cool getting a calligraphy lesson and a nice little surprise to start our trip off with.

After the art museum and calligraphy lesson we headed to our first meal of the trip. Every meal on this trip was included in the prepaid price and they were all much better than any of us could have hoped for. This first dinner was a Dim sum dinner at De Fa Chang. Okay so De Fa Chang’s is the most famous dumpling restaurant in all of Xi’an and is a multiple story restaurant. We met up with the other 2 groups and sat down to enjoy our meal. We didn’t get to order anything but our drinks and literally as soon as we sat down food was brought to us and placed in front of us. In China all the meals are family style except for the Westernized restaurants so the food is just placed on platters in the center of the table. Our dinner consisted of 18 different types of dumplings with fillings ranging from duck to pork to veggies. I every dumpling I tried which was 17 of them (I gave my buddy my vegetarian one for his spicy chicken one). It’s amazing how unique the different ones were and how awesome they all tasted!

The restaurant was located in the center of the inner city of Xi’an (Xi’an is formatted exactly like Jerusalem with an inner and outer city separated by a wall) and it was crazy! Like I said previously it was the end of Chinese New Year so they were people everywhere. Fireworks were going off like every other minute and the coolest part was the lanterns. They were all over the place, just floating up into the air with the little flame inside. It was like we walked into a movie, I can’t even describe was it was like to see the sky lit up with fireworks, building lights, and hundreds of lanterns. How did we get so lucky? We didn’t expect any of this and it was just good timing that it all happened when we were there. Crazy huh?!?! We had the option of returning to the hotel with the buses or heading out on our own and finding our own way back. I headed off with a group of people to wander around the inner city while the festivities were going on for about an hour then we headed back to the hotel to call it a night. We stayed the night in the Xi’an Jianguo Hotel which was insanely nice and none of us really expected to be staying in such a nice hotel. I fell asleep to the sweet sound of fireworks which is something that was quite alright with me even though some people weren’t okay with it the next morning haha.

Day 2 in Xi’an (February 18th) was packed with stuff. Like I said earlier there is no way I can describe everything in as much detail as I want to but I will do my best. We ate breakfast at our hotel then headed out bright and early to start our day. The first stop was the Xi’an city wall that separated the outer and inner city. We were given free time to hike around, take pictures, and climb one of the bell towers that was used as a guard tower back when the city wall protected the city. There was also this really cool bell we were allowed to ring with the old wooden pendulum that you swung into it. That was cool cause the bell was really loud and it was cool cause it was still mounted on the wall! We were only there for about 45 minutes so we didn’t have too much time to really walk along the wall but we were all able to see enough of it to get a feel for the history and significance behind the wall.

After the Xi’an wall, we headed to the Muslim district of the city to see the Great Mosque and Old Bazaar areas. The district was nestled into a corner of the city and it was weird going from the busy city streets to this religious area within just 25 yards. The Mosque was situated behind the Bazaar and was comprised of rectangular courtyards lined up in a row. Each courtyard contained some sort of wooden or stone alter/statue in the middle with buildings lining the sides and gates separating the courtyards. After touring the Mosque grounds we headed through the old Bazaar area on our way back to the buses. The Bazaar was lined with vendors trying to sell all kinds of stuff. We had some free time to shop around and see what we could find and then try to barter for a lower price. It was really cold in Xi’an that day so a lot of people were buying fake name brand gloves for extremely cheap and warm, fur-lined hats to wear around. The atmosphere was fun because we were with all 100 SAS kids and adults from the trip and everyone was bartering and trying to get the best deal.

Once everyone was assembled back at the buses we made our way out of Xi’an an hour or so to a restaurant on the way to our next destination. The lunch was another traditional family style setting but the food was totally different. Pork and chicken are the main meats served in China and are accompanied with various forms of vegetables, and of course, RICE! I have never been a real big fan of sticky rice but I sure am a fan of Chinese sticky rice! It was so good! Oh and did I mention that we ate every meal with chopsticks?!?! Yeah there is no such thing as western silverware at the places we went to. It took awhile to get good enough to pick up some of the stuff but after 8 days of chopstick usage I can honestly say that I can now eat a meal using only chopsticks! The best part of this specific meal was these potato lumps that were glazed with honey, and not just a hint of honey, like a legit honey coat over them. SOOOOOOO TASTY!!

Everyone was full and satisfied heading back to the buses as we made our way to the highlight of Xi’an…THE TERRA COTTA WARRIORS!! Ok they were indescribable! I don’t even know where to start. Basically everything you have ever heard about them is true. For those of you who don’t know, the Terra Cotta Warriors were constructed by the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (no relation to Jimmy, sorry man haha), Qin Shi Huangdi. They were buried with him in order to protect him after death as well guard his tomb. The estimated 8,000 terra cotta soldiers are a testament to his power and megalomania. Each figure is the same height and every face is constructed completely unique. Our guide told us that if a carver made the features of any face even remotely similar the carver would be killed on the spot. The warriors were discovered by peasants in 1974 while trying to dig a well. In the main and most impressive vault (Pit 1), the majority of the warriors has been uncovered and remains in their typical battle formation in 11 columns comprised of officers, soldiers holding spears and swords, and others steering horse-drawn chariots. The pit is huge! My best guess is around 7-9 football fields lined up like hotdogs (which by the way sounds amazing right now), and a building has been built around it to protect the warriors from Mother Nature. In addition to Pit 1, there is also Pits 2 and 3 which are at different stages of excavations and then a 4 building called the treasure room which has smaller artifacts that were discovered intact with the warriors. Including two bronze chariots consisting of 4 horses each and unique chariot styles. It’s crazy that these were just discovered only 36 years ago?!?! Considered by many to be the “8th Wonder of the World,” it was truly a treat to get to experience these warriors and view them in person. I don’t really know what else to say about the warriors except WOW, I still can’t believe I actually saw them a couple days ago. It’s insane!!!! I will be able to go into more detail in person when I see you all and have pictures but for now hopefully this gives you an idea.

After spending a couple hours taking in the warriors and everything associated with them, we headed out into a small village for a visit to one of the Xi’an Orphanages. The orphanage was very nice compared to some places I have visited and the kids actually had beds with sheets and blankets as well as indoor plumbing in each building. This specific orphanage is currently home to around 100 orphans whose parents are either in prison or who abandoned them at an early age. Two young boys that I met had been found last year around New Years by a police man on the street. The boys were abandoned by their parents and their names and ages are unknown. The best guess by the orphanage is that one is around 6 and the other around 3. It was heart-breaking to see these kids who were simply left by their parents. Just makes you appreciate what we have and the amazing parents God blessed us with. We were giving a tour of the orphanage and then they put on a little show for us. It was really cool to see these little kids excited that we were there. The hardest part was the language barrier. I have dealt with language barriers in Mexico before and usually sign language was enough to get by. Man not with these kids, I have never had such a hard time trying to communicate simple things. It was difficult and frustrating but eventually it got easier.

We had to leave the orphanage shortly after arrival which was lame, we all wanted to stay with the kids! The drive back to Xi’an took around an hour and a half and most people either slept or listened to music. Tonight’s dinner just happened to be the Tang Dynasty Dinner Show. The meal was first and was a 7 course meal served in a Westernized fashion with our own individual plates. Okay this was the best food I have eaten since I left Oklahoma. We had everything from soup to duck to some sort of really tender beef. It was sooooooo good. After enjoying a more relaxed dinner and chilling with traditional Chinese string music playing on the stage, the show really started. The performance consisted of Chang’an music and dance with originated in China’s Tang Dynasty over 1000 years ago. The show was rich with tradition and truly unique to China. It was Crazy Cool and just another example of something cool that none of us expected 2 months ago when we signed up for this trip. The dinner and show lasted around 2.5 hours and afterwards most people decided to just chill at the hotel because we were all beat from walking around all day and seeing everything. It was also nice cause we got to catch bits and pieces of the Olympics in the hotel which made a lot of people extremely happy lol. And this concluded my second day in Xi’an.

I know I could have said more and was really vague in some points but I promise I will explain more this summer when I see you all. If there are any specific questions you want answered just comment and I will do my best to answer it in one of the next blogs.

Love you guys and wish you were all here with me!!

T

“The greatest and best man in the world must say, ‘By the grace of God I am, what I am,’ but God says absolutely…‘I am that I am.’” - Matthew Henry

Shanghai in a Day

2010-02-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

Knee-How! (Hello in Chinese…not how you spell it but this gives you a better idea of what it sounds like)

First and foremost, we have a birthday to celebrate. For those of you that didn’t know, my dad (also known as “Slick Willie” to some of you) turned 50 on Sunday, February 21, 2010. I want to wish you a very happy birthday dad and I am sorry I missed your party. I wish I could have been there! I still can’t believe your 50!?! Not many people have dads like you and I thank God each and every day for you! Love ya more than you know pops, I couldn’t have asked for a better dad and I am who I am today because of you. Love you and hope you had a great birthday!!

The picture above is from our day of shopping and walking around (you will read about all of this below). From left to right you have Austin, Me, Kevin, and Buddy. The picture was taken right before another one and we were all cracking up at something Austin had said so one of the girls took a pic and it turned out to be a really good candid shot. Behind us is Shanghai harbor and you can see some of the giant buildings on the other side of the water in the distance.

Comment Shout-Outs!! – Everyone from Henderson Hills. I was thinking about you all a lot last weekend during Big Weekend, and it killed me to not be there with you guys. I pray that God spoke to each and every one of you and that your weekend was incredible. Love you and miss you all!! Nat – sorry about the sushi thing, guess we will just have to hit up the other normal food places haha. It’s amazing how much I miss the Norman food joints, I will just have to come up during finals week and distract you! Hope all is well in Theta world…miss ya girl! Logan – Brotha what’s up?!?!? So since I had some free internet time in port I was able to go back over the past blogs and I noticed your one from like 5 posts ago that I must have just barely missed. My bad man I feel bad, but I get really limited time on the ship so I just log on long enough to check the comments from the last blog and then post my new one. I didn’t hear that you all had switched to middle school worship leaders but that is really cool! I know it might be weird at times cause you miss the high schoolers but that is another area that you will have experience in that God will use to help you in the future. He is preparing you man! As far as Valentine’s Day goes, I’m sure you didn’t have 1 date but more like 8, and don’t lie to me because I will find out. If Natalie Parker and Hollis are reading this keep it up! Alex I know you are bugging him so just do it double and blame it on me haha. Dude that is sick that you guys got a 6 day weekend. I bet that was much appreciated by all you guys. Dude N64 is where it’s at on snow days! That’s awesome! Never saw Up, heard good things tho. Star Trek is so tight, glad you finally experienced it! And Book of Eli was so freaking good wasn’t it! My second favorite Denzel movie behind Remember the Titans! Heck yeah you are still being harassed! Because it is true and there is no escaping that reality!! Know I am messing with you in spirit every time Alex says something! Dude God is mysterious but it is a wonderful type of mysterious! I wish I was there to talk about it too man…but we got all summer coming up! Hope you are enjoying school (as much as you can lol), love ya bro!

Alright so I know it has been awhile since I last blogged and I am sorry about that! I have been on the China trip of a lifetime the past 8 days and haven’t had access to a computer until yesterday. As I sit down to write about my time in China I have no clue where to begin. I have literally been going non-stop for the past 7.5 days and I am worn out in the best way imaginable. Seeing that I have 8 days worth of stuff to tell you all about there is no way I can fit it all in one blog without writing an overwhelming amount. I have decided to simply split my China adventure into 1, 2, or 3 day segments as I see fit and upload the posts as quickly as I can get them done (after all I only have 2 days until I reach Vietnam). So basically what I am saying is that I might be posting 3-5 different blogs about China I just don’t know yet; and I don’t know how fast I will be able to write them so I might upload more than one in the span of a day or it might take me a week to finally upload everything about China. Just have to wait and see I guess haha. Alright no enough talk…let me tell you about China!!!!!

I didn’t make any expectations going into China because I didn’t know what to expect in a country that is so diverse and different than anywhere I have ever been. Definitely a great idea!! China was awesome and mainly because I let myself experience it for what it really was, not what I wanted it to be or expected it to be. Another big bonus was the fact that the first couple days we were there happened to be the last few days of the Chinese New Year celebration. Yeah I said Chinese New Year, and you know what that means…….fireworks!!!!!!! During this specific span of time you can set off fireworks anywhere in the city and it is completely legal! So we would be walking or driving down the street and all of the sudden a strand of blackcats would go off or a mortar would explode right over your head. Definitely something I could get used to!! Jarrett let me just tell ya, we definitely could have gotten into some serious trouble together!! America needs to take notes and allow this kind of behavior in our city streets…I mean only like a couple days around the 4th of July…think of how awesome that would be?!?!

China was a unique country in many ways. First off the food is absolutely incredible! It wasn’t hard at all to simply eat the Chinese food. A lot of the dishes we were served/purchased were similar but different enough so that we didn’t get bored. Second, the air quality in China is pretty much what you hear about on the news. Every day there is just thick smog hanging in the air which prevents you from seeing the blue sky and sun. Think of a real thick fog right above the building that doesn’t leave and is constantly there. I personally didn’t like this and would rather have an Oklahoma sky any day; and since none of us were used to it we all had really runny noses the whole trip because of the amount of dust and crap in the air. Another thing was the people. They were way friendlier than the Japanese as far as simply passing someone on the street. If you smiled and waved at someone they would smile back and acknowledge you instead of avoiding eye contact. It was also cool because we were at a lot of the big touristy spots in Xi’an, Beijing, and Hong Kong (you will read about these cities in the coming blogs) so we also were running into Chinese tour groups. It was fun waving to them from the buses and seeing them get excited to see American tourists doing the same thing as them. The Chinese people were amazing, hospitable, and considerate which makes leaving China even more difficult.

Day 1 in China was so much fun! The morning started with a mandatory diplomatic briefing at 8 am where two members of the U.S. consulate in Shanghai came aboard to brief us on certain Chinese customs, rules, regulations, etc. that we should be aware of as Americans traveling throughout the country. Some of the information was helpful but most of it was routine stuff that applies to traveling anywhere and not just China. The briefing lasted a little over an hour and afterwards we sat around the ship waiting for the customs/immigration process to begin. We were called according to our seas starting around 10 am and the ship was cleared (we were allowed to get off) around noon. Clearing customs/immigration was very easy despite having to get our temperature taken to get off. The group I hung out with for the first day consisted of Austin, Buddy, Kevin, Natalie, Abby, Allyssa, and Mem. Our first priority was to get Yuan (Chinese Currency) and our second priority was to get food…I mean the food was really priority numero uno but to get food we had to have Yuan to pay with so getting money became priority number one by default. There was a ton of SASers at the ATMs so that took awhile but eventually we were able to get cash and start our search for an authentic Chinese restaurant. We walked up to this one restaurant and realized that it was a hot-pot restaurant; the only thing written in English on the outside of the building was a sign that said “Come a pot of lamb spinal cord” so we were like “Yep, we have to eat here now.” Two of the girls weren’t too excited at first because of the sign but soon realized that it was a normal restaurant. We walked in, got a table, and luckily our waiter spoke a little English. He was really cool and was more interested in where we were from and what we were doing than taking our order. It was nice seeing hospitality like that in a waiter right off the bat and made the experience much more enjoyable. The restaurant was very traditional and our meal was awesome! It was a huge pot of broth with mutton (lamb), cabbage, yams, potatoes, some random Chinese veggies, and then we added some dumplings and beef for good measure. You let everything boil in the pot in the center of the table and then help yourselves as you get hungry. Ahhhhhh it was soooooooo bomb!!! Then I got this huge 1.5 liter coke with my meal that was less than $1 U.S. In total, when it was all said and done, we each paid around $6 U.S. for the whole meal and our drinks and we were stuffed!!

After lunch we headed out into Shanghai to do some shopping. We started out just walking around aimlessly and seeing what we could find to do. After seeing the port area and some random stuff we decided to take these motorized rickshaws to an area called the Tao Bao Market. Okay so these motorcycle rickshaw things were intense!! There were 8 of us so we split up into 4 pairs and headed off. The part where we sat was facing backwards so we couldn’t see where we were going. Austin and I were in the front so I was able to get a really cool video of us swerving in and out of traffic with the other 3 rickshaw things (don’t really know what they are called cause they are definitely not traditional rickshaws) trying to keep up. That was a cool experience and I’m pretty sure I could have died because we were cutting off buses and other cars and since we were facing backwards we didn’t even know it until we were passing the bus that almost hit us.

Anyways we eventually made it to the Tao Bao Market safe and sound and without getting lost. The market was indoors and consisted of a 5 story building that was full of individual vendors lined up in rows with escalators in the middle. You could barter for everything in the market and most vendors sold the same things so you could shop around till you found the best deal. My favorite was finding people close to each other that had the exact same stuff and pitting them against each other to see which one would give you the best deal. We all bought souvenirs…oh and Daniel, if you are reading this I got you the SWEETEST gift ever!! Like I almost got myself the same thing but I didn’t want to spend that much. After shopping for a couple hours we walked around the streets a little more before starting a search for a place to eat dinner. We were set on finding another authentic Chinese restaurant and refused to eat at one of the numerous KFCs or Pizza Huts we passed. We decided to try our hand at a version of Shanghai “fast food.” Luckily they had picture point menus so we were able to order by pointing and holding up fingers for what we wanted and how many of each. I got this teriyaki chicken with steamed rice and Chinese Mango Tea. Everyone got various things and Kevin even got a plate of pig’s ear for all of us to try; everyone tried it and was able to get it down, but some people definitely did not like it. I on the other hand actually thought it tasted pretty good…oh well, guess I’m just weird (but you guys already knew that I’m sure).

After our Chinese fast food adventure we headed back to the ship to drop off our souveniers and meet up with more people who had done different things during the day. Oh and sidenote about China – taxis were so cheap! For a ride across town back to the port it was less than $3 U.S., AND we got to split it between 4 of us (8 people, 2 cabs) so we all ended up paying less than a buck when it was all said and done. Much better than Hawaii and Japan…I never even took a cab in Japan cause it was so expensive. Anyways, after meeting up with more people on the ship we headed out into the city to see what we could find to do. We ended up at a nightclub called G2 that was in this shopping mall. I stayed long enough to try duck tongue (which was actually good too believe it or not haha) then I left because I didn’t want to spend my time in China at a club. I would rather walk around and see the city in a different light (literally haha). I wandered around the city for awhile enjoying some time to myself, took some pics, then hitched a ride with one of the cheap taxis back to the ship to pack and get some sleep for my awesome trip to Xi’an
and Beijing the next day!!

I could write for the next month and not even scratch the surface of the things I witnessed, the friends I made, the adventures, the laughs, the close-calls, the breathtaking scenery, the indescribable experiences, even the traveling from place to place. Like I said earlier I didn’t really know what to write and this is just a taste of what I did. When I see you all in person and I have pictures I will be able to go into greater detail but this will have to do for now.

As I look back on the hustle and bustle of China, one thing constantly sticks out. The immense amounts of people everywhere! Everyone knows China is the most populous country in the world but I guess it finally just hit me as we were squeezing through the crowds and making our way through literally millions of people. The coolest part for me was the fact that each and every one of those Chinese people was individually created by Christ. I mean God knows each one of them by name, millions and millions of people, think about that for a second. It’s crazy cool!!!!! Even in something seemingly tiny and insignificant such as a name, God’s omniscience and glory are constantly on display. Just some food for thought.

I will post again ASAP. This is just the start of my China blogs. Hope you all are doing awesome! Praying for ya!

T

Kobe - Time to Try Something New

2010-02-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

Watashi wa Nihon ni korarete totemo ureshii desu.
Roughly translated – “I am so happy to be in Japan!”

My time in Japan has come to an end and I could not have asked for anything better. The weather was wonderful every day; we didn’t get rained on once. It was cold but as long as you dressed appropriately it was fine. I saw and experienced everything that I wanted to and can honestly say that I have seen the ins and outs of Japanese culture, daily life, and tourist destinations…all in 4 days.

The picture I have included is a group of us riding a cable car up to the top of Mount Rokko. As we were about to board a group of Japanese men who were taking a picture asked us to jump in the picture with them. I gave someone my camera cause we all wanted pictures with the locals too! From left to right it goes Natalie, Japanese man 1, Alyssa (Zoomba teacher), Abby, Amy, Japanese man 2 & 3, and then me on the end! The guys were really cool and very nice…they were sightseeing as well.

Shout-out time! JT – heck yeah we have the same hoodie! Great minds think alike!! Green is my sea’s color for the Sea Olympics so I got green for that reason lol. Esther – Hahaha I thought you guys would like the “Big Booty” comment, glad I could entertain! Shaun White is awesome! Can’t wait to see what he does. And thanks for missing me haha…miss you guys too! Dad and Mom – That is awesome about the volcano! Guess we both had really great luck with seeing mountains/volcanoes! As far as Kobe beef…we looked for it at one point but couldn’t find any good places to get it. I wasn’t too disappointed though because I did a pretty good job budgeting in Japan so it was nice not having to pay for it. Chris – yeah I really like Tao’s milk tea but I had to try the Japanese kind while I was here. Guess the Americanized version is more to my liking haha. Bro that is SAWEET about South Africa…God has amazing things in store for you brotha…you have a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am ecstatic for you!! Love you brother and praying for you continually!! Can’t wait to come home and eat some good ole fashioned American food with ya! B.T. – Girl you totally should have come to Hawaii!! You would have had such a good time with us!!!!! Yeah I bet you are glad to be done with all the greenery and Christmas decorations, you and Morgan are brave souls lol. Hahaha all I can say is “I told you so” about Dear John…and I don’t see myself reading that one…sorry sis. 3 tests! Yikes!! Hate it when that happens! Yeah I did OU’s version of VR last year so I’ve been there! Yeah I have no doubt you would wear the right foot gear…you are definitely an experienced traveler. Haha no I don’t have a Valentine. Didn’t even realize it was that time yet honestly. Wehunt – Dude congrats!! Hoooorrrraaaayyyyyy!!!!!! You’re a father!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And don’t you worry! I will be crashing your house ASAP when I get back to come say high to the little man! Miss all you guys and can’t wait to see the 3 of you!! Sara – yeah money belts are a life saver and a great investment when traveling abroad! There is nothing to worry about as far as losing important stuff or getting pick-pocketed. Haha you are playing powder puff? That’s tight but I also kinda feel bad for you because my sister is on the other team and last time she played as a sophomore she dominated the other team!! Good luck with Quartz, I’m sure you will do great. Yeah you mentioned choreographing the dance…good luck with that! That is the most popular assembly (or it was when I was there) so no pressure haha. No promises on the safe part but I will do my best!

I mentioned briefly at the end of my Yokohama blog that it took a day to sail from Yokohama to Kobe. The way this works is that all the SAS students have the option of traveling independently from Yokohama to Kobe or sailing with the ship. I chose to sail with the ship instead of paying for a hotel and train ride. Japan was a country where I chose not to spend as much because 1) it is super expensive and 2) I am spending my money in other countries where I want to travel more. Out of 606 students less than 150 sailed with the ship from Yokohama to Kobe. Including faculty and life-long learners we had around 200 people. Okay it was so nice traveling on the ship for that day. We all got to sleep in, then all day everyone was just chilling around the ship. They had movies playing all day in the union on the big projector and various movies playing continually on the tv’s in our rooms. We all just chilled in our pajamas and sweats and watched movies and played cards. Okay but the best part was dinner. With fewer people on the ship they scheduled a fancy sit-down dinner for all of us. We all ate on the 5th deck dining room and received a 5 course meal. We got to choose between fried calamari or fruit, then we all got soup and a salad, our choice of 3 entrees, and cherries jubilee for desert. By far the best food I have had on the ship yet!! It was actually good meat, the salad was fresh and crisp (I don’t even like salad but I cleaned my late, I know you all don’t believe me but it’s true), and the desert was outstanding!! But…the best part…no dress code!! That’s right, we ate a five course meal in sweats. Sooooooo awesome!! So in whole, a nice relaxed day to just recuperate and eat some delicious food before spending 2 more days in Kobe.

Okay small story for all you SMU alumni that are reading this. I was talking to one of my friends (I’m not gunna say her name cause this story is pretty embarrassing and she would kill me lol) and she told me a story about a little trip she took to SMU a little while ago. Her brother goes to SMU and she was visiting him one weekend. One night they were out, (use your imagination) and she said that she really had to go pee. So she decided to go pee on the SMU pony statue. Haha small world huh? What are the odds that I would meet a girl that has done that?!?! I told her that like me mom’s whole side of the family went to SMU and we had a good laugh! So thought you all might enjoy that…whether you approve or not lol.

Day 1 in Kobe was a cultural experience for me. I attended an all day trip to Nara with Semester at Sea. I wasn’t originally scheduled on the ship but my buddy didn’t want to go and sold me his ticket for 75% off the original price. So I had a jam-packed day for super cheap. Nara used to be the capital of Japan way back in the day and is FULL of history. We hop scotched around the city and visited numerous Buddhist temples and Shinto Shrines. The biggest Buddhist temple we built was centered around a 49 foot tall Buddha made entirely of gold. It was crazy big. In the building with the Buddha there was this pillar holding up the building that had a hole in the base of it. Legend has it that if you can squeeze through the hole you “get a free ride to Paradise.” I’m not Buddhist and I don’t believe that at all but to me it was a challenge…can I make it through the hole or not?? And we are talking a small hole…like maybe 1.5 ft by 1.5 ft (I have pictures). So my friend Jeff was like “I’m doing it” so I was like “Alright I’ll do it too.” Jeff made it through successfully and I was able to conquer it as well!! Boom Baby!! And yes I have pictures to prove that I made it through for all you doubters back home. So that was probably the biggest/most cultural Buddhist place we visited. Oh and we got to see a group of Buddhist monks walking around in their traditional garb which was pretty cool. The highlight of Nara is the famous Nara deer park. When I say deer park that is literally what I mean…a park full of deer. The park contains numerous Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines but the main attraction is the hundreds of tame deer that call the park home. There are over 1200 deer currently in the park, and they just walk around and live in the middle of this tourist destination. There are places where you can buy crackers to feed the deer but you have to be careful cause the deer are smart. They hang around the cracker ladies and as soon as someone walks up they swarm the person. I have a hilarious video of one of our life-long learners trying to feed the deer and they are nipping at her clothes and jostling for position to get the crackers. So funny!! Then as you walk through the park there are just deer standing in the middle of path and sleeping on the sides…they are even deer up on the steps under shrines and stuff. It was a very unique place and I have never experienced anything like this at all. By the end of the day the temperature had dropped to I would say around 30 degrees Fahrenheit and some people on our trip were not happy at all. Kind of like the mountain adventure I told you guys about last time, people started complaining and I am just like “What are you all talking about? You’re in stinking Japan, people would kill to be here and experience this!” Ahhhh people just frustrate me sometimes haha. Oh well! Their loss and my gain!

After returning to Kobe from my Nara adventure I met up with Mem and Lettie who had been on a separate SAS trip and we headed into Kobe in search of a traditional Japanese dinner. Random Info - Taking the subway in Japan is a cake-walk. It is formatted just like most European subways and even if you can’t read any of the Japanese characters, all the stops have a corresponding color and number. Some people I traveled with throughout Japan couldn’t understand how I knew where I was going and I was like, you just have to get the hang of it and I showed them little short-cuts for getting around foreign cities. Anyways so we headed off to find dinner and found this underground strip mall area that had like 20 some odd restaurants. The first restaurant we tried didn’t have picture menus (which are very common in Japan) so we had to awkwardly leave because we couldn’t communicate what we wanted to order. Very awkward but also kinda comical looking back on it haha. We were more careful in choosing another restaurant to try. We made sure they had picture menus and were able to simply point and order. The Japanese people are amazingly friendly and very easy to interact with. As long as you say “Aragato” (thank-you) and smile, they understand that you are trying and will help you as best they can. It was a very traditional Japanese meal; I ordered some sort of chicken dish that came with sticky rice, some sort of thin salad, a type of seaweed soup (which was actually delicious, I ate all of mine and Lettie’s), a cup of green tea, and something closely resembling potato salad. The chicken was absolutely fantastic and I can honestly say that I ate/drank everything I just mentioned except for some random onions and sprouts I was given. Lettie ordered the exact same thing as me and then Mem ordered some sort of battered shrimp that she said was really good. After dinner we chose to explore around the city and see what we could find. We ended up stopping at a Baskin Robbins later in the evening cause Mem REALLY wanted ice cream. It tasted just like American ice cream so I wasn’t too impressed but it was still a fun experience! After wandering around some more we took the subway back to the ship and called it a night before starting early the next morning for our last day in Japan!!

Before I tell you about my last day in Japan I wanna tell you some more about the various foods I tried because some of it was stuff that I would never try at home; and I told you about the food I tried in Yokohama so here is what I tried in Kobe. I already mentioned my Japanese dinner where I ate seaweed soup and LOVED it! Ok I tried a chocolate Japanese doughnut, it was interesting and I liked it but nothing compared to an American doughnut. This one none of you all will believe. Vending machines are everywhere in Japan and they aren’t like vending machines in the States. You can get your traditional cold drink but they also server hot beverages like coffee and hot chocolate that come in cans and are super warm! There are these type of coffees called Café Au Late…I kept hearing people talk about them and Jeff finally convinced me to get one in Nara. Okay it was awesome! I ended up buying another one the next day because they were so good! I tried Coca-Cola brand hot chocolate cause I thought it was interesting and it was really good. Okay Chris…I tried Sushi just for you bro! I went into it with an open mind and I can honestly say I didn’t care for it. Maybe it just wasn’t a good type but whatever I had was not a good one. But I did it just for you brotha! Then Austin and Adam got these egg based dishes with like squid and shrimp and vegetables and spices on top that were very similar to pizzas. Austin didn’t eat all of his so I cleaned his plate for him and whatever I ate was SO bomb!! WE were told by one of the Japanese girls on the ship to “Eat first and ask questions later.” Best advice I was given in Japan. It was a time for trying new things and I don’t regret any of it, even the stuff I didn’t like.

The last day in Japan was spent traveling totally independently. I left the ship at 8 a.m. with Alyssa, Amy, Natalie, and Abby and we headed towards Mount Rokko. After a subway ride, transferring to another subway, and then a bus, we arrived at the base of the Mount Rokko cable car station. It was a 10 minute ride straight up the mountain on this cable car and it was full of Japanese tourists and their families who were headed up the mountain for the day. At the top of Mount Rokko we enjoyed a scenic view of Kobe, Osaka, and the port area. It was georgeous!! We hiked around the mountain for a couple hours and explored on our own. Natalie and I hiked down into this miniature gorge type thing just cause and had some fun hiking off the beaten path. The other girls didn’t want to get dirty. We headed back down the mountain around noon and trekked back into the center of Kobe to find somewhere to grab some lunch. Abby really wanted McDonalds so we decided to try the Japanese version of McDonalds. I didn’t want to spend that much so I stuck with the 100 yen menu (about $1.10 US) and just got a basic hamburger just to compare it to an American burger. Definitely doesn’t touch a home-grilled backyard burger with cheese! Oh and the best part was the music playing in McDonalds…as we walked in they were playing Lady Antebellum…in English! Country Music in McDonalds in Japan! Hahaha classic…good to know they have good taste in music! After lunch we walked around and who did we run into?!? Adam, Austin, James, Abby, Theresa, and Nicci! They were shopping in the huge mall that we happened to be walking through. The girls were looking for boots and Adam and Austin were hungry so we separated and went to go eat with the boys. Even though we had already eaten we sat down the Adam and Austin and I am glad we did cause I got to finish off their meals for them…that’s right I’m a mooch…but hey, I’m on a budget lol. After lunch we walked around Kobe a little more and headed to the port area to walk around before betting back on the ship before On-Ship Time. None of us wanted to risk dock-time so we made sure we were back to the ship with time to spare. In the terminal there was a money-changer so we were all able to trade in our extra Yen for American Dollars which was very convenient so that we didn’t have to go to the airport or anything to change our money. And that was the end of my last day in Japan!

I mentioned some overall opinions I had about Japan in my previous Japan blog so I won’t be repetitive for those of you that read both. Leaving Japan I feel like I have seen everything that I needed too. I had priorities going into Japan and I made sure that I saw/accomplished those things. Mt. Fuji was the highlight of my Japanese adventure and something I am so glad I decided to do. I hung out with a different group of people every day in Japan and made numerous new friends. I traveled with professors and life-long learners who provided different viewpoints in certain areas that added to the experience in irreplaceable ways. I cannot begin to describe all I have learned in 5 short days. The out of classroom experiences in these countries are filled with knowledge that I couldn’t get from a textbook or classroom lecture. I will greatly miss the people in Japan and I highly recommend travelling to Japan.

I have constantly been talking about nature and seeing God’s hand evident in so many ways throughout my travels. In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers talks about using your imagination to fully experience nature. The problem is that we rarely use our imagination in the way God intended it to be used, something he refers to as a “starved imagination.” He writes “In every wind that blows, in every night and day of the year, in every sign in the sky, in every blossoming and in every withering of the earth, there is a real coming of God to us if we will simply use our starved imagination to realize it.” Wow….think about what he said for just a second. It is so easy to see God at work but how often do we simply go through life without taking time to realize it? Think about just a simple tree and imagine God creating that individual tree, from a seed, from another tree, from a seed, from another tree…etc. It is crazy!! Something as simply as a tree shows God’s grand design if you will just take your time to think about it! The trick is to deliberately turn our imaginations to God…is that so hard? Not at all!! Then why don’t we do it more?!? Chambers was on to something…by doing this we are recognizing what God has done and experiencing his creation in a new and humbling way. In Isaiah 40:26 it says “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things.” Pretty powerful stuff huh?

As you are reading this we are sailing from Kobe, Japan to Shanghai, China. The coolest part…we are only at sea for two days!! Two days and then we will be in China?!?! That is crazy!! It’s like the exact opposite of school back home…instead of 5 days of class and 2 days of freedom, we had 5 days of freedom in Japan…then 2 days of class (1 A day and 1 B day)…then we get 8 days of freedom in China!! Ahhhhhhh that is so awesome!! Okay so as far as my upcoming blogs, I am taking a 6 day/5 night trip in China through SAS so I will actually be spending all 8 days in China. Due to this I will not have a break in the middle to blog because I will not be taking my computer on my trip with me (need to take more important things). So…I won’t be posting for a little while and then I will try and post ASAP once back on the ship. I will definitely be splitting the blog up because blogging about 8 days in China will take awhile lol…so just a heads up for you guys on the time frame.

As always I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing from you all and reading you comments. You all make me smile and laugh every time! It’s a nice taste of back home and great getting an update on all you guys!! Thank you all so much for your prayers, they are constantly felt and greatly appreciated! I am blessed to have you all in my lives; you guys are so stinkin awesome!! Hope you all enjoyed the reading. Love you guys!!

T

Yokohama/Tokyo/Mt. Fuji!

2010-02-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

Ko-nee-chi-wa! (probably spelled that wrong haha)

So how are you guys?!?! I hope you all are doing great!! So we just left our first port in Japan, Yokohama. We are currently sailing for one day to Kobe, Japan which is in Southern Japan and very close to Osaka. Okay Japan was way cool!! Gorgeous harbor and very unique cities. I will tell you all about it…just as soon as I respond to your-all’s comments first!

Oh I guess I should explain the picture too huh? This is me in front of Mt. Fuji! I know there is a big cloud moving in at the left side of the frame so the picture isn’t just great but this one has me with it. I have a ton of other pics that are much better with just the actual mountain that you all can see this summer when I get home.

Sara – Haha sis you good! I know how you like to stress for no reason, it’s no biggie! $6,000 for Swine Week…bahaha been there! Don’t worry, it will all work itself out. I’m sure you are doing better in Bio than you think, if I remember correctly this sounds a lot like last semester and you ended with an A. Just keep your priorities straight and it will all be good. That’s exciting about your Quartz audition…and yes I will definitely be praying! And you haven’t seen Top Gun?!?!!?!? What?!?!!? Yeah you need to fix that STAT!! Chris – Dude Edmond has been nuts with the snow this year. That is crazy!! I am so jealous of your Boston trip…you will have so much fun!! (Just not as much fun as we had in New York haha) And hey I actually looked for some sushi yesterday but none was fresh so I am waiting till Kobe. I’m gunna do it just to prove you wrong brotha lol. And yes I am already starting to go food crazy! Remember after Nicaragua how we all went nuts in the Atlanta airport cause we had eaten the same thing for a week? Okay multiple that by 3 and that is my current situation on the ship haha. Dude you will be one of the first people I call when I hit Edmond so we can go get some grub!! Alex – Bristow…hmmmm…been there!!! That sucks man, on the ship my teachers are like the coolest people ever and they don’t treat us like students. I actually was with a teacher all day yesterday and we talked frequently. No man I am not getting to watch LOST so don’t ruin anything for me…I will be watching it on DVD in the fall. Dude summer will come soon enough. When I get back I am bringing a summer’s worth of fun with me and it is gunna be Epic!!!!!! Uncle John – yeah we have been hearing rumors of the pro lockout and no-cap year. That would make for some interesting situations with a lot of teams/players. Thank you so much for the Jim Elliot quote. That is awesome and will be on my mind for the remainder of the trip! Mackenzi – I’m assuming this is Mackenzi Hargrove? What up girl?!? I didn’t know you were looking into studying abroad?!?! That is so awesome! You definitely need to look into Semester at Sea…it is the best experience EVER! You would love it girl!! And thank you so much for your prayers, they are very much appreciated!! Dad and Mom – that is so awesome about the zipline, although I am skeptical that mom enjoyed flying through the air haha. That is so tight about the volcano rumbling! Maybe it will erupt!! How sick would that be?!?!

So Japan!! First of all Japan is SO modern. Like it is one big city touching one big city, complete with subways, above ground train rails, and bullet trains. Honestly except for the signs in Japanese, you could totally forget where you were and feel like you were in LA or New York. Layouts are extremely similar to any other big city which is cool but at the same time nothing really sticks out as unique to Japan; although Japan was amazingly clean. I noticed as we were driving that there was no trash on the street whatsoever, so I asked my tour guide about it. Her response was very surprising! She said that Japanese people have a common understanding that everyone cleans up after themselves. There aren’t even trashcans except in the really big touristy spots. She explained that all the people simply carry around some sort of plastic bag and they put their trash in it as it accumulates throughout the day. Then they throw it away at home at the end of the day. This was one extremely respectable characteristic of the Japanese people; in addition, the Japanese people were incredible! They always smile and nod at you as you walk by and despite a language barrier you feel like you are still having a conversation with the person because they always smile at you and have very positive body language towards us. Some spoke very broken English but again it wasn’t really a problem because if you have ever travelled you know how to get around the city despite the language barrier.

Okay so the most amusing part for me was watching the other SAS students in port. I mean we had been to Hawaii but that was still America and no one had any troubles. Now that we were in a foreign country it was very entertaining to watch people in a foreign environment. The kids who had never travelled before stuck out like a sore thumb. You had your kids who were decked out in heels, skirts, and blouses (yeah I said heels) that didn’t understand how much walking they would be doing. Like on my tour (which I will tell you about in a sec) there was a girl in heels and by the second stop she was struggling hard-core. Then you had your kids who had travelled before, they were the ones in comfortable walking shoes, jeans, and shirts with a hoodie or light coat just in case. (Japan tends to be rainy in random spurts throughout the day) Oh and watching people put on a money belt for the first time is hilarious, this one girl thought that you wore in over your shoulder like a single backpack strap. I was trying to explain to her how to like tuck it in to your waistband like a fanny pack under your pants and she was like “Well then you have to dig in your pants for your money” and I was like “Yeah that’s the point cause then no one can pick pocket you.” Just another group of things that I owe to my parents for teaching me early on! Thanks MOM and DAD!!!

Okay so day 1 in Yokohama. The ship arrived at port around 9:30 (we were late due to the storm detour we took) and we had a little welcome reception at the dock for us! I was actually awake and was able to watch as we pulled in at the last second. There was a traditional Japanese drum-line on the roof of the terminal which played for like an hour or so and they were so good!! It was a pleasant surprise to start our day. For the next 3.5 hours we went through the extremely slow process of going through Customs and Immigration. The Japanese officials were very thorough. They even screened us medically and if anyone was feverish they were not allowed on the boat. I haven’t heard of anyone that was stuck on the boat yet but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. So after finally clearing customs/immigration it was actually time for my tour to start. I signed up for a Modern Tokyo City Tour. We boarded our bus with our tour guide and set off for Tokyo. It was about a 45 minute bus ride into Tokyo from the Yokohama which isn’t that far at all! Our first stop on the tour was an Imperial Garden in the center of the city. It was the spitting image of Central Park in the sense that it was this random garden in the middle of skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of city life. The garden used to be a resort for the Emperors of Japan and there were some very cool looking statues and structures throughout various parts of the park, and apparently Clinton met with the Prime Minister of Japan several years ago on some famous wooden bridge in the park. It is supposedly a really famous picture but I had never heard of it, which honestly isn’t that surprising, I tend to tune people out when I hear them mention the name Clinton haha. The coolest part of the park for me was these two stations that were built for the sole purpose of allowing the ancient emperors to duck hunt in the park. I thought that was pretty cool to see an ancient method of something that I do regularly in the present. After the park we went to the Toyota Showroom. Okay that was way cooler than I thought it would be! They had basically every model of Toyota and Lexus on the market right now on display. It was like a high tech state fair showroom. And I say high tech because there was a test track thing that looped through the building and another one outside. We weren’t allowed to do this however due to time constraints.

The showroom was a building built into the side of a shopping complex and of course there was a McDonalds and Starbucks right outside next to the bus. Again you saw all the little American kids run into get their mochas, lattes, big-macs, and chicken nuggets. My friend Christina and I were like “Shoot we want Japanese food.” I mean c’mon, you are in Japan for crying out loud!! I’m sure the burgers and coffee were good (and I’m not saying I wouldn’t have enjoyed it) but you can get that at home!! How often are you in Japan?!?! So we decided to go into this little Japanese shop and pick some random things off the shelf to try. She got some kind of rice/pork roll wrapped in seaweed and I got a type of rice cake thing that I’m pretty sure was cooked in some kind of chicken broth or something at one point. She ate half of mine and I ate half of hers so that we could try different things. Okay both were really good. I actually liked the seaweed wrapped one better than the regular one (now that’s a sentence I thought I would never say). While I am talking about food I guess I will just go ahead and tell you what other Japanese things I ate. I had some sort of bread/pastry thing that was definitely cherry something. The best way to describe it was like a croissant/doughnut with about half the sugar. That was bomb!! Then I had these little wafer things covered in some sort of caramel milk coating, I mean I had to try something simple and snacky. A type of drink I tried was this milk tea drink that was chilled. I didn’t hate it and I guess I would drink it again if it was the only thing available but it was really the only thing I have tried so far that I didn’t really like. But I mean it’s all about trying stuff so I didn’t mind! Then for dinner one night I had this Japanese marinated Chicken that was very good…I also tried some Avacado Sashimi that I thought was going to be sushi but turned into just being a lumpy form of guacamole. Oh and these like ginger gummy candies and they were very interesting to say the least. Because of my tours and what I did in Yokohama I didn’t have too much time to eat meals so I was just trying to grab as much as I could along the way. But in Kobe I will have more free time and will get to eat more traditional food and hopefully sushi…just for you Chris ;).

Okay so the rest of my Tokyo tour. After the Toyota building we headed to the electronics district!! This place was mind-blowing!! They had everything. Dad I saw a camera lens you would have peed your pants if you had seen. It was $9000 US dollars and massive!! So for a mental image…think of a city block…20+ story building…all floors just decked out with everything electronics. Mike all I could think of was you walking around and finding the best parts to make the best computer ever. You would have loved it man! From high tech refrigerators, to home theater systems, to state of the art massage chairs (which we got in trouble for sitting in and taking pictures), this place had everything. We were also told by our tour guide that this is where the CIA comes to buy the pieces to their listening devices and transponders. Really really cool to think about huh?!?! Oh and while I was walking around, a guy totally tried to pick-pocket me. He did the whole, “bump into me on accident” routine. I totally felt his hand in my back pocket for a split second. Too bad for him that nothing was there but my big booty!! Money belt…boom!! So after the electronic capital of the planet, we headed to our last stop of the evening, Tokyo Tower!! I can’t remember exactly how high it was but it is the highest building in Tokyo, but ironically not the tallest tower in Japan. Anyways we got to ride up to the observation decks which were around 175 meters up. Some people were freaking out cause the elevator was glass and they did not like the fact that they could see out lol. On the observation deck there was this section of the floor that was glass so you could stand on it and just look straight down to the pavement below. It was intense!! Only about half the kids were brave enough to stand on the glass but it wasn’t scary at all. There was like 8 of us on it at one point and nothing happened. The coolest part of the tower was the views of Tokyo at night! Altho a lot of the pictures aren’t the best because of the windows in the way, but it was still awesome!! After Tokyo Tower our tour of Tokyo was finished for the night. The bus took us back to the ship in Yokohama and from there, Sarah, Natalie, Abby, and I decided to venture into the heart of Yokohama for the night and try our luck at finding an internet café. It was like 9:30 when we left the port area which was fine because the subways run in Yokohama until after midnight. We rode the subway a couple stops into the heart of the city and were able to find an internet café that Sarah had researched beforehand. The subways in Yokohama were amazingly simple, nothing compared to Barcelona or Russia. They made the Japanese Subway seem like it was in English, but it was fun riding the subway super late at night. Just another side of city life that not everyone get to enjoy…those are the experiences that I really enjoy. Internet Cafes in Japan are a really big deal and are a subculture of their own. All the computers are their own personal cubicles and it is common for people to spend the night in the café. We poked around for an hour taking advantage of amazingly cheap internet compared to the ship. I caught up on my OU email which didn’t take long and then caught up on the sports world news. I saw the video of Shaun White winning gold at Winter X a week or so ago and that run was SICK!! 95.whatever on run 1…who does that?!?!?! And that one hit on one of the middle tricks was so huge…ahhhhh it was really nice to get to watch that cause I was bummed I missed it. Oh and I also saw his wipeout video and that just makes winning that much more impressive after a fall like that in practice. He is a man among boys when it comes to snowboarding. USA all the way baby!! I also did some research about possible Brazil trips because I don’t really have anything planned and I wanted to use the good internet search engines to find out what I could possibly do. So after working on the internet for a little less than an hour we walked around Yokohama for a bit and then caught the subway back to the port area. We walked around the city some more and then decided to call it a night cause 3 of us had 7 a.m. trips the next morning that we had to wake up for. And that was what we did day 1 in Japan!!

Day 2 in Yokohama was just as crazy as the second! As I mentioned above, I left the dock at 7 a.m. for my trip to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. The bus ride was 2 hours Northeast of Yokohama in the opposite direction as Tokyo. So many people signed up for this tour that we had two charter buses. The majority of my bus (like everyone but 3 of us) slept most of the way there. When we got to Mt. Fuji, it was absolutely amazing! The tour guide had told us that the majority of the time you can’t see the mountain because it is always so cloudy or overcast, but it was clear except for one little cloud at the top which actually made for some really cool pictures!! I was sitting right behind the dean of students on our bus and she was telling us that this was her 3rd time to do this exact same SAS trip and the only time she had ever seen Mt. Fuji except being on it in a cloud. We got so lucky and it was awesome! Mt. Fuji was breathtaking to look at!! I have seen my fair share of mountains before but Mt. Fuji was one of kind for sure. It is a volcanic mountain so it literally stands off by itself which is a big part of its grandeur. The top chunk of the mountain was covered in snow and it was literally like looking at a postcard the whole time. We made a stop at the visitor’s center upon arrival and everyone was hurrying to take pictures of the mountain while we could still see it. There was a nice little second story balcony for picture taking and everyone went straight there (everyone except those with tiny bladders). After about 5 minutes of picture taking the clouds moved in and covered up the mountain almost instantly. We really did get lucky getting to see as much of it as we did because it was covered up within about 20 seconds once the clouds rolled in. Don’t worry dad, I got plenty of quality pics while I had the chance. After poking around the visitor center for awhile we headed into the national park and started our ride up the mountain. Like I said it was cloudy so the views at the various stations were hindered but we didn’t care cause we all realized how lucky we had been. The temperature got significantly colder with every station we went up the mountain and I felt sorry for my friend Cara because all she had on was a really thin T-Shirt. She said she had a hoddie in the bus, but for some reason she didn’t have it on and she was not happy at the 4th station (the highest point we are allowed to go in the winter season).

After driving around the various stations in Mt. Fuji National Park, we headed down the mountain and set off for Hakone. Hakone is a region of Japan near the Japanese Alps that is a more rural area of Tokyo. Although rural in Tokyo is definitely not what I would consider rural but whatever. In Hakone there are 5 big naturally formed lakes that dot the region and the big attraction for the Japanese are the hot springs that are abundant in the region. We didn’t get to see any of the hot springs in Hakone because it wasn’t part of our tour but our guide told us all about them. She also explained that a lot of the bigger corporations and extremely wealthy individuals had vacation houses in Hakone. Similar to American beach or mountain houses as far as vacation houses go. In Hakone our first stop was one of the lakes which we got to take a boat ride across. The lake was incredibly gorgeous and all the low level clouds just added to the incredible landscape around the lake and surrounding hill country. The boat ride took us to the opposite side of the lake where we transferred to a cable car (really big gondola) that took us up the highest mountain in the Japanese Alps. Okay I have ridden in ski gondolas before that seat like 6-8 people. Yeah we crammed over 100 in this gondola!! Actually it made for a really cool pic, but anyways, it was crazy with so many of us in this one cable car. And some people we had to convince to do it cause they were scared of heights. The cable ride was 7 minutes, although it got really awesome about halfway up. We started going into the clouds and all of the sudden visibility just dropped. We were literally in the clouds. I have never been in weather like this before and it was so intense, although the people that we had talked into riding with us were not happy that they couldn’t see the ground, let alone 5 feet in any direction. All the sudden we arrived at the station at the top, I say all of the sudden because we didn’t even see the station but rather felt the cable car enter the station. We all clambered out of the car and realized that the “scenic views” were not gunna happen. I mean it was just white cloud all around us! About half the group started having a little pitty-party in the station and saying that “this was the worst idea ever, we can’t even see anything.” I was like “shoot let’s go explore!” So the brave people went outside and started walking around. There were marked paths but the trick was remembering when to take a left or right because if you forgot you were screwed. We counted off the visibility so that we could tell you guys back home. My friend Natalie stood in one spot and I started pacing off the yards and she yelled when she couldn’t see me at all anymore. Guess how far it was…23 yards!! I am not exaggerating at all…at 23 yards you couldn’t see anything…just a white wall!! So we kept walking down various paths kinda just moving as a group when we happened to come across a Shinto Shrine. It was cool cause it all the sudden appeared out of the cloud, seriously like a movie. Really dense cloud/fog and things start materializing out of it. We took some pics (again really cool with the fog/cloud cover) and then started to make our way back to the cable car station. By this time all the girls’ hair was soaking wet. It looked like Natalie, Abby, and Cara had all just stepped right out of the shower. I had a hat on so just the sides of my hair were wet. As we were hiking back we noticed that the cloud had gotten thicker, so we decided to pace it off again to see what the visibility was now. Ok guess what it had dropped to…14 yards!!!!!!!! 14!?!?!?! That is like nothing! Ahhhhh it was soooooooo cool!! We made it back to the cable car station and rode back down the mountain to meet up with the rest of the group who didn’t stay at the top cause they were “unhappy and grouchy.” Well they missed out and we had a great time!! After a couple more minutes of walking around the little town we boarded the buses and headed back to Yokohama. We had worked our way farther north throughout the day so the ride home took 2.5 hours. After walking/hiking/picture taking all day most of the students crashed again on the way home. My ADD wouldn’t let this happen though so I enjoyed the scenery and had a nice conversation with my Politics professor about Moab, Utah and all the cool stuff to do. He and his wife live in Moab and he was very impressed that I had heard of Moab, let alone been there. Like I told Alex, my professors on this trip are so cool and treat us like equals so it is so easy/natural to talk to them. We got back to Yokohama around 5:30ish and some of us decided to head into town to grab some Japanese food for dinner. I tried the chicken and avocado sashimi (described above in the food section). The girls I was with decided to do some shopping before heading back to the ship and I didn’t really want to shop so I headed back to the ship to take a run before we had to be back on the ship to leave. The terminal that our ship was docked on was huge and the roof was a scenic boardwalk type area with random grass patches and a lot of wood planking which a lot of the locals used as a running track. I haven’t gotten to run in like 5 weeks because of the blizzard that hit Edmond before I left and then there is nowhere to run on the ship, and I wanted to run in Japan!! I just ran on the roof of the terminal in laps and had an amazing view of the harbor at night. One of the best runs I have ever taken! It was awesome cause the city was all lit up and it was a clear night (which again was really rare for Japan). After I ran a couple miles I returned downstairs to get on the ship and got back on for the night. And that concluded day 2 in Yokohama!

After seeing Mt. Fuji and experiencing something so magnificent, it gives a whole new meaning when scripture talks about mountains bowing down and rejoicing to Christ. It is humbling to see such a unique and breathtaking piece of God’s creation in such a setting. God’s creation is so incredible and I was blessed to experience it. Then being all alone on the top of the mountain in Hakone, (another example of such isolation, just like the cave in Hilo) but at the same time knowing that God is always with me and nothing can separate me from Him. He is with me always and there is no greater feeling in the world than having Him on my side.

I hope you all are doing well and I miss each and every one of you! You are in my prayers and I greatly appreciate your prayers as I go through this adventure.

In His holy and majestic name!

T

Super Bowl on a Monday

2010-02-08T00:27:00.001-08:00

Whatsup everybody?!?!?!

As you are reading this we are currently 13 hours ahead of you all back in Oklahoma. Yeah I said ahead…like in the future…weird huh?!?! (If this doesn’t make sense read my last blog about the International Date Line and it will all make sense)

The picture above is one from my first night in Hilo. This is the group of 10 of us that hung out all night and hitchhiked. Freaking awesome group of people to chill with! On the back from left to right you have Kaylee, Grace, Me, and Scott. Middle row from left to right is Rorrie, Courtney, Cosset, Eric, and Emily. Then all alone in front is Sarah. Like I said we all hung out all night and if you wanna read about it check out my Hilo blog and I went through the night in detail. Great night and great group of people!!

Shout Outs!!! (as called by Ms. Kayla Willis herself): Alex – dude you know you are gunna come to OU…it will be one of the best decisions of your life!!!! And yeah everyone at OU calls in “The Caf.” So you were right. Zumba is awesome!! Like I really think that I will miss it after the ship haha. I don’t think there are videos but if I get my hands on one then I will totally snag it to show you when I get back!! Thanx for your prayers brotha…can’t wait to get back and chill with you this summer!! Kayla – You always get a “Shout Out” if you comment, or if I have an experience where something relates to someone…so here is your Shout Out!! Zumba is so Tight!! And since the boat rocks, we have to keep our balance a lot better which works out our abbs and calves even more. I will pass on the skirt though…although me and my friend Austin totally get into it…duh!! It’s way more fun if you don’t care and just do it! No promises on cage diving tho…you never know what could happen lol. Uncle John – oh Uncle John. The score speaks for itself…although I do believe I predicted the outcome perfectly. For more Super Bowl talk just continue reading please. As far as “Smith Intensity” in card games goes, definitely keeping it intense! I mean my parents raised me that way so I gotta make momma proud and dominate!! Thank you for your prayers Uncle John!! They are greatly appreciated!! Love you guys!!

The other night we had our first Sea Party. I guess I should probably explain what a “sea” is first though huh? Basically all the students are split up into like 8 or 9 “seas” based on where we live on the ship. For example my section of the ship is the Mediterranean Sea. We have a Living Learning Coordinator assigned to each sea and mine is really cool! She has actually sailed on one of the summer voyages with SAS so she is also experienced with how everything works. So anyway we had our first social last night and decided to rent out the big union room (biggest room on ship) and watch a movie and get free cookies and popcorn. Sidenote - I don’t even like popcorn but it was something new so I ended up eating a whole bag haha. They actually picked the movie before I showed up and they picked a great one. Top Gun baby!!!!!!! Ahhhh such a good movie!! I sat by one of my friends and she had never seen it before and I was like “What?!?! Who hasn’t seen Top Gun?!?!?” At the end of the movie she was like “How have I never seen this?!? That was so good!!” Great movie and a great first Sea Party, just another group of people that is easy to socialize with and get to know!

Since the last time I wrote you all the sea have definitely gotten rougher. Apparently we detoured around another storm so that we wouldn’t get clobbered. I think it’s funny that our voyage theme is “sustainability” yet we have detoured hundreds of miles out of the way twice now, wasting who knows how much fuel, all so some city slickers don’t get rocked around. Ironic? I think so!! Hahahaha I really don’t care either way, it’s just funny that they are like “be sustainable” and everything we do has this central theme, all while in fact we are being “unsustainable.” Oh well the point is the seas are back to knocking us around again. Honestly I don’t even notice it anymore. It’s just second nature to walk around holding onto something and you don’t even notice it at night. They told us the other day that the waves were over 15 feet high and that is like what the little ones are. The really big ones that happen a couple times a minute are easily double that. Between Ensenada and Hawaii the waves were hitting us from the sides so we were rocking side to side, now we are going head on into them so it is more like turbulence on an airplane while constantly going up and down. So it’s definitely a different type of rocking. Honestly we have been amazingly lucky with the weather so far and there is no reason at all to complain. It is starting to get chilly now so there aren’t very many people in shorts anymore.

The other day for lunch they served French fries and you should have seen people devouring those fries. It literally was like pigs feasting!! After the same basic stuff over and over again it was an awesome surprise. They also served these like thicker hot dog style things that were delicious. Definitely the closest thing to American food we all had eaten in awhile and it was sooooooo good!! Ahhhhh French fries!!!!!

As far is school work goes everything is pretty routine at this point, a lot of reading and basic college homework/studying but nothing too too hard. We actually just took our first Global Studies test last night and I hope I did well. It was weird cause everyone on the ship had the same test to study for so the night before was pretty dead on the ship. I don’t really care for Global Studies cause it is way boring and I get too easily distracted. My other classes are AMAZING tho! Marine Biology is my favorite class because the material is the most interesting and I don’t mind doing the reading and stuff. My other favorite class is Sociology of Global Travel and my teacher might just be the coolest teacher in the world. Her name is Audrey and she is so TIGHT!! The class is very engaging and she will always like stop and chat if she sees us around the ship. She always says that she like chilling with the students because we offer differing perspectives and are more engaging. My American Politics teacher is cool too but I just get really bored in class. The teacher is tight though and interesting to talk to outside of class. I have never had teachers like these 3 before and it just adds to this once in a lifetime experience. Like I said I just took my first test and I don’t know how I did, but the cool thing is all the stuff I have learned. I never pull information out of a lecture like I am here. It’s just a totally different environment. Some stuff is small and totally random but it is genuinely interesting information.

This morning we got to watch the Super Bowl!! Yeah I said in the morning. Because we are 13 hours ahead of you all, like I said earlier, the game started at 8:30 in the morning for us. On a Monday!!!! How crazy is that?!?! I watched the Super Bowl on Monday morning!!! Haha one more thing to add to the list of weird things I have done. They streamed the game into the Union and since it took up so much bandwidth they didn’t let anyone else on the internet during the game. The Union was packed!! All the seats were full and there were people sitting on the floor and in the aisles. It was so awesome! And everyone was like “Yes football!” Very, very cool atmosphere. Oh and by the way…I picked the Saints by 14 in an earlier blog. Boom I was right!! Sorry Uncle John...better luck next year!

By the time you all are reading this I will be in Japan!! The whole ship is freaking stoked to finally get off the ship after 11 days sailing from Hawaii and it is Japan!! We are so close we can taste it!! Ahhhhhh it’s gunna be so awesome!!

Love you all and hope everything is going great!!

T

The International Date Line is Crazy!!!

2010-02-03T17:44:00.001-08:00

Greeting from the middle of the Pacific!

Heard Edmond just survived ice/snow storm #2 this winter so I hope you all enjoyed that. My dad informed me that Shaun White 3-peated at the Winter X Games and I am super mad I didn’t get the chance to see his run. But oh well, there will always be YouTube when I get back to the states!! I just hope he carries through the Olympics and stays healthy enough to bring home another U.S. Gold baby!!

Alright you guys and your comments are hilarious!! Love it!! Nat Attack – Girl you totally know I will be your dance party date!! You just gotta ask! I wouldn’t call it planning…simply deciding what I am going to do and then people wanting to tag along cause I know what I am doing haha. And congrats on no injuries, I must say I am impressed! Although Chris says you are lying… Courtney – Love you too Sista!! Daryl – Thanx man!! Hope all is well with the family, miss you guys!! Sara – whoa whoa whoa…you are definitely still the dancing diva, don’t pin your title on me haha! You would rub it in that I can’t watch criminal minds…but that is good to know that it is still going strong and the episodes are good!! That’s a bummer that you didn’t get to go to Denver, but I am sure Chicago will be stinking awesome!! God is good and that is so cool that He provided for you! Esther – duh…Latin Dancing is sooooo AWESOME…don’t be hatin!! I’m not struggling as much as I thought I would, but a couple of the steps take some serious practice to get down. And yeah that is totally cool that you gave your friend this website…not a problem at all. A lot of people are giving it out to friends and stuff so that is all good! And we will just see, it might be too hard for Kayla to figure out with an OSU education…haha just kidding…well kinda. Chris – dude I totally know what you mean, sometimes Natalie has to be put in her place….haha jk Nat, you know I love ya! Yeah touché, 6:1 is definitely good numbers…and last night it was more like 12:1 cause a lot more people came and even fewer guys lol. Yeah everyone loves the shirt…I just need you here wearing yours so we can rock em together! Wes – you would about the girl comment haha…dude I miss you and mike man. Definitely wish I could have been there for the LOST watch party, and haha I knew you would get hooked eventually!! Oh and thanx for not ruining it…I appreciate it bro. I actually was just with Kaylin and I told her “hey” for ya and she says “hey” back!

Oh and my wonderful little sister Courtney (don’t know what I would do without her sometimes) and Sara have informed me that I need to explain the pictures I put up…like what was going on in them and who was in them with me. The above picture for this blog is of a group of us right after the huge group picture. We wanted to take advantage of the blue sky (I still think nothing tops a perfect Western Texas sky on a good day), really pretty water, and great weather. From left to right you have Courtney, Emily, Amy, Edwin (he is one of the British kids with a crazy cool accent!!), and then me on the end. We all took a bunch of pics with our friends after the big group picture and this is one of the ones I like the best!!

So the other day we crossed the International Date Line. This line is the other half of the prime meridian which acts as a line of longitude toward the middle of the Pacific. The cool thing about this line is that since we are moving from east to west across the line we lost a day of our lives. Literally when I went to bed last night it was Tuesday, February 2, but when I woke up this morning it was Thursday, February 4. Weird huh?!?!?!? February 3, 2010 did not exist for us on the ship. Okay so I know you all are like how is that even possible. Well here is my best explanation. As we are moving around the world we are continually changing time zones; because of the direction we are going, every time we cross a time-zone we fall back an hour (which by the way is really nice cause we keep getting extra hours of sleep…it’s awesome!). However this also presents a problem. How can we travel around the world and continually keep gaining hours without ever losing them? The answer…we cross the International Date Line and simply lose a whole day!!!!! So a couple days ago I was like 6-7 hours behind all of you people back in the states, but now I am like 17-18 ahead of all you guys. Haha SAWEET!!! So now everytime we “fall-back” an hour as we move from time zone to time zone, we are simply moving closer and closer to the time that it is back in the States. So I know this might not make complete sense because let’s face it, I’m no expert….but this is the best I can do in trying to explain it. Hope you guys understood all that haha.

Last blog I briefly mentioned how once we got back on the ship after Hawaii everyone got much more settled in and it is starting to feel more routine and more like a college campus. People are actually having to do homework and study because papers are due, quizzes are happening, and even some tests are starting to happen. Other people have gotten into similar routines such as working out and eating schedules. It’s also really cool because when people aren’t doing homework there are card games and all kinds of board games going on. Austin and I joke that shipboard life consists of sleeping, eating the same food over and over, doing homework, and playing cards. I have found people that are very good at spades so that was exciting!! Then I found out that Courtney knows how to play Gin and she is really good so that is cool cause that is another card game that I can play with her. Oh and I also found a girl who knows how to play Screw Your Buddy!! (for those of you that aren’t familiar with this game, it is just a card game that is very similar to spades…if you thought differently then please remove your head form the gutter hahahaha). So yeah the card game groups are in full swing and it is really nice cause you just kinda walk through the piano lounge and you can find a game to jump into, and you are always playing with a different group of people so that is a great way to meet more people (although I think I scared this one girl yesterday because I got super competitive over a spades game, guess Newkirk and Daryl have rubbed off on me…haha who am I kinding, Smith’s are just too competitive lol). Oh and Egyptian Rat Screw is also a very popular game on the ship!!

I told you all last time that all the clubs and organizations were getting started. Well since then I have also joined/started two new ones. There is the one group called Zoomba that I joined and it is crazy awesome!! I had never heard of Zoomba before but apparently it is like a big thing in some parts of the country. What it is, is a type of “workout dance.” Now you are probably thinking what I was originally thinking, “So it’s like Taebo right?” At first this was my thought process and I was not too interested in going to do Taebo. Let me just tell you, I am really glad I decided to go get involved cause it was nothing like Taebo. The girl who organized it and is our “instructor/leader” started out by saying, “Alright if you have never done Zoomba, you are going to be sore tomorrow!” I was like alright this must be legit then!! Basically you do aerobic dance moves to really upbeat music. Stuff like really upbeat Latin style music and then also stuff really similar to Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas. It was super intense! All of us were like drenched in sweat by the end of the hour. The biggest muscles that I think that it worked out (at least) in my case, are your abs, upper thighs, quads, and back muscles. So we do that on every B day from now on and it is soooooooo fun and surprisingly a very effective workout. And it’s also very fun with a bunch of friends doing it with me.

In addition to Zoomba I am also still doing Latin Dancing which just happens to be right after Zoomba…so basically we all just walk from Zoomba across the ship to Latin Dancing. Most people who are doing Zoomba also do Latin Dancing so it is a lot of the same people, which is cool cause we are getting to know them all really well. Between the two I am definitely getting a serious workout and not being just a big lazy bum on the ship haha. Oh and intramurals start today/tomorrow!! Right now we are doing intramural basketball and volleyball. I didn’t sign up for basketball (if you have even seen me with a basketball you know why, my brother got all the basketball genes in the family haha) but I am on a volleyball team. It is coed so our team name is Team Lightening Rod and it consists of Adam, Austin, Nicci, Theresa, Michelle, Tammy, and me. Our first game is tomorrow and it is gunna be intense!! So I am definitely involved in plenty of things to keep me busy besides school.

Yesterday was a NO CLASS day aboard the ship; what this means is that it was neither an A nor a B day and there were no classes scheduled. On all of our large stretches of sailing, they give us a day off in the middle so that we aren’t just swamped with school work and get overwhelmed. The ship took this first No Class Day as an opportunity to take the ship wide photo since we had a sunny day and good weather. It actually went pretty smoothly considering they took a picture of 700+ students and faculty. And it was also school pictures day where you take a picture with the other people from your university so everyone was decked out in their school gear. It was a great day for pictures, the sun was out, no clouds, and relatively calm seas compared to what we have been having haha. They took the picture with all of us tiered on the back decks of the ship and the camera above all of us looking down. It was actually a really tight setup for a pic…I’m sure my dad and Mr. Wilson would have approved haha.

Then last night we had our first movie night in the Union. They showed JAWS on the bigger Union projector and we actually had good audio, rather than watching movies on our laptops like we have been doing. It was totally optional but there were around 150 people that showed up and it was a lot of fun! I had never seen Jaws in its entirety and surprisingly neither had a lot of people!! It’s always funny to me at like certain parts when everyone in the audience is leaning forward and then they all jump back at the same time at a jumpy part. I mean you know it’s coming…so why does it still make you jump haha?!?! Oh and I also didn’t know that it shows JAWS dismantle a shark diving cage with a guy in it. Yeah my buddy turns to me and goes “Hey aren’t you doing that in South Africa? How does that make you feel?” I was like “Yep I sure am, although I wish I didn’t just watch that haha.” But oh well I’m totally still doing it!! I need an adrenaline fix…sky diving was like 2 years ago!!

The days are going by a little faster now with the increased school work load and all the various activities going on, but there is still the unreal conception of there being “no-time” on the ship. I mean we just do so much in a day that it is so confusing what happened yesterday or this morning. It’s really cool!! But I have talked about that before so enough of that.

The other day I was reflecting on the beauty of Hawaii and comparing it to the wide open ocean. The differences are staggering but one thing remains constant, the evidence of God’s hands crafting both in their entirety. I mean c’mon, it’s indescribably and staggering to think about!! In Nehemiah 9:5-6, it says “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.” Take this verse at face value, how can we keep silent and not praise the God who created everything around us?!? Look around, God created everything (or put the idea in someone’s head to create it). He is worthy to be praised. Even the heavens and rocks cry out. We should constantly and unceasingly be treating God the way He deserves…with praise from Everlasting to Everlasting!!

I hope everything is going well with all of you reading this! I appreciate all of your guys’ prayers!! You all are awesome and I don’t know what I would do without you.

I love you guys and am praying for each and every one of you!!

T

Hawaii to Japan

2010-01-31T18:22:00.000-08:00

Hello again all!

Dude everytime I read your guys comments I just wanna talk to you all in person and hang out so bad! Zac – dude I was just bragging about you the other day to a buddy of mine on the ship who has a friend at the Air Force Academy. I forgot the kids name but he was 2 years older than us or something so I doubt you know him. Yeah it is crazy at night and during the day because we literally can’t see anything but wide open ocean. Like the other day we saw a ship on the horizon and everyone on the ship like ran outside to the rails just cause we were pumped to see evidence of life lol. There aren’t even birds once we get like 2 days away from land; maybe one or two albatross every-now-and-then but nothing on any kind of consistent level. It’s eerie man but at the same time I think it’s cool cause it’s a new experience. Daryl – that’s tight that they did that special LOST episode, you know everyone was watching it lol. That sucks about Jeffcoat but I have faith, we will find another stud linebacker. Keep me posted on recruiting man! I really appreciate it!! JT - haha thanx girl! Alex – dude I know! I am having MAJOR settlers withdraws and that is definitely one of the first things we are doing when I get back. Ahhhh I can’t wait lol. You should get my sister to play with you guys tho…she is bomb at settlers! Haha yeah dude the LOST stuff was tight! It made me totally fine with missing the last season cause I got to experience that. I mean they will have the DVD’s out soon enough. Dr. Wood – (or at least I’m assuming that the Mark that commented is the good Doctor himself) man mountain biking was sick!! Although I’m sure you and your marathon legs would have shown us all up. We were all dying the next day haha. Dad – heck yeah it was like a good Cussler novel. Everywhere is so new and exotic that it reminds me so much of those books. And don’t you even worry, I am watching my back. Always be suspicious right lol…some slick doctor told me that sometime ago haha.

Okay so I guess I have real short story to add since so many people are commenting on the LOST stuff. I didn’t put it in the last blog but I also drove around the warehouse that was used as the setting for a lot of the bunker/Darma building scenes. So yeah I got to see another major shooting location while I was in Honolulu. So yeah I went LOST crazy haha.

Well Hawaii is in our wake and we have begun our 11 day journey to Japan. For 11 days we will see nothing but the high seas and the people on the ship with us. Some people are really upset about this but I don’t see what the big deal is; I mean, I like everyone on the ship so I’m fine. I think some people are just upset cause they don’t get to see land for awhile and it bums them out that they won’t have cell service for awhile now. Personally I think its kinda cool because how many people can say they have gone 11 days without seeing land, with the exception of sailors that number is very, very small! And now I get to say I am part of that group too!!! So I am just viewing it as another adventure within this grand adventure and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!

After leaving Hawaii, everyone on the ship was exhausted; so for the first day and a half back the ship was so dead. There was like no one anywhere and nothing was really going on. I played a lot of cards with people and got ahead on some of my homework. There are these British guys on the ship and they are freaking awesome at Nerts (although in England they call it Pounce). So like the other night they invited me, Austin, Santa Fe, and Sarah to play with them and it was a blast. I had played before so I was able to hold my own but it was really funny watching Austin and some of the other guys learn had to play. We had about 9 people playing so if you have ever played Nerts you definitely know how that goes haha. It was crazy awesome!!!! There are other popular card games that we play on the ship but Nerts is spreading like wildfire! I don’t know if it’s because people wanna play with the British kids or what but everyone is starting to ask what is up with this crazy card game cause they hear us talking about it all the time. Oh and I watched FRIENDS…my friend Natalie is a die-hard FRIENDS watcher like myself and just so happened to bring all 10 seasons on DVD!! So now I can watch FRIENDS babay!!!!!!! Definitely a plus, especially when I need some time to just relax by myself for like an hour or two. Ok so here is a story that some of my you guys back home will appreciate. So I was wearing my “How You Doin’?” FRIENDS shirt the other day (just for you Chris) and was doing some homework in the piano lounge when this girl came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder. She was like “Hi, you don’t know me but can I take a picture of your shirt.” I was like “Oh heck yeah you can take a pic of my shirt.” I had not met this girl yet (I mean obviously we have now, after this little experience) but she wanted a picture of MY shirt. That’s right everyone, probably your most UNFASHIONABLE friend, the kid who always wears a beat up ball-cap, t-shirts, and tennis shoes…yeah people wanted pictures of my clothes! That’s what’s up baby!!!!!

One of the coolest parts about leaving Hawaii was getting to hear everyone’s CRAZY stories, and I mean CRAZY is like a light word. Some stories were incredible to hear and it was so cool getting to talk with students and professors about what they learned and saw along the way. It was just a really cool experience cause no one did the same thing and everyone had their own personal adventures the way that they wanted to. It was like one giant continuous storytelling session for 2 days, and even longer on some occasions. People would just be sharing what they did and someone across the room would jump in and be like “Hey I did something similar” or “I did this instead,” and pretty soon you heard 3 more stories and made a new friends just cause they heard someone tell a cool story and wanted people to hear theirs. Just another example of how you are always meeting new people on this ship and it’s awesome!

Ever since leaving Hawaii everyone is now in “Plan-for-Japan” mode. All the travel books are checked out of the library and people are burning through their internet minutes booking hotel rooms and bus/train tickets in the hopes of planning the perfect 5 days. A lot of my friends are doing an intense 5 day trek across the whole country with a lot of time focused in Japan but I don’t really want to spend that much money in Japan. I am spending my money in other countries like Africa and China; besides, all the stuff I want to see in Japan I can see for cheap and not spend nearly as much money as them. I personally don’t see how anyone could have a bad time in these countries so I’m not too worried about it. It’s just funny seeing all these people who didn’t do any research at home run around like chickens-with-their-heads-cut-off trying to pull plans together at the last minute. Hahaha oh I am so glad my parents taught me how to travel cause some people are hilarious to watch plan stuff!! Thanks mom and dad!!

So I mentioned in a previous blog that there are various clubs and organizations that students on the ship can join and participate in as often and as much as they like. A couple nights ago the Latin Dancing club started and I totally went. That’s right…I went to a dancing club and learned how to Salsa!! Me, Tyler Smith!! And it was sooooo stinking fun! I mean I have always wanted to be able to dance well but I can’t freestyle to save my life (all of my friends know this all too well)…but I have always been able to learn a choreographed dance if it was taught to me. I mean I’m no pro or anything but I was able to get the basic steps down and just had a blast with it. The class is taught by two students, Beaa who is my friend from Puerto Rico, and Ben who I hadn’t met until I was at the dance class. They each are very good at Latin dancing and were really cool with teaching everyone that showed up. It was kind of a bummer cause only like 10 guys showed up and then like 60 girls. And for Salsa you obviously have to have a partner, so it was very easy for the guys but a lot of girls had to learn the “lead” roll as Beaa calls it. But anyways, it was cool cause we would learn a step, practice with our partner, then switch partners, learn another step, combine the steps, and repeat the process. It was a blast cause we got to meet new people and then also have fun learning how to Salsa. My last partner for the night was Aisha (again not quite sure how to spell that lol) and we had a lot of fun dancing together, partly cause we got to put all the steps together and we both were really excited to be able to do…and we both just had a lot of fun with it so that made the whole thing more fun. But anyways I just thought you should know that I am participating in a Latin Dancing club every other day I am at sea and it is freaking awesome!! I’m gunna come home a dancing fool haha!!! Anyways…next week…THE TANGO!

After being at sea and going through the process of enjoying a port, everyone has settled into life on the ship and the routines have been established. Everyone has figured out that they can get anywhere on the ship in about a minute and a half so no one is early to anything anymore. Similarly all the clubs and organizations have gotten into full swing so people have more things available to do in the evenings and early mornings. Now that people have settled into ship board life, I can’t help but think that living on this ship is so much like living in the dorms freshman year. I mean everything is so close together and every aspect of daily life is easily accessible, and even to a simpler degree because everything on the ship is even more compact. I don’t know about the other college kids, but anyone from OU who is reading this, don’t you remember just chilling on a study floor late at night or calling someone who lives a couple floors away and being like “hey what are you doing, wanna chill?” Okay so imagine that times 600 and that is what I have on this ship! There are like 4 main areas where people congregate to hang out and so whenever I am not doing anything, I just wander into one of those areas, and I am at the point where I know enough people now that I am guaranteed to find someone to chill with and play cards, or talk, or even do homework together. And on the off chance that I don’t know anyone, we are all like one huge shipboard family that I can just sit down, meet someone new and boom, new friend right there! It’s the coolest environment in the world and no one day is boring. I mean just today I met a girl on the deck after dinner whose name was Taylor and her family has a cabin on the mountain in Beaver Creek. It’s such a small world that we have probably been on that mountain at the same time and not even known it. And now a friendship is forming that started from a simple situation that back at our respected homes, most people would consider “awkward” or “social-weird” to just walk up and start a conversation with a random person or a random group. But out here in the middle of the ocean on a ship, no one really cares and everyone wants to meet new people. This makes for some awesome days and I can honestly say that between meeting new friends and strengthening existing friendships, not one single day on this ship has been boring.

Probably the most consistent theme that I personally feel on this ship is the drastically different spiritual opinions present from every corner of the United States. People are now comfortable enough around each other that you are getting into more serious conversations and people aren’t afraid to ask, “Well hey why don’t you drink?” or “You know, I have never heard you swear, why is that?” Just simple stuff like that is a consistent gateway into being able to express what I believe and why. There is also a Sunday Service group that has started and every Sunday night that we aren’t in port, we meet in the Union for an hour and hold a simple Sunday Service. It’s really nice to have that group of believers that I have found on the ship and to be able to participate in a routine group setting to worship our God and dwell on His Word.

As I look around the ship and realize that I am just one person in a group of over 800 people, it’s intimidating but also really exciting. The thing is I have 3.5 months to make a difference and then we are all going to get off this ship and go our separate ways. As I experience these mixed feelings I can’t help but think of the following lyrics to a popular song by Casting Crowns:

“Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin…would look on me with love…and watch me rise again. Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea…would call out through the rain…and calm the storm in me. Not because of who I am…but because of what you’ve done…not because of what I’ve done…but because of who You are!!!! I am, a flower quickly fading…here today and gone tomorrow…a wave tossed in the ocean… a vapor in the wind, still You, hear me when I’m calling…Lord you catch me when I’m falling…and You told me who I am…I AM YOURS!”

I am embarking on the adventure of a lifetime and I have 3.5 short months to make friendships that will last forever and an impact that can make a difference. This is scary, overwhelming, wonderful, unique, and extraordinary all at the same time! It is an amazing flood of emotions and opportunity and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!!!!!!

I hope everyone is doing well and I hope you all are enjoying this blog! You all are in my prayers!! Love you all and I miss you guys!!

T

Honolulu - Extreme Sports and Friends

2010-01-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Aloha again!! (Figured I mine-as-well greet you like a Hawaiian if I am writing about Hawaii again)

Okay so I heard Edmond got hit by another winter storm?!?! I was talking to my mom and sister who said school got cancelled and everything. Yeah global warming my butt!! It’s Oklahoma not Colorado?!?!?!?!? So comments…Esther – haha well I am glad you are enjoying the blog, and I’m even more glad that I could help you procrastinate chica! Mike – dude heck yeah! That’s tight that your hatred worked haha…I laughed out loud in the computer lab on the trip when I read your comment. You kill me man! And yeah Honolulu was cool but I definitely liked the outskirts and surrounding communities more than the main metro area. But you were right one, Hawaii is legit! Chris – freaking duh we would travel well together! I mean we are so much alike in our interests! We would own Amazing Race…I’m still planning on applying man, keep thinking about it cause that would be soooooo tight to do together!! And yeah I didn’t get to surf but I wanted to mountain bike more lol, and I figure I will get the chance to surf again at some point. Love hearing from you all! Keep it up! Oh and I figured out how to upload pics for a reasonable price so I have added on pic to each of my previous blog posts and there will be on pic on each blog post to come. Sorry about the words on the Hilo one, it was a little bigger than I originally thought haha.

My first day in Honolulu was SOOOOOOOOO TIGHT!!!! As soon as we got into port, Adam, Scott, and I got picked up for a mountain bike tour through Bike Hawaii that we had signed up for independently from Semester at Sea. My parents went on this specific mountain bike tour a couple years ago and said that I absolutely had to do it; so I was like “hmmmmmmm, mountain biking, in a Hawaiian valley…ummmm HECK YEAH!!” So I had been signed up for this tour for the past 2 months and we had called the company 2 days before from Hilo to see if they could add my two friends onto the tour. They said that was no problem and they could totally come; so Adam and Scott signed up over the phone and we were all 3 able to go together. We drove 45 minutes outside of Honolulu and it was like an entirely different part of the island. Very little of the area of the country was developed and it was just these enormous mountains that made up these immense valleys stretching in between. So we park the van and unload and start biking through this valley. It was hard to focus on mountain biking cause we were all drooling at the gorgeous environment that was surrounding us. The tour was a 6 mile ride with the first 4 miles consisting of gravely jeep roads that were slick so that was fun cause our back tires would spin out on us. Then the last 2 miles we had a choice between staying on the jeep trail (lame) or going up onto the mountain side onto a single track trail that was much more “technical” as they say it. Well I don’t even have to say which one me and my buddies chose but I will, we definitely hit up the technical trail and decided to test ourselves; and that exactly what it was…a test. It was by no means easy, there were some places where we had to place our feet down to dodge these huge rocks that our bikes just couldn’t handle going over. Oh and story, at one point, Scott, who had never mountain biked before, was behind me. I kinda slipped off my bike and struggled entering this one forested area and Scott who was waiting about 30 yards back at a hill (we spaced out every now and then to give each other room) started making fun of me cause I slipped and had to walk by bike back up onto the trail. Well, Scott starts to go through next and not only did he do the exact same things as me (karma sucks huh Scott), he kept going into these bushes and ended up flying over the handlebars into these rocks. It was stinking hilarious cause Adam, our guide, and me all got to witness it. Scott didn’t get too seriously injured so it was all good; is say not too seriously because he did gash his knee pretty good but it didn’t even phase him, I mean we call the kid Bear Grills for a reason. He is nuts!!!! But it was definitely worth doing cause it was extremely difficult; and as our guide said, “If you aren’t struggling, you aren’t having fun mountain biking.” Sooooooo true!!

Oh and did I mention that during the entire tour (except the last quarter-of-a-mile) it was raining on us! Not like torrential downpour but just a consistent rain. This was awesome for two reasons…1 – we never got hot, it was very comfortable and no one in our group complained…2 – it made the trails so much more fun. I mean regular gravel and dirt is fun and all, but wet, slick gravel and mud is WAYYYY more entertaining (not to mention a better workout). Oh and by the end of the tour we were caked in mud…like our legs were brown cause we had just nasty amounts of mud on us…and our faces and arms were speckled with mud from the dirt kicking up off our front tires as we went along. Again it just made it all the more worth it and no one complained at all; it was so awesome! Okay so a little more about this valley, since I feel like my words are inadequate to explain it. This valley is the same valley that was used to film numerous Hollywood Blockbuster movies aaaannnnnddddd (this is the best part in my opinion) a significant portion of the tv show LOST!! Yeah be jealous. So here are some of the movies filmed on location, Godzilla (still have his giant footprints in the ground), Mighty Joe Young, Pearl Harbor, Windtalkers (the majority of the movie), Tears of the Sun, George of the Jungle, Jurassic Park, and 50 First Dates (the road where Adam Sandler “re-meets” Drew Barrymore every day, yeah I biked across that road). So now do you have a better understanding of how incredibly beautiful this place was that we were mountain biking in and the enormous mountains on both sides?!?!?!?! Okay so know for all you LOST fans. You know the episode where they time travel back and see the people lowering the Nuke down into the ground, they are using this like wooden tower thing to do it…yeah that tower is still there and I got a picture of it. Then the episode in the earlier seasons when Hurley finds the abandoned van and is trying to jump start it…okay yeah I biked down that hill. Totally went where the van went…it was tight!! Those were the big notable ones but there was also smaller stuff as well. Another random thing in this valley was a World War 2 bunker built into one of the side mountain walls overlooking the coast. The bunker was called Battery Cooper. Our guide was able to open the bunker for us because he has connections and there were like some old ammo crates and stuff in it still. There were also these old framed pictures from Pearl Harbor as it was happening and other days during the war. The bunker also used to overlook a small airstrip that would launch short range fighters; it was also instrumental in launching ship bombers to bomb enemy ships in the battle of Midway. So that pretty much encompasses my entire mountain biking adventure. So next time you watch all those movies, or LOST, just remember that the mountain biking there is freaking intense!!

As I mentioned a second ago, we were filthy dirty after our mountain bike tour so we decided to head back to the ship to shower after being dropped back off in Honolulu. Best shower ever I might add! After showering and changing clothes, we caught up with Austin, Kaylin (AKA – Santa Fe), Sarah, Nicci, Abby, Jacqueline, and Theresa and decided to grab dinner. I suggested that we go to Dukes cause my dad had suggested it and Scott and Adam were like “Well he recommended the mountain biking and that was awesome so let’s do Dukes and just follow Tyler’s dads advice again.” I mean it was “Slick Willie’s” advice (bahahahaha), and man was it right on the money for the second time that day. Duke’s was legit!! It was the perfect setting for a nice relaxed dinner with friends and the food was awesome!! We took our time and just talked and ate for a couple hours. Then for dessert me and Sarah decided to split this “Duke’s famous something-or-another pie” (I forgot the middle word) because we were both pretty full and neither of us wanted to pay the full $6 to only eat half of it, but basically it was an oreo crust, underneath macadamia nut ice cream, covered in chocolate fudge, whipped cream, and chopped macadamia nuts. Everyone at the table was so jealous of the two of us that they decided to order one for themselves. Needless to say there was nothing left of the two desserts after we got through with them. After dinner it was about 9:45 and we walked around for a bit. The rest of the group decided to go chillax on the beach but I decided to walk back to the hotel because I had an Semester at Sea sponsored FDP in the morning at 5:30 in the morning and I didn’t really feel like just sitting on the beach (you know me, can’t sit still haha). So it was 9:45 and the hotel was a little over 4 miles away, I didn’t want to pay for taxi by myself so I said “Well, I’m just gunna walk.” My friends didn’t really like that idea but I basically just walked away while they were yelling at me not to go alone because I really like walking around cities at night cause you get to see different parts of the city in a different perspective, especially on a 4 mile trek from one end of the city to the other. I got to walk all the way through Waikiki beach and then through a part of town where a lot of the homeless people sleep for the night, and also through the hotel part where there were taxis and limos everywhere. It was just cool cause it was like 3 different little cities that I walked through in not too long of a walk. It was about 11:15 when I finally got back to the ship and I went straight to bed, wasn’t too hard after mountain biking and then walking as much as I did haha.

The next morning (my second day in Hilo) I woke up bright and early at 5:15 because I had to meet the bus at 5:30 for my FDP. I guess I should explain what an FDP is huh? FDP stands for “Faculty Directed Practica” and they are simply trips put on through SAS (Semester at Sea) that are led by a teacher. You see every class has 20% of your grade that is composed of strictly out of class work in the countries we are visiting. Most teachers will lead around 7-8 FDP’s throughout our voyage and you can kind of pick and choose which ones you want to do based on price, interest, and availability. Professors are all different in the amount of these trips they require you to participate in but an average number is 3 trips between all the ports added together. This specific trip was led by my Marine Biology professor and was a behind the scenes visit to the United Fishing Agency Fish Auction held daily down at the docks. The specific company this is done through is called NOAA and they pride themselves on being pioneers toward a fully sustainable fishing industry. I won’t go into too much detail, but if you know anything about the global fishing industry, it is anything but sustainable; however, it is possible to change this, and that is precisely what NOAA is attempting to do. Upon arrival, our small group of 19 (my prof., the SAS camera man, 3 life-long learners, the academic dean, and 13 students) was split into 4 groups of 4-5 people. We were then assigned to a guide who took us around the facilities and walked us through the process that takes place every morning. We got to see fish being transferred directly from the holds of the ships to the weighing stations; from there we saw the fish put on slabs and organized by species. They are then covered in ice and displayed for the auction. As all of this is happening outside and inside, there is a group of wholesalers walking around bidding on the fish as they are brought out. Once the wholesaler buys a fish, it is marked with his name and/or company logo and taken outside and put into bins filled with ice and loaded into trucks to be taken to the respected company warehouses. Like I said we got to observe each aspect of this procedure and ask our guide any questions we had. One fish that we saw being bid on was over 150 pounds, was purchased for $7.50 a pound , and totaled over $1000 when it was all said and done. All for one lousy Yellow-fin Tuna?!?!?! That’s intense man!!!! After getting a full tour, we went across the street to a little sidewalk café to grab some breakfast before listening to a one hour lecture on the history and current business dealing of NOAA. It was very interesting and I was actually able to stay awake despite only having about 5.5 hours of sleep under my belt from the night before.

After returning from my FDP I immediately set out to find my way to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (nicknamed “The Punchbowl Cemetery”). I decided to go by myself because no one from my FDP group was interested in joining me and a group was going up to North Shore to snorkel and surf but I didn’t want to waste my money all the way up there when I can’t surf. Didn’t really see the point lol. The tricky part was figuring out which bus to take because originally it took awhile for the bus to arrive, but eventually is came and I was able to make my way outside of Honolulu and up this mountain side to the cemetery which is settled into a crater, hence the nickname “Punchbowl.” This cemetery is cool because it not only honors those that served and died in WW2, but also the fallen soldiers from Korea and Vietnam as well. It was very touching to walk the grounds and see the plaques left in remembrance for those that so valiantly served our country. The coolest part was a plaque I read that said the following:

“In proud memory of the achievements of her sons and in humble tribute to their sacrifices, this memorial has been erected by the United States of America. These men were part of the price that free men have been forced to pay to defend human liberty and rights. To these men we owe a debt, to be paid with grateful remembrance of their heroism.”

Chilling huh???? Yeah I got the biggest shiver when I read the plaque; it’s humbling beyond description…which is why I provided the quote for you all to read for yourself. So after walking around the grounds and reading the other various memorabilia, I headed back to the bus stop to make my way back into Honolulu. Originally I got onto the wrong bus but I figured out my mistake really quick and was able to get off before I went too far out of my way. After safely making it back down to Honolulu, I walked around a little bit more around the State Capital and surrounding area because I didn’t have enough time to travel anywhere very far from the ship. Cause if you are late you get 3 hours of dock time for every 15 minutes past the On-Ship time and that is just not worth risking if I am heading to Japan. I mean I don’t wanna be stuck on the ship in Japan when all my friends are allowed to get off and explore. That would suuucccckkkkkk!!!!!! So I played it safe and hung around the ship and explored closer areas different from the places I had walked the night before. It was nice getting a little alone time to just wonder around and I feel like I saw/did everything in Honolulu that I needed to.

As a whole, I was definitely not as impressed with Honolulu as I thought I would be. I mean I can totally see why people vacation and honeymoon around Waikiki beach but the city of Honolulu itself just wasn’t as “awe-inspiring” as I thought it would be. I mean as soon as we got out of town, like for mountain biking, I LOVED it. But in the city it was just all really expensive and extremely touristy. I think part of this comes from having gone to Hilo first. Hilo was definitely the type of Hawaii that I liked. It was so much simpler! The people were more chill, everything was spread out, much like a suburb out in the country. I mean “no duh I liked Hilo better,” I’m a country boy at heart!! I would much rather walk alongside the road with friends at 1 in the morning and see the nature and hear the exotic sounds. So yeah Hilo was where it was at in my opinion!!! Definitely hope to return there. Hawaii was awesome and I couldn’t have asked for a better first port. Beautiful scenery and great friends just made it that much more enjoyable. Let the good time keep rolling babay!!!!!!!!

Didn’t write quite as much this time I don’t think lol. Hope you all enjoy!

In the words of the Hawaiians, “E ho’omau ka holo moana” (Let us continue the voyage).

Love you all and God bless. Matthew 28:19-20.

T

Hilo - Live and Let Live

2010-01-26T23:47:00.000-08:00

Aloha friends and family!!

Heard Oklahoma is about to get some snow so hope you all have fun with that! So Hawaii was AWESOME!! I have so much to tell you all I have decided to post now while we are in between Hilo and Honolulu and then I will post again after Honolulu. I just have so much to tell you guys!! I have just completed my second day in Hilo, we were here on Monday and Tuesday. Then tomorrow and Thursday we will be in Honolulu, actually as I am typing this we are sailing in between the islands to Honolulu. But I just have so much to say that I am going to make Hilo and blog post and then Honolulu a separate one.

But firsssttttt I will respond to your guys comments from last time! Jt – girl I totally know what you mean with the waves and the music…it is awesome! And thanks for that food tip, I will keep that in mind. Uncle John – yeah yeah yeah I heard about Peyton, and I did hear about Hartley, that was tight! But about the super bowl, dude Saints by 14 at least, if not more. You guys just won’t be able to handle Brees and Bush…it’s just gunna be a shootout…more so than the Vikings/Saints in my opinion. Mike – dude thanks for that website, I have already told people about it and you have made me very popular when I passed on your info. Shirley – have fun in the snow man, I love the snow! And dude I am soooo jealous about Ecuador, definitely praying for you guys and you will have a once in a lifetime trip. Oh and yes, I am a lucky little butt! Esther – yes that is the same Kayln, and for the 3rd time, we have hung out a lot and we have a great time!! Hollis – haha miss you too girl! And don’t you worry, I have so many stories and pics already that it will take me days to show you everything this summer. Nat-attack! – uhhhh yeahhhhh we are going to Mclarens when I get back, no question! Haha I’m not even surprised you tacked on another minor…you crack me up girl! Guys I love your comments!! Keep em coming…it’s like a small taste of home every time I read em!

So Day 1 in Hilo was fantastic because we were all so happy to finally be off the ship AND we were in Hawaiiiiiiiiiii!! As soon as we got off the ship, me and my buddy Austin went to get information on how to get around Hilo and see some of the stuff that our group was interested in. We originally just wanted to see Akaka falls which are these waterfalls that are supposedly the best on the Big Island, which is where we were. So we go over to these vans that are lined up with locals trying to sell all of us tours and sightseeing stuff. I walked up to one of the guys and said “Hey I can fill your van (15 people), how much for you to take us to the Akaka Falls and back?” The guy was like “Well, I can give you a 3 hour tour that includes Akaka, the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory and plantations, and the Black Sand Beaches, all for just $20 a person.” We were all like heck yeah!! So we pack into this van and set off for our adventure. We had a driver and then a tour guide named Jordan. Jordan was in his late 20's so he didn't tell us any of the stuff we didn't care about and told us the information about Hilo and other parts of Hawaii that he thought people our age would want to konw. It was really cool cause it was all really interesting stuff and alot of it was super funny! The falls were first and they were worth the $20 by themselves. We walked on this 1 mile loop trail through the jungle and the falls was like a half mile into it. A lot of us thought the trees and bushes were like the movie Avatar which gave us all a laugh or two. Ok so then me and my other friend Scott (who by the way is the splitting image of nate cole) found these vines that were real thick hanging off this tree. So we were like “shoot man, let’s freaking climb em!!” AND WE DID!! That’s how country boys roll baby!! (in the words of Billy Currington of course!) I have personally never climbed vines off a tree before and it was just like the movies, like definitely more than 25 feet off the ground when we got up to the top. It was soooooo cool cause we were like monkeys in Hawaii! (Sorry mom, but I already did it so you can’t get mad!) Then we went to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory. I don’t really know what to tell you all, because it was your standard factory tour. The best parts were the free samples (yes I said free) of every type of Macadamia Nut produced by the factory. Then they also had the cookie kitchen right next to the visitor center and I am absolutely not even kidding, we could smell the cookies at least a mile away before we got to the factory. So after looking around and getting the free nut samples, we left again and headed to our last destination of the Black Sand Beaches. We hung out at the beach for about an hour and then the tour guides were happy enough to drop us off right at Wal-Marts front door. And that was our morning.

The afternoon of my first day in Hilo was a much different experience than the morning. We started off by buying much needed supplies at Wal-Mart before we lose the chance for the next 3 months. After Wal-Mart we took the bus back to the port so we could drop off all our stuff in our rooms. Then the group kinda went our separate ways, the majority of the group had paid to attend an SAS lu’au that night but I didn’t feel like it was worth the $80; and side-note, all the people I talked to about it said it was definitely NOT worth it and no one had much fun…so BOOM I saved $80! Ok so they all went to shower and stuff and Scott and me were like wellllllllll let’s go see stuff!! So we asked around if people wanted to join us. Emily, Sarah, and Cosette decided to join us cause they didn’t have plans. And basically we just started walking…we had no clue where we were headed or what we wanted to do…we literally just started walking. Me and scott saw this “break” (this man-made rock wall thing around the harbor that protects the ships from the surf) and it extended like a mile and a half into the harbor. So what did we decide to do? Well we wanted to see how far out on it jumping from rock to rock we could get; and it was high-tide so the waves were crashing into the rock wall that we were hopping across and it was spraying up on the sides. So legit!! Oh and I should also mention that the spray was making the rocks really slick and that just made the whole process more challenging. (again mom…can’t get mad ) So after we got out there about a mile we decided to head back. (the sun was setting so we didn’t think we could make it all the way to the end and back) We re-grouped with the girls who were watching a sea turtle swim around while they waited for us. We decided to just continue walking along the shore/road and seeing where that would lead us. We walked about another mile when a taxi cab pulled over and asked us where we were headed. We politely said we were ok with walking cause we really didn’t want to pay for a taxi, his response literally blew me off my feet. He said, “Well I am headed to pick up a fare a couple miles down the road, I will take you that far for free.” I never in my life would have expected to have a cab driver offer that. We accepted his offer very quickly and had a nice conversation with him on the way. His name was Joe and he was TIGHTTTTTTT. So he dropped us off at this public little beach area and we were decided that would be a perfect place to watch the sunset against the harbor. As we are walking toward the surf we saw a whole-nother group of 5 fellow students who had the exact same idea. We all decided to have pizza delivered to the beach and enjoyed pizza, the sunset, on a beach, getting to know 5 new friends that we hadn’t ever even talked to. Their names were Courtney, Eric, Kaylee, Rorrie, and Grace. Then the 10 of us decided to start the 5 mile walk back to the ship in the hopes of finding some sort of ice cream shop along the way. We had walked about 2 miles just chit chatting and getting to know everyone better, when we decided to try our hand at hitchhiking. We didn’t really expect to because there were 10 of us and we were kinda just joking around…but a truck actually stopped!!!!!!!!!!! They pulled up next to us and were like, “hey you guys going to the ship?” We were like “YEAH!!”...and they were like “Hop on in the back!” So we all piled into the bed of this truck and they drove us right to the entrance of the port. It was just a sweet little couple that had been out for a drive and since the port was on their way they were totally cool with us hitching a ride. Just a really cool group of people! So the only problem was that we still hadn’t found any ice cream and that was not okay with Rorrie. So she, Courtney, Kaylee, and me decided to walk the other direction in search of something. We eventually found some at this local little joint called Vernas. They had homemade Haupia ice cream (kinda like a native coconut) and it was delicious!! So we got ice cream and then trekked the mile back to the ship just talking about any and everything and building a friendship! I definitely bonded with Courtney the most cause we had so much in common. First she has the same name of my favorite person in the world (love you sis!) and she is a fan of FRIENDS!!! Sidenote - I have now found 5 equally devoted friends fans and two of them brought all the seasons so I can fix my friends deficiency…YESSSSS!! But yeah we talked a lot and it was really cool getting to know her. Anyways, by this point it was a little past midnight and we all decided to turn it in for the night and head to ship so we could have energy for our second day in Hilo.

Okay so our second day in Hilo was much more condensed because A, we had to be on ship by 6 o’clock because we are switching ports, and B I was scheduled on an SAS trip that left at 9 o’clock in the morning. So I woke up decently early, like 8 and went up to grab a quick breakfast before meeting our tour group at the bus at 845. It was a trip to Volcanoes National Park and it was a bomb group of people!! Me, my roommate Adam, Nicci, Austin, Mackenzie, Jacquiline, Amy, and Natalie were all on the trip and we just kinda posted up in the back and took over the back 2 rows of the bus. So we did the normal hop-scotch-around the National Park gig and saw all the huge sights so I won’t go into detail about that stuff. But I do have one specific story. The last stop was at this thing called a Lava tube which is a part of the earth where lava once flowed through but doesn’t anymore so it is just a dark tunnel that winds around. We get down into it and its like 300 yards or so with lights on the walls and stuff and our whole tour is just kinda going through and taking pictures and everything. So at the end it like opens up into outside and the steps lead out. BUT there was this little rusted gate off to the side with what looked like another unlit tunnel on the other side. There was a sign and we looked at it and it said “Unlit, untouched, natural tunnel. Extends 350 meters. Enter at own risk.” Well I think you all know what I did. I went in of course…DUH!!!!! I was toward the end of the group so most of the people had already moved on but some of the people left with me at the end were brave enough to go in. Amy, Mackenzie, and our other friend Leigh (pronounced Lee, she definitely has the coolest name on the ship in my opinion) decided to join me. Like I said it was totally unlit, buttttt I had a flashlight cause I usually carry one just in case…and guess what, it paid off!! So we start inching our way in and literally after about 75 meters it has twisted and it is just pitch black in both directions. The girls didn’t really like that so they formed a chain holding onto my free arm and my backpack so they wouldn’t trip or anything. They say that you can never truly experience pitch black until you are in a cave. Well when we got to the end of the cave, yes I made it all the way there, we turned off the flashlight. I have never been in darkness like that before, it was eerie!! All three girls screamed hahaha. So we hiked back out and were like hmmmm I wonder what time it is. Cause you see at every stop, the bus driver had told us what time we had to be back on the bus so we could head to the next stop. Well for the stop we were supposed to be back on the bus at 12:05. So Mackenzie looks at her watch and goes “Uh guys, its 12:04…” Amy was like “Alright we gotta haul butt back to the bus.” So we just took off, like legit running through down this trail weaving in and out of people so that we aren’t late…cause if you are late your punishment is dock time at the next port. Dock time is time that you have to stay on the ship when everyone else is allowed off, basically like port detention. So me and these girls are running through the trails not knowing how far from the end we are and then I was like “Alright I see the bus, GO GO GO!” So we ran up to the bus and he opened the door and we like hop on. Well of course everyone is already on and like sitting down just waiting for us. I looked at my phone and it was 12:07 when we got on the bus so they let that slide as being close enough. But as we are walking down the bus we were getting a wide variety of looks. Some people were pissed and I just ignored them cause I mean it was only 2 minutes; and I mean they are in Hawaii and they are gunna get mad about 2 minutes? Really?!?! C’mon people. Really I think they were just jealous that they didn’t find the secret entrance that we did to the tunnel of exploratory greatness!! Then the people I knew, I would just make weird faces at to try and get them to laugh. It worked…GREAT SUCCESS! So that was definitely the best part of day 2 in Hilo. Unchartered Lava Flow Adventure!!! So we finished the tour and got back to the ship around 1. We were all starving so we decided to hike to lunch. We actually went back to the same place where we got ice cream the night before, Vernas! Our tour guide the day before had recommended we try this traditional Hawaiian dish called Kalua Pork. It is pork that is slow cooked underground and marinated with simple spices and herbs so it keeps its gamey taste. They mix it with cabbage and serve it. I was kinda hesitant because of the cabbage…I have a rule Green Food = yuck...but I ordered it anyway lol. Okay best decision ever!! The pork was definitely one of the top 3 meats I have ever had. It was so moist it was just soaked and was soooooo easy to eat!!! So we ate and walked back to the ship. We had a little more time to kill until “On-Ship Time” (the time we have to be on the Ship) so we made an ATM run, I also bought some native juice drinks cause they are delicious, and then found a place with free internet so we used some of that so that we don’t have to waste our minutes on the ship. It was an awesome day and one I will not soon forget!!

Hilo as a whole was a unbelievable! In 2 days I feel like I definitely saw everything I needed to see and I do not regret any decision that I made (although my mom would probably disagree haha). Between tour guides, hitchhiking, and meeting random locals, I have a whole new respect for the people of Hawaii. They are so friendly and the constant motto I constantly hear from them is “Live and Let Live.” I can honestly say that this is motto that every Hawaiian I met takes to heart. The live in the moment and they make sure that they don’t interfere with us living our lives in the moment. Live and Let Live man!! I mean the let us hitchhike in the back of their truck because the way they see it, they were going that way anyway, why not give some other people a ride? The actually understand that it only takes like 1 minute total of their time because that’s about the combined amount of time it took us to hop in the back and hop out. What if we all thought on a simpler level like that? What if we considered the needs of others in everyday life? Without even trying God again has made himself abundantly evident each and every day in the simplest things. This is a perfect picture of Christ-like love that we as Christians should be sharing unconditionally. Maybe not specifically with picking up hitchhikers but with other similar things that are so easy. This will be different for each and every one of us but the situations will still present themselves.

Another thing that hit me like a ton of bricks while in Hawaii was God creation is a whole different way. Just looking at all the different forms of creations, from waterfalls, to volcanoes, to forests…his hand is evident in indescribable ways that are breathtaking to me. It really made me feel so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I mean God has so many things that praise His name day in and day out and yet he loves me and desires a relationship with me. Two songs describe this in ways that I can’t and they have been on my heart all day. The first is “I need you to love me” by Barlow girl and the second is “How He Loves” by David Crowder. These lyrics are so powerful and Hawaii has made them come alive for me!! Barlow Girl - “I just never saw how you could cherish me…Cause You’re a God who has all things…and still You want me.” David Crowder – “When all of the sudden…I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory!..And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me...oh how He loves…Yeah He loves us…Ohhhhhh how He loves us…Oh how He loves us…Ohhhh how He loves us…oh how He loves!!” Gahhhhh those songs are sooooo true!! Just wanted to share that feeling with you guys cause right now I feel like I am just riding on clouds!!

Wow I just wrote so much! This is an insane amount, sorry lol. I just really like writing out what I did cause I get to share it with you guys and relive it in a way as I am re-writing it. I hope all of you guys are doing awesome!! If anything was unclear just ask and I will be happy to clear it up. There are also a lot of smaller stories within all these big ones but I mean I gotta leave some stuff to tell you guys this summer when I get back.

Oh and something else I forgot, it is also really cool being on the ship right now because everyone is like spread out talking about their adventures and catching up. Since I sat down in this lounge and started typing this, it has been at least 2.5 hours because I keep seeing people and we tell each all about our days and stuff. It’s just another absolutely amazing part of shipboard life. We all say we are one big family and really that is the best way to describe it. Just a bunch of brothers and sisters…it’s the coolest atmosphere to be a part of and one I will cherish forever!! Well I am off to bed cause I am waking up early tomorrow to hit-the-ground running in Honolulu!

Love you guys and praying for you! Hope all is well!!

T

Reflections on Shipboard Life

2010-01-24T15:34:00.000-08:00

Ok so I wanted to take some time to respond to some of you all’s comments. I mean I really like the comments so it would be selfish of me to not respond. Esther – haha yes I definitely miss you beating me in words with friends but you still have plenty of other people you can pick on. Natalie – girl me and Kaitlyn (hope I spelled that right) met day 1…she is one of the people that noticed my hat. I mentioned it earlier I think, but we quickly figured out we were from the same town, oh and we call each other “Memorial” and “Santa Fe,” it’s like our little Oklahoma joke lol. Oh and Nat I met the only other person on the ship from OU and she is a THETA!! Her name is Molly, she has long blonde hair, a little shorter than me, and she is a year older than us; she knew exactly who you were as soon as I said your name! JT – our doctor isn’t the guy you are talking about, although I wish he was. Our doc is very negative and very direct, not many people like him very much. Daryl – dude my roommate is awesome! Our room is a comfortable temp so no worries there. And I can’t help who I happen to meet first, I’m just a social guy. Shirley – dude I know I miss both of you and chilling late on Friday nights and playing settlers, and don’t worry, there are plenty of stories waiting for you till I get back. And despite not having the last name Smith, I still consider you family so it’s kinda the same haha. Dad – thanks for the sports updates, gotta keep tabs on my Sooners! Court – I bet those crappy high school classrooms suck…been there, done that. Oh and I am already getting tan so sorry bout cha!!

So I was trying to think what all I should tell you guys about the ship and everyday life that I hadn’t already and I realized I hadn’t told you about our living conditions. If you have been on a cruise it is just like that but a lot smaller and more compact. It’s actually really cool because you are hardly ever in your room but when you are you feel nice and cozy. Despite the beds being small, they are surprisingly comfortable. I have crashed every night and the waves’ rocking me to sleep is like the best feeling in the world!! It is gunna suck sleeping on land after having a boat rock me to sleep everynight haha!! Our bathroom is tiny but we don’t even really notice it because it doesn’t need to be big. My room is on the inside of the ship so we don’t have a window, at first we were bummed but then we realized that our room is pitch black all the time so that is a huge advantage if we don’t have classes in the morning. Then we have a “room steward” that is in charge a section of our floor. His name is Rommel and he is very friendly and quite efficient. Every day he comes in, makes both our beds (like really makes them, tucks them in and everything), changes the trash bags in our trashcan, restocks our toilet paper and Kleenex if needed, cleans our bathroom like every other day, and even folds any clothes we leave out. It is soooooooooo weird having someone do all that for you!! It’s really cool but at the same time I feel really weird cause it’s like “hey I don’t really need that done for me every day.” So the result of everything Rommel does for us is a very very very very clean room. Another thing that is unique on the ship is laundry. We have assigned laundry days and you get the option of giving them one bag (about the size of a Wal-mart plastic sack) of laundry. You leave it outside your door on the specified night and they clean it the next day and return it. It costs $6 per bag so you pretty much cram as much as you can into 1 bag so you only have to pay the $6. There are no self-service laundry machines on the ship so this is the only way to do laundry in a machine. Some people have resorted to doing laundry in the sink with woolite but I don’t have that much yet and am only going to do that as a last resort. If there is any other aspect of ship life that you all have questions about, comment on it and I will try to answer your questions.

Something else that I thought I should just briefly mention…back home when we go to camps and stuff on charter buses, you always hear people complain (especially the dudes) about going to the bathroom cause the bus is shaking and everything. Well you guys should just try doing that on a ship as you are swaying side to side; let’s just say that I will never complain about going to the bathroom on a bus again haha!! Sorry if this disgusted some of you all but I thought it was something funny that should be noted.

Now about the food, basically all our meals are buffet style…breakfast is every morning from 7:30 to 8:30, lunch from 11:30 to 1:30, and dinner from 5:30 to 7:30. Like I said, it is buffet style and you can come and go whenever during that time. The food is alright but extremely repetitive. After a week of meals, the most common foods are pasta and potatoes. We have had potatoes every meal except two of them (including breakfasts) and there has been some sort of pasta at every meal. The ship definitely caters to vegetarians because there are soooooo many vegetables. I mean since I don’t like vegetables it kinda sucks but at the same time they do have some sort of meat at every meal, and there is usually a type of fish. I’m not complaining at all because it is still decent food that we get as much of as we want!! And at breakfasts I snag a couple of the boxes of cereal so I can munch on them during the day when I get hungry. Most meals are repetitive but every now and then there are dishes that are a nice surprise. Like yesterday we had a baked macaroni and it was absolutely AMAZING!! It was definitely all I ate that meal. Then we had really good brownies one night at dinner so that was a nice taste of home. (miss your deserts mom) It’s funny after only a week how much I already miss American food…and I mean like simple stuff. Like I am totally craving a root beer float…weird right? I mean you can actually buy like cheeseburgers, pizza, hotdogs, smoothies, and ice cream (even root beer floats), at the sun deck grill, but it’s pretty pricey and I know that if I buy one then I will want to eat that food every meal instead of the free food. So right now my plan is to wait until like a month from now when I am really, really craving it and then I will eventually cave lol.

Ok so story. The other night there was an activity put on in the piano lounge called speed friending. As the name would suggest this was a take-off of speed dating. The way it worked is everyone put on a name tag first off; then the MC would say something like “everyone find someone with the same color eyes” or “everyone find someone whose name starts with the same first letter as yours” and we would all run around and find a person like that. Then we would introduce ourselves, say our hometown, college, major, hobbies, etc. After small talk the MC would then say a question that we all had to answer to our partners; some examples were “what superhero would you like to be?” “what’s the craziest thing you have ever done?” (I had a hard time picking just one on that one lol) and “which celebrity would you marry if you could pick anyone?” Some were serious, some were funny, and some were kinda awkward, but that just made it more fun! So in all you had about 2 minutes with each person, and this went on for an hour. I met SOOO many more people it was crazy!! Although it’s easy to meet people on the ship (definitely my favorite part so far), it was just a cool, fun setup that a lot of people got really into and really enjoyed. Oh and my friend Austin followed me around with a video camera all night for a project for his film class. That made the whole process more entertaining cause he was literally right over my shoulder the whole time and it made some people really uncomfortable; but at the same time, by the end of the night everyone was referring to me as “the dude with his own camera-man.” That was definitely the coolest activity so far that we have done.

A couple of night ago, Alex, one of my new friends, turned 20 so we had a birthday party for her at dinner. Her mom had payed for a cake for her so we all had this HUGE cake for dessert which was AWESOME!!! And it was cool because like all the people at the party had just met her a couple days ago cause she was like me and came knowing no one. But at the same time you would have never known cause we were all joking around and acting like we had known each other forever. She even got a hand full of icing in her face from one of our friends Anhil (I know I spelled that wrong), and it was stinking hilarious. Then after dinner we all went out on the back deck and got a miniature astronomy lesson from Anhil. He showed us where Orion’s belt was, which was super bright with a clear sky; then we were also able to see Mars and Jupiter which was stinking awesome! They were so bright and it was very clear that Mars was red and Jupiter was a sky blueish color. I have never really known what I was looking at so it was exciting seeing stuff like that while on a boat sailing across the ocean!

After being on the ship for a week it is really cool seeing how quickly people have adapted to ship board life. People are no longer seasick and there are hardly any people with patches still on. In addition, everyone has met SOOOOOO many people. Like in just 6.5 days I have met an easy 200 people and talked to probably closer to 300. It’s just crazy!! Although keeping up with everyone’s names is so stinking hard, but we are all having a hard time so no one really cares that people forget. It’s just like “hey we met but I forgot your name, what is it again?” and if you have only met them once before then they don’t care cause they have forgotten yours too. But usually after you have met someone twice then you are able to remember their name pretty easily. Another cool thing about life on the ship is the way time goes by. Like I said, we left San Diego/Mexico 7 days ago today, but if you ask anyone on the ship they will all tell you that it feels more like 2 or 3 weeks. We just do so much and hang out with our new friends so much in between classes that it feels like we have known people and been traveling for a week. Me and my friend Nikki were talking the other day, and both of us feel like we have known each other a lot longer than like 5 days. It’s also funny cause the stuff that happens in the morning feels like an entirely different day than like 10 o’clock that night. People will constantly refer to stuff that happened like 6 or 7 hours ago as “yesterday” and someone will be like “dude that was this morning.” The days just seem so much longer that it’s really weird! If any of this is confusing I’m sorry, I tried to explain it as best as I could lol.

I know it sounds weird but it is kinda cool because we have so much time to get to know people and learn about people and have some really interesting discussions since we have so many different personalities in a given group of people. Like the group I have been hanging out with a lot we have people from Florida, Oklahome (just me), California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Then we have a vegetarian, a hunter, a surfer dude, an outdoor enthusiast, and those are just a few. We all have different majors, we all go to different schools, support different political views, and we all have drastically different religious views. All of this stuff combined leads for very interesting discussions and it cool getting to explain my views and why I believe in what I believe and everyone is just so respectful that even if they don’t agree with me, they still respect me and we can have a good time.

Yesterday during the afternoon I went out to one of the side decks and just listened to Casting Crowns and Hillsong for like 30 minutes while looking at the waves rolling in and hitting the ship and just the massive expanse of ocean with the horizon on the distance; oh and random fact, on a clear day the distance to the horizon on a flat ocean is 11.4 miles. But anyways, just listening to those songs while looking at HIS creation is overwhelming each and every day. I mean God is so freaking awesome!! It is so cool!!

I have just completed my sixth day of class (3 A’s and 3 B’s) and tomorrow we dock in HAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone on the ship is really antsy to get off and people are all starting to plan what we are doing the next 4 days in Hawaii. Right now I am actually sitting outside on the sun deck with some friends and it is a little warmer than 80 degrees; no sun because it has been slightly overcast the last couple days but it still feels awesome, especially with a nice ocean breeze all the time!!! I will be updating the blog shortly after Hawaii so I can tell you guys what I did while it is still fresh in my mind.

Wow I just wrote so much haha. Oh well I guess you guys just had a lot to read, hope you enjoyed it!! I hope all of you all are doing well and thank you all so much for your prayers!! They are felt and I am extremely grateful to have friends and family like you all praying for me so much!

Love you guys!

T

Rocking and Rolling at Sea

2010-01-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hello again!!

Right now I am sitting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean getting tossed from side to side because of 20 foot waves (no exaggeration). And those are just the normal small ones too!! We are currently taking a 300+ mile detour around this huge storm that is hitting/about to hit the West Coast. Despite the detour we are still getting like the outskirts of the storm and the waves are just insane. Literally as you walk down the hall, you physically run into every wall. We all joke that we feel like human pinballs lol. We also found out that our detour is taking us through the “Green Strip” which is apparently the worst section of the Pacific as far as rough seas go. It was described to us as the captain picking the lesser of two evils to take us through on the way to Hawaii.

Luckily I haven’t gotten sick yet (thank you all for your prayers, they are definitely helping!). My roommate however got soooooooo sick the second night on the ship. Like really bad. He is better now, but he was not feeling so hot for like 15 hours.

After orientations, everyone was a lot happier on the ship. We had this “involvement symposium” thing where we could all sign up for clubs and orientations with people with similar interests. Then there are people like heading up every organization to organize everything. I signed up for every intramural that they offered; it included dodgeball, basketball (which should be funny), volleyball, and soccer. Don’t really know how soccer will work but we will see. The things I am most excited about that I signed up for were a Bible Study group and a Sunday Service group. I was excited that there were actually a significant amount of people interested in it and I can’t wait till we get started. Oh and I also signed up for Yoga, I just figured “what the heck, why not?!?!?”

My first day of class went well. I have Politics in the morning, and I really like my professor! He was really down to earth and understands that we are all kinda in awe of what we are doing and that school work can be cumbersome. He is also from Moab so I stayed after class and talked to him about jeeping for a little bit. Even though I hate Politics I think I might enjoy that class. My global studies class is the one that everyone on the ship has to take and it was ok, didn’t really do much the first day tho…but I mean I was ok with that haha.

That night a big group of 9 of us went to dinner and talked about doing stuff together in some of the ports and stuff. It was also sweet cause a lot of us had signed up for similar trips on the pre-sale stuff. We ended up going up on one of the decks and decided to play apples to apples. Our group of 9 quickly grew to a group of 17. 17 PEOPLE?!?!?! That is an unreal amount of people playing…but it was freaking awesome at the same!!!! The coolest part was the fact that we were hitting the biggest waves of the trip so far. Like the ship would tilt to one side and all the chairs and tables on the deck (including the ones we were sitting on) would start sliding toward the railing; then we would tilt the other way and slide back to where we started. It was awesome!! It’s also really funny trying to eat because everything slides around and you have to keep a close eye on your drink or it will spill on your neighbor.

My second day of class was pretty much the same as the first one. I enjoyed my Marine Biology class and I actually met another girl from OU, although I already forgot her name. We both had just figured we were the only ones from OU so it was a nice surprise to find a fellow sooner. People are already getting into the routine of class and people are spread out everywhere doing homework.

Your classes are scheduled on either A or B days. For instance I have Politics on A days. Then while we are at sea they just alternate ABABAB. So like today was a B day and I had two classes in the morning and then had a break between 1015 and lunch. So for a nice hour and a half I got to sit out in the sun (it was about 80 degrees today so it was beautiful!!) and do homework/reading while looking out over the ocean. That’s right; I sat outside, with friends, doing homework, on a ship, in the middle of the ocean. Sure beats a classroom huh?!?! It’s so cool just looking out every direction and seeing endless ocean with nothing else in sight. Seeing God’s limitless creation is indescribable, I find myself just staring in awe out across the water just trying to take it all in. I mean it gives Genesis a whole new meaning when it says that God “made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it…God called the expanse sky” Genesis 1:7. It’s literally indescribable to be seeing so much of God’s creation first hand and sailing over miles upon miles of it. God is so incredible and just something as simple as the vast oceans is breathtaking knowing that He designed it and created it!!!

Well I’m gunna go do some more reading for my Global Studies class. Probably go sit outside again cause it feels awesome (it’s the first sun we have seen since we started). Hope all is well! Oh and thank you guys so much for commenting, it’s really nice to hear from you all. I love hearing from you all and it crazy how much I already miss you all.

Love you guys!!

T Smith

The Start of Something Great

2010-01-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

Got a chance to sit down and blog some so here is what I have been doing for my first couple days traveling and arriving on the ship.
So my plane flights to Houston and then San Diego were relatively uneventful. My Houston flight was only 2/3 full so everyone was able to have a window or isle seat and enjoy a lot of leg room. Then on my flight to San Diego I sat next to a nice couple who is from outside of Houston and was leaving for vacation. They proceeded to ask me what I was doing and after I explained that I was studying abroad with Semester at Sea, the girl in front of my turned around and mentioned that that is why she was flying to San Diego as well. We didn’t get to talk much on the plane but at baggage claim we introduced ourselves and made the trip over to the Sheraton together to check in. It’s cool because I haven’t even started yet but I have already made a new friend.

After getting to the hotel I tried to take a nap because I was exhausted from the retreat the night before and had gotten like 2 hours of sleep before I left. I managed to sneak in a 2 hour nap but I wouldn’t really even call it that because I kept rolling over and waking myself up. For dinner I met up with Michelle (my friend from the plane) and her roommate Kendra and her friend Scott. We ate at a sports bar and grill located at the Sheraton and then decided to walk around the marina that was located right next to the hotel. None of us stayed out very late because we all were exhausted from traveling all day and were all experiencing a 2-3 hours time change.

In the morning I woke up, checked out, and headed to get on my shuttle bus for the ride into Mexico. Semester at Sea (SAS) definitely knew how to handle everyone and their mom (literally). The check in process at the hotel was very smooth and all we had to do was attach our room numbers to our bags. Our bags were then loaded onto a U-haul style truck and went to the ship separate from the shuttles. The “shuttles” as they called them were not shuttles but charter buses, so they were comfortable and had plenty of room. As soon as kids stepped onto the buses they were introducing themselves and getting to know each other. I sat by a kid named Graham who goes to the University of Georgia. We immediately started talking about football and got several guys around us in on the conversation quickly. We were all pretty bummed about not getting to watch the Cowboys/Vikings game because it was going on while we were on the bus, but when we heard the final score we weren’t as upset about missing it lol. The girl sitting across the aisle from me noticed my OU hat and introduced herself as Sarah and said she attended Texas A&M. So that was cool cause we got to talk about the Big 12 for a bit and ask each other questions and such. The bus ride took about 2 hours including the border crossing which was boring as usual.

Once arriving in Ensenada and entering the port, we got off the bus and went into a building to go through a security screening process just like an airport. Then on the ship you went through the Union room and stopped at like 10 different stations to make sure all our paperwork was filled out and to receive our ID and turn in our passport, which is good cause they are responsible for my passport and I don’t have to worry about losing it haha. During the process of going from table to table, another girl noticed my hat and asked me if I was from Oklahoma or just went to OU. Long story short, she was from Edmond and graduated from Santa Fe in 08, and she was with a friend from Tulsa. Small world huh? So that all went really smooth and I was done in less than 10 minutes.

As soon as I dropped my backpack in my room I was off to lunch cause I had skipped breakfast in favor of sleep and my stomach was not happy. Then I just explored the ship with another group I met and tried to learn my way around. Our group of 6 got lost 3 times, it’s a little confusing at first but you catch on. I met my roommate when I was unpacking. His name is Adam and he is from Minnesota. Our room is fine, we have more than enough space for all of our stuff, and so far we are getting along great.

At 4 we had our first mandatory lifeboat drill. Okay so picture this…550+ college kids, wearing life-jackets, taking roll, and the one rule is 0 talking. Two words…YEAH RIGHT. I mean are you kidding me?!?! Everyone is trying to get to know people and they are like telling us that we have to stop talking or we won’t pass. Then this guy next to me starts asking the crew-boss man all these questions cause we were just soooo bored. First he asked what we would really be doing if we were sinking and then how many people could fit on the lifeboat. Well that was interesting cause first the guy said 90, then he said 100 and 150 in case of an emergency. So we were all like what? Is this like a magic lifeboat that makes 60 more seats appear? Hmmmmmm. Anyways the whole lifeboat drill was hilarious and there are many more stories that happened during the 30 minute drill that I won’t go into now but it was pretty entertaining to say the least.

We were a little delayed in leaving Ensenada due to a customs/immigration problem but that was eventually fixed and we ended up leaving around 1815 local time instead of 1600. Dinner was our first meal on the ship and it isn’t too mad. There aren’t many options at any of the meals but that’s okay, nothing I can’t live with for a semester. Breakfast was also good the next morning; I actually woke up to go eat. After dinner the first night we had orientation which was pretty boring cause it was just a lot of information that we had all already heard. The worst part was at the end. The ship’s doctor gets up in front of everyone and goes, “Alright guys, the seas between here and Hawaii are going to be really bad!” During the meeting we had all kinda noticed the sway in the ship and some people were already getting pretty sick. After the meeting the sway and “roll” of the ship steadily got worse and worse. I took some Dramamine right after the meeting and was fine; my roommate didn’t get sick either luckily. The beds are comfortable and sleep was no problem. Today is just a ton of boring orientation meetings and telling us how to behave and stuff. No one is really excited about it because all they have done so far is reiterate stuff that we all already know as long as we have actually read the stuff we were supposed to read.

The coolest thing so far is just everyone’s attitudes towards each other. I have eaten every meal so far with different people, I have sat at meetings with different people every time, and I have met so many people already. The awesome thing is that everyone is so friendly. People just want to talk to you and get to know you for who you are and there is no apprehension or being shy so far. It just feels like you have known everyone forever cause you just sit down and start having a conversation about whatever. It’s stinkin awesome!!

Well looks like I have written plenty for two days worth haha. Tomorrow we start our first day of classes and everyone is just kinda ready to get into the swing of things. We have already done today’s morning sessions and are getting ready for lunch and the afternoon sessions to follow.

Hope you all are doing awesome! Love you guys!!

T Smith

Blogging

2009-12-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

I am setting up this blog at the request of friends and family as a way to keep track of me while I am away here for the next couple of months. Additionally, I wanted something concrete that I can have to keep track of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

For those of you that do not know I will not have a cell phone while I am studying abroad. I will have internet access but due to limitations with the ships internet service, Facebook and other means of internet communication are hard to use on the ship. Therefore I will be limited to email and blogging, hence the creation of this blog you are currently reading.

I will be posting at least once a week, probably more when really cool stuff happens. I would absolutely love as much commentation and feedback on this blog as you guys are willing to provide so that I can have a way of keeping up with all you guys back home.

Hope you guys enjoy the posts once I get started!

God Bless,

T Smith