On our long 15 day trip back to "the mother country" we made one stop in Hawaii which everyone spent on the beach, which was beautiful and lots of fun. We had the Ambassadors ball which is basically a prom where everyone wore their suits or dresses we bought in Japan. It was a lot of fun. i got the honor of delivering cake to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who is just an incredible person, he lights the ship up wherever he would go.


The trip is now over, we landed in San Diego.
There is no more ocean view dinners, 10 second access to 700 students, personal days because the pool sounded like a better idea then class, no more calling your teachers by the first name in class, then going to dinner with them in foreign countries, and then having them become your friends.
There is no more constant time changes, 5a.m. bedtime, then 8:30 breakfast, rough seas, calm seas, sunsets, friends, the crew, no more looking forward to the next foreign country while looking back on the last one.
It's all over now, a memory, but a memory that will not fade away, a trip of a lifetime, with friends for a lifetime, 1 boat, 100 days, 702 students, 1,000,000 memories. Thank you everyone that was either on the boat or following my trip, it was truly an experience and I encourage anyone to do this.
Im going to miss the boat, miss my friends but someday we will be back together again, once again thank you MOM and DAD, I love you two, thanks for everything along the way.

-Semester at Sea Spring 2007- Patrick Jones

On Friday night we went to a Kobe beef steakhouse, which is supposedly the best beef in the wrold, and it was very very good. The day was spent just walking around the city which is interesting because there are so many people here and they are all very short. Most of the guys dress like an 80`s rock band.
On Saturday we went to a soocer game. This was surprisingly fun, the crowd was crazy and the stadium was real new. The only bad thing was that it ended in a 0-0 tie. This is our last day in Japan before heading for eight days at sea ubtill we reach Hawaii, which is our last stop before San Diego.

Vietnam- Now I know why no one likes to talk about war. First day I went to the Cu Chi tunnels, and went in the tunnels which were very small and tough to crouch through them in the pitch black. The next day was our trip to Phnom Penh. We went to the killing fields and the genocide camps, both which were very disturbing. On the last night I got the travelers sickness, which is not fun. We went to Angor Wat, which is considered one of the wonders of the world. The story about this place is amazing. It was built around the 7th century and was finished in the 9th century and then they somehow lost the temple because it got overgrown by trees and vegatation. This does not make sense because it is absolutely enormous. They say you could spend a year there and still find new things to look at. It was then discovered about 150 years ago. On our last day in Vietnam we walked around Saigon (ho chi minh city the locals call it Saigon). and bought some gifts and ate at a gross KFC.

China- We landed in Hong Kong but since we have a trip we went directly to the airport. So I spent about 20 minutes in Hong Kong which looked like a very fun place.
We got to Beijing and had tours all day long of temples. We went out to some bars because it was one of the kids birthday. They owner of the bar had the band sing happy birthday for him. The next morning we were on our way to the Great Wall, and it lives up to its name. It was really an unbelievable sight. I climbed up about half way and then stayed there for a while before descending. The wall was unbelievable, it is amazing how they built it. We then went to Summer Garden; which is a beautiful temple right on the waters edge. I got left behind here and had to take an hour and a half cab ride back to the hotel, and it is not too fun with the language barrier. (I guess never go the bathroom exceot at a hotel because its easy to get lost) The next day we went to the telecate warrior museum. This was a sight and an even better story why this was made. They made this to protect the kings tomb and also put a layer of mercury in the ground so no one would break in. There were thousands of clay soldiers underground that also protected his tomb. This one is tough to explain, because you really have to see it. It was amazing, they call it the eight wonder of the world. Outside of the museum a Chinese student came over and talked to me for a while, and he loved Yao Ming, but they all love Yao Ming. The last day we went to Tienanmen square and the forbidden city, which were nice but I think everyone was worn out from sightseeing. These things were also huge, it was the biggest public area in the world. After we went to a market and I stayed outside of it and about 20 Chinese girls came over to me to take pictures of me and talk about the USA. They kept saying “you look like a million bucks.” They were very nice and funny, I was going to go to there university but there was not enough time. They all wanted to know who was my favorite pop star. On the last day of port we went to the markets and then to the Tsing Sao brewery. There were probably 50 SAS kids there and it was two kids’ birthdays. After that place closed we went to a bar down the street were a keg cost 100 yaun. This is about 14 dollars. So we all bought 3 of them. Everyone had a lot of fun and then we were on our way to Japan land.

Japan- This is our first developed country that we are visiting and the only one. The first day we walked around looking for Dice-K gear and we finally found some but it was made really cheap so we did not buy any of it. For dinner we went to an awesome Italian Restaurant because a few of us do not like Japanese food and the restaurant was unbelievable, and the cook spoke English so he was a help. I bought a huge Baileys bottle at a bar and when I was leaving the owner came in and he thought I stole it so he made me go back in and once he found out he bought me a drink. Now Japan has the screaming orgasm and everyone was ordering them. The next day we went to the baseball game which was awesome. We took the trains to the game which was very easy to navigate. At the game everyone has noise makers and they have many chants to yell. They seem to go the positive chants instead of negative against the other teams. At the 7th inning and after they won everyone blows up these huge balloons and than they let them fly away and it is really a sight to see. Tons of fans had huge flags and everyone seemed to enjoy us being at their baseball game. The three of us that went all bought jerseys and the guys jersey that I bought never stepped foot on the field so everyone got a good laugh out of that.
Happy Birthday Pat and Kevin!

Sorry this took so long, my website would not load

Sunday March 25- India; the place smells, really smells. No one ever thought a fart would be used as an air freshener, (I always did) but in India it was. That’s how bad some smells were. Everyone in Chennai knows we are coming because there is nothing else here. One driver told me they wait for SAS students twice a year to come and they do great business.

Everyone should experience the rickshaw. A taxi cab that is a motorized tricycle with or without an engine and they have the nice little back seat to sit in; we squeezed three guys in which was very crowded; they look like clown cars, they are awesome. We leave the dock and jump into a taxi and one minute later he gets pulled over, so we were off to a great start. We then had to go into another cab because he could no longer drive. On the way over I smelt tons of random scents, none remotely close to being good.We went to Spencer’s plaza and shopped all day in a mall that had some nice stuff. We then went to lunch were my new friend Pepto Bismo was taken. The food was very good, not to spicy and very cheap. One US dollar equals to 43 Indian Rupee. We then went back to the boat on the auto rickshaw. Driving in India is an experience in itself. Once you get out of the rickshaws we got hounded by moms with their babies, you feel like a celebrity except when you realize that it is a bunch of poor people wanting your money. My friend bought a drum for 750 rupees then I used my bargaining skills and got one for 400 Rupees just to make him mad, I honestly did not want it but it was funny. Yhen everyone else on the boat bought them for two hundred so I felt like a moron. We then went back to the ship and went right back out to the same mall for a bit then dinner with one of my teachers, which was awesome. Lamb ca bobs and some good bread, it is called naan and it is awesome; it’s basically a thick taco that is heated up. I had the beer which was kingfisher which was very good. (This trip was not a drinking trip at all, there was a lot to see and experience and I think everyone on the ship knew that.) I got back at about 10 showered and went to bed so I can wake up at 3:30 in the morning to go see the Taj

India

Day two In India- At four A.M. 70 of us pack on a bus to go to the airport to hop on a plane. They never looked at our id’s and security was very low for us. After getting off the plane we went to eat and then the train station which was a nightmare. The poverty and wild monkeys ( which one person got bit in his butt because he got to close) did not bother me, it was the two hour delay and sitting in the hot sun that got me. We finally board the train. This train was something. I fell asleep right away for about 30 minutes and wake up to some women poking me for money, and two minutes later I saw this man with his right eye completely out of his head and hanging down. It was the last time I fell asleep because I had an aisle seat and did not feel to comfortable after that. The never ending train ride consisted of poor kids grabbing your legs and more ladies with little girls asking for money and people selling everything. We did meet two nice Indians that helped chase people off and helped us when out 30 yr old fan broke. When we got off the train it was more poverty at the station. (India is extreme poverty and extreme wealth) When we boarded our buses everyone was shocked by what they saw. People’s leg bent backwards, no legs, one legs, anything you can think of. Then came the one person that I will never ever forget; a young kid with elephantitis. His feet were absolutely enormous. It was sad to see, it was the only thing during our stay that really affected everyone. If he was able to wear shoes they would be around a size 40 and that is not exaggerating, that might even be a conservative estimate.

We got to our hotel, and everyone showered and loved it. We then had dinner and went to the streets to buy some gifts. Everyone went to bed early because we had to wake up at 5 to get ready for the TAJ MAHAL at sunrise. Upon our arrival I saw it in the background and it just looked enormous, and it was. It was awesome. The prettiest building I have ever seen and probable ever will see. It is made out of all marble and sits on the bank of a river. When we were leaving me and my friend took a richshaw (not a motorized one, but one you peddle) and the driver wanted us to drive it, so my friend did and as we were going we almost crashed head on to another one and everyone thought we stole it, and we could not stop laughing. After the Taj we went back to the hotel for breakfast and then went to holy temples, which were also fascinating. We went to a Hindu and my friend and I went to a Muslim temple which later we found out we were not supposed to go to because it was dangerous. It was also an awesome place to see. We then went back to the hotel at 12 to eat and check out. We then went to Agra Fort which was incredibly huge. The best part of that was seeing the Taj Mahal in the distance on the river which was a sight to see. After the fort we went back to the Taj for a couple of hours around sunset. The colors that the sun throws off at sunset and sunrise are amazing at the Taj. We went inside the Taj to see the gravestone of the women who it was built for. (there is a good story behind why the Taj was built but it is to long for me to write. So hung out on the Taj for a while then went back. On our walk back to our bus we bought some stuff from the vendors. The big thing that everyone bought was an Indian book called Kama Sutra which is a book on how to have sex and every position possible and what it meant towards their life. We then went back to the hotel, got some Pizza Hut which was nice to get after nonstop Indian food (which is very overrated, it’s the same thing over and over again. Rice and spicy meat) the train was again late, but only 30 minutes. So me and these two girls started reading Kama Sutra out loud to each other which killed time really quickly, except when a little kid tried to come over and read with us and our tour guide had to keep kicking him away.. The train came and we were not done reading so we all sat next to each other on the train and read it. This train was the first class train because they wanted us to experience the rich culture also. It was not to nice according to USA standards but to us it was a little heaven on earth compared to the last ride.

After the train ride we checked in to an awesome Indian hotel (and remember it is awesome for India, not USA) Once again the highlight was the shower. There turned out to be three groups of SAS kids here so there was about 200 of us and there was a nightclub there so everyone decided to party. Well earlier that day I decided to not take anymore pepto bismo because it worked to well. So after a while in the bar I had to make a run to the room and I could not find it which made it even funnier. Everyone calls it Dehli Belly because New Delhi was one of the places we stayed, we Dehli belly lasted until the next morning. At breakfast I took Pepto and felt fine the whole day. We then went to the Gandhi Museum (or at least the one’s who woke up. I might be one of the ten kids on this ship that has not missed a trip, that is probably my only rule on this cruise, if I signed up for it I have to go, no matter what. Self inflicted wounds do not get you out of anything.) at the Gandhi museum which is actually his house he lived in and got shot at was nice, except everything I touched broke and then when a group of us went into the last room the power went out right when I stepped in so I left the museum after that and hung outside where nothing could be broken, but I did see the place where Gandhi got shot. We then went back to the hotel checked out and flew back home. Everyone was so relieved to be back on the boat because it was SO SO SO SO SO CLEAN.

India- Thursday March 29- The thing of the day was to see a mongoose fight a king cobra, and we did. The cobra got trampled by the mongoose. We then wanted to go go carting but the drivers thought it was better to pull into every parking lot possible to get us to buy anything, after about ten minutes of that and losing our friends in the other rickshaw it became a yelling match. Then he started telling us stories and we did not say one word to him the rest of the time and he then brought us back to the ship and that was It for India.

We leaving for Malaysia soon which I think is going to be one of the best stops. About ten of us are going to a hotel with about 100 SAS kids who are doing a trip. Ours costs about 1/3 of what theirs did. We are going to Kuala Lum Pur and are going to see the two tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas towers.

If you want to learn some things come to India, I will never go back here but I loved it here for the days we were here. It is a country of mixed values, women do not count for much, it is a mans world here, cows are the most sacred thing ever; they just walk on the street doing what they want, which is pretty cool. They are nice people, a lot of them do not like to work, but then some love what they do, they love playing cricket, religion is most important they say, but just like every other place I’ve been money is still stronger. I will not miss the smell that’s for sure, but the beauty of the Taj, the forts, the temples and the president’s house will be missed. All the kids and adults waving to us was a sight to see, the snake man who came out of no where and scared me half to death will not be missed, but the living experience will be.

We have only 8 class days in April so everyone at school you have fun.

Monday April 2^nd Malaysia- We have gotten to Malaysia and we are in a fishing village called Penang. The water is very dirty, lots of garbage floating around. We have to take a tender boat to get to shore because no dock is big enough for our ship. After about a group of about ten of us got off the boat we went to get some food. We went to a place called munchies; (a little hole in the wall) It turned out to be awesome, and they had the best milkshakes I have ever had. We then walked around and man was the sun strong. We finally went to a bar, then me and a few people left to go to an internet café. After we went to another bar and me and my friend played pool against two locals. It was called the pool Olympics; we won the best of three series in three games. After the game we took some pictures but one of the pool players could not get in the picture because he was wanted by the FBI which was interesting. At dinner we went to a restaurant that overlooked the harbor and it revolved around so we had some awesome views. I went back to the ship around 10 because we had to catch a plane in the morning to go to Kuala Lumpur.

Tuesday- Asia Airlines which is the low cost airfare is the best airlines I have ever been on. They have a cold fog shooting out of the ceiling to cool everyone off, they have leather seats and very good looking stewardesses. On our arrival to KL we took about an hour cab ride, which only cost $40 for seven of us. Jen Jackson (Nichols cousin) and her roommate Brittany also from Hanover were along the trip. On our arrival we finally saw the towers and they are very tall. They didn’t lie about that. We got to our hotel early so we walked around and had some lunch. We all went back to take naps and then had a party in our room before going out. KL which is there capital is very nice. They got their Times Square, Chinatown, and various other places to go to.

Wednesday – We went out around 11 AM and got some lunch and then went to the towers. When we got there all the tickets were sold out for the tour so we walked around its 7 floor mall. (I think it was 7 floors, could be wrong.) Jen and I later went to Chinatown and got some very cheap DVDS, $3/movie. And they all worked. For dinner we went to Planet Hollywood where they were having lots of beer promotions because of the F1 race that was in town for the week. They did a lot for this event. They had tons of concerts, closed down streets, paved streets for the demo they were putting on. We missed the fun part because we were leaving Thursday morning and nothing big was starting until Friday. But it was a lot of fun. KL had a lot of American influence, all the music was American, every chain restaurant was there. At about three in the morning about half the SAS kids were at McDonalds.

Thursday- Nothing to special happened this day. We flew back and went to a mall and then got on the boat and took a long nap. About 200 of the 700 students got dock time for coming back late. Apparently they did not read the notice that said be back by 6:30 because taking the tender boats is a long process.

KL was a very nice city, and definitely a place to go see. Now we are on our way to Vietnam. Which will take three days, which means we actually have some class to go to. We only have around 39 days left which is not good, anyone thinking of doing this trip do it. I have already learned more here then I have in my last few years in college and it is pretty fun too.

Ryan thanks for helping me with my classes back in San Diego, I really appreciate it.

Mauritius- This small island located off the coast of Madagascar was beautiful. After days of rough seas they made up enough time and we arrived around four hours late. We got in around 12. We then headed to our house that was very nice. It only cost $40 per person for two nights and it was a very nice three story house a block from the beach with nice porches and lots and lots of bugs; upon arrival three girls left our “villa” because there was a cat outside. So they went to a five star hotel and stayed there making everyone else in the villa mad except for the people who got to sleep in beds instead of the floor. The first night was an early night for everyone; we had some awesome seafood and then hung out in the villa for a while then went to bed. The next day might have been the best day so far on Semester at Sea. We got out own private boat with driver who took us around the islands on the east side of Mauritius and the water was so clear and light greenish blue. We went to a waterfall which was freshwater that fell in to the ocean. We got to swim in the waterfall and jump off rocks. We later went to another island which had water sports and we went swimming there for an hour until lunch which was the last island we went to. This was a small island with locals cooking us food on the beach and drinking Phoenix; which was one of the Mauritius beers, the other major one was Blue Marlin which was really good. They cooked us some Marlin and chicken which was amazing. When we were leaving a bunch of Germans sang us American songs; on the boat ride we saw some of the most amazing views you could think of. With huge houses right on the water and gigantic green mountains in the background. The next day and our last day in port was St. Patricks day and we went to the local markets and saw a collection of junk and fruits with flies all over them. Later we went to the bars on the waterfront and celebrated for the old Saint Patrick.

March 19- We had the Sea Olympics which our team came in second place so we get off the boat second in San Diego. There was a lip synching contest which was awesome to see and we got some entertainers on this boat that’s for sure and a lot of boring people that well are not entertainers. Our next place to go to is India where I am assuming is where the learning of very different cultures takes place; this is going to be interesting how some kids in this ship take this place. I can not wait for it.

March 21^st- I got electrocuted at Pub Night that was a lot of fun. A few more days till India, we get there on Sunday. Hope everyone is enjoying March Madness. We are going to India on Sunday for five days and this is were the learning part of the trip really starts.

We are planning big things for Malaysia

Cape Town, S. Africa- March 2- Pulling in to this harbor was awesome, there were sea Lions and penguins swimming around and the harbor was awesome with tons of fishing boats and mountains in the background. The currency is the Rand. One US dollar is equivalent to 7 Rands. Later that day we made a trip to go skydiving; which was backed up about two hours, so we sat in the waiting area and had a party which was really fun. Finally we went up on the plane at sunset which was awesome. Then came the jumping out of the plane; it was awesome. Once you jump out of the plane a feeling of freedom comes on and it was great. I got to drink a beer on the way down from skydiving which was easiest the best beer I have had in my life. And doing this at sunset made it that much better. If anyone has ever thought of doing skydiving; do it, it is a lot of fun. We then got back and went to the bars on the pier which were awesome, and then we later went up to Long Street which is there nightlife area, and is a lot of fun.

S. Africa day two- We walked around during the day, and had some awesome crepes and got some lunch on the water which was good. They have some good seafood here. We then went to the Tequila bar which advertises every tequila in the book on the outside but when you go in they have about three different kinds. They also had this thing called the fishbowl; which was like 5 different alcohols in a huge bowl that took about four kids to drink and there was some serious competition on who could finish them first. Then around nine we went out to dinner and it was pouring rain outside, and about two of us had jackets so it was funny. (I had one) We went to this place called “Mortons on the Wharf” and it was unbelievable. There was about eight of us and everyone had a great meal. Good champagne and wine too. We then went to the tequila bar again and later tried to go to the ice lounge which is a bar with everything made out of ice but it was closed so we went to another bar which a cop told us about and demanded for a tip after he told us which was pretty funny. When this bar was closing they used teargas to get everyone out which was awful. Everyone just started coughing really bad and we were all running out, it was pretty efficient though. We then went up to Long Street were they had a festival on the streets which was a lot of fun.

Day 3- I had a plane to catch at 6:30, then had a three hour plane ride to Kruger; which is where our safari was at Kruger National Park. We had a safari later that day which was fun, Wcame back to an unbelievable dinner where they had some awesome food. I then went to bed because we had to be up at 4:30.

Day 4- Getting up early was a lot of fun. We then had a six hour safari with an hour breakfast. Then later in the afternoon you got on a three hour safari. It was my teacher’s birthday so we bought him a lot of shots and beers, So he had a good birthday. 4^th and

Final day of Safari- We got to pet the elephants on our last day and be around them for a while which was awesome. We then hopped on our plane to go back and I started a party on our plane with vodka and then our tour guide cut us off on the plane because we were not supposed to drink on the way back. Later that night me and some girl went back to Mortons and had dinner because everywhere else you needed reservations. But it was awesome again. Then it was party time again.

Last day in S. Africa- We went to the Wine lands which were awesome. We sampled champagne, wine, and then Brandi. The wine lands were huge and looked amazing. Then here comes the bad part. We went to some dumb museum and then the bus decided to leave without me. I then found out it left ten minutes early. So I thought I was about ten minutes away from Cape Town and I found another bus with some girls on it that I knew and jumped on with them, it turns out it was an hour and a half ride back. I then found my tour guide and asked him how his ride back was and he did not even know I was not there. He said he did a head count and got the right number, so I guess he just can’t count. Anyways I lost about fifteen dollars worth of stuff which I am trying to get Semester at Sea to pay for. Then we went out to the bars at the jetty for some last minute partying, which was a lot of fun. There were a lot of drunken people on the ship when we got back on the ship. I could definitely see myself coming back to Cape Town. This place was awesome and very modernized. It is a very nice looking city and a lot of fun.

March 9- We are still in Cape Town because it was too windy, so we left at around 5 Pm and we are on our way to Mauritius where a bunch of us rented a cottage on the beach for a couple of days which should be a lot of fun. We had our first karaoke night on the boat and they had no songs at all. It was disappointing, but a bunch of us sang Piano Man and had a good time.

March 10- For some reason we did not have class today, and everyone is just hanging out. I will write after we leave Mauritius unless if something good happens before then. Well we just had a fire drill and it was spectacular, I got sent back to my room because I did not have shoes on; they take these things seriously. But I redeemed myself by getting my Nikes…..GO RED SOX!!!!

If anyone has a chance to go on this, do it. You get to see the world and have a spring break every other week and meet some awseome people and somehow get college credit....

Brazil- Day one, Saturday February 17- Well Brazil is awesome. Huge and I mean huge parades. Take the Red Sox, and all of the Patriots parades and put them together and you got Carnival. Its uncontrollable, you have to travel in groups. We went with about 20 kids and walked around drank and danced. We got into a Carnival group because of our awesome dancing. And they spray cheese out of a bottle everywhere because they can’t afford silly string. I had a SAS trip going into the middle of Carnival which was fun but very repetitive, so a friend and I left after a while. After leaving the streets man does everyone smell bad and everybody’s shoes are disgusting; flat out gross along with the rest of everyone’s clothes. But it is worth it.

Feb 18^th- We went Walking the around the streets then went to a restaurant that Hilary Clinton ate at. (Man was I honored) The beers they have are Skol, Nova schin and Brahma; all are good and only a dollar. Later we went out to carnival and it was the beginning of my bday party. And it was awesome; we did some more dance moves. (fishing, lawn mower, sprinkler, and the worm) then later some one translated to a local that it was my birthday at 12 so they all picked me up and I was crowd surfing and they were throwing me in the air and singing happy birthday in Portuguese, it was awesome and something I will never forget. We had a lot of laughs there until one of our friends got jumped by some kids. (On the boat we are spreading the word he got jumped by a bunch of 12 yr old girls.) He was fine, lost 20 bucks and got a dirty shirt. He was going the bathroom off the cliff and got jumped with one of our other friends and the vendors were yelling to some one else who then tapped me on the shoulder to go help him, once we ran over they were all gone and nothing major happened, we then went home. But this night was awesome; trading off dance moves and just watching the never ending parade go bye with trucks that have 30 foot speakers and a band playing on the roof; it is something that’s fun to see.

Feb 19 (Birthday time)- Awesome day; we went to the beach, beautiful beach and the cab ride was 10 bucks a person and they waited for us all day; another day of drinking and fun times. And of course the pit stop on the highway so the girls can pee. (which was funny because I had to hold a towel to cover them and Everyone on the highway was slowing down and trying to look

Birthday dinner at a Brazilian steak house. We ate like Kings. The only thing that I can say is awesome. If you ever go to Brazil go to there steak houses. They are unbelievable. The restaurant was Boi Prita. The best meat I ever had And dad I your drink is going global. They walk around with carts of alcohol and I showed them your drink. I had to make it myself and they loved the name of it. The meat was awesome and the atmosphere was wild. We got bottles of champagne for my birthday and bought some for our teachers and the dean. They toasted us and all of a sudden a huge chant got going from the natives dressed for Carnival. It was so loud and awesome, it was literally just an uproar.. Then about 15 minutes later about 80 people sung happy birthday too me; it was unbelievable. I can’t thank all the kids for last night; it was an awesome way to spend a 21^st birthday. We got a ride in a Mercedes van which fit 20 of us for 10 dollars a piece and they once again waited for us. We then went back to the boat got changed again because you do nothing but sweat in Brazil. We walked around and went to some reggae bar and danced and all that fun stuff. It was an awesome day, everything went right. It was a day that I will never forget, a lot of fun. Happy Birthday to my old roommate Ryan and your twin brother, and of course Happy Birthday to Warren’s mom Ellen!

Feb 20- Today I got waken up by another knock on the door and phone call. This one kid has a list of about 30 kids and he just calls everyone when he wakes up. We went back into the city and bought some stuff at the markets. Another steak house; another awesome dinner, it was just as good as last nights. For the first time I tried sushi, and it’s pretty good. These restaurants are awesome. Then we went to the bar after and had a good time. When we got back some went back in Salvador for Carnival and a few people and I stayed right at the dock and had a party there. I got video of a girl trying to sneak some one on, and that was pretty funny. And I saw Desmond Tutu at 6:30 in the morning, which was pretty funny. We are leaving port tonight and making our way to Cape Town, South Africa; which should be awesome. It is an eight day trek across the ocean, with one day off of class for Neptune day where they shave everybody’s heads because of our crossing of the equator. Carnival was fun and worth it but Salvador Brazil is not a place you would want to raise a kid, unless you like people randomly peeing in the streets and really bad random scents. We stayed here just long enough and everyone is waiting for South Africa which is a while a way. Well I hope it is not too cold in Massachusetts because it is very warm here. Until next time, see you later.

Day 8- we had a pub night last night and that was interesting. We can only have six beers or glasses of wine; the wine glasses are really small. The bartender told me it used to be unlimited then someone jumped off the boat so they had to change their policy. So for most it is a tease, but for the kids that can not drink it is funny. I must have seen three girls just flat out fall over on the floor when the boat rocked. This was a good way to meet even more people.This is just more of a social event, and it works pretty good. I finally met Jen, my cousin Nichol’s cousin; she was funny and very nice. I have not met “Rose” from Quinnipiac yet. I was the only one at pub night with a coozie, everybody loved it. There is now a pub night every night until we get to Brazil which is on Saturday. My classes are good. One of them is going to be a lot of work; (Strategic management) which you get in groups of five and compete against other teams for the most profitable business. My other classes are principles of management and international human resource management which seem to b good classes. In those classes we also work in groups and gather information from all the countries that we visit. And Global Studies, you talk about a bad class with a horrible teacher. They got a psychology teacher teaching geography, and world history. He is a terrible speaker and the setup is awful. All 702 students have to attend this class at once in a couple of rooms. They did not organize this class all to well, but o well. The teachers that I have are real funny and almost fall over every time a wave hits, so its fun to watch the teacher be the one learning something and struggling.

Day 11- We passed the equator today and it is really really hot and humid. And yes some people were looking for the green line in the ocean that showed the equator. (mostly girls and kids from Texas) So far I have realized people from Texas mine as well be from a different planet. Classes are going well and we have a valentines stop light dance tonight and my end of the ship called the Arabian sea has a social with the faculty. Another miss planned event by this staff, so we can only go to one event tonight. Anyways this trip is awesome and I encourage anyone thinking or just able to go on it that they should. We will be in Brazil Saturday during Carnival and my 21^st birthday on Monday, so it should be interesting. I got added on one more trip, so I will be visiting the Great Wall of China, the forbidding city, and going to Beijing. I did not get my trip to Singapore so I will be staying in Malaysia for a while which will be fun. During Brazil I will post again and let everyone know how the best party in the world is going. (Carnival)

Day 8- we had a pub night last night and that was interesting. We can only have six beers or glasses of wine; the wine glasses are really small. The bartender told me it used to be unlimited then someone jumped off the boat so they had to change their policy. So for most it is a tease, but for the kids that can not drink it is funny. I must have seen three girls just flat out fall over on the floor when the boat rocked. This was a good way to meet even more people.This is just more of a social event, and it works pretty good. I finally met Jen, my cousin Nichol’s cousin; she was funny and very nice. I have not met “Rose” from Quinnipiac yet. I was the only one at pub night with a coozie, everybody loved it. There is now a pub night every night until we get to Brazil which is on Saturday. My classes are good. One of them is going to be a lot of work; (Strategic management) which you get in groups of five and compete against other teams for the most profitable business. My other classes are principles of management and international human resource management which seem to b good classes. In those classes we also work in groups and gather information from all the countries that we visit. And Global Studies, you talk about a bad class with a horrible teacher. They got a psychology teacher teaching geography, and world history. He is a terrible speaker and the setup is awful. All 702 students have to attend this class at once in a couple of rooms. They did not organize this class all to well, but o well. The teachers that I have are real funny and almost fall over every time a wave hits, so its fun to watch the teacher be the one learning something and struggling.

Day 11- We passed the equator today and it is really really hot and humid. And yes some people were looking for the green line in the ocean that showed the equator. (mostly girls and kids from Texas) So far I have realized people from Texas mine as well be from a different planet. Classes are going well and we have a valentines stop light dance tonight and my end of the ship called the Arabian sea has a social with the faculty. Another miss planned event by this staff, so we can only go to one event tonight. Anyways this trip is awesome and I encourage anyone thinking or just able to go on it that they should. We will be in Brazil Saturday during Carnival and my 21^st birthday on Monday, so it should be interesting. I got added on one more trip, so I will be visiting the Great Wall of China, the forbidding city, and going to Beijing. I did not get my trip to Singapore so I will be staying in Malaysia for a while which will be fun. During Brazil I will post again and let everyone know how the best party in the world is going. (Carnival)

Day 4- Puerto Rico- Pulling in from the ship Puerto Rico looked a lot nicer then I thought it would be, we are staying right by the docks with all the private yachts with tons of high rising condos, hotels, and buildings in the background. The area that we are in reminds me a lot of Miami. (From what I can remember). Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of USA so USA has a lot of influence on them. We went to the rain forest here and the best part was when we first got there and went to a tower which was about 1,600 feet in elevation and overlooked the ocean. Other then that it was a walk through the woods, it was fun but something not many people would do again. That night was awesome. First we went to dinner at some local restaurant, My roommate and I met up with some random people on the way. (Which is the theme to this trip) We then went to San Sebastian Street. (which is the main strip in old San Juan) We went to a couple of bars and all of a sudden a little local bar was filled with SAS students, and it was packed. The pool tables were more like putting greens with the slopes they had on them, but I still won the game I played. Later on the walk home me and some friends stopped at another bar and finally went back to the ship when some other friends stopped there taxi and offered us a ride. That night one of the bartenders was a teacher and he was telling us how the children for the most part do no want to learn and there parents tell them it is ok to go the drug life. Medalla light is the beer of Puerto Rico and it is awesome. Puerto Rico also claims the Pina Colada as there own, which were awesome here.

Day 5- My roommate and I walked around Old San Juan and went into a restaurant. It had Mexican food but it was gross. We later found out they microwave the meat in a huge bowl and then a pigeon flew into the bowl and it was pretty gross because the cook kept the food. The drinks here were good so it made up for it. At 4:30 I went to the Bioluminescent bay and it was awesome. (Except for the two hour bus ride that everyone slept on) We went on two man kayaks and kayaked in the night in a 10 foot wide river into a huge lagoon where the water would light up as anything hit the ocean, and then we got to swim in it. It was an awesome sight to see, this is something that I would love to do again. There were many head on collisions which were pretty funny because we were going pretty fast and you couldn’t see much because it was nighttime. Later when we got back we went out to the same bars and then I sang some karaoke and I got cut off by the Karaoke guy with a weird chicken noise because my singing was not as good as the Puerto Ricans. I sang Take it Easy by the Eagles, then they welcomed me back to sing a Spanish version of Living La Vida Loca, and Help, I need somebody, hit me baby one more time because the girls walked off stage during the middle of it, and then finally I sang some Bon Jovi song with a local. I got back to the boat at about five and hung out on the ship for two hours with some friends and then went to bed.

Day 6- Our last day in Puerto Rico, and it was spent well. Went to the beach for a while and they had a bar there and then got some dinner where everyone had the last dinner in Puerto Rico. We all got back to the boat and watched us sail away and the rumor is that one person has gotten kicked off already, I don’t know what they did but that should be fun to tell there parents. Well I thought that Puerto Rico would be our worst port and it was awesome, basically a little spring break, before 8 days at Sea. I am going to miss Puerto Rico; it is Americanized yet still has its own distinct flavor. They can dance and sing very well. The funniest part is kids strapping alcohol to there legs so they can sneak it on to the ship, they get duct tape and just tape it to there legs, but do not worry I have not tried it and I will not try it. This trip to Puerto Rico was mostly a mini Spring Break before we head out for six days at sea, and it was a lot of fun

Day 7- We are back on ship and back into class. It is amazing how everyone or mostly everyone just switches right back into class mode; we got class for seven days in a row before heading to Salvador, Brazil. Carnival is taking place during this time and it is a big party with lots of parades and is very out of control. I will write again in a few days when something interesting happens, until then-Good luck-

Well the Bahamas was awesome! Just want to start of saying thank you Mom and Dad!

Day one- With the ship disembarking everyone went up to the top to wave to the very tiny crowd that was still around. You could feel the excitement on the ship, it was like the first day of freshman year times ten. There are 66% girls on this ship and a total amount of 702 students. There is a total of around 1,000 passengers on the ship ranging from 7 months to 61 years old There are kids from over 270 colleges aboard this ship and University of Colorado has the most by far with around 70-90 kids. I have met some interesting people so far and hung out at the pool all day and played some funny card game which I forget the name. So far there have been a lot of meaningless meetings going on and everyone going out to meet more friends. Boston is well represented on this ship and San Diego is also. Our port whole in out room is huge. Eating is like being at a buffet restaurant; they take your plates for you. They make your bed in the morning, and clean the bathroom.

Day two- I got woke up by the voice over the intercom because we had a meeting, (another meaningless one) then finished unpacking, then had lunch, took a nap, went to the first Global Study class meeting and I guess we were not suppose to show up in a bathing suit and a tank top, and we were suppose to have a notebook and a pen; After we went out to the aft deck and relaxed until sunset, then had dinner. The excitement in the atmosphere is becoming more controlled and the first day of classes are tomorrow, and sometime tonight I will have to find out when and where mine are. We got one day of class followed by 3 days in Puerto Rico for our first vacation. We have not had any “pub nights” yet; So, I expect a lot of partying from everyone on this trip into Puerto Rico, because what else is there to do here.

Day 3- Classes have started and they seem to be fun, but I still got two more I have not been too. My classes got over at 12 today and do not have any for 4 more days. After class I just went to the pool all day and it was another 80+ degree day. Tomorrow we are going to Puerto Rico for three days; there should be some good stories leaving that place because there is not much to do but drink. We had three sunsets so far all have been covered with some clouds, but the sun was HUGE today at sunset.

This took a half hour to load, so when I get some good stories I will post them again, sorry these ones are not to good, but ship life is awseome..That Christopher Columbus guy was on to something

Hey everyone just setting up this blog for my upcoming trip. I will try to update this as much as I can. I am leaving for the Bahamas on January 31st, and will start my voyage Feb 4th. Here are my dates of port....I hope everyone follows this throughout my trip and enjoys reading it....

Feb 4th-Bahamas
Feb 7th-9th: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Feb 17-21: Salvador, Brazil (during Carnival) {Big non stop party for a week}
March 2-8: Cape Town, South Africa
March 15-17: Port Louis, Mauritius
March 25-29: Chennai, India
April 2-5: Penang, Malaysia
April 9-14: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
April 17-18: Hong Kong
April 21-22: Qingdao, China
April 25-29: Kobe, Japan
May 7: Honolulu, Hawaii
May 14- San Diego
May 15- Home