India

I’m not sure where to even begin talking about India. It was an awesome experience. In the 5 days I spent here, I saw so much.

When we arrived on Sunday we all had to meet face to face with immigration officers who came onto the ship. While this whole process was going on, I went to a yoga demonstration that was happening in the union. I couldn’t believe how flexible these people were. I now believe it’s possible to bend in any way you can imagine. Following that, a few of us headed out to do a bit of shopping for Indian clothing in Chennai. We took a motor rickshaw, which was an experience and a half. A motor rickshaw is a motorized vehicle that has 3 wheels and no doors. The traffic here makes anything you would possibly see in the states seem calm. There were rickshaws all over the place, mopeds filling the street, a handful of cars and buses, and everyone’s horns were beeping all the time. There are lanes, but no one stays in them. People are just all over. And no one stops for you. If you’re trying to cross the street, you had better be watching out, because you will be hit. Later that night we went to a welcome reception with some local college students. Just about everyone I spoke with was going to school to become an engineer. So it was almost like being back in Troy. Almost.

The next morning I was up early, bag packed, and on my way. We flew to Varanasi for the first part of our trip. Airport security was much less of a hassle that at home. It was interesting though, when we got there and put our bags on the conveyor belt to be scanned, the men went through the metal detectors that were out in the open, and the women had to go through the ones behind the curtain.

Upon arriving in Varanasi, we went to Sarnath which is where Buddha preached his first sermon. There were monks praying and it was quite peaceful. Except for the hawkers who were constantly trying to sell you things. Everywhere we went there were people shoving things in your face trying to sell you something. It was overwhelming at times.

The next morning we got up and went on the Ganges River at sunrise. We saw people coming down to bath in the river. It was crazy to watch because the water seems so dirty, and yet this is where some people take their daily bath to feel clean. We also saw cremation happening up the river a little ways. In the Hindu religion the Ganges River is holy. Dying in Varanasi and being cremated at the river is a way to break free of the cycle of rebirth on this earth. Looking at the shore from the boat, it was truly beautiful. There was so much going on and people all over. Despite the poverty, the colors were so vibrant. You could just see life happening up on the shore.

From Varanasi we flew to Delhi and took a train to Agra. While in Agra we first visited the fort where the man who built the Taj Mahal was imprisoned by his son. He had built the Taj for one of his wives, but in doing so he left his family and country with no money. One of his sons from a different wife gained control and imprisoned him. From the fort you had a great view of the Taj Mahal. It was almost like a tease. He could see the Taj from a distance, but couldn’t be there. After visiting the fort, we made our way to the Taj itself. It was absolutely incredible. I can’t get over how big it is. We had a few hours there so were able to just sit back and relax and take it all in. The intricacies of the stonework are amazing. There are all kinds of colored stones inlaid in the marble. I don’t know what else I can say about it.

As a whole, it’s difficult to digest India. I saw the Taj Mahal and all its beauty, such a huge expensive building. But then right outside the gate there is so much hardship. I saw more physical disfiguration than I think I ever have as a result of malnutrition. I saw a man in the train station with elephantitus in his feet. His feet looked like giant blow up toys, they were jut huge. Yet, here he was, this crazy problem, homeless, and when asked if his condition made thing more difficult, he simply said it was a gift from God. His attitude on life was incredible. Just about everywhere you went there were people begging. The most difficult was when you had kids coming up to you. And it wasn’t only kids, but kids carrying babies. It was heartbreaking. India was dirty. But it was so full of life. I don’t think India ever sleeps. Even when we were out at 4 in the morning to catch a train the streets were alive. You saw some people in tattered clothes and other in beautiful bright colored sarees. Overall, India was just an incredible experience. There is so much more I could say about my time in India, but I will leave it at that for now.

Preparing for India

It’s been a really busy week here at sea. It started off with the Sea Olympics; a day of games and competition amongst all the seas. We are divided into seas based on where we live and who our Resident Director is. I’m on the Yellow sea. We started the day off strong, but soon fell behind. I participated in the lip sync competition which was a hoot. Myself and 5 others put together a mix of songs including Circle of Life, Barbie Girl, All Shook Up, Ghostbusters, and Happy Days. It was quite a random mix. We ended the day coming in 5^th of 10. So that means we will be the 5^th group to be able to get off the ship once we get to San Diego.

After that, it was back to classes for a 6 day stretch. At least this time the ocean was really calm (eerily calm at times) but we could actually be productive. Step aerobics was much easier this past week, and we got to watch the sun set every night during class so that was really awesome. We also saw a bunch of dolphins yesterday playing in the wake from the ship. And we’ve crossed the equator again this past week, so we’re back in the northern hemisphere. We have also turned our clocks ahead another hour and a half. I find that interesting, that India is off from other time zones by the half hour. So we’re now 9 ½ hours ahead of New York.

Beyond that, we’ve spent a lot of time preparing for India. We’ve been told it’s going to be quite a culture shock; the most difficult port we’ll encounter. We’ve been advised to dress conservatively, but to wear light weight cotton clothing because it’s going to be hot. We’re going to go out and purchase some real Indian clothing on the first day so we have some more appropriate attire. We have also been told to be prepared to be dirty. We’ve been conserving water all week on the ship because once we get in to port, we may have to ration it. Tonight in pre-port we were given all kinds of heath precautions like Pepto-Bismol before eating, don’t drink any water unless it’s bottled under an international brand since the locally bottled water is often dirty, use bug spray with deet, and be sure to be taking malaria medicine. We were also given a demonstration on how to use the squat toilets, and advised to carry tissues with us since in many of these toilets there is just a bucket of water to clean your left hand in after wards. So it should be an interesting experience. But I’m ready!

Food for Thought

(As presented by Dean Mike in Global Studies)

The world as a whole is experiencing population growth. There is also a lot of poverty in places such as India. In the industrialized Western world, a common way of thinking is that population growth causes poverty and environmental degradation. This raises the question, what causes population growth? Maybe the causation is in fact the other way around. Poverty and environmental degradation cause population growth. This then raises the question, what causes poverty and environmental degradation? Perhaps it’s not so much of a causation effect as a correlation between the two.

At the same time, when looking at overpopulation, the common Western attitude is that we need population controls in places like India where the population is growing at the fastest rates. India has a growth rate of 2% and will soon be the most populous country on the planet. The attitude is that they’re irresponsible for having so many children. If we can control population, we will better preserve our planet and its resources. But consider this: the average, environmentally conscious American consumes 100 times that of a poor Indian. So maybe we’re targeting the wrong area for population control. From a consumption perspective, it would be more beneficial to the planet to reduce the number of people who consume the most, not necessarily the number of people in the most crowded areas. In reality, who are the irresponsible ones?

Think about it.

Mauritius: Home of the Dodo

We had a delayed arrival into Mauritius due to rough weather, but that sure didn’t stop us! Since some of the early trips were cancelled, once we finally got off the ship, a few of us headed to the beach for a couple hours. Then I went to a multicultural evening event. Mauritius is truly a mixture of many different cultures including Indian, Chinese, Oriental, and Creole. We were greeted by a group performing traditional Sega dance and were served cocktails. Then we moved inside the restaurant for a Creole dinner and dance performances, followed by dancing of our own. It was a great way to begin our stay in Mauritius.

On Friday I went on a trip around the city that explored some of the diversity of the island. We visited a Tamil temple, the Muslim Cultural Center, a Catholic church, and a Chinese pagoda. To walk into the temple we had to take off our shoes. We stopped by the river for a Muslim lunch, and then proceeded to a colonial house. The house had over 100 doors and was huge. While here we were told about the Creole and Franco-Mauritian history on the island. Finally we arrived at the Mahatma Ghandi Institute where we saw an Indian dance performance. After the performance, one of the instructors was asking me where I went to school. I told her in the US, but she wanted to know the name of the school. When I told her Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, she actually knew it. Her son had been accepted there, although he chose to attend a different school. But I was amazed that she had even heard of it. So I thought that was pretty cool.

On my last day in Mauritius I went to Adventure Park Chamarel. This was essentially a high ropes course. We were strapped into harnesses and crossed through the trees on bridges. There were also nets to walk across, ropes to swing from platform to platform, and a zipline. It was a blast. And a real workout. My entire body hurts today. After that, we spent some time relaxing at the beach before heading back to the ship. We then took the water taxi across the harbor to the waterfront for dinner and last minute shopping before getting back on the ship for another week at sea.

Are We There Yet?

We are on day 5 of 6 at sea between South Africa and Mauritius. This stretch of the journey has been rough though. The water’s been pretty rough and the boat is rocking all over the place. The captain has pulled us off course a couple of times to bring us in closer to land where the water is a bit calmer. Lying in bed at night all of a sudden it feels like the bed drops out from under you, and then you hear big crashes and things slamming around. Walking around the ship is an adventure in itself. You walk down the hall, the boat shifts, and everyone slams into the wall. I’ve got bruises from walking into things! And the rocking has added a whole new element to the step aerobics class I’m taking. We all keep missing the steps, and it’s all we can do not to fall off them.

On top of the rocking of the boat, the work load has been intense this week. Everyone’s had multiple exams and papers due in the past couple of days. So we are all more than ready to get off this ship and enjoy some adventures on solid ground.

South Africa Part 2

The second half of our week in South Africa was just as amazing as the first. And just as busy!

On Tuesday morning I went to Robben Island. This is where the political prisoners were exiled to during the apartheid. Since many of the prisoners were well educated, and they all valued education, they held classes in prison and many of the prisoners left with the equivalent of two degrees. And not only did the prisoners educate each other, they also included the guards in these lessons, so the guards too increased their education. We were also given a tour of the prison itself by a former political prisoner. We saw the cell where Nelson Mandella had stayed, and had a chance to look inside other cells where there were brief stories about the person who lived in that cell. It gave me chills. On a lighter note, we also saw penguins on the island. They were cute.

The next day I visited the Amy Biehl Foundation. Amy Biehl was a young American who was stoned to death while helping in the struggle against the apartheid. Her parents began the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust which now runs programs for school children. We visited several different schools and saw various programs in action. There’s one program where the seventh graders read to the first graders and serve as role models. There is also an after school music programs where students learn to play the recorder and other various instruments. Some of the children performed dances for us that they were learning in their after school programs. We also saw the golf program in action where students were learning how to play the game. The Foundation is there to provide children an opportunity for safe and constructive after school activities as an alternative to drugs and violence.

On my final day in South Africa I visited St. James Mission School in Kalk Bay. We were greeted by the principal, Greg Gordon, and given a tour of the school. Then we had the opportunity to view classes in session. We visited the preschool where an instructor was teaching the children English through games and songs. All classes are taught in English, and for some of the children school is the only place they hear and speak English, so the program as the preschool helps prepare them. We also saw part of a computer class. The sixth grade teacher was working with the second graders to teach them basic computer skills. We visited the library which is in a trailer type building right outside the school. It’s very small, but the librarian told us they have 6,000 books. And she’s working on getting a couple of computers in there and switching to more electronic resources. The school also has a program to help kids deal with different issues such as anger management and sex. We sat in on a session where 7 boys were discussing anger. They were drawing pictures of what their anger looks like, talking about what makes them angry, and talking about times during the past week that they got angry or were able to avoid getting angry. They were very open and willing to share with each other. Because many of these kids are coming from poor areas, their parents often are just focused on making it day to day. So these sessions are there to help boost self esteem, and really get at things kids deal with every day. It was a great visit.

And that about concludes my experience in South Africa. There’s so much more I didn’t have time to do. I’ll come back someday!

South Africa!

South Africa is amazing. I have already decided I will come back someday. A week just isn’t long enough to do everything there is to do here. We are staying at the water front in Cape Town, which is an extremely touristy area. It’s beautiful though. Pulling in we were able to see the sun rising over Table Mountain.

On our first day here, I took a tour of Cape Town. We got to see the Castle of Good Hope and walk through the Companies Garden, where we stopped for tea. Many people here have an English accent. South Africa had first been under Dutch rule, and then had been under English rule. Later that night I went to the theater and saw a play called Everyone Else. It was about two sisters and their relationships with men. It was pretty funny. We spent some time after the play walking around the water front.

Saturday I was up and on my way to Breede River for an overnight rafting trip. The drive to the campsite was beautiful. The mountains all around us were incredible. Pictures don’t even do it justice. Upon arriving at the camp site, we were greeted by the river guides, and had a wine tasting before dinner. The river guides were mostly around our age. So after dinner we all hung out around a fire and chatted. It was interesting to talk to the river guides about school here. They take three years to complete their programs, but go to school from 8-5 Monday through Friday. And many of them take 6 months off during their studies to work and gain experience related to their field. On Sunday we were up early and headed out to the river. We paired up and paddled down the river in 2 person rafts. We paddled for about 5 hours, stopping along the way for lunch. For the most part we were paddling up a calm river, but there were some small rapids in places. This trip was amazing. We had a small group who went, and everyone was really cool. It was exhausting though. My muscles are very sore today.

This morning I was up and out to visit the Cape Wine Lands. This was very interesting. We visited three different estates. The first made sparkling wine and we had a chance to tour the facilities and see the entire wine making process. We then had a chance to taste some of the wines. At the second estate, we had lunch along with a wine and cheese tasting. At the final estate we had a brandy and chocolate tasting. I am definitely not a fan of brandy. The chocolate was great though.

So far Africa has been amazing. And I still have 3 more days!

Ready for Africa!

Well, we crossed the Prime Meridian last night, so are now in the eastern hemisphere, and almost to South Africa! We arrive in a couple hours. We had the opportunity to hear Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak several times this week, and I even had breakfast with him Thursday morning. He is truly an amazing man, and the entire shipboard community has fallen in love with him. He’s so young at heart and so energetic you can’t help but smile when you see him.

There was so much energy all around the ship last night. A couple of us slept out on the deck last night so we would be up to see us pull into Cape Town. We have been told this may be the most beautiful port we come into, and we don’t want to miss it. So now we’re up and waiting for the sun to rise! I have a ton planned for the week, and am so excited to arrive!