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Sailing off..

Dear readers,

It’s been a long time pending. Although both of my academic voyages have officially ended, the Voyage, the Adventure, and the Internal Discovery transcends the disembarkation last year.

I will no longer be populating this blog, but I will be transferring all of the posts to my new site, www.earlenecruz.com. There you can see all of these posts about Semester at Sea, in addition to new ones on topics about culture, cooking, social entrepreneurship, travel, and my life in general.

As you may know, my time abroad through my first voyage in 2012 encouraged me to think of the social venture (KitchenConnection.org) that I am currently pursuing with great passion. There have been many tough tides and strong winds up to this point, but the support of my peers has kept me afloat.

I don’t know where this journey will take me, but I’m keeping my eyes on the horizon, and I’m hoping that you’ll be part of it with me.

XX

EarleneAtSea

***For more information on KitchenConnection.org, visit the website, and/or check out our other videos on our Youtube Channel.

We’re always looking for chefs, farmers, bartenders, and any foodies all over the world who are interested in learning/sharing their passion.

Life after SAS: “The New Normal”

My fellow SASser/Shipmate wrote the following reflection about the voyage. It not only sums of this Spring voyage, but what I know is true after having completed two voyages. The truth is: the voyage only continues after walking on land after having been rocked by the waves. I don’t know if i’ll ever be back on the ship – perhaps to teach? to work? as a lifelong learner? One thing is for sure – life on the ship is unique. One can always go on a cruise, meet amazing people, travel the world, learn about incredibly interesting topics – but the combination of all of them – in four months? Irreplaceable, unforgettable, a new normal for sure.

“Dear friends,

This is our new normal.

I couldn’t tell you what day of the week it is, but I know either it’s an A Day, B Day or Study Day. Our closets are full of Vietnamese straw hats, Aung San Suu Kyi shirts, and Indian elephant pants. We aren’t frat stars or hipsters. We are SASers, and three and a half months and ten countries later we all share a new normal, a new perspective of the world we live in. And it’s all because of Semester at Sea.

Back home, I would have spent most of this semester complaining about the snow, I’d have gone to the same parties with the same people each weekend, and I’d be freaking out about what I wanted to do with my life. Instead I karaoke’d in Japan, climbed the Great Wall of China in the freezing snow, sailed on the holy river Ganges in India, and got lost in the world’s largest market in Morocco. I’m still freaking out about what I want to do with my life. But that’s ok.

I’m more aware of the world we live in and realize how beautiful, how strange, and how scary it can be. And I did this all with some of the coolest, smartest, goofiest, most wonderful people that I’ve come to know and love. I am — we all are — the luckiest people in the world.

But it wasn’t always this way. Our new normal is the result of a long journey, one that started back in January in Ensenada, Mexico where we anxiously waited in line to board the ship for the first time. With suitcase, passport, and yellow fever papers in hand, we began looking around at all these strangers and began to think: “Are you my roommate?” “Are we going to be best friends?” “Are you my future wife?” “Oh, I hope you’re my future wife.”

Soon these strangers became friends, and we began to adjust to life on a floating university, a place where classrooms look out to the vast ocean and seasickness is a legitimate excuse for missing class.

But the part of travel that we don’t talk about enough is the relationships – the people you travel with are just as important as the traveling itself. With these people we were allowed to be scared, to be vulnerable, and to be truthful, to each other and to ourselves.

It was with these new friends that I woke up to watch the sunrise on the 6th deck outside and sat on the 8th deck to watch the sunset. Instead of texting or checking Facebook, we all focused on the sun and talked about how beautiful it was. This was our new normal — life on the MV Explorer, our new home away from home.

And then we came to Japan, where our new normal was changed once again. As soon as we’d learned to navigate life at sea, we had to navigate through new ports with new languages, new cultural norms, and new challenges.

Our lives were changing so much and so quickly, but with this new adjustment, we began to adjust ourselves. We began discovering things about who we were as we were in the process of creating ourselves. All of a sudden, this whole travel-around-the-world thing wasn’t so intimidating. And all of a sudden, the MV Explorer was no longer a home away from home, but it was our home. This is the new normal in which we now live.

Soon we will adjust to another new normal — life after SAS. We’ll go back to driving on roads instead of sailing on waters. When we read about Myanmar and Ghana in the news, we’ll not only know where they are, but we will think of the bonds we made with people in those countries. When we left home we were citizens of our own countries, but when we come back we will be citizens of the world.

Despite feeling like a new person, a new citizen of the world, I’m not so naīve to believe that Semester at Sea will solve all of our problems. We will not come back to our homes and have all the answers to life’s questions. We’ve learned firsthand that we cannot change the world, not in the ways that we might think we can or should. No matter our intentions, there will always be poverty, there will always be sickness, and there will always be corruption and injustice. We can’t change the world, simply because the world has changed us. But I have some good news — returning to our familiar places does not mean that you have to return to your old way of thinking.

Semester at Sea does not end in London when we fly back to our homes and reunite with our family and friends, and it doesn’t end when we graduate college and start careers and families. As the years go on we will see our journey come out in the smallest but most amazing ways. Our voyage on the MV Explorer is ending, but like John Tymitz always said to his students, “The best is yet to come.”

So may your days be full of joy and wonder.

May you always remember the moments you were challenged and confused and hurt by the world, the times you were inspired and floored by the simple gestures of kindness by strangers, and the moments you felt on top of the world.

May you continue to travel the world, but may you also rediscover your old home, and challenge yourself to see your home in what it could be, rather than what it once was.

May you continue watching the sunsets and sunrises wherever you may be, and always remember the people you watched them with.

May we embrace this new way of thinking and make the world a better place for ourselves, a place where we don’t set limitations, but rather we set destinations.

May we always be Emerald Shellbacks. May we always be world travelers. May we always be the crazy wonderful people that we became. May we always be friends.

May we always be Semester at Sea.

With love,

Brady Gerber”

London, England & Reykjavik, Iceland

Semester at Sea really came full circle for me the morning that we ported in England- this time, instead of it being our first port, it was our final port – so instead of nervousness and excitement, there were tears and goodbyes.

For me- it represented the end of the voyage- my collegiate journey that had wonderfully taken me from semester to semester – sometimes into new and distant lands. I was going back to the familiar, at this point for an unquantified amount of time.

——

I had booked my flight via Iceland Air, which I heard would let me extend my layover for free if I wanted to spend more time in Iceland. Unfortunately, since I had booked it with Expedia and not directly through the airline, this wasn’t the case, but I had already done enough research on the country to get me excited about going, so I did!

——

Fun/ Cool / Enlightening Stuff done:

 

Day 1

After waiting over 4 hours at the airport, where our shuttle dropped us of, Stephanie and I set off to our quaint Z Hotel in Soho, where we had our luggage picked up to be shipped home. We planned, among all things to have dinner and to meet up with our friends for one last ‘SASsy night out’. We ended up having the complimentary wine and cheese at our hotel – eating at a Japanese restaurant – and royally passing out until the next day. There is no doubt in my mind that the past 4 months caught up to us. If it had been a few months, or even a few weeks back – we would’ve been able to stay up all night and get up for an early tour. Nope, not anymore.

Day 2

On my last day in London, I was able to meet my friends who studied with me in France. We ventured through the vibrant Camden market, where we ate and sat by the river as we recounted stories. Catching up really made the time feel so fleeting, but so connected. At the time that we were together in Paris, I had no idea that I would be doing another Semester at Sea…

I left them to meet up with my friend Heather from the ship, whose hand I held tightly as she gripped with fear the needle that would leave in her a nose piercing. There weren’t any pictures allowed to be taken, but I can tell you that I absolutely love the way that it came out.

No one else was really interested in going, but having seen the film 5 times, nothing was stopping me from seeing Les Miserables in theatre. It was totally worth it: even after someone was in my seat with a ticket that we were both sold on the black market, and the performance had to pause 3 times due to technical difficulties.

At night, I went with Stephanie to Ministry of Sound, which is supposed to be one of the world’s top nightclubs. Fred, who’s studying in London from Ghana joined us as well. It was a good night – not an overly crowded night, but one with enough people dancing, and certainly good sound.

Day 3

On my last day in London – I decided to say goodbye to Heather and Christina, whom despite our plans to hang out, I did not see until today. That meant saying goodbye to Stephanie – with whom I had spent most of my time on the ship, and in country with – just like that, a hug later, I said goodbye to one of the most influential people of the voyage, and at this moment in my life. It’s crazy what traveling does to your mind and your spirit — one day you’re attached by the hip, and the next, you don’t know when you’ll see each other again.

I met Heather and Tina briefly at Hyde Park, splitting off at the Big Ben – where Christina and I headed towards the river, eventually having a heart to heart over wine.

Almost out of a movie – we split at the Waterloo train station, with no time for emotional reflection, since I had to run to the airport – taking a train there with my three gigantic luggages.

I made it to Iceland, where I was welcomed by what I will consider the Midnight Sun, that is, until I see a better one. It was 11:47pm, and I could still see beautiful streaks of sun scattered across the sky ❤

I checked into my suuper hipster hostel, KEX, which I learned was just a microcosm of the entire city…

Day 4

I met Alexa Stroh for lunch, who I met through Couchsurfing and who sailed on the SAS ’12 voyage. Currently, Alexa interned at the American embassy in Reykjavik, where she would live for the next month. Despite our birthplaces and our current locations in life – SAS really has a way to connect people – the shared experience made everything else that was foreign about each other seem oh so familiar. Within minutes, I felt like I had known her forever.

Together, we explored the area, had amazing Thai food, and ended up at a super quaint coffee shop, where she left me to go back to work. I entertained myself booking things for my next few days in Iceland and walking around where I purchased a snow globe to add to my collection.

I contemplated getting a tattoo, decided against it, and got the famous Skyr yoghurt-like concoction Icelanders are famous for instead.. which was absolutely delicious.

I met up with Alexa and her friend at another coffee shop after work; they drove me to a beautiful lighthouse, which was just awesome as the sun set.

Goo, as I amiably called her friend recounted the story of the 3000-person island where he was from – where the puffins would crash into following the glow from the sun. They wouldn’t be able to fly again until the children resuscitated them and helped them to regain strength.

They drove me back to the hostel, where I joined the two guys who I was sharing a room with at the hostel for a walk. They got the world-famous ‘Reykjavik’ hot dogs, while I took in the view.

Day 5

I woke up early for the Gulfoss /Circle tour, which I was told was a must in Southern Iceland: I could see why.

The entire day was spent going to beautiful places and taking in beautiful sights – waterfalls, mountain ranges, earth splits, geysers, and a greenhouse which cultivates tomatoes and cucumbers.

 Nature at its finest.

I met up with Alexa again who joined me at the hostel for dinner before meeting up with three Couchsurfers at another super quaint coffee shop. Iceland really is great with them! We talked with the three ladies, who equally shared a passion for travel, and whose lives had all brought them to Iceland.

The night ended early, beautifully so – with a peaceful rest and a hostel room for 4 all to myself.

Day 6

I woke up ‘early’ to go to the thrift shop up the block from the hostel – I was able to find a dress for graduation and a pair of shoes before my tour came to pick me up for whale watching. I didn’t see any whales, but I did meet a super nice Italian girl who is conducting research in Iceland on whales and who offered to hang out with me that night.

I got back to Reykjavik to say goodbye to Alexa, but not before going with her to the world’s only Penis museum, where despite our concern only had one human penis – and it was, in fact donated. The same cannot be said about he hundreds of animal penises, including those of whales, horses, lions and the like.

The night ended at the ‘English Pub’, where an old English entertained me with really great conversation and reflective questions about the end of my voyage. It was all great until I saw him trying to roofie my drink… I was about 95% sure, but I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I didn’t say anything about it… I heard it was a thing in Iceland, but jeezzz.

Day 7

My last day of the trip and of the voyage could not have been spent any better: on my way to the airport, I accepted a package deal to go to the Blue Lagoon, which is a lagoon created from the geothermal waters of a nearby plant.

There, I ran into the two Singaporean guys that I had met the day before whale watching: talk about serendipity? No, Iceland is probably just way too predictable… we spent the next few hours chatting it up about the US/Singapore, until they left for the airport.

I relaxed a bit more on my own, contemplating my going home- not wanting to wait any longer to.

Graced by calm warmness, I was ready to go home.

Best Food Had:  Vegetarian ‘Steak’ in Reykjavik

 

Favorite City: Both were equally awesome; I’d like to see London in the winter and Reykjavik in the summer

 

Favorite Thing Done: The Golden Circle Tour in Iceland

Interesting things learned about Iceland:

On Economy:

Iceland changed my whole perspective on expensive. I felt like what it must feel like for a person coming from an underdeveloped nation visiting the US; it wasn’t that the places that I frequented were touristic and expensive, or that the exchange rate made them so; they were expensive because Iceland is relatively expensive compared to the US, in part because they have to import so many of their goods as an island. I paid the equivalent of $44 for a drink…

Iceland’s mission it to be self sufficient, mostly because they’re so isolated

Their exports consist of fish and aluminum

The unemployment rate was 1% before crisis of 2008 financial vs. 10% a year after the crisis – 8000 people left to work in Norway; in 2014 it has gone down to 4.2%

Iceland is plastic based- it runs on a ‘no cash’ system; it’s a place where it is difficult to find an ATM- there were about 2 that I saw in the entire city of Reykjavik

Icelandic farmers supply 50% of all of their produce, the goal being to be completely independent and sustainable in the coming years

Icelandic farmers supply 50% of all of their produce, the goal being to be completely independent and sustainable in the coming years

Religion:

Farmers would get money from the state if they built churches on their land, so there’s a lot of churches scattered throughout various farm lands: the country is 99% Lutheran, 1% Catholic.

 60% of people believe in elves hidden in stones —- when building roads, they go around the stones

Culture:

Swimming: children have swimming tests every year until 16 because sailors would constantly drown in the Atlantic not knowing how to swim; swimming is a huge cultural thing: there are over 173 public swimming pools in the country, at least one in every village/town

Reykjavik is so safe that people leave their children in carriages outside: Alexa warned me about this one

Miscellaneous:

Reykjavik is one the most spread out cities in the world

Despite it being so expensive overall, Iceland is relatively cheap when it comes to rent and buying land, partly because they have so much.

People with kids live in apartment buildings right in front of the kindergartens – this avoids kids missing school because of snow; these apartments are located near the city, so parents can go to work and kids can walk home

Volcano eruptions occur every 5-10 yrs — no one has died since the 18th century, so people are actually excited when they occur

Iceland powers their energy with many geothermal plants that provide hot water and electricity, making electricity really affordable in Iceland – hot water only loses one degrees centigrade when it travels from the plants to peoples’ home because it’s so well insulated. Iceland has the biggest geothermal energy in the world, exporting its knowledge of the industry to over 49 other countries, sponsored by the UN.

Because of the use of clean energy and its geographic location, Reykjavik is considered to be the cleanest city in the world

Icelanders really love their horses. There are about 320,000 people in Iceland and about 80,000 horses. – that’s a 1:4 ratio! They love them so much that there’s a law that says that Icelandic horses are not allowed to mix with horses of other races, so when people bring their horses out of Iceland for competition, they can’t bring them back to the country.

 Because of the geothermal power, hot water in Iceland is really hot!!

On books: Icelanders are the only people who can still read their folk tales because the Icelandic language is so well preserved; books are still the #1 Christmas gift to give

Sahara, Marrakech, Casablanca: Morocco

It took me two years to get to Morocco. On my first SAS voyage, we were redirected from Morocco to the Canary Islands because of an ignorant video that a guy posted on Youtube about Mohammad, causing uproars at US Embassies throughout the Arab world. Morocco was the country that I was most excited for on our itinerary; so needless to say, I was pretty disappointed with this outcome, my friends and I vowing to return to the port together. That is precisely what happened: less than two years later, I found myself in Casablanca.

Fun/ Cool / Enlightening Stuff done:

Day 1

It actually took two years and 4 hours for me to get to Casablanca: the strict port immigration had every single person in the ship having to wait in line to have her passport stamped. Once out of the port, my friends and I had the ‘best’ haggling experience in SAS history, as one of the cab drivers tried to charge us each $20 to get to the train station, which was 5 minutes away … not even in London. The driver that we got graciously understood our desperate situation to get to Marrakech in time for the camel trek that my friend Andrea had planned. Not even him running over a few red lights help us to make our train, which we literally missed by 30 seconds.

In the meantime, I went to a small grocery store, where I asked the owner what chocolate he suggested that I have. He emphasized that the one that I was pointing to was for men, and that although I could buy it, it wasn’t for women. What did I do? I bought three, one for myself and two for my girlfriends, which we consumed in front of him at his store. Perhaps it was a bit culturally insensitive on our part, but the underlying sexism was something that really struck me.

A nice lunch and two hours later we were back at the train station, boarding the 4-hour train in the beyond-scorching-heat of the AC-less cart where we were. But it was ok. We entertained ourselves by catching each other up on the voyage – both SAS and life.

After being greeted by our tour guide and dropping our things off at the hotel, Stephanie, Andrea and I had a mini-SAS ’12 reunion, having an authentic Hammam experience, where we were taken to by three adorable young’ins.

In nothing but tiny disposable underwear, two women scrubbed us, gave us a mud bath, and then continued to massage us and give us pedicures. It is probably the cleanest my body has ever been…

Sifting thereafter through the markets of Marrakech,

we found ourselves hungry and quickly satisfying our cravings with everything Moroccan: from couscous to mint tea and delicious tanginess.

Day 2

Our second day in Morocco was filled with a lot of driving – but beautiful driving, nonetheless – through montains and valleys, streams and to where I bought way-too-much’s worth of the magical Argan oil. I thought I got an amazing deal on it: 20% off, when I got back to the bus and all of my friends claimed to have gotten the same deal…

In the middle of the desert, we had lunch, where I met a guy who called me ‘Fatima’ – his response to him calling me this being that, ‘in Morocco, when you don’t know a girl’s name, you call her Fatima, and if you don’t know a guy’s name, you call him Muhammad.’ I found this to be quite comical. He was the same guy who tried to convince me to buy a 3000 euro compass used only ‘by desert peoples in the desert’, over some tea, which he really seemed passionate about having us try.

After some more amazing sights of rose valleys and streams, we checked into a really authentically beautiful hotel, Kasbah Auberge Tifawen, etched into the side of a mountain where we saw thousands of stars from our balcony and had dinner for hours before a hookah party.

Day 3

On the following morning, we drove to where the village met the sand dunes, which we traversed on camel back for 2 hours. We were led by two nomads, who escorted us with music on their phones.

Once at the tent village where we were to stay, we dropped our bags and headed for the sand dunes on the 3 sand boards, which the camels had helped us lug in. We road them the way they were supposed to ridden, but then resorted to sitting on them – alone, and in groups of two and three – hands down one of my most memorable experiences of the voyage – that and partaking in a drum circle with the nomads and sitting under the stars atop of one of the tallest sand dunes.

Day 4

An early morning led us back out to the village, once again on camelback, beginning our journey back to Marrakech, where the group split off from Andrea, Stephanie and I to return to Casablanca. We ended up returning to the market and checking into one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to – hidden under a mound was the entrance to our riad, which was one of the most traditionally beautiful places I’ve seen. I’ll let the picture speak for itself.

We went out to a club that was too posh for our attire and for our mentality that night, so we ended up leaving the Couchsurfer that Andrea had found for us – although I was really feeling the belly dancing and violin performance before the western music started going off.

The night ended with a long and necessary catch-up session on the rooftop of our riad, which seems to be a common place to hang out in each one of them.

Day 5

An early train back to Casablanca still only granted us enough time to have a final lunch together and to tour the ship with Andrea, before parting ways from her.

Stephanie and I made our way to the 2nd largest mosque in the world, the Hassan II mosque, but we didn’t have enough time to tour it inside, so we decided to go to a market instead, where my bargaining skills were seriously tested, as I tried desperately to haggle with this guy that would absolutely not budge.

The haggling took so long that Stephanie and I had to rushhh to get back to the ship in time, but first, making a pit stop at Olivieri, which was said to have the best ice cream in Morocco – and that, in fact might be the case. This creamy deliciousness was the perfect end to an amazing port and to the official part of voyage.

Morocco definitely left me wanting – I plan to come back in November, whenever I have a break from my job in France, where I’ll be teaching during the next academic year.

Best Food Had: Vegetable Couscous

Favorite City: Marrakech

Favorite Thing Done: Staying in the desert – sand duning and watching the stars

Interesting things learned about Morocco:

On Economy:

The longest free trade treaty the US has is with Morocco

Morocco holds the largest reserve of phosphates in the world, which originate from fossils of fish and dinosaurs; they’re now used as fertilizers and detergents

Wifi is extremely pervasive and mostly open/free in cafes

Morocco has amazing infrastructure

On Religion:

The country has served as a model for ethnic and religious coexistence, Sufism beeing a source of that peace

On Society:

Immigration forms are written in Arabic, French, & Spanish before English

The tour guide did not think it was at all ok for my two guy friends to share a bed

A popular greeting is an individual having his hand over his chest, meaning ‘I greet you from my heart’

US: social distance = 3 feet; Morocco: social distance = 1-2 feet

Turning down tea at a shop is ok, but at someone’s home, it’s considered rude

Cats! Everywhere

Drinking outdoors is illegal – it’s ok in large hotels/lounges —

Inviting someone for an alcoholic drink can be offensive, unless he/she is having one

Cats are everywhere

Only 3 people are allowed in your average small taxis

Kumasi, Senase, Tema, Takoradi: GHANA

For me, Ghana was going back to a place that had admittedly changed the course of my life – where I thought of the business plan, and the country that brought me back to it and to another Semester at Sea. In many ways, things were the same, and for the first time, I felt a piece of home, as I was reunited with the wonderful family that I stayed with when I Couchsurfed for the first time (see my first Ghana post). This time, I went on a tour with Fred and his tour company to the Senase village that many of my friends raved about in 2012 – a quotidian experience there really gave me a glimpse of what the majority of Ghana is probably like – 10 hours away from where the ship docked paved the way for all the difference.

Day 1

This time, after spending a very enlightening day learning about other entrepreneurs at, Hub Accra, Ghana’s first entrepreneurship incubator. I was talking to a guy who had asked me about my first time in Ghana, at which point he asked me whether or not I was friends with Alanna – like one of my favorite people in this world, Alanna- like SAS ’12 sisters, Alanna. It turned out that he was the Couchsurfer that I had connected her at that time, and he just happened to be at the incubator that day… the way the world works just continues to amaze me.

Olivia and Oliver picked me up, us bonding and catching up, as I would with a family member back home. She scanned my fingers (I tend to bite them when I’m nervous/anxious/bored), and to her surprise, they were much better than they were two years ago.

We stopped by her mom’s house, where her grandma continued to sing the same songs that she sang two years ago to herself – she didn’t look that much older or different, nor did the home or Ghana. I was different though: this time, I was less uncomfortable, and graciously accepted my dinner over a conversation that wasn’t at all awkward – and in all ways, familiar. It was months since I had felt this way: familial. And it felt, oh, so comforting and peaceful.

I spent the night, as I would at home, with no worries about where to go or what to do – I briefly connected with my friends and family and did some necessary tasks online – for one of the few times in the voyage, not expecting the WiFi to cut out or to be rushed – it’s crazy to see what becomes valuable to you when you travel.

I spoke to Ophelia about her thoughts and aspirations, and remembered how big my global family has become. Getting a glimpse into her life was almost like getting a glimpse back into the life that I had left behind two years ago.

A peaceful conversation ended the night that to me, was the biggest ‘break’ and night of normality I had since the voyage began: I didn’t feel like I had to go anywhere or do anything; I wasn’t missing out: it was just me and the couch.

Day 2

I woke up to a rooster, driving back to the ship at 5:30am where we would meet some other SASers whom I would spend the next three days with. After much debate, I ended up going with Fred instead of Asomah, since Asomah’s tour was pretty crowded… but mostly because Fred wanted to spend time with me.

We spent most of the day driving (10 hours), with a (buffet) lunch break in between and a visit to a school where we donated thousands of new uniforms to children in need.

Once at the village, we had a nice welcoming dinner outside – It was so dark in the village that I could barely see what I was eating, but as a vegetarian, I recognize (delicious) rice and beans from a mile away.

Day 3

The following morning, I joined Fred and Barbara to meet the chief of Senase, whom I learned was selling a piece of land to Barbara for the purpose of creating a boarding school home/community in Senase.

After the meeting at the chief’s home, we toured part of the enormous property on our way to the school that Fred had helped to build with the funds from his tour company. As the days went on, he just continued to amaze me. Just in 2009, he was as much a part of this village as any of the other boys and girls whose classroom was once a wooden shack.

At the inauguration of the school, we were welcomed with performances and chants that brought the entire village together.

Hands down, the best part of it all was being able to sit and hold the hand of this lovely one:

The ceremony ended with the chief of the village gifting us a goat, which was, in fact dinner that night…

Even more sensitive to the situation than I was, Barbara couldn’t stand to hear the goat squealing to death, so I accompanied her into the village where we bought some wine and chatted under a tree that overlooked the soccer field. Children from the village joined us, teaching me how to ‘Azonto’ – one of them eventually chugging the boxed wine that was at our feet and immediately spitting it back out in disgust… we tried to warn him!

A soccer/kickball game in the field led to another peaceful dinner in the dark before we headed to a local bar for some drinks. I danced a bit with Fred but ended the night relatively early for a church service the following morning.

Day 4

After a very interactive church service on Palm Sunday, we continued to drive the 10 hours back to Takoradi where the ship awaited us. Between semi-interrupted naps and bathroom breaks, Fred and I really bonded. I told him about my life and he filled me in on his – so many of the questions that I didn’t even know I had were suddenly answered.

He told me about: how he ran into SASers in 2009 at an ATM while he was in tourism school, and how they asked if they could be his first tour group – about how that inspired Can do Land Tours – about how Ashley on that tour group sent him the $30 he needed for his X-rays after an accident that happened a few months later – about how she fell gravely and he sent her $700 to repair her home. She ended up painting her room in his favorite colors.

Because he is a good member of this earth – the earth has rewarded him with nothing but goodness. In 2009, he started his tour company. In 2011, he met a man on SAS who sponsored his schooling in Turkey. Currently, he studies in London (sponsored by another SAS lifelong learner – Barbara) with plans to finish his degree at the University of San Diego, but not before going on SAS this summer – he deserves that and more.

Day 5

I woke up exhausted from all the driving, deciding to ‘just go out for Wifi’ near the port. Christina and I ended up postponing our departure so long that we decided to stay at the port, where a market was set up right outside of the ship. That decision resulted in one of the best days of my time in Ghana: I traded the shoes (that I got for free in Myanmar after I had fallen at the monastery and broken mine) for 5 headbands, bought a stand for my mom, and got a copper bangle – but most importantly, I made friends with most of the vendors, who entertained us with their drums and unique instruments – and I learned how to properly hold a baby in a piece of fabric!

——

Interesting things learned about Ghana:

People watch Spanish soap operas (dubbed in English) all the time

Never ever raise your left hand; it’s considered very rude- people get kicked out of school for this reason. (at one of the schools that I went to, people kept wanting to shake my hands, I ‘ran out of hands’ and gave my left hand to a little girl without noticing – no wonder her friend came and slapped it out of my hand…)

People have prom in Ghana

‘If you’re lucky to catch a funeral/wedding, you can see local people dancing’

Most people rent homes from landlords – if wealthy enough, one buys land first then makes the home on the land

Goats are highly prized: check this guy out riding a motorcycle with it

Cape Town and Hermanus, South Africa

On the ship, I always look forward to getting to the different ports – in a way that’s new and exciting, not necessarily out of need.

South Africa was different – although I’d already been there, I’d physically been having difficulty breathing on the ship, and out of sheer stupidity, I didn’t tell the ship doctor my symptoms for fear of being quarantined and held inside the ship when we got to South Africa.

South Africa not only cured me of my breathing difficulties, but by day 6, the sight of the ship came with more stressful thoughts than my usual relief after a stressful or invigorating time in port.

Fun/Enlightening Things Done:

Day 1

For my Gender and Society course, my class and I explored the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQII issues in South Africa.

Our first stop at the Langa Township, which is the oldest township in Cape Town, was home to Eziko Restaurant, which was housed in an old ship container. Inside it was extremely quaint; the charming interior was such a juxtaposition for the exterior surroundings, and the cruel hate crimes that were discussed as extremely prevalent throughout South Africa for the LGBTQII community. Our presenter spoke about the one time when she had to kidnap a girl that was being persecuted by her family for being a lesbian. Her father, being part of a gang had cars with covered license plates following her for days, which only stopped after she confronted him about it and got the police involved.

We proceeded to a church and then to an HIV/AIDS clinic, where we got to meet and speak to inspirational people who have been infected with the Virus. If nothing else, the experience made me realize that the deep stigma that people have associated with AIDS is actually more daunting than it should be. Yes, it is relatively more challenging for these men and women to live their daily lives, as they have to be more precautionary about carrying out a healthy lifestyle, but they, for the most part seemed quite enthusiastic about life, reminding us that they have chosen to be this way – happy and healthy, as we can all (for the most part) choose to be. It reminds me of the necessary solidarity and not the isolation that should be prevalent in our society in terms of people who are impaired, sick, or in any way disabled.

That evening, we made it to a soccer game outside of town, where, although many of the seats were empty, and the local team actually lost to the opposition, one could seriously feel the welcoming sensation of a vibrant crowd. For those few moments of chanting and cheering, we weren’t Americans – we weren’t foreigners – we were part of the team.

That night in Cape Town, we wandered through Long Street, where I specifically recall hanging out at with Alanna just two years back. Not much had changed, except the people that I was with – and myself.

I ended up losing my phone at one of the locations we frequented – my friend telling the bouncer who led us to the policemen outside; he said he might’ve seen who the guy was that stole it, pointing towards a car and beckoned him to let us in and to drive us to the station where he thought my phone was. We drove to the station, at first, the people not understanding what our issue was, but eventually leading us to the back of the station where a guy was held in the back of a car in a sort of human kennel. Real or fake tears poured down his cheek as he emphasized that he repeated that he hadn’t stolen my phone. At this point, I was over the whole situation, so I told him that if he did steal is, where was his ubuntu? And that either way, he should be let go. The bureaucracy of the scenario was seriously getting to me: paperwork after paperwork, I knew that I would never see my phone again. And honestly, where in the world do you ever have police driving around aimlessly in search of a phone?

After much deliberation, the cop agreed to escort my friend and I back to the ship, where after getting lost for about an hour, he graciously dropped us off.

Day 2

An early morning opened up the doors for Stephanie and I to a full-day wine tasting tour in Stellenbosch, where our guide was exceptional in taking us everywhere from the fanciest to the most underground wineries, all while making us feel very comfortable, as wine amateurs that we are.

Our tour was quite small, with an elderly couple being our only companions for the day. Both of them were avid travelers, and were eager to impart their knowledge on us without being abrasive.

The best part of the day was finding out that our very humble tour guide and driver (self-proclaimed farmer and immigrant from Zimbabwe) is also the father of Candace Swanepole, arguably one of the most famous super models of all time. He confirmed this with the story of how she was recruited at a flea market and with personal pictures of her visiting her father in South Africa. His humility really shined through the entire day, as although he always mentioned her daughter and that he visited her regularly in New York, not once did he gear the conversation unnaturally towards her and towards her achievements.

Upon our return to the ship, our goal was to make it to the Jazz Festival, which had been sold out for quite some time now. Either way, we decided to just show up to it, and we were lucky enough to have two individuals sell it to us for the exact price that they had purchased it at. Inside the festival it was electrifying, with numerous stages set up inside and outside of the stadium. It was more organized than any festival I had been to in the States and in Europe, even with a crowd of about 1000 for Erica Badhu, who literally killed it on stage.

Day 3

My friends and I had an early start to hike Table Mountain on a beautiful day where a rainbow disguised the morning showers. I had been told that it was quite a challenging hike, but I never thought that midway, I’d be losing my breath and that my lungs would be closing up even more than it had been in the past few days that I’d been having difficulty breathing. Luckily, my friends were understanding- actually, even more than that, they offered to bring me down the mountain and climb back up themselves.

A cable car up later, I spent my time exploring the top on my own, every second a different view, as the infamous cloud that covers the top of the mountain (like a tablecloth) provided me with different beautiful glimpses of the city.

I met my friends later that afternoon for a picnic and a concert in the botanical gardens of the city, which was beautifully situated on a hill that was nestled between the surrounding mountains. Once again, the atmosphere just gave way for a beautiful evening that ended debating the GMOs in our food and dancing away at Caprice’s in Camp’s Bay.

Day 4

After going to the Ghandi Museum in Mumbai, I was inspired by Ghandi’s opening of an Ashram in South Africa, so I decided to go on a solo-retreat once I got there to kind of slow down and reflect on the voyage this far.

Because of how late I got back to the ship that night, I was only running on 3 hours of sleep, to the point where the security guard was still on her evening ship when I walked back out to meet the shuttle to drive me to the retreat. Even she noticed my reckless schedule, so needless to say, the retreat came at a right time.

I stand outside of the ship, waiting for Andre to pick me up. In the meantime, I venture to the food truck outside of the ship to buy a water bottle, where the vender entertains me with questions about where I’m going and how much it’ll cost. She is as surprised by the $12 that is will cost each way as I was, offering me her cell phone to contact Andre.

He eventually arrives, and I choose to sit in the back seat where I check email once more for the price of the 2-hour drive. It turned out that I had, in fact misread the email, and that it was actually $120 each way and not $12… Immediately, I asked Andre to pull over, letting him know my situation, and that I had misread the email. He very agreeably decides to help me find another retreat center nearby, eventually offering to let me stay at a home that he manages for the owner, which is located near his home. He confirms that there is WIFI, which would be the only thing I could entertain myself with for two days, aside from the meditation recordings my friend had given me on the ship.

On our way there, I had forgotten that I wasn’t able to get to my retreat – this was masked by the beautiful scenery and Andre’s compelling story about his struggles with Apartheid. I personally couldn’t tell that Andre was ‘black’, but he asserted that most of the people in the area could tell that he was. This meant that during Apartheid, he and his soon to be wife would need to sneak around in order to see each other – that they were refused entrance to many places even after Apartheid was over and they were married (as one of the first biracial couples at the time). Andre first discovered Cape Town (where he was born and raised) with his wife, because during Apartheid, he was not allowed to frequent the same places that the ‘whites’ did; even after they were married Andre was shy to hold his wife’s hand or to show any kind of affection in public. The effects were personally relevant to his daughter when she came home from school one day asking ‘what she was’.

We got to the house with a sign that said ‘Carpe Diem’ on it, (on 133 11th Street Voelklip, Hermanus), which is literally a 10-bedroom home with a private beach. The home that has a surround sound system in every room apparently goes for about $6 million and is rented out for $500 a night – I was able to stay there alone, and for free – hence the Instagram:

“Didn’t make it to my retreat, but my gracious cab driver offered to let me stay in the 10-bedroom/ beach front home that he manages – alone, and for free… Not only that, but he and his wife came back and made me dinner – just another reminder that #humansaregood and that I have to #payitforward #southafrica”

On my way to the house, I was expressing to Andre that I didn’t know why people always did nice things for me – that I almost felt undeserving and that all I knew was that I needed to do something to contribute to the world that has made my life so great – that I need to pay it forward.

Andre’s wife was literally the most humanitarian person I’ve ever met – with a genuine kindness that also extended to animals. She introduced herself to me, handing me a dying lizard, which she had removed from the counter. I’m pretty sure that it took its last breath on me.

She graced me with her positivity, driving me to the supermarket so that I could pick up some groceries, sharing our mutual theories on food and the dangers of GMOs and preservatives.

To top of off – they came back to the home a few hours after I had entertained myself taking videos and the following pictures of the home. They offered me a barbecue and wine, for no apparent reason other than to keep me company.

Day 5

My last morning at Carpe Diem was spent calling my family, going in the pool, and being the only person in the beach, which was surprisingly warm despite the chilly weather and the intensity of the tides. I hiked up and down a few cliffs that lined the beach, which was a perfect cap on my morning meditation.

I was able to do a few ‘housekeeping’ things, like changing my flight from England to Iceland, contacting more Couchsurfers, working on my business plan, and journaling.

This was all before the masseuse arrived. He was included in my retreat package, and when I emailed to cancel with him, he offered to come to me (for only $10 more), since he lived nearby. It was truly another one of the blessings from my time there. The massage was more relaxing than I expected it to be. I’m usually pretty awkward with things like this, but Henri was older and very professional, so I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. As he taught me exercises to do each morning for my scoliosis and consequently focused on massaging my spine, my mind wandered to places I never thought it would – back to my aunt’s apartment in New York City – the way her kitchen smelled and how all of my cousins and I would jump on the king sized bed that was the only thing I can picture fitting in that room.

After the massage, I was kind of ready to be back in society. After asking Henri what my best options were for going into town, he offered to drive me there – not accepting any money for it, and even wondering what the ‘bonus’ $5 I gave him were for.

I wandered through the town that I was surprised to see that it was virtually closing down by 5pm. The seaside town definitely had a sense of calm – to the point where the 2-story restaurant that I went to did not have anyone working downstairs; a faint bell helped to alert the receptionist that I had walked in – and ready to devour an entire mozzarella and avocado pizza all by myself.

After dinner, I ventured to a market, where I met Asanda. I was originally really trying to haggle for the best price on this wooden plate that I wanted for my mother – when I realized that Asanda had a good energy about her. I shifted my attention to inviting her out that night, which she responded to by saying a really vivid, ‘rreaaly? – ok, but I have to ask my husband. He has a store across the street.’ He very happily agrees and she tells me to meet her back at the store in an hour at 7pm.

During that time, I walk to the nearby supermarket, where I am surprised to see that there are no Africans on the covers of any of the dozens of magazines at the store (in a country where 90% of the people are not Afrikaans). After speaking to the cashier about safety in the area after dark, she offered to walk me back to meet Asanda in front of the store, although it was only two blocks away. I offered her cup of the wine that I had purchased, saying that she hadn’t had wine in months – the reason why? I didn’t ask.

I met Asanda and her three sisters who graced me with such vibrant energy the entire night. With them, I danced, played pool and just had an overall great night out.

Day 6

Andre drove me back to Cape Town early the following morning, after saying bye to Diane who gave me a pamphlet like one I had seen many times by the Jehovah Witness ‘disciples’ that would come to my home door numerous times throughout my childhood. The talk continued in the car with Andre, who surprised me with the fact that Jehovah Witnesses have the largest printing facilities in the world, translated in over 300 languages. He also shifted to talking to me about why he decided to home school his children (since they were already able to read and write by the age of 4) – and about how before he met me he was able to learn about my program through my email and able to find my picture on Google – knowing exactly how I looked when he picked me up at the port.

Perhaps the most poignant thing I learned about Andre was what made his relationship with Diane so powerful, according to him, it’s: “taking the romance out of it and picturing yourself living day to day with this person; it’s unity of purpose and a common solution to problems”

After a failed attempt at meeting up with my friends, I spent the day alone, wandering through the waterfront, having my last sip of South African wine, and successfully finding the ostrich egg carved in the shape of a globe.

BEST FOOD HAD: Gluten Free (Mozzarella, Dried Tomato, and Avocado) Pizza

FAVORITE CITY: Hermanus, South Africa (in the Western Cape)

FAVORITE THING DONE: Meditating on the beach

Interesting things learned about South Africa:

Politics:

South Africa has 3 capitals – one for each: legislative, executive, and judicial centers of the country

Apartheid was legally consecrated and mandated for 350 years

When Obama spoke at Nelson Mandela’s funeral, the crowd was furiously clapping, but when Jacob Zuma spoke, he was booed off the stage.

Jacob Zuma became president after a withdrawn rape claim – during his presidency, education, health, safety, security, unemployment, management inefficiency and corruption have all gotten worse

Many regarded Mandela as a terrorist by most of the western world, including Reagan; he was, in fact, the founder of a revolutionary army.

People known as the ‘Poo Protesters’ protest by throwing urine and feces in front of the mayor’s office, as a way to raise awareness and galvanize change relating to the plumbing and sewage systems in the townships

Apartheid was so confusing. People were classified based on the color of their skin: white, black, colored, – what do you do about Indians, Chinese, mixed people? Apparently, Indians and mixed people alike were ‘colored’, the Indians having their own category, Japanese were white, and Chinese were ‘colored’ individuals.

History books are being rewritten – there’s a new history that now exists in the books, including teachings of Apartheid

Our lecturer described South Africa like a hormonal self-destructive monster. According to him, easterners are moving west; southerners are moving north; the colonized are moving towards their colonizers – and we’re passing laws/ visas etc. to keep them out, which he believes it the modern-day apartheid – but ‘apartheid doesn’t work, and we know that’. This leads to conflict in this ‘troubled, global village of ours’

He questioned how democratic South Africa truly is if the current political party has 75% of the vote?

He emphasized how when there’s no borders, people are terrified, but it can be successful, the European Union being a prime example.

South Africa has a high prevalence of xenophobic violence – violence from black Africans in South Africa towards other black foreigners who are accused of taking their jobs and ‘stealing’ their women.

It was very difficult for travelers during Apartheid; white Americans could move around freely, whereas black Americans were confined to certain parts of the country

On Society:

Our South African lecturer for the ship was 30 years old when he realized that he did not interact with the majority of the population; all black people had to be off the streets by 7pm, or else they were arrested; racial segregation was law; ‘no wonder then that I grew up as a racist’ – I was conditioned to be this way; ‘for twenty years, I was fed the poison of apartheid, and it’ll take just as long to rid myself of that poison’ – He says that unlike his children who were born after apartheid and are ‘born frees’, he has to recognize his assumptions and challenge his presuppositions

People say ‘pleasure’ all the time – it’s the primary way of saying ‘you’re welcome’, which I find is so cute!

Ubuntu is a common South African term meaning: a person is a person through another person

About what it means to be white in Africa — “It’s about being human beyond the things that separate us… while there’s nothing wrong with being white, it can’t be what defines us; if you ask a white man, race doesn’t matter to him, but if you ask someone who isn’t white, race does matter”

An anti-rape condom, which attacks male genitals ‘like a porcupine’ was developed in Cape Town

South Africa has the highest number of reported rapes in the world; only 7% of them result in conviction

In the townships, women have a 75% chance of being raped multiple times in their lives

HIV meds didn’t come as early as they should’ve (like they did in other democratic countries like Ghana)– so many lives would’ve been spared in that case

Most women who are raped are lesbian because of the thought of ‘raping them straight’

In South Africa, it’s a courtesy thing to put hazard lights on when bypassing someone on the highway; the driver acknowledges and appreciates your concern by flashing their headlights

Economics/Infrastructure:

80% of people live on the bread line

Today, the government is creating many homes to fight poverty in the townships. Many of the families are choosing to rent out these homes and to create tent communities attached to the new homes in order to make some money.

There was not one place I drove through or past in the Western Cape that did not have fantastic infrastructure, in terms of great roads and buildings.

What ‘went wrong’ after Mandela’s presidency: a honey moon period after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was not 100% successful, as moneys were not appropriately allocated

South Africa was founded as a business opportunity to sell fruit to the ships with people trying to get to India who were often ill with Scurvy because of lack of vitamin C because they didn’t have any fruit.

Some people prefer staying in the townships because once they move away from them, they have to pay taxes and pay maintenance fees for their homes.

After Apartheid, all boycotts and sanctions were repealed in South Africa

Miscellaneous:

South Africa is known as the only country that has four seasons in one day, which I realized was true when I woke up each morning to rain, and ended the day with a beautiful breezy sunset after a blazing afternoon heat. This is why, when you decide to do any outdoors activity like going to the beach, you need to go immediately.

Port Louis: Mauritius

Fun/ Cool / Enlightening Stuff done:

Despite the rain, which prevailed during the few hours that we had in Mauritius, our Couchsurfer, Kevin definitely made our day. Not only did he pay a nearly $450 deposit for our subscooters, but he helped us to organize transportation and food the entire time, without having even met us! He made it our pleasure to pay for him to join us on our adventure for the day, especially because he helped us to get back to the ship just 10 minutes before we needed to be on the ship before getting ‘dock time’.

Here is his email to us:

“:-( missing you people 😦 …. wish you could stay a little bit more , am sure it would have been AWESOME. but yeah, I understand you had to get back…

You are welcome, but I should thank you all as well for paying for me to join you- I really reallyyy appreciated and that touched my heart, seriously. You and all are the first couch surfers I met who are so damn C O O L . I really loved the day spend with you.

Glad to meet u Earlene, and nice that you brought your cool friends. It was super great… do tell to everyone – I LOVE YOU ALL AND WE ARE FRIENDS FOR EVER ZO WE JUST MET. I REALLY HAD A GREAT TIME AND YOU GUYS ARE REALLY COOL. I ADORE YOU ALL, I CAN NEVER EVER FORGET YOU. And am sorry for things that went wrong :-)). Wish you enjoyed the moment spend :-).

Ask everyone to send me some of the pictures through email if possible.
Not to forget the last picture click, with Stephanie or I don’t remember the name well, but We took a last click with Kayla and the the nice friend with piecing down the nose.”

Best Food Had: Pineapple Flambé (flamed pineapple)

Favorite City: We were only in and around Port Louis

Favorite Thing Done: Underwater Scooters – we rented out these miniature submarines, which allowed us to explore the deep sea life of the island.

Interesting things learned about Mauritius:

On Society:

Mauritius is the only place on earth where the Dodo bird existed and later became extinct; it died off because people realized that they could kill off a whole species, so they did…

Because of its geographic location between countries of trade, Mauritius has such a large blending of culture- from Chinese, to Indian, French to British, and each sought to preserve their own culture, making it still have a strong individual presence of each among the blend

Kaya, a singer-songwriter blended music as a protest music, and was imprisoned because of it

Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Cochin: India

Fun/ Cool / Enlightening Stuff done:

Day 1

This day was filled with transporting ourselves to Delhi, which involved 2 cab rides and 2 plane rides, with a layover in Mumbai.

Needless to say, we were elated to finally get to our hotel, which was really quaint.

Day 2 – New Delhi

We spent the day in New Delhi, with a tour guide who wasn’t particularly open-minded, but who definitely knew a lot about India and who wanted to impart his knowledge upon us. This was mostly because, as we learned, there are only 200 tour guides a year who are approved each year in India; becoming a tour guide is both challenging and lucrative.

With him, we went tea/spice tasting at a place that has been in business since 1917, and which provides teas for places like Teavana and Harney & Sons. The owner there tastes anywhere from 400-500 different kinds of teas each day

We also went to some of the historic parts of Delhi, including a mosque and the Tower of Delhi, during which we were exposed to the great diversity of India, particularly its Hindu-Islamic presence. He let us know that the tower closed 10 years ago because people were jumping off it to commit suicide.

My absolute favorite part of the day was a Rickshaw ride through Old Delhi. The pictures and the videos really don’t do it justice, as it neglects the sensory experience: despite the muddy ground that seeped down the middle of the roads after the rain, the cows and goats that roamed the streets among the innumerable amounts of bikes, cars, and mopeds — the colorful saris and fabrics that lined the sides of the street along with the rich smell of spices and tea and incense that enveloped the narrow roads, seriously made my heart race.

Following this ride, our guide took us to this underground restaurant, which is apparently one of the best in Asia: my taste buds agreed. Over this meal, among other things, he talked to us about Indian society and his (generally positive) views on it, versus American society, which he categorized as being individualistic, and ‘always with headphones on’, trying to show off their music and isolating themselves from the rest of the world. We ended our time with him with some chai tea from a seller on the side of the road, which was definitely the best chai we had the entire time I was in India – this says a lot, since I averaged 3 a day…

Following our time with him, we had a long drive to Agra. Our driver recounted the story of how had to stop going to school because his father grew ill and he had to be the breadwinner. Despite my attempts to ask him what he wanted to do with his life eventually, he continued to say ‘no, mam, I don’t have any credentials that’s why’. His life was dedicated to his family. He continued to tell me about his love life, how he had a girlfriend but that his family did not know about her… nor did hers know about him. They are in different ‘class systems’, which means that they could never marry, so they see themselves in secret and await the (shortly anticipated) day when she marries a man who her family does see is ‘fit’ for her. That night, as most of the nights when he is out working, he slept in the car.

Day 3

The foggy morning didn’t realize my elusive vision of seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise, but I did get to see the magnificent structure, learning how it took 22 years to build because each stone that was put into it had to be blessed. I was fascinated, mostly by the little things that made the structure so great: like the way that it was decorated with half of the flowers blooming and half of them wilting and dying, and the fact that it was built for the king’s wife to serve as her mausoleum – the grandest physical manifestation of love. I was grateful to have gone when I did, since its construction on a riverbank means that it will probably degrade and sink within the next 5-40 years.

The highlight of my day was probably feeding the cutest little things I saw all over India: squirrels.

The rest of our day was spent, very slowly, shopping for things that we didn’t need, but oh so beautiful. The colorful garments in India are like no other: as unexpectedly happens with nice vendors who genuinely want to get to know you, we were given a discount for our Kurtas (casual Indian dresses), at literally 50% off. He also offered us free alterations and some chai tea while we waited… moments that remind me of the beauty of humanity.

At night, we saw a different side of Delhi, at a mall that was nicer than the ones I mostly frequent in the states, from your Sephoras to your Louis Vuittons – it was all there. After realizing that we had stepped back into the ‘Western World’, we left for a night market that had closed down early because of the rain, finding a sari shop that was open during late hours.

The entire time I was in India, I was searching for a turquoise and gold sari – for some reason, I couldn’t seem to find one that I was particularly crazy about, but upon hearing my specifications, all of the vendors in the three different stores that I went to would literally bring out dozens of different options, which actually made the situation that much harder for me (to choose). Eventually, my friend, who didn’t even want a sari bargained so low for one (hoping that the guy would reject her offer and that we could leave) that she was the one who actually ended up with a beautiful turquoise and gold sari – and at a fantastic price!

Day 4

An early flight to Mumbai set the stage for a lot of things to do during the day and that evening – it turns out that we spent most of the day sitting and philosophizing on my Couchsurfer’s couch- and although we didn’t actually ‘do’ anything during the day, our afternoon was spent with great company, great conversation, great food delivered, and genuine, heartfelt laughter – what more could we have asked for?

Ashwin and his roommates were such fun-spirited intellectuals; as Bollywood filmmakers, they introduced us to the many challenges they face, as well as the many wonders of their world. Ashwin eventually took us to get henna tattoos, as well as out for some amazing exotic Indian ice cream, and helped me to get my shoes fixed for under 50 cents.

That evening, we stayed at the apartment, for a part II philosophizing session, as well as a Taboo game and apparently me passing out on the couch with a smile on my face.

Day 5

An indecisive morning led us to have a slow lunch near the apartment and a really eventful train ride into the center of Mumbai, where open doors led people to literally hang off the side of the crowded trains – numerous people dying each day because of train accidents (see my blurb on Indian trains at the end).

The intensity of the afternoon heat was just making me want to go inside, but we ended up giving in to the tour operator that insisted on following us around as we tried to get a picture of the Gateway of India. He sold my friend over, (and eventually me over with his 600 rupee per person (10$) ) 3-hr tour of a slum, a Gandhi museum, a mausoleum, and a Jain temple, which he said would have a festival going on as we spoke, only open to tourists on the day that we were there (which eventually turned out wasn’t true).

The most poignant parts of the tour were the visit to the Gandhi museum where we learned about the letters that he wrote to Hitler and Roosevelt advocating peace and how he adopted South Africa as his second home because he wanted to fight racial discrimination there.

The tour also led us to a slum where over 5000 pieces of clothing are washed each day, and where, converse to popular belief, only the men wash are allowed to wash the clothes (while the women fold). There are only a few washing machines in the area, most of which are owned by a single company, and that are only used during the monsoon season, when the pieces of clothing cannot be dried in the usual hour’s time.

From a beautiful park, we could see a skyscraper, which is the most expensive house in the world, which houses 6 members of a business mogul’s family, while employing over 500 staff.

The tour ended with a view of the Tower of Silence, which is where Persians in India leave dead bodies to be eaten by vultures and eagles, believed to complete the cycle of life for them (the mentality is that humans eat animals, and likewise, animals should be able to eat us).

The tour ended at a market, where we decided to split off after having expressed our interest in shopping for different things and only having two hours to do so. I ended up at this department store that looked like it had bangles that I would want. It turns out that the place didn’t have the nicest bangles, but it did have the nicest salesman I could’ve ever imagined; as he took me through the different levels of the store that he managed, Jaysh, as he was called ended up making me want to buy those bangles that I didn’t even feel like I liked. After asking him where he thought I could find some Henna, he volunteered to take me to the place where they would sell it, walking me through a beauty supply warehouse and even helping me to find the secret to the beautiful Indian hair: Mahabhringaraj Oil. He left me outside, asking me to return to his store when I was done shopping around to take a picture with him: I promised that I would.

I wandered through the busy streets, venturing into this wedding store that looks like it would have a Buddha statue that I convinced myself I was looking for; they didn’t have a Buddha, but the vendor directs me across the street, where she believes they will have one.

In the store, I am greeted by a man who offers me a discount on the 13 glass trees that I insisted on buying for my family, and in between our basic conversation about how I (to his confusion) was not Indian and about SAS/ what I was doing in India, his interest shifted to talking about astrology – how he was the Year of the Horse like my mother, and how I was a water sign (like most people on the ship because they were born during years that ended in 02 or 03), and how I was the year of the rooster – which led him to gift me a wooden rooster. Eventually he showed me a flyer for ‘reconnective healing’, which is exactly what he does – a few minutes later, I agree to a free session, which involves him simply touching my lower, mid, and upper back with one hand – I’m not sure if it was the Vick’s-like sensation that I got, or the literal transmission of energy (as heat) that did it, but immediately after he finished, I turned around to him being completely zoned out. I felt awkward ‘awakening’ him, so I stayed quiet, hoping that it wouldn’t be too long, since I had to meet my friends in 20 minutes. In the meantime, the store gets a phone call, which one of his employees in Hindi, but I definitely understood the word ‘meditation’, as he turned around to look at Anil who was still ‘out’ behind me. A few seconds later, he awakes, asking me how I feel, which I say ‘better, more relaxed’ – which I did, almost as one feels after a massage, although not quite as relaxed. He asks me if I can touch my toes, which I say that I can’t, but he insists that I try, which I do – and I do, in fact, touch my toes, with little to no effort. At this moment, my mind is blown, but it was only the start…

Anil, whose name I learned after he had ‘healed me’, offers to drive my friends and I to the station where we can take a train back to Ashwin’s apartment. At this point, I feel so comfortable with him that I agree, but emphasizing that I first have to stop by this man’s shop for a picture that I promised him. I realize that having wandered vastly away from where I had left my friends, I didn’t know where I was, luckily, my pre-2 hr self envisioned this happening, so I took a picture of the storefront where I had left them, and I also had a video of my friend at the department store, as he was helping me to try on some bangles. On my way to showing Anil the picture of the storefront, he sees the video, and I tell him that that is where I have to go first, and whether or not he knew this man. He excitedly replies, yes, emphasizing the fact that he does not know may people in the area, but that Jaysh is definitely one of the ones that he does.

He takes me to Jaysh’s shop, where both of them happily greet each other, as we exchange pictures and contact information for one another before we part- it must be that genuinely nice people really do find each other.

We leave the store, late to meet my friends, and as we’re walking through the crowded streets, he asks me who he should be looking out for, “blonde, Irish”? I say yes, at first thinking he had said something else, but then in awe at his correct guess, since that combination is pretty specific. A turned corner later, I point to the friend that he had described, who was sitting alone waiting for other friend Christina, I begin explaining to Nora what just happened before Christina shows up, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that I am with an older man. I tell them that he has offered us a ride, which they both seem to a bit uncomfortable with, but which they don’t question, especially after I hand them the bracelets that he made sure to get for each of them before we left the shop (which happened to match their (black and yellow/ blue and red, respectively) colored clothing perfectly).

A walk through a ‘short-cut’/ shady alley later, and we get to his friend’s car, where we pile on and begin a conversation that was literally out of this world. Christina and Anil discover their mutual love for conspiracy, guiding the conversation along with topics on how 9/11 was an inside job to how the fluoride that people are putting in our water is slowly killing us, to how people are being conquered by ‘Presstitutes’, how he survived the 2008 bomb in Mumbai, how all 5 of us but he were water signs, how pills can kill, and how he didn’t even know what made him want to get up from his chair and attend to me when I walked into the store…

As if the ride wasn’t enough, he remembered that I hadn’t eaten dinner, so he insisted on getting us to a nice French restaurant near his home, where I had an amazing cheese/balsamic crepe – of course, I didn’t expect him to pay for that, but at the same time, after all he had done, it didn’t surprise me.

Our Couchsurfer, Ashwin was more into seeing a film that night than going out, and when we brought it up to Anil, he agreed to let us leave our stuff at his place and to help us get to the airport the next morning. We ended up at his friend’s super nice apartment, where I immediately noticed that he collected snow globes ❤ we bonded over that and over the fact that we were vegetarians (our reasons being very similar), and just life in general.

He ended up giving me an Indian snow globe, after I told him that they were hard to find. Within 5 minutes, I drop it on the floor and crack it, water gushing out of it and onto his floor. He consoled me, saying that just that morning he had dropped a glass cup in front of his brother in law, and that his mother said that it was good luck? – Something like that. Either way, our conversations continued to flow, specifically amazed over the fact that all of our birthdates were conducive to the number ‘8’ – either being born on the 26th (2+6), on the 17th, (1+7), or on the 8th, (June 8th) like me.

We venture out of his apartment, headed towards this bar in a rickshaw, which they very cutely call ‘tuk tuks’, right after leaving the tuk tuk, I bump into this girl who looks very familiar to someone I know, specifically, my friend Laetitia, who I knew lived somewhere in India. I think to myself – ‘nah, it can’t be her. I probably just subconsciously want it to be her, since I know that she’s in India somewhere.’ As she’s walking away, the thought that it might be her, however elevates, and I take the chance to yell her name out… I am surprised to see that she turns around, at which point I run into her, and both of us, in shock, cannot believe what just happened. Not only am I informed that she lives an hour away from this encounter, but that it’s a Thursday night, and that the only reason why she’s out this late on a work week is that she went on a date to meet her fiancé’s parents. We caught up on each other’s lives, as well as our work in New York, and her wedding happening shortly in Australia. The strangest part about our encounter was that for the past few days, I had been telling both Christina and Nora about the fact that I had a friend in India whom I would love to see, but that I didn’t think we’d have enough time and that I didn’t know exactly where in India she was… that encounter answered my question!

After the bar, which closed down relatively early, we decide to go to a nearby club, right outside of the bar where I had bumped into Laetitia a few minutes back, I look up and there’s a florist shop called ‘June 8’…. Needless to say, after our discussion on everyone’s birthday, everyone understood why I was so shocked… only furthering my assumption that despite Anil saying that the United States is the new place for spirituality, India is still on a completely different level of spirituality that I definitely can’t wait to come back to.

Day 6

After an exciting time in Mumbai, we got back to Cochin, which is an especially calm beachside city. After venturing through the less touristy areas of the city, we ended up at a roadside shack for lunch, where I had the best food I had in India vvv.

After we advised him that he should have iced coffee and iced chai tea for the tourists, the owner insisted that they were great ideas, but that growing his business beyond his ability was not he was particularly looking to do. Maxim (as his restaurant was called) said that ‘everyone is looking for the money, but that he was just looking to live’.

Speaking of money: after failing miserably at finding my friend the maxi skirt that she had asked me for, I was drawn to an antique shop in Cochin. There, the owner of the store, an older lady insisted that ‘some times we can’t buy things that we want’ – speaking of this beautiful box that I was short $2 (for which I was definitely not going to retrieve more money, especially since it was my last 2 hours in India). I was actually quite impressed with her strong business mind, which reminded me a lot of my mother. She continued to tell me her story – how her husband died and how she manages the store — and of how she had seen Cochin grow and develop from one of the poorest places in India when she started 68 years ago to how it has developed. She ended up letting me keep the box even with the $2 that I was short and helped me to find my friend a skirt, which she gave me for free.

Here’s her email to me:

“ Hello Earlene,

Thank you for your mail and more so for your visit to our store, it was nice meeting you and I’m glad we could exchange a few thoughts and ideas. Very glad to note that you were impressed with what you saw while you were here. We have been here for almost 70 yrs now, and so have seen it all. This little town of ours has grown from scratch to a must visit spot today. Hard to imagine so! We have so many early and wonderful memories of it. It’s changed today and wonder what it will be like tomorrow. Must confess that we miss the old times and old friends.

Nice to hear what you had to say. Yes I continue to work in the shop, something I have been doing for almost 68 yrs now. It keeps me going as I have practically met the whole world from my seat here, just as I met you.

Nice meeting you. Take care and have a good life.

The dress looks lovely and the box was always to big favourite with the tourists here.

Bye.

Maisie.”

Best Food Had: Cheese Dosa;

Coconut Rice &

Coconut Vegetables

Favorite City: Mumbai

Favorite Thing Done: The drive through the narrow roads of Old Delhi on a rickshaw

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Interesting things learned about India:

Religion:

Muslims are buried with face towards Mecca

Muslims in India are allowed to have up to 3 wives

‘There are more festivals in India than days in a year’

The ‘red dot’ (Hindu) women wear on their foreheads represents the fact that she is married and that her husband is still alive

Cows are sacred and also everywhere roaming the streets because people aren’t allowed to touch them

Four religions have started in India – Hindu, Sikh, Buddhism, Jainism- but still 81% of Indians are Hindu

On Politics:

India is the only country in the world that has never attacked any country

The tower of Delhi, which was erected by one of the ancient Indian kings (Muhammad Ghori) who appointed one of his ‘slaves’ king before he left for Persia. Interestingly enough, in India, ancient kinds would appoint their slaves as king, but they would only be slaves if they were fit to someday be king.

In India it’s not illegal to beat your wife because ‘she’s your property’

On Society:

Ashwin’s roommate enlightened me on the difference between the peace movements in the Unites States, versus the peace movements in India. He said that the former was founded on freedom and peace but also lack of restraint (drugs and sexual liberty), whereas the latter was founded in religion, emphasizing peace through restraint and self-surrender.

There are 29 separate states in India with completely different cultures; In India, there are 332 + languages; with dialects it equates to over 18,0000 languages

In India, people are trained in yoga and meditation in school; there are approximately 20 different types of yoga; about 20% of population does yoga, but being the second largest country in the world in terms of population, this equates to a lot of people

A lot of the time, food is consumed with spoons

It is extremely rude to ask a man’s salary and a woman’s age

There is a low divorce rate in India because people are so socially involved in the marriages

How arranged marriages work: parents get pictures of girls whom they think are fit; their son sees the pictures and then they go meet the ones they like; the parents of the girl along with the girl meet the boy’s parents’ and they settle the arrangement together

It is rude to settle bills/ split money in public

It was such a pleasure for me to see signs of places that were ‘veg & non veg’, which made finding food for me that much easier

Most of the advertisements I saw in India were of what seemed to be un-photoshopped people, many of which were not the typical ‘thin/perfect’ models we are used to seeing in the West

The toilet seats always had the seat up—the small things that reminded me of the prevalence of the patriarchal society.

Perhaps it was the heat, but I noticed that most women have their hair clipped back for their daily routines; I hold that Indian women have the most beautiful hair in the world

National sport of India is field hockey; but cricket is more prevalent/preferred

Men and women are greatly separated. On the trains in Mumbai, men and women are on separate carts, unless the woman is the man’s wife. At weddings men dance with men – women don’t dance with men – even at the wedding the bride and groom/men and women sit separated from one another.

Sometimes, women are killed because men don’t want to pay divorce ‘maintenance fees’ – they are often burned, planned to look like a cooking burn accident

Hijrahs – transgendered 3rd gender people were accepted in Indian society until the British imposed their moral laws of making illegal anything and everything that wasn’t towards the ultimate goal of procreating and creating an environment that would eventually lead to sexual reproduction

Part of the (historical) reason why women wear henna at weddings is so that a female does not have to work for her husband until the henna fades away, which incentives them to make it as dark as possible, pouring lemon and sugar on it to preserve it

Aryuvedic medicine prevalent in cochin India ie the Keralan area — considered one of the official governmental healing methods: one’s health is connected to the universe — harmony of the mind, body, and spirit; Dosha = life forces that are in balance when one is healthy and is associated with 5 elements- fire, water, earth, air, either/ space. We each need different ratios of these forces. Stanford has started a homeopathy/ natural medicine program

White cars are very popular in India

Economics/Infrastructure:

Kerala, in the South is the wealthiest part of India, unlike most countries where the wealthier parts of the nation are in the north.

Abortions and sterilizations are free in India.

Only sons can enable parent’s reincarnation/inherit parent’s estate – females are seen as worthless humans who have to pay a dowry and are a burden to their families – There are many advertisements that say ‘spend 500 rupees now, save 50,000 rupees later’ – speaking of getting ultrasounds/abortions, instead of having to pay for a daughter’s dowry

Some women in the North of India go to the South of India to be surrogates for 9 months, leaving their families in order to get $5000

Trains in India:

People hanging on side of train- multiple people die each day — first class/ second class— women and men are separated

Lady drying her clothes on the train tracks

Jainism is one of the three religions founded in India (along from Hindu, Buddhism), which emphasizes not harming other beings, which means that one cannot step on the grass, or kill small bugs, or to eat animals, or root vegetables because root vegetables are often a source of food and habitat for many microorganisms

Men get on first- women and men together if husband and wife

Burma/ Myanmar

For me, Myanmar was wondering whether to call it Burma or Myanmar; asking if the water was safe to drink; trying to figure out if that cute dog across the street was rabid – not worrying about traveling alone, especially as a woman – being jealous of a man taking a shower (as I hadn’t showered for 5 days) – leaving my bags on the floor for hours, as I played with the children on the street – being the first locals to ever set foot in a village (and the experience of awe in their eyes as we greeted) – where kids trade empty glass bottles for ice cream – probably one of the only countries where the cars have a right-wheel drive, and also drive on the right side of the road…

The moment that we ported in Rangon, I left on a tour planned by my friend Aurora – and from the moment we got on the bus, I knew it would be a great trip. All 12 of us just had great energy, which resonated throughout our 12-seater van. We had a great personal tour guide, sleeping in schools, visiting and seeing people from the local villages, who had not seen more than 10,000 foreigners at that time.

Fun/ Cool / Enlightening Stuff done:

Day 1

Have you ever been to a place that just makes you happy? Without even having done anything, I felt content just being in Burma – the sights, the smells – everything just seemed so raw

As we drove overnight to our hotel, this is pretty much all that I would be exposed to, through the dismal fog that enveloped the roads in the nighttime I was able to notice a slower pace of life than I would be accustomed to, people actively selling things and conducting business at 1am, and eventually, having sight of our super –quaint, family run hotel.

Day 2

At the hotel, I met a retired French lady who’s now traveling the world; she’d been to every country in Asia but China because she didn’t feel safe traveling alone; I introduced her to Couchsurfing, so hopefully she can use it to accomplish her goal

We had a scenic drive to the elephant village where we’d be staying for the night, but before getting to the jungle, we stopped at this unofficial temple on the side of the road to pray to the ‘Spirit of the Jungle’

Once there, I was surprised to see that the mayor of the village is a female

We got to see women getting water from a well – those who repeat the process of carrying the bamboo-filled water jugs 4-5 times a day

We also saw a lady weaving a blanket from outside of her window, which takes her 3 weeks to a month, and only sells for about $20

We were served moose for dinner, which to them was not as exotic as it is for us

Day 3

We spent the day relaxing, riding elephants, which was literally more scary to me than the time I sky dived – needless to say, I think that the elephant that I was on really felt my fear, being the only one that was having trouble climbing up one of the steep hills that we needed to overcome

All the while, I realized that I’ve never been such a spectacle, with villagers coming out to see us and laugh at us riding elephants

Day 4

Before heading back to the ship, we go up to watch elephants at work, mostly consisting of pulling logs and lifting heavy items – we were reminded that most of the reasons why the wild elephants are angry is because humans are cutting down the trees that create their habit; it was really ironic to see them working to cut down these very trees

Before heading back to the ship, we ran out of gas, making us have to wait for an hour until another bus came to give us some more. This would’ve never happened in the States, at least not so casually, which reminded me yet again of the difference in pace of life.

In the meantime, I saw children trading bottles for ice cream (alcohol companies’ methods of recycling) and shared an amazing watermelon with my friends and the people of the village who sold it to us – as we were walking, we happened to stumble upon the ‘watermelon man’, who led us to his convenience store where we ended up eating it

Day 5

My friend and I walked through the Yangon/Rangoon during the day, venturing through the bustling city, which surprised us with dozens of donut shops…

After being amazed by the Shwedagon Pagoda (the largest Pagoda in Myanmar), we wanted to find a restaurant that was recommended for us in the city, but we ended up being drawn by really loud music in the middle of a side street. We held back at first because we thought it was a protest, but we were surprised to see that it was actually an Indian wedding.

Among the beautifully/brightly colored saris, there we were, sweaty and casually dressed, but dancing among the hundreds of people that populated the street. They even invited us into the wedding ceremony (where we got to shake the hands of the bride and groom) and then for dinner, which was probably better than the restaurant that we would’ve found.

Lesson of the day: when/wherever there is music, follow it

Day 6

I went to watch a monk’s convocation and invocation ceremony, which was incredible!

To avoid being in traffic, the government paid for a police on a motorcycle to escort us to the monastery…

Because our program donated about $5,000 for the ceremony, we were able to take part in the procession. Some of us were given gold chalices to present to the Buddha, but I was given a silver one with small monies and candy… not as cool, or so I thought before I realized that I was actually a walking piñata! Throughout the ceremony, I was told to randomly through the money and the candy into the street (no wonder the kids kept were only standing next to me).

During the procession, I had two little girls holding my hand. Seeing a ditch ahead of us, I tried to avoid them falling in by picking them up before the ditch and pointing downwards… but guess who ends up falling into the ditch, breaking her shoes, and bringing the little girl down with her? Haha, that’s right. The director of the monastery graciously bought me new flip-flops.

After the procession, we were able to feed over 1,000 monks (both male and female), who did this each day for food. The food was both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and all combined in this wooden bowl that they’re given upon becoming monks.

Best Food Had: Coconut Rice!

Favorite City: — The places we were in Myanmar were pretty undifferentiated, except for Yangon, which was interesting, but I did not spend enough time there to truly get to know it.

Favorite Thing Done: Rode an Elephant – Watched a Lady Practice her Afternoon Weaving

Interesting things learned about Myanmar:

On Politics:

China helps the country, particularly in the development of the country’s infrastructure, but they don’t help for free. In exchange, they take Myanmar’s natural resources, such as their copper mines and natural gas; they also support the insurgence against the government.

The army still controls the government

The government allows people to name their kids or to have American names

The government really attempts to separate tourists from locals; our tour guide needed to get official documentation from the local government to be able to get us to the village we were going to. Ask locals about politics? This puts them at risk of imprisonment.

The country is slowly, but progressively transitioning from a dictatorship to a democracy

Ethnic cleansing still exists — the US just counted its 50,000th Burmese refugee

2 weeks before my arrival, the constitution was amended to say that the military would not hold the majority of the power, at which point all political prisoners were released from jail

Myanmar was military ruled from 1962 to 2010

Myanmar has friendly relations with China

Politics are not allowed as common conversation – even in a ‘tea house’

The country just resumed foreign relations in January 2012

There is still heavy fighting because the north of Burma wants to break away

The government is buying weapons from India

The country was socialist until 1988; now, it’s 1/2 socialist and 1/2 democratic, with the ultimate goal of it being fully democratic by 2015

On Society:

People only live to be 65? The thought that I would only live to be this old is beyond me – there is so much I want to accomplish, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to accept the fact that you won’t be able to because of an inevitable, societal timeline

In Burma, kids sleep in bed with their parents even when they’re older

Some of the shrines won’t let women go all the way in or all the way up where the men are allowed to go

Smiling all the time isn’t perceived to be weird or crazy

Women and men alike still use face paint made from Thanat Khar, a tree, which is mixed with water on a stone and put on the face to create ‘smoothing, cooling, refreshing and good-smelling’ effect

Many kids can read but not speak English, since they don’t have anyone to practice with

People don’t have a (hereditary) last name – one is named based on one’s birth date, which is usually one name only, preferably a ‘lucky name’, which is important for a good life

People gift each other and receive gifts with two hands

Cursing is frowned upon; tattoos are also frowned upon, since it’s seriously hard to get a job w/ tattoos, although young people tend to think they’re ‘sexy’

Myanmar drives on the right side of the road but with the steering wheel on the right side of the car as well; they also use the US metric system

I found that people speak more English in Burma than they do in China and in Japan

Men are way more touchy-feely towards each other than we’re accustomed to: our tour guide and the driver had just met, and they were cuddling together in bed and gave each other kisses on the cheek as well as a slap in the butt goodbye

Economics/Infrastructure:

Women are paid $2.50/day and men $3/day for working on the side of the street

The country has a heavy embargo system

Thailand, China, and India are its largest trading partner. Myanmar imports a lot, especially medicine and plastic

Unemployment is only 5.4%; rice is its biggest export, along with jade and gems, which big companies like Tiffany’s refuse to buy because of the country’s political history

Only 32% of Burmese have access to electricity

March 2012 the date when foreigners could start businesses without needing local partners

The country has the lowest healthcare expenditures in the world – the country only spends 3% on healthcare; healthcare is ‘free’, but the individuals need to spend money for the necessary medications and supplies

Only 1% of people have access to Internet — most of which are hotels

Teachers charge extra for tutoring/ extra learning, meaning that they often don’t fully teach what they need to, in order to receive payment for the respective lesson

1/4 of the population lives below the poverty line

Myanmar is one of the world’s largest producers (and exporters) of opium

Myanmar has no middle class- it used to, but corruption caused it to dwindle

Companies are lined up to do business in Myanmar in 2015

Wherever I went, everyone gave me the local prices, meaning that they were not trying to rip us off

50-60% of all tourists in Myanmar are French tourists

Most of the time, Burmese people can understand each other’s language but they can’t speak to each other

On Monks:

Monks are part of a ‘royal family’– people in royal families put on makeup, so the monks, even the boys put on lipstick and blush.

Monks here don’t eat from noon to 5:30 am

For many children, being a monk helps them get our of poverty, as after they go through the monk ceremony, they can ask for free food and can have a free place to live. Otherwise, the other option is to go into the police academy, which is free – but school isn’t?? This goes to show you where the government has its priorities…

Boys stay in a monastery for a week; they wake up at 4:30am, collect free food on bare feet for 2-3hrs, and once they have breakfast and lunch, they can not have anymore meal. For this reason, many monks are caught hiding snacks around the monastery to eat at night

Every Buddhist boy needs to be changed into a monk at least once in his life

Miscellaneous:

Obama wasn’t allowed to go to the Shwedagon Pagoda (Myanmar’s largest pagoda) because everyone there needs to take of their shoes, and his security guards thought that this would be a threat, should he need to run away at any given point. He went anyway.