The kayaking tour was the best part of Puerto Rico so far for many reasons (yeah I know I said that before ha ha). Firstly, it was beautiful. We kayaked in the pitch black of night, with the only way to guide ourselves was to look at the glowstick on the back of the kayak in front. In order to get to the bioluminescent bay, there is a long narrow canal you must go through. Because it was very curvy, many kayaks ended up in the mangroves! Having kayaked before, I was able to keep me and my partner Britneys boat on course. I met Britney in the Bahamas when I was sitting on a bench on the pier. One thing that I have discovered so far is that it is really difficult to make friends. Although I have met many people, once you meet them, it is unlikely that you see them again for a while. Britney and I talked a lot on the bus and I really think that we have a lot in common. When we finally reached the bioluminescent bay after many screams of “left”, “back-paddle” and “slow down” it was beautiful. The organisms glow every time they are moved, so when the paddle hits the water or the current flows. They are tiny but give off a bright sparkle that reminded us of peter pan’s dust. When we reached the middle of the bay, our tour guide Michael explained to us the mechanism of the glowing and some history. It was very interesting but most of us were more enthralled by the perfectly clear skies. An astronomy minor in the group explained which constellations were which and it was beautiful. The huge night sky reminded me of how small we really are in the grand scheme of things.
After the paddle back we enjoyed some snacks and then got back on the bus. Because my bathing suit was wet, I decided to sneak off behind a building and change into my shorts. Midway through the change, a couple of local women came and decided to dispose of their trash. I’m not sure whether they knew what I was doing or not but it seemed to take them an extraordinarily long time to throw their garbage away as I huddled behind my Fairmont towel.
On the long bus ride back, Britney, Michelle and I were talking to Bill Aron, one of the teachers. Bill is my new hero. He has travelled on three voyages before, although this is his first as a teacher. He is one of the wisest and most well spoken people I have ever met. Although just shy of thirty, he speaks as if he has experienced the world many times over. He offered us so much advice on friends, travel, and life in general. Although I cannot write everything he said, the main thing he advised us to do was to take personal emotional risks; go to dinner alone and sit with strangers, travel to a place independently, and challenge yourself to re-evaluate all your friendships when you get home. He said “If your friends aren’t truly happy that you had the time of your life on the voyage, then why should you be friends with them?” Ps. Friends take note, I’ll be quizzing you when I get back.
After the whole evening experience, I really started to feel more at peace with myself and am starting to look at the world and everything around me in a different perspective. Life is too short to settle!
We arrived back at the ship at 12:15am and by the time I had showered and everything it was too late for me to go out unfortunately!
So today was our last day in San Juan. We woke up late to an announcement that we were refueling and that smoking is not permitted today. The announcements are very annoying because a bell rings and then the dean blares through the speakers in the room. His voice is beginning to become quite irritating.
After lazing around for a while and finally dragging ourselves out of bed (my roommate was suffering the effects of the previous nights’ outing) we decided to head into old San Juan to find an internet café. We ended up in a beautiful plaza with a fountain and pigeons in a small shaded café. The internet access was free after buying something at the café. After debating what time buy for well over ten minutes (because we didn’t want anything) the lady finally gave up and said we could just use it for free. It was quite fast so I was able to upload some pictures onto facebook, speak to my sister and others on msn and also check out a few other websites. After my battery died about an hour later we decided to head to Walgreens to pick up some supplies. Although I was very well prepared before boarding the ship in the Bahamas I wanted to pick up a few things (another pillow, some food things, lotion and glitter for carnaval). We bumped into Dean Gaither there and also met big tom who is from Canada. He is one of my classes on the ship! By this time it was about one thirty so we decided to grab a bite to eat and head back to the ship. We wandered down to another plaza and picked up a beef turnover and a smoothie. Food prices here tend to be fairly cheap, while clothing and souvenirs tend to be similar to US prices. I managed to restrain myself from wasting money on useless trinkets and instead bought a painted mask which has much historical and cultural meaning.
We shared a taxi with big tom back to the ship and collapsed on our beds. It was quite a tiring time in Puerto Rico even though we seemed to do little more than sightsee in the town. The consensus on the ship is that everyone is excited to be moving on to more adventurous and exciting ports. This was a good first stop to pick up things that had been forgotten and to use cell phones for the last time but there was no need for it to be a three day stay.
We now have a week sail between here and Salvador, Brazil where we will arrive next Tuesday. This long stretch at sea will give us all a chance to settle into class and solidify friendships. Hopefully the seas will not be too rough and the weather will be nice. I hope to add another course on Wednesday so that I have five courses and a full course load. This means sleeping over Tuesday night at the registrar’s office because the line is very long if you aren’t early and the courses that have spots left do not have many spots. Me and a girl from down the hall, Brigette are going to take sleeping bags and camp out for the night. It should be interesting! I hope to add “human impacts on the costal systems” to my courses which are already music therapy, global studies, international business and cultural tourism. The course load seems to be manageable and apparently as the voyage progresses the teachers become just as tired as we do and lighten the course loads even more. I look forward to this day.
We are now pulling out of San Juan so I am heading up to the open deck to watch the departure.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
photos
i can't seem to figure out how to upload photos onto this sight so please look at my facebook page if you want to see photos. xo
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Puerto Rico so far
On Thursday night after our field program briefing group of us stayed in the union (large theater) and played loaded questions. It’s a card game where a person asks a question and everyone writes an answer down. The reader must then try to guess which person wrote which answer. It is quite funny because some of the group wrote funny answers.
Today is Friday and the first day of classes. Most of my classes happen today, which is an A day. A and B days rotate and in all, there is 23 of each day when we are at sea. This morning I had global studies and music therapy. Global studies gives us an overview and background of the countries that we will be visiting next. Today we talked generally about Latin America, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. We learned about the government presently and past and some of the music and dance culture. The teacher also focused on the influence of Africa and North America on the Latin American culture. Music therapy seems like it will be a very interesting course. So far we have talked about all the different ways that music can be used as a tool to learn other skills. It seems this will relate well to my health degree!
This afternoon I had introduction to international business. The classroom was very distracting because it had couches overlooking the water, which made it difficult to stay awake. The prof is really interesting and funny, so I think although the course material has the potential to be boring, it will be ok.
Today we planned on waking up early and heading into old san juan again for some sightseeing. Plans changed and the snooze button meant that we didn’t get up until quarter to nine. After trying to go for breakfast but finding both dining halls closed, we decided to head into town and stop for an early lunch when needed. We took a taxi to the center and soon found that most shops didn’t open until eleven, being Sunday, so we poked around some souvenir shops. At one rather authentic store, I found plantain chips, my favorite since Anna Kessaram used to bring them to school. In the same store I also found a chocolate covered marshmallow covered in rice krispies. Now although I don’t really like marshmallows, I decided to give it a try (see photo). It was delicious and I think I might start selling them in Bermuda when I get home. After some more wandering we headed for lunch at El Meson. It was filled with locals so we figured it would be authentic. After waiting in the long line and giving our names, we waited for the food to be ready. In Puerto Rico, apparently Laura sounds like Cora, so that became my temporary name (see picture). The menu included natural fries, so I decided to give them a try. They turned out to be regular fries (see picture also). After lunch we headed to marshalls and Walgreens for a little browsing of the shops. I did not buy anything!! We then went to a store called rainbow, which had many cute sundresses.
By early afternoon we were ready to head back to the ship before our evening excursions. We decided to sit and have a medulla (pronounced med-a-ya), a local beer, at a corner café. We were joined by Dante and Tucker, two guys I had met before. Spontaneously, a tram swung into the bus stop and we decided to hop on. The tour took us to parts of the town we hadn’t seen including the beaches and “la perla” neighborhood . Although very hot, it was enjoyable and a nice way to wind down the day. After we had down one complete loop of the tour, we hopped off and headed for the bus terminal. After waiting almost half an hour, the bus finally came and we paid our $.75 and sat down. Tucker, the last to board, apparently didn’t know that I was change only and stuck his dollar bill into the machine. The angry driver soon indicated this was not ok, and proceeded to dig out the bill with his keys. It was hilarious at the time, but Tucker didn’t think so!
After arriving back at the ship, I decided to take a little down town and organize myself and write some post cards. I will be leaving for a kayaking tour of a bioluminescent bay at 7pm.
Today is Friday and the first day of classes. Most of my classes happen today, which is an A day. A and B days rotate and in all, there is 23 of each day when we are at sea. This morning I had global studies and music therapy. Global studies gives us an overview and background of the countries that we will be visiting next. Today we talked generally about Latin America, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. We learned about the government presently and past and some of the music and dance culture. The teacher also focused on the influence of Africa and North America on the Latin American culture. Music therapy seems like it will be a very interesting course. So far we have talked about all the different ways that music can be used as a tool to learn other skills. It seems this will relate well to my health degree!
This afternoon I had introduction to international business. The classroom was very distracting because it had couches overlooking the water, which made it difficult to stay awake. The prof is really interesting and funny, so I think although the course material has the potential to be boring, it will be ok.
Today we planned on waking up early and heading into old san juan again for some sightseeing. Plans changed and the snooze button meant that we didn’t get up until quarter to nine. After trying to go for breakfast but finding both dining halls closed, we decided to head into town and stop for an early lunch when needed. We took a taxi to the center and soon found that most shops didn’t open until eleven, being Sunday, so we poked around some souvenir shops. At one rather authentic store, I found plantain chips, my favorite since Anna Kessaram used to bring them to school. In the same store I also found a chocolate covered marshmallow covered in rice krispies. Now although I don’t really like marshmallows, I decided to give it a try (see photo). It was delicious and I think I might start selling them in Bermuda when I get home. After some more wandering we headed for lunch at El Meson. It was filled with locals so we figured it would be authentic. After waiting in the long line and giving our names, we waited for the food to be ready. In Puerto Rico, apparently Laura sounds like Cora, so that became my temporary name (see picture). The menu included natural fries, so I decided to give them a try. They turned out to be regular fries (see picture also). After lunch we headed to marshalls and Walgreens for a little browsing of the shops. I did not buy anything!! We then went to a store called rainbow, which had many cute sundresses.
By early afternoon we were ready to head back to the ship before our evening excursions. We decided to sit and have a medulla (pronounced med-a-ya), a local beer, at a corner café. We were joined by Dante and Tucker, two guys I had met before. Spontaneously, a tram swung into the bus stop and we decided to hop on. The tour took us to parts of the town we hadn’t seen including the beaches and “la perla” neighborhood . Although very hot, it was enjoyable and a nice way to wind down the day. After we had down one complete loop of the tour, we hopped off and headed for the bus terminal. After waiting almost half an hour, the bus finally came and we paid our $.75 and sat down. Tucker, the last to board, apparently didn’t know that I was change only and stuck his dollar bill into the machine. The angry driver soon indicated this was not ok, and proceeded to dig out the bill with his keys. It was hilarious at the time, but Tucker didn’t think so!
After arriving back at the ship, I decided to take a little down town and organize myself and write some post cards. I will be leaving for a kayaking tour of a bioluminescent bay at 7pm.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
We have finally left!
Well as most of you know I left for Nassau on Monday, January 21. After stopping in Miami we arrived at 2pm, greeted by miserable weather (rain and high winds). We were greeted at the airport by Keva McKinney (for those of you who know Krishelle, Ally’s friend, her mom). After a brief tour of the western end of the island we stopped for lunch at a local seafood restaurant whose name escapes me. We were served by a waiter who apparently thought his humor would make up for the lack of service he provided. This was our first taste of local food. We ate grouper, conch, peas and rice and other seafood. After lunch we continued looking around the island before returning to the McKinney’s mansion. For dinner we went to Atlantis, which is spectacular, for more seafood and conch fritters (my new favorite)!
On Tuesday, we spent the day downtown Nassau where I browsed the souvenir and clothing stores. After buying a few necessities, we lunched at Athenia, a greek restaurant overlooking the main street. Again I had conch fritter, with a greek salad and a gyro. It was pretty good and the atmosphere was great! For dinner we went to another local restaurant called the poop deck (reminded me of Frog and Onion) where we sat overlooking the Marina. The food was delicious but we were all very tired after a long day of shopping.
Wednesday January 23 was finally the day when we boarded the ship. Because they boarded in alphabetical order, I of course was first at 8am. For those of you that know me well, know that I am not good in the morning. After an hour in the car we arrived at the dock and stood in a long line to receive our cabin number and clear customs. With three large bags, I struggled after having the leave Mart and Keva at the checkpoint. We soon put our bags through security and boarded the ship where we went through mass amounts of paperwork before finally arriving at my cabin. I unpacked my one bag that arrived and then disembarked to get some last minute supplies. Mart and I went for lunch at Atlantis and then hit the straw market in Nassau where I bought a fake coach clutch because I left mine at home (one of the many things I forgot). At three PM when we had to be back on the boat, dad came on board with me to look around. We met my roommate Leah, who is from New York and very nice and then headed out for a tour. We got to look around the ship and meet some of the teachers and staff. At 3:30 parents left the boat and we did our first life boat drill. Standing in winter clothing for an hour in the Bahamas was not fun to say the least, let alone the fact that we were packed in like sardines. I suppose it was good to meet some people who lived in my area, although in such gross circumstances.
Surprisingly, the food so far has been impressive, far better than queens but nothing near as good as Lynanne or Mama Ps cooking (which I am missing a lot). The dining rooms are huge and it is a shock to be served by waiters in the dining room. After dinner we went to a classroom to be introduced to some teachers and to learn the rules. The last thing on the agenda for the evening was sea meetings. The ship is divided into seas by cabin sections. I am in room 3069 (haha) and in the yellow sea. We had a short meeting with rules and stuff followed by a meet and greet where I met many people, including a guy from McGill.
When we returned to the cabin exhausted, I found that I still had not received my other 2 bags, so I ventured to the gangway to find them. After being searched and confiscating my hair dryer (although I managed to keep my straightener, I am pretty tricky) I took my bags back to the cabin and unpacked. Surprisingly, we have left over space in the room, which is quite impressive with millions or drawers and enough hanging space. The beds are small, which I am not used to but it was easy to sleep because of the rocking of the ship.
It seems these posts will be very long, but once classes begin there will be less to talk about I’m sure. I miss all of you already but I am very grateful for this experience and cannot wait to get to our first Port of Puerto Rico on Saturday. XOXO
On Tuesday, we spent the day downtown Nassau where I browsed the souvenir and clothing stores. After buying a few necessities, we lunched at Athenia, a greek restaurant overlooking the main street. Again I had conch fritter, with a greek salad and a gyro. It was pretty good and the atmosphere was great! For dinner we went to another local restaurant called the poop deck (reminded me of Frog and Onion) where we sat overlooking the Marina. The food was delicious but we were all very tired after a long day of shopping.
Wednesday January 23 was finally the day when we boarded the ship. Because they boarded in alphabetical order, I of course was first at 8am. For those of you that know me well, know that I am not good in the morning. After an hour in the car we arrived at the dock and stood in a long line to receive our cabin number and clear customs. With three large bags, I struggled after having the leave Mart and Keva at the checkpoint. We soon put our bags through security and boarded the ship where we went through mass amounts of paperwork before finally arriving at my cabin. I unpacked my one bag that arrived and then disembarked to get some last minute supplies. Mart and I went for lunch at Atlantis and then hit the straw market in Nassau where I bought a fake coach clutch because I left mine at home (one of the many things I forgot). At three PM when we had to be back on the boat, dad came on board with me to look around. We met my roommate Leah, who is from New York and very nice and then headed out for a tour. We got to look around the ship and meet some of the teachers and staff. At 3:30 parents left the boat and we did our first life boat drill. Standing in winter clothing for an hour in the Bahamas was not fun to say the least, let alone the fact that we were packed in like sardines. I suppose it was good to meet some people who lived in my area, although in such gross circumstances.
Surprisingly, the food so far has been impressive, far better than queens but nothing near as good as Lynanne or Mama Ps cooking (which I am missing a lot). The dining rooms are huge and it is a shock to be served by waiters in the dining room. After dinner we went to a classroom to be introduced to some teachers and to learn the rules. The last thing on the agenda for the evening was sea meetings. The ship is divided into seas by cabin sections. I am in room 3069 (haha) and in the yellow sea. We had a short meeting with rules and stuff followed by a meet and greet where I met many people, including a guy from McGill.
When we returned to the cabin exhausted, I found that I still had not received my other 2 bags, so I ventured to the gangway to find them. After being searched and confiscating my hair dryer (although I managed to keep my straightener, I am pretty tricky) I took my bags back to the cabin and unpacked. Surprisingly, we have left over space in the room, which is quite impressive with millions or drawers and enough hanging space. The beds are small, which I am not used to but it was easy to sleep because of the rocking of the ship.
It seems these posts will be very long, but once classes begin there will be less to talk about I’m sure. I miss all of you already but I am very grateful for this experience and cannot wait to get to our first Port of Puerto Rico on Saturday. XOXO
Sunday, January 20, 2008
So Closeee
So I'm off to the Bahamas tomorrow! Please send me your contact information (ie. email) if you would live to receive occasional updates either or facebook or to 5lb5@queensu.ca! I look forward to hearing from you all!
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