Argentina/Uruguay!

Argentina/Uruguay! 

I don’t think your Grandma surprising you with you little sister in Argentina can get any better for your 19th birthday! I can’t believe that everyone kept it a secret from me! Usually I ruin every surprise for myself, so I’m shocked I didn’t figure this one out. When we docked in Buenos Aires, Customs took much longer than expected so I was late for my meeting time with Grandma! While I walked out of the terminal I didn’t think she would still be there, but to my surprise she and Jodie were standing there waiting for me! I was in complete and utter shock; I couldn’t help but cry! I felt so special that everyone had planned this out and they flew all the way out there to see me. 

Buenos Aires turned out to be a beautiful city, but honestly I could have been anywhere; I was just happy to be with my grandma and Jodie! Rachel met up with us later that day because she had had a field lab so it was the four of us girls for the week! We truly had so much fun together: eating, shopping, and enjoying the city. Buenos Aires felt a little bit like New York City, but smaller with much more open parks. There was a plaflera of areas to explore. 

Our hotel was on Florida Street which was full of activity! There were always people everywhere, mainly selling leather and tango shows. Of course we indulged in both! Grandma Carter is the ultimate bargainer; she will not back down! It was fun to see her in action. 

One of the nights we went to a Tango Show! Everyone knew that the tango originated in Argentina, except for me. We got all dressed up and ready for our night out in Buenos Aires! Before the show started we had a tango lesson. We learned a little combination and it was fun to have to do the boy’s and girl’s parts. Afterwards we were ushered into our seats in the theater. We were served a three course meal and there was unlimited drinks! Unfortunately, one of the waiters accidentley spilled my Fanta on me! Luckily, the company had the waiter pick up my dress at the hotel, dry-clean it, and bring it back the next day. During dinner, they made each of us take a picture with the tango dancers; those priceless. The actual show was fantastic. The dances were so different from each other; some were solos, others duos, and various group routines. They also had two singers, but they sang in Spanish so we couldn’t understand them. 

We ate very well that week! The first night was my birthday so we went to a really nice steakhouse. First we had a cheese and salami platter which was amazing. The kind waiter recommended we split the steaks, which was excellent advice! I think it was probably the best steak of my life. Then the restaurant brought out complimentary champagne and dessert with a candle on it for my birthday. It was so sweet of them, but we also ordered two other desserts. We love our sweets! The cook looked like a cowboy and cooked in the seating area so everyone could see. While I was taking a picture of him, he took me around to where all the meat is hung with the fire pit. It was such a warm and welcoming restaurant! 

The last day in Buenos Aires we went to Palermo Soho. I really felt out of the city there. It was like a cute, quaint little town. It was literally shop, after shop, so naturally Jodie was in heaven. Before we left we found a really cutsy ice cream shop. I’ve never been in such a large ice cream shop before! 

That night Rachel had to go back to the ship to go to Uruguay because she hadn’t filled out on overland travel form. The next morning Jodie, Grandma, and I took the speed boat from Buenos Aires to Montevideo. The boat had rows of newly furnished seats; the whole boat was inside. It was like an upgraded airplane. We essentially glided across the river that connects the two cities. 

I absolutely loved Montevideo! Rachel and Jodie liked Buenos Aires better, but I just clicked with Montevideo. This was probably because it was a smaller city and it felt more like a beach town to me. Our hotel was ravishing! We got to know all the bell hop boys well as Rachel had to interview them for our Global Studies project and another night Rachel, Jodie, and I made a music video all around the hotel. 

The hotel was right in the heart of the city. Government buildings surrounded us, and the start of the OldTown was a block away. We walked through the gates from the OldTown everyday to reach the various restaurants and marketplace. One day we went to a cowboy restaurant. They served complimentary “medio medio,” which is half champagne and half white wine. We had huge skewers full of chicken, beef, lamb, and more. 

My favorite dinner was at an Italian restaurant the second night in Montevideo. When we first arrived, we were unsure of the quality because there was only one other person in the restaurant. However, we soon realized that we were the weird ones eating early; and we arrived at nine! Towards the end of our meal, everyone started rushing in. Jodie and I split two meals and we had a delicious chocolate dessert, but what makes a meal is the conversation and the people you’re with! 

I really had the best time with Jodie, Grandma Carter, and Rachel. I had missed them so much! Thank you two for coming to see me. We will always have this special memory together. It was definitely an unforgettable birthday. I love you guys so much!!!!!!! I can’t wait to see everyone in 2 and a half weeks. I hope you all of an amazing Thanksgiving. I’m so thankful to have the best family in the world! I wish I could be there; I hope you guys miss me! 

I love you all!!! 

xxx, 

Jamie 

CapeTown, South Africa

CapeTown, South Africa 

South Africa!!!! We had so much fun here. The best part was that my dad came to visit! Rachel stayed with us too so it was the 3 Musketeers for the week! I was so excited to see South Africa because I had just learned about Apartheid last semester in Mrs. Washington’s class. Cape Town was definitely the most action-packed and fun-filled port. Since we did so much and we were there for 5 days, I’m going to break it up by days. 

Day 1: Once the shipped docked, Kellen’s parents boarded the ship through the Semester at Sea parent trip. It was so nice to finally meet them! Then Rachel and I jumped into a cab right by the dock and drove to the Protea President Hotel. The hotel was stunning! It had an incredible view of the ocean. Then my daddy arrived!!!! I couldn’t contain my excitement! By the time he went to bed that night, he had been awake for 65 hours! He was tough! After we settled into our hotel, we took the city bus tour and eventually made our way to Table Mountain. It’s one of the 7 wonders of the world and it literally looks like a table on top. People are allowed to hike, but it’s extremely strenuous and almost everyone takes the cable car up. It felt like a gondola at a ski resort, except that it was much steeper. The view at the top was breathtaking! There was even a cute little lodge/restaurant area where we stopped to have hot chocolate. While we were sitting there, sipping on our warm drinks, a cloud completely engulfed us. That night we went out to dinner with Kellen’s family at a place on the waterfront. Kellen, Rachel, and I were excited to have quality food after eating the ship food for a week! We all had so much fun together; it was a great start to an even greater week! 

Day 2: On Friday we had tickets to go to Robben Island. After almost being late, we found out that they had cancelled all the tours for that day because the water was too rough. On to the backup plan! We wondered around the Waterfront a bit until we ran into a company that does helicopter rides, boat tours, shark diving, safaris, and much more. We decided to do the helicopter ride and the boat tour of the harbor. The helicopter tour was so cool; we got to see the entirety of Cape Town and a view from the sky of our ship. It started raining while we were in the sky and we flew right over the rainbow! After the helicopter ride, we took the harbor tour and were able to see the destroyer ships from different countries, an ice-breaker ship, and we saw dozens of seals! Then it was time for some traditional South African food! We ate crocodile, ostrich, kudu, springbok, warthog, and more. Some of it was delicious and some of it was weird! At least we tried it though. Then we were picked up for our afternoon tour. 

What made each of our tour guides unique was that one was colored, another white, and another black. In South Africa it’s not an issue to call someone white or black and people will very quickly identify themselves as either black, white, or colored. As we drove to our destination, our tour guide pointed out the numerous townships. We learned that one of the biggest concerns in the townships is fire. They have running water and electricity and they live rent free on this government owned land. Seeing the townships was very impacting! It's crazy because you'll be driving along a pavement freeway and all of the sudden there is a cluster of thousands of shanty-houses. Our tour guide told us that you would think the townships are really dangerous, but because the government told the people they couldn't govern it, the people living in the townships appoint the toughest guys in the townships as the "police" and whenever someone does something bad, they strip them naked and parade them through the township and everyone beats them up. Humiliating and painful! 

Once we were almost at the Cape of Good Hope, we saw ostriches. They’re the biggest bird and they can’t fly, except our tour guide said that a kick from an ostrich can kill you! On Saturday the weather was crazy. It was freezing, extremely windy, and raining. We all ran out of the car to take pictures, look around a bit, then be blown back into the car at the Cape of Good Hope. Then we made our way to CapePoint where the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet. We made a run for the tram that brings you up to the top, but no one else in the bus did it except for us! It was definitely worth it. It was such a surreal feeling, standing by the light house looking to your left is the Indian Ocean and to the right is the Atlantic Ocean. The two oceans couldn’t be more different! The Atlantic was stormy and the waves were going crazy, while the Indian Ocean was utterly still. Also the Indian Ocean is 12 degrees warmer. It’s crazy to look at a map and realize where we were. This was definitely my favorite moment of my entire stay in South Africa. 

While driving to see the penguins, we saw baboons. We were lucky though that none of them attacked the car, because our tour guide told us that one time they broke their the windows of the bus. Afterwards we saw the penguins. They were so much smaller than I previously thought! Once we were back in CapeTown, we were ready to eat! We randomly found this hole in the wall Italian restaurant. It had been a house before and it was so quaint. I had lasagna with steak inside of it....yummm was that good! 

Day 3: Yay! This is the day we got to go to Robben Island. It was about a 45 minute boat ride. Robben Island was really neat to see. I remember watching the movie about it in class and saying, "I have to go there!" The island is a lot bigger than I expected! We first drove through the island on a bus, and they pointed out different sites. One was a cemetery for the lepers who were first on the island years and years ago. The men and women were separated, but a lot of them still had babies that were sent to the main land to be adopted. Also they showed us this cave which the prisoners would use to meet up to exchange information. It then became a place for them to study and learn. As our tour guide put it, "it's the smallest school in the world." Then we were greeted by our tour guide for the prison who was a prisoner during Apartheid for six years. While he was greeting us, a man was trying to walk through the group, and then the man and our tour guide recognized each other from both being in prison at the same time. They hadn't seen each other since then!  

Our tour guide took us through the various sections: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Section A was where the prisoners went when they first got there. They could be there from anywhere from 3-6 months, and sometimes more. Section B was for the leaders of the movement. This is when we got to see Nelson Mandela's cell. It is crazy how small the rooms are. Also the colored prisoners were treated much better. It was empowering that even though so many of the anti-apartheid leaders were in prison, it didn't stop them from trying to connect and influence the outside world. The prisoners always found ways to communicate. Two different sections had outside courts next to each other that were completely blocked off, but the prisoners would open the tennis balls, put notes in them, hit them over the wall, then the other side would write back and then hit the tennis ball back over the wall. Also in a garden in the courtyard, Nelson Mandela would write notes, but when they started construction to turn the fence into a wall, they found them. Luckily, he had more copies hidden in other places. 

After Robben Island, we barely made it in time for our wine tasting tour! It was about a 2 hour ride outside of CapeTown. This time our tour guide was white and he had a very different perspective on Apartheid. His subtle comments suggested he thought everything was better during the Apartheid days. At the first vineyard they gave us a tour of the wineries and then we had a wine and cheese tasting. My dad said it was unusual to sit during a wine tasting, but that’s what they had us do. I really like the second winery better. This one you stood up and Rachel and I mixed a white and red wine together which was delicious! Just call us the winemakers! For dinner that night we again stumbled upon a great restaurant. It was very posh and edgy but at the same time classy. We let our waiter order for us and we shared all the food. Another fantastic meal! 

Day 4: We got picked up at 6:30 am for the Safari! It worked out that it was a 3 hour bus ride because that meant more sleeping time! We drove through gigantic mountains (That looked like huge pieces of stone) and even saw waterfalls. Once we arrived at the Safari ranch, we were able to have tea/coffee and yummy crackers before going on the Safari. Rachel, my dad and I sat in the very back which was much higher than all the other seats. We were able to see so many animals: Springbok, cheetahs, lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, buffalos and more. My favorite was seeing the lions! I’ve always been obsessed with lions afterThe Lion King. The truck wasn’t the sturdiest vehicle I’ve ever been in. A couple of times we had to keep retrying to get up over hills after we kept rolling down. Once we got back to the resort, we had a beautiful lunch waiting for us. Then we headed back to the hotel. We were all exhausted so we decided to have an amazing last dinner in our hotel. 

Day 5: Wake up call = 3:30am!!!!!! That’s what it takes when you go Shark Cage Diving! Our bus driver warned us that out of 12 people usually 2 get seasick. We liked our chances... The drive out to the shark area wasn’t long at all, but the part that got everyone was waiting around for the sharks with the boat rocking. The first girl to puke was sitting right next to me and she threw up all over herself and the floor. The crew had warned us, if we needed to throw up then do so in a roped-off section in the water. The main concern was to not throw up in the cage (because we would have to go in it) and don’t throw up in the bathroom. The second one to throw up was her brother! And guess what? He threw up right in the cage! It quickly spiraled after that. Of the 25 people on the boat, only me, my dad, and 4 other boys didn’t puke. The odds were more like 10 people get sick and 2 people don’t. I don’t know how I didn’t throw up! I felt so sick, but I literally just stared at the land for 2 hours. It’s crazy the thoughts that go through your head when you don’t feel good- Maybe I could go back with the other boats out here? Should I just jump in the water? Then I won’t feel seasick. Of course no one did these things, but I’m sure everyone was thinking it! We did have to wait awhile for the sharks to come, but wow once they did it was like nothing else! The sharks were huge!!! They weren’t afraid to come up right to the boat. Six people can go in the cage at once and we went second. As they were trying to get us into the cage, there was a shark right next to it that could have easily jumped right in. The water was so cold even with a wetsuit on! It was crazy to be in the water right next to sharks. Definitely a memorable and once in a lifetime experience! All the seasickness was worth it, although I don’t think I’ll be getting on a small boat in the ocean anytime soon. 

Once we were back at the hotel, we had to take showers and pack. Then we had one final meal at the Waterfront. The restaurant was right on the water and everything was white giving it an uplifting environment. After another wonderful meal, we sadly headed to the ship. My dad was able to come on the ship and see our room which was really cool. He loved it! Then Rachel and I had to say goodbye to my dad :( 

One of South Africa’s current issues is the Zimbabwe immigrants. Because the borders are so flexible now, thousands of Zimbabweans will cross the boarder every day. Many are even walking through Kruger National Park to get there. Everyone we ran into talked about this. South Africa's unemployment rate is 30% right now, with most of the people being from Zimbabwe. The government just doesn't know how to handle this. Another issue in South Africa is AIDS. South Africa gets help from Canada through programs and supplies. From the help of Canada, the percentage of babies born with AIDS has dropped from 27 to 14 in the last five years, but it's estimated that 5 million people will die from AIDS in South Africa in the next four years. One of our tour guides was saying it's hard to go into the black communities and say they can't have more than one wife, because it's part of their culture to have 3, 4, 5, 6 wives. Even the president right now has 6 wives! 

Apartheid has only been over for 20 years, so there is still much progress to be made; however, everyone feels hopeful and optimistic. The South Africans were so friendly and always wanted to help. I hope this nation continues to take the more humane and peaceful route. 

The three of us had such an incredible time in South Africa. I am so so so glad that my dad made the trek out there to experience South Africa with us! It was definitely the best vacation of my life. We did everything and more that I wanted to do there. There was never a dull moment! CapeTown is beyond beautiful. A lot of people compare it to San Francisco/Half Moon Bay, but I think it’s way prettier than both. CapeTown is a beach town with everything right on the Waterfront and when you turn around from the beach, you see the ever massive Table Mountain. 

Thank you so much daddy for coming!!!!! Rachel and I both had so much fun. This trip will always be special to us! 

Love you all! 

Jamie 

Ghana

Ghana 

Sometimes it’s hard to put experiences into words...this is the situation I find myself in as I sit here attempting to write about my time in Ghana. Words won’t do it justice. You have to see, hear, smell the truths and untruths of Ghana for yourself. Here’s my attempt...

Immediately after arriving and disembarking from the ship, I was surrounded by smiles, waves, and “hellos” from the Ghanians. They all knew that we were coming to their country, so stands were set up right beside the ship and they stayed there throughout our entire visit. Rachel and I jumped on our bus which would be taking us to our drumming and dance workshop. We were so excited to be there and waved outside our window to all the Ghanians on the street; they happily waved back. 

Once we were out of the port area, we were very shocked by what we saw. The majority of the people we saw were simply standing on the side of the road. Most looked up at us in confusion, wondering why there were so many white, college students driving through their town. It puts you in a state of shock when you see what we saw. Ghana is a developing country, and you could see remnants of an underdeveloped country, but also signs of industrialization. Trash was everywhere, women were carrying everything on their heads, houses were made of tin, but at the same time children were in school uniforms walking to school, there were signs for liquor and cars, and Vodafone stands were every 20 shacks. 

After the shortest bus ride we would have (20 minutes) we arrived at a Ghanian hotel on the water. As we walked through to the back, the drummers and dancers were already performing for us. The made us feel very welcomed and we each shook hands with the instructor. Then it was our turn to dance. They taught us a dance with four different movements, but the most important part was to be in rhythm with the drummers. If we were not, the instructor would make us start again. Afterwards, we each had to perform individually. You had to carefully watch the head drummer to know when to change to the next movement. We then had to improv in pairs. Rachel and I did a goofy dance, but one of the Ghanian dancers asked if we were dancers. 

We all had tons of fun dancing, but we were eager to watch them perform. The dancers did four different dances, all from different parts of Africa. The energy they put into their routines is uplifting. Throughout the whole time we were there, the instructor was very insistent that we “make connections” with the dancers and drummers. Semester at Sea had warned us that the girls would get many marriage proposals while in Ghana and they were right! The boys would immediately start calling me their “wife” and Rachel their “sister” or the other way around. Once we were done making “connections” we were able to have a Ghanian feast. 

Later that day, Rachel and I decided we would explore Accra since it was still fairly early in the day. We didn’t think there would be any harm in taking the SAS facilitated bus from Tema to Accra and then walk around Accra for a bit. Of course we were wrong. We got onto the huge bus to find only four other girls on it. As we were driving along, our bus driver started to drive really fast even though there was another truck on the road and there wasn’t enough room for both vehicles to fit. The right mirror of the bus was destroyed. We pulled over and the two drivers started to verbally fight, but they worked it out in the end. 

It was about an hour drive to Accra. We were so happy to finally make it, but literally the second we stepped off the bus, we were swarmed by young, Ghanian men. We tried to walk to the bank, but the walked right with us. They were all attempting to sell us stuff. They would make you hold one of their items and they wouldn’t let you give it back, hoping this way they could make you pay for it. I could shake off most of them, but after 30 minutes of caring around painting, I ended up buying it because the guy was annoying me so much. Right when we had gotten off the bus, Semester at Sea girls had said good luck to us, but we didn’t know why until that moment. We eventually were able to ditch them, except for one guy. Supposedly he was a professional tennis player so that was why he was the only person who wasn’t trying to make us buy something. We had a few hours until the bus came back, but we were eager to leave and it was getting dark, so we took a taxi back. It took 2.5 hours to get back to Tema because of the traffic. Once we got back on the ship everyone had the same experience and was feeling as overwhelmed as we felt. 

While I was in Ghana, I was able to work on a “Habitat for Humanity” project through SAS. We drove 2 hours out of Tema to a small, remote village. It was so interesting to see a village outside of the city. The people were so friendly and accepting there. An older man gave me his oranges throughout the day and an older woman offered me chicken, but I sadly had to decline because we were warned not to eat most of the local food. Our project was to build the foundation of two houses. Their “mortar” was merely a mix of dirt and water. It was hard-work, especially in the hot African sun, but well worth it. We were all so proud of ourselves once we were done. I don’t think I’ve ever been so dirty and sweaty in my life. Unlike the Ghanians though, we could simply get back on the ship and take a shower. 

The last day I had a field lab with my class. We went to two slave castles and dungeons in Ghana. A majority of the slaves who were sent to the Americas came from Ghana. The first stop was at Cape Coast castle. It was a shocking experience when our tour guide would take us down into pitch-black rooms with no ventilation. He then told us that hundreds of people lived in the room that we were standing in with only 40 people and that felt overwhelming. We saw the famous “Door of No Return” which is the small door that all the slaves walked out of when they were said goodbye to their home forever. 

After the first castle, we had another Ghanian feast on the beach. This one was just as good, but we also got chocolate ice cream. So yummy! Then we went to the Elimina Castle. There was a room in the slave castle that was full of bats; it was so gross! Seeing the slave castles was a very powerful experience. It’s hard to grasp that millions of people were tortured there. The people could not leave the dark rooms, so the rooms would fill up with poop and pee. The ground was originally brick, but because of all the human waste, it is now black. Also the women were treated horribly. The European men would chose who they wanted to rape and if a woman fought back, she was chained outside and beaten. Many of the African slaves were impregnated, so they were set to live outside the slave castles in a village until their child was five, then they were set back to the slave castles. This is why many Ghanians have European last names. 

I feel so fortunate that I was able to experience Ghana. It’s still difficult to process that I was in Africa. Africa! And what makes it even more exciting is that we were in the center of the world. Ghana is the most central country on the globe.

Pictures!

 

gibraltar 

gibraltar

tarifa 

in tarifa!

In Tarifa! 

Espana/Gibraltar/The Canary Islands

Espana/Gibraltar/The Canary Islands 

Spain beat out all of my expectations. I will always think fondly of Spain...I might even want to study there during my Junior year, Spring Semester, but hold your horses people...it’s just in the works! 

While we were docked in Spain, I had the unique opportunity to stay with a Spanish family. While Kellen studied there for two months, two summers ago, she was assigned to live with this family by the ASA program. She was lucky in getting the best family in Spain! Once she knew Spain was on the Semester at Sea itnerary, she contacted them, asking if it would be okay if she and a couple of her friends could visit them. It made it conveniant because the ship docked in Cadiz and the family lives in Tarifa; it’s only about a hour away. The morning of our arrival in Spain, the father drove all the way to pick up me, Kellen, and Brianna. He greeted us with smiles and kisses on both cheeks. During our ride there he and Kellen got to catch up from the last two years, and he asked me and Brianna questions to get to know the two other girls who would be staying with his family for almost a week. The only tricky part was that he didn’t speak English, and neither did his family! This made for a great opportunity to practice my poor Spanish speaking skills. 

As we got closer to Tarifa, it started to feel as if we were in a desert, but soon enough we saw the beach. As we rolled up to the house (which was technically an apartment complex in American terms; there are no typical American houses in Tarifa) the mother, 11 year old daughter, and 8 year old son were standing on the porch waiting to greet us. At that moment I knew they were a special family! As we started talking, I and the little girl, Almu, figured out we both danced. When I went upstairs to change into my bathing suit and came back down, she had put on her black leotard and pink ballet shoes for me. It was so cute! At first I thought her leotard was a bathing suit, assuming she was going to the beach with us, but after she slowly and simply explained in Spanish that it was her ballet outfit I understood (and seeing her ballet shoes definitely helped)! I felt so bad that I didn’t get it at first! Afterwards she searched all over her house to find her dance videos from her recital. The ballet style was similar to ours, but their “funk” (which is comparable to our jazz) was very different. 

Once we settled in, Kellen took us on a tour of Tarifa. It’s simply a ten minute walk along the boardwalk to get to town. There were many unique shops and restaraunts along the cobblestone roads. Tarifa is the kitesurfing capital of the world, and July and August are crazy then, so it was weird for Kellen to be there during the offseason because she was there in the summer. There were still a lot of people, but Kellen described to us how all the streets were covered with people that you could barely walk. After our journey into to town, we came back for our first of many delicious, home-cooked meals! 

Mama was an incredible cook and not only that, but she cooked for every lunch and dinner while we were there. I wish I knew the names of everything I ate, but everything was very Spanish and very, very good. We did not go hungry in that house, that’s for sure! Each meal was filled with laughter and good feelings (and remember we’re communicating all in Spanish). 

Their daily routine was different than most Americans. The father was a firefighter and his station was right next to Almu and Jose’s school. It was rare to have a fire in Tarifa though, so most of his day consisted of hanging out with the guys at the station. It’s touching how proud he is to be a firefighter. One night he took us to the station to show us around and meet his friends. He even made me dress up in his jacket and helmet, and then made me get into the truck to take pictures! (He looooooves to take pictures) He had to work the first two days we were there, but the other days he had the night shift. The kids and their mom would wake up at 8am to get ready for school which started at 9am. They both slept in the clothes they were going to wear to school because they said they were too tired to get dressed in the morning. No one really eats breakfast in Spain, except for maybe some toast (But she always had gronala cereal, toast, jam, butter, orange juice, and milk sitting out for us each morning). Then she would take them to school. Afterwards she would work from home; she organizes vending machines that are sent to the universities. At 2pm school’s out, which means lunch time. We always waited for them to walk through the door to see Almu’s precious smile and Jose’s giddy laugh. Then we’d all eat lunch together, and the dad would come home from the fire station sometimes to eat with us. The kids had to finish their homework before they could play, but once they were done they had the night to hang out. Almu wasn’t starting dance for another few weeks, and Jose had soccer twice a week. Their parents were much more relaxed than parents in the states. We’re all used to having our day planned out for us from 7am to 10pm so it was interesting to see Almu having a friend over each night and Jose playing basketball all the time. (He always asked me to play with him) But I think because they had that freedom, it made them really responsible. Around 10pm, Almu would kiss everyone goodnight and would head to bed without any instruction from her parents. Jose was a little bit of a different story though....he had trouble going to bed and would always want to keep playing. 

Family is the most important thing to the Spanish. Everything was centralized around the family. Most of their family lived in Tarifa, so we would walk down the street and we’d run into their nephew or their parents. The first day we were there it was the mother’s nephew’s birthday. It was at a restaurant that had a play place that someone in their family owned. There were probably 50 people there, 45 of them related. All the little kids were running around and having so much fun in the jumpy houses. Almu stayed with us though and introduced us to her family members. They were all so welcoming and happy to see us. You could feel the love. Ironically, it was our Spanish mom’s birthday too! Her husband’s sister and her husband and their grandkids came over for dinner. The little baby girl was only a year old, but the boy, Alejandro, was 3 years old and man was he a ham! He was so adorable. It was such a fun celebration and I think our Spanish mom really loved having us there for her birthday. 

One of the days that our Spanish dad didn’t have work, they took us to Bolonia. Bolonia is an ancient city with Roman ruins. On our way there, they took us up to the “El Campo” area which is where a lot of people in Tarifa own houses (even though it’s 5 minutes from where they all live). Once we got to the top we could see all of Tarifa and got a better look of Africa. Then we drove about 20 minutes to Bolonia. The ruins were all intact; it was so interesting to see. You could walk around the whole area and you really felt like you were living thousands of years ago as a Roman. 

On Thursday morning we had to say goodbye. It was so sad leaving them! I had so much fun and they completely surrounded us with their love. What made it worse is that it was pouring. With all the traffic because of the rain, we barely made it in time for my Semester at Sea field trip to Gibraltar with Rachel! It was about an hour and a half bus ride from Cadiz to Gibraltar. Once we got to the border, a border patrol officer got onto the bus and walked through the aisle and we all just had to show we had a passport, he didn’t even stop to check them thorougly. It was probably one of the most relaxed borders in the world! Then we met our crazy tour guide. She was this tiny, little firecracker. Her British accent first shocked me, but I quickly remembered Gibraltar is a British terroritory. She told us how thousands of Spanish and Moroccans come to Gibraltar each day for work. The whole of Gibraltar sits on a huge rock. Anyone who is sailing into the Mediterrean from the Atlantic Ocean has to sail right by it. It’s only 100 feet from Morocco. We toured the inside of the rock through all the tunnels and then we went to the WWII tunnels. British and American soldiers lived inside the rock for two years straight! They couldn’t go outside the entire time. They would bomb the Germany troops from inside of the rock. The war tunnels were so massive that it would take up to three hours in one of the many directions to get to the end of the tunnel. Gibraltar is famous for it’s monkeys! The monkeys were everywhere, jumping on people, trying to get their food. As my mom cleverly put it, their monkeys are like our cats and dogs, running all over the place. Afterwards they took us down to the town. It was so confusing; it felt like we were in London again! 

That night we got back on the ship, to have a day on the ship before the Canary Islands.  We docked in Tenerife, Santa Cruz. The Canary Islands is a Spanish terroritory, off the coast of Africa. It felt like we were in Spain though; everyone was speaking Spanish and  had similar characteristics to the people in Spain. It was definitely a tropical island, a prime vacation spot. Everyone we met were on vacation and European. Our teachers said this many times: it was a “great tragedy” that we were not be able to go to Morocco. There wasn’t much to do besides the beach, except the first day we went to an African market. It was huge with booths lined up for miles! The Canary Islands to the Spanish is sort of what Hawaii is to us. It was definitely was fun though and relaxing! 

We’ve had 6 days on the ship, and tomorrow we’ll be in Ghana! I can’t wait. I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I’m going to be in AFRICA tomorrow! Wow! As our teachers put it, it’s our first “foreign port.” I’m excited to see where my time in Ghana takes me. 

I miss you all so much at home! Keep emailing me :) 

Love always, 
Jamie  

Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal 

Hello everyone! My first post that isn’t on time! We only had one day in between Portugal and Spain and with hearing the news of not going to Morocco during that day, it made for one busy day. Because of the recent protests in Casablanca, we can’t go to Morocco anymore. It’s very bittersweet; I was so excited for my camel trek through the Sahara Desert with my friends, but I don’t want to be put in any danger as an American. Instead we get two extra nights in Spain and we will be going to the Canary Islands for two days. Not a bad trade off! :) So now I am writing about Portugal in Spain... let’s head back a few days...

Ahhhh.... how sad I was to leave Portugal. It is such a beautiful country, full of a dynamic history, great food, incredible beaches, and amazing look-out spots. For this port I felt more prepared because we had three days between Belgium and Lisbon. I was able to fully digest the country and prepare for my time there. What also tremoundsley helped me was that my teacher brought in the inter-port lecturers (a Portuguese lady and her American husband who has been living in Portugal for 20 years) to speak to our class. Some of my brief notes from them are as follows: 

• Modest culture: aware golden age is over; humility 
• Not Modest about their food: have to be fresh  
• Beef; Meat (grass fed); game dishes; wild boar; rabbit; lamb
• Wine; reds, Green u ver (sparkling); after dinner glass
• Barrio Alto: where college kids hang out
• They don’t iniatate conversation but they will love it if you do; reserved socially 
• Can’t be on the phone when you’re with people; carry a conversation 
• New generation: more progressive 
• Current Divorce rate - 50% 
• No divorce (illegal) until 1975 

....POWER: Wealth=Power (Portugal)

• Monopolies: Certain families have a lot of wealth/power
• Not all politicians come from these families 
• Socialist policies

- Under Order: Nation, Family, God--”Holy Trinity” 

- Salizar: every class stays where they are--no changes

• Exemplifies the beauty of rural life 
• Propoganda 
• Tax structure: Scale 
• Reconstructured tax system: hard not to pay taxes 
• Pay taxes same way as pay water
• National health system
• Government run school system 

COLLECTIVISM

- Salizar: Anti-Women

• He forbid all women’s rights movement 
• Replaced them: “The works of the charitable Mother” 
• All about woman as a mother
• Father=provider 
• Civil code stated hierarchy within the family 
• Church and State working together: 
• Virgin Mary=mother
• Jesus, God=father 

PEACEFUL COUNTRY

• Changes since 40 years ago (Fall of Dictatorship) 
• Don’t riot: when protesting they are very angry (self-aware) 
• Police are usually not present; sometimes even join in 
• Great feelings towards Military: Military took down dictatorship 
• Revolution: Left wing Middle rank Military (20’s-30’s years old) 
• Immediately: Republic Process 
• Anti-war country: likes peace 
• Lisbon: 2 million, 20% of population 
• Porto: industrial area, commerce, north of Portugal 

The inter-port lecturers made my experience in Portugal much richer because I was aware of the country’s past, cultural norms, favorite dishes, and places to go. With their help, I was ready to step foot in Portugal. Last Wednesday I looked outside to take my first look at Portugal. The first thing I saw was the Golden Gate Bridge! It looked exactly like it. (My tour guide later told us that the same American man who made the Golden Gate Bridge made the bridge in Lisbon) The next thing I saw was the famous Jesus Statue in Brazil. Was I in Brazil? Nope! Another replica. 

The first day I had a required field lab with my class (The Economic History of Globalization). As we grouped by the ship, a lady arrived who would be our tour guide for the day. We first walked to an old sea vessel that the Portuguese used to explore the world in. I thought it wasn’t fun to be on our ship when the ocean was crazy but this would have been unbearable! This ship was tiny. Forty men would have to work the ship, with the Captain and the Scribe. If there were less than 12 men on the ship, they would not be able to come home because they needed at least 12 men to be able to operate the ship. The tour guides told us that many times the way they would get their crew would be by getting men really drunk at night, and then they would wake up on the ship with nowhere to go. The men ate hard bread and pork, and drank wine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They used the ocean water to clean everything. Wind patterns were very important for the Portuguese sea-men. Whenever they wanted to go to the southern part of Africa, they first would sail to Brazil because of the wind patterns. Half way through the presentation, an elderly lady who didn’t speak English started pointing some of us out and we were told to her follow her. I was chosen to be the Captain’s wife, which meant I had to wear a heavy, orange dress with sleeves five feet long; I even got a crown! Then we had to act out a scene where the Captain asks the King and Queen of Portugal if he can sail to Brazil. 

After the first part of our field lab, we were all ready to eat! All 30 of us (including my teacher and his adorable wife) went to a cute, outside restraraunt. We were careful to ask if the bread, and little apetizers they brought out where complimentary or not, because our inter-port lecturers had warned us that this is common in Portugal. My tour guide was sitting next to me so I asked her what the Portuguese speciality is and she said rabbit! If I’m in Portugal, I might as well eat as a Portuguese right? Surprisingly, it was very delicious. It tasted like chewy chicken. I was proud I did it! 

Our lunch ended up being two hours! Not exactly what my teacher had in mind, but he, like the rest of us, enjoyed it. Afterwards we hopped in the bus to head over to the maritime museum. During the drive, our tour guide explained some notable points such as the President’s house. She said if the green flag was up he was in the building and it was! Presidents in Portugal are elected every 5 years and can be re-elected once. Their current president was a previous economics professor and then the prime minister. She also pointed out a beautiful looking castle, which was the main port for the ships, a French Cancer Research Institute, and much more. In the museum we saw how dominant Portugal was as a maritime country in the past. Being right on the Atlantic had its advantages. We also learned about how the Spanish and Portuguese argued over who owned what land, so the Pope divided the world in half, giving much of the western world to the Spanish and the eastern world (but including Brazil) to the Portuguese. This is why Portuguese is spoken in Brazil. The museum was U-shaped with the first part being special antiques such as smaller models of the ships. Then the other part had the authentic, huge boats in it. They were not your typical boats though; they didn’t have sails and the tops were open. The boats were beautiful! 

We took the bus back to our ship, and our tour guide told us that the earthquake in 1775 destroyed 1/3 of the homes and damaged another 1/3. We also got to see the wealthy part of Lisbon where many embassadors stay. She said that the cars aren’t allowed to park by the houses, but the police pretend not to see. I was sad to leave our tour guide! She was such a kind and great lady. She furthered my knowledge about Portugal and she even called her son and daughter asking where all the kids my age would be that night. Once I got back to the ship, I grabbed my stuff and then headed to the apartment with two of my friends who also had field labs that day. Once we arrived outside of the apartment, it was a little interesting trying to get inside. None of our phones would work without wifi, so I just started pushing the different buttons by the door until it opened. A Portuguese lady was standing on the first floor, but she told us our friends were on the third floor. The apartment was amazing! Right in the heart of Barrio Alto, it couldn’t have been more perfect. We all headed to a really nice spot where you could see the city. Afterwards we had a great dinner; I had steak and a delicious, brownie dessert. 

The next day we took the tram to Casais Beach. It was 30 minutes away from where we were staying, but we had heard from many Portuguese that all the good beaches were aways away. As soon as we got there we were starving, so we had lunch (I had spaghetti with veal) at another outside resturaunt. Then we had the day at the beach! It was so much fun. We even jumped off cliffs! Our guy friends had to had to help us up, but the hardest part was climbing up, because the actual cliff wasn’t too high. After the beach, we made our way back to the apartment to get ready for dinner. We had heard that the St. George’s catherdral had the best viewpoint for watching the sunset, but the time we got there it was already dark! Then someone in our group knew of a spot where you could see the whole city so we attempted to get there. It took way more time than we had thought, and by the time we got there we were all starving! It was already 11pm! (Which is actually normal dinnertime for the Portuguese) It was a beautiful view though and definitely worth the walk. Afterwards we found a little hole in the wall restaraunt with only Portuguese in it. A man who didn’t even work there but was friends with the owner served us the whole night. The time we made it back to the apartment, Rachel and I were beyond tired so we decided to head back to the ship with another girl who wanted to go back. It was nice to be home! 

The next day we only had a few hours before we had to be back on the ship. We decided to go to Esteril beach that my tour guide had recommended. It was breath-taking! It felt like we were on a tropical island. Portugal definitely is distinct from Northern Europe. While we were there we saw the Portuguese college students acting out a tradition from the 1200s. My tour guide had told me that I would see them all over the city. For two weeks, the upperclassmen wear black bottoms and white shirts (they look like they’re from the olden days) and the freshmen wear white T-shirts and have paint, lipstick, and stickers all over them. I had told my friends about this, but they all thought I was crazy until we saw them the first night! While we were at the beach they were all jumping in the water, but I’m not sure why. 

Overall, Portugal was amazing. I definitely could have had more time here; it flew by!Now I’m in Spain and I’m loving it! Kellen studied here for two months, two years ago and stayed with a host-family so she brought me and Brianna along to stay with them! I’m having so much fun here. Dinner is ready so I better go... until next time :) 

Love, 

Jamie 

Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany...

Hi everyone back at home! How have you all been doing? Thank you to everyone whose been emailing me :) It’s so great to hear what everyone is up to at home. On the ship, computers are the new iPhones. During the day, people usually don’t leave their room without their laptop because email is our only connection to home! We do have a few free internet sites, but they’re not the typical ones we’d go on at home. I am trying to get better at checking the news site so I know what’s going on! 

Okay so I’m about to attempt to explain my last 6 days in Europe... lots of trains would be the theme of this trip. I’ve actually come to enjoy them; you get to see a lot of the countryside and it’s so peaceful. Some are really nice, while others seem like they’re from the 60’s. 

Day 1: We docked in Antwerp, Belgium which has historically been a major port for Belgium and the whole world. Rachel and I (my roommate) are in the same Intercultural Communications class and we had a field lab the first day. Our whole class got off the ship at around 9:30am and a bus was waiting for us. The tour guide was fantastic! He explained how the northern part of Belgium is French speaking and their typically a more relaxed culture, whereas the south is Flemish speaking (which is Dutch with a strong accent) and they’re usually more uptight. Brussels, the capital, is in the middle of the country and is a bilingual city. The three official languages of Belgium are Flemish, French and German (only a small percentage of the population speaks German in the eastern part of the country). It took about an hour to get from Antwerp to Brussels. Once we got there we walked around the city and our tour guide showed us this square of incredible buildings. There are huge statues and gold trim all over them. There are two statues that are pointing at each other, because as the legend goes one of the woman statues is pregnant and the men are pointing at each other saying it was the other who is the father. It’s true about the Belgian chocolates! Chocolate and waffles are everywhere! All of us just made it a part of the tour to get Belgian waffles. They were delicious! Ice cream, bananas, chocolate syrup, not exactly a breakfast meal but it was too yummy! Afterwards we headed over to the European Commission (The European Union’s executive branch). It was really neat to be there. We met with two employees of the European Union and we got to walk and explore a bit. The concept of the European Union does make sense; it helps a lot of countries and the European countries have realized how small they are compared to the superpowers of China, the United States, India, and Brazil, but together they are dominant. Also the lady who was our tour guide at the European Union told us that you have to be able to speak two languages to get a job in the EU, but if you ever want to be promoted you had to at least speak three. She spoke French, Dutch, English, and she said some German and Spanish. The two speakers mentioned this too; it made me feel so behind! This field lab took up most of the day, but we still had enough time to go out to dinner in Antwerp. Antwerp is a really cute city. There are tons of restaurants. I don’t know how they are still all in business! When we were trying to find a place to eat though, each restaurant had somebody standing out front trying to force people to eat there. That night we spent the night on the ship which was so nice! It’s great to have all of your stuff; we’ve been living out of our backpacks for too long. 

Day 2: The next morning Rachel and I woke up with the plan of going to Amsterdam for the day, and then taking the night train to Berlin. Two of our friends were going on a Semester at Sea trip to Greece, and another two wanted to go to Paris. We took the underground station to Damont- Antwerp Centraal Station. This train was very out-dated and rickety, but nevertheless we got there! The Antwerp Centraal Station is known to be the most beautiful station in the world. It’s 5 stories! We then got on a train to Amsterdam which was 1.5 hours. It’s interesting to think how one can travel so easily from country to country. The European Union has made this possible. On the train an elderly man practiced his English on me and Rachel. Everyone we encountered in Belgium spoke perfectly good English. You can definitely feel how important it is to Belgians to know many languages. Once we arrived in the Amsterdam train station, we booked our overnight train tickets to Berlin. We were so excited that we worked it all out! We even got tickets for an all girls room. Then we had the afternoon to explore Amsterdam. It was pretty crazy! There were people everywhere. Rachel and I felt like it we were in an unsafe part of the city, but we were really in the heart of the tourist area! We had pizza at an Italian restaurant that was so good! We hadn’t had pizza since getting on the ship so it was a real treat. Then we made our way over to Anna Frank’s house. Walking around in the rooms that Anne Frank lived in for 2 years in absolute darkness and quietness was surreal. It’s crazy they actually lived that way for so long. All the quotations and videos throughout the apartment were in English and Dutch which was obviously very helpful. Afterwards we walked back to the train station for our trip to Berlin. The train was leaving at 7pm and arriving at 4:30am. Rachel and I couldn’t believe we had accomplished everything we had wanted to do. I knew it was too good to be true... about 5 minutes before we were to leave, Rachel realized she forgot her contacts! She only had the ones she was wearing and she’s pretty much blind without them. We had to make a big decision in just a few short minutes; we agreed that it’d be best to go back to the ship and figure out another way to get to Berlin. I wouldn’t want her to be walking around Berlin blind! What’d be the point of that? Really I think it was a blessing in disguise because the train was not what we expected. There wasn’t any beds and it was tiny! We took a train back to Brussels, and then to Antwerp. We were so happy to be home! 

Day 3: Rachel and I woke up and decided to go to the airport and see if we could catch a flight to Berlin. Again we took the underground train to the Antwerp Train Station, then we made it over to the Brussels Airport. Good thing for universal symbols such as an airplane or we wouldn’t have known we’d arrived. We talked to the airlines, and there was a flight to Berlin in an hour. We lucked out again! But soon after they told us they booked us on a plane that was already full, and we wouldn’t be able to leave for another 5 hours also the plane tickets were expensive for just one night in Berlin, so we decided against it. Instead we took a train to Brugge, Belgium. It is in the western part of Belgium. We arrived from the train station and started walking towards the center of town. We asked a taxi driver for a few recommendations for a place to stay. He gladly helped us and pointed us towards town. Then we walked into a random convenience store and asked him about our hotel options. As we read off the first one, the Park hotel, he excitedly told us he used to work there for 10 years! He called immediately and told them to save a room for two American girls and to give us a discount. He even gave me his business cards to give to the hotel receptionist, Rita. Once we got in our room we were so happy we had found such a nice place to stay for cheap. We then left our hotel and walked around the city and did some shopping before all the stores closed at 6pm. We’ve been running into that problem all over Europe! Afterwards we started looking for a place to eat, but every place we walked into it was absolutely quiet! People were eating in there, but everyone was whispering. We luckily found a lively place and I had the best spaghetti Bolognese of my life! The town was full of shops, restaurants, and lots of chocolate. Every other shop is a chocolate shop! It was nice to see so much of Belgium. I think it’s important to see more than one city in a country because you don’t just leave the country with one image. 

Day 4: Rachel and I woke up and enjoyed our complimentary Belgian breakfast. Then we had to decide if we wanted to go to Lille, France (just 45 minutes away) or Cologne, Germany (3 hours away). The hotel receptionist told us that Lille is a very small town, so since we were in Brugge (another small town) we decided on Cologne. Also I’m so fascinated by Germany, so I was beyond excited! It took about 30 minutes to get to the Brugge train station because we got a little lost. Once we got there, we booked our train tickets from Brugge to Brussels to Cologne. Unfortunately, the train to Brussels was delayed by 30 minutes, which made us miss our connecting train to Cologne, and we went to the wrong Brussels station because there are 3 of them. We could either take a 6:25pm train to Cologne or leave then but have 3 transfers, meaning 3 chances to miss a train! After our earlier experience, we decided to spend some time in Brussels and take the 6:25pm train. We had time to do a little shopping, see more of the city, have dinner, and eat another waffle. We happily made it back to the train station, to learn that our train to Cologne had been completely canceled! Instead we had to take a train from Brussels to Versences station, then an auto bus would take us to Aachen, followed by a train to Cologne. It was funny because it was us two surrounded by about 200 businesspersons trying to get to Germany. We all moved as a mob to the train station to the bus to the train station and off. Once we made it to Aachen, we were all confused on what train we were supposed to take. Rachel and I didn’t even realize we were in Germany until my phone texted me about international fees! I was in awe; I was in Germany! Angry Germans were yelling at the train-master. The poor man was so overwhelmed. Unfortunately, we couldn’t understand any of them, but an American man who knew German told us what to do. I felt so bad for a confused Korean girl and her older sister who couldn’t speak German and who could barely speak English. I could tell right away because she said “onea” meaning big sister. I was going to say “anae a se o,” but they ran off too quickly! We finally pulled up at the stop in Cologne (Koln in German) with a huge, beautiful cathedral right next to us. We took a taxi to the Crystal hotel that some Semester at Sea girls had recommended, but they told us that they were completely booked! We desperately tried the hotel next door, which actually was much nicer, but we were worried it’d be ridiculously expensive. The men at the front desk told us that they had a room available! Then they asked what we would like to pay for it. We were stunned; we didn’t say anything. Then he said the room was 150 euros, but he’d give it to us for 90 euros. We took it! It was a really nice room; there were two beds pushed together with chocolate waiting for us on the beds and there was wifi! I never realized the big deal about wifi until being abroad. We are all wifi addicts! It’s bad. We got another steal with this hotel though! I don’t know how we got so lucky both nights.  

Day 5: After having another complimentary German breakfast (ham and cheese), we had the day to explore Koln. Everything in the city is very convenient. It was about a five minute walk to Kolner dom, a Catholic cathedral. It was made in 1000 AD and absolutely stunning. It was so tall and Rachel and I hiked all the way up it! After just a few minutes of walking we got winded. I even started getting scared from how high it was and I thought I wasn’t afraid of heights! I don’t know how we made it up there, but it was definitely worth it. Once we got to the top we could overlook the whole city. It was so beautiful and serene to be so far up with barely anyone around. After we made the easier walk down, we went into the inside of the cathedral. There were tons of people speaking all different languages. It’s truly magical to be in a place like that. I lit a candle for my Grandma Keel to get better and another for Matt in the AirForce. We walked all around and then sat down in the bleachers. I taught Rachel how Catholics kneel on the lower wooden bench to pray after Communion. All those years of Catholic education paid off! It was nice to have a moment to pray and reflect on the many experiences and adventures I am having right now. After the cathedral it was shopping time! I didn’t want to leave Germany without getting those retro European shoes. Definitely my favorite buy. Like all the places we had been in Europe, they were playing American music. We even saw a store called “Forever 18,” so I asked if it was affiliated with “Forever 21,” but it wasn’t! Rachel and I then had lunch at a quaint little place. We had a bit of a language barrier with our waitress, but she was so sweet! I had a traditional German sandwich consisting of ham, cheese, and bread. Then I had chocolate mousse and a hot cocoa. I found that in Germany not everyone spoke English or their English was not as good as the Belgians. In Belgium they are forced to learn more than one language because the have 3 official languages, and it seemed like English was the common language. After lunch, Rachel and I really wanted to find a WWII site or memorial, but it was more difficult than one would have though! We asked tons of Germans, including the information center and we got very vague answers. I don’t think in the aftermath of the war, they really wanted to wipe their slate clean and start fresh. Eventually, we were pointed in the direction of the old Gestapo headquarters in Koln. It was spooky being there. It was all underground with low ceilings. The prisoners were people who went against the Nazis either through the Communist youth movement or some other way; they were not Jews. The only thing the prisoners were allowed to do was write on the walls. So all of the walls have inscriptions on them that you can read. There weren’t many people visiting the headquarters, and at one point I was alone in the room that they would torture people in. I was really freaked out. Then as I walked around the corner Rachel was right there; I was so scared! I’m really glad we saw it though. Then we walked to “old town” to have dinner. After that we went back to the hotel to pick up our bags then we headed to the train station. We had some time to kill, so we went into a cute souvenir shop. We wanted to know what all the postcards said, so we asked the German girls working there, but they had trouble figuring it out! They said that there is a funny language in Koln that some people used to speak but they didn’t really know it well. We then made our journey back to the ship from Koln to Brussels to Antwerp. When we were close to Antwerp a Belgian man talked to us for 30 minutes. He wanted to know all about what we thought about the upcoming elections, what were doing on the ship, if how lived was the same as they depicted on television, and so much more. He told us how he had to know English if he wanted to watch the t.v. or play video games because they were all in English. We eventually made it back to the ship late, late that night. The next day we finally had time to sleep in! The first time since getting on the ship and we needed it. We were completely exhausted. Traveling is draining, but so much fun! 

As I reflect on the last month in 10 European cities and 5 European countries some similarities stick out to me. 

1. You have to pay to use a public restroom; it ranges from 1-2 pounds/pence
2. Everywhere you go, they are playing American music 
3. The UK is looked at similarly to the United States in the way that we supposedly only care about ourselves and want to stick to our own country
4. Restaurants will let you sit there after eating for as long as you want, not bringing the bill until you ask them to; there’s no rush 
5. Everyone speaks another language unless you speak English; the United States, the UK, and Ireland do not put an emphasis on learning other languages 
6. There are barely no trash cans all over Europe; it’s random but it’s true! 
7. European credit/debit cards have a chip in it whereas American cards do not; some places won’t even take a card without a chip 

I’ve truly enjoyed Europe so much! I have two more European stops- Portugal and Spain. It’s going to be amazing! Out of all the places I’ve been I definitely will go back to Uncle Jim’s barn in Wendover, but I could see myself living in Germany. I definitely need to see Berlin! I’ve heard it’s beautiful and so clean. I think there is something about the German energy and their drive that attracts me.

Now I’m back on the ship for three days before Portugal. We all need some downtime to regain our energy, but I cannot wait to be in Portugal. I hope everyone at home is doing well! I miss you guys! If you see Matt before he leaves tell him good luck :) 

Sending my love from the coast of France....

Jamie