Semester At Sea

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Ireland!

Greetings, Readers!

Hello :) I am currently sitting down to write this blog the night before we port in Lisbon, Portugal. This week has just flown by! I have three ports in the next two weeks, which include Portugal, Spain and Morocco. I am so excited to go to Africa, even though I have really enjoyed my time in Europe so far. What this means is that my next blog entry may not be for a while. It may or may not include all three countries. I also do not have class for the next couple weeks, which is cool. We have one study day in between Spain and Morocco, and it is a day dedicated to studying, obviously, but also presentations about Morocco and Moroccan culture. I am so excited for that day!

This week I experienced a milestone of sorts. On Tuesday I passed the one-month marker! I had officially been at sea for a whole month. I couldn't believe it! Six countries in one month is pretty overwhelming, but I have loved every second of it! I have made so many memories already and have learned so much about the world and myself. I had no idea going into this how much my world would be changed. So many opportunities have come up and my once seemingly restrictive boundaries have expanded and shown me that I don't have to have everything figured out right now.

The seas have been pretty rough this week! We finally entered the Atlantic Ocean on this Atlantic Exploration voyage! Prior to Ireland, the ship had only traveled through inlets. I guess reaching a large ocean means rougher seas. It is quite comical watching people walk around on the ship. You see them walking one direction and then sliding over to the other side of the ship. To an onlooker, it may seem like we are all intoxicated or something. Today, I went in my room to drop my stuff off and the force of the ship rock was so strong I fell face down on my bed! My roommate thought I did it on purpose. Haha! A lot of the time I feel like I am hiking up a steep incline.

Because of the rocking this week, I had my first real case of seasickness. :( It was definitely rough, but part of the experience, if nothing else. We have also gone through a storm, which doesn't help much. Today the waves continued to rise and they had to bolt the portholes on Deck 2 shut. When I look out my window the waves have climbed up really close to my window! It is crazy! Now, for some good news! I saw some dolphins and some whales! This has been the first major spotting of the voyage. It is quite an experience because classes will stop as everyone rushes to the windows to see. During the lifeboat drill it was hard to be silent when you could see the fins peeking above water in the distance. It made me smile! :) Thank goodness for serendipity!

We have several spirit days coming up! I am super excited for them. The first one happened this week, which was SAS Sea spirit day. I wore bright green for the Bering Sea. The next spirit day is twin day! I plan to coordinate with Laura since we have several matching clothing items. We joke that we are each other's counterparts. That will be fun! Other spirit days include crazy hair day, SAS spirit day, Super Hero Day, PJ day, Halloween costume day and the infamous Sea Olympics!! It should be fun! :)

Over the weekend, I spent time in Ireland with my cousin and his family in Banbridge, which is a small village about 1 hour and 30 minutes outside of Dublin. I am so grateful for their hospitality and kindness. Jack and his family are the reason I had such a unique and special experience in Ireland. Big thanks to them!! :) Anyway, I had such a great time in Ireland! I really got a scenic experience, which was perfectly in line with my goal to see beautiful things on this adventure. Now, for my five experiences, which highlight how amazing Ireland is.

1) Giant's Causeway

I was so excited to finally see this natural phenomenon I had heard so much about! It did not disappoint. I had a great time there. I had the luck of the Irish in regards to weather. It was such a beautiful clear day, perfect for photos! The audio guide really enhanced the experience because it integrated facts about the formation of the hexagonal rocks and legends about the Giant. One of my favorite landmarks within the causeway was the rock that looked like a camel sitting down. It even has a face! I also really liked the Giant's Boot. I was surprised by how interesting all of the rocks were. I had no idea that they would look like hexagons but thought it was cool how they intertwined to form a perception of an uneven honeycomb. The tide was also out so I got to see some small tide pools with different varieties of seaweed. Jack's daughters, Caoihme (pronounced Keeva) and Aoibheann (pronounced Eveen) really loved climbing on all the rocks. I climbed to the top of one of the mounds and took a moment to admire the view, and feel the ocean spray on my face. I also got to sample some more wild blackberries (I originally had some randomly near some old Celtic ruins, but that is another story) and they were very sweet. It definitely challenged my idea of a blackberry. The ones in the US are much tarter and also a lot larger than the ones in Ireland. I think that visiting the Causeway was good for me because it reminded me that the world is full of natural beauty and we should do our very best to preserve and protect it. It gave me a moment to let go of any stress I had and helped me realize how small humans are in this giant place. I realized that it is important to make a difference in the time that you have, otherwise, life would seem pretty aimless. The best way to go about that, in my opinion, is to help others and to help sustain the beautiful globe we live in. Ireland really is a beautiful place. The audio guide gave me a taste of the fun tradition of story telling. The area around the causeway was so green! There were many different shades of green, as well. The ocean water showcased blues and greens, depending on where the light hit. I really loved it there, and would recommend it to anyone looking for something interesting and scenic.

2) Belfast

I had a great time in Belfast as well! The first cool experience I had was enjoying a traditional Ulster Fry for breakfast. It included sausage, bacon, a fried egg, a fried tomato, soda farl and potato farl. The bacon was very different than the US version. It was thicker and had less fat on it. The bacon in Ireland most closely resembled ham. It was delicious! Soda farl is basically fried soda bread. It tastes like a crouton with an oily aftertaste. I really enjoyed it, but decided that it is definitely a once in a while reat, since it isn't very healthy. I liked the potato farl the best. It looked like fried pita bread from the outside. When you bite into it you notice the slight floury flavor of the potato. It is also crunchy and has a thick consistency. The Ulster fry is native to Northern Ireland. I did not try black or white pudding. I believe that is more commonly served in the Republic, but I am not positive. I was very full by the end of the meal, but I am happy that Siobhan and Jack encouraged me to try a traditional Irish dish.

After breakfast we headed out to explore a different area of Belfast. Here I saw a lot of murals, both uplifting and scary. Some of them were very political and threatening. Traveling this area exposed me to the conflict that still exists today. I admit that prior to visiting Ireland I had no concept of the issue except that there was fighting between the Catholics and the Protestants. In reality, it is much more complicated than that. Jack told me that it is less about religion and more about power. Northern Ireland is heavily influenced by England, and when you first enter this area of Belfast you would confuse it for England. The Union Jack is everywhere, and even the curbs are painted in blue, white and red. Some of the cars have the EU flag with the letter E on them. The Northern Irish are usually Protestant, but of course, there are exceptions. The Republic of Ireland contains more Catholic individuals, but, again, there are exceptions. I learned that the conflict is the worst in poorer classes of the nation and that the upper and middle classes are more integrated in regards to religion. You could tell by looking around that it wasn't the best area of town.

One of the most moving things for me was seeing the Peace Wall. It was like seeing a modern Berlin Wall, if the two can be compared. This wall stretched throughout Belfast to discourage acts of terrorism and to promote peace. There is a no man zone in between the gates to prevent individuals from throwing things like bombs to the other side of the wall. I guess this was the most surprising thing I found in Ireland. Jack and Siobhan made sure to stress that most of Ireland was not represented by this small area of Belfast, so I want to make that clear for all of you. I had asked Jack about the conflict, so they both thought it would be a good idea to show me. I learned a lot. If anything, I realized that conflicts are not simple most of the time. My initial sort of ethnocentric question was why they couldn't just get along and be Ireland, because Northern Ireland is a part of Ireland. This was naive of me. This conflict is far reaching and is more complicated than I could have imagined. My new hope is for better times and for less terrorism and feelings of hate in the future. I know I only have a minimal understanding of Irish history, and I hope to return someday to get a mural tour. I am so glad I had this experience. It really showed me there is more to Ireland than beautiful scenery and delicious food and beer.

3) The Guinness Storehouse

I could not visit Ireland without having a proper pint! Thank goodness Jack works for Diageo, a drink manufacturer of Guinness, Bailey's, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, just to name a few. It meant free admission to the Storehouse, a complimentary pint and an employee discount at the store. Jack gave me a fantastic tour and told me all about the beer making process. He works in microbiology, so I really got a unique perspective. Much better than an audio guide!! I also received a very exclusive tour, which I greatly appreciated! He told me all about the barley, the hops, the mixing, the packaging, the shipping and so much more.

We spent about two hours in the Guinness Storehouse because it was so big! There were 8 levels, and lots of things to see and learn about. They had an entire level dedicated to advertising. It was fun to see how the campaigns had changed over time. I even got to take a photo inside one of their advertisements! They also had several restaurants. Jack and I got to experience the tasting room, which was a fun addition to the experience. You got to smell various aromas and guess which ingredient it was like the malt or the hops. Then we learned how to "properly" taste a Guinness. It was mostly for show, but still a lot of fun. Who doesn't love free beer?

Our amazing time ended in a trip up to the top floor of the Storehouse. We got to enjoy a lovely complementary pint in the Gravity bar, which has glass windows for walls and overlooks Dublin. Since it was a clear day, the view was picturesque! The storehouse was also very crowded and Jack mentioned it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland. It was fun to see some SASers and the ship's doctor enjoying some pints. I sure loved mine! I made sure to wait until the beer had settled to avoid being labeled as a 'noob.'

I also had time to look around the store, which had tons of Guinness gear. It was hard to choose what to get but I did settle on a magnet :) All in all, it was one of the highlights of my time in Ireland. It gave me a chance to learn about this iconic beer and also the chance to catch up with Jack, since I hadn't seen him in several years. You haven't really had Guinness until you have been to Ireland!! :)

4) Newgrange

I had the opportunity to see ancient as well as modern history in Ireland. Visiting Newgrange was a nice compliment to my experience in Belfast. Again, the weather turned out to be perfect! We arrived at Newgrange after spending a good part of the morning driving through the countryside and making a stop in Monasterboice (another story for another time). It was around lunchtime, so we sat in a picnic area and enjoyed a delicious meal. I think one of the best parts of visiting Newgrange was getting to know the girls better. The first night I was only able to say hello before they went to bed. Spending the whole Saturday with them really gave me a chance to talk with them and spend time with them. They are so well behaved! Anyway, after lunch we went to go on a tour but had to wait since other tours were full. In the meantime, we walked around the museum and looked around the gift shop. When it was time for our tour we hopped on the bus. It was really an amazing day, weather-wise. The sky was bright blue, which allowed the Irish green countryside to pop out. There were a lot of cows and sheep. One of my favorite things about the scenery was seeing the small white dots of sheep against the bright green pasture. It was adorable.

Once we got to the passage grave we received a short tour where the guide talked about the history and about the unanswered questions that still remain. It is unclear what the passage grave was really used for. One cool part of the tour was entering Newgrange and witnessing a demonstration of the ray of light that would have appeared during Winter Solstice. This signified the New Year, and called for a celebration. The ray of light only appeared for about 15 minutes, and then the people were greeted by darkness. It was pretty dark in there without light! I really liked seeing all of the intricate stone carvings. Our tour guide stressed the fact that these ancestors were not dimwitted, but rather, very intelligent engineers. They had to be in order to layer the stones on the ceiling to form the mound.

I had a great time at Newgrange and the scenery was something I will never forget. :)

5) Castles

Last but not least, I loved seeing the castles in Ireland. By the end of my visit, I had seen three different castles, each very unique. The first castle was in Carlingford. It was under construction so we couldn't go inside it, but I thought it had a lot of character. It was located near the ocean on a cliff. I was surprised to see flowers growing out of the stones. It was an unexpected and serendipitous beauty. It gave the castle a lot of character. Also, it was around sunset and I got some amazing photos of the area. If you look on Facebook, my cover photo is from an area right next to the castle. The tide was out, so there was a large stretch of wet mud and sand. Some small boats were stuck and would not float again until the tide rolled in. The wet sand created a perfect opportunity for reflection of the sky. As you can see from the photos, it was amazing! The blues and pinks of the setting sun highlighted the shadows and the green scenery in the background. In the case of the Carlingford castle, it had the best surrounding scenery.

The second castle I saw was Dunlace castle, which was very close to Giant's Causeway. This castle was more intact than the other one and also had stunning views. We spent a good amount of time there, and I got to learn more about the castle itself. I even got to see a couple of the ovens! My favorite area of the castle was one of the towers. When you looked behind it, you saw green rolling hills with cows. When you looked in front you saw the blue-green ocean and black rocks. In the distance you could make out Scotland. I like to compare it to the view I have in Ventura of the Anacapa Islands. The distance was very similar. The lighting was perfect for photos. This castle was the most fun of the three and also had beautiful scenic views. I was surprised to see the infamous hexagonal stones incorporated into the castle walls. Clearly, they were borrowed from the Causeway! The girls loved this castle and enjoyed going on the treasure hunt and exploring. Jack, Siobhan and I enjoyed listening to the history and various rooms via the audio guide.

The final castle was Malahide Castle. I saw this castle right before returning to the ship. It was the only complete castle I saw and I quickly learned that the government took possession of it in 1977. They are still working on refurbishing the other areas. The tour took us through one level of the castle. My favorite room was probably the one with dark wood paneling. It had a lot of character and intricate carvings that depicted religious scenes. Another fun item in the castle was the couch in the social room. On the sides of the couch were two small seats for the chaperones. If there was a single lady present, a male would approach and ask the chaperone if he could sit with and converse with the lady. Once he got the approval of the lady and of the chaperones he was allowed to sit next to her. The chaperones continuously monitored the conversation and reported back to the elders, commenting on the smartness of the match. I thought it was fun! The grounds around Malahide were also beautiful. It was like a giant park, with tons of trees and grass areas. Jack and I shared some strawberries on the lawn before the tour. This was a treat because I have never seen berries in the dining hall. After touring the castle, we spent some time looking at the garden before heading home.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, there is a lot more to a port than what I write about. In any given port I have tons of experiences that I am unable to mention in these blog posts. When I return I can tell you more about some of the small things I saw and did. It is hard enough to narrow it down to five, and there is so much I didn't mention. Suffice it to say, I had a really fantastic and cultural experience in Ireland. :) I have amazing family too! Thank you to my cousins for sharing with me and opening their home to me. I plan to return someday to see even more.

Tomorrow we arrive in Portugal! I am looking forward to a still ship for a couple days! It is supposed to rain in Portugal, but I will cross my fingers. Tomorrow I will be taking a cooking class and then going to a Fado and Folklore show in the evening. I am so excited for both. In cultural pre-port, the music teacher showed us some examples of Fado, and I am looking forward to hearing it in person. On Saturday I am visiting Sintra and Pena National Park, which should also be a ton of fun! Then we have a day of transit before arriving in Cadiz. In Cadiz I will be traveling to Seville to see some monuments. Unfortunately, the Flamenco dance lesson got canceled, so now I have a free day in Spain. I am sure there is plenty to do and I am looking at it as a chance to experience serendipity. I will write again soon. Sending hugs! Adeus!

-Jessica

P.S. Photos are in the next post! :)

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Bonjour! Adventures in Belgium and France

Dear Readers,

I hope that you are all doing fantastic! I have been a little homesick the past few days and wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you all! On the ship, I realized, there is a lot of time to think and reflect on my experiences and personal growth. It also creates time to think of home and those I am missing.

We are already beginning to gear up for our next port, Dublin. It seems like yesterday we were arriving in Belgium. Time really does fly by. Simultaneously, it seems that it has been years since London, when in reality it has only been about four weeks. I have already been to five countries! Crazy! This voyage has taken me by surprise.

This past weekend was really amazing and I had such a great time! It has taken me a few days to recover, understandably, from the culture onslaught I had that included lessons about history, walking, biking, running, tours, interacting with locals and eating. Today the sea has been really rough and for the first time I have inklings of seasickness. Going outside for dinner helped a lot. Luckily the weather has improved so we could eat on deck. It has been raining in every place I have gone to since Friday. We left for Ireland from Le Havre at 5 AM this morning. I think the hardest thing is having a class day and looking out the window, seeing the city, and not being able to go out and explore.

I have continued to meet all different kinds of people. Everyone is nice and oftentimes you are sitting at a table and some people come up to join you. I think it is one of the great things about being technology-free. We are forced to interact and form relationships. It seems like America has been taken over by technology and the desire to constantly be plugged in. While I do think of home and my friends and how much I miss being able to hear about their lives or call them on Skype, I think it is good for my focus to be here, on the people around me, my new family. The major con to being Internet- free is that you are very isolated out here. I don't know anything about current events or news. The dean's update us if something major is going on in regards to ship life, but nothing about the United States or the world. I learned in Paris about the flooding in Colorado. My heart goes out to the families affected by it. I recently heard about the shootings in DC as well. It is hard not to know what is going on. Thankfully, my family has agreed to update me on current events so I won't be totally oblivious.

Anyway, there isn't much news about ship life. It has all become pretty routine. The food continues to be good and I love the Peanut Butter and Jelly section. My classes are also going well. I am still getting used to the block scheduling. I have a few papers coming up and continue to read textbooks and articles. Most of the time, the readings are really interesting and relevant to upcoming ports. That makes sea classes unique. What you learn you actually see in the countries you visit. It makes it all very real. In a classroom it is hard to experience that. You also form a more complete understanding and connections with people you wouldn't have otherwise. I can't imagine what my life will be like after this journey, but I already know it will be a lot different than what I had planned before this adventure. I have learned that in life, you have to be flexible, and it is okay to have no clue where you are going. Something unexpected will oftentimes appear, and that unexpected is worth the wait. Also, I found out more about dock time- if you are late between 0 and 15 minutes you get two hours of dock time! Ouch! Hope I never have to deal with that. The same type of severe penalty goes if you are placed in the VIP room. I know you may be confused by this acronym. It actually means Very Intoxicated Person. If you are placed in there, you are automatically fined $100, you get dock time, and you get points (which are bad! If they add up to a certain number you have to go home!) This should not be a problem for me though. I decided before this voyage to focus on the culture. I want to remember every moment!

I just wanted to say, before I go on about my recent adventures, that if you have any questions or want to know more about my experiences, you can E-mail me. It is better to do it soon after that port while the memories are fresh, but if not, I don't mind filling you in later on highlights, or whatever you may ask. As many of you know, I like to share stories :)

While I haven't had a super profound experience yet, I still have had some really cool moments. I am starting to think that the culmination may be more important for me than one single experience. Some students have really been adventurous, and I am working towards that. I am sad to say I did not try any crazy foods in France, but I hope to go back someday soon to change that. Other students have had intense experiences, such as a group who decided to hitchhike from Antwerp to Le Havre to meet the ship. I don't think you will catch me doing that. Ha ha. After writing this, I have realized that it is okay to not have those crazy stories. Not all good ones are crazy, after all. Normal life is not always riddled with enlightenment or danger. Normal life is something I should embrace in these cultures we are visiting. I want to go beyond tourism and to become a blend of a traveler and a tourist, because I think both have their important benefits, as well as cons. A traveler will probably see more local things and have a traditional experience more so than a tourist, but a tourist gets to see things that they have always dreamed of seeing, such as the Eiffel Tower. On SAS trips we travel in a group sometimes, but there is time to explore on our own. I think it gives us the chance to experience both. Okay, time to get off the soapbox and talk about my top five picks from Belgium and France. (It was hard to choose because I had an amazing experience!!!!)

1) The WHO

I got the chance to visit the World Health Organization office in Brussels. It was part of a field lab, and I will be writing a six-page paper about the experience. We took a bus to Brussels from Antwerp, which only took about an hour. Since we were ahead of schedule we got to visit the Atonium, which was cool to see. I saw some men on the very top cleaning the glass… I would not want that job! We spent a few minutes there taking some fun pictures. Once we got to Brussels we walked to the office, where we were presented with coffee, tea, and small cookies. Then we listened to Cristina, an epidemiologist, talk for two hours about WHO and its role in the world. It was interesting to learn all that we did because I honestly had no real idea about what the WHO did prior to the voyage. I only had a limited understanding. After this experience, I feel much more informed. We had the bonus of hearing about the UN and the EU as well. One cool thing I learned about WHO is that it is not the organization that implements the health reforms. They are not the ones giving vaccinations or educating the people. That responsibility is on the local governments and health workers. So often, the WHO is blamed, when in reality it is not their fault. The WHO is a body that guides and teaches. If offers information and works with local governments to form a plan to attack the problem. They also coordinate with health providers and monitor those implementing the policy to make sure they are following the set guidelines.

Another thing that stood out to me was the WHO's definition of health, which is key to understanding it. Health is not merely the absence of disease, which is a definition most people adopt. In reality, it is a state of mental, physical and social well-being. This ties directly to my Stress Psychology class because most diseases result from a variety of factors and it is usually a complicated story. Stress has many effects on health, but it is not the whole story. WHO watches and monitors world health, but they aren't the whole story either.

We briefly went over the WHO's accomplishments with smallpox and polio eradication in North America. Back in 2000, WHO developed the Millenium Development Goals, which focused primarily on fighting world poverty. So far, it has been the most successful global anti-poverty push and it is the first time big powers in the world such as the United States, France and China have decided to fight poverty.

I believe that this presentation gave me a lot more insight into world health and the differences that exist cross culturally. This trip will continue to mean a lot as we travel to Africa and South America.

After the presentation we walked around Brussels and saw St. Michel's Church, the victory arch and city center where Karl Marx stayed as he wrote the Communist Manifesto and where Victor Hugo lived as he composed the story, Les Miserables. We were lucky enough to get some free time, so on my one day in Belgium, I was able to enjoy chocolate and a Belgian waffle. The field lab was a mix of education and fun. It was great and I felt it was thereby necessary to include.

One other quick thing that I think is important to mention. Before arriving in Belgium I had no idea about the country or its history. I was very surprised to learn that it is a very complicated country that is in danger of collapsing. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future. This surprise demonstrates that it is important to know about the world we live in. Americans are stereotyped as knowing nothing of the World. I think we need to change that.

2) Bike Tour in Paris

On the second day in Paris we had the exciting opportunity to participate on a bike tour of the city. This was one of the items on the itinerary I was most looking forward to. However, not everything went according to plan. The major reason for this was that it was pouring rain! All of us were a little skeptical of leaving the dry hotel to go bike in the cold rain, and I must admit that I honestly reconsidered going on the tour. Several students had opted out and on the way I thought I maybe had made the wrong decision. How far was I from the truth! I ended up having a really great and fun time! We got our bikes, split into two groups and headed off. I had a raincoat on, which helped a little. When we first started, the drops were giant and everyone got really soaked. The good news was that after that initial hard rainfall, it subsided and the rest of the tour had light misting rather than hard rain.

The rain allowed us to have more freedom on our bikes, because there were less people outside. It was fairly early in the morning, and I got to watch as the city began to wake up, with shop owners beginning to open their doors. Even though it was gray outside, the city was just as beautiful, if not more, than it was when it was sunny (which was not until the day we left, of course J). The green trees that lined the boulevards stood out, as did the beautiful French architecture. The bike tour was very leisurely, which calmed my nerves because I was nervous about being left behind and I worried about keeping up with the group. The relaxed pace enhanced the experience because I could look around a little and it was stress free. The tour lasted until 12 or so, and we got to see some major landmarks like the Louvre, Notre Dame, the New Bridge and several parks. We also had some time to stop at Paul Bakery. I had an amazing snack there, which I will discuss more later on in this post. We really got a good orientation of the city. It made me realize how giant Paris is. I had no idea! Anyway, it was a good time, and definitely worth it. I got some exercise and I feel I got a true European experience, biking around. It was great!

3) Cliffs of Etretat

I know I am writing these out of order in time but I hope that is okay. I write them as I think of them. I visited Etretat on the last day in port, so Monday. It was a half-day excursion, but I really wanted to see something beautiful and to see more of the countryside of France. We took a bus over and had a wonderful and hilarious tour guide talk about the history of Le Havre, Normady and Etretat. She had some great insights. I have noticed that about SAS trips as well. All the trips I have been on so far have had fantastic tour guides. My favorites have been Olga from Moscow, Anna Marie from Etretat, and Johan from Paris. This is not where they are from, but this is where I spent time with them.

Anyway, we got to Etretat after a short ride through the countryside. It was a beautiful village and there were a ton of little shops and restaurants. There were also a lot of flowers in pots scattered throughout the town and great architecture to look at. It was very different from Paris, which I appreciated. We spent about 40 minutes walking around the village, seeing the different houses and learning about the village. Then, we walked up some stairs and I smelled the salty beachy odor I am so familiar with! Etretat is a very windy area so I could actually taste the salt in the air. All of a sudden, there were the alabaster cliffs. They were stunning! I took a ton of photos and even walked up this hill near a small stone church to get a better view. It was quite a hike but worth it!

I also spent some time on the beach, which was actually a pebble beach. It was fun walking along as my feet sunk down in these pebbles. I ended up grabbing a smooth white one. Probably not the best thing for the beach, but I really wanted it. Haha. There is the tourist side of me. The ocean was beautiful too! The water was different shades of blue and green. It was breathtaking.

Luckily, I got to see the cliffs before the sky decided to really open up. It had been sprinkling intermittently but about 20 minutes after leaving, it began to pour. I got soaked from running down two streets. After a while, that rain went away and the sun came back out. It would then cloud over and rain again. Very silly weather patterns, for sure. I spent the remaining few hours I had to explore, eat and shop. I had a really great time and I was glad I got to see something beautiful, and an area that was not crawling with tourists! I noticed further the manners that are present in this community. Every time you enter a store it is customary to say Bonjour every time. That was cool to observe. One thing I have noticed in every country is that they have something to teach us. Ethnocentrists would argue that America is the best and that we have more to teach the world. In reality, this is completely off base. The French could teach us things like manners and something I will talk more about later, food attitudes. All in all, this was a very relaxing and perfect ending to a jam-packed weekend.

4) Monet's Garden

Another great thing we got to do on the itinerary was visit Claude Monet's garden in Giverny as we headed back to Le Havre. I mentioned that Sunday was the one day we had sunshine, and we left Paris that day. We took a bus to Giverny, which is a one street village tucked away in the countryside. As we rode on the bus, Johan talked about history and pointed out various landmarks. I loved seeing the cows on open pasture, happily grazing away. This is something else we can learn- open spaces make happy cows. Feedlots are an unfortunate part of America, and I hope someday that this will change. France never smelled bad in the countryside. It seemed like it would not be bad to be a cow in France.

Giverny was beautiful and I loved how quaint it was. Most of the houses were made out of stone and they all had so much character. First we walked through the Water Lily Pond garden, where the famous bridge is in Monet's painting. It isn't spring, but there were still plenty of flowers blooming. The pond area was shaded by bamboo forests and by weeping willows. The pond was gorgeous and it was fun to see the lily pads. After this, we walked towards the house where we were assaulted by the amazing aroma of flowers. It smelled so good! There were thousands of flowers! Walking through Monet's house was also really cool. I love old houses. We were not allowed to take photos but we did get to see a room with some of his paintings. It was awesome.

After eating lunch in a small café, I went up to see Monet's gravestone. It was cool to see that as well. The sun had just came out, and was highlighting the flowers. There was also the sound of the choir singing in the small stone church. It was a great moment.

I chose this experience because it was an unexpected joy. I liked relaxing and seeing a really rural area. It was a nice change from busy Paris. And it was stunning. The people in the village were also very different from Parisians. They were humble, kind and less rushed. Everything moved slower. Sometimes you need those moments. I would recommend a visit here for a more unique experience.

5) Food!

I cannot talk about Paris without mentioning the food. Wow. That is all I can say about it. I ate very well in Paris. I also quickly understood how important the food attitude is in Paris. Parisians live to eat. Eating is a completely different experience than it is in America. The goal in Paris is to enjoy your food. More commonly, in America, the goal is to eat quickly and get the meal done with so you can do other things. Another difference is that French focus on the enjoyableness of food and Americans tend to think more about the composition of food (such as calorie content, fat content, etc.). It was cool to eat somewhere that had such a different ideology and value system. I ate at several cafes and got to enjoy some delicious coffees and cappuccinos. I also tasted some yummy crepes and of course, baguettes. Almost every meal I ate at a restaurant was served with a fresh baguette. It was so delicious with its crunchy, flavorful crust and its soft, warm inside. Wow. Just thinking about it now makes me want to go back!

As I mentioned earlier, I visited a bakery while on the bike tour. I ordered cheese bread that was out of this world. It reminded me of a cheese bagel, but ten times better! It was fantastic. The bakery had so many different kinds of bread too. Laura, my roommate, got a chocolate chip bread.

I also had French Onion Soup. The version I had consisted of a really savory and rich broth, a few onions, tons of cheese and chunks of bread in it. Wow. It was so amazing. One funny thing I noticed was that my steak came with French fries. Normally, one would not associate French fries with steak, because they are usually paired with burgers. I also had a cheeseburger at a restaurant and it was very different than what I was expecting. It had meat, cheese, bun and 3 sauces! One was a relish, the other a vinegar-based mayo and the third was a BBQ sauce. It was actually really good.

Another cool experience I had with food was the breakfast buffet at the hotel. It was extensive! They had some American items, like pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon but they also had baskets of pastries and bread, meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables and jams. I ate a ton and enjoyed every moment.

One night before we went on an evening cruise along the Seine I asked Johan about whether or not I would be able to find somewhere open to eat afterwards. He smiled and said you never have to worry about eating in Paris. There is always good food to eat. That is so true. If you ever go to Paris, expect to eat very well :)

Despite the amount of food I noticed the French paradox, which is that even though their foods are rich, most French individuals do not have obesity. Many say this is because of the exercise they have. Others say it is because of the red wine. Still others say it is because they use un-adultured foods. Who knows? Eating in Paris caused me to reform my food attitudes a little.

I won't keep you in the dark though! Paris is quite expensive, especially if you are staying in a hotel near the Louvre or Eiffel Tower. We were on the outskirts which saved a lot of money when it came to dining. Another quick thing is that in Paris you usually have to motion the waiter when you want the check. They will not be in a rush to bring it most of the time. Another reinforcer of the differences in food attitudes.

Well, that is a summary of what I experienced in Paris. It is highly condensed and there is so much I left out because of the interest of time, and I don't want to bore anyone. If you have questions, I am happy to answer them or tell more stories, like I mentioned previously : I have some great ones!

One thing I have encountered recently is the fact that in the future I may be asked to defend my choice to participate in Semester at Sea. I have thought about it a lot. The truth is that even though we only spend a few days in port, we learn a lot about how to be culturally sensitive. The short amount of time allows us to take in more and to experience as much as we can. Some would argue that visiting a country for three days is hardly enough to truly know a culture, and they are right. It is not enough time. However, this experience is unique and special because it challenges me. Instead of remaining in one place, forming a comfort zone and a sense of permanency, I decided to push the limits and explore the world. I am constantly bombarded with change, uncertainty and new things. If you knew me before this, you would understand what this trip means for me. I was never very flexible, especially in the face of change. New things terrified me and I was happy staying where I was, in my bubble. But everything I see and do is new. It is threatening by nature but I am embracing it. Sure, there are days that are harder than others, but I am proud to say that I had enough courage to try. By the end I hope to have become even more adventurous. Baby steps! :) I feel now that I want to see more of the world and to return someday to these countries, as an independent traveler. This experience has already impacted my life, and I am so thankful for it and for the support I have received and been given by close friends and family.

Okay, enough of that! I hope you enjoyed! Sending Hugs! :)

I took over 800 photos just in Paris. I will post the highlights but you will have to wait for all of them when I get back to the States. Here they are :)

Brussels