The Longest Stretch:

Yesterday we departed Manaus, Brazil.  Number Two of this incredible journey is over.  18 days in, and 86 more to go.  I have met friends that I feel like I’ve known for a lifetime and experienced things that I never imagined doing. For the first time in Semester at Sea history, the MV Explored sailed down the Amazon River to Manaus, Brazil.  Despite it’s sketchiness, I am glad I had the opportunity to go to Manaus.  It was dangerous, but I feel it was the best was to experience real culture.  I hiked through the rainforest, saw beautiful waterfalls, participated in a cultural Samba, sat at an outdoor concert in Portuguese, saw a beautiful opera house, witnessed a fish market (gross), zip-lined, visited a riverside community, took disabled children to the zoo, and tons more.  I didn’t want my list to take up my whole blog… I also go to hear amazing stories from other students and their adventures.  My friends, Eric and Jake, along with 4 other students and 4 staff did a four night/three day service project painting a school and visiting a village on the Amazon.  They have the craziest sotries… Which brings me to this: On one of my walks back to the ship from the market area I had a super awesome conversation with a man named Bill, who was hired a month before the trip left from Nassau to put some service projects together.  After experiencing the two service projects in Brazil and my volunteering background I had to get involved.  We talked about how SAS offered few service projects and not everyone got in to all the ones they wanted.  Well, turns out I talked to another girl about the same thing, and we are all going to try and do everything we can to put some more together in the remaining countries.  Also, I went to a meeting about a foundation called Freedom In Creation.  This is an organization that was created by an SAS alumni, Andrew.  The mission is to empower war-affected or at-risk communities through increased access to therapeutic qualities of art, international education, and fresh drinking water.  I wont go into this in debt but pretty much I want to get involved.  I may start something in La Crosse or at Viterbo or all of the above.  We’ve already started a SAS chapter of the program and we’re planning a benefit concert on the ship.  Check out freedomincreation.org!

Side Note:  There’s two girls on the ship (age 8 and 10) whose parents are professors.  These two girls have been making friendship bracelets for two years and selling them for $1.00 each.  They have raised over $2,000 and are giving all of the proceeds to help fix a well in Africa so a community can have clean drinking water.  Each well costs $5,000 and 1 well can serve 1,000 people in Africa with healthy water.  All over Africa, people are dying of diarrhea due to poor water.  Children cannot go to school and adults cannot work.  Women have to walk miles and miles to collect stream water and risk sexual and physical violence every step of the way.  That is was Andrew’s program is all about, and something that has hit me pretty deeply already.  I’m sure my experiences in Ghana and Cape Town, South Africa will only cut me worse.

So I have learned that volunteering is, without a doubt, the best was to travel.  It brings you the most and best experiences and you truly walk away with something you are proud to share with others.  I also went to a Peace Core meeting tonight.  Not exactly sure what I want to do after college but taking in as much information as I can at this point… can’t hurt! This blog is a little scattered but I am also trying to stay in contact with the nurse on board to talk to her about service nursing after I graduate.

So now we’re off to Ghana.  8 days of class and one reading day, so a total of 9 straight days at sea.  The reading day is actually a pretty big event this time. It is Neptune Day and the Sea Olympics.  Neptune day is where we cross the equator on the Atlantic Ocean.  I’m not exactly sure what we do to celebrate but I know there is a head-shaving party.  (Don’t worry, I’m not shaving my head)  The ship is split into 7 different areas or teams in which we have meetings and dinners and what-not throughout the voyage.  It’s kind of like your general floor or block of rooms.  Each team is named with one of the 7 seas.  I am a part of the Aegean Sea. So at the sea Olympics we all compete in many events and obviously one team is declared the champions.  I’m excited.  Our team has two rules we are obligated to obey throughout the voyage.  #1: WIN #2: Do not forget rule #1.  So I guess we have to win! 

9 days at sea is going to be a long, but I will get a nice reward Sunday night when I get off the ship in Takoradi: WATCHING THE PACKERS WIN THE SUPERBOWL!

I want to end this blog post by saying thank you so much to all of you that read it.  I have been told via email by many of you that a lot of you look forward to it every day and by others that I should think about taking up a career in journalism or travel writing!  I don’t think I’m journalist status, but it does mean a lot that you enjoy my stories.  Also, I love getting emails! I’m not the best at replying super quickly but I will work on it I promise!  My email address is hmnoel@semesteratsea.net and thank you again for supporting me and my spectacular adventure, and as always, for reading my blog☺

Unity is Strength,
Hannah