These are some pics from the last few days in Cape Town. We leave in a few hours and I am so sad to leave. Just a quick update: I went to church this morning with some friends. Come to find out, we went to a township outside of Cape Town where one of my friend's "connections" is a missionary here - so he took us. These people are amazing and they are just so welcoming. I cannot begin to say just how sad I am to be leaving this beautiful country. I hope to come back soon!! There is no getting away from the travel bug now!!

I'll be back with more later!!

love love love

Cherie

Pictures from Brasil

Cape Town #2

We went to the Cape Winelands today! It was absolutely beautiful there. Our first stop was just outside Stellenbosch at JC Le Roux Winery. To be honest I was a bit worried because I am not a huge fan of wine… but these wines weren’t too bad. There specialty is sparkling wine, also known as Champagne. We tasted four of there specialty wines, were shown the bottling line of their winery and then took off for our next stop. Our next stop specialized in brandy, so that’s what we tasted… it was pretty much the most disgusting thing I have ever had. They also gave us some chocolates that supposedly “complimented” each of the 4 brandies – I wouldn’t know, after that first taste I was done – the chocolates were great though! I was really surprised at the prices of the wine around here. The most I saw for a reserve wine was around 80 Rand which is just over $11 – I would have bought some to bring home but we aren’t allowed to bring alcohol on the ship – sorry dad! We went to lunch at another winery but ran out of time to do a tasting there as well. Overall, I had a great time! I am still in love with this city and I am not looking forward to leaving at all. I have had the best time and I can’t wait to come back!
Miss you all!
love love love
Cherie

I have fallen in love!!!

Big news!! I have fallen in love… with South Africa! I have been here only two short days and I am in awe of this beautiful country. Yesterday we pulled into port around 0630 but pretty much everyone on the ship was up and out on deck by 0500 to watch the sunrise over Cape Town – it was absolutely beautiful and sadly none of the hundreds of pictures I took could do it justice. Before we disembarked, we had a diplomatic briefing for all the SAS participants. It was so interesting and it really got me thinking about possible future career paths. J After we got off the ship we headed toward the waterfront and started our exploration of Cape Town. I talked to some local guys on a sail boat (funny story that, if you really are that interested, you should ask me when I get home) and they welcomed me to Cape Town. After a few more hours we headed back to the ship for our FDP to Robben Island. I cannot even begin to tell you about the experience of Robben Island. When we got off the ferry it just hit me of everything that went on there. Not only was I stepping where hundreds of innocent prisoners walked but it really hit me that this happened during my lifetime. Its not like Hiroshima or Vietnam where no matter how many times I will go, visiting those places will not have the same impact on me as it will as someone who lived through them. The Apartheid is still “fresh” history and being at Robben Island and speaking to past political prisoners was amazing! I learned so much and feel much more of a connection for South Africa and the apartheid period. If you ever have any free time definitely look up a man by the name of Robert Sebuque (I think that’s how his last name is spelled). Most South Africans don’t know his name at all, but he played such a vital part of the Apartheid movement… his story is very powerful and worth looking into. From Robben Island my friends and I went back to the ship and got some dinner (or tried to straighten out an ATM situation with their bank… goodness!!) We then had plans to head up to Table Mountain. We caught a cab for the 10 minute drive up to the cable car only to find out that it was closed for the day due to high winds. Talk about a major downer – we ended up just taking pictures from the view we were at and then headed back to the waterfront to get a second dinner of sorts. After our long day we decided to call it a night after our late dinner and headed back home, aka: the ship!
Today (Wednesday) I went on an SAS trip to Cape Point. The views we saw were absolutely amazing! For those of you who don’t know, Cape Point is said to be the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet – it is also the most south-western point in Africa. We also went to see a colony of penguins (Jackass penguins, if you want to be specific) that are indigenous to this area. They are so cute! Oh, and a little side note – the restaurant we went to had to shut their windows because there was a troop of baboons that were just outside… no big deal! HA! Once we returned to the ship I went out to dinner with some people I had just met the day before which was so much fun! We went to this restaurant called Moyo where customers have the opportunity to eat in a tree house! We didn’t because we had too many people in our party. We still had a great seat though – right by the center stage. Every so often they would have dancers and singers come out and do a traditional African dance for us! It was a great time! The dinner was an all you can eat buffet with many different types of meat – traditional steak, , ox tail, antelope, and of course chicken. Talk about a mouth watering meal… YUMM! These past 2 days have been amazing and I can’t wait to see what the next few days have in store for me!
I am so excited I get to share this with you! Hope you enjoy!
Love love love Cherie

Cape Town Tomorrow!

Cape Town Tomorrow! I can’t believe its already here! Sunrise is around 5:30 in the morning so my friends and I plan on making our way out to the decks sometime around then… the view pulling into the harbour is supposed to be one of the best – with Table Mountain in view and the beautiful African coast… I really can’t wait! Oh and by the way, along my journey I have been taking video footage and would love to post it… if I only knew how. So, here is my bleg, as my brother would put it: If anyone knows anything about video-ing and uploading it to a computer and then editing and all that jazz I would totally love to talk to you!  Juggling school and the whole ship atmosphere is not great but I have learned to deal for now. I have a paper due soon – not exactly sure when – so I have been setting aside time to write that every so often… meh… Well, I think that is pretty much my report on life with me… pretty much amazing! I hope everything is well with you and yours!! Miss you all! love love love Cherie

23 hour days?

First of all let me just say… 23 hour days suck! On this portion of our journey we have lost a total of 5 hours since Salvador and I have lost 10 hours since leaving California. See, you’d think that we would be happy because this way we get a whole day back before we get to Hawaii… BUT not only do we have to go to class on both days but its April 15th – tax day – kind of funny, hey? Anyways, enough of my complaints… As you may have guessed, we are still in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It is our 8th consecutive day at sea and everyone is very ancy to get off the ship and onto land in South Africa. The past few days have been fairly uneventful – went to class, took some naps (ah! I love nap time), met new people, did some reading, and hung out with friends. I also had a birthday dinner with my “family” on the ship. Too bad the birthday boy slept through pretty much all of it – more cake for us! Last night we had the first of many “sea competitions” with the sea Olympics being the granddaddy of them all!  Everyone on the ship is separated into different sections (similar to halls on a regular university campus) and each of these sections is named after a sea (i.e. Mediterranean, Red, and Caribbean). I happen to be a member of the Mediterranean Sea!! Woot Woot! Last night it was all about the cheers. Each team had a certain amount of time to impress the judges with there cheers/songs about their sea. As you can imagine, it was a night full of laughter for everyone. Today I had my first finance exam so I pretty much took the rest of the day off after that – what can I say, the 4th deck was calling my name. Only one more day of classes before we hit Cape Town! I am so excited! The first day I plan on going to Robben Island for most of the day and then just wander around Cape Town – I have heard the shopping is amazing  The next few days after that I will be going to Cape Point, through the wine lands, and various other “touristy” things that will more than likely be planned spur of the moment. Well, dinner is calling my name! Have a great day! love love love Cherie PS. Thanks to my mama who has been posting these for me so I don’t have to waste my internet minutes!!

Ahoy from the MV Explorer!

Ahoy from the MV Explorer! Today my friends and I went on a tour of the bridge of our ship. It was so cool to see everything up there – and I even sat in the captain’s chair and wore his hat (pictures to come in port - South Africa). Come to find out, the captain stays in his cabin most of the time… I suppose I will have to meet him another time  Yesterday was Neptune Day here on the ship. We celebrated by being woken up at 0715 hours by people running up and down the halls with pots, pans, and whistles. As you can imagine, all the students were SO thankful for that… I ended up getting up and eating breakfast around 0830 and then went up to the 7th deck to watch the “festivities” take place. They start out by pouring some concoction on everyone’s heads - and I you were wondering it didn’t smell very pleasant. Then those people jumped into the pool and proceeded out the other side to kiss a dead fish. After that they had to kneel in front of King Neptune and kiss his ring. For those of you who are curios to know if I took part – I did not. I know, I know, I’m lame! However, I’m sure everyone on the ship is thankful that I didn’t because I think I would have blown some serious chunkage having that stuff all over me… I did get some good video of it so I will have to share that with everyone once I’m back in the states. Following that, people were given the opportunity to shave their heads and there was a surprising response to the offer. I believe close to 40 girls shaved their heads and a few less guys – and no, I didn’t shave my head either. After the morning events I was pretty much I my room studying or napping  Ah, the beauty of no class days! After dinner, I went to my friend’s cabin and chatted for a bit there. She is housing the inter-port student from South Africa so it was really cool to get to talk with her about a lot of stuff. She made me even more excited to see the sights in Cape Town! Other than that life is cool. The ship has been very rocky these past few days. So much so, we had to duck tape our drawers shut so they didn’t fly open in the middle of the night or any other time of day! I must say, seeing everyone, including myself, walk around the ship last night was pretty hysterical – it never gets old! Only 3 full days until Cape Town! Can’t wait! I hope this update finds you well! love love love Cherie

From somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!

Hello again from somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! I can’t believe that in exactly a week we will be in South Africa. Of all the destinations on this voyage, I am most excited about Cape Town. To be honest I don’t know exactly why but I know I am really eager to learn more about the apartheid movement and all it entails. Also, it has been really cool to be reading and learning about the slave trade between Brazil and South Africa and also be able to see (not just in textbook pictures) how it all went down. And to be able to sail in the same waters that millions of slaves sailed in is not something you get to do everyday – it brings the learning experience full circle for me. Another interesting opportunity that I have had these past few weeks is to read a great book about Theodore Roosevelt’s journey down the Amazon. Again, to be able to travel to these same places that I am reading about is just so cool for me – and if you know me at all… for me to mention a book is BIG! The book is called “The River of Doubt.” For any history buffs out there (Dad) I think you would enjoy it… I mean I did so that has to be some sort of sign.  Overall everything is still going well for me. Classes are still a pain but are beginning to be bearable. We have our first global studies exam tomorrow (Tuesday) so that should be a hoot. Other than that life/class is just peachy. Since leaving Salvador the seas have been quite rocky which makes it hard to walk in the halls and consequently I have been running into walls on a regular basis… BUT the seas also rock me to sleep every night so I suppose it’s an even trade off. I had dinner with my extended family again tonight. It was fun to just chat and catch up on everyone’s happenings in Brazil. My “mom” and “dad” also know a few people from Porterville – small world, eh? They also travel up to northern BC every year so they said they would stop by Trinity to see me the next time they come up which is really exciting! Yesterday and today I have not been feeling too well so I think I might have picked something up from the food in Brazil. I am feeling a bit better as I write this (Monday night) so hopefully I’m almost over it. Well, I better get back to studying. I hope all is well back home in the states! Miss you all! love love love Cherie

Out to Sea!

Hello again! Its almost time for us to pull out of Salvador and start our 9 day journey to Cape Town. Salvador has been amazing! Being in the city for the first two days was plenty for me. On Wednesday I went up to the city with some girls from my class and walked around for a while. One of my favourite souvenirs that I picked up was a hand painted tile – he painted it before my own eyes and its beautiful! After watching him work for about 2 hours we continued around the city and talked to some locals, got info on skydiving (no I didn’t go yet, my friends did though, they said its amazing!) and just wandered to wherever we felt lead! Oh fun! After coming back to the ship Libby called me and wanted to go to dinner and then head back to the city and wander around some more. It was good times starting and ending with a crazy cab ride through some sketchy streets… but oh so memorable.
On Thursday I left for my first SAS overnight field program to Cachoeira. There was so much that took place that I can’t explain it all on this blog but I will try to highlight my favourite things. The first day we went to a coca farm where this woman took us all around her farm and explained how she made chocolate from scratch – I tried it and its amazing ( I am hoping to save some until I get home but as of right now its not looking to last that long). We also toured a cigar factory. It was really cool to see the process of how they make cigars… and buy some too J Since we have been in Brazil I haven’t had a bad meal and Im sure most of you know how amazing Brazilian food is so I don’t think I need to explain it.
The next day we went to a village that makes pottery. We all had the opportunity to make something on the (non-electric) wheel. Lets just say some of us made a fool of ourselves.
Today I was able to take a little break from the business of life and chill at the beach – while getting the crap burned out of me by the sun. We went to an island right off Salvador called Itapirica. It was a nice time to relax and get to know people.
Through these trips I learned a lot and my eyes were opened up to the “real Brazil.” These people live with so little and yet they are so happy and willing to give the little they have. It was amazing – I know I have said that like 50 times but I don’t have another word to explain my adventures.
Well, that’s all for now. We are a few minutes away from our departure and I should get back out on deck.
love love love
Cherie

In Brazil...

Hello from Salvador Brasil!! We arrived this morning at around 7 and got off the ship around 10. Today is the last day of Carnival which is a HUGE festival in Brazil. They says its like new years in time square times 10!! Should be interesting!
Over the past few days on the ship I have really gotten into life on the ship... for example: they have an èxtended family program where students are matched up with faculty, staff, and lifelong learners and we become like family. My ´mom and dad´ are super sweet and my 2 brothers and 3 sisters seem really cool too! When they first met us they gave us a big hug and shared about themselves. It is really awesome to conect with not only students but also more mature people :) I love it!
I am running low on minutes so I should probably end this soon, but i just wanted to send a quick update. Let me know if there is anything that you would like to specifically know about my trip I would be happy to answer!!
Sorry about the shortness, I will try to post pics soon!
love love love
Cherie

Update From somewhere in the Atlantic...

Friday February 1, 2008

We are still on our way to Brazil!
Being that it only took us 2.5 days to get to Puerto Rico this is our longest time at sea since beginning this voyage. It has been interesting to say the least. Classes are… going. I’m not going to lie, it is extremely hard for me to get into the school work mentality while on the ship. There are so many distractions and very few places to escape to get anything done. Needless to say, I am constantly fighting with myself to read / write/ or just think about school in general. However, I am enjoying my classes for the most part. I am taking a history course (focusing on American history in a global context), a finance course, a global economy course, and finally a global studies course which is required for all SAS students. Classes are 7 days a week when we are at sea only, and of those days we are split up between “A” days and “B”days. I don’t think we go to class more than 4 days in a row and I am not complaining. Today was our fourth consecutive day and tomorrow (Saturday) we do not have classes because we are scheduled to cross the equator!! Since we are constantly moving we have now lost 2 hours since leaving the Bahamas, and let me tell you, 23 hour days suck. Once we leave Brazil and head toward Cape Town we will loose an hour almost every day while at sea – Not cool! Also, some time in April we have one day twice… that will be strange to experience.
Life on the ship is great! I have found some great people to hang out with and we always have the best time together. Meals together are a tad interesting since the ship is always rocking… its quite entertaining to watch people eat.
Yesterday everyone received their final confirmations of trips while in port. I was really fortunate and got mostly everything I wanted. I am super excited because I got my top choice for Beijing and well as Taj Mahal. I will also be going to Robben Island (in South Africa), Snorkeling (in Mauritius), Carnival (in Brazil) and about 10 other trips in Brazil, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Malaysia, China, and Japan – perhaps even skydiving (shh don’t tell my mom). I am super excited to get some of my bigger trips going! They are going to be amazing!
So, if you can’t tell I’m having the time of my life! I would upload more pictures but the whole time issue is a problem but I will try to upload some in Brazil!
That’s all for now!!
love love love
Cherie