My Semester at Sea Scrapbook!

Hi everyone!!!

It's been a little more than two months (wahh that's how long I was on the ship!) since I diembarked from my voyage this summer and I can still hardly believe all the incredible things I was able to do! I thought I would share my little scrapbook from my unbelievable summer!! Thanks for all yalls support!

Copy and Paste the link to find my scrapbook!
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbOGThi2bs2ji4

Sea yah latter!
~Jenni

Final Days in Africa!

Final Days in Africa!

Ok so I know it's been a little while... but I wanted to finish up my amazing travels :) Plus I'm sure y'all are dying to see how Morocco ended! :)

Do Day 2 started of amazingly because I didn't get a single call from being on call that night (that's unheard of!!! :) I woke up for an early breakfast with my friends :) then loaded up in our van to Marrakesh!!! It was a long 3 hour ride but we got to pass by the Atlas Mountains!! :) When we got to Marrakesh we stopped in front of a little shop where there were about 40 camels waiting to be ridden :) of course our group was about 100 people so we had to wait to ride them.  Instead we broke into groups and ours hopped into vans and took a dirt path up to a little Berber Village where we were welcomed into the "home" of the Berber people!  All these little houses reminded me of the stucco houses in New Mexico (made out of red mud pretty much).  When we went in the lady first showed us their little "Turkish bath" outside which looked like a little dome and underneath it they lit a fire so the water would get warm. It was interesting for sure. Then we went into the main area where they had a little garden and tables. We made our way to the dinning rooms where there were cushions set up next to short little tables :) It was adorable! They brought us out some water (it was pretty hot... 120 degrees outside!) while we waited for food. Of course everyone needed to use the restroom... but some changed their minds once they saw them!

I don't think I have written about the bathrooms in these countries... believe it or not, this is definitely a part of the experience when traveling abroad! So most of the countries weren't that bad... actually the worst in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Croatia was really trying to figure out how to flush the toilet! Sometimes there were strings above the toilets to pull... other times you had to hunt for a button to push, which could be on the left or right of the toilet, behind it or even on the floor! Oh and sometimes there would be 2 buttons... which i latter figured out was for #1 and #2... I think you know what I mean. OH and they weren't very common, you were ALWAYS encouraged to bring your own toilet paper AND you had to pay for them!! CRAZY!!! And then there were the other countries... dun dun dun!!! Oh yes these were the ones we really held it :) The oddest ones looked like regular toilets until you discovered there was no seat! It was very low and all you have to really do is squat! Not the most comfortable thing in the world!  Oh yeah! Those were the oddest UNTIL MOROCCO!  And welcome back to the little "house" in the Berber Villages! We headed to the restroom (packet of tp in my pocket) where we basically opened the door to 2 buckets, a place where your feet obviously had to go, and a hole in the floor! Wow! Talk about culture shock! Yup you had to really squat on this one... and thankfully we had our packets of TP with us because the actual stash of tp that was provided was in an very inconvenient location.  Some of these students were totally mortified by this toilet!! It was a very interesting experience to say the least! so good!  

Ok after washing our hands (then thoroughly hand sanitizing because we weren't supposed to trust the water) we each sat back down for our homemade meal! The first dish was brought out in the clay dish with something like a tee-pee clay on top!  We opened it up and a big hugemungus dish of cus cus which was like little beads of yellow rice with turkey which was soaked in some type of spice sauce and it was all topped with a strong sweet cinnamon covered noodles! They gave us no utensils and we ate it with our hands ;) Yummy! Then once we were all full they took our dishes away... then we waited around trying to figure out what to do, when they came back with another dish!!! It was meatballs in egg with some yummy yummy tomato sauce with spices :) they brought out bread and we attacked it! Then found out that it was still steaming hot so we burned our mouths... but we stuck with it because it was that good!! MMmmm! Then the other group came back and it was our turn to ride the camels!!! We got out there and the guide called me over and asked if I spoke French... which I don't then he asked me if I spoke Spanish and I said I did so he had a conversation then he called me Spanish lady for the rest of the trip :) Once the other group got off of the camels the guy called "Spanish lady!" to have me jump on the camel! :) Of course everyone had their cameras out! I got on mine and he jumped right up and I wasn't quite ready for it! I was holding on with one hand and thankfully had my balance because I almost fell off :) once everyone was on we walked through the palm groves of the Berber villages :) It was really neat... and another moment where I was pinching myself! I was on a camel... in Morocco... in Africa!!! Freaking Awesome!!! We road around for about 45 minutes and ended back at the house where we were welcomed back with orange slices covered in cinnamon (its the traditional spice) and traditional Moroccan tea! BTW tea over there is like sugar in water and a couple of leaves! Sweet!! :) Afterwards we all headed to our gorgeous hotel and relaxed for the evening.  Around 7 pm we were all somehow starving! And we didn't have dinner until 8 pm... It was crazy! Then I realized that the hotel waits till 8 to serve us because they are breaking fast at 7:30 pm... They hadn't eaten ALL DAY... and here we were all hungry after waiting 5 hours! It was very eye opening :) When we finally got down to dinner it was all traditional Moroccan food :) indeed more cus cus and more! Afterwards, Rich (our security officer on the ship), Debbie (his amazing wife), Melissa (my friend from the Teachers at Sea program and roommate), and I headed out for an evening stroll :) It was nice! 

Then the next day we headed out to go see some really great sites :) Including a gorgeous palace, another mosque, an interesting pond, and another Moroccan meal! This one had us waking in with a welcoming song :) They had a band lined up as we walked in it was very kewl! :) once we found our seats we wanted to GO wash our hands... but that's not how they do it here! They brought the washing of the hands to us! The put a bowl in the middle of our table and pored water out of a water kettle so we could wash our hands :) It was nice! Then they brought out our finger food :) This was all different than the other meals! The main food was some sort of dough fried chicken (yummm) which you dunked into the 8 different dishes around the main plate :) mmmmm! This time we saved room for desert where they brought out our... idk what to call it but it was smothered in melted icing and cinnamon of course :) So good! Afterwards they did an little show for us bringing the band back out and had their dancers come out and sing to us! It was wonderful!!!

The remainder of the day was spent shopping about in the souks of Marrakesh :D It was a blast!! Our amazing tour guide gave us some tips on how to bargain and some prices for certain things :) I started out really nervous and I couldn't really get the hang of it. So we took a little break and decided to check out the snake charmers :) I marched strait up to them and played with the snakes as the guy played his flute :) Melissa was pretty nervous but she did hold the snake! Then it was monkey time!!! I'ma tell this whole story :) Our guide had told us that 10 Durham would be enough to hold a monkey or snake... so I went up to the monkey guy and showed him my 10 DRM and said "this much?" and he said "no no Its ok" and made me put it away... I figured hey I showed him what I have so I went on... and he gave me the monkey :) It was a lot heavier than I ever expected! I played with him a little while then I gave him back to the guy. I offered him my 10 DRM and he said "no!" I said, "to pay for the monkey" and he said "no... paper" which meant he wanted more money! I said "this is how much I have" he tried to get my friends to give him more money... I said "this is all we have" and put it in his ands and left! That's how you do it! Other people were paying 50 DRM! My other friend said they put the monkey on her unexpectedly and they told her they had to pay her 100 DRM to get it off and she did! I guess they take advantage of people who are afraid! Anyhow, after that I felt pretty confident and Melissa and I got pretty good at bargaining! I was pretty proud :) Of course after a while we headed back to the hotel for dinner and bed! The next day we headed back to our ship (we raced the rest of the buses back so we didn't have to wait forever to board).  That evening I went out with Chris to go check out Rick's Cafe from the movie "Casablanca!" It was fun! Although they did not have the little old piano like the one in the movie. This was also pretty much the only place to get a drink or eat in Casablanca so everyone from the ship was there :) Afterwards we walked back to the Mosque II... and it was prayer time! It was a whole different view of the place. It was dark and lit up so it was a different kind of pretty! I was there for call to prayer in the day time that first day and I wondered if they would ever use the whole court yard for prayer... well this was that time! I couldn't believe how packed this place was. They were all out praying together! It makes me very curious for this religion! It was beautiful! After this we walked back home to the ship and   I suddenly realized that this was my last night on land in a foreign country for a while!! It was a crazy feeling!

Our last day in Morocco some of us staff members all went out to the souk in Casablanca just to enjoy the views one more time!! This was the day we all went out to find... well at this point I've forgoten her name, but she was the best person for Henna Tattoos... It was very pretty :) I only have a tinny little it of it left on my ankle now.  It was wonderful just hanging out with everyone on land exploring a foreign city one last time!!! Before I headed back I left the group to call my friends for their graduation and their birthday :) It was fun trying to figure out their pay phones!  Then I realized I still had 100 DRM to spend (it's really only like $10). So I went back into the souk and found a little shop where I found a great shop keeper and his sister who I had a great conversation with and he gave me a great deal on a little outfit :) at the end he said he wished I were there just one more day so he could break fast with him and his family (they recommend that we do this with someone as a part of the Moroccan experience).  I told him if I were ever back in Morocco, that I would give him a call :) I will!

Then it was close to my on ship time... and I had to head back :( I didn't want to go!!! but I did... realizing that that could be the last time I board the ship! ...of course I wont let that happen! I will return! :D

Sea ya latter,

~Jenni

Ya La! Ya La! Let’s go Morocco!! ~Day 1

Ya La! Ya La! Let’s go Morocco!!

Woo! I am finally in Africa!!! I have been waiting for this one :D The first day I started after lunch on the ship (saving some money J).  Getting ready I knew that I had to cover up from my shoulders to below my knees or I would be harassed! A couple of my residents and I headed out for our first excursion!  Our first step was to take our little shuttle bus to the actual city. You see, we are currently docked at a freight port instead of the usual tourist port… but that doesn’t stop us :D  The first thing I said when we got out was, “We’re in Casablanca! I love it!!” then a few steps later, “The dirt is red! I love it!!” then a few more “I love its” and they got the point! :D The first official stop was at a bank for money exchange. $1 here is 7.99 Durham so it looked like I had a lot… but not really J  We then continued on exploring the city of Casablanca!  Our first pedestrian thing we experienced was that there are no walking signs for crossing streets…  It’s sooo confusing too because their stop lights aren’t across the street like ours, they are on the right hand side of the road you’re driving on (so kinda like where a stop sign would be). Any how, once we figured out how to cross the streets we started looking around. We noticed that not too many women were out and about.  And those that were out were fully covered! Did I tell y’all that it is currently the month of Ramadan?  Oh and we are in a country that is 99% Muslim! It has a huge impact on the city!

Eventually we came upon a great little market with all kinds of hand made trinkets: mirrors, masks, purses, scarves, random camel ornaments, instruments, wall decorations, Moroccan clothes, and soo much more!!  Then we found ourselves in brand name market… like track suits and shoes for Adidas and Nike… oh and then came the rip off DVDs. I found it very tempting to purchase a copy of the latest Harry Potter movie (still in theaters) but I resisted! Leaving this little shop I followed the girls and was approached by a lady in a vale (of course most all of the ladies were in them).  She was showing me her book of henna designs and, although they were very pretty, I was not interested. I said, “No thank you!” …then, next thing I knew, she had my hand (I have no idea how she got it)! She pulled out this thing that looked like a huge needle (at which my heart jumped… I HATE needles)!!! I repeatedly said, “NO NO NO!!” I relaxed very slightly when I realized that it was her henna pen but continued to say NO! 15 seconds later I had a little henna design from my pointer finger to just above my wrist!!! She said something like “you like?” I said, “no thank you!!!” and she said, “have a good day!” Whew!!! I was sooo relieved that she didn’t make me pay! But now I have a free henna and a little story to tell J. 

We kept shopping for a while and got lost a few times (by now I’ve come to expect it).  Eventually we made our way to the Mosque II… the 3^rd largest mosque in the world!!! …OMGoodness! It WAS huge!!! And gorgeous!! The courtyard alone was larger than 2 football fields for sure! There was a lovely little walking path that surrounded it with little gardens on the sides! The architecture was beautiful! And I loved the tile work!  We walked over to the side where the ocean was (yip it’s built over the ocean)!  We really wanted to go in, but only Muslims were allowed in.  I have been told of how beautiful it is! There is supposedly a glass floor that allows you to see the ocean below and a dome ceiling that opens up (practically for an ocean breeze… but also for beauty).  I really wanted to go in!  And so did Mia! The other girls said no… but she and I looked at each other and grabbed our paskminas and started wrapping our hair! We giggled a little as we left then asked one another if we really thought we could do it… then we met a lovely lady who said we could walk in with her (in French but that’s pretty much what she said). We were so excited! We got passed the first 2 guards as we talked to the lady J Then right as we were stepping into the mosque they asked Mia if she was Muslim.  I honestly think they didn’t feel like they needed to ask me because of my dark skin and eyes, but Mia with her green eyes, white face (with freckles), and red hair barely showing kinda gave her away. Of course you can’t lie when you are about to enter holy ground so she said no and we walked back after saying “Orivwa” (sp?) to our sweet friend who tried to help us in.  When we got back the other girls were ready to head back… but Mia and I split off because we still wanted to explore.  We headed in the direction of home but in a different pathway.  We were looking for more of the Moroccan culture and were pleasantly surprised when we found ourselves in a food market!! Why do we not have these everywhere in the States??? They are AMAZING!! Everything was soo fresh and smelled amazing… just like all the other markets… except here there were new fruits and herbs J Oh and I loved seeing all the people! It must have been the time for everyone to come and get their groceries for the evenings “break-fast” meal! The women were out here J With all the things going on, one thing that really stood out to me was that women were holding hands… and so were men! And I loved the way they greeted each other! They would (firmly for the guys) shake hands with their right hand and place the other hand on the other’s shoulder as they kissed each other’s cheeks back and forth 4 times! The smiles on their faces were soo warm, it was like they hadn’t seen each other in a good while, while at the same time with such familiarity (like they saw each other yesterday)! I appreciated it!  Oh and this whole timeMia and I were getting really thirsty… but, while it’s not terrible, we did not want to drink in front of the people because it’s supposed to be rude. Then we realized that all this food was being sold and NOTHING was being eaten OR snacked on!  Just another reminder about Ramadan where everyone is fasting from sun-up to sun-down! Nothing goes in their mouths at all! No food! No drinks (even water)! No chewing gum! No smoking! Not even brushing your teeth is allowed while the sun is up!  It is all to remind them to be patient!  So we stuck through and waited till we were back on our little bus to the ship. We were so glad we took the long way home J As I was on call that night, I decided to stay in for the remaining 2 hours and get some work done.

The next day started off wonderfully… because I woke up to my own alarm and not to a phone call from security… the whole night!! Wooo! Yay for good students! Incase you don’t get it yet… it’s rare that an on call is that quiet :D I got up for breakfast and then we loaded up the busses to head out for our 3 day trip to Marrakesh!!!

Bulgaria!!! A Gem on the Voyage :)

Bulgaria!!! A gem on the voyage :)
July 24-27, 2011

I enter Varna, Bulgaria with 2 feelings: 1) sad that I'm not in Egypt, and 2) excited about this new country that I know very little about! Again, my first adventure out is a field practica to visit a Roma community. I was a little confused at first as to why they we were going to a "Roma" community. We learned that it stood for gypsy! Our itinerary began with a heart warming visit to the poor community. It was a little confusing. We got off the bus to be welcomed by a small family who lead us to their one room home... But on the way we were shouted at in Bulgarian so we didn't understand. Our wonderful guide, Luba, told us that the neighbors were embarrassed that they had brought us here because they are so poor.  We continued on to one of the ladies house where her and her 4 kids (one of which she took in because his mom died and no one wanted him because he is disabled) lived. It was a shack with one room with 2 couches that here whole family lived in. She was soooo warm and welcoming! As she showed us in, she took our hands and guided us to a spot to sit down at. Once we were all in, she pointed out her little house and gave each of us hugs. She pinched my cheek too! Her and her little family were so proud to have us in their home and share what they had! And they were happy to take pictures with us! As I left the house, I looked out the door and saw that there were many more kids outside!!
They wanted to meet all of us and when they saw that we were taking pictures, they became fascinated!! They all asked us, " photo? Photo?" Like I mentioned, they are a poor community and don't have hardly any electricity... Let alone electronics. They were astounded with these cameras that showed them the pictures and videos! They all wanted their picture taken and they wanted to take our pictures too!  As I was walking the all wanted to hold my hand or hug my waist! Particularly, there was a little girl, Spavra and her little sister, Livia who followed me everywhere! They wanted to take me to their home and show me more things. They took me up a path to see their donkey and a friend :) we kept picking up more and more kids! We went into another ladies house. She was a single mother of 5 beautiful kids. Each of them came from someone who promised to help her live a better life, but after a baby was born they left! Her house was a little bigger because it had an entry room. One thing I noticed is that these people are soooo poor, yet their houses were very orderly and as clean as they could be!  We walked around a bit more playing and hanging out wit true kids! We also met some kids around the age of 18 and they asked us for Skype! We were so surprised that they had access to skype, but I believe it was just that age group that knew about it.  As we were leaving it was soo sad to say goodbye! Some of the little girls (and some mischievous boys) gave us sweet kisses to say goodbye! I gave Livia the only piece of candy I had and she smiled Big! I wished that I had more to give them :( but one other really great thing about them is that they were already happy with what they had!
we headed back on the bus to visit the middle class homes of the Roma community and, although it wasn't high class, we definitely found it to he an upgrade.  They had a "roadway" unlike the skinny walking paths the other community had and their houses were much bigger with bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms. This family was very hospitable and welcomed us in offering cool glasses of water (yes, it was bottled... We are not encouraged to drink the tap water from this country). We kindly took it and they held an interesting discussion about their education access and the kinds of opportunities that they had as Roma people. It was interesting to find that most Romas were looked down upon. Even though they are offered free education until 8th grade, they often do jot because they are bullied so much.  In addition, their family needs them to support the payments.  We continued on with many more questions before running out of time... Then our guide walked us over to a small celebration hall, but made us stop before we got too close. All of our hosts ran ahead and our guide told us that they were preparing a ceremony for us and when they were ready, we proceeded. We walked up to the little building and the family was out presenting a basket of bread and they had a little girl dressed in a red gypsy outfit. She offered out professor 5 flowers, which is offered before you enter as a guest. They offer an odd number as a sign of friendship (An even number would be offered at funerals). As we entered and they broke off a piece of the bread, dipped it in honey, and give it to us :) yum! Walking in we saw a nice buffet of bulgarian food that they had prepared for us! We sat and enjoyed it and then were welcomed into the dance room where the girls wrapped their belly dancing scarves (with jingling coins) around us and taught us how to belly dance! Then we all just danced for about an hour or two before we had to leave the amazing community! This was by far the best trip I've been on! I was so happy to learn about the gypsys and talk to them! :)
Our second day I was happy to lead the jeep safari ride!!! It was fantastic!  Our driver, Petar, took us off roadin, some of us flying out of our seats and others  trying not to get smacked by attacking branches as we speeded by them!! We stopped by an endless bed of sunflowers to take some pictures!! We also also stopped to taste the Bulgarian brandy which tasted like you were swallowing fire!! Then we got to shoot a pellet gun... It fired back on me and now my arm is soar.. But it was all fun :) then we ended up going to get out barbq lunch! Yum!! It was roasted chicken kabobs with veggies :) at the end the drivers did a very special performance of traditional music with their jeep safari band :) they even played an American song in honor of us! Then before their grand finally they taught us an easy Bulgarian line dance which was fun!!! After everyone got back safe our tour guide interviewed a few of us for their tv news :) we latter met our guide, Nia, for dinner and then I had to head in for my on call night.
Our third day was a treat! We headed out to the natural healing mud baths of Bulgaria! We were told that these baths were created by a complicated process as the result from the impact of water, minerals,soil, bacteria, and a few other things. We sat in a smelly but natural medical lye bath for 10 min and scrubbed the salt from beneath the fusha waters on our skin. We could already feel the effects of it as our skin became smoother than a baby's bottom! Then we headed over to the muddy waters where we covered our while bodies in the mud. Of course we had some fun and took pictures too! Once covered, we headed to the beach to lay out to let the mud dry (it's supposed to be for 30 min) before we ran into the ocean to scrub off, feeling amazing!  Afterwards we went to the city of Nessebar to grab a bite to eat and shop around. This country had so many unique potter and knickknacks! I loved it. Wrapping up the trip, we graves some post cards and road back to Varna :) then the SeaHort/GradPack headed out for a fun evening!
My last day was a relaxed one walking the city and eventually hopping into the Black Sea for a day at the beach :) it was a nice end to such a great country!!

Sea ya latter,
Jenni

Sent from my iPod

Greece! Opa!!

FirstI have to say I'm terribly sorry!! I had emailed in a couple of my blogs and apparently they never made it in... so :) Today will be Greece. I believe tomorrow is Bulgaria, and hopefully soon after will be Morocco (if I'm not too overwhelmed by the end of the semester :)!!!

July 17-21, 2011 :)

So in out cultural pre-port we were informed that we would have the opportunity to see the changing of the guards in Athens. It happens every 2 hours but because we were there on a Sunday we would see the weekly ceremonial change with the band and march... Sooo we did :) it was so neat! We got there by cab (the driver was great because we reminded him of his daughters) and got there before the crowd did.  Of course we had to take a picture with the guards in their traditional dress! They had hats with tassels that hung next to their cheek and on to their shoulder. They had white under shirts with long sleeves that matched their skirts that were like ruffled dresses that flowed when they marched. They also had vests, and long white socks with shoes that had poof balls on the top :)   Once in place, they are not allowed to move and I thought it was sweet to see a couple of officers wipe their faces of sweat and unruffled their outfits before the ceremony started. All the spectators were herded over to the sides and across the street to make room for the band and marchers! It was great so see them march and switch places :)
Continuing on, we had a mission of doing the first thing on most's to do list: acropolis and the Parthenon :) of course it was lunch by this time and we had to find some lunch... And to our great surprise we found gyros for only 2.2€... And oh my goodness, they were AMAZING!!! They cut the meat off the rotating roaster thing right in front of  us and it was hot and delicious! From there we made out way up to see the amazing Acropolis and Parthenon :) it was really neat! We saw the place where Zeus  and Athena fought over the land. He chose a horse and she chose an olive tree :) she won because the horse died and the tree lived on! I loved hearing all the Greek myths and stories :) we hung out there and melted in the sun as we soaked in the history and moments with memories and photos :) then Caitlin, Ashley and I were ready for our next mission: Harry potter!
So as we were very dedicated to finding it and watching the midnight showing 2 days before those in the US... But we have no control over these countries and found out that Dubrovnik  only had 3 theaters which had no midnight showing... and the showing that did go in didn't start until 7pm... When we were leaving Croatia :( thus the first day in Greece was meant to watch Harry potter :) we made our way to the theater and met some high school kids from Greece. We were excited to talk to them about their culture... And of course Harry Potter :) we got to our assigned seats (yip here they do that in movies) and were so excited!!! We loved it! If course we were sad to see it end but it was wicked awesome!!!

Day 2 had a very interesting start. We were scheduled to visit the university of Indiana but there was a massive taxi strike. Not only were the taxi drivers not offering rides, but they were blocking all of the roads in all high tourist areas (air and ship ports).  It was crazy to see all the roads backed up! We had heard that the metro wasn't working either but no one had been to check. So our group walked 30 min to the station and, yes, they were running :) once we got to the university of Indiana we got to hear about their system and how this American school worked in Greece. Of course we also got to hear how this recession has been affecting the school as well but for the most part it seemed like a usual American school... Except in Greece and with more Greek students than American.

The third day I found myself low on cash but as I walked passed the field office desk I peaked in the magic box and found a free ticket to the Greek cooing class!!! I was so excited!  I had my plans for the day… and they were free!!!  Loading up the bus I found one of my residents, Carolina, who had also found a free ticket!  We headed to our cooking class which was a short ride over and ended up in a little bit of a shady block before we walked into our restaurant. Wow! Such a change! It was a very quaint restaurant decorated in what looked like traditional Greek décor. There was a gorgeous court yard from the entrance to the actual “classroom.”  Outside of the “classroom” doors was a very amusing chef mime who welcomed us in!  We walked in and found our table with all the things we would need to prepare our plates! We would watch the main chef make the dish then return back to our tables and recreate it! This class was wonderful compared to the Spain class because we were able to actually cut up and do all the measuring for ourselves and I didn’t cut off any fingers!  We made 6 dishes: Prassaia Salad, Horiatiki, Dakos, Tzatziki, Taramosalata, Fakes, and at the end we made Greek Frappes. The Tzatziki was one that was very simple and easy to remember. It was Greek yogurt, salt, grated cucumbers garlic, and of course olive oil!  There was at least 5 scoops of olive in each of the plates they love it… and it’s good for you!!!  After cooking our dishes we, of course got to enjoy it!  Afterwards, Carolina and I enjoyed the decorations around us. You know how they used to feed people grapes in bed?? Well there were little beds surrounding the tables so she and I took turns pretending to be Greek and feeding each other grapes. At the end of the class we were awarded diplomas for accomplishing the cooking class. They also allowed us to keep our little aprons!   When we left we all smelled like the food we had just prepared and I was very happy with it!
Day 4 my trip to Olympus! We headed out to Argolis with a quick stop at the cannal that connects the gulf of Croatia to the Aegean sea :) apparently there is an opportunity to bungee jump off of the bridge... But I did not!  Our next stop was lunch at some fancy wedding hall and it was also very good... I'm loving all the olive oil! So different than the kinds back home! Oh and I don't know how they make their sausage here but it's so juicy and delicious!! Afterwards we had a shirt ride to Epidaurus which is a small city known for it's theater performances and healing treatments.  We stopped at the theater Mycenae we got to go explore the treasures of Atreus.high was amazing! It was so big and yet, when we were sitting at the very top row, we were able to hear our tour guide who was on stage talking in her normal voice! I would love o have been able to watch a play there :)
A group of us were very interested in seeing the medical facilities that were known well by the Hellenic world :) Julia (our tour guide) took us down to the ruins of the sanctuary of Asclepius.  We got to see where so many people came to be healed... To come talk to Asclepius who would give them herbs and such and they would check into the dormitory (you know the place where you sleep) to have a healing dream and wake up cured! I decided to take a quick nap in an official dormitory   basically Its a slab of rock in a room (I took a picture so you'll see it latter :) I didn't have a miraculous dream but I wasn't broken so I was ok with that :) After all that we headed over to Olympia where we relaxed at our hotel for the evening.  It was a very cute little hotel with a gorgeous balcony view of the little Greek garden outside and the beautiful mountain scene of Greece :).  We actually got to watch a little tv this day! We stopped a little while on what looked like a Greek soap opera… it was interesting but of course we couldn’t follow it, 1) because it was in Greek and 2) because it was a soap opera :).  Then we flipped the channels and found House :) in English :)...then it went to commercials, which lasted more than 5 min so we continued flipping channels.  We finally came across a CNN in ENGLISH!!! This was basically our first time to catch the news since we left for this amazing trip so we were excited!!!  After a great dinner in the hotel’s lounge, we went back up and got ready for bed and since we had free wifi I logged on and actually got to talk to my sister, Alice, over Skype!! I was sooo happy to hear from her :) :) :) Then we fell asleep watching tv!

The next day I woke up excited! We were going to visit the ancient Olympic stadiums of Greece!! One thing that slowed us down was a girl on our trip who lost her passport. I would never suggest doing that!!! It’s a hassle! But when we actually got to the site it was so exciting! We were in the presence of such rich history :)!  The site was a sanctuary of buildings associated with the games and was also an area to worship the Gods.  Our guide gave us a great run down of the history and a few more myths :) then we headed in! Our first site was the ruins of the wrestling arena followed by the “hotels” of the time.   We walked along the Sanctuary of Zeus and, of course, the Olympic stadium!!! It was basically a large field surrounded by stones.  There was a starting line for runners and a number of us lined up to compete in an “official” Olympic race :) …I got 3rd runner up… I thought it was pretty good in a competition against boys :) After we were awarded and had taken our Olympic photos, we headed to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia where all the artifacts and statues were preserved :) it was fantastic!!!!!  That basically wrapped up our amazing visit to Olympia as we headed back to Athens to board the ship.  This was a fantastic country! I loved Greece!!  Our next country is Bulgaria, the replacement of Egypt… I have optimistic thoughts about Bulgaria. I think it will be better than what everyone is expecting. Ok then, I'm out!

Sea yah latter,

Jenni Kraft

Typed on my iTouch

Istanbul, Turkey!!!

Istanbul, Turkey!

Nope, not the animal! The COUNTRY!!! Our first day began with a presentation from a Bologna Expert, Dr. Burak! WHAT?!! You don’t know what the Bologna Process is???!!!  Well that’s ok, neither did I before I started studying international higher education on this voyage. In (very) brief, it is the higher education program that began in 1999 that is followed by a 47 European countries!  The program is designed to promote employability, create comparable degrees, facilitate mobility, and increase competitiveness as a student.   My favorite objective of the program (as highlighted) is the fact that the involved parties value offering their students a simple way to become a global citizen by studying somewhere outside of their home country!  This mostly shocks me because the US complicates the transfer process so much that it is difficult to study outside of the states, let alone another country!  I whole heartedly believe that the US needs to learn something from this Bologna Process, especially because we are now falling behind in education in comparison to many others around the world! …ok so enough rallying for a Bologna Process (if you’re interested you will have to come talk to me latter… or look it up… it’s fascinating)!  He was a really great presenter and really gave us a chance to pick his brain on the process that we had been studying… but eventually we wanted to hoop off the ship to explore Turkey!!

We were told that we had an excellent location for the ship this time but we had no idea we would be this close to EVERYTHING! It was fantastic! Of course our first stop was to the ATMs to pick up money… but I don’t like the exchange rate and I found the Western Union bank right next to them and popped in to exchange for free :D I love saving $ especially this late into the trip! Then it was time to explore!  Of course we also had a mission in our exploration… which was to find a Turkish Bath!  We first crossed the Galata Bridge.   Only half way through the bridge we had already been stopped about 8 times by the little restaurants on the lower level of the bridge to join them for dinner… we decided that we would be walking the top half more often!  Here (2^nd level) there were a few mindful venders selling sunglasses and water… other than that, about 100 guys fishing off the railings… I wanted to borrow one and fish for a bit, but thinking back… I can’t really think of any of them that caught a good size fish… Any how, we continued on and of course the first building we see is a Mosque! The winding walk way did not allow us to go straight to it though so that would be an adventure for another time. Onward we went up and down the winding and narrow roads of Istanbul and, as we were warned, we found ourselves lost!  With no plans for the day and no huge rush for anything in particular… we got a little more lost and just enjoyed the scenery and people J!  This country was a bit different language wise because, unless they worked with tourists (and even then…) they didn’t know very much English… try asking for directions or just figuring out where you are without words!!! Eventually, we just kept wondering and found ourselves in what looked like some sort of market area.  I looked down at one point and saw this weird backpack… kind of shaped like an L with the shoulder straps on the tail end ( L <-this side) that didn’t make since to me… but when I saw a guy with it on his back… and the hugemungus box (probably with items for his shop) I noticed that it was used as a support mechanism to help them lug large items around.  Like I’ve mentioned already, the roads are narrow and windy and you can’t get a car through them… so it has to be people!  After seeing these little guys with their massive boxes work hard to get to work we discovered that we had made it to a main road! Basically we walked a block and stumbled upon one of the most famous Hamams (Baths). Relieved we went in and checked it out! It looked great! After finding it we just wanted to explore some more and did a little price shopping for random things around the area.

Eventually it was dinner time and after seeing the prices on the main street, we all decided to go up an ally to find something cheaper.   We were very happy to come across a quaint little restaurant. We were warmly welcomed (unlike the others who just insisted we sit) into their restaurant!  The food was DELICIOUS!!! I had a traditional meatball smothered in some yummy sauce! At the end of our meal our wonderful waiter, Fehmi, asked us if we had tried traditional Turkish Tea. Of course none of us had and he brought us out a free round J It was really good! He was soo sweet!! He even offered for us to come back later for Naglina (hookah), but we wanted to head out to check out more of Istanbul.  After Tiana got our waiters number J we headed out and explored more!

Eventually we found ourselves in Sultan Ahamet Square… right in the middle of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia! By this time it was already getting pretty late and the sky was a lit but dark blue and with the Hagia Sophia lit and the wonderful waterfall in front the view was just beautiful!!! We all decided that we needed to return but that mosques were for another day J  We continued on to find a “Water Closet” or WC… or as y’all know it restroom!  In most of these countries, they are not too common AND you have to pay!! …oh and it’s always good to bring toilet paper! Any how we found one next to a hookah place and decided to stay there… where we all tried some hookah as we enjoyed a performance form a worling  Dervish. Basically, this is a religious dance where the “performers” wear a white gown that covers everything neck down, and a tall brown furry hat.  They spin and spin and spin without falling for a long time and while they spin they are in deep prayer.  I have a lot of respect for them because I would fall for sure… and he didn’t even loose his balance when he stopped! And that wrapped up day one as we headed back to the ship for a good nights sleep!

Ha ha I’m looking at my Blog so far and its already too long J But that’s ok, most of the next days included getting lost again and shopping around.  So the next day all the grad students went out to explore again J we came back for lunch on the ship and joined a few others.  Evan shouted out that if anyone wanted to join him on a trip to Asia for ice cream meet at Tymitz Sqare at 2:30… how funny is it that we are able to say something like that!! “Oh, I’m just going to Asia for ice cream!” I feel SOOOOO privileged!!! I still can’t believe I’m here some times!!  So, I met Evan and Jenn to do just that!  We jumped on a fairy to the other side of Turkey and found ourselves in Asia… except it looked just like the other half of Turkey J Well minus all the tourists! It was nice to just get a feel for a place without getting bombarded! We strolled around looking for this “Chewy” ice cream that supposedly Turkey is known for… I had no idea what they were talking about… but when we found it I surely did! Their ice cream was like a texture combination of taffy and ice cream!! I loved it!! Mmm I want more right now!!! Yum!! After some people watching and relaxing we headed back to the ship for dinner (meals on the ship are already paid for… so we save money by eating on the ship).  Jenn was exhausted for the day and still had a trip but offered to give it to me! So for the evening I got to go on a walking tour of Istanbul!

Our first stop was to experience the “Call to Prayer” in the courtyard of the “New Mosque” (built in 1600’s). It was amazing! I hope one day you can all take time to just listen to a call to prayer! After the call, we actually took off our shoes and wrapped up (women had to cover their legs shoulders, and hair. We walked in and kneeled in the back where the tourist section was.  All the men would pray in the middle.  Standing and bending and kneeling and into a fetal position then back up and down again as a group at first then separately! All the women would pray in the very back behind a fences wall so the men would not be distracted. The whole process was beautiful!!! We left in a different state of mind J then boarded the bus to another little part of the town where there were a number of restaurants surrounded by live music, clapping, dancing and laughter!! The next little town was Turkcity! This was kinda like our sixth street back in Austin, Tx J The main street for night life!! Then we headed back J

The third day was fantastically relaxing!! We slept in this day and left after lunch for our first (and probably only) Turkish Bath experience!!! I was a bit nervous about this (you will see why) but I thought… I don’t know another opportunity that I will have to do this.

WARNING: this part is a little more personal and some may choose to skip this, join back in where the ** is J

So I went for it! A group of us grad students entered the Cemberlitas Hamami to the right (where the women went).  We were led to our locker room where we all to undress and just wrap in a little towel.  In a traditional bath, you basically get naked and have someone scrub you down! I was sooo happy when the lady actually handed us a little magic bag that contained a pair of black undies that everyone wore!  Wrapped and ready we headed to the bath room where there was a marble slab in the middle. We each found a spot and laid there bare and free absorbing the warmth of the room (it was kinda like a sauna to open your pores I guess).  When the washing lady was ready for us she called in broken English “Lady?!” and we came to be washed.  My lady called me a little baby and thought that I was Turkish J She took my little hand scrubber and scrubbed me down! It was kinda icky because she was getting rid of all the dead skin!! After that she COVERED me in bubbles and washed me J it was nice again because I was all covered and I got a little massage too! In the end of the bubbles she pored water over my head and I felt refreshed. Then led me over to the little sink where she hand washed my hair! MMmmmmm J Loved it! Then I wrapped up and headed to sit in the Jacuzzi for a little while! Once we had a little group together we headed to the little rooms that surrounded the marble slab and pored the cool waters from the sinks over ourselves! It felt amazing because it was soooo hot in there!

**When we were good and ready we headed to the next room to get our oil massage!! Which was sooo nice!!! We all left the bath ouber relaxed and glowing from the experience!!! The remainder of the day was strolling around again.  We made our way back to Sultan Ahamet Square and took some time to really appreciate the Blue Mosque and all its glory!  It’s called the blue mosque because they have the most blue tiles in one building. It was amazing to be able to walk into and experience!  Next we walked around the Hagia Sophia J it was beautiful! Then we headed back to the ship for dinner. I stayed in to save some money and catch up on some work!

The next day were dedicated to walking around and experiencing the Grand Bazaar!! This actually put me out of my comfort zone because I had to barter with the sellers!  I got really uncomfortable but eventually I got a few good deals!! J

The last day I actually got to visit Bahçesehir University and I really appreciated the fact that it was sooo dedicated to being student oriented and giving its students the opportunity to get a global experience!!! I could talk a while on this visit (I already wrote a 5 page paper on it) but I’m already at 3 pages single spaced and I’m sure you’re tired of reading by now J I enjoyed Turkey very much if you could not tell J I hope you enjoyed it from afar! Well Morocco is next! Until then…

Sea yah latter,

~Jenni

Croatia is Picturesque!

Waking up to such an amazing view was so unreal! We sat outside for breakfast as we waited to clear the port for entry and I've never seen such beautiful scenery as Croatia!!  Once we were cleared the GradPack Seahort headed out to go visit the American College of Management and Technology (a branch campus of Rochester or RIT).  It was great to see that there are some opportunities for student affairs professionals to branch out through these branch campuses :) It was a great visit and a neat opportunity to learn how the US and Croatia worked together to get students a dual degree in both countries :) Latter in the evening Melissa, Chris, Ryan, Mike, and I headed out on a search for evening kayaking.  We met a guy who’s name sounded like a fruit :) he gave us a good deal and we headed out for a 2 hour kayaking trip!  Our first stop was to jump off some cliffs... I did not participate here.  Instead Ryan and I continued on to see more views and we met up with everyone in between Dubrovnik and an island.  Our goal was to find a great spot to watch the sun set and we succeeded!!! We parked our kayaks and climbed up the island rocks and watched the sun set behind Croatia.  With the cool colors in the sky and the sun's reflection seeping into the ocean I could not have imagined a more beautiful setting!!! Afterwards we continued on with an attempt to go around the island and discovered a small cave!! I was soo excited!  We took some pictures and hung out and slowly headed back to return the kayaks :)
On our journey back Chris brought up the idea of heading out to Montenegro the next day... so we did! Melissa, Chris, Shametrius, and I headed out after breakfast to check out prices to take the bus... it was a bit high!  So, as graduate students and staff we took advantage of being able to rent a vehicle and jammed to a mix of Croatian and 80-90's American top hits :) it was a fantastic road trip!!!! We got our passports stamped 3 times and t to soak in even more amazing views of Montenegro!  We had a pit stop at a local beach and headed back just in time for dinner :)
The next day I headed out with one of the other LLCs, Kari, to explore :) we ran into one of the nurses on the ship who actually knew the language! We decided to follow her to Lapad where we found a FAANTASTIC beach! :) y'all have to see how clear this water was!!! Here, we found our own private little lagoon (idk how else to say it) to put our things at as we swam in this amazingly refreshing water!!  it was simply relaxing!  Latter, Kari and I headed out to Old Town (Dubrovnik) to walk the glossy streets :) We ran into Tracy and Drew there and had the most delicious Croatian meal!!! :) Can you believe!! I ate grilled baby octopus!!!!! It was soooo good!!  we also shared this amazing fish bowl with all kinds of sea food: fish, shrimp, muscles, SQUID, and a few other things :) it was fabulous!!!  As we headed back we did a little shopping.  On our walk back we got to watch the beautiful full moon reflect  two places! once right below it and it's reflection path :) sooo gorgeous!!
Our final day, we headed out to go walk the wall :) It was very hot and long but it was grat to see all the views and walk on the history of Croatia!  Since we wee all ubber hot we made our way to Boza and I finally jumped off the cliffs into the very forgiving waters of the Adriatic Sea!!!  That concluded our adventures in Croatia but I boarded the ship for Gangway Dutie and said my good byes... but I was still very much looking forward to Greece!!! :)

Sea yah latter!
Jenni