Cape Town, South Africa!

Cape Town… Where do I begin? I had an amazing time and definitely a place I would return to and recommend to anyone who is remotely interested in visiting. My plans changed a bit as we headed into, or tried to dock into, Cape Town because of the weather conditions. Cape Town has seen abnormal weather conditions as of late. The winds are unusually strong lately and because of the ocean waters we were unable to port the day we were supposed to dock. Because of the rocky waters, the ship was unable to enter the harbor because the entry way for the ship was too narrow for a safe sail into the docking pier. Instead, we circled around the harbor for a day, which was beautiful at first. We saw a variety of sea lions and dolphins circling the ship and from a distance you can see Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill… but after a couple hours the beauty of the view and the feelings of excitement dissipated into anxiousness and the itch to get on to land sunk in. However, the students and shipboard community were more patient than expected. Finally we were able to sail in the next morning and got ready to disembark. For this port, the immigration and customs needed to do face to face passport checks which all the LLCs were mandated to assist. It was a smooth process but still delayed our venture into the marina a little longer which ultimately resulted my safari trip to be cancelled. Although it was cancelled I was able to find another one on my own which turned out to be better because I got to physically play with Cheetahs! I saw all the game that I expected to see on the new safari and had great accommodations which I could not be upset about. Although we lost one day in Cape Town I was determined to make the most of it.

So what did I do? The first day was all about recon. I walked around the pier area and took in the sights. The docking area looked like San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and Santa Monica Pier put together. A really nice mall greeted us as we walked into the town and you can find your usual mall stores like Body Shop, Polo, Louis Vuitton, and G-Star! The only sad thing was the G-Star store was low on inventory because they liquidate all the goods before getting new shipment… I don’t think I have ever seen so many XXL sizes in G-Star. After some window shopping I joined some folks to check out the tourist attractions, which included Table Mountain. I can’t fully explain it but it was one of the most majestic things I have seen… it is one of the amazing natural wonders South Africa has to offer. The actual site is a mountain that gets covered by the “tablecloth” or cloud covers in the evening and the clouds flow down the mountain like a waterfall. Many people hike it but due to limited time I decided to take the cable car up to the mountain to expedite the time and energy it would have taken to do a 7 hour hike – which I was supposed to do the first day, if we had gotten in on time… But the hiking can wait until Mauritius (our next stop) and the Great Wall in China. Once up there we were able to soak in the beautiful sights of the city. On one end of the mountain you can see an area, similar to any ritzy beach town, called Camps Bay and over the other side you can see all of Cape Town proper. I was in awe for about an hour as I just watched the clouds pass through me and flow over down the mountain. I visited Table Mountain with Faith, Mark, Julia, Marsha, and Bill – a great mixture of staff members from Semester at Sea. Prior to the visit we stopped by the local grocery store, called Pic N’ Pay, and picked up a few bottles of wine, cheese, bread, and other snacks. It was definitely a great experience that I will never forget. After Table Mountain we got freshened up to go to dinner. We found a local Portuguese restaurant with great meat and chose to stay there for drinks and just hang out.

After dinner, I returned to the ship to figure out new details for a Safari. Anne, one of our shipboard psychologists came up to me to ask if I was still interested in going to a safari and that they had one more spot for me if I wanted to join. So I said, why not!? And went with 5 others, 2 lifelong learners (who are adult passengers on the ship), Keith our Community Resource Officer and his wife , Liz, and Anne. The Community Resource Officer is like our own Public Safety Officer but with a Student Affairs philosophy on maintaining policy on board. He works in tandem with the shipboard security to manage all issues. We went to a game reserve called Inverdoorn which was also a cheetah rehabilitation center which made it better than I expected… and on top of that the accommodations and food were top notch. At first I was worried because they said we had a “Chalet” room which I didn’t know what to expect, but once we got there it turns out to be a small luxury cabin with beds that resembled the heavenly beds from the Marriott and outstanding food. After we checked in and settled into the chalet we were off on a sunset safari to look for some cool animals. We saw most of the Big 5 except Elephants… they told us elephants were the only animals not in the reserve because they were too hard to care for and the environment at Inverdoorn would not sustain an elephant’s lifestyle. There was one more sunrise safari the next morning and then we headed back to the ship. I think it was a perfect change of plans since it also gave me more time in Cape Town where the previous Safari would have taken 3 days out of my 5 in South Africa.

Some other highlights included the dining in Cape Town. South Africa does not have a local cuisine, well… it could be Cape Malay food but all the locals stated that the international cuisine is what they are known for and they were right. I had great Sushi, KFC, and Asian/Italian Fusion. And yeah, I said KFC. My favorite 2 places were The Grand Beach Café and Willoughby’s. The Grand was a cool spot that resembled a beach front restaurant and had couches on the sand for drinks after dinner and Willoughby’s was a seafood restaurant the specialized in sushi which was the best sushi I had in a while. All thanks to Rhoda Kaladie, our interport lecturer who joined us from Takoradi to Cape Town. Rhoda is an amazing woman who I will also talk about a little later, but her and our interport student, Candice were great people I forged a good relationship with and I know I will be in touch with them in the future. We also checked out the night scene which was interesting since we went out on Sunday and Monday, but nonetheless it was fun.

I also visited the Spier Winery and Estate where they also have a Cheetah Conservatory and Birds of Prey Exhibition. I got to pet another cheetah, which wasn’t as cool as when I got to play with them at Inverdoorn but still cool nonetheless. I also got to have birds, like owls, fly to me and land on my hand. It was a hoot – no pun. LOL! We also got to taste wine from their private winery collection which is also a funny story. So… many of these students have never been wine tasting… many saw it as a quick way to get a buzz. As the guide taught us about the wines he poured a glass for everyone to smell, analyze, and taste. Once done, he opened another bottle and before he could start I asked for the bucket to pour the rest of the wine in my glass out to prepare for the new tasting. As I asked the guide looked at me a bit confused so I asked again for the bucket. He quickly walked to the other room to fetch a bucket and told me that we were the first group (and last visiting by the way) that requested a bucket because everyone else always finished their glasses. Mind you, I know you can finish the wine, which is fine (I suppose), but we were tasting a handful of wines and he was pouring full glasses for us. Anyway… so after I pour my leftover wine into the bucket I look around to the 20-or-so other students and as they stare at me I tell them they can also pour out their leftover wine… not surprisingly there is not a drop left in any of their glasses. Let me put this into context… between the first and second wine, there was 5 minutes… so basically they all downed their wine and wasn’t “tasting” it. Well… if you know me, sometimes I just say what’s on my mind… so I guess I accidently said out loud… “Oh, that’s just trashy”…. This clearly made an impact on the students because after that almost every student had wine to pour into the bucket. Hey, at least I taught them that wine tasting is not a reason to get drunk but to appreciate what they are drinking. I may not have the best track record of being a drinker that savors the flavor of liquor but come on now… it was 11am. All in all, it was a beautiful winery and a good time to play with animals and then have some wine… I am pretty thankful it was in that order because I am not sure what would have happened if we had drank the wine first and then went to play with cheetahs and predator birds.

Before our last dinner at Willoughby’s Rhoda called me to let me know that she was willing to pick a few us up to take us to the top of Signal Hill, another viewpoint area that overlooks Cape Town. It was truly a sight to see Cape Town at night. I have to say that even though our trip was cut short by a day or so I think I had a great time and the time missed is giving me more reason to come back and check things out.

So Rhoda is a former member of the South African Parliament and focused her work on human rights issues. She was an amazing person with a rich history. She has had experience in working with various political figures and oversees her own NGO in South Africa. She has a great track record and has a vivacious personality that only makes you want to love her even more. I was very lucky to have connected with her on a more personal level since I was the trip leader that got to pick her up in Accra, Ghana and bring her back to Takoradi so she could board the ship and sail with us to Cape Town. For further explanation, we pick up an interport lecturer and student from each port who lives the following port we will be sailing to and their responsibility is to present various workshops to provide information on the ports we are about to sail into. The ride from Accra to Takoradi was 6 hours, so we have plenty of bonding time and Rhoda and I hit it off immediately. She is spunky and casual and unlike anyone you would assume to be from parliament. She quickly deconstructed my assumption of political figures. She is also very grassroots oriented and also carries quick wit and brutal honestly… something I truly admire. I think I miss Cape Town more because of her and Candice, the interport student, since they were so accommodating, warm, and fun to be around. Candice is also very spunky with a really relaxed vibe to her. She is charming and is relatable which was great as students were able to approach her for a variety of information.

As hard as it was to leave Cape Town, I am grateful to have had the experience I did and it only prompts me to want to come back, which I will. Now that I have people I know here and a lay of the land it will be fun to return with some friends and really take a bigger bite out of Cape Town. I missed a few things I really wanted to do but couldn't due to time including visiting a Township in Cape Town... when you are driving around you can see the huge disparity among the rich and poor as well as how that get stratified with race and other elements of society. Also a fascinating aspect that I learned from Rhoda is the racial dynamics and oppression that occurs with students at universities. It would be an interesting study or phenomenon to examine when it comes to what academic freedom, race, and education looks like in Cape Town.

Right now we are headed to Port Louis, Mauritius and the ship life is back to a great start. I don’t really talk much about ship life but it is definitely like a college campus – with the exception that we are contained to a vessel and you see the same people all the time. I think I have gotten used to the ship as my home primarily because when I return to my cabin I feel the same sense of comfort I did when I would come back to my apartment after a long day out or at work. Last night we were sailing past Madagascar while we held a Square Dancing event on the pool deck. Although the waters were pretty rough and the ship was being tossed back and forth we had a good time. I never would have thought I would enjoy square dancing but it was pretty hilarious and fun to learn and watch others stumble around. I guess that’s what the voyage is about as well. Making the most of what you have and maximizing the time you have and trying random things. After I headed to Brittany, our photographer’s, room for some chill time to celebrate Adam, our videographer’s, birthday. I purchased some nice South African wines that I might take with me to share. Rhoda also surprised me while we were leaving and gave me great wine to take with me so I might take that. Anyway… a bit more about ship life… I resisted the urge to get a hamburger at the grill upstairs since I knew I would get hooked but I decided to hangout with some folks and gave into the temptation. I got a burger. You see, the grill upstairs has food you can purchase, including burgers, pizza, breakfast wraps, etc. I tried to avoid it but after having one… I think I will make it a habit to stray from the dining hall a few times to grab something different.

So, I guess you can tell that I am feeling really at ease and in a rhythm now… work is going well on board and I am increasingly feeling a strong connected community with my students and the other staff here. The people on board, especially the entire administrative team of staff are amazing and I am usually right with these gut feelings but there is definitely a presence and team unity that is special here. Now I am understanding why people fall in love with this experience… all the ups and downs, twists and turns (literally)… the magic among the staff and students is tremendous. I continually have daydreams of how to get back on to another voyage… but really… I should be soaking in this moment. I cant believe we are almost halfway done with the voyage. Time flies by faster than you want… so I need to make sure that I am truly stopping to smell the roses.

Oh, and pictures coming soon! Have to get a few more from students who went on the Safari with me who had wayyy better cameras than me...

Ghana

Here are some new pics from Ghana... Takoradi, Accra, Aburi, Kakum National Park, and the Cape Coast and Elmina Beach Slave Castles and Dungeons.

Sea Olympics and GHANA!

We lost Sea Olympics… but we faired very well and had a great performance in all the events. What matters the most was that we felt we made a valiant effort and our presence as a competitor for the Olympics was felt. I also think we were robbed of points in various categories which I will explain later. As we headed into Sea Olympics we were in a mad dash to prepare for all the festivities and competitions with a small time frame. For the Olympics there are a variety of relays such as Captain’s Suit, Spoon and Ping Pong Ball, Card Tower Building to the quintessential sports activities like volleyball and transformed sports events like HORSE with a basketball and crab soccer. Crab soccer seems to be a major highlight where you lay back on all four limbs and play good ol’ soccer. I guess it is a highly sought after event where students actually argue about who gets to participate since they only have 4 spots and I got about 20 students who wanted to compete. We ultimately chose through the fairest way possible, to pull from a hat. I am not sure why it’s so popular because students come away with blisters on their palms because of the crawling but it appears to be the main attraction. Synchronized swimming was hilarious with all our jock-type fellas in speedos doing a dance and routine and it actually turned out really funny and entertaining… as well as tasteful…. A student made a mash up with a variety of songs that start with a dramatic entry into teenie bopper music and some fun dance music to hype up the crowd. We went first which is always daunting… actually now thinking back, we entered all the competitions first in most categories which I believe caused us to be judged harder… actually, I don’t think.. I know because the judges told me that we were scored harder and that is probably why we lost. Regardless, it was hilarious. The night of Opening Ceremonies was intense… We made the banner the night before which was awesome, 20 students all working together to put it together, design it, and color it in. It is pretty awesome for the limited supplies we had… we got first place in the banner which was the first competition so we started off well.. I guess. Long story short, it was fun.. we had a blast, good memories, lots of community building, and now our Sea is well connected and our community is established… we are only at our 3rd port and to see these connections is a great thing.

So let me gloat a bit even though we lost (but really we didn’t lose much because the prize is (besides glory) to get off the ship first when we dock in San Diego and my assumption is that most people wont want to be the first off because they will want to soak in all they can get before disembarking and going back to their lives back home… Anyway.. so my gloating…my Sea Olympic Captains were awesome, Barb and Kevin are both from California (um… obviously)… and they are enthusiastic and fit the model of what you would want leaders to exemplify… they have that edge where they play within the boundaries of the rules and have enough edge where they can get away with some of the slightly inappropriate things… but they always bring it back and role model and keep the outta-control kiddies on check. My RA and PA, Katie and Jeff are also awesome and really contribute to the point where I feel like I am just watching things happen while they take the helm… it’s a good feeling that I was afraid I was not going to have after coming from an awesome staff f RAs and student leaders… I am pretty thankful for that.

Ok, now onto Ghana… we docked in Takoradi on Sunday, February 6th. Takoradi is definitely a location untouched by tourism and our presence there was a mixed bag of welcoming to glaring looks. My own personal experience was positive, besides the heat… The markets are littered with a variety of produce and fish. There are usually the same goods at every stand. Like the repetitiveness of a NYC Street Fair, this market lined up local vendors who sold spices, tomatoes, dried fish, grilled fish, hair products and then repeats again. Every now and then there would be some pile of meat or vegetables as well as dark coal for fire. Takoradi is defintely a residential and smaller place that is not as tarnished by tourism. It has a local vibe unlike Accra. I know that it was definitely more challenging for all of us as we tried to navigate the area that appeared to lack the usual touristy signs and assistance from locals.

The taxi’s are small compact cars that have no base fare or regulated price. I took a cab the same distance back and forth for 2 different prices. On the way up it was 6 US Dollars for the 4 of us and on the way back it was $4. I heard some other kids bargained for $2. A lot of people were complaining about not being able to bargain to $2 but I also reminded them that it is $2.50 in the U.S. just to get into a cab so there was no real need to be complaining. Plus, I am pretty sure the $3-4 discrepancy will not hurt the pockets of our students and may make a difference the cab driver’s livelihood. After a full day of walking through the markets, kinda sorta getting lost, and then making our way back to the ship I was on duty for the night…

Duty was interesting, the usual intox issues and some funny drunks. Its pretty much the same anywhere except for the shocking ways some people are willing to get hammered in a foreign country and act stupid – and possible more stupid than they would normally act back home in the States. I had to tend to a student who was assaulted and had his wallet stolen, he was also a bit intoxicated but the major issue was that he strayed from his group and ended up like one of those baby animals that stray from the pack of adult animals and then get attacked by the predators on some Discovery Channel special. After hearing his account it was more to punk him around than to actually steal the $50 he had because he still had his bag with camera and other valuables with him. After a pretty long night of duty I had to wake up, or stay awake until 7am to catch the bus for Accra!

Accra was definitely an experience. Very different from Takoradi… since it is the nation’s capital there were more things to see and do. It was sensory overload from the traffic to the larger markets to the people in the streets everywhere selling goods and food. On the trip we went to the W.E.B. Dubois Pan-African Cultural Center and Museum which was not as great as I expected, it was more like his house and they pretty much just kept it the way it is and then showed us his place of burial. Then we saw the Artist Alliance Museum with local modern art and then we went to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Kwame was Ghana’s first president. That park and museum was very interesting and I learned a lot of Ghana’s history and their place in the world. From there we were tested in our bargaining and assertiveness skills as our guide took us into the open air market also known as the Art Centre. There, a swarm of vendors greeted our bus and waited for us to come out – although daunting, you know that they are there because they want to sell you something at a good price. The thing you have to know about the Ghanaian markets is that they are not mean but pushy. They will haggle you so you can also haggle back and do not take offense or get mad, for the most part, if you choose not to purchase something, but they will sure try hard to get you to buy whatever it is they are selling. From wood carvings, bracelets, and jewelry to various fabrics. I met a guy names Cosmos who guided me through the market. He was a vendor but he primarily helped me change money and get some postcards and stamps… he gave me a 2 for 1 deal on some bracelets that I thought were cool and in hindsight I should have given him more money because I was able to deal with him and get the bracelet for 1 Cedi (pronounced Seh-di), which is like 75 cents… he started with 5 Cedi but I talked him down and then he ultimately gave me the other bracelet for free… not sure why that happened but I think he noticed I was the trip leader and he did ask me to refer my students to him… because he was a genuinely a nice guy I decided to usher a few students his way who spent a good amount of money so I guess I don’t feel that bad about the bracelets… another cool thing was after we left and I came back a student came up to me on the ship yesterday and asked me if I was in Accra at the Art Centre… he asked because he had met Cosmos and he remembered me and wrote my name down and told the students who had gone after me the other day that he knew me and that he would give them a good price, which he did. So.. my trust and faith in Cosmos and the way he managed his business is definitely in the positive light.

We stayed in a nice hotel in Accra called the Coconut Grove Regency which was awesome. Huge room, great food, and a big group of Columbia University students who are studying urban planning were in Accra to present a plan to restore certain rural areas of Ghana to the government. Pretty cool… although we chatted a bit they still had a vibe to them that made me not want to hang out or talk to them longer than I needed… they had that stuffy pretention to them once they found out we were from Semester at Sea and made it appear as though their journey to Ghana was more important or valuable… which I do agree with since we were there strictly as tourists, but really? We are all traveling and in a new place, let it go folks and your student recommendations will only go so far in a country… it’s not that deep. It was also funny because in our group there were a variety of students from Vassar, Bucknell, Oberlin, Berkeley, and other top notch institutions… so we had just as much brain power as they did… we were just having fun… but I am sure we could have helped with their planning too… and plus, two of the girls were on facebook more than they were focused on the landscapes of Ghana.

Our second and last day in Accra we actually headed north to Aburi where there is a 200 year old botanical garden with over 150 different types of trees… that was cool but not much to write about besides the fact that there are a ton of interesting trees and plants… and some cool lizards. LOL… then we headed back to Accra for lunch and then to the ship. Yesterday was a full day of my own independent trips. Oh before I forget, the food in Ghana is good - nothing too out of the ordinary... it was funny because we kept getting served french fries with every meal.. but the things I enjoyed the most was the Jollof Rice and Plava Sauce... Jollof rice is kind of like a paella/risotto type dish which is super flavorful and Palva sauce is a spinach stew... my favorites. Oh and they serve these Yam Balls that are sort of like hush puppies but with yams and onions and they seemed baked not fried.. those were pretty good too.

On this day I went with 2 other staff members, Julia and Danny to walk the Kakum National Park Treetop Canopies which are about 40 meters high and then to the Slave Castles and Dungeons. We hired a taxi driver for the day which turned out to be about $60 from 8am to 6pm and he drove us everywhere… Kakum was the furthest which was about 2 hours away. There are pics so its more fun to look at the pics on my Picasa web album than me talking about it… but basically it was 15 minute hike up to the canopies and then we walk about 8 bridges that are suspended high above the trees… kinda scary but not much… I had fun... but the most thought provoking part of my day were the slave castles and dungeons… I am still processing the experience and cant imagine what it was like when these spaces were used by the Dutch, British, and Portuguese for human trade but being here to see it was an experience. I know that I will be processing this experience with my students and it will be an interesting conversation that I am looking forward to. Today.. I have gangway duty to make sure all the students get on board so we can start setting sail to South Africa! Cape Town! I have a full schedule of activities and adventures so I am looking forward to this port!

I have to say, though, being here in Ghana… beyond the activities and trips.. just driving around and ingesting all the scenery from the villages and how people live to the various landscapes, it has made me become more reflective about our world and what makes us who we are. At first I think about my own privilege and opportunities and then I think about what it means to be fulfilled and happy. I also think about the many ways people are interconnected as well as so detached from each other as well as how cultures can influence one another. There are a lot of gaps I am leaving in between what I am writing but I guess that’s because I am still processing these things... all in all I must say that Ghana has been a fascinating and thought provoking place for me and I am happy that I have had the chance to be here and immerse myself here as much as I could in the short time we had.