Hello Everybody!!

I just finished my trip in Puerto Rico, and I must say that it is BEAUTIFUL!!! I enjoyed myself so much and am definitely planning on going back there! We arrived in San Juan on Wednesday, and left on Friday evening. In my three days I did several fun and interesting things.
Wednesday I participated in an art tour to see the work and personal home of Samuel Lind who is a well-known Puerto Rican artist. He is very well known in PR and sells a great deal of his pieces and work in the states! After this tour I was able to sit down and enjoy a traditional Puerto Rican dish…..Rice with Crab! It was interesting to say the least…..kind of good, but the crab still had lots of its shell which I then had to pick out of my mouth and teeth…….not so good! This lunch took up about 2 ½ hours……..way too long, but I guess this is just another cultural difference….in the states we are always in such a big hurry to get things done, and in PR (and probably many other places) people take the time to just sit back and enjoy each other’s company………I can appreciate this, but 2 ½ hours is still too long for me. After lunch, I was able to do some shopping around old San Juan. The buildings and architecture in PR is beautiful…The streets are made of a blue cobblestone and the buildings are all painted beautiful colors! In the evening I participated in a welcome ceremony given to the SAS students by college students at the University of the Caribbean. There, we were able to see some traditional PR dancers, listen to authentic music and eat delicious PR food! After a few hours at Sr. Frogs, I was ready to come back to the ship and sleep!
Day 2 was for the most part a shopping day….I did manage to tour some of the beautiful forts here in PR like Fort Cristobal….The scenery here is so beautiful….the water is a clear turquoise and the weather can’t be beat! I was also able to visit one of the catholic churches in old San Juan….It was beautiful, and I was also able to meet a missionary named Hilberto who was born in San Juan, but lived in New York for most of his life. After scolding us (my roomie Celina and I) for not being able to speak “our” language, he told us about some of the work that he has done and about some of the people he works with in San Juan. This visit was very refreshing for my spirit and I was glad that I was able to visit Hilberto and his church!
Day 3 consisted of BEACH DAY!! WOO HOO!! We went to a beach called Isla Verde, and had a great time tanning and swimming in the warm and beautiful ocean! I loved it there…We ended up getting a little sun burned, but eh’ oh well it will turn to tan eventually! :) We had dinner at an authentic PR restaurant and it was delicious! I had some shrimp and rice and beans (my favorite). I am surprised at how expensive Shrimp is in different countries….One would think that being closer to the Shore and having a greater supply of it, that it would be less expensive…..hmmmmmmmmmm………
Since PR is part of the US (kind of…it gets complicated) I was able to call home and talk to the fam and to Seany boy! PR is a great vacation place because it is tropical, full of culture, yet still convenient, as most people speak English and the currency is the US dollar!
I am now in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean near the lesser Antilles…..for the next 5 days…..I have been feeling the rocking of the ocean really bad today, and am scared because when we reach S. Africa, we are supposed to hit some really choppy waters!
I finally have my schedule figured out, and I like my classes for the most part! I have soooo much homework though……..I feel kind of overwhelmed and like I won’t have enough time to do it! Otherwise everything is going well! I was able to sign up for some more trips for Cape Town, Port Lewis, Chennai, and Penang. I also signed up for the Great Wall trip….no body wanted to go with me, so I guess I’m on my own for that one! Scarry!! The ship food is kind of WOMP, but yesterday was taco day!! It was soooo good! I love taco day! I guess I am going to try and get some more homework finished now! I hope all is well at home! I miss you all and love you very much!
~Val

Hello All!

I am writing from the SAS Ship the MV Explorer!! So far, ship life is ok…..I can feel the ship moving a lot more than I thought I would be able to, but no real sea sickness yet! I miss you all more than you can imagine! On the ship, the time changes all the time, and today the clock needed to be set ahead by an hour, and I had thought that I had set my clock ahead…..turns out I didn't and I ended up sleeping in and missing my first class! Ops! Today we were able to go out on the deck and catch some sun….everyone here on the boat is super skinny and super sun-tanned! So I felt even more fat and pale than usual.. :( I had my first Comm. class today, and so far I think that I am really going to like it! I am getting along well with my roomie so far, and am glad that I know some folks here on the ship already……..It seems like a lot of people came with people that they already knew, but still I am trying to meet new people. Today I also purchased a SAS sweat shirt…….because of its high price tag…$46.00, I think that it will be my only souvenir from the ship! On the boat, we never exchange real money…….everything gets charged to your own personal ship ID card. I think this is extremely dangerous because we never feel like we are spending money and so we can accumulate a large bill in a very short while. Aside from the usual dining hall food, we can purchase snacks using our ship account. Things like ice cream, candy, water, smoothies, clothing and school supplies are all available for a price ranging between 1.50 (candy) and 50+ (clothing and accessories). Tomorrow we will be in Puerto Rico and I am so excited! I have signed up for a few trips like a welcome ceremony and an African roots tour….I’m not exactly sure what these are, but I am hoping that they will be fun! I have learned that I only have about 400 Internet minutes, and after that I have to pay $.40/minute so I need to use them sparingly. I will be updating my blog 2-3 days after each port so be sure to check it for updates! I am wishing that I had brought a few extra things with me, but I hear Puerto Rico has a Walmart and so I am planning on buying a few things there!
I miss you all very much and hope that all is well, please write back and let me know how things are!
~Valerie