I Survived Neptune’s Crossing

(a good bit of my hair didn’t)

Yesterday, I became a shellback. I also lost 10 more inches of hair. Oops?

In case you didn’t know, I am now in the Southern Hemisphere. To celebrate crossing the equator, we participated in Neptune Day, a day free of classes and full of weird (fun?) activities, where we let the King of the Sea, Neptune, know our appreciation for him.

To be fair, the celebrations started out the day before. A little after dinner, an announcement came on the loudspeaker from King Neptune himself warning us to obey his wishes or he’d give us rough seas and big monsters. There was a stay up all night party, so we stayed up talking until 0200, then we got free cookies, and stayed up more until 0500. It was a poor decision, especially when the crew started banging on drums and running up and down the halls at 0700 to wake us all up.

So at 0700 I got up and went to breakfast where I met up with my friends. At 0830, the ceremony started. King Neptune was there, in his full green glory, ready to turn us from Pollywogs to Shellbacks. We all had to have fish guts poured on us, swim across the pool, kiss a fish, then bow down to Neptune. After that, we became part of the Sea community.

Once those celebrations were done, it was time for head shaving. The hour or so it took was so crazy. Before my mind realized I had made the decision to let it happen, it was happening. Carolyn and I ran down to my room to wash and blow-dry my hair so I could donate it, she braided it into six braids, then boom. I was sitting in a chair and my friend Misha was holding some scissors. It was cool because six people got to cut off a braid each. Rebecca did one, then Misha, Carolyn, Abby, Danie, and Kirsten. After that, Misha shaped it up a little bit, and that was it. 10 inches gone to King Neptune (well, to Locks of Love, but it’s Neptune’s fault.)

After that, the day was pretty chill. I napped for a quick second, hung out with some friends, then we had the life boat drill. Those are always fun (not.)

Right after that, we were almost to the point of actually crossing the equator. Danie and I sat in my room, watching on our TV for when the coordinates changed, as the TV updates every second. It was a cool moment to see it on the TV and hear the announcement over the loudspeaker and hear everyone cheering. After that, we went upstairs to join everyone else for dinner and just hang out.

It’s weird having short hair. I don’t regret it, and I like it, it’s a nice change, but I think after this I’m going to grow it back out.. then again, that’s what I said back in December when I cut it to my shoulders. We’ll see what happens, right?

Point of the story? If you have the chance to do something that you’ll never be presented with again, do it. Also, never ever make Neptune angry.

Love,

Rebekah Joya

PS: Pictures will be posted tomorrow when I get to Brazil… until then, it’s up to your imagination 😉

Senegal and Saying Goodbye to Africa

After spending four days in Senegal, I’m exhausted. Emotionally and physically, it’s been a long few days, despite not really having done much. Being in a place that makes your privilege obviously known, to others but more to yourself, really tires you out.

Day one I had my first field class. Basically, my whole oceanography class and my professor headed out together to have an oceanography related adventure. We went to a mangrove reserve and an oyster farm. I thought it was funny that I spent a large portion of the day learning about mangroves, which is identical to a field trip I took in my senior year of high school on my island. The oyster part was new for me though. We compared an oyster farm that sells to locals to one that exports their products and it was interesting to see how different they were. After that we had lunch and headed out to a small fishing village to see the boats come in after a long day of fishing. That whole situation got very overwhelming very quickly. All the kids swarmed us, asking for our bracelets and our water. It’s so sad to have to say no to kids who ask you for water. It took me back to my service trip in the Dominican Republic a few years ago where the same thing happened. It’s heartbreaking. We didn’t stay there for too long before coming back to the ship and having dinner here. I stayed on the ship all night, just hanging out with my friends.

Day two my friends and I decided to explore a bit on our own. Two of us decided to go to Goree Island in the morning, and then two of our other friends were going to meet up with us midday to go to the markets and such. The process of getting to Goree Island took just an hour or so, but it left us exhausted. So outside of the ship there’s these vendors. One of them was super nice to us, talked to us for a bit, and gave us free bracelets. He offered to walk us to the Goree Island ferry, which was so nice. Well, it was so nice until he bumped into one of his buddies on the way and left us with him. So it turns out his buddy, who we’re going to call Papi because that’s what his business card said, is a tour guide of Goree Island. Papi insisted on showing us around, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. We didn’t see any other SASers around, so we decided to stick with it until we could figure out how to get away from him. Well, we ran into a problem when he bought part of our tickets for us because we didn’t have enough Francs. I didn’t like the idea of us owing him money but it happened so fast and everyone was yelling at us. Anyways, we somehow lost him until we got to Goree Island, where he found us. When we tried to ignore him, he demanded his business card and money back. We didn’t have the money, so he said he’d find us later and stormed off. Once we got rid of him, Goree Island was pretty cool. We saw the slave house and just walked around the little island for a few hours.

We came back to the ship for lunch and met up with our other friends to go to the markets. We had heard a lot of negative things about the markets but we wanted to see them for ourselves. It was overwhelming. Literally, the moment you step off the ship it’s constant harassment from vendors. It’s different when they want to have a conversation with you, but most of the sellers here don’t. They just would try to get us to buy stuff, and when we said no, they’d get aggressive and angry at us. It sucks because this is definitely the poorest country we’ve been to and it’s easy to see where they’re coming from. On top of that, the culture is different so to them they aren’t even being aggressive. The market was just like that but 100 times more intense, all crazy and overwhelming and people yelling at us and getting too close to us. We were also on edge because one of our friends had gotten their phones stolen, and a lot of people had similar scary stories. We stayed for only 20 or so minutes before coming back to the ship and spending the rest of the day in the pool. It felt wrong, to be in port and spending so much time on ship, but we were all so tired and just stepping off the ship was so overwhelming. It really is so crazy, and there doesn’t seem to really be much to do, nor the place to go walk around without a plan.

Day three I was on a field program that went to the Bandia Reserve. I saw some cool zebras and giraffes and other animals, and I made a wish on the Baobab tree, which is the tree that represents Senegal. It was pretty cool. After that, we went to a hotel to stay overnight. There was a pool and we all hung out for a while. I didn’t know anyone on my field program that well, so we all talked for a long time and played games which was super nice. That night I got back to my room at about 0130 and my roommate wasn’t back yet. I walked into our shower and it was covered with bugs, so I skipped showering, and then I saw a huge frog in our bathroom so I ran out, closed the door, and I decided not to go back in there. Our floor was covered with bugs and there were flying ones so I literally just wrapped up in my mosquito net and slept in that. It’s crazy to think about how some people live like that all the time. We’re so blessed to have the privilege of not having to share our space with bugs.

Day four I learned about traditional healing and had my fortune read. Apparently there’s a girl trying to steal Max from me, haha. It was cool to see how the lady rolled her shells and she looked so in to it. Personally, I don’t believe in that stuff, but I respect her and her practices.

All in all, Senegal was more a port for learning than for enjoying. One of the most interesting things for me was how it wasn’t that different from home for me. I mean, sure, it was in some aspects, but compared to how out of their comfort zones the students from the US was, I was feeling more at home than I do in big cities. If it wasn’t for the language barrier, I don’t think it would have been that crazy for me.

I can’t believe we’re done with Africa now, and heading to South America. This whole thing is going by so fast. We have a whole week on the ship now, so we have some time to hang out and relax before we get to Brazil. I’m excited to get some sleep.

What do you call a camel with one hump?

A dromedary! Not actually a camel! The more you know 😀

So the last week has been absolutely crazy. Morocco is so different and beautiful and my life is insane and honestly I don’t even know how to process it all.

It started out on Monday. For the first time, we didn’t get to get off the ship at 0800. Instead, we had to go through face to face immigration. We ended up eating lunch on the ship, which was so frustrating. I had woken up at 0645 to see us arrive to Morocco, and here it was five hours of being docked and we were still stuck on board.

As soon as we got off, my friends and I went to the market. I got some pants, some cool things for YOU GUYS (well, at least, some of you) and we just walked around for a while. It was very obvious very quickly that we, as white American tourists, stood out A LOT. It seemed like there were no other tourists around, just us SASers.

We then went to the mosque, where we met an American couple who told us we should cover our heads before going in. She wasn’t sure if we had to, but we figured it was better to do it just in case. One of my friends didn’t have a scarf, so she literally used a pair of pants. It was hilarious. Anyways, the mosque was so beautiful. The architecture is very different from that of a cathedral, but I think I like how it looks more. Also, we had to take off our shoes before going in, so I was in my element 😛

After that, we went back to the market, and things got a little crazy. My friend Carolyn mistakenly brought two shirts she didn’t really want because the guy selling them told her they would be about $5, then when she gave him that he demanded more money. Another local was overhearing that conversation, and when we finished he said he knew a good place for rugs and took us there. We only went because Lorenzo wanted a rug. It was down a couple of streets and up some stairs and maybe it was a little shady, but once we got in, it was so cool. The guys told us a lot of history and information about berbers and Morocco, and then he started trying to sell us stuff. Long story short, Carolyn and I each paid way too much money for a tapestry, and Lorenzo got his rug. Dani was the only one who stayed strong and didn’t buy something. They were really smooth talkers! And the tapestries were so beautiful! But oops. Luckily, they also gave us some mint tea, and it was quite the experience. Overall, worth it.

After that, we were really overwhelmed and pretty broke, so we left the market. Carolyn and I decided to go to dinner at Rick’s Cafe (from the movie Casablanca.) It was a nice dinner and dessert and we had a really good time. Then we just walked back to the ship to prepare for the early morning the next day.

Tuesday was spent in a bus. Literally, all day. We stopped only for food. We ate a lot of traditional Moroccan dishes, such as tagine, and there were live performances and dinner ended with a dance party with Moroccans. They were filming us and we were all having a super fun time.

Wednesday we drove all morning until lunch. After lunch, we only drove one more hour before it was camel time. Fun fact: camels are SO TALL! I was one of the last ones to get on because those things are scary man. However, I made it, and it ended up being all kinds of cool. I named my buddy Herbie because he started speeding and I was freaking out. It actually wasn’t uncomfortable for me, and I was having great conversation with Trent, the guy whose camel was tied behind me, so I honestly could’ve stayed on there for a lot longer than the two hours we did. It’s so cool to be able to say “oh, I met that guy while we were riding camels through the Sahara desert, and we ended up spending the two hours talking about what’s most important to us in life and what our goals are.” That’s one of the best things for me. Everyone here is so past the basic conversations and are down to talk about the real stuff. Anyways, once we got off our camels in the Sahara, we climbed a sand dune to see the sunset. We then had dinner and stargazed. Sadly, the moon was so bright so the stars weren’t the BEST, but they were still so cool. My friends and I were up on a sand dune trying to get cool pictures and some nomads walked up from their camp on the other side and talked to us for a while. It was so interesting to hear their thoughts and opinions. Overall, Moroccans seem so appreciative to have tourists, especially when compared to Spain. He kept saying how it was such a good opportunity for us and them when we come into Morocco and do camel treks. Anyways, we stayed up there until about midnight, then Carolyn and I stayed up talking until about 3am. She went to sleep in the tent but I was going to stay out for just like 10 more minutes. I was just so amazed by what we were doing and I didn’t want to sleep through anything. In those ten minutes, I noticed the moon was setting pretty quickly, so I ended up staying out until the moon set, and then for a while after that. I didn’t end up going to sleep until 4.

At 6, my alarm went off for the sunrise. When I woke up, I was FREEZING! It was so cold! Seriously! I thought the desert was supposed to be hot. It was windy and the sand was blowing in our eyes and mouth and it was pretty miserable, but it was an amazing sunrise. I can’t even describe how it felt to be standing there, in the middle of the desert, watching the sky change colors with these people I’ve only known for a month but yet I honestly love them so much. We had a quick breakfast, then we rode the camels back.

Despite the amount of driving we did for about 15 hours in the desert, it was so amazing. I feel so blessed to be here and to have these experiences. Most of Thursday was spent driving back to Marrakech through the Atlas Mountains. Determined to make the most out of it, Carolyn and I decided to go out that night and walk around and scope out the area even though we were on two hours of sleep. We went to the mall first, but we got distracted by the first pastry shop we saw, and by the time we took to eat a piece of cake the mall had closed. We were still determined though, so we taxied to the square in the middle of the city. We walked around and saw what we wanted to check out more the next day. We also sat in a drum circle for a while before going back to sleep.

The next day was spent in Marrakech. Dani, Carolyn and I headed out around 8am. We walked to the square and brought more things. After a few hours, we were content, and again a bit overwhelmed by how crazy busy it was, so we went back near the hotel to the mall and walked around there before having a lunch of burgers, pizza, and milkshakes. Moroccan food was good, but we were happy to get something familiar. You can only handle so many tangines before you go crazy.

Things that I’m grateful for now that I’m back on the ship:

1. Showers
2. Toilets that flush
3. Toilet paper
4. Toilets that aren’t just a hole in the ground
5. Having options for food
6. Soft beds
7. Sufficient blankets

We stopped at a ton of rest stops on the way, and by the second day, we all came to expect that it was possible we would have to squat over a hole, and we knew that we’d probably not have toilet paper, and that it definitely wouldn’t be able to flush. I also didn’t shower between Monday and Thursday, so that’s pretty gross.

I don’t really know what it is or how to explain it, but this whole thing…it’s insane. It’s crazy to be going between countries and comparing cultures week by week. It’s amazing to have conversations with people about the tourism industry in different countries, or about how we ended up in crazy situations and hanging out with locals. Sure, getting to see the touristy stuff is great, but it’s so cool to get to understand the local’s perspective. The best thing, I think, is that in every country I’ve had a moment where I’m like “wow, that’s so similar to the US.” Everywhere is interconnected, everyone has the same feelings.

PS. I meant to post this blog earlier, but this morning while I was writing a pod of dolphins started jumping right in the wake of the ship and putting on a show, so I guess I got a little distracted. Life must suck on land 😛

Love,

Rebekah Joya

Barcelona.

As soon as the ship was cleared in Barcelona, my friends and I decided to go explore the city. We spent the whole day walking around (having underestimated how far things were from each other.) We went down Las Ramblas, to the Gothic Quarter to see the Cathedral, then to Sagrada Familia, and finally to Parc Guell. We stopped in between for tapas. It was fun, but we walked SO MUCH. My legs were tired and sad. On the way back, there was a group of old people playing a game that we had heard of, so we sat to watch. A younger guy was sitting near us, so we decided to talk to him. He explained the game to us, then he gave us suggestions on what to do with our remaining time in the city, then we talked about the tourism industry in Barcelona. He told us that the Spanish don’t like the tourists that come into the country for just a few hours because they see things, but they don’t try to understand it. The locals appreciate the travelers who try to reach out into the community and make connections. This was so cool to hear a local say because on SAS we are always saying that we are “travelers not tourists.”

Day two took us to this labyrinth park I had heard of. We went to this market called La Boquería and picked up mango, avocado, empenadas, and some yummy desserts and headed out. We got a bit lost and walked through this little beautiful neighborhood on the edge of a mountain. Then, we got to the park. It was pretty nice, and the labyrinth was amazing! One of my friends got out of it in ten minutes, but it took me and my other friend forty minutes to find the end. By the time we got out, he had already finished his lunch. It was pretty funny.

Tuesday night was the best night of the trip. A few of my closest friends and I went to my friend Celia’s house. She is on the ship with us, but her parents live in a little city by Barcelona. We took the train to her city, then went to her house. Her parents cooked us so much food, plus we had a ton of desserts. Her best friend came over too, and they were all so fun. She pulled out her guitar and we all sang for a while. It was so relaxing and such a great night.

The next day we went back to the market. I had a macaroon ice cream sandwich. It was SO GOOD. Then we walked around for a bit and found this local flea market. After that, we went to the beach. It was super crowded, but it was a pretty nice beach. We stayed there for quite a while. After that, we went back to the market and I got some nachos. We came back to the ship for a bit, and at 9 a few of us left again to go to this mussels restaurant that my friend really wanted to go to. It was a really cute place. For once, I was the best Spanish speaker in the group so I talked to the waiter and it was super fun. After that, we walked around for a while and came back.

Thursday was supposed to be horse riding, but we woke up to thunder and lighting. Obviously, it was cancelled. I had to go to the aquarium for class, so I decided to go Thursday morning while it was raining. After that, I met up with some of my friends and got churros with hot chocolate. Literally you just dip the churros into this thick, hot, delicious chocolate and it was AMAZING. After that, we went to an actual restaurant to get actual food, and after that, we went to ANOTHER dessert place to get a cronut, which is a croissant deep fried like a donut, and mine had nutella on it. It was life changing. 😛

That night my friends and I had been planning to go to a nice dinner, but with all of us being busy doing different things throughout the week, we never had a chance to plan it. We decided to still try. We all dressed up, only to get to the gangway and realize it was cold and windy and raining outside, so we changed into less nice things and tried again. We had the brilliant plan to get in a taxi and ask the guy for a recommendation of a cheap, good, close local place where we could eat. The guy took us to this cute place by the beach, and we were so excited. We ordered water, and they brought us bread to start (both of these cost money though.) However, once we opened up the menu we realized we definitely did not have enough money for the food there. Thanks taxi driver. Anyways, we didn’t want to just pay for bread and water and leave, so we ordered the only thing we could afford: dessert. We got three desserts (we had planned on just getting two but my friend panicked when he asked her what she wanted) between the 6 of us, and ended up still having to pay 5 euros each. So, once we ate our desserts we walked around the area and found a much cheaper restaurant, and had dinner. It was so funny. I finally got to try paella, and it was really yummy. After that, we walked around by this carnival, then by the beach, then we came back.

On the last day, Lorenzo, Danie and I decided to go up this mountain to these magic fountains even though we heard they weren’t working. We went all the way there, and just like we were told, they were off. We hung around for fifteen minutes, and right as we were about to leave, they turned on! They were so beautiful. Then, we went up to the cable cars to ride that, but they didn’t take card. So, we had to walk all the way down the mountain to find an ATM (during which I slipped in some mud and got it all over my pants) then walk back up. The ATM would only give us 50 euro bills, so I had to take out all of that money. It was fine though, because we used the leftover money to buy our last delicious treats in the market. I had two mangos, gelato, and an empanada. So good.

Overall, I feel like I learned more about Spain than any of the other countries we’ve been to, through talking to locals, and meeting my friends family. Personally, Spain was not one of my favorites, but I still would love to come back. I feel like there’s still so much to see.

Sorry if this blog isn’t the best quality, but it’s getting crazy busy on the ship. Can you believe my professors actually expect me to do work? I have tests coming up. How ridiculous is that. Anyways, I’ll be in Morocco from Monday to Friday, with probably no connection to the outside world at all as I’m going in the desert. Expect another blog in one week!

I’m happy everyone back home is okay, continue to stay safe. Wish me luck on my camel.

Love you all!

Rebekah