Samosas (on the right) and “fried bits”…really, that’s what she called them!
yummy!
#6: Cooking Class: South Africa
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#7: Cooking Class: India
I took 4 cooking classes while out on the road. Loved the introduction to the history of a particular country’s cuisine, access to local culinary talent and new tips/tricks on how to shop, buy and select the freshest ingredients.
#8: The Union aka The Living Room
Onboard the ship, The Union was the main gathering space for large community events. I loved it when the union was full, it was like a huge, cozy living room with 700 of your closest friends and family members. Sometimes we’d have late night events and I’d go in my pajamas (by week 4 of the voyage the students were already going to class in their pajamas!).
The Union is where we started our journey together and where we ended our journey together. The place we played, the place we prayed.
I got to be a eucharistic minister on Easter Sunday and serve communion wine to the 400+ people who came for Easter Service w/ Archbishop Tutu. I was nominated and selected to give the staff reflection speech at the shipboard convocation, I was blessed to sit and watch my colleagues, peers, friends and students showcase their talents..great and small.
I miss it.
#9: Brown Paper Studios Theatre
Brown Paper Studios is the name of the outfit that Professor Judyie Al-Bilali runs in Capetown, So. Africa. On ship she taught 3 courses, including a directors/playwright’s course and her theater class put on a two night show.
Watching the student’s write their own (moving, intelligent, funny) material, grown in comfort and confidence and face the community with their politics, insecurities, hopes, dreams and fears is something that any mentor, educator, or parent can understand as a gift. Moments of magic, watching young people transform and blossom.
#10: Remembering Virginia Tech
Terrible pic, but i busted my coolpix S6, so yes, every time i leave the country, i sacrifice a nikon coolpix to the camera gods.
we were pulling into hong kong when the tragedy at Virginia Tech occurred. And we stopped everything as a community and Archbishop Desmond Tutu led us in a community reflection/prayer and a moment of silence. The 2nd to last week on the ship we had an “Remembering Virginia Tech” day and everyone wore either orange, maroon or black shirts. It was beautiful to see the whole community come together. We had 4 VT students sailing with us, and one professor who received her PhD from Tech.
The last week we wore red yarn around our wrists and as you can see from the photo, hung the names of all those lost in our most central location on board.
I like how despite the fact that we were half a world away, and could easily have shrugged the tragedy off and kept on going, we didn’t. It made me proud to be a part of a caring community. And grateful that we had the ability to remember our fellow students, educators and friends.
#11: On Ship Faculty/Staff Lounge
The faculty/staff lounge was the one place on board where students could not go. It was our own slice of heaven complete with Karaoke and Margaritas. Sometimes too much of one led to the other….
The students pretty much took over every square inch of the ship and it was nice to have a place to retreat to with the grown folks. We held meetings of grand import here as well as knocked back a few to celebrate everything from birthdays to surviving a particularly eventful port with everyone alive and on board. Mostly I’ll miss the people. My friends that became like family.
#12: Places of Worship Around the World
By the end I was admittedly “Templed Out” but I enjoyed visiting the Churches, Synagogues, Temples and Shrines from Brazil to Japan. Watching how the world worships confirms that the religions may be different, but the core beliefs, needs and desires are generally the same. This pic is from a Catholic church in southern India.
#13: Butterfly Farm in Malaysia
Still counting down my top 15 in no particular order.
This pic is from the Butterfly Farm in Penang, Malyasia. I didn’t blog about Malaysia because it was hella hot, hella expensive and I was fighting a cold. The island is trippy with lots of little tourist attractions and this one was one of my favorites.
#14: Laundry Day
Counting down my top 15 favorite things. Laundry Day is definitely going to be missed!
Never having to do my own laundry has been wonderful! Just put it outside your cabin and it appears magically clean and wonderful smelling 24 hours later! How will I ever manage without this magical thing called Laundry Day?
#15: Ambassadors Ball
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As we wrap things up, I’m going to count down my top 15 things/moments/people/places on this amazing journey. I can barely keep tears from my eyes thinking that I have lived a dream, circled the globe, loved and lived from one corner of the earth to the other. Humbled by the fact that none of us can be, should be, or is…alone.
This is Drew and me at the Ambassador’s Ball. It is a dinner/dance onboard the ship as we sail home that raises money for three charities we voted on as a shipboard community. I normally don’t like this kind of event, but I have to admit it was hella fun for everyone to get dressed up after being in flip flops for 100 days.
Drew (fellow Wahoo!) was my date and isn’t he dashing? We both had suits made in Vietnam. His is a western style business suit, so well tailored that you could see the outline of the keys in his pockets if he had any. Mine is a traditional Odai worn by Vietnamese women. It is lightweight black silk and has black pants and a long hemline. So not something I would ever have imagined I’d be into, but one of the things you must do in Vietnam is have a suit/dress custome made. He made me a corsage out of red tissue paper and I made him a mixed CD of my favorite “Good Mood” tunes. We wined, we dined and I was asked to give a toast on the 7th deck pool bar. Good times.
And we raised nearly $20,000 for good causes, trying to live what we’ve learned. together. The money will go to a Cambodian Orphanage, A Vietnamese School for the disabled, and we also raised money for a Theatre Arts program in Capetown.