All paid up....so far

The biggest check I have ever seen was put in the mail today for Semester at Sea. A lot of money, but I can tell already, this will be worth every penny and ten times more. I have been keeping up with the blogs of some of the people on the Fall voyage right now, including Erik's (my good friend and roommate from last year). I was interested to hear about Mauritius, an island that makes you scratch your head when you hear the name. Mauritius got rave reviews. Most people were disappointed about Kenya being cut and that an island with slightly less culture was added, but when they returned, I don't think one person cared anymore about the itinerary change. Every blog I have read so far has ended with something along the lines of, "Mauritius was paradise. It was way better than I could have ever imagined. There was so much culture and diversity. Imagine throwing about 10 different cultures together on a small island, and you have Mauritius. I wish we didn't have to leave, but India is pushing our excitement buttons."

So I am happy about visiting Mauritius, I am ready for some serious culture and turquoise water.

Also, it looks like I figured out the classes I'm going to take. They are as follows:
Geography: Global Studies (required for all students to take)
History: Introduction to Africa
Music: Introduction to World Music
Sociology: Minority Groups
These can change, but I am pretty solid with them right now...

I leave you for now with a picture of Flic en Flac beach on Mauritius. It was taken few days ago by a faculty member on the Fall voyage. This pictures sells it for me.

Kenya Cancelled

Well, I got some sad news today. Kenya was cut from our itinerary. This is due to a state travel advisory that suggested not traveling to East Africa due to terrorism and maritime pirates (yes they do exist, and are very dangerous). That advisory can be read here: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1158.html

Anyways, I am dissapointed in this because I was really looking forward to visiting Kenya. It was one of my most anticipated ports on the itinerary, especially since I have started learning Swahili, a language I had hoped to speak while in Kenya. Semester at Sea has decided to extend it's stay in Cape Town, South Africa for a few days, then travel to a new port. As much as I will miss going to Kenya, I am very excited to be staying in South Africa a little longer because that is where I want to do so many things like skydive, shark dive, and go on a safari.

The new port that we will be traveling to will be Port Louis, Mauritius. Most of you are probably thinking, Where the heck is that? It is a small island just east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, check your map. Mauritius is about twice the size of New York City.

Here is a little backround information on Mauritius:
Mauritius was mapped by Arab explorers in the tenth century, and colonized by the Portuguese in 1505. It was held by the Dutch, French and then the British until 1968 when it gained its independence. The population is largely of Indian decent. The official language is English but French and Creole are spoken by many of the island inhabitants. Mauritius is a volcanic island, ringed by one of the world's largest continuous coral reefs. Mark Twain described the island by saying, "You gather that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius".

I have heard many things about this island, such as it is a resort island with unprecedented beauty, but also has rich history and many things to see and do. The front of the Lonely Planet page for Mauritius says: "Hit the banana lounger for some industrial-strength island relaxation." Now for those of you who know me real well, that sounds a little like my style doesn't it :-)

An excellent website to view some beautiful pictures and learn more about Mauritius is Mauritius.net: http://www.mauritius.net

Here is a picture of one of the beaches on Mauritius:


So in conclusion: Here is my updated itinerary as of 10/3/2005:

Nassau, Bahamas
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Salvador, Brazil
Cape Town, South Africa
Port Louis, Mauritius
Chennai, India
Yangon, Myanmar
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hong Kong, China
Qindao, China
Kobe, Japan
San Diego, California

That is all for now, my full payment for the semester is due in a few weeks, YIKES!
I will update if anything more about my spring semester changes or develops.