Puerto Rico!

Hey All - here's the latest:

Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico was an awesome first stop. I didn’t expect to find the city so much fun and so full of activities! The day before I went Natalie and I planned out some activities that we thought would be really fun. Most of which didn’t happen. Ha. But it was still a great way to get organized.

The morning we got to San Juan I woke up at 5 45 and met up with Kate and a friend Rachele to watch the sun rise over the city, it was beautiful and there were a ton of kids on the dock.

Customs was a breeze and a group of us headed off the boat early to find a restaurant/bar to enjoy an early lunch. We all got off the ship, in the beating sun and walked toward this famous fortress called El Morro. It’s funny because you see SAS kids everywhere you go. We ran into a ton of kids and eventually found a wonderful lunch spot called Café Amapola right on the water. Our group took over the balcony and ate a delicious lunch (I had shrimp and pineapple which was so so good and I tried the local Junca (sp?) or potato dish.) Of course we had to try the mojitos which I thought was very tasty. After that we headed through Old San Juan and found another group of kids. We just hung out and chatted for an hour or so and then I got a group together and we went to a cockfight!

We took a cab to Isla Verde, 15 minutes out of San Juan, to this hilarious Cockfight Arena. This place was ridiculous! Girls got in free, and I’m convinced the only women were waitresses or SAS girls. There were about 20 of us and we took over a section of the circular stadium to enjoy the festivities. Cockfights are so intense because they don’t last very long and they end in death. The cock’s have little spears taped to their feet and just pluck at each other. It was pretty sad actually. Ryan and I decided to make a few bets (poor decision, sorry dad) and we just had a blast shouting at our own little fighters. Kate and I made friends with two boys currently in the Coast Guard who were also at the cockfight which turned out to a be a really good thing (more later). After the fight we came back to the ship because we were a little worn out and took power naps.

We all got up around 8 and headed out to meet the Coast Guard boys for dinner. Ryan and Kevin have both been in San Juan for about a year and they knew all the best places to go. Kevin took us to his favorite restaurant where we ate amazing steak, paelle and, of course, sangria. Kevin actually paid for all 12 of us, which was kind of ridiculous. We then went to the boys favorite salsa club because we all really wanted to dance. So we went to NuYo Rican, a great hole in the wall dance club. We danced for probably 2 hours! I think Ped was a little bored, haha, but he was a trooper. It’s been really cool to get together with Andie, Ped and Julia (all friends from High School).

After NuYo Rican we went to Calle San Sebastian which I heard before leaving was THE street for bars and that was no joke. Every building was a bar all the way down the street. We met up with something like 500 SAS kids and all had a blast dancing and meeting people. Also, randomly, some Puerto Ricans had bongo drums and were playing in the middle of the street, so it became a big block party with SASers and young Puerto Ricans crowding the streets.

I woke up around 10 am and slowly got together Matt, Zach and Ryan. We met up with Natalie and a bunch of girls who were at Ocean Park, a really nice looking beach about 20 minutes away. The drive was crazy because our taxi driver, like every other taxi driver in P.R. was a nutcase! He was blasting reggaetone and talking on TWO cell phones while weaving in and out of traffic at very high speeds. It was hilarious and frightening at the same time. After arriving safely we hung out on the beach for a couple hours. The coast guards met us and we all went swimming in the ocean, which was rough, but a lot of fun.

Natalie and I left with the girls to shower and get ourselves put together. Then Nat and I roamed through the streets of Old San Juan for probably 4 hours. It was great because she’s such an easy person to travel with. We walked all over the different districts and just explored what makes up Old San Juan. We also found a Walgreens and Grocery Store which was a great way to get some essentials for the ship. We also found an awesome little artisan fair with live music and custom booths. We spoke with the local artists, musicians and jewelry makers which was really awesome. Then we made our way back to the boat where we met up with Ryan, Zach, and Matt. Then the five of us and a few other friends got together and went to Calle San Sebastian (the street with all the bars). We ended up just walking into one which was really cool and played pool and sat out on the balcony. We met up with a ton of other SASers simply by seeing them from the balcony and waving them up.

The last day consisted of an independent hike that Natalie and I set up through recommendations from two other girls on the ship. We planned a guided tour through the El Yunque National Rain Forest Park. It was a lot fun because, for only $40, we were taken the park, which is beautiful, and then led on a guided tour of where to hike, where to stop at the waterfall, and where to get scenic photos. It was also cool because we did the trip with a bunch of Wisconsin and Berkeley kids and they were all fun.

We left the park and headed straight to that Starbucks so we could plan renting a villa in Mauritius for 3 days. We’ve heard from a ton of people that it’s the thing to do, so I did some research and I think I found an awesome one on the Flic En Flac beach. We’ll see how it goes. It’s great that I’ve kind of already got a group because they’re all really fun and easy going and make planning things and traveling really enjoyable.

After the internet fest at starbucks we all headed back to the ship and made it on board just in time to head out of San Juan. It was an early night since I barely slept the whole time in PR.

So now we’re off to Brazil and I’ve officially had all of my courses. I’m dropping one because the teacher was dreadful but the other two were really very cool (I left out Global Studies, which everyone takes). I’m going to have A LOT of work to do, but I’ll learn a lot and am excited because the material is interesting and pretty relevant! Only downside, I have 500 pages due in three days. For just one class. So ya. I’ll be busy with that. However, I’ll probably do it in a bathing suit, tanning in the hot sun.

That’s all for me at the moment. As you can tell, if you got through this whole thing, Puerto Rico was a blast! I can’t wait for Brazil. We get into Salvador on the last night of Carnival so we’ll have to jump right into the celebration. Then I have a planned trip to Rio which should be really cool.

Keep sending e-mails!! : )

Peace,
E

Ship Life Photos

Hey all, here are some photos of life on the ship - soon I'll post about Puerto Rico which was AMAZING!


Me, Ryan, Kelly, Matt, and Kate


Matt and me


sunset







Meggie and I before life boat drill


Tommy, Me, Ryan

Ship Life (First Couple of Days)

HELLO ALL! Greetings from the MV EXPLORER. I'm currently sailing between Nassau and Puerto Rico. We will arrive in San Juan, Puerto Rico tomorrow morning and I am SO EXCITED.

Let me start off by saying this has been an awesome experience so far. Most everyone I have met has been really cool and it seems like we're all here to explore the world and have a great time. I've already made a little group of friends. I hang out with my friend Natalie (who I've known since way back and was close with up till middle school and then we parted ways for HS and college) and three guys that are really cool, Ryan, Matt and Matt. Ryan and I have pretty much hung out since we boarded the plane in Ft. Lauderdale. He's a really cool guy from southern california who goes to UT in Austin. The Matt's go to Pitt and are really cool also, friendly guys! I also hang out with this girl Kelly and some of her friends from college (Univ. of Miami in FL) - I met her on the plane too. It's hard to label a group already because everyone is meeting everyone and just hanging out and trying to grasp this whole experience. I've also been spending some time with Kate from Wisconsin who's a friend from WASB (no time to explain, haha).

Here is my journal entry from Day 1, it's pretty long but I think you may enjoy it:

Day One
I woke up early in my Atlantis hotel room in Nassau in order to get ready to board the ship! I took a big van cab to the Prince George Wharf with a group of kids that we’re all pretty cool. I got to the port and it was ridiculous. Crowded, hot, and slightly disorganized. I placed my heavy, heavy bags under a tree near the entrance gate and walked a lot of blocks away to the back of the line. It was HOT and uncomfortable, but I made a friend in line and we chatted for a while. She’s on ALL of the same excursions as I am so I’m sure we’ll meet again soon (Liza from Depaul).

After going through security and all the paperwork on the ship I made it to my room! Which was so exciting. It turns out, completely randomly, that I am rooming with Meggie Warner, a junior from Wisconsin! She’s from outside Milwaukee (went to high school with Sover!) and is very chill. She’s got sorority sisters on the boat, so is very connected with the Wisconsin crowd. She’s really sweet though and I’m excited to get to hang out with her. Plus we have an AMAZING suite. It’s huge compared to other rooms and has a couch and will definitely be a happening spot. I also took a shower and it far surpassed all expectations! Haha… (Cool sidenote, it’s a new SAS tradition to sharpie the back of the paintings that hang above our beds, so Meggie and I took down the painting and read through a bunch of scribbled notes with humorous sayings and tricks for using the room to its full advantage, etc).

So once I got to the room I unpacked and explored my floor. I’ve got a pretty cool floor as it turns out. My buddy Ryan lives like 8 doors down. Also two girls, both of whom I spent most of the day yesterday with at the Atlantis (friends of Natalie’s) are just down the hall. I also met two really cool guys from Pitt (the Matt's) who live two doors down.

Then we had a lifeboat drill, which was pretty lame, but I did get to meet some more kids. Then Ryan and his roommate Tommy (also very cool kid from socal) came and hung out with Meggie and me in our SWEET room. Then we went outside to wave farewell to the parents as we left the port and set sail! It was pretty cool to have all the kids out on the back decks cheering and looking out as we left Nassau for Puerto Rico.

While hanging out on the deck with Ryan and his roommate Tommy I met the Matt’s and two girls they know from Pitt and Natalie ran into us. Then Ryan, Matt (x2), Natalie, and the two girls all went to the dining room and got some dinner. Krsytel and Sarah (Nat’s friends and the two girls I like from yesterday) randomly met up with us and hung out in the dining hall. We just sat in that room for like 2 hours laughing at ridiculous stories and getting to know each other. It was cool.

Then the Dean gave his important speech and then we met up with our floor, known as the “Red Sea”. More details on that in future posts.

The boat is swaying a lot this evening, which is a welcome change to my routine. I find myself talking and falling over. Very humorous.

So, I’m all packed and set to go to bed so I can get up early tomorrow for a full day of orientation, meetings, and last minute bookings. Life is good aboard the MV Explorer.


For Day 2 I was basically a blob. Ryan, Matt, Natalie and I (plus a ton of others who came in and out) sat out on the upper deck and hung out by the pool. We went to some manditory meetings which, no joke, Ryan/matt/I slept through all of. Then we sat out by the pool some more. It's amazing because it's HOT and everyone is meeting a ton of people. There's a great snack bar with ridiculous smoothies also that I've come to enjoy. It's important to note that the alcohol will not be served until after Puerto Rico, so everyone's been resorting to playing cards and other games to meet people. Tons of kids sit by the pool and read or attempt to work out (super funny because if you try to run on the treadmill without holding on you WILL fall over or bang into the wall, as Kate's roommate has already done). It's nice to get to know everyone before we start to party.

As for day 3 I went to Global Studies, the mandatory daily class with Matt and Ryan, and it was terribly boring, but no worries. In about 30 minutes I'm going to meet with Natalie and plan travel through Puerto Rico!!

I'll post pictures soon, with a guide of the ship, which is UNREAL - it's huge and fantastic. I'll also let you in on my travels and expected travels.

I miss you and all and would love to hear what's happening by you!!!

Peace!

Last Night in the USA

Yo... so it's my last night and I'm hanging out with Muzzy and Papa in Boca. It's been a rush of a week, from getting organized to packing to Matty's surprise visit. I'm very excited to head out tomorrow morning and am at the point where I just want to get on the boat and get sailing! Of course I'm nervous about everything like the people (probably all crazy) and actually living on a boat (i'm crazy!). There's also the idea of traveling the world, and exploring so many countries, which is pretty hard to grasp hold of. Those thoughts aside, I'll miss you all very much and hope you all keep in contact and have a wonderful semester/couple of months. Stay warm in Wisco!!! :) peace and love, E