All Good Things Must Come to an End!

Paul and I are so darn lucky! Natalie and her friend, Kelly, traveled with the Semester at Sea (SAS) program back in 1994 and she had been encouraging us for years to take the plunge! It’s hard to believe that we took her advice and actually traveled around the world for 109 days. Of course, the two-for-one pricing gave us lots of incentive! We travelled with some really fun people learning about our world by studying and visiting twelve foreign countries and two Hawaiian Islands. The Semester at Sea Fall 2010 voyage can easily be described as a crash course in global consciousness.

Our home for 109 days

Returning to real life was not easy after not having to cook, make a bed, do laundry or clean for so long. I had dreams about various ports for 10 days. In one of those dreams, the ship sunk but we were able to swim to shore! Significant, hmmm? Then the dreams started up again when our return home after a two-week visit with Debbie and Natalie’s families in California was approaching.

So what was daily ship life like? Life aboard the MV Explorer was like being at a huge floating coffee shop where I could always find a friend to shoot the breeze. Besides the fun people, the courses ranged from business, science, art, anthropology, theater, psychology, music, religious studies and Global Studies. We could sit in any class where there was room at no additional charge and we did not have to do the homework! The library had all the text books available. The faculty was outstanding. AND, there was an abundance of exciting activities to add to the memorable experience.

Jjodee, Cooper, Maryann and Boots say goodbye

Dinner with the Tutu's

Block party

More block party

Brett, Rocky and Ryder at 00:00!!

The seas were rocky sometimes, particularly in the aft of the ship. One day when the seas were rough, the choral group decided to practice sitting in chairs arranged in a double circle on the hardwood floor of the Union. Just as we started to sing, we all slid slowly to one side of the stage and back again! It was just so funny. So we moved into the chairs that are designed not to move under any circumstances, but now we were in a large circle and could not hear one another. Another day my shopping buddy, Gail, was thrown backwards out of her chair in the dining hall and bumped her head hard on a serving table.

Larger classes, seminars and shows were held in the Union. We really did not spend much time in our room with classes, reading or internet use in Glazer Lounge or the computer lab, meals, evening Explorer seminars and Life-long learner social hours and meetings daily during the cocktail hour. Then there were events: Neptune Day, the Halfway There Party, Halloween, the Sea Olympics, Talent shows, Thanksgiving, the Auction, the Choral Performance and the Captain’s Ball.  Many of us were involved with the crew talent show, open mikes, the ship talent show, more open mikes, birthday parties, the choral performance and late nights visiting in the Lounge. We had to plan port visits which might merely involve checking out Forder’s for transportation availability, special sites and shopping. But other times we had to locate hotels and check out train schedules via the internet. Marillee Carol, a LLL, described life aboard astutely. “The camaraderie, daily entertainment, over stimulation, energy and vitality of everyday life on Board and off, was so fabulous!"

Louisa and I are initiated as Shellbackers - We crossed the 00:00 point!

The Lion King skit for the NoMer Sea

The NoMer Sea Synchronized Swimming Team

Me, Alyssa, Dan, Donna, our choral teacher, and Connie after our performance

The most important and memorable part of this voyage is by far the relationships established with other passengers. That last week was a blur of activity. We all wanted to spend as much time as possible sharing experiences. While students studied, wrote papers and took tests, we had more seminars on other places to visit and non-profit opportunities, wrote our blogs, and partied. There was a block party on one end of deck five where no students lived. Four rooms were open and we all brought food and wine and moved from room to room during the evening.

Louise and Frank and Paul and I enjoyed a special dinner in honor of Louise’s birthday the next night. Special dinners are like going to a fine restaurant - five courses and champagne for $25 each. Such a deal. They were truly special.

The following night, our group’s leader, Chris, ordered super appetizers in Glazer Lounge during the cocktail hour. We all skipped dinner. The Tutu's held a cocktail party for the adults on board. Another skipped dinner!

Tom and Brett with Paul

Leah with Louise and me

My Daddy!

 Then it was time for a dance party in Glazer after dinner. Then time for the Captain’s Dinner and Ball.

Alex, Cooper, Vanessa and friends

Nicky, Anne, me, Louise,Corrine, Grace, Lisa and Marty



Connor's parents welcome



The last night aboard the ship all the LLL’s staff and faculty brought and wine, liquor and food left in their cabins for a 9:00 smorgasbord! Paul and I left that party before it ended, because we planned to be on deck at 6:00 am to watch the docking in San Diego. Everyone was blasted awake at 6:00 am by Neil Diamond singing "Coming to America." I thought Paul had turned on music and asked him to please turn it off! Many others probably felt like that too. But we got up, dressed and ascended to aft Deck 7 to welcome the sun and San Diego!



Parents waiting



To learn how you too can enjoy a marvelous voyage like this one, visit www.semesteratsea.org. Many options exist from the 109 day voyages to partial voyages to six week voyages. Most itineries are set two years in advance. For instance, SAS has announced that the 109 day voyage in January 2012 will repeat the two-for-one pricing for life-long learners, the offer which convinced us to take the trip of a lifetime. Start planning for it now!



The San Diego sunset



Mauritius - Oct 14, 15, 2010

October 14, 2010

Mauritius is a small volcanic island country near Madagascar, half the size of Rhode Island. When ships began sailing the Indian Ocean in search of goods to trade and food to eat, they found Mauritius. Historical artifacts indicate that Arab merchants were the first to inhabit this island. Like most countries we are visiting on this voyage, many levels of income are represented. But unlike the world, Mauritius has been in an economic boom for the last 10 years. Unemployment has been reduced from 20% to just 3%. Sixty percent of the citizens belong to the middle class. New construction is everywhere, but most homes are unfinished and/or unpainted in an effort to avoid taxes! Now this makes for a pretty unattractive drive through the towns. And, according to the National Geographic, most of the growth occurred without planning! Amazing!

Mauritius

                                                                       One forgotten plan was how to manage the traffic that comes with growth. Much of getting around the island is like getting around Lake of the Ozarks or Table Rock Lake. All beaches are public, but the fancy resorts on the east side of the island discourage “riffraff” from their beaches . The slow traffic allowed us to see more while on our way to the lovely beaches or the pretty gardens.

The chief industry is sugar (so they make rum!), tea, financial services and tourism. tourism is really growing. They cater to Europeans.

The country was first settled by Arabs, then Dutch, French, and eventually, British. Slaves were brought from Africa and indentured workers from India. Somehow, I forgot how, the Chinese came. The population today is 3.5 million and composed of 48% Hindi and 17% Muslim from India; 27% are mixed Africans or Creoles; the Chinese constitute 3% and the French, 2%. This wonderful mix of people makes for a wonderful mix of cuisines and religious celebrations. The Mauritians celebrate each other’s holidays including Christmas. Mosques, churches, and Tamil and Hindi temples abound. We did see a couple of Buddhist temples also. And “spirit” houses or small shrines of the various religions stood outside many homes along the route we traveled. One was even built like a cave, underground.


This is a  shrine in someone's yard



A shrine in a cave along the highway

 Mauritians enjoy free education and a stipend for college. They are asked to spend five years in Mauritius to repay the stipend, but many leave without repaying their debt to society. Health care is free. Clinics are everywhere, 127 in all with 12 hospitals. Smoking in public can get one a $300 fine and/or a year in prison. Drugs are a very small problem here. Get caught dealing drugs and spend 45 years in prison! That could be because of the location and difficulty of smuggling drugs into the country – I mean- who goes to Mauritius? It’s not like they have a four lane divided highway from Mexico to Canada running through the country! In fact, they have no four lane highways! But we did see lots of solar powered hot water heaters on roofs. And 25% of their electricity is powered by waste from the sugar industry.

The Botanical Garden was very beautiful and unlike any we have seen. In fact, it could be called an arboretum because the only flowers were in trees and on the water lilies and lotus ponds. Many varieties of palms I’d not seen before grow in Mauritius, but few indigenous plants are represented. Most everything came from other tropical places.


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Eleven LLL's surround the Balboa tree!





Our catamaran trip was from a small village. Paul can tell you about that trip. We had a great time.

A blog from Paul

Oh, I guess I am supposed to tell you more. Three catamarans were reserved. Two were primarily for the students. Ours was primarily for the ten of us aged Life Long Learners and ten students who couldn’t get on the other boats. Everyone mixed very well however – laughing and having lots of fun. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view, no alcohol was available on the boat because last year the students got smashed and apparently ruined it for everyone else. The crew provided various soda drinks and water except one aged man (ME) who was given a beer in the galley but told to keep it secret. I was entertaining to them so they wanted to give me some rum and more beer but being a man of SELF-CONTROL I politely declined. Ha!

The weather was ideal – in the mid 80’s with a slight cool breeze. Most of us snorkeled on the coral reefs which was really exciting. However, according to my Marine Biology professor, there is no legal regulation on the reefs and thus fishing companies catch most of the fish with nets and even dynamite. When there are fewer fish around the reefs, he said that the reefs are coated with algae making them unattractive and unhealthy. However, we did see some beautiful fish like angel and parrot fish. – Suzanne compared it to Hawaii. Winston and Cynthia, Suzanne’s sister and brother-in-law, spoiled us a few years ago with snorkeling in the British Virgin Islands. Nothing compares to those bright colored fish and crystal clear blue water. The food on the catamaran was great with various salads, grilled chicken and grilled marlin. It was a full day trip and most of us were pretty tired when we returned except, of course, Suzanne.

This Dove church was built in someone's memory.

There is a strict policy on the ship that all students must be on board by 6:00PM or they will be docked 15 minutes for every minute they are late. For example, if you are 15 minutes late you will be docked 3 hours at the next port, 30 minutes late, 6hours . One student at the beginning of our voyage was an hour and a half late. He had drinking at a local bar and was docked 17 hours! When docked means you cannot get off the ship at the next port until your penalty is met. No exceptions! The real problem occurs when you have paid for an expensive field trip at the next port and your dock time exceeds the departure - you lose the trip and your money! The ship always departs as scheduled at 8:00PM. If you are not on board –tough – they leave without you! Then, if you want to continue, you must fly to the next port at your own expense and likely be docked severely. The students are told constantly not to wait till the last minute to return to the ship since a long line exists at that point to get back on the ship. They risk not making it on time and dock time. So this last departure from Mauritius, there was approximately 80 students standing in line and all were docked accordingly. They were not happy students. We are now in route to Chennai, India where Suzanne will be in heaven going on a three day Art of Living and Dakshinachitra Heritage stay learning Indian Yoga, breathing and meditation. I have signed up to learn Tai Chi in Hong Kong and will be glad to demonstrate to you all for a large FEE if you are interested when I return. Ha.







Choral Group's Finale

The earlier "Choral Group" blog explained my participation in the Choral class and how we sang the South African National anthem at the South Africa pre-port.  I grew to totally love this involvement with the Professor, Donna Plaskert, the students and life-long learners.  My friend and LLL, Ann Clough, practiced with me many times at my request.  She sings in her church choir and knows her stuff!.   I mentioned Alyssa Rizzo's help and leadership in an earlier blog about her. 

Our SAS Fall 2010 Choral Class and Professor Donna Plaskert

I don't believe I have mentioned Matthew Toscano before this.  He is a thirteen year old son of Nancy and David Toscano.  David is a current Virginia state representative with his eye on the US Senate who taught courses in public policy.  Matthew is one of those amazing kids who plays the harp and flute, sings soprano like an angel, gets good grades and is totally comfortable with adults.  He enjoyed coming into the dining room and sitting down anywhere and conversing.  Matthew played, sang and danced in all the shows and was involved in practically everything on the ship.  He was a member of the choral class.  During our Performance, he accompanied us in the flute duet with Professor Kathy Ringwold, sang a lovely solo and performed with the entire group.  He's an amazing kid with quite a future. 




See Matthew in the left hand corner with his flute




The Ensemble




Matthew singing in the right ccorner



This choral group, like all classes, actually met only 22 times during the 109 days.  The first ten classes were spent exploring musical options, our abilities and learning the South African anthem.  Several of the students were music majors.  They were chosen for solos, duets and the ensenble.   Our choral performance was excellent despite having only 11 classes over 54 days between ports.  We were accompanied by Kathy Ringwold on flute and Biology Professor Tim Woods on the piano who is also a world-class cellist.  The performance was amazing!  We were all so very proud of the audience's reception of our work.  After weeks of rolling seas, they were calmer that evening, thank goodness.  But the photos show we stood prepared to roll. I wish you had all been there!  If I ever learn how, I'll post the video on You Tube for your enjoyment.  Thank you, Donna, for your patience and leadership!

Suzanne, Alyssa, Dan, Donna  and Connie

Our Semester at Sea Extended Family

Suzanne and I have been very fortunate to have eight (8) children in an expanded family at Semester at Sea. The Expanded Family Program matches students and adults who choose to be involved.  We agreed to have six kids which grew to eight in November.  We met them for dinners, birthdays, Thanksgiving, study breaks and around the ship. It was their idea that we ask the Tutu’s to our birthday celebration in October since they were the kids “grandparents!” Suzanne gave them souvenirs from every port which they greatly appreciated. They are all good students, had fantastic personalities and come from happy homes. That was evident.

Jules, Archbishop Tutu, Paul, Mike, Salle (our hostess), Greg
Laura, Kate, Leah Tutu, Suzanne and Leigh

Laura Biltz will be a Senior at the U. of Michigan majoring in Anthropology. She resides in Midland, MI with her parents who work for Dow Chemical Company . Suzanne ran into Laura in a Beijing hotel when she and one of the faculty members were returning to the hotel. She asked Laura if she finished her paper before leaving for Biejing, a paper over which she had expressed some anxiety. Poor Laura had to say, “No.” Unbeknown to Suzanne, the faculty member with her was Laura’s teacher!

Julianne (Jules) Duffin will be a Senior at El Comino College majoring in Business Administration. She resides in Hermosa Beach, CA. Her parents were divorced and her mother is happily remarried and has a close relationship with all the children. Her mother teaches technology courses to 7th and 8th graders who followed Jules adventurers through the Vicarious Journey SAS program.

Michael Penn will be a Senior at the U. of Arizona majoring in Business Administration. He lives in Highland Beach, FL. His parents were divorced. Mike is especially close to his mother. Mike is very involved in the City of Refuge organization on the ship that is trying to free Ghana child slaves. He was in my comedy class and is very funny.

Mary (Kate) Lawrence is a Senior and about to graduate from Furman University majoring in Psychology. She resides in Lancaster, PA. Her father is a radiologist and her mother was a nurse. Her close-knit family enjoy watching sports events together. She was on several field trips with us including climbing Lion’s Head in Cape Town with Suzanne.

Leigh Yetter will be a Senior at the University of San Diego. Her major is still undecided. She hails from San Luis Obispo, CA, so we’ll probably see her when we visit our daughter, Debbie, who lives there too. Her family is also very close and she has a serious boyfriend who plays basketball for USD. Her mother knows our daughter Debbie.

Gregory (Greg) Molofsky graduated on the ship and from Towson State University with a major in Business Administration and Finance. Fortunately, he has a job waiting for him with a local CPA firm which he plans to pursue. He resides in Owings Mills, MD. He was in the graduation ceremony on the ship.

Drew Garrison will be a Senior at San Diego State University majoring in International Studies. He lives in San Diego and also enjoys a close-knit family. His father works for Qualcomm and mother is a homemaker. Greg and Suzanne met at the Art of Living in India. He and Cookie were orphaned when their ship mom disemabarked earlly as planned.  So our ship family voted to adopt them.  Drew also was on Suzanne's Beijing trip and was constantly teasing her and everyone else too.

Alexandra (Cookie) Echsner is a Senior at St. Louis University at their Madrid, Spain campus majoring in International Studies. Her family is very close and her sister is married to Shane Dean whose parents (Sandy and Mike Dean) live at 1207 McKinley St. in Alton, IL. She has actually walked right by our home!

Kate and Arch

The Mexican dinner birthday celebration



Arch gave Leigh good wishes on her birthday




Thanksgiving dinner, November 25, 2010   Cookie was with friends
Mike, Paul, Suzanne, Laura, Greg, Jules, Drew, Kate and Leigh



All of us during the Captain's Ball except Drew






Our missing Drew!



Aren't they a great looking family!!  Leigh's missing.  She thought we were meeting someplace else!







Hawaii December 3 – 6, 2010

Off we went to Hawaii through several days of very rough seas. We walked like drunks weaving from side to side and several times plates and even people went flying. Many of those near the aft (front of the ship) had trouble sleeping when the ship hit huge waves head on, but Paul and I bunked in the middle of the ship and never even awoke! Surprisingly few people got sea sick this time, although many were already ill with a flu-like symptoms.

Many of us enjoy watching the pilot boat and tugs bring us in and out of the ports. Arriving activities usually start around 6:00 am with the rising sun. We docked before 8:00 am in Honolulu, Oahu. Paul and I decided to plan nothing at this port. Instead we headed out with friends, Frank, Louise and Gail to find a bus which would circle the Island. We found it and did just that! We walked Sunset Beach where the waves on this day were not their reputed 40 footers!



Frank and Louise enjoy an icy!


We enjoyed a lovely setting and lunch before finding a bus back to the port. Bus rides allow us to see the layout of the whole place without spending much at all. The next day Paul and I hiked to Waikiki Beach to see this famous place we heard about since we were kids. Coincidently, we bumped into Gail at the bar we chose and enjoyed more beer!








Paul hiking to the bar for a beer!  See Diamond Head!



Crazy! We did not feel pushed to see as much as possible in those two days since we are returning in June for a family reunion with our children. We had left the planning of the reunion up to them and they chose a large beachfront home on Oahu with a pool. We'll go to the Dole Plantation and Pearl harbor then.  When I was a kid I dreamed of going to Hawaii to enjoy its reported beauty, the beaches and the volcanoes but neither Paul nor I ever went until last March. By June 2011 we will have been to Hawaii 3 times in just 15 months – Maui in March 2010, Oahu and the Big Island in December 2010, and Oahu in June 2011. Such good luck!

Our real Hawaiian adventure began in Hilo on the Big Island where we docked the next day. We learned so much about Hawaii from our friend, Kaipo, a student on the ship who doubled as a LLL because of his age, 44. He planned the entire tour from the ship with his wife’s help in back on the Island.



Kaipo, Salina and son

 Kaipo’s lovely wife, Salina, insisted he take the SAS voyage to help him decide the next chapter of his life. He proudly showed 40 of us the seven diverse ecosystems of the Island to help us understand how the early Hawaiian managed to co-exist and how transitions to plantation life have forever altered these delicate biomes. We learned about the early anthropology, archeology, spirituality, agronomy ecology, history and monarchy/governmental transition and how all were related.  And we saw the Nene and a hawk at the Volcano and a Apepana in the rainforest - all good signs!

Mauna Loa Volcano - the most studied volcano in the world!

Kaipo is an indigenous Hawaiian who owns a ranch on the Big Island and has been studying the sustainability of the islands for some time. He continued these studies on the ship where he refined his focus. He is considering running for office to champion environmental and sustainable policies. Kaipo made certain that we would learn as much as possible about the people of the Hawaiian Islands. He gave us the facts, like 40% of their energy comes from renewable sources of solar, hydrothermal, wave energy, thermal exchange, wind, and garbage. We saw the great crack which moves 0.2” per year and promises to eventually break off part of the Island which will cause a huge tsunami. We saw sea turtles at the black beaches, but learned that their population has been greatly reduced by runoff from plantations and pastures. Deforestation for raising cattle has changed the landscape and the moisture level of the entire island. Rainfall in Hilo has been reduced by 100 inches per year.  The black sand beaches and the hardened lava flows marked some of the most spiritual sites like Pu'uhonua o Honaunau which served as a place of refuge to those who had commited crimes and defeated warriors.  If one made it to that location, one could live in peace and make atonement.  All the wooden buildings are gone but the place demands aloneness and meditation. 




Victoria and Louisa meet a friend




Paul's attempt at being  fierce




The black lava flow and the old wall along the sea 

 To think the early explorers who found Hawaii traveled in large, double-hulled canoes for weeks before reaching the place where the smoke reached to the sky. I always wondered how these relatively small land masses were even found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The volcanic steam attracted them and the ocean currents flowed towards the islands.

Ancient Hawaiian tribes lacked a written language. Their history had been passed down through dance and chanting. When the missionaries came in the late 1800s they were welcomed, but they soon had a detrimental effect on the culture of the Hawaiian natives. The hula and chanting, Hawaiian’s only method of transferring history, were banned as well as the Hawaiian language and polygamy.

Kaipo took us to a stunningly beautiful botanical garden along the coast. It was not a natural rainforest, but one so lovely with waterfalls and truly outstanding plants. Huge philodendron leaves, multicolored bamboo, huge banyan trees and stunning flowers filled this garden. Did you know that Mark Twain loved Hawaii until the missionaries came and destroyed so much of the natural beauty that he left in disgust?

One of the highlights was a gorgeous spot called Waipio Valley. This special place reminded many of us of Big Sur only more beautiful if that is possible. A local resident recited the ancient history of this beautiful valley and chanted a prayer to ask God to bless the land, to send the rain to grow the food to sustain the body and soul.

Picture primitive bamboo structures atop this rock temple.  To build this temple, they formed a relay line of men to bring the stones from 26 miles away!

The Big Island was lovely and I would love to return and so all this great stuff with our grandchildren. They would love the Volcano National Park, the black and white sand beaches, the sea turtles, the mountains, desserts, forests, waterfalls, lava fields and tunnels and rainforests. But we would so miss the special touch of Kaipo and his strong belief in the need to recognize our connection and responsibility to the earth. He reminds us that Hawaii is not a land of five-star hotels and hula dancers – it is a beautiful earth still being created along the world’s most active fault. Its ecosystem is delicate, like a small world. And only if we make a serious effort to conserve and use sustainable energy and building methods will Hawaii and the world survive another hundred years!