I am writing you this as I watch the ship sail away from South Africa towards Ghana - from the shore. Ok, that is not entirely true, but I wish it was. We haven't been able to leave yet because the winds are so bad and the seas are so choppy that we would not have an enjoyable departure from the jetty. This windiness is something I can personally attest to after my day today which did not go as planned at all unfortunately, but still turned out...

BONJOUR!I have officially been to Mauritius - the only place on the itinerary I had never heard of before signing up for Semester At Sea. I am extremely glad that I learned where it was and that I spent my past two days there. It is extremely similar to Hawai'i physically, except they have a very different history and are going about their business much differently. There are about 250 miles of coastline and beautiful beaches and the rest of the island is covered...

This is not meant to upset or offend anyone, but I wanted to share it. Its the first paper I had to do for my identity development class [which I got a 100 on] and I thought it was interesting. Simone Provence Lopez Identity Development 15 February 2010 Field Component 1: Comparing Hawai'i and Japan Being white is rarely, if ever, something that I intentionally use in order to get ahead in life. I have never enjoy being treated differently because I am of...

Phenomenal Woman Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's sizeBut when I start to tell them,They think I'm telling lies.I say,It's in the reach of my armsThe span of my hips,The stride of my step,The curl of my lips.I'm a womanPhenomenally.Phenomenal woman,That's me.I walk into a roomJust as cool as you please,And to a man,The fellows stand orFall down on their knees.Th...

HAPPY NEPTUNE DAY! I have officially been to all 4 hemispheres of the world! I am also officially a Shellback and no longer a Pollywog. What does that mean, you might ask? Well I cannot Google things without paying for it, so I can't tell you, but I am pretty sure it has something to do with being a professional world traveler by ship. We crossed the equator yesterday at 241AM and have been sailing along it as we make our way to Mauritius - where I will arrive o...