I know I am really behind and I apologize… the last few weeks on the ship were a rollercoaster of emotions and finals had me very stressed. Since I’ve been home, I have been avoiding this last blog post as I refusing to accept the fact that this journey is finally over. But here goes nothing:
I decided to make one combined post for Ghana and Morocco because both will be short.
Ghana:
I had two classes in Ghana so I was only able to travel for the first three days. We were all super worn out from how eventful South Africa was and decided to relax. Additionally, our first day was Easter Sunday, so not much was open. We got off the ship and immediately loaded into a bus. My friend had a friend that was working in the Ghanaian US Embassy, so he gave us a tour. We first went to Elmina Slave Castle, which was such an experience. It was absolutely gut wrenching standing in the various rooms and hearing the stories of what took place in each. It was almost 100 degrees with the thickest humidity I have ever experience, and for Ghana, this wasn’t too bad. I couldn’t even imagine the summer conditions. Our guide walked us into a small room and explained that it was the punishment room for white guards. It had windows and a hole in the wall for food. Right next door, we were walked into a windowless room with a skull over it. Our guide explained that this was the torture room for misbehaved black men or “freedom fighters”. He then walked out and closed the door behind him. The 20 of us started to panic as it was so hot and claustrophobic. He opened the door after a minute and said “not one man exited this room alive” … I can’t describe the sort of feeling this gives someone. Elmina Slave castle was one of the main exports of North American slaves. As walked through a the room from which slaves were filtered onto the ships, I began to reflect on my journey in comparison to that of the of the Middle Passage. It was hard for me to think about this. We often consider life “hard” when our ship hits rough seas, but I couldn’t even image what it was like for these individuals. We all silently retreated to the bus and headed to our next stop: Hans Cottage. We were supposed to go to Kakum National Park to do a beautiful canopy walk, but it was closed on Easter, so we went to the famous crocodile restaurant. Hans Cottage was a fun way to break the silence from Elmina Castle. We ordered a delicious lunch (that naturally took 3 hours to get) and got to pet crocodiles! I am still amazed by the kinds of things we can do with animals in foreign countries, because this would never fly in the US. After the restaurant, we headed to Big Millie’s for our 3 days beachside vacation.
Big Millie’s was something else. Dinner isn’t served after 6, so our 7:00 arrival meant that we had to trek through a Ghanaian village to find the only open convenience store. Our food options: margarine, uncooked rice, and corn flakes. Looks like it’s corn flakes for dinner! We hung-out on the beach with some local Ghanaians and played music all night long. We had two houses with a total of 6 beds, and 20 people staying with us… Again, this was an experience. We divided up the couch cushions on the ground, used curtains as blankets, and made it work. It was a slumber party! The next morning we woke up early and headed to the beach. The resort was a mere 20 steps from the beach so we spent pretty much the entire day here. Easter Monday is one of Ghana’s biggest holidays so the beach was PACKED. It was so much fun! We rented surfboards, played with all the kids, and danced at a local live music venue. This was one of the most fun and relaxing days of the entire trip. We did this ALL day and ALL night. By bed time, our room was completely covered and sand and smelled like rotting fish.. Luckily we only had this one night left or else we may not have survived. The following morning looked a lot like the one before, just with fewer people on the beach. That night we headed back to the ship and took a real shower YIPPIE.
The following two days I had field lab classes. The first day I went to a recording studio to meet local Ghanian hip hop artists, which was so fun! We danced and sang with all of them for the entire day. The last day we went to an entrepreneurship hub in Accra and met many of the local entrepreneurs. It was so amazing hearing all the brilliant ways these individuals were making a difference in their communities and ways they plan to scale their ventures throughout the country.
Morocco:
“All we did in Morocco is ride in a bus, eat bread, and take out money” – this was our trip motto.
Morocco was unbelievably beautiful and fun, but we really did spend more time in the bus than anywhere else. The first day we were picked up in Casablanca and headed to Marrakech. We were supposed to get some time to shop etc., but there was traffic so all we had time to do was eat dinner and go to bed. Our dinner was an array of breads accompanied by couscous and rice- it was delicious. The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast (three different types of bread), and headed to a hotel in the Todra Gorges. On the way we made a few stops to see the beautiful scenery. On one stop we even got to meet a snake charmer! The landscape in Morocco is so amazing. One minute it is a vast desert, then it looks like the Grand Canyon, covered in red rock gorges, then suddenly we are in a beautiful green landscape that reminded everyone of Ireland. We stopped for lunch (McDonalds) and then continued to the hotel for dinner. Guess what was for dinner! Chicken, couscous and bread! Yum! That night at the hotel we all hang out in the gorges and hiked around. It was so beautiful and untouched.
The following morning we headed out into the Sahara! We were supposed to stop at some sort of craft village (ugh) but decided to stop and ride ATV’s through the sand dunes instead. It was SO fun! After the ATV’s we went even deeper into the desert where we were greeted by our camels. I cannot express how excited I was to ride a camel. I, naturally, thought they were all cute and adorable (turns out they were disgusting and gross). Riding camels was, at first, as exciting as I expected it to be. About and hour in, my butt hurt and I was ready to be done. We approached a small camp
site where we would stay for the night. The “nomads” cooked us dinner (bread, couscous and chicken- you guessed it!), and for the rest of the night we hung out under the stars. I have never been able to see so many stars at one time. A few of us decided to hike up one of the sand dunes and lay there for a few hours. This was the most physically exhausting thing I have done the entire trip. One of my friends even puked at the top, but it was worth it. We saw over a dozen shooting stars and just laid there silently. We began to discuss what an amazing trip it had been and got a little choked up thinking about it coming to an end. It felt like we were never going to be in Morocco but there we lay on one of our final nights. We played memory games to reminisce about or favorite, least favorite, and funniest place, meal, and event. It was a great way to end our journey. The following morning we woke up and climbed back onto our camels. It felt like we were in a postcard, and I although I was enjoying the beauty of the desert, it was hard to forget how bad my butt hurt. When we got back to the bus we loaded up for another long bus ride. We headed to Fez where we got a tour of a tannery and were able to bargain for the last time. We didn’t have much time so we took a quick tour through the old medina and were lost in the maze of activities. It was so interesting passing all the raw meat and fish shops. The city was spectacular but all we could really think about was how this was our last country together. We loaded into the bus to head back to the ship and stopped for one last “in country” meal and it was, of course, McDonalds.
Back at the ship we took one last group picture and cried as we walked up the gangway. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that this was going to be the last time I actually walked on the ship, for my next trip would be off forever.
The last few days & home:
The last few days on the ship were filled with finals and packing. Meryl and I laughed and cried in our beds every night thinking about the trip and what life would be like living on land. We made a list of things that would be weird and I decided I would include that instead of a weird facts from both countries.
Weird things:
1. flushing without hearing the loud sucking noise like an airplane toilet
2. buying something and actually knowing exactly how much money is coming out of your account
3. being able to touch dogs!!
4. drinking water anywhere and for free!
5. ordering off of a menu that you understand and not choosing from a buffett
6. laying in a bed that is wider than the width of your body and having as many blankets as you’d like
7. people around you being able to understand you
As I have returned home, all of these things have been weird, but it was much easier to get into the swing of things than I expected. When I left on this journey I was told that this trip would change me forever, and although yes, it has changed the way I think and the way I understand who we are on this planet, I don’t believe it has changed me too much. I think it was has broadened my understanding of the way in which individuals live and my acceptance of different cultures. It has sparked a desire to be uncomfortable in my surroundings and has urged me to travel more. And although it is hard for me to stop thinking about this as the end of a journey, I must force myself to remember that this is just the beginning. As one chapter ends, another begins, and I know that it won’t be long until I am out on my next adventure.
Semester at Sea, thank you for everything you have done for me. I will never truly understand the difference this trip has made on my future until I am able to look back on it in the years to come. Thank you for making me stronger, more independent, and brave. Thank you for instilling in me the ability to trust my instinct and read my surroundings. Thank you for the students, the teachers, the people, and the friends. Thank you, most of all, for revealing to me the beauty of our world and inspiring me to keep exploring.
Thank you for giving me the world.
-Madie
around the world on a boat 