Monday, September 15, 2008

In Love with Brazil

Our first stop on the ship is Brazil, and the country was absolutely amazing! I fell in love with Bahia, the area was rich with culture and the people were so beautiful. I am really into salsa dancing and samba music is very similar, so I spent the first day just partying in the streets with the people celebrating their independence day, and it was a lot of fun. I left for Rio de Janeiro the next day, and fell in love with Brazil all over again! Rio is hands down, the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited. The mountains running against the gorgeous beaches, and all the historic architecture throughout the city was remarkable. We went to go visit a school in the favelas, where the kids were really cool. They were so happy to see us and we took a lot of pictures. One of my favorite parts of the trip was going to see Christ the Redeemer, an incredible statute that hovered over the entire city. The views of Rio from the statue were absolutely incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it! Overall I loved Brazil, and all that the country had to offer.

An Unbelievable Opportunity

I can’t believe I’m finally doing SEMESTER AT SEA! I've been wanting to be a part of this voyage ever since I’ve heard about it on Road Rules when I was younger. The concept of traveling around the world on a ship, sounded like such an amazing experience I just could not pass it up. I will be spending the night on the Great Wall of China, sitting under Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, climbing on the ancient Angkor Wat, and posing in front of the infamous Taj Mahal. How many people can say they have done that? This voyage is going to be a remarkable, life-changing experience that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I feel like I am opening the doors for future SAS students of color to be apart of this remarkable voyage. Being from Morehouse College, a historically Black college, it's very important that a representation of minorities is present on this ship. I think a diverse population of students on the ship will give a true reflection of all the different countries that we are visiting. Thank you Semester at Sea for giving me this life changing opportunity to join you on this amazing voyage!