Ghana (Benin & Togo)
Ghana was the most incurable experience in Africa so far. Just a few minutes before reaching the port, we were welcomed by whiles jumping up and down into the water. I did not spend much time in Ghana but the time I spend while in Ghana was amazing. People were very welcoming everywhere you look you were greeted it with a smile. Our ship docked in Ghana for 3 days, but I only spend one day in Ghana. The other 2 were In Benin and a few hours in Togo. The first day which I spend in Ghana I spend in Tema where our ship was docked.
The day in Tema started it with a meeting with some Ghanaian who are from the Rotary Club. The objective of the meeting was to develop a service project in Ghana; this was necessary since this voyage is the first voyage for Semester At Sea to Ghana.
While working with the Rotary Club the question we asked them was how can we help in developing your community? They were to chose one problem that we can solve with “just” a $100, the $100 Solution is the name of the project. In the end we helped improve 6 classrooms which are used teach over 600 student everyday just by giving $200.
To me personally this was one of the greasiest moments in my life; it was the first time I got to be involve in something like this at first hand, I saw how relations are made to produce change, and how policies are made, and most importantly how much little money can help so many. I was very happy and felt proud to be a part of change.
The last two days of the trip I spend between Togo & Benin mainly in Benin.
The driving was incredibly the most offal part of this trip nearly spend 18 hours in unconstructed roads out of the 48 hours visit to both countries. Because of this some delays lead to cancelation of some of place we were to visit in Togo.
While in Benin we visited a village on steal called Ganvie or Village of Peace, to me this was the highlight of our visit to Benin & Togo and maybe the whole voyage so fare. Ganvie is a village on water for the past 300 years. It’s not an island but everything one would imagine on land was there market, hospitals, mosques, churches, schools and even government buildings were all on top of water. I was very amaze on how something like this was possible children of age 7 with paddles, planning some type of plants on water to help them with their fishing. I guess life on this village is like life on our ship except that we don’t really have to fish for our food our when it rains half of the time it doesn’t effect as and life on the ship is temporary contrast to life in this village which is nearly is forever. The life in this village as it may seem hard but not to those who live there, we were greeted with smiles and wives from the children of the village.
Also as part of our visit to Benin I learned great deal of history. It’s still hard do to believe how bad slave trade affect the way people live today, pictures and statues describes the agony and torture slaves went through from their own kings to the white men who came. This is what I learned when we reach the Gate of No return and The Royal Palaces
I learned so much, and most of meant more for some reason, the feeling was very different from any reading that I have from the history books
Our next stop will be Cape Town, S. Africa!!!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Morocco
Sep 10-Sep 14
In the past few days I have thought hard on how to describe my experience in morocco, and until today I have not found one way that I think can defined my experience. I believe my experience in morocco was a great experience with a lot of emotional.
Morocco is a beautiful kingdom in term of its land it hold lot of Middle Eastern culture as well. To many of my friends, Morocco is described as a cultural shock, and an eye-opening. I'm not sure if all those terms apply to my experience in morocco. Its culture which is what is shocking to many of my SAS friends is based on Islam (women had to be covered up when it come to clothing, no alcohol, and a lot of restrictions, unlike Spain or the U.S).
I knew little about Morocco but I was still excited to be back in Africa, and see a similar culture to the one that I grow up in, and also be able to speak Arabic again. I was aware of Islam and it is restrictions, but I guess it I didn’t process how it shapes or effect the way people leave until I was in land when I saw everyone with similar dressing and not be able to eat for a hold day since it was Ramadan.
As I traveled through Casablanca where our ship was docked I started comparing the similar and the difference between Morocco with Sudan, I became more emotional than happy and maybe more annoyed, because I realize how religion effect people; nearly in every cab that I got in and spoke Arabic I was asked where I was from and when I told some of them I'm originally from Sudan, the response would be "oh welcome brother, Morocco is your home", and a then "are you Muslim, why not… Sudan is a great Muslim country!" this bothered me a lot because nearly in every cab I was asked again and again some started to talked about the greatness of Islam, but didn’t want to talk about the ruling of the king in Morocco. This allowed me to taking about good the life I have in the states were religion does not alter my Dailey activities.
Even thou at times I was a little paranoid with the same question and emotional about the effect and influence of religion, I enjoyed the rest of the time in Morocco special in Marrakesh were we road camels, visited some mosques and experience so of the culture of Morocco from Hookah , to music. Some of my greatest time was a service visit with SAS to an orphanage, there we played with the kids, but most importantly I felt like I made a difference just by playing with kids and put a smiled in their faces.
I guess my overall experience in Morocco taught me to cherish everything in my live more than before, whether it’s family or even the democratic state that exist back in the U.S.
In the past few days I have thought hard on how to describe my experience in morocco, and until today I have not found one way that I think can defined my experience. I believe my experience in morocco was a great experience with a lot of emotional.
Morocco is a beautiful kingdom in term of its land it hold lot of Middle Eastern culture as well. To many of my friends, Morocco is described as a cultural shock, and an eye-opening. I'm not sure if all those terms apply to my experience in morocco. Its culture which is what is shocking to many of my SAS friends is based on Islam (women had to be covered up when it come to clothing, no alcohol, and a lot of restrictions, unlike Spain or the U.S).
I knew little about Morocco but I was still excited to be back in Africa, and see a similar culture to the one that I grow up in, and also be able to speak Arabic again. I was aware of Islam and it is restrictions, but I guess it I didn’t process how it shapes or effect the way people leave until I was in land when I saw everyone with similar dressing and not be able to eat for a hold day since it was Ramadan.
As I traveled through Casablanca where our ship was docked I started comparing the similar and the difference between Morocco with Sudan, I became more emotional than happy and maybe more annoyed, because I realize how religion effect people; nearly in every cab that I got in and spoke Arabic I was asked where I was from and when I told some of them I'm originally from Sudan, the response would be "oh welcome brother, Morocco is your home", and a then "are you Muslim, why not… Sudan is a great Muslim country!" this bothered me a lot because nearly in every cab I was asked again and again some started to talked about the greatness of Islam, but didn’t want to talk about the ruling of the king in Morocco. This allowed me to taking about good the life I have in the states were religion does not alter my Dailey activities.
Even thou at times I was a little paranoid with the same question and emotional about the effect and influence of religion, I enjoyed the rest of the time in Morocco special in Marrakesh were we road camels, visited some mosques and experience so of the culture of Morocco from Hookah , to music. Some of my greatest time was a service visit with SAS to an orphanage, there we played with the kids, but most importantly I felt like I made a difference just by playing with kids and put a smiled in their faces.
I guess my overall experience in Morocco taught me to cherish everything in my live more than before, whether it’s family or even the democratic state that exist back in the U.S.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Crossing the Atlanic to Spain!!!
Spain 05 Sep-08 Sep
Life on the ship has been interesting, meeting students from all over the country and making friends with everyone was easier then I have thought; everyone just come at lunch or dinner and introduced them self to you. This to me has been the best part of this voyage so far, the fact that we have over 700 people on one ship and are excited in meeting new people as I’m. The hardest thing about having so many people to get to know is just remembering everyone’s name. Also sometime one forgets that we are on a ship until things get rocky on the ship and everyone lost their balance.
Still can’t believe that I just crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a ship and it only took less than two weeks to get on the other side while it took Christopher Columbus 3 months going on the other side of the world. I find funny how the world changes so quickly. Besides crossing the Atlantic Ocean I still can’t get over the fact that I was just in Spain 4 for days (3 nights)
Spain
Throughout my life I have always want to visit Spain, but after being there for 3 days, I realized that the reason that I wanted to visit Spain wasn’t the only great thing about Spain. Before this trip or our stop in Spain, my only reason of wanting to visit has always been about futbol (Soccer). I did not know much or thought much about the people who live here and how they live there life, and even thought from history and my Geography class I learned about Spain I guess I had forgotten the interesting facts about the people and their culture.
After we cross the Atlantic Ocean we arrived in 0600 o’clock in Cadiz. Before this journey I have never heard of Cadiz or knew anything about it. I have only known or thought I knew about Barcelona and Madrid, but Cadiz turned out not only to be a beautiful port but it is a little city with a lot of history. Its history is more than 2000 years. Walking through the street you can see the changes the city has gone through in the past 1000 years or so from the control of the Moor and the Arab to the Spanish city that it is today. Its beautiful beaches and churches are the pride of the city. The most interning thing to me about Cadiz is the way it’s structured; on one side of the town the old buildings that were build from the time this city was established but they still stand strong, and the other side is modernized city beautiful as if it was just build yesterday for tourism. It was interesting seeing the small shops and walking around in siesta time.
Barcelona!!!!
After spending a night in Cadiz we got up early for a flight to Barcelona. Being in Barcelona was the best time I had in Spain; I still cannot believe that I was just there!!!! As a soccer player and a flower I just visited one of the biggest soccer stadiums in the world, but overall it was the experience that I had in Barcelona that makes left the biggest imprecation in our stop in Spain. I don’t think that I will forget the taste of wine, the beautiful sound of guitar and the amazing sights, this were the things that I did not anticipate or had any apparition for before this trip to Spain, but after experiencing most of this myself I don’t thing that I will forget that amazing sound of the foot taping as the dancers dance the flamingo dance.
I think after being in Spain, Spanish music will be on the top of my playlist, and will drink wine more after learning and drinking so much of it over here, I think I have also have learned to appreciate art more than before after seeing some of the most beautiful paintings and seeing some of the best architectures buildings (Cathedrals) in the world.
Today we are on our way to Morocco which should be interesting, not only because we are crossing the between the Mediterranean Sean and the Atlantic ocean, but because of the way the culture will be, it is spouse to represent the influence of Europe or western world and also the African and Arab way of living, so I’m interesting to make our first stop in Africa, and how the experience will compare to my experience in Spain and also to what to come from Ghana and S. Africa.
Life on the ship has been interesting, meeting students from all over the country and making friends with everyone was easier then I have thought; everyone just come at lunch or dinner and introduced them self to you. This to me has been the best part of this voyage so far, the fact that we have over 700 people on one ship and are excited in meeting new people as I’m. The hardest thing about having so many people to get to know is just remembering everyone’s name. Also sometime one forgets that we are on a ship until things get rocky on the ship and everyone lost their balance.
Still can’t believe that I just crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a ship and it only took less than two weeks to get on the other side while it took Christopher Columbus 3 months going on the other side of the world. I find funny how the world changes so quickly. Besides crossing the Atlantic Ocean I still can’t get over the fact that I was just in Spain 4 for days (3 nights)
Spain
Throughout my life I have always want to visit Spain, but after being there for 3 days, I realized that the reason that I wanted to visit Spain wasn’t the only great thing about Spain. Before this trip or our stop in Spain, my only reason of wanting to visit has always been about futbol (Soccer). I did not know much or thought much about the people who live here and how they live there life, and even thought from history and my Geography class I learned about Spain I guess I had forgotten the interesting facts about the people and their culture.
After we cross the Atlantic Ocean we arrived in 0600 o’clock in Cadiz. Before this journey I have never heard of Cadiz or knew anything about it. I have only known or thought I knew about Barcelona and Madrid, but Cadiz turned out not only to be a beautiful port but it is a little city with a lot of history. Its history is more than 2000 years. Walking through the street you can see the changes the city has gone through in the past 1000 years or so from the control of the Moor and the Arab to the Spanish city that it is today. Its beautiful beaches and churches are the pride of the city. The most interning thing to me about Cadiz is the way it’s structured; on one side of the town the old buildings that were build from the time this city was established but they still stand strong, and the other side is modernized city beautiful as if it was just build yesterday for tourism. It was interesting seeing the small shops and walking around in siesta time.
Barcelona!!!!
After spending a night in Cadiz we got up early for a flight to Barcelona. Being in Barcelona was the best time I had in Spain; I still cannot believe that I was just there!!!! As a soccer player and a flower I just visited one of the biggest soccer stadiums in the world, but overall it was the experience that I had in Barcelona that makes left the biggest imprecation in our stop in Spain. I don’t think that I will forget the taste of wine, the beautiful sound of guitar and the amazing sights, this were the things that I did not anticipate or had any apparition for before this trip to Spain, but after experiencing most of this myself I don’t thing that I will forget that amazing sound of the foot taping as the dancers dance the flamingo dance.
I think after being in Spain, Spanish music will be on the top of my playlist, and will drink wine more after learning and drinking so much of it over here, I think I have also have learned to appreciate art more than before after seeing some of the most beautiful paintings and seeing some of the best architectures buildings (Cathedrals) in the world.
Today we are on our way to Morocco which should be interesting, not only because we are crossing the between the Mediterranean Sean and the Atlantic ocean, but because of the way the culture will be, it is spouse to represent the influence of Europe or western world and also the African and Arab way of living, so I’m interesting to make our first stop in Africa, and how the experience will compare to my experience in Spain and also to what to come from Ghana and S. Africa.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)