Semester at Sea Reflection

I can easily say that Semester at Sea has been the best experience of my life. We only had 22 class days out of our 66 day voyage. But in the end, Semester at Sea is not about the learning done in the classroom. Getting to explore all the different countries that we have visited has been the greatest education of all. The world truly was our campus.

The people I have met on this voyage I know will be life long friends. Even though I have only known them for two months, we all feel like we have been friends for much longer. On the ship when you are not in class or doing homework, the only way to pass the time is to socialize with people. We don’t have access to Facebook on board or TV in our cabins so the nature of the program itself forces you to meet and interact with people, bringing you so much closer. The result is that every night we ended up having two hour long dinners. It only took us about 15 minutes to eat, but then we would just stay in the dining hall talking all night. I now have more friends, spread across the country at so many different colleges than I could have ever imagined. The ship creates an atmosphere of being home. When we are at port, backpacking around the country for several days, there is nothing like returning to the comfort of the ship and your own cabin bed (after a thorough pat down by security at first to make sure you aren’t sneaking anything on!). My professors are some of the most enthusiastic and passionate teachers I have ever had. I am currently trying to convince them to transfer to Vanderbilt and teach there instead! I will forever be a Semester at Sea advocate. This summer has truly been life changing.

We arrive to Boston tomorrow and I fly straight back to Nashville and straight back to reality as school starts back up once again. It is definitely going to take me a few days to adjust to life off of the ship. I won’t be wobbling around anymore due to rough seas but I will most likely still use lots of hand gestures as if the person I’m talking to doesn’t understand English. It is for sure bitter sweet to leave and tomorrow’s goodbyes are going to be very difficult.

I would like to thank everyone who has read this blog over the past two months and who has kept in touch with me. And most importantly, thank you Mom and Dad for providing me with this experience and giving me the opportunity to see the world.

Love,

Madison

Morocco

Monday 8:           

After 5 days at sea full of class and lots of homework, we were excited to be back in port. Especially since yesterday the ship rocked so much that things fell off of our shelves, our bathroom door kept swinging back and forth and our drawers opened and closed throughout the night. We were very appreciative to be back on land again. Also, it’s pretty cool to note that within 6 days we have traveled to three different continents.

We got a late start off of our ship, due to the fact that Morocco decided to stamp all 1000 of our passports before allowing us to clear customs. When we did finally de-board, we were welcomed with 109 degree weather and an even more conservative country than Turkey. At our usual pre-port meeting, the dean told us that girls should tie up their hair. In Morocco loose hair implies a loose woman. We learned how true this is when Molly decided to wear her hair down and quickly received attention from all the males.

At 3:30 we took a 3 hour bus ride from Casablanca (where our ship is docked) to the city of Marrakech. Along with 10 other people, we had hired three tour guides to take us around. It was definitely the best way to go because we wouldn’t have been able to see half of the stuff we did without them. (Thanks Zach and Lee for giving us their info!) When we arrived we were greeted by our 3 tour guides, Hanane, Abdul and Simo. They are all university students around our age. From there, they took us to our Riad, which is like a Moroccan bed and breakfast, and where we will be staying the next four days. We were greeted by our hostess with many hugs and kisses. She is the nicest lady and served us Moroccan tea and cookies when we walked in. We socialized there for a little bit and got settled into our bedrooms. It is so cool that our tour guides are young because they are so open about sharing their culture with us. Abdul told us that in Morocco, if you really like a girl, you take her on a date to McDonalds. How weird! When the call to prayer played at sunset, we broke the fast with our tour guides with soup and special cookies made just for Ramadan. Afterwards, we were led into the city. It’s amazing how it came to life at night since during the day it was so quiet and hardly anyone was on the streets due to Ramadan. In the evening it was packed and the restaurants were full of people finally getting to eat. We went to a spice shop and bought all of the necessary oils that would be needed for when we go to the Hamam tomorrow. Next we went to a very very late dinner. We weren’t served our food until midnight but it was well worth it. We had salad, couscous, chicken, lamb and oranges with cinnamon on them for dessert.  We got back to our Riad pretty late and passed out, so tired from our first day in Africa!

Tuesday 9:           

This morning we woke up to tea, Moroccan coffee, fruits, crepes and apricot jam prepared by our hostess for breakfast. While we ate she gave us all Arabic names. Mine is pronounced as Faht-see-yah and means the introduction to the text of the Qur’an. Then we decided to give all of them American names. Hanane became Hannah, Abdul was named Drake and Simo’s name was Simon. We took a daytrip to Ourkia Valley where we first went camel riding. They were pretty gross and were swarming with flies but the ride was incredibly scenic. From there we went to a Berber village, the original people of Morocco. Here we got to learn about the traditional ways of these people and we toured one of their houses. It is incredible to believe that people still live this way. Their home was made completely out of stone and mud and was very primitive. The Berber people were very friendly and we had tea with them on the top of the roof. The father of the Berber family played traditional instruments and we danced around to the music. Our tour guides also taught us how to tie and wear a turban and it was pretty fun to sport those on our heads for the afternoon. Afterwards we stopped by the Argan Oil Women’s Association, which is a shop where they sell a variety of perfumes, soaps, shampoos and other products made out of the local Argan nuts that the Berber women grind up.

Next we had lunch next to the river and while we ate, I asked our tour guides a series of questions about their lifestyles. They were completely open to having a discussion about their culture and we discussed everything from marriage, religion, the hijab, Islamophobia and women’s rights. I learned so much from this discussion and it really is quite fascinating to hear their viewpoints. When we finished eating we took a nature hike up to the Siti Fatma Waterfalls. Abdul lead the way and he hiked up fast. We were so exhausted but no one wanted to complain or ask for a break since they were making this hike on an empty stomach and no water because of Ramadan. We eventually made it to the top and it was well worth it. The waterfalls offered beautiful views of the Atlas Mountains.

We drove back to our Riad so our guides could break the fast and then we went to the Hamam, which is the Turkish bath. Hanane took us to the one that they bathe in and it was essentially the same concept of the one we did in Istanbul but was very different at the same time. It was definitely no where near as nice or clean as the other one. At this one, you laid on the floor while the women straddled you and scrubbed you down with the roughest loofah ever. Somehow, these women had even bigger chests than the Turkish women and the boobs of the lady who washed me kept slapping me in the face. Gross! All around you was dead skin and hair and I left leaving feeling more dirty than when I entered. I will say, however, that my skin does feel extremely smooth now though! Abdul and Simo said that Moroccans usually go to a Hamam once or twice a week. Needless to say, we all came back to our Riad and took showers. Afterwards we went to another late dinner. Hanane said that it is typical for Moroccans to eat dinner around 1 or 2 AM during Ramadan. Wow! We ate on the rooftop of a restaurant and it was yet again another delicious meal.

Wednesday 10:

We woke up this morning to another great breakfast prepared by our hostess. Then we took a historical tour of the main monuments of Marrakech, visiting the Dar Si Said Museum and Majorelle Gardens. Afterwards we took a horse carriage to the home of a Moroccan family. There we ate lunch prepared by the mother. We all felt really bad eating in front of them because the family was fasting for Ramadan. It was so gracious of them to cook for us and to invite us into their home. While there I got the pleasure of experiencing a true Moroccan toilet which consists of a hole in the floor. Awesome…When we finished eating, Abdul taught us how to make Moroccan tea and then one of the girls in the family made Henna (Moroccan tattoo) on us. Don’t worry Mom and Dad, it’s not permanent! On my foot I got a floral design and my name in Arabic. Then on my arm I got the word “discover” written in Arabic which is symbolic for my summer on Semester at Sea. Afterwards we explored the Jammaa El Fna Square where there were snake charmers and people trying to get you to take pictures with monkeys and snakes. You had to be careful because they would put a snake on you for free but then make you pay to get the snake off. Then we walked into the souks which are pretty much the same thing as the Grand Bazaar.

Later on after the break fast we went to a nearby mosque to observe people praying. It was absolutely packed! We sat on top of a wall and just took it all in. While we watched them pray I talked extensively with Simo and asked him a million questions. I asked him more about Islamophobia and terrorists. He said that terrorists and suicide bombers are not Muslims. They are very radical people that claim that they believe in Islam but yet they go against the Qur’an’s teachings. The Qur’an teaches not to kill and Simo said it is such a shame that they claim to kill in the name of Allah. He said that every time he hears of a killing on the news he holds his breath and hopes that it is not a terrorist attack. He is so relieved whenever he finds out it is not and instead is just some random crazy person. Every time there is a terrorist killing it gives Islam a bad reputation and it really upsets them. Our conversation really opened up my eyes and I learned that Muslims are in fact such a peaceful people. When I told Simo that I am Jewish he had absolutely no problem with it. And this is the opinion of an extremely devout Muslim who prays 5 times a day. I have never learned so much about another culture as I did from this one experience. Finally, we headed back to our Riad and around 11:30 PM. Abdul gave us a cooking lesson to prepare our dinner in a tajine and we ended up eating at 1AM. Yay for another late night meal!

Thursday 11:           

After another breakfast prepared by Madam, we took a 3 hour bus ride to Essaouira, a coastal city of Morocco. Along the way we stopped at a carpet store where I bought a handmade rug made by the Berber women. When we finally arrived to Essaouira we had fresh fish next to the harbor. Then we hung out on the beach all day. We couldn’t really swim because we needed to remain clothed because it is disrespectful for women to be seen in a bikini, especially during Ramadan. It was fun though to hangout for a day and to see another city of Morocco. On the drive back, we pulled over into a gas station around 7:30 so our guides could break the fast before getting back into Marrakech. For dinner we had a Moroccan delicacy—McDonalds! It was so delicious, especially the Toblerone McFlurrys! We walked around the Jammaa El Fna Square at night which was cool to check out because it was all lit up and packed with people. The best part was I FINALLY got to ride a vespa! Simo took me out for a ride on his bike around the Old City and it was so fun. Later on, we went back to our Riad and sat up on the rooftop while we drank tea. Abdul read the palm of my hand but unfortunately, my future didn’t look so good. Yikes! He did tell me some things about my past that were very accurate so now I’m semi-freaked out! Tomorrow morning our driver will take us back to Casablanca so we can board the ship. At 8:00 PM we set sail for America. I’m so sad that this journey is coming to an end. I hope to have a Semester at Sea reflection post up soon though!

Friday 12:

Just wanted to add real quick that on our drive back to Casablanca we saw the king of Morocco!            

Pictures: 1. Camel riding 2. Berber village 3. Siti Fatma Waterfalls 4. Souks 5. Majorelle Gardens 6. Henna 7. Jammaa El Fna square at night 8. Group picture in our Riad with our three tour guides and our hostess

Turkey

Friday 29:           

This morning we woke up at 5:30 AM to see the sunrise as we sailed through the Bosporus Strait. It was quite beautiful and well worth the early morning wake up! Everywhere along the coast of Turkey we saw their country’s flag. Nationalism makes up a big part of their culture and it is even against the law to speak out against Turkey or to criticize Mustafa Kemal, also known as Ataturk or the “Father of Turkey.” After watching the sunrise, we went back to bed for a few more hours before getting up to explore the country. Before heading out, we looked out of our cabin window to see the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. What an amazing view to have right from our own room! We put on our conservative clothing and then headed out. We noticed that many of the women were dressed in the full head to toe burkah and several women only showed their eyes. Right when we got off the ship, we were immediately taken aback when we heard a loud noise. We soon realized, however, that it was the Islamic call to prayer that happens five times a day. As we continued to walk down the street we saw everyone kneel down and press their head to the ground in prayer.

We then entered the Grand Bazaar, which was huge! With over 4000 shops you can literally buy anything and everything there. From jewelry, scarves, rugs, knockoff purses, shoes and watches, the Grand Bazaar was endless. Bargaining was fun but then it just got kind of annoying. They always start off with ridiculously high prices and you have to waste so much time trying to get them to lower it. Plus everywhere you went, vendors would tell you how beautiful you are, that you are an angel from paradise. Hahaha It was quite an experience and we got some good purchases! Afterwards we stopped to eat some Turkish Delight, which is this gelatin like snack with pistachios, honey and powdered sugar.

We went back to the ship to catch our FDP to see the Sufi Whirling Dervish ceremony. These practices date back to the 13^th century and are indigenous to Turkey. In these ceremonies, the so called “Whirling Dervishes” use their mystical music and dance to spin in circles, representing a union with God and reaching a state of spiritual ecstasy.  It was very special to have a look into this spiritual ceremony. The ritual was hypnotizing and almost put several people to sleep. You could tell that the Dervishes were really feeling a connection and a few of them had their eyes roll to the back of their head as they spun. When the performance was over, we had the opportunity to ask questions to the wise man about the ritual. Afterwards we met up with the rest of our friends to go out to Taksim, which is the square that is filled with bars and clubs. Today our friend Genny turned 21 so we went out to celebrate!

Saturday 30:           

We started off our day by heading to the Topkapi Palace, home to Mehmed II’s court and the center of Ottoman government. The complex is made up of three courtyards and includes the Sultan’s harem. It was filled with beautifully designed buildings and courtyards. One room that we went into featured objects from the Sultan’s treasury. Everything in there was so elaborate and ornate. Even the Sultan’s water pitcher was covered in emeralds and rubies. What I was most blown away by, however, was the jewelry. There was a ring with an 86-carat diamond that was surrounded by 49 more diamonds. It was bigger than the palm of my hand! Then we toured the harem, which is the enclosed quarters where all of the Sultan’s women, children and other female relatives would live. The interior was beautifully decorated with tile walls. We spent much of our day there exploring the grounds before heading back to the ship to meet our professor at 2:30 for another FDP for my Modern History of the Middle East and North Africa class. We traveled to the Istanbul Bar Association to learn about women and the law in Turkey from practicing attorneys and judges. We visited the association’s headquarters and met with the president and other leaders of the Bar Association’s Women’s Rights Centre, along with a family court judge. They spoke to us about women’s roles in Turkish society and answered all of our questions on legal issues affecting women and their families. We learned that since 1923 women’s rights have become a major priority in Turkey and there have been many laws passed to improve their condition. Later on in the evening we went to the Hookah District to smoke some nargileh and have Turkish tea. The place where we went served you cherries, apples, apricots, watermelon and all kinds of nuts while you smoked hookah. While we were there, the call to prayer played once again and it was such a cool cultural experience.

Sunday 31:

Today we decided to knock out a bunch of sight seeing. One of my professors has been to Turkey three times and is very knowledgeable about its sites so let us tag along with him and his family.  It was great because he could fill us in on all of the history of what we were viewing. Our own private tour guide! First we went to the Basilica Cistern. Constructed in the 6^th century, this underground area was used originally as a water reserve for Istanbul. You may recognize it from the season of the Bachelorette that Ali and Roberto were on, where Ali had a date there. Afterwards we went to the Blue Mosque (more formally known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque). When we entered we had to take off our shoes and completely cover our head and shoulders. Built to outdo the Hagia Sophia (the mosque we would go to next) it was beautiful with its blue tiled walls. Next we headed to the Hagia Sophia. For over 1000 years it was a church before being converted into a mosque in 1453 when Constantinople was taken over by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II. It has now been turned into a museum. Inside you could see uncovered Christian mosaics that had been covered over with Islamic writings and paint from when it was transformed into a mosque. After we finished touring the Hagia Sophia, we left our professor and went to lunch where we had hummus and chicken crepes. When we finished eating we went to the Galata Tower, one of the oldest towers in the world. It was built by Byzantine emperor Anastasius Oilozus in 528 as a lighthouse. We took an elevator up to the top where you could look out and see the whole city of Istanbul. It was a pretty spectacular view and we could even see our ship!

Monday 1:

First we went back to the Grand Bazaar. We needed to purchase more conservative clothing since we have to be covered everyday here and will have to dress the same when we go to Morocco next. I got some really cool Aladin pants. Something else cool was that Ben Afleck was in Turkey today preparing for his new movie. He was in the Grand Bazaar plotting his scenes and my friends Amy and Genny saw him! Supposedly no one was even bothering him though. None of the locals knew who he was so he was just walking around the Grand Bazaar like any other person.

Turkey is split between two continents, Europe and Asia so we decided when we finished shopping to take a ferry over to Asia. We had lunch there and walked around for a while. It pretty much looked just like the Turkey side in Europe but at least now we can say now that we’ve been to another continent!

Ramadan started today so many of the locals have been fasting all day long. At sunset, when they can eat again, they all rush to the Hippodrome (an old stadium used for horse and chariot racing) to grab food that vendors come out to sell. It is kind of like a little festival and there are a bunch of stalls selling all sorts of things, not just food. There is jewelry, artwork, candles, and spices among other things. The surrounding mosques were all lit up and there were flags and balloons everywhere. When we arrived to the Hippodrome, there were hundreds of people sitting at little tables, waiting with their food for the signal to eat. As soon as the call to prayer played they all devoured the food. What a cool thing to be a part of! Afterwards we walked around the Hippodrome a little while longer, eventually stopping to observe a street artist make paintings using a technique called ebru, or marbling. It basically entails using glue, wall paper and oil paint to make paintings. For 5 Liras you could make your own, so we all made our own Turkish street art painting. When we finished we walked to the Backpacker’s Area behind Topkapi Palace which is this cute little area with lots of restaurants. We found this awesome place to get drinks and we sat on the floor on pillows all night and had hookah once again.

Tuesday 2:

Today was quite an experience to say the least. We had heard so much about Turkish baths so we decided to go to a Hamami called Cemberlitas. Basically what happens is you walk into a huge steam room and lay down on this marble slab wearing nothing but some underwear that they give you. You just lay there on the slab sweating with all of these other women while you wait to be scrubbed down. Then a big, fat burly Turkish woman comes over to wash you. They are literally some of the ugliest women with huge saggy boobs that are falling out of their bras and they are essentially naked too except for their bra and underwear. So basically what happens is they throw water on you, literally chunk a bucket of it at you. And then they have a rough loofah and scrub your whole body, and I mean they scrub everywhere. When they want you to flip they slap your arm and you kind of feel like a piece of meat. Then they rub you down again before splashing more water all over you. Next they take you over to a sink to wash your hair and then you could sit in the jacuzzi for a while. Afterwards I was led into another room where I received an oil massage that was pretty rough. I left feel very relaxed but at the same time a little violated. It was a great experience though and for sure one that I will never forget! We hit up the spice bazaar for a little bit before heading back to the ship. It was very similar to the Grand Bazaar but no where near as big and instead sold lots of different types of teas, coffees, spices and candies. Vendors would call out to us as we passed their store that they had poison for our mother in laws and aphrodisiac for our boyfriends. Haha

I was really bummed when the ship finally pulled out of Turkey. I absolutely loved it here and am so fascinated by the country’s culture and people. I also realized that from the day we arrived to Spain (June 27) to the day we left Turkey (August 2) we have only had 6 full days of class. Not bad!

Pictures: 1. Grand Bazaar 2. Topkapi Palace 3. Hookah bar 4. Basilica Cistern 5. Blue Mosque 6. Hagia Sophia 7. Grand Bazaar 8. Turkish street art 9. Ramadan sign in front of Hagia Sophia