The ship life is never dull… this week we have encountered an event that will make semester at sea history!  Today we had to make an emergency stop in order to distribute vaccinations to close to 100 students!!  Here’s the scoop… while in Brazil a group of kids spent a few nights in a jungle lodge in the Amazon. At the hotel there were 2  young domestic monkeys that lived there and would wander around and play with various guests.  All of the semester at sea kids met these monkeys and became fond of them. Apparently on little girl (a daughter of a faculty member on board) created a big scene when she claimed that she became terribly injured by a bite by the monkey!  This proclamation soon led to things spiraling out of control!

We have periodic small group meetings after each country and luckily the nurse on the ship was in my group and was able to give us the whole story! So anyways, when the nurse and doctor were notified of this monkey bite they came to the conclusion that the girl would have to receive the rabies vaccine, which comes in sets of 3. As we were ready to depart Manaus, the nurse, the girl, and her mother were on a scavenger hunt around Brazil to try to receive the treatment. After going to 3 hospitals they found a place where she could get the first shot. The doctors were very reluctant to give the remaining doses to the nurse because there is an extreme global shortage of the vaccine and the doctors are extremely worried about the drug getting into the hands of the wrong people.

After we left Manaus the doctor team had to figure out how they were going to deal with the rest of the students exposed. Apparently they were on the phone for 20 hours trying to find enough of the drug to distribute to everyone immediately!  The US State Department got involved and it basically turned into an international issue! Finally they were able to have it shipped to Brazil and after several meetings with the students (they were able to get out of a lot of classes) they called all the students down this morning to the clinic to get the shots!! The total cost of all these vaccinations totaled $100,000 all covered by the Brazilian government. 

Everyone is doing fine and will be receiving 2nd and 3rd doses in the coming weeks.  As for the monkeys the outlook is not as good =(. They are being quarantined and having many tests run on them. There are rumors that the poor monkeys will have to be put to death but we will never really know.

So that’s the latest drama… I’ll write more soon!

Hard to believe that we have already left the second country of our voyage!! I got back from the Riverboat trip this afternoon and have never been so excited to shower!

 My time in Brazil was great. The city of Manaus were we docked was nice, we spent most of the day shopping around at the market where there were tons of trinket stands and local food. We also got to catch the beginning of a mass at a beautiful church! Unfortunately I couldn't understand the service because it was all in Portuguese but it was still a nice experience. Manaus is also home of a famous opera house which we got to take a look at as well. It was an interesting city because some of the buildings were built during a big Rubber boom but now that Manaus is not as wealthy they have not been kept up and are intermixed with some scary areas. I was sort of relieved that I was only there for the day because it was pretty unsafe and the language barrier was difficult too.

 Early Monday morning we left for the Amazon riverboat adventure. It was strange to get onto another boat where I would be living for the next four days! It is two stories, the upper level is where we slept in hammocks, and the lower level is where we had all of our meals. By the time we got back today I had definitely had enough and was super relieved to be back! However, it was a really great trip and I got to try lots of new things! The Amazon river is so magnificent and we got to see many different areas which was cool. It is very humid and there is a ton of lush green vegetation on either side of the river. The sky in the Amazon is gorgeous its hard to describe but it looks HUGE and has so much depth to it. At night the starts were brilliant were scattered across the whole sky! I could have counted hundreds- it was so beautiful.

   The first day we went fishing for piranhas! I wasn't that successful at it,  but a lot of people were! They just looked like normal fish so it wasn't too bad and we got to eat them for dinner later! That night we went looking for caymen, which are similar to alligators. I thought this part was really scary because we went out on little canoes in the dark and all we had were flashlights to spot to caymen. The guide was able to catch one and we learned all about it. I even held it!! Yikes! Some other activities we did included a trek though the jungle which was fun but HOT and a visit to a small village on the Amazon. I really liked the village because we got to meet the cutest kids and everyone was so friendly and happy even though they lived in a remote community on barely anything. More than half of the people got a stomach bug which really sucked, I was pretty under the weather yesterday and hungout in my hammock for most of the day. Luckily I felt better by nighttime because we had a beach party! They crew set up a barbecue outside with lights and music. We played some games and danced it was so much fun. I lost in musical chairs, but almost won limbo!

I really enjoyed my time in the Amazon but I am glad to be back on the ship where I have clean clothes and real food! Now we are on our way to Ghana! It is going to take over a week I think but Sea Olympics and Neptune Day will be in between which will be fun! I am going to catch up on some work and hopefully get a good night sleep =)

One more thing...


we passed the equator yesterday!! How cool is that?!

Greeting from the Amazon!

        Our voyage is really picking up as we approach Manaus, Brazil on Sunday! The MV Explorer entered the Amazon River Wednesday night for the first time in Semester at Sea history!  It is unlike anything I have experienced yet, all of a sudden the rocking motion ceased and we were surrounded by brown murky fresh water.  Looking out the windows we can see land on both sides and the sky in covered in clouds. 
        Yesterday was a great day. I had all my classes and did not feel seasick at all. No headaches or tiredness was keeping me down and I was able to listen to all my lessons which were quite interesting. My favorite of the day was a presentation from a guy who is sailing with us on the first part of the voyage. He just finished his graduate degree at UVM and presented his research to us all about coffee! It was so interesting to learn about an industry that is not yet mechanized yet and how this thing that we so often take for granted is produced and a look into the lives of the families who harvest it.  One thing I took away from it is to be a smart consumer and find out where the coffee is coming from and look for brands that guarantee a percentage to the farmers. So that’s just one little tidbit of my day.
        Last night my friends and I went to our first “Pub Night” on the ship!  Despite the long list of rules (including no card games, no music, and no “rapid consumption”) and the three drink limit (of wine or beer) it was actually pretty fun and a good way to socialize! 
In the midst of this party we noticed a group of kids all surrounding an area of the deck. When I went over to see what was going on I looked down and there was a HUGE BUG on the deck. When I say it was big I mean like over 5 inches. It looked more like an animal to me, yuck! So you can imagine how excited I am now to be spending 3 nights on a small riverboat in the Amazon! In rereading the description of my riverboat trip I saw that activities include: catching alligators with our bear hands, and fishing for piranhas! I will definitely be packing the bug spray and I am hoping to develop more of an appreciation for the great outdoors! Wish me luck!!
So for an update on cabin life, my roommate and I have been getting along great. Last night we bonded over trying to remember all 5 members of NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, I never thought I would forget them! We also discovered that both of our moms did Semester at Sea…. THE SAME YEAR! What are the odds.
Well I am going to go enjoy not having class for a week =) and try to soak up some sun.

Miss you all so much! 
- Cassie

Dominica is amazing!!!  Starting off on Sunday morning we pulled up to a beautiful mountainous island full of green rain forest and bright colored buildings. It is a very unique island which lies between Martinique and Guadalupe, and is famous for its scenic waterfalls and hikes. Also, because of all of the volcanic activity on the island there are some really cool site to see!
       When we arrived in Rosseau, the capital, my traveling crew and I had no idea where to begin but we knew we wanted to explore and learn more about the island! We took a taxi/bus to a site called the Titou Gorge which was up the mountain from the main city center in Rosseau. On the way up we spotted a few priceless photo opps as we headed up the mountain and had to stop to get out! Our driver, Anthony, was great, he told us alllll about the island. Literally must have asked him 100 questions. The gorge was awesome! It was a big pool with a few little falls and then the actual gorge was like a little cave that you can swim through which was a little scary at first but unlike anything I have ever done before! Then at the end there was another big pool with a waterfall.  This gorge was featured in the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean  and we heard all about how Johnny Depp and his crew were shooting on the island for months.
        Next we ventured into the city to try to get something to eat but there is not much open on Sundays because everyone in the island goes to church and stays home and cooks with the family. So we hit the bar! Rum punch was delicious and we sat outside right on the water. We even took a little dip in the ocean which was sooo refreshing!
        At night they opened a club special for us and we pretty much everyone headed over to “Krazy Koconuts” it was a really fun club/bar/ disco scene with strobe lights and loud music. It was super packed all with kids from the ship! We all had a blast going out together for the first time.
        The next day we went decided to check out “Maro Beach” which is one of Dominicas black sand beaches (they are black from the volcanic rock). It was a little rainy and overcast but ended up being a fun time! We got to experience some of the local food. I had bbq chicken, rice, beans, and provisions which is sort of mixture of starchy vegetables. After this  our taxi tourguide Leon we went back into the city/ He entertained us the whole way by telling us about the island and even singing and rapping for us some of his original music! Everyone we met was really friendly and enjoyed talking to us.
When we got back to Rosseau we stopped for some fresh fruit before getting back on the ship. It was delicious and the sun finally came out. Overall, my experience in Dominica was a good one! While it was very different from many of the Caribbean islands that I have visited it was quite a site to see and a perfect start to my adventures this semester.

Pictures will be coming soon!

 Its been whirlwind since my voyage began two days ago!  We have been sailing now for two days and I just saw land for the first time. We are currently docked in Puerto Rico but only to refuel but unfortunately can’t go off the boat.

            So far I have met a ton of great people, everyone is super friendly and outgoing! I also have been hanging out a lot with girls from Bucknell and some new friends from UVA and University of Colorado. Its been pretty jammed packed so far with orientations and information sessions about the ship. They aren’t the most fun thing but its all important I guess!

            Today classes started, this was also a little overwhelming because I had 5 in row from 8-4 with just an hour break in the afternoon.  Missed lunch =( but during my break I was SO EXCITED when I saw how nice it was out and got to lay out for  the first time so far! Being able to soak up the sun with some of my friends was definitely the highlight of my day.

            Something that was pretty unexpected is that I’ve been REALLY feeling the boat!! I did not think I would get seasick but the boat has been super rocky and I think everyone is still working on getting there sea legs. Three of my classes are in the big lecture hall in the front of the boat which is the worst for these symptoms! One girl even got sick in the middle of class, yuck!

            I am getting really excited to get to our first port in Dominica.  Aside from what I thought for a while, this is not the Dominican Republic but an island in the Caribbean by St. Lucia and Martinique. We will be getting there Sunday and staying till Monday and hopefully some beaches will be coming my way!

            The internet here is SUPER limited and SUPER slow. Also, there is no service on the boat. I think this is kind of nice to get away from technology but I hope I will still be able to update everyone! My new Semester at Sea email is ccatto@semesteratsea.net, and we get unlimited access!! I already feel super disconnected and miss all of you so much already! It feels like its been way longer than just a couple days. I whipped out the camera today and will try to get some pics up next week!

Talk to you soon!!

Two 50lb rolling duffles, a carry on, and a backpack later it seems as though I'm ready to go! I will be leaving for the Bahamas tomorrow bright and early hopefully before any trace of the storm that is supposed to come tomorrow to NJ. I am super excited about starting this new adventure but also a little nervous and emotional about leaving for so long! This week I spent some quality time with family and friends which I will cherish and remember while I'm at sea.

Wednesday morning I will be boarding the ship at 8 in the morning, and from there there is no looking back! We will probably depart sometime in the afternoon and then it will be smooth sailing to Dominica on Sunday!

Wish me luck!

- Cassie