Good Ol' Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss said, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go." In the short span of 24 hours I have to take a semester's worth of finals (the downside of a condensed semester.) Between my three finals I'm being tested on 22 pieces of world literature and although it is a bit overwhelming, the text have been part of the key to my successful Semester At Sea experiences. My professors picked out books applicable to the countries we visited. Whether it was ancient Greek travel writing or about the currents and wind patterns of the Mediterranean Ocean, the texts have helped me have a fuller view of each country. The different texts gave me glimpses of the country's past, as well as voices of the present. Dr. Seuss was correct; my readings made me know more and that allowed me to go to more places! Although the exams are a bit of a buzz kill, the silver lining is that they allow me to reflect on everything I've learned this semester. We read the books prior to entering each country, so it is fun to review the material now that I've been to the countries and experienced the cultures.

I love you all and after sailing over 12,000 nautical miles, I can finally say that I'm almost home! I can't wait to see everyone!

Shout Out

I forgot to mention my other favorite crewmember: Mizram. Mizram is from Jamaica and has been working on cruises for over 30 years. He is one of the most joyful people I've ever met and always has a smile on his face. Mizram is truly inspirational. I know that it is not easy to smile every day, but he makes it his mission to spread cheer. When I ask him how his day is going he often replies, "My God is good, so I am good." He is constantly singing worship songs and talking to students about God's love. One morning I was seasick and felt sorry for myself, his Jamaican voice popped into my head and I heard "My God is good, so I am good." With that new perspective I decided to get over my pity party, eat some saltines and enjoy the day. I am grateful for his open love for God and that he shares God's love with all the students.

Work Hard and Be Nice To People

        We are now heading west across the Atlantic Ocean! It is crazy that to think that I've been to nine countries (including the USA) in two months- especially when I think of my 2011 summer. Last summer I spent two months serving at a Young Life camp for middle school students. I would work 12+ hours a day, seven days a week and I did not get paid. We did not have Internet, email, cell phones or television. Although we didn't have luxury items or lots of time to relax, it was a fabulous and rewarding summer. This summer has been fabulous and rewarding, but in much different ways. I have had the opportunity to travel around the Mediterranean while taking classes that filled me with knowledge about each country. I love facts and history, so I felt spoiled that my three classes all fed into my interests.

Another thing that has been different for me is my role on the ship. Last summer I was part of the camp staff. During the first month I spent my days scooping hundreds of ice cream cones and in the evening I would work behind-the-scenes to set all the special events. During the second month at camp I worked in the kitchen, preparing three meals a day for 400+ people. Both jobs taught me to get my hands dirty and to work with a smile. On the ship we are blessed with an AMAZING crew. The cabin stewards, pursers and waiters are constantly in contact with the students. During our first week on the ship, before everyone settled into their friend-group, the crew made us feel at home and loved.

Angelito is my cabin steward and he is fabulous. He is from the Philippians and is about my height. He keeps my room so clean that it sparkles. From the very start, my roommate and I decided to keep our room as clean as possible for Angelito. Ask my roommates from school, my room always was messy- so keeping it clean was a big deal for me! He makes your beds every other day and if your clothing is on the floor, he folds it for you. I felt uncomfortable making him fold my clothing when I am perfectly capable of not being a slob. After cleaning the neighborhood dock bathroom for eight summers, I know what it is like to clean up disgusting, unnecessary messes. I wanted to treat Angelito with the kindness that I would hope people would treat me with.

In David Foster Wallace's article "Shipping Out" he says, "I've found myself doing everything I can to distance myself in the crew's eyes from the bovine herd… I make a big deal of carrying my own luggage and my own cafeteria tray and am effusive in my thanks for the slightest service" (50). Although I am not a big fan of Wallace's article, I strongly relate to this quote. In the dining hall I struggled with being on the receiving side of the services. I know how hard the kitchen works to prepare the large meals and I know that the waiters are working long, exhausting days. At first, I felt guilty having them take my plates, but realized that it is their job and isn't rude to let them take your plate. When they take my plate I make a specific effort to be genuinely grateful. They are so kind to me and I know that a small act of kindness can go a long ways. I love the simple motto, "work hard and be nice to people." Although this summer hasn't been filled with physical labor and service, I have still tried to be purposeful with my interaction. I don't want to be blind to the hard working people that make my life comfortable. I've learned to graciously accept their service, while letting them frequently know how much it means me. 

Sintra, Portugal Photos #2

My love for Portugal is clear with my abundance of photos and blog posts! Here are some pictures of our second day in Sintra- at the Capuchos convent and Moorish Walls.

Snow White and the Capuchos Monks

We started the day with some fresh loaf of bread and jar of jam- like true Europeans. With our bags on our backs we got an early start and headed down the foggy forest road to the village center of Sintra. After realizing our favorite mode of transportation (walking) was nearly impossible, we hailed a cab and headed up the mountain to the Converto dos Capuchos, a former monk convent. Less than a dozen monks lived on the expansive property at a time. The monks spent hundreds of years perfecting the decorations of the convent with seashell mosaics and cork woodwork. Cork is Portugal's top export and can be harvested from the bark of Cork Trees ever nine years. The monks definitely used the cork trees to their advantage and covered every door, window and frame with the spongy material. Due to our early morning we were the only people in the convent, so we (once again) had free exploration! The convent is nuzzled between giant, moss-covered boulders. You barely could tell it was there, but a small cross above a cave-like opening gave hint to the entrance. We ducked our heads beneath the boulder entrance and discovered the convent. We went inside the small convent and walked through the old, dark, narrow hallways. It felt as if I was Snow White stumbling upon the Dwarf's home because the doorways to the bedrooms were only three feet high and one foot wide. I do not mind small spaces, but the site of those tiny doorways made my heart skip a beat. We exited the convent through the Door Of Death (clearly marked with a skull and crossbones) and meandered into the forest. The monks had built chapels into the hillside, wedged in between boulders.

            After our time at the Converto dos Capuchos we took a cab to the Moorish Walls. Imaging a miniature version of the Great Wall of China. Equally as high, but about 1/7 of the width of the Chinese wall. We were eager to hike the entire wall, but didn't consider our travel bags that we had to lug around. After hiking for an hour, admiring the view of our tiny village and spotting Lisbon in the far distance, we headed back to Lisbon.

            For our final night in our final port we had a celebratory dinner and enjoyed each other's company. It is crazy that I have now left my last port. The saying, "time flies by" doesn't quite capture my experience on Semester At Sea. Time has gone by in the blink of an eye, yet Spain feels like it was ages ago. My friends and I have been joking around and frequently asking, "is this real life?" To which we answer- no. Semester At Sea has felt like a wonderful dream. I've always dreamt of studying abroad and this experience has been all of the different scenarios I've dreamt about blended together. It has been an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to nine countries in 66 days and SAS has given me a bad case of the Travel Bug.

This won't be my last post for my SAS voyage- we still have to sail across the Atlantic! Wish us luck!!

Sintra, Portugal Pictures

Here are some wonderful pictures of the Palacio e Quinta de Regaleira- the enchanting garden! My friend Katie is a wonderful photographer and let me copy her pictures. Thanks Katie!!

The Land of Fairytales

Before leaving for Semester At Sea Katie Dot gave me a list of her favorite places in Portugal. My friends and I were planning out our four days at the port and wanted to make our last port extra special. After reading a few guidebooks we agreed that Katie's list had the best suggestions and that we must go to Sintra. Sintra is west of Lisbon and only a 30 minute train ride away. We booked our hostel, packed our bags and hopped on a train. When we arrived in the main square of the village we were awe-struck. We had just stepped into the land of fairytales. Castles decorated the hillside and cobble stone streets wandered through a lush forest. After dropping off our bags we went to enchanting gardens in Palacio e Quinta de Regaleira. The gardens were magical and spectacular. We spent half a day getting lost on garden paths that were lined with blooming onion flowers and trickling streams. I can't put the garden's beauty and charm into words that would do it justice.

            When we were children, my sisters and I would make fairy homes next to mossy rocks in our backyard. We would decorate the homes with flower beds, leaf cups and pebble tables. If I were 8 years old again, I would swear to you that this garden was the land of fairies. The garden had gorgeous gazeboes, small castles, green houses and tea houses. We discovered secret water caverns that were connected to caves that twisted under the garden. My friends and I loved the castle minarets and took plenty of "princess" photos. Unfortunately, while standing in the castle I did not find my Prince Charming- but when I do, I will demand that my wedding is held in this garden!! (Here's to hoping!)

            After a day of exploration and fairytales we bought some baguettes, cheese, and local Vhino Verde and ate dinner in an orchard. As Taylor Swift would say, "Today was a fairytale."

            ~Tori            

Pictures of Lisbon, Portugal

Here are some pictures from beautiful Portugal

Morocco Pictures

Due to my camera breaking I had to get copies of all of my friends' pictures. The nice thing about digital cameras is the ability to share photos... so now I have over 3,000 pictures to go through!! Here are some from Morocco. I'll try and post in sequential order and upload Portugal's after Morocco's pictures.

Enjoy! ~Tori

Wafers In Portugal

In July of 2011 I confidently said that I loved Turkey. In July of 2012 I professed my love for Italy. Well, both of these confessions of adoration are insignificant compared to the way that I feel about Portugal! Where do I even begin?

            I got off the ship and saw beautiful calasada (black and white stone) sidewalks. Most of the walkways in Portugal have different stone designs creating works of art. Each pattern is unique and every stone is hand cut to make the specific design. The buildings were either covered in tiles or pastel paint. The pastel paint looked like a sunset on some of the buildings as the paint peeled, exposing the colorful layers of old paint. Very few buildings were older than 250 years due the terrible earthquake in 1755 (that caused a tsunami and fire from all of the candles.) As we left Lisbon I felt like I was back in Oregon when we drove through lush valleys that looked like the hills of Portland. My class got off the bus and went to explore an abandoned fortress we gulped breaths of fresh air. It was the purest air we had inhaled in two months! (In Morocco there was so much smog that you could stare directly at the sun for minutes at a time. Compared that to the fact that Lisbon has planted a tree for every citizen- over 600,000 trees!) My class walked around the tourist-free city and went to some churches that we've been reading about. We visited the tiny churches, heard about the miracles that the church believed happened and say the religious relics related to the miracles. At the Church of St. Stephen we saw a communion wafer (more like a pile of dust) in a gold case. The wafer supposedly gushed blood as a Catholic women took the communion wafer to a Jewish witch (they weren't too politically correct back in 1600…) to get a spell to stop her husband's infidelity. She hid the bloody wafer and in the middle of the night it started glowing and the priest deemed the wafer to have been visited by the Holy Spirit. In order to see the wafer an old little man, who did not speak any English, wound a heavy crank to open a gold case that was two stories above us. He motioned for us to walk up the rickety back staircase and we entered an attic-like room that was decorated with statues of saints. One by one we climbed a ladder up to the open gold case. There was sign warning us to watch our heads and not kiss the relic. I quietly chuckled at the sign and soon regretted my silent laughter. I crouched down as I climbed the wobbling ladder and when I reached the case I slightly lifted my head because "watch your head" signs normally do not apply to people that are 5'5''. Clunk… as stars sparkled in my eyes and my balance lessened I dizzily thought of the sign- if only I hadn't laughed!

            Another church that stuck with me was the San Domingo Church. This massive church was partially destroyed by the earthquake and fire in 1755. The marble columns and statues had large chunks missing and the walls were stained with the soot of the fire. The church had been left as-is and was a beautiful and eerie site. It was magnificent seeing the destruction and imagining what the church used to look like. It served as a visual reminder of God's great power and His will to get you through the tough times. The church was one of my favorites due to its broken beauty.

            Another reason (my last for this post) that I fell in love with Portugal was the Portuguese people. SAS students have been ripped off, pick pocketed or discriminated against in some of the countries we've recently been in. This behavior exists all around the world, I just wasn't used to experiencing it first hand. In Portugal I had the exact opposite experience. Locals took time out of their busy days to help us with directions, tell us about a special deal to cut prices or ask about our lives. The locals genuinely cared about us and I felt incredibly safe and welcomed. It reminded me of the hospitality that I take for granite in Oregon. Kindness isn't a right, it is a gift and I was so grateful for the meeting the wonderful Portuguese people.

            I'll post more on Portugal later, but it is a beautiful country. It historically and recently has had struggles, yet the people shine through and reach out to the travelers.

~Tori

125 Degrees...

        On the three-hour drive to Marrakech we drove past many small Berber villages that consisted of a simple adobe square wall surrounding four to twenty adobe one-room homes. There are four main Berber tribes, but many villages. The Berbers were the original people that lived in Morocco. The homes were simple, a hole for a door and curtains that served as windows. There normally was a donkey or two standing in the shade and a flock of sheep nearby. The closer we drove to Marrakech, the hotter it got. I sympathized for the cloaked shepherds that walked with their flocks across the hot desert. The men wore long smocks and small caps.

            We finally made it to Marrakech and entered the 125 degree dry heat. The moisture in your mouth was instantly gone as your breathing became shallow. We set off on our journey and visited the beautiful Jardin Majorella- a colorful garden. Despite being in the western tip of the Sahara Desert, the Jardin Majorella garden was lush. It had desert plants and vibrantly colored pots and buildings. The garden stood out against the brown landscape and adobe buildings. We then visited two old palaces- and I'm a little embarrassed to admit this- but I don't remember too many details about the buildings. I distinctly remember how hot it was and that we our last meal was eight hours ago… but not much else. We went to a spice market and then to a wonderful Moroccan lunch. The meal was delicious and full of flavor, but despite its tastiness, it didn't treat me too well the next day.

            As we sailed to Portugal we talked about Morocco in our classes and realized that while in the country there were many high points, as well as many low points. One of our deans shared a proverb from Abraham Lincoln and it (roughly) says, "Behinds the clouds the sun is always shining." Some students walked away with bitter feelings towards Morocco and he reminded all students that sometimes good can come from bad situations. Some of the great highlights I heard from other students included an amazing hike through the Atlas Mountain to various Berber villages. These villages never see tourist and welcomed the students with open arms. My roommate had a fabulous time in Marrakech and got to experience the night life. She said that Marrakech comes to life at night, once everyone breaks fast. She got a beautiful henna tattoo, had for fortune read (in Arabic) and saw a snake charmer. I think it would be very interesting to revisit Morocco when it is not Ramadan. The life style of the entire country is changed for the Holy Month and I am eager to see the similarities and differences at other times of the year. Overall Morocco was interesting, unique and insightful and I can officially say I've been to Africa!

We are about to dock in Portugal! I'll give you updates soon.

~Tori

P.S. Nat leaves for TCU tomorrow! I can't believe my baby sister is growing up!

P.S.S. I get home in 12 days- it is crazy how quickly this has gone by!

Breaking The Fast

Casablanca, Morocco

August 1-2, 2012

Morocco was the first Islamic country I've ever been to. Morocco has a king who is the ultimate Islamic and political ruler of the country. The king can veto or create any law he likes and nearly has complete political power. His picture was plastered on most street corners and outnumbered the abundance of McDonald's signs.

            I took a tour through Semester At Sea and our first destination was the Hassan II Mosque. On the way to the mosque we passed the "poor neighborhood" of Casablanca. This neighborhood was not the slums of Morocco, but one step up from that. The shanties were composed of cardboard-layered walls and scraps of tin that served as a roof. The neighborhood had been walled-in in a poor attempt to mask the unpleasant scene. We were warned not to go near it and then the subject was quickly changed. Less than a mile away was a gorgeous mosque that was built in 1993 and cost over $700 million. The king's massive palace was also within a mile of the neighborhood. The king has a palace in every city in Morocco and although he lives in Ramat, he has a golf course and horse race track at his Casablanca palace. There are wealth divides and heart breaking extremes in every country, but it is not usually this visible and easy to compare. It brought back memories from driving over the Mexican border with my church. We left lush, green America and suddenly were in a dry land with cardboard homes plastered to hillsides. This was a hard first impression that I receive and while appreciating the country's beauty I held it in my heart.

            Our first official stop was at the Hassan II Mosque- the most beautiful mosque I've ever seen. Unlike the Blue Mosque, the Hassan II Mosque does not use tiles for decorations. The material for the mosque was mostly from Morocco, with the exception of Venetian glass. The mosque was built partially over the Atlantic Ocean and has a massive ceiling that opens, allowing fresh air and sunlight to flood the interior. When Hassan II commissioned the mosque he intended for the Muslims to contemplate Allah's sky and water- two reoccurring important themes in the Qur'an. The floor, columns and exterior arches are made of marble and had geometric designs. The interior arches are made of stucco that consists of marble dust and egg whites, allowing the beautiful and intricate carvings that cover all the walls. Cedar wood was used for the female prayer balcony. Similar to the stucco, the cedar is elaborately carved and painted with stunning shades of green, gold and red. The mosque was breathtaking and as I appreciated the immense beauty I could hear was the soft flapping of the birds' wings as they soared through the open ceiling. The mosque was so gorgeous that I revisited it the next morning. The rest of the sites on the tour had similar architecture and carvings. I've appreciated the architecture in every city, but seeing the recent beauty that they created was very exciting.

            When I wasn't touring sites I was in the Medina (Old City). We walked through the Medina and into an outdoor maze of booths. Morocco has beautiful craftsmanship with wood and etched metal. It was similar to the Grand Bazaar, you could bargain for prices and you also could find similar products at a dozen shops. I fell in love with the inlaid cedar wood jewelry boxes and hand etched metal plates. My favorite shop was outside of the Medina and we were able to watch the boxes and plates being made. Many shops were closed until late afternoon due to Ramadan. One man told us that during Ramadan many Muslims become nocturnal and sleep once they start their fast at sunrise, they then start their day around 3pm. In the evening all of the shops, except for the Jewish shops, would close down for the breaking of the fast at sunset. Casablanca became a ghost town, yet proof of locals' existence was found in the delicious curry scents drifting through the air and the sound of silverware clinking against plates. We went to Rick's Café (from the movie Casablanca) and as we entered the host warned us that our dinner would be delayed for 15 minutes as they broke their fast. It was special being able to see the breaking of the fast and the excitement that spread of their faces as the food was being brought out.

            Casablanca was interesting, but we quickly learned that the real excitement was in Marrakech, three hours away. I'll write about that soon! 

Waka Waka I'm in Africa

As Shakira would say "Waka Waka I'm in Africa." I officially have docked at my fourth continent in the short span of 30some days. We are in Morocco and its been the biggest culture shock so far. I'll post later about Morocco, but for now here are some pictures. My camera broke so I'll have to get Moroccan pictures from someone else and upload them.

Our pool deck. Normally it is packed with people sunbathing. It is empty because this was taken as we waited for the sun to rise before Istanbul. 

My favorite tanning place on deck 5.

Some of my hall mates and I. Our hall is called the Adriatic Sea and our color is purple.

Home sweet home, my bed is on the left.

The other half of my room. It's not as tiny as I had expected!

My enthusiastic hall after the Sea Olympics.

Kaitlin and I at the Hassan V Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco.

Hassan V Mosque. Morooco

These are real chicks! They were bright colors and were for sale!

Hassan V Minaret 

The Pearl of Casablanca. A city building- absolutely gorgeous

In the Medina of Casablanca. An outdoor market- of everything you'll never need.

Love you all,

~Tori

Two Continents in One Day

This blog post got delayed due to a faulty email. It was written on my second to last day in Turkey. Enjoy! 

            We started our day by purchasing our jetons (ferry tokens) and hopping on a ferry that went from Eminönü (Europe Istanbul) over the Bosphorus Sea to üsküdar (Asia Istanbul.) We eagerly got off the boat and took our first step on Asian soil, at which point we realized we knew nothing about the area we had just entered. After picking up a map we headed for the Fethi Pasa Woods. The term "woods" is used loosely in Turkey; we were expecting actual woods but found a cute park that had a few trees sprinkled throughout it. Despite the lack of woods we were overly excited about this discovery because we all missed nature! It sounds strange, but on the ship there are not any plants and we dock in big cities that are not very green or fresh. Trees, flower and green grass are rare occurrences it the countries we've visited. We sat on the bench and enjoyed the semi-fresh smelling air. We walked around and discovered that the woods were the main attraction so we headed back to the ferry and officially checked Asia off of our continents-to-visit list. We tried to get a ferry to the Princes' Islands (another one of my favorite places in Turkey) but the ferries were far and few between. With the strong possibility of getting stranded on the island, we decided to not take that chance. Instead, we headed to our new favorite shopping area. Although we've spent a lot of time in the Grand Bazaar you have to remember that there are over 1,700 shops and it is not set up like a mall in America. Think of a treasure hunt in an old antique store- now multiply that experience by 1,700. You never know what you will find as you purposefully get lost on the tiny paths that twist between shops. We later went to the Spice Market- my dad's favorite Turkish market. It has less than 100 shops and is much less overwhelming than the Grand Bazaar (despite the occasional power outage.) All of the shops sell a large variety of spices, teas and oils. You barter for prices here as well and we received a few interesting prices. One man would give us a discount if I went on a date with him- I didn't accept that offer. Another shopkeeper would give my friends a discount if she dated his son- she didn't accept. The best quote was, "ladies, make your life easier and just find yourself a nice Turkish man." I don't think that I am going to take this advice, but we have one day left so it's not too late :)

             I'm going to miss haggling for prices once I'm back in the states.

~Tori

Water Day: The Basilica Cistern and Turkish Baths

Hi again!

            It felt like my eyes had barely shut when my alarm clock went off on Day 2. We woke up extra early to get to the Basilica Cistern right when it opened. The Basilica Cistern is one of my favorite places in Istanbul; it was an ancient underground water reservoir that held 100,000 tons of water and was structurally supported by 300 columns that were gathered from old Byzantine buildings. The entrance looks like an outhouse from the street, but you descend down the slippery marble staircase into the spectacular drained cistern. There is a five foot raised walkway/bridge over the shallow water. Underwater lights illuminate the beams and fish swim around their bases. As you walk deeper into the cistern you see a change from Corinthian columns to Ionic columns and finally, short columns that are stacked upon large cubes. The two cubes have Medusa's head carved into them. Her head is sideways and legend has it that the Christian ruler was making a statement about Christianity being superior to Paganism by placing Medusa's head sideways. The cistern was nearly silent, allowing you to hear the water dropping down the columns. (A few times a year opera and orchestra concerts are held in the cistern. Only a few hundred people can go and tickets are very hard to get- but it is one of my life goals to go to a concert in the Basilica Concert!) I was grateful for our early arrival because a large cruise tour group clambered down the staircase with their voices echoing through the cistern as we left.

            We had some "celebrity" guest join us for the day. My friend Katie goes to the University of Virginia and her dad teaches at the college. Her dad also is teaching on our summer voyage (they've been on two other SAS voyages together) and her parents joined us for the day. It was refreshing traveling with parents again. Although it was not the same, it reminded me of traveling with my family and I loved that. Traveling with my friends has been wonderful, but it has made me so grateful for my family's travel style. I am thankful that my parents taught me to embrace history and understand the cultures we enter. Thanks mom and dad!

            Later that day we went to Bemberlitas Hamami, the historic Turkish bath house from 1584. I entered the female steam room and laid on the hot marble stone, then an old Turkish lady scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed my body (we all were a little dirty after visiting 6 countries) and I was covered in massive bubbles. She rinsed me off, sent me to the hot pool and then to a hot oil massage. Not to shabby! I am lucky that we don't have Turkish Baths in Eugene or I'd spend all of my money at the bathhouses. After the baths my friends and I drank apple tea while wrapped up in Turkish robes. While drinking my apple tea I thought back to Mark Twain's passage about his Turkish bath experience in Innocents Abroad. He said, "Presently my man sat down by a tank of hot water, drenched me well, gloved his hand with a coarse mitten and began to polish me all over with it… then he left me there, a snowy statue of lather" (286.) Although my experience was more enjoyable, Twain and I seem to agree on the process. If you ever are in Turkey you must get a Turkish bath!

            I appreciate all of your emails!

            ~Tori

Bargains and Tea: Turkey

Lütfen (hello)!

            To say the least, I have not come close to mastering the Turkish language! We are spending five days in Turkey and it is great being back in this beautiful country. We are docked in Istanbul and we walk over the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge to reach the old part of Istanbul. We are staying on the middle land section of Turkey that is surrounded by the Golden Horn and Bosporus Straight. There are bridges over both bodies of water that connect us to Europe Istanbul and Asia Istanbul- the land we are on is also considered to be Europe Istanbul.

            We spend the first day navigating the city and I served as the under-educated tour guide. I successfully found Hagia Sophia and we stood in line while being hassled by professional tour guides. After studying Hagia Sophia in class and seeing it last year, we passed up the “once in a lifetime” offers from the relentless guides. Hagia Sophia was a church that used to have beautiful golden mosaics covering every ceiling and wall. When it was converted to a mosque all of the mosaics were hastily plastered over. A few hundred years after all of this happened Ataturk took over and turned Hagia Sophia into a secular museum. Restoration work has been done on the mosaics, but only some of the beautiful tile work survived the plaster. I loved seeing the golden mosaics of Jesus and Mary. The light hit both of these mosaics and the tiles glowed, lighting up the room. I find it funny that the mosaics also include images of the emperor and empress who ordered the construction of Hagia Sophia. They appear right next to Jesus, as if they were the Wise Men or the Sheppards. They later decided to add a mosaic of their son but ran out of wall space… so they added him on the perpendicular wall. To say the least, he looks like the loner of the group!

We walked across the plaza to the Blue (Sultanahmet) Mosque. It currently is the Ramadan, the Holy Month of Islam and Muslims cannot eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. (Due to Ramadan we all were instructed to be extra discrete when drinking water in front of the mosques around the city.) All of my SAS friends and I wore ankle length dresses so we just covered our heads, took off our shoes and silently entered the mosque. The tile work is spectacular and I find it amazing to think about how they made building of such grand scales without the current construction equipment we have. As we walked back into the plaza we heard the call of prayer echo off the neighboring buildings. The distinct sound reminded me of last summer when my family admired the call of prayer- until it woke us up a 5am. I laughed as I remembered Katie had made the unfortunate mistake of leaving her window open and had an extra-early wake up call!

A smile spread across my face as we entered the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is a pretty much a labyrinth of shops and restaurants. There are over 1,700 shops- but a 3x5ft booth qualifies as a shop. The Grand Bazaar is a claustrophobic’s nightmare and a bargain hunter’s dreamland. Prices are negotiable, so shopping becomes a game. Before entering the rat maze of shops we went over bartering techniques. Some of our strategies were inspired by my bargain-queen family members. If we loved something and wanted to our friends’ opinions, we would ask, “Do you think Aunt Dede would like this?” This was purely inspired by my Aunt Dede, the queen of Turkey. We didn’t want the shopkeepers knowing that we must have that item, so we pretended to be indifferent while negotiating. I also practiced the technique that Katie and Natalie had mastered, say your lowest price and when the shop keeper doesn’t lower his price just walk away, at which point he will start yelling “Lady, lady, fine I give it to you for ‘x’ liras.”

We had fun bargaining and I had even more fun revisiting some of the shops from last year. When I was with my family we found a wonderful jewelry shop that was 3x5ft big. The shop was passed down over many generations and at one point the pair of brothers that inherited it hated each other and builds a wall in the middle of the shop. I was talking to the shopkeeper and he claimed to remember me… I don’t think he did, but either way, he gave us wonderful prices and Apple Tea. Apple Tea is equivalent to scalding hot, tart apple cider. Even though it was 90 degrees it is customary to drink the delicious tea. So, while standing in the microscopic shop we had our first glass of apple tea and then continued to shop our hearts out. I quickly learned how to say “very expensive”: chaulk pa-haa-lah (don’t ask me how to properly spell that!)

I love that the shops are passed down through families in the Grand Bazaar. Rumor has it that there is a waiting list to get a booth and that can take many, many years to move up the list. My last fun fact about the Grand Bazaar is that all booth owners have to pay their rent in gold. The Turkish Lira is not strong enough to be reliable, so they only accept pure gold. That explains why many of the shopkeepers wear gold chains and necklaces; they literally are wearing everything they own. Ok, I lied, here is your last fact- all shop keepers are male. Majority of the families start training their sons when they are still children, so I had to negotiate with kids at some booths- this pulled at my heart, so I tried to only bargain with the adults.

Hosçakal (goodbye)

~Tori

Turkey!

Hagia Sophia

In Hagia Sophia with my roommate

Hagia Sophia- beautiful gold mosaic tiles

In front of the Blue Mosque with Reese

Turkey

I'll send you all an update about Turkey soon! xoxo Tori

Greece!

At the Acropolis- it was 115 degrees!

Acropolis: Greece

Running on the Olympic Track in Greece!

Our hotel in Mykonos. Not to shabby for my birthday!

How I feel about Nutella

In Mykonos, Greece- during a wind storm

Preparing for Turkey!!

Today we are entering Turkey. I have a little bit of down time while we wait for our passports to be cleared. I first want to apologize for the abundance of spelling errors in some of the posts!! I've been using a computer program that I'm unfamiliar with and just discovered how to use the spell check on it and reread my posts only to find tons of mistakes! Oops!! Hopefully I can redeem myself in these future posts.

            The night before entering each port we have a Logistical Pre-port and Cultural Pre-port. The Logistical Pre-port always let's us know about the laws, health and safety concerns, political issues, ect. The Cultural Pre-port is what I look forward to; we learn about the local foods, customs, language and places to see. In the Logistical Pre-port the ship faculty were talking about the dangers for females and I felt they were being a little unfair to Turkey. When I was here last year I found it to be the most beautiful culture I had ever experienced. The final guest speaker was a 25-year-old (very smart and accomplished) lady who lived in Turkey for a year and I loved what she had to say. She agreed with the staff about dressing respectfully but shed light on the beauty and kindness of the culture. I am so excited to go back to my favorite country and experience the Grand Bazaar. I am determined to barter for the best deal and will keep you updated on the hilarious names they have for us. Last year we were called "Charlie's Angels," "Prince Diana" and my dad was called "Sultan Father."

We just got approved to deport! ~Tori 

My Big Fat Greek Birthday

         When we arrived in Athens we heard of potential transportation strikes and decided to take the dependable, but incredibly “touristy” Hop-On-Hop-Off double-decker bus. The bus went to 20 locations around Athens and Piraeus, the town we were docked in. My friends and I try not to stand out like tourists in the countries, but we were willing to let our pride go for a guaranteed ride. We headed into Athens and by the time we got to the Acropolis it was 115 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the hottest temperature they will allow people to go up to the Acropolis at. Less than an hour after we left the Acropolis it was shut down due to “dangerous heat” and many of the main sites around Athens were also closed. While we were at the Acropolis I tried to imagine what it used to look like. The last time I visited this site I thought that it had always been the white marble color. In my Art/Architecture History Class we learned that the Parthenon, statues and other Greek buildings were vibrantly colored! The backgrounds were typically red and the tablatures, sculptures and friezes were a large variety of colors. The buildings were meant to be admired from the outside and told stories through the carvings. In The Norton Book of Travel a passage from Pausanias’ “Guide To Greece” describes the glory of the statues, “The statue of Athene stands upright in an ankle-length tunic with the head of medusa carved in ivory on her breast. She has a Victory about eight feet high, and a spear in her hand and a shield at her feet… Opposite the temple is a bronze Apollo” (52.) What we also do not see today is the large statues that decorated the Acropolis. There was an additional statue of Athena that was 30 feet tall and made of ivory and gold. To prevent Athena’s ivory from cracking in the dry heat the Greeks built a reflection pool in front of the indoor statue and filled the pool with oils to moisturize the statue. The current status of the statues remains a mystery. Some say they are still intact, while others believe they fell apart and were scrapped for other projects.

Despite the heat, it gave me a new appreciation for the site. My friends and I were determined to not let the heat stop our day as we headed to the Temple of Zeus- at which point we discovered it too was closed down due to heat. As we walked away we passed an artist in the shade and each ended up buying a painting. My goal has been to buy a painting and magnet in each country. I’ve succeeded with the paintings, but after leaving the port in Greece I realized the store clerk never gave me the magnet I paid for-- bummer!! After buying the paintings we walked to The Panathenaic Stadium, the official Olympic stadium. It was built in 139 ad, quite a while after the first Greek Olympics, but hosted many of their later Olympic events. It is the largest marble arena in the world and has hosted the recent world Olympics. Due to the heat it was empty and we took full advantage of that! We got to run on the Olympic track and explore the ancient vaulted passages. It was my favorite site that we visited in Athens. To escape the heat we went to the National Archaeological Museum and saw some of the ancient Greek art that I learned about in class. We decided to call it a day and get a good night’s sleep before heading to Mykonos.

We woke up at 5 am and hopped on a ferry to Mykonos. I visited Mykonos with my family last year and remembered two things about the island: the pelican and the windmills, which I will get to later. Although we were traveling on our own, Semester At Sea arranged the transportation and hotel and did a wonderful job! We arrived at our hotel and were blown away by its beauty. It had the typical white walls and blue doors, but was beautifully furnished and decorated. It felt like we were staying at a private villa, with a pool overlooking the ocean. We took a taxi into town and began wandering the tiny, car-free streets of Mykonos. We became big fans of gyros, honey fritters (the Greeks refer to them as, “what donuts wish they were”) and crepes. We encountered a massive windstorm, but after dealing with Athens’ heat we happily accepted it. The windstorm helped us understand why there were windmills coving the entire island.

Before signing up for SAS I was worried that I’d be abroad on my birthday and not have good friends to celebrate with, but that was not the case!  In the evening we met up with ten Semester At Sea friends and had dinner to celebrated my birthday. We spent the night in town and ran into more Semester At Sea students. Besides being at home, it was the best 21^st birthday I could have asked for. We even saw the famous Mykonos pelican during our dinner! At the end of our night we waited for a taxi for over an hour, at which point we discovered there are only 30 taxis for the entire island and they can charge as much as they want. In the morning (of my actual birthday) we had a delicious breakfast with an ocean view and spent the day by the hotel pool. We then headed to the ferry at 6pm and found out it was an hour late. After an hour passed and no ferries arrived we were told it was going to be another hour. So, after 3 hours our ferry finally showed up and the passengers getting off looked green. They were telling us to “save yourself, do not get on that ship,” “catch a flight out of here, don’t get on the ship” or were making the Catholic cross over their body… definitely not a good sign. The ferry was sold out and it was the last ship of the day, so we couldn’t wait for the windstorm to pass. Before we boarded the ship we were being blasted by the windstorm and within a split second my ferry ticket was flying out of my hand and into the ocean. It landed on the last 5 feet of the dock and I ran faster than I thought possible. As I reached for the ticket a second blast of wind hit us and it flew into the ocean, 10 feet below me. At this point I let out a cry, my face turned white and the crowd gasped. I debated diving into the ocean, but in fear of getting crushed by the ferry I ran to the tour guide with tears in my eyes. Meanwhile I heard the crowd cheering and turned around to discover that a boat captain had seen this all happen and used a hook to fish out my ticket. I nearly kissed the old man I was so excited! That soaking wet, deteriorating ticket was the best birthday present I could have received. After getting a curious look from the ferry captain, I loaded the ship and encountered the biggest waves of my life. You know that the waves are bad when the crew is getting sick! We arrived back to the safety of our port at 1am, five hours after the expected time. Despite the crazy adventures, gigantic bug bights and the “cursed ship,” my 21^st birthday was one of my favorite birthdays. I’ve spent my birthday away from my family for the past seven years and whether on a mission trip, working at camp or on a Greek island, it always comes with a good story.

            Our last day in Greece was spent exploring the heart of Athens. We are now sailing to Turkey and will arrive on July 21^st.

            Thank you for all of your birthday wishes emails and posts. They brought the biggest smile to my face and made me feel like I was at home with my friends and family. I am officially halfway done with my voyage and am determined to make the most of every day left on this trip.

Xoxo Tori