09.18.19

Today was our first full day in Krakow, Poland! We mostly spent the day exploring the beautiful city. The main square had a cute little market where I bought myself an amber ring and a large sunflower. Sunflowers make me so happy! We also got to pet and kiss all of the carriage horses that were around the square. I was very impressed by the turn out of the carriage horses. They were obviously very well kept and groomed to perfection! I was happy to get my pony kisses in. While we were petting the horses we saw a man come by and throw bird feed all over this sleeping homeless man. The pigeons flocked! It was very sad yet also very funny! The man woke up and started swinging the birds away.

In the afternoon we explored the Warwel Castle and the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. We even stumbled across an adorable food truck park and had a banana and Nutella crape. It was a perfect afternoon pick me up! After the food truck park and some more exploring, we came across a little restaurant called Nova Resto. I would have to say that this is probably my favorite restaurant we have been to so far. They had a cute little patio that was closed off from the harsh wind. It was perfect for a glass of wine with friends. We ended up spending a couple of hours on the patio just talking, laughing, and enjoying ourselves.

When we got back home, some of our friends wanted to go back out on the town. My friends Stephanie, Delainey, and I decided to stay home and have a girls night. Tomorrow we will go to Auschwitz so I wanted to be rested and mentally prepared.

Bon Voyage,

Christian

09.17.19

Today we woke up early and packed our bags for a train ride to Krakow! It was humorous watching us try and fit all of our bags into the small European Uber that we ordered to take us to the train station. Once we reached the train station we were a little confused on where to go. Our train ticked was in Polish! Luckily we spotted some other SASers in the station and we all worked together and figured out where to go. Once we reached the platform my friends and I realized that we had not had any breakfast and we had a 5 hour train ride ahead. My friend Morgan and I went over to the only restaurant by the train station that was open…KFC. Yes, KFC. The Polish people seem to love their Kentucky Fried Chicken because they have them everywhere! We walked in and ordered what we thought might be appropriate for breakfast at a KFC! Ha! As we were waiting we got a text message from our friend saying we need to come back because the train would be there soon. We freaked out so we left our food and sprinted to the platform. Turns out we still had 10 min before the train arrived. If anyone knows me they know I don’t like to waste food or money. So my friend Delainey and I sprinted back up to the KFC and got out food and sprinted back to the platform. We made it just in time and let me tell you it was worth it. We had ordered a chicken breakfast quesadilla- it was delicious!

Once we found our seats on the train we settled in and started using the wifi while it was available to do some research for our next port, Portugal. While we were on the train my friend Morgan also accidentally walked in on a Polish man in the bathroom…. It was definitely a good laugh! The train arrived in the city of Krakow around lunch time. We got all of our stuff together and started to make our way to the Airbnb. It wasn’t too far of a walk and the Airbnb was super cute. It had dark green accent walls in each room that helped give the place character. By this time we were hungry again. We threw our stuff down and walked to a little restaurant across town called the Milk Bar. It had traditional Polish food for good prices!

Following lunch we found a ATM that was much needed. The currency here is amazing because it is so cheap compared to the US dollar. For example at the ATM, I took out 150 Polish Zlotes and it only cost me $45 US dollars! We were all enjoying the amazing exchange rate. After a little more exploring we went back to the Airbnb and got dressed for the night. We got invited to another SASers rental house to have a little party. We walked over there and hung out with some friends for a while. After a while of hanging out with friends we decided to go out on the town. We all ended up at an underground club called Prozac. It was really fun and we danced all night long. Once we got back home we all slept like babies!

Bon Voyage,

Christian

09.16.19

Today we woke up and got a little bit of a late start. As you can imagine it takes 5 girls a little longer to get up and ready for the day with only one shower. Ha! Once we were all ready we walked into town. We had been recommended a traditional Polish pierogi restaurant called Mandu. We tried all different kinds of pierogis and I loved every second of it. After lunch we walked around and scouted some good spots for some photos. We then came across one of the oldest cathedrals in the world called St. Mary’s. We walked inside of the church and paid to climb to the top of the tower. The climb was definitely more than we intended. We climbed over 450 stairs to reach the top, but it was definitely worth the view. We could see all of old town Gdansk from the top! I snapped some good pictures as well that I will upload when I get some wifi. When we got back to the bottom of the stairs all of our legs were quivering. We decided to stop at a little cafe and have some water and coffee to help out exhaustion.

We finished the day with some more exploring, shopping, and dinner in town. This meal was definitely much better than the first one I experienced. No flies to be found! We walked back to our Airbnb and got ready for another big day tomorrow.

Bon Voyage,

Christian

09.15.19

Hello friends and family! I would like to apologize for the delay of posts. My blog went down and I had to get some technical support from my wonderful sister Bailey. My posts are in porocess but will be delayed so make sure to look at the dates when reading the posts until I can get caught up!
Today was my first day off the ship. We docked in Gdansk, Poland early this morning and a lot of people woke up early to see us pull into port. It was very exciting, as all of us were ready to start our first adventure. Poland has a law that all US citizens must carry their passports with them at all time while in country, so I had to go get my passport early this morning from the student union. I was called first to receive my passport because I had a field class today. If you don’t know what a field class is I think it can be described as a field trip almost. Each class you take has one field class. My first one is in Poland but my other two are in Portugal and Croatia.

After I got my passport I went to the top deck and had some coffee. I walked out to the deck and looked around. My first impression of Poland was not too extravagant but I tried to remember that we are in a shipping port. HA! I met with my class in the classroom and we all walked off the ship. The second we hit land everyone felt very strange. We all felt as if we were still rocking from the ship. It is interesting trying to get your “Land Legs” back. My class loaded onto a tour bus and it brought us into old town Gdansk. Once we reached the city we bundled up and started walking though town towards our first stop, the WWII Museum. My first impression of the town was much better than the port we had docked in. The city is cute with colorful buildings and a charm about it. We reached the museum and had a 3 hour guided tour. The information was very interesting but I think 3 hours was a little much and a little intense with the content at hand.

After the museum we walked back into town to grab lunch by the canal. They served us a traditional Polish meal starting with a yummy tomato soup. The second course was a salad… I went to dive in and found a giant black fly dead inside. Yes….a fly! My appetite was ruined. Luckily when we reached the bus again I remembered that I had packed snacks. Thank god! The bus then drove is to the Stuttof concentration camp. The second we stepped off the bus I felt a feeling come over me of sadness and mourning. During the entire tour everyone was pretty much dead silent. It was definitely a difficult life changing experience but I am glad I got to see it. When we left the concentration camp the bus brought us back to the ship. I took a taxi to my Airbnb to meet up with the girls I was staying with! The place we rented was very cute and in the perfect location. We all had some wine and got dressed to go explore the town’s night life. We ended up at a little saloon called White Rabbit and then went to a club that was next store. The club was filled with all SASers and it was definitely a good time! Tomorrow we will explore more of old town Gdansk!

Bon Voyage,

Christian

09.14.19

Hello from the MV World Odyssey! Today is my last full day of classes before we dock in Poland. I am getting so excited. This morning I woke up and went to my Global Studies class. We had a guest speaker that was an economist. He discussed the economy, population, and unemployment rates in the country. Another speaker then discussed politics and religious views in Poland. We also have some students that are native to Poland that helped us learn how pronounce some essential polish phrases. How cool?

After class I went to lunch with my friends, Delainey, Morgan, and Zach. We sat in the Berlin restaurant on the 6th floor for a change of scenery. My next class was Oceanography. We started by taking a quiz then we went onto the deck to observe the ocean. I learned how to use a sexton and we also learned how to tell what direction we are traveling using just our watch. Before my next class I had a break and I had some time to FaceTime Sebastian. It was lovely to be able to talk face to face for a change.

My last class of the day was WWII in Europe. Tomorrow is our field class to the concentration camp. We sat in a round table formation and discussed our gruesome readings from the night before. After class I grabbed dinner and played some cards with friends. Tonight was also our first “Pre Port”. It is a meeting were the faculty gives us more tips and information about the country we are going to be visiting the next day. I get off of the ship tomorrow at 9am with my class. I am excited that I have my field class tomorrow because it means that I get to disembark from the ship first! 🙂

After pre port I hung out with some friends and attempted to pack. I am so sleepy and its almost 1 in the morning here. Sorry for the lack of juicy details today but I guarantee my stories will get more interesting once I dock in Poland. I will try to blog as much as possible but due to travel it might not be everyday. Stay tuned.

Bon Voyage,

Christian

09.13.19

Hello friends and family! I would like to start out by apologizing for the lack of photos from my last post. The internet in the middle of the Baltic Sea doesn’t seem to be strong enough to get them uploaded but I promise once I reach Poland and get wifi that I will upload all the pictures I have taken. This mooring I decided to skip breakfast and let myself sleep in until 9:00. I had class at 10:00 so I had to be up before then. My first class again was Global Studies.

Today we learned about Poland. They gave us a background and details about the countries we are going to before we get there. It helps us be able to prepare for the new culture and adjust accordingly. My professors today discussed a lot about the strain in the political air, and the pollution that Poland is also facing.

After my first class I met up with friends for lunch! Following lunch I went to the library to try and get some school work done. I was assigned a very gruesome reading for my WWII class and it was so graphic it made my stomach hurt. When we reach Poland we are going as a class to the Stutthof concentration camp. I will also we traveling to Krakow the next day to see the another concentration camp. It will be a rough couple of days viewing the scenes of massacre but I think it is very important for me to see while I’m here. The rest of my trip will be more enjoyable as I have booked a cute airbnb with some girl friends, and it is also going to be my friend Morgan’s 21st birthday!

My next class of the day was my Interpersonal Communication class. We discussed the importance of mindfulness and mindlessness. We also discussed what distractions we face on a normal basis that take away from that mindfulness. The best part of class is that we got out 30 min early! Hehe. The ship was rocking ALOT during the end of the class and people were starting to feel sick.. me included. I wasn’t feeling sick to my stomach but my head started to pound. I went back to my room and took a much needed nap. When I woke up the large waves had seemed to pass, thank god! I then had to meet with my group for Oceanography and work on some assignments for my class tomorrow. They seem like a good group to work with and I think we will definitely ace our quiz in class tomorrow. By the time my group meeting was over it was time for dinner. I walked over to the Lido Terrace (top deck) and met up with friends for a meal before our first pub night! Pub night on the ship is assigned days where students are allowed to purchase up to two alcoholic beverages. (wine or beer only) This came at perfect timing for me as I was craving a nice glass of white wine lately. 🙂 I am my mothers child hehe. The wine ended up tasting like old salad dressing but I guess I cant complain. After our wine we went to my friends room and played some cards. I am now curled up in bed and ready for my last day of classes tomorrow before Poland!

Bon Voyage,

Christian

09.12.19

Good morning from the Baltic sea! The sunrise this morning was beautiful. I feel more and more blessed every morning I wake up on this beautiful ship. We have now traveled 592 nautical miles as of 8:50 am this morning. I started my morning with breakfast with friends and nice cardio session at the ship gym. I am also excited to let y’all know that I signed up for a community service field program in the Sanase Village in Ghana. I will be staying with a family there for three days. We will be walking the children to school everyday and helping with classes. We are also going to be helping the family with their daily chores and helping to restore the school with new paint and repairs. One of the days we also have a big football (soccer) game with all of the children in the village. This is the full description of the program if you are interested in more details:

Semester at Sea’s history with the village of Senase traces back to a fateful day when a group of SAS students asked Fred Benneh, a youth in the village, for a suggestion of a restaurant in Accra. Fred’s winsome personality led to another group of students asking him for more advice and for the next several years, word of mouth kept Fred busy whenever the ship came to Ghana. Soon he met voyager Barb Allison, who was so inspired by Fred’s story and his desire to invest in his own very rural community, that the two formed GodFreds Foundation. The GodFred’s Foundation then constructed and opened the Semanhyia American School (SAS), complete with a large wooden play structure in the shape of a ship and a Semester at Sea flag flying proudly from the mast! The name Semanhyiya means, “What if we hadn’t met…”, and is intended to share the acronym with Semester at Sea.

For this 4 day program, head 7 hours to the the Brong Ahafo Region. Upon arrival to the village, enjoy dinner with a local host family. In the evening, meet with the locals to learn more about the village under the beautiful star-covered sky.

Early the next morning, participants will either join the school bus picking up students from surrounding small villages or walk with the students that live in Senase to school. Participants will see where the children are coming from, how they get to school everyday, and the excitement on their faces as their school bus approaches! Once at school, the group will assist the teachers in serving breakfast to the students before attending morning assembly, dubbed the “SAS Fly”. Right after the SAS Fly, a couple of parents will be available to take measurements for a tailor-made local-style garment of the participant’s choice. Participants can feel free to even bring a pictures of their own style. Spend the morning in classes assisting with lessons (featuring music and dance). Voyagers will then visit a public school in the village to observe and compare how public and private schools in Ghana are run. Later enjoy a lunch of Red Red, a stew made from beans with plantains, a favorite dish of past SAS students!

Back at the homestays, enjoy some rest time before the big football match with the community. It will be a sweaty match. Before dinner, the group will meet to reflect on their experience, share feelings, opinions and ideas. After dinner, enjoy the beautiful night village sky.

The following morning, wake up early to help host families with chores (fetching water, sweeping, washing dishes, etc.), before heading to school for service work, which includes construction and painting; this is a great way to give back to this wonderful community and surprise the students. Later on, the village culture instructor will showcase the various cultural and drumming skills of the Senase village residents. Head next to the local market to explore and maybe purchase a gift for the host family. Basic necessities like soap, rice, and tooth paste are much appreciated. Spend one last evening with the families, where voyagers can say their “Thank you’s” and “Goodbyes”.

On the last morning, be ready to be up early for the drive to Takoradi. The group will share one last lunch together in Cape Coast and see one of its popular sites, Elmina Castle, before returning to the ship.

I am really looking forward to this adventure and indulging myself in a new culture. My first class of the day again today was Global Studies. This is the only class that all voyagers have every day. After lunch I had my very first Oceanography class! I was worried that it would be really hard and that my professor would be boring but I was relieved to find that I had a different professor and he is so cool! I am so excited to learn about things involving ocean life. I think the skills I learn in this class will be able to impress my dad which will be exciting. (its hard to do) haha! After Oceanography I had my first WWII in Europe class. The professor teaches normally at BYU so naturally I asked him if he knew Tasum Hill (i cant spell and don’t have google) – the saints player. He then proceeded to tell me that he use to be his neighbor and was a super nice guy. It made my day. The class also seems really interesting and I’m looking forward to it. It seems like all my classes require a lot of reading but arnt too too hard. Thank god. I am happy that I actually like all my classes though so I don’t have to worry about schedule changes. After class I grabbed dinner on the top deck with friends. The dinner tonight was something new and different…. Just kidding…. Pasta and salad. But there was some yummy steak that went well with my pasta. I have to say it is very repetitive but I’m not sick of it yet. Although I think all go this pasta is pretty much ruining all of my morning workouts. But if y’all know me, just a salad, is not gonna cut it for dinner. Haha! Following dinner I met up with some of the girls I plan to travel with in the library to book some stuff for Poland. The library has three computers that the whole school uses that actually has full internet. The problem is that we can only use it for class and travel planning for 15 min at a time. We had to work fast but we got it booked. 🙂 I’m really getting excited to port in Poland! I got a little homesick tonight but I got just enough service to call home and talk to Sebastian for a minute!, and that always helps ❤

I have attached some pictures of life lately aboard the ship. I write this blog from my email so I am not sure how the photos will look posted on the blog but I hope y’all can see them and get a better feel of the beauty I get to experience everyday. I attached a picture of my trivia group (the champions) and some photos of the ship lately. Enjoy!

Bon Voyage,
Christian

09.11.19

Hello friends and family. Today was my first day of classes aboard the ship. This morning I woke up early and got some breakfast with friends then hit the gym. I have to say it is very difficult to walk/run on the treadmill while the ship is rocking like it is. I feel like I probably look like a very intoxicated runner. HAHA! After my workout I went back to my room and took a shower and got ready for my very first class: Global Studies. It was interesting to hear about the things we will learn. The down side is that I already have a quiz due tonight but I guess I need to remember that this is still school and not just a big vacation. After class I stopped by the SAS store and got some cool merch. I got myself a yummy SAS blanket and a cool SAS quarter zip. I am really excited to sport my new stuff. At lunch, I went up to the top deck and had some salad and pasta with friends. That seems to be the common theme of food here… always salad and pasta. But hey I’m not complaining.

My next class was Interpersonal Communication and it was held in the ships movie theater. I have to say that I think this is my favorite place to have class. It is so cool how they transform all of the ships rooms into classrooms by day. At night the room is back to being a theater were students can gather and catch a movie with friends. EPIC if I do say so myself. My professor for this class seems so cool. I have a feeling that this is going to be my favorite class this semester. I am also loving that I have my good friend Delainey in the class with me!

After class Delainey and I met up with some friends and we discovered the undiscoverable… cell service. Yes …. Cell service! It was only possible to get it on the top deck but it was definitely worth it. I got to call home and talk to Sebastian and my dad before the service cut out again. 😦 I planned to meet up with friends for dinner on the top deck around 7:00 for some much needed food. It is hard to get use to the scheduled times of eating but thankfully I packed snacks which are helping curve my cravings. Hehe.

After dinner was our first ship game night. We played trivia and guess who won out of all of the teams…. Yes ya girl! My team took the win and we all won $5 in ship money! Aka I can get a free class of wine or a smoothie! (youre welcome dad) 🙂 I got a little too into the game and got some eye rolls from other students but I would say it was worth it. No one can put me down! Great end to the day 🙂

09.10.19

Today was my first full day on my new floating home. I slept like a baby through the night and waking up at 7:00am was a real struggle. I think something about the gentle rocking of the ship really helps put me to sleep. We started off our morning with breakfast on the top deck. My roommate, Chelsea, and I tried to sit outside but the wind and cold temperatures forced us back into the dining hall. I started my day with a warm bowl of oatmeal and a view of the ocean.

After breakfast we headed to the main student meeting place for some more orientation meetings. If I am being completely honest with y’all….. I feel asleep for a good part of it. The rocking and the cold temps on the ship really just know how to put me to sleep. I was awake for some of it and I am glad that I had some information on the journeys ahead. We then moved into new locations and met with our Sea group. My sea is the Baltic Sea! I was very excited to hear I was apart of Baltic because my sister was also Baltic Sea when she did her voyage in 2012. Our team color is ocean blue and it looks like we have a solid group of people. We even talked a little about the Sea Olympics. The Sea Olympics is a big event where all of the different Sea’s on the ship battle each other for the title. I of course signed up to be Sea Captain for the Olympics. I also was excited to meet another ship mate that was in my Sea who is from New Orleans and another one who goes to school in Nola at Tulane. What a small world!

After lunch I went back to my cabin to organize some more of my things. The view of the ocean from my bed is something out of a novel. I feel so blessed to be able to wake up with such an amazing view. There is something about it that just helps you start your day on the right note. When I turned on my TV the main channel told me that we had already traveled 164 nautical miles. Next we had an IT meeting where we finally were given the WIFI password, making it possible for me to give y’all these updates. I think everyone on the ship was happy to be given the access to email home. After some more meetings giving us information on travel planning and tips on cultural communication, Chelsea and I went up to the top deck again for some dinner. I had some yummy turkey and mushroom dish with a salad. At dinner we also met up with some new friends and all went to the lido terrace (aka the game room) and played a big round of apples to apples. Tonight we also had the Activities Fair in the main hall. It was so fun to see all of the diverse clubs that people came up with. I signed up for a few clubs that I am really looking forward to!

Tomorrow is my first day of classes and I am looking forward to meeting my professors. I am now gonna take a shower and then might go up stairs for a PM snack. 🙂 I want to get a good nights rest for classes tomorrow.

Love & Miss Y’all lots

Bon voyage,

Christian