Port #16: Fort. Lauderdale, Florida

Time with Grandma and Grandpa!
(A 'Post Ports - Final Reflection Blog' will be written and shared in the coming weeks...)

Port #15: Dominica

Dominica was our last pot-of-call.  A Caribbean island to round out the 16 city, 14 country tour of the Atlantic Rim.  The island visit was overshadowed by the tragic boating accident and death of a student – Casey Schulman.  Casey was a bright, engaging student who modeled kindness, generosity, a positive attitude, and optimism.  Although I do not recall having any conversations with her, without fail, Casey would acknowledge my presence with beaming smile whenever we crossed paths.  It was a smile of sincerity.  She authentically acknowledged my presence, as she did with everyone else on the voyage, whether she was a close friend or not.  Her passing was incredibly difficult for the entirety of the shipboard community, especially for the 50 or so students who were with her in those final hours. 

Although there was significant grieving and a profound sense of loss, her passing created a space for the entirety of the shipboard community to come together and celebrate the blessings and transformation that was the whole of the voyage.  Our community reached new levels of connectedness, which only enhanced the experience as we rounded out the tour de Atlantic.  As a community, in just a week’s time we balanced feelings of devastation with feelings of joy.  Although Casey’s passing was a tragic part of the experience, it was one part of a truly learning-filled and transformative voyage around the Atlantic.   

In addition to being available and responding to student needs the night of Day One and throughout Day Two of Dominica, I was able to venture out and explore the tropical island.  I visited The Emerald Lagoon, and took a driving tour through the heart of the lush, mountainous island.  On the second day, I went snorkeling in the Champagne Reef. 

Port #14: Manaus, Brasil

After a six day sail up the Brazilian coast, we entered into the Amazon river for a two day sail to Manaus.  As part of that experience, the US Ambassador to Brazil, Thomas Shannon (with his wife and several staff members from the Embassy), joined us for a historic visit.  He is the first Ambassador to sail on the MV Explorer.  Simply, it was an honor for him and his crew to join our community.  More so, he was a remarkable ‘guest’.  He immersed himself in our culture all the while providing depth and insight to an already robust voyage experience.

On day one in Manaus, I ventured out into the city alone.  I visited the city center in the morning and then headed out to a local university – Federal University of the Amazones.  Although the facilities look modern and the academic programs are substantial, who wants to study in the heart of the Amazon jungle?  While there, I walked in on a Futsal game – think indoor soccer, but in an open air building.  It was fantastic to see culture-in-action especially in a country where futbol (soccer) is cared for and played so passionately.

Day two was spent on a Semester at Sea program that took us into the jungle to hike and swim in caves and waterfalls.  Tremendous!  It was a fantastic day dipping and diving in pols of water in the heart of the jungle.

The last day was spent on a boat ride to visit the ‘Meeting of the Waters’ – where two rivers come together (of two different colors) to form the Amazon.  There is an amazingly clear distinction between the two and it is fascinating to watch the rivers meet and mix.  The rest of the day was dedicated to visiting Amazon River island communities and learning about how they farm and collect rubber from rubber trees.  These communities seem to live in extreme poverty and are at the will of the river.  I am not sure how the government or organizations might assist except for providing opportunities for them to share their stories to tourists (such as myself.)

Port #13: Rio, Brasil

As soon as getting off the ship in Buenos Aires, I was on a bus heading to a small beach community several hours away from the bustling metropolis.  Buzios is on a peninsula and is absolutely gorgeous.  The rocky and forested land juts out into the Atlantic and has at least a dozen amazing beaches.  My time in Buzios was spent exploring many of the beaches and visiting the small downtown with fantastic shops and restaurants.  The limited time spent in Buzios was not enough!  I am already planning my return trip.

For my last day in Rio, I met up with two students, Nick and Sara.  Even in the pouring rain we trekked into the city to explore the sights.  We visited Corcovado (Christ The Redeemer statue), Ipanema and Copacabana (two white-sand beaches in the heart of the city), and the most famous artistic stairs in the world – the Selaron stairs.  Although we were drenched for most the day, it was wonderful walking around the city and spending some time with the two of them – two of my favorite students…  

Port #12: Montevideo, Uruguay

I had high hopes for Uruguay.  My expectations were met.  Montevideo, the southern most capital city in this hemisphere was much smaller than Buenos Aires.  It was much more manageable.  Once getting off the ship, I took a jog on the Rambla – a biking/walking/jogging the length of the city on the river. It carried on for miles upon miles – literally.  Before understanding the length of the Rambla, I thought I would do the whole thing.  After four hours of jogging and walking, I headed into the city for breakfast.  From here, I traversed just about the whole of the ne and old city before reaching the ship to shower and change for supper. 

Day 2 was spent on a Semester at Sea trip to visit museums and the beach resort town of Punta Del Este.  Not much to report from here except that vacationing in Punta Del Este needs to be on the list if you are interested in a genuine beach vacation.

The last day was another city day of walking around, eating, walking some more, eating some more, spending the last of the pesos, etc.  

Port #11: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Upon arriving to Buenos Aires, I was completely dumfounded at how developed the city was.  Large, modern skyscrapers lined the skyline.  My ignorance led me to believe that the whole of Latin America was part of the backwoods, developing world – similar to what I experienced in Nicaragua and Ghana.  Absolutely not the case.  Argentina is making it happen!  Buenos Aires is developed and is on the rise.

The first day in BA was spent walking around the city to visit the parks, historical sights, tourist traps, etc.  Buenos Aires is a sprawling city.  Miles upon miles were walked.  The second day began with a jog along the River (Rio Plata) specifically within a nature reserve.  It was amazing.  Upon returning to the ship, I and some other friends/colleagues ventured out to a wine tasting.  This was a food-filled, wine tasting experience.  As great as the food was, the wine was even better.  All the bottles were from small, family-run wineries in Argentina.  Of course I had to support small business by purchasing a couple of bottles…The rest of that afternoon, evening, and night was spent causally walking from the tasting to the ship making pit stops for ice cream, empanadas, and other local delicacies.    

The third day was a duty day – my last day on duty while in port.  There were no issues to speak of, and more importantly, this was the day I finished my Comp.

The last day was spent like the first – walking and visiting different parts of the city.  Although this day, I treated myself to a top-line slab of beef.  I’ve never had meat like this.  To all my meat (and potatoes) friends out there, you’ve got to make your way to Argentina!

Port #10: Cape Town, South Africa

My visit to South Africa was not a typical SaS experience.  Over the last few months I have been reading and writing for my Fielding (PhD.) Comprehensive Exam.  This is one of the last requirements before I step into my dissertation research.  Essentially, this part of the Comp. is a critique on a body of literature of my choosing.  I chose to dive into the mentorship literature as this is what I am leaning towards for my dissertation.  (Typically, students use this as a precursor to their Literature Review for the Dissertation.  Something I have chose to do as well.)  That is all to say that my time in Cape Town was spent collecting my thoughts, organizing my notes, and preparing to write.  The writing would occur during the South Atlantic crossing from South Africa to South America.  I rented a space in a Bed and Breakfast just north of Cape Town in a town called Blaauwberg.  It was right on the beach with a direct view of Cape Town and Table Mountain.












We arrived in Cape Town the morning of October 18th – my birthday.  (The night prior, my colleagues through me a surprise party (a Chips and Salsa party).  The birthday morning was spent watching the sunrise over Table Mountain – an amazing sight to see.  Once we received permission to get off the ship, myself and some favorite students hiked up the Mountain.  The weather below was glorious.  Hot and sunny.  As we hiked up, the clouds began to cover the mountain which made for a cool, foggy, and absolutely beautiful ascent.  Once at the top, it was completely cloud filled.  However, by the time lunch was over, the clouds had dissipated and the entire city and region was in view.  As soon as the hike was over I packed my bags and headed to Blaauwberg.













The whole of my four days there were spent either seep within the literature or taking a break by walking on the beach, eating at a local restaurant, or exploring this hamlet just north of Cape Town.  It was the perfect birthday get-away and time spent immersing myself in some much-needed Comp. time.  It was this experience away from the city and the typical tourist activities that enabled me to get after my exam and submit it on the other end of the Atlantic…