Ireland: Boys in Blue

During the bus ride on our way to our Gaelic Games program, I learned so much about how the Irish are when it comes to sports, specifically football (soccer).

One of the two coaches who "trained" us that day said:

"When people ask me to explain what sports mean to Ireland, it's like they're asking me to explain what air means to everyone. We live for our sports. We breathe it." 

Since I've never really followed any international sports team, I had no idea how passionate the Irish were when it comes to playing their games. I mean, I guess every country is very into their sports in one way or another, but what struck out to me the most about Ireland and their sports is the fact that the athletes (at least those who play in the All-Ireland Football games) do NOT get paid at all! 

And I quote our coach:

"These players who'll be playing at today's final game, they don't get paid. Not a single cent. They play purely out of passion and pride for their team, for their county."

For all of their sports, teams are categorized based on the counties represented in Ireland. For example, Dublin and Mayo are two separate counties, so there's a Dublin team, and a Mayo team. The team you belong to is "assigned" to you at birth. Whichever county you were born in, that automatically becomes your team should you choose to enter the world of sports. I guess this is exactly what fuels their passion, pride, and loyalty!

Ireland: Gaelic Games

Game face on!!! Ready to dominate these Irish sports!
(c) Bryan Koop - Official SAS F'13 Photographer

As a dancer, all my time for extra-curricular activities was devoted to the dance studio, and never to an outdoor playing field, except during my senior year in high school when I joined the track team. That's the most I've ever done as far as sports go.

But one of my goals on this SAS voyage is to experience new things (activities, food, transportation, etc) in every country we go to. So when I read about the Gaelic Games Experience on the list of field programs available to us in Ireland, I jumped at the chance at trying my luck with Irish sports...or, well, sports in general.

So that beautiful sunny Sunday in Dublin, I hopped on a bus together with 13 other fellow SAS-ers, excited (and a bit anxious) at the thought of a sports-filled day!

Irish Football

So this is basically like soccer, but with different rules. Now, I know squat about the rules of American or Philippine or whichever country's soccer, but I did ask if Irish football was different from the kind of soccer that is played during the World Cup. Our coach said yes, Irish football is a wee bit different. One of the main differences is the fact that as opposed to the soccer I know, the ball in Irish football is barely kicked around on the ground. I'm not gonna go into details about the rules because i'm finding it difficult to explain and illustrate the moves allowed in the game. But, I am gonna brag that I scored a goal during practice!! Buuut.. never again during the actual game. Haha #athleteprobs #charot

(c) Bryan Koop

Hurling

When I first heard our guide say that we will be hurling that day, I was like WHUT. Hurling to me (and probably to everyone who is not Irish lol) means umm, throwing up. I thought they implied that I won't be able to take all the sports we'll be doing that day and that I'd have to hurl. Lol. So I was kinda relieved when the coach explained that Hurling is another type of Irish sport, similar to what field hockey is. You go around chasing a ball with a hurling stick (shaped a bit like a hockey stick) and try to maneuver the ball into the goal.

(c) Bryan Koop

Love From Lisbon

After three days of battling rocky seas, we finally docked in Lisbon, Portugal, this morning! I know I haven't put up all my Ireland posts yet, but I hope to get around to finishing that soon. I've been occupied with schoolwork these past few days, so I haven't had time to really blog. Well, that, and the fact that the constant swaying of the ship made it hard to focus because I was exerting all my effort into not getting seasick!

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Much love from Lisbon!

Ireland: Pouring The Perfect Pint

Guinness Storehouse Brewery!

As part of our Guinness Storehouse Dublin Brewery tour the day we arrived in Ireland, we were taught how to pour the perfect pint of a Guinness beer through the Guinness Academy. There's a whole technique to pouring a drink; they don't just pull, pour, and go. Two key things that make a perfect pint: (1) it must be filled to the brim (2) it must not have any overspill whatsoever!

How to pour the perfect pint:

(1) Hold out the special Guinness glass with your left hand at a 45-degree angle towards the tap nozzle
(2) Pull the lever of the tap with your right hand from up above all the way down til it can't be pulled any further down to allow the maximum flow of beer into the glass
(3) When the beer reaches the Guinness logo on the glass, tilt the glass upright
(4) Let the beer flow continuously with the glass in an upright position until the liquid reaches half of the harp icon printed on the glass above the Guinness brand logo
(5) Allow the surge to settle, and then instead of pulling the lever towards you, push back the lever away from you to pour the final foam to top the glass
(6) Wait for the foam to reach the brim of the glass, being absolutely careful not to overspill!

There were specific terms used to explain the process, but I can't remember what they were so I apologize if my wording seemed a bit off! Hehe

After each of us got a chance to try our luck with the beer taps, the Guinness Academy printed off personalized certificates for everyone, making our experience totes legit (yup, I did just use totes)!

Commercial Break: Happy One Month SAS Fall '13!

Today marks our voyage's one month anniversary!! It's been one full month since we first embarked on the MV Explorer in London! Gosh, that feels like ages ago!! Time sure does fly on this trip. One month down, two and a half more to go! 6 countries down, 9 more to go! Let the adventures continue!

P.S. The seas have been really rough the whole day, so it's been a struggle trying to walk to class today. We all looked like drunk college students who can't get their steps straight! Staying awake in my classes proved to be difficult as well (more than usual haha) because the rocky motion of the ocean was rocking me to sleep! Oy vay. Oh well, at least I'm not seasick!

Diggin' Dublin

Hello from Ireland!!

I don't have much time at all to blog about my Irish escapades as of the moment, but I just want to say that I am absolutely loving this place! Everyone keeps asking me what my favorite country has been so far, and I would always have a difficult time answering because I really do love all the countries for different reasons, so it's hard to pick just one! But right now, I can probably honestly say that Ireland has made its way to the top of my list.

I have so much to say about Dublin! Stay tuned!

Le French Experience

The beautiful Eiffel Tower all lit up

 Just an overview: Our stay in France covered visits to 3 cities: Paris, Giverny, and Le Havre. Since the Port of Antwerp was very near the Port of Le Havre, an option to stay on land and do an overland travel was given to the shipboard community. That means we were allowed to travel from Antwerp and in to the next port of call (Le Havre) on our own, on land, as long as we were back on the ship on the last day at the Le Havre port. So my trip went from Antwerp to Paris to Giverny to Le Havre, all by bus.

PARIS

Aside from all the sightseeing (Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe) and the river boat cruise along the Seine River, here are the highlights and the things I learned from my stay in Paris:

(1) Crepes, Croissants, and Chocolat Chaud

It would almost be a mortal sin if you skip out on the crepes and croissants when you're in France! I had croissants for breakfasts, either with jam or Nutella, and then had crepes for dessert whenever we were out for lunch and dinner. To hell with calories! When in Europe, calories from pastries do not count. I also had my fair share of their chocolat chaud aka hot chocolate. It's just so good. Why can't all hot chocolates be that delicious.

Croissant with Nutella or jam, pain du chocolat (chocolate bread),
bacon, orange juice, chocolat chaud (hot chocolate)
CALORIES DON'T COUNT IN EUROPE OKAY

Chocolat chaud viennoise <3

(2) Navigating Skills

In Paris, I learned that my navigating skills were actually pretty on point! I used to hate metro maps because I never had the desire nor the energy to try and decode all that was written/drawn on it. But these past few weeks in Europe have pushed me to get over my laziness and figure these maps out. I discovered that it wasn't that complicated after all! It also helps that i'm a visual learner (as opposed to being an auditory or a kinesthetic learner) which means that my strength is in learning and remembering things through sight and images. My photographic memory retains visual information of which street we were on based on the buildings/objects/signs surrounding it. And that helped a lot!

I don't look this lost anymore

(3) Bike Tour

We went biking again, yay! But this time, we biked under the rain, riding around the city donned in bright yellow ponchos. Biking in Belgium was awesome, but biking in Paris was amazing! Thankfully, it wasn't pouring rain the whole time we were biking. The weather would alternate between rain/drizzle and a bit of sunshine. We were a huge group, too, so the dynamics were different than when I biked in Belgium with just 2 other people. We had to make sure no one got left behind or was too far up ahead. I had such a great time biking, and as I've said, the rain added that new touch of adventure to the experience.

Our group with our tour guide

On my bike

Paris, je t'aime!

Sassy SASers in Paris!
(c) Cody Varela

The first time I went to Paris was back in 2009, with my mom and my sister Kai. I had enrolled in a two-week youth leadership camp in Megeve, France, that summer before my last year in UWC-USA. Since Paris was just a few hours away from Megeve, my mom planned a short trip that allowed us to spend a few days in Paris and Switzerland before they had to bring me to camp.

I remember being so enthralled and amazed by the city of lights back then. Who wouldn't be? The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the sights breathtaking. I couldn't believe I was actually in Paris, France! Oui, oui! I remember going out into the tiny balcony in our hotel room, breathing in the cool Parisian air, and silently telling God that I want to be able to go back to this beautiful city someday, and asking Him to make this request possible.

True enough, He gave in to my request 4 years later and gifted me with the best birthday present ever!

---

Below is an excerpt from what I wrote in my journal when we arrived in Paris last week:

Friday, September 13th
1:37 pm

It's Friday the 13th and I am in Paris. If that doesn't cancel out the negative connotation that comes with that date, I don't know what will. Our bus stopped right by our hotel after a 4-ish hour trip from Antwerp. I stepped out of the bus, and that same cool Parisian breeze welcomed me back. The clouds were gray and the atmosphere seemed dreary, but the excitement I had, along with the giddiness of the 38 other students I was with, said otherwise. We were in Paris. PARIS!

Here's to probably the best birthday weekend I will ever get to experience. Cheers!

---

Next post: France Highlights (Paris, Giverny, & Le Havre)

While I Was Sleeping..

Before I put up my Paris/Le Havre post, I just wanted to write about the dream I had last night. I dreamt that I got kidnapped (adultnapped?) in Paris by bad people. The setting was just like how it was in the movie Taken, except I didn't have Liam Neeson running around trying to find me. It was pretty scary because it seemed so real, but it was also funny because in the dream, I politely asked the bad people if I could go back to my hotel and sleep there, and then just meet up with them the next morning to continue my abduction experience. They kindly agreed. Hahaha

I just really felt like sharing that to the rest of the world. You're welcome :)

Rain, Rain..

It was pouring rain, and my shoes got soaked. My feet were wet, I was cold, and the battery of my camera was dying. As I was trying to take a good photo of the Arc de Triomphe, raindrops began tainting the lens. I was frustrated and tired, and even entertained the thought of going back to the hotel and just staying indoors. I silently cursed the rain for how it was ruining my afternoon in Paris.

Immediately after, I was struck with guilt, ashamed of how I was reacting to the weather. There I was, in the heart of Paris, complaining about the rain, and almost forgetting how amazing an opportunity it is to even BE in Paris. I got so caught up getting annoyed that I overlooked the

Sure, it was raining. Sure, the battery life of my camera was about to give up on me because I didn't have a European electrical plug adapter in order to charge it. And sure, it was uncomfortable walking around with soaking wet shoes.

But the rain will stop, batteries can be charged (I bought an adapter yay!), and shoes will dry. But who knows when I will get to experience Paris again?

It was a humbling situation, and I told God I was sorry for being a brat there for a moment. In retrospect, the rain provided a different element of adventure to our Parisian experience. But more on my Parisian adventures later! I am super exhausted after such a busy day, so it's bed time for me! I hope to write again tomorrow.

For now, it's bonne nuit! And this happy pic--

This was a jump shot fail that turned out to be pretty cool.
It looks like I was just weirdly laughing out loud... which I was, haha.
(And you can't tell by the pic, but it was actually starting to rain at this point!)

Belgium, Birthday, Bikes

 Here it is! How I spent my birthday in Belgium:

Belgian hot chocolate to start my morning! 

During the day, a couple of my friends and I went out and explored the quaint city of Antwerp. How is it possible to fall in love with a city in a day? I feel like I would be saying this in each new city we visit. But as we were walking down the European cobblestoned streets of Antwerp, I kept telling my friends how everything was just so pretty.

Antwerp

Since Belgium prides itself for its delicious Belgian chocolates and waffles, we made sure we didn't skip out on those sweet treats. I love chocolates, like, I really do. So imagine my level of happiness when I found myself surrounded by Belgian chocolate shops! It got even higher when I was served my Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. Haaay. Sarap.

Omnomnomnom

But what made this day even sweeter was getting to do the ultimate European experience: Biking all over the city. For 6 Euros ($8; 350PhP), we could rent bikes for 3 hours. We didn't have set plans for the day, so we just went with the flow and decided to try our skill in bicycling. 

It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life so far. I've always liked biking around our street when I was younger, but never did I ever take my bike beyond the gates of our neighborhood. So honestly, I was initially a bit hesitant about the whole biking around the city. But you know what they say... YOLO. (eh) 

With my friend, Liz, ready to go and explore the city on our badass rides 

I am so glad I went through with it! Who knows when I could bike my way around Antwerp again?? So that's just what we did. We traveled all over the city on two wheels, and loved every minute of it. It was as if we paid 6 Euros for a tour of a great majority of the city. Such a sweet deal. 

While I was biking, I was actually having a silent casual conversation with God. My heart was just filled with so much gratitude and joy that I couldn't help but thank Him right then and there, and tell Him how I sometimes still can't believe this is my reality at the moment. 

The birthday girl holding her happy birthday sign hehe

Dinner and drinks followed later that night to cap such a wonderful day. This time, I tried the famous Belgian beer, Stella Artois! Parang ate Stella ko lang diba? Pero dapat sa kanya Stella Arte. Hehehe joke lang ate, love you! It was a fun and very chill night, as we sat outside the bars and cafes, enjoying the cool September breeze. Thank You, Lord. Just, thank You. :)

Now, I am in Paris, ready for another set of new adventures! Allons!

Here we go!

Hurray For Today

As the 12th of September officially ends (at least on my current side of the world), I can honestly say that my next birthdays to come would have to be pretty darn amazing to top this year's celebration. Today was perfect in every sense of the word. I will be writing about it sometime tomorrow, with photos as well, hopefully!

Right now, I am busy packing for the ultimate birthday weekend trip to... *drumroll please*

PARIS!

Stay tuned!! :)

Birthday Eve (take 2)

Ok, so I think the text/format of my Birthday Eve post didn't upload correctly. Here is the complete text:

Tonight during dinner, I was surprised with a birthday cake brought in by the kuya waiters in the dining hall, followed by a singing of the Happy Birthday song both in English and in Tagalog. I am a hundred percent positive that my cheeks were all flushed while the crowd in the dining hall looked on and while my friends at the table took photos. It was that awkward moment where you can't stop smiling but don't really know where to look when everyone was singing happy birthday to you!

But I didn't care, I was happy :) I honestly didn't expect anything like this because (a) my birthday isn't til tomorrow, and (b) I've only known these people for 3 weeks. But my amazing roommate made sure I felt special on my special day. She decided to arrange this small sweet surprise to happen on the eve of my birthday, because we will be out on land in Belgium tomorrow for my actual birthday. She wanted to make sure I still had a "ship birthday" celebration. I told you she was amazing!

I'm so thankful that wherever I am, and wherever I go, God puts people in my life who make my days a little sweeter than usual.

P.S. Time now is 11:55pm, September 11th. 5 minutes til my birthday! I am currently 6 hours behind Manila time, and 7 hours ahead of Missouri time. This is set for the rest of our stay in Europe.

Birthday Eve

Tonight during dinner, I was surprised with a birthday cake brought in by the kuya waiters in the dining hall, followed by a singing of the Happy Birthday song both in English and in Tagalog. I am a hundred percent positive that my cheeks were all flushed while the crowd in the dining hall looked on and while my friends at the table took photos. It was that awkward moment where you can't stop smiling but don't really know where to look when everyone was singing happy birthday to you!

Bonjour, Belgium!

We're in Belgium!!!

The itinerary originally indicated that we were supposed to dock in the Port of Antwerp on Thursday, but I guess the ship sailed faster than usual! Or maybe they really just give allowances between ports in case something doesn't go as planned. Either way, we have arrived in Antwerp, Belgium!

However, we aren't cleared to disembark just yet. We have to wait until Thursday to be able to get off the ship, because that was the itinerary that was given to customs. It's such a tease! We're already docked and can see the pretty view of the city, but we're trapped inside!! Kinda like how I was in Russia, haha.

Anyway, that's it. I just got really excited that we're in another new city again! Can't wait to get my hands on all those Belgian chocolates and waffles :D Now excuse me while I brush up on my french!

Morning Devotion

I know this blog is supposed to be more about my travel adventures in the different countries we'll be visiting, but every now and then, I want to also share posts about faith. My spiritual growth is a big part of this journey after all. 

One of our Bible study group leaders sent us this morning devotion via email, and I just wanted to share it with everyone:

"I am always available to you. Once you have trusted Me as your Savior, I never distance Myself from you. Sometimes you may feel distant from Me. Recognize that as feeling; do not confuse it with reality. The Bible is full of My promises to be with you always. As I assured Jacob, when he was journeying away from home into unknown places, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. My last recored promise to My followers was: Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Let these assurances of My continual Presence fill you with Joy and Peace. No matter what you may lose in this life, you can never lose your relationship with Me." ~ JESUS CALLING (a book) 

After reading that, I was left speechless for a moment, just trying to soak it all in. I was just so blessed and thankful for the relationship I have with my God. To know that He remains faithful to us even if we are not is humbling.

What hit me the most about the passage above were the lines "I never distance Myself from you. Sometimes you may feel distant from Me. Recognize that as feeling; do not confuse it with reality. The Bible is full of My promises to be with you always." 

Wow. Just wow. I hope this devotion has blessed you, too! 

❤L 

Spiritual Nourishment

Tonight, we had our first student-led Bible study session. We started with introductions, icebreakers, and then sang worship songs. I felt joy and got goosebumps when we were singing the songs because they were familiar ones: Mighty to Save, Amazing Grace, Trading My Sorrows, and Breathe.

The discussion tonight was about God sighting--where we saw God in the places we've recently visited, or what these places have taught us about God. It was so moving hearing my fellow SAS-ers share how they recognized God's presence in the different situations they were in while touring Russia and Germany.

I absolutely loved it. My heart is just so happy right now knowing I have a "church family" here on the ship. We will be having small groups as well, so we can have accountability partners and people we can regularly meet up with throughout the week. There is something about spending time with people who share the same faith as you do. I feel as if I have a support group I can always run to, a body of believers who love the same God.

Not only that, but last week, we also had a Women's Bible Study group! This particular group, as what the name implies, is exclusively for girls. It's so comforting to know that I have a group of God-loving ladies I can confide in, too, helping me grow and become a better daughter of Christ while on this journey.

These two groups are answers to my prayers. God is good.

Beer, Cars, Efficiency

Aside from their rich history, Germany is best known for three things: their beer, their cars, and their efficiency. It's pretty much amazing that in the four short days I have been here, I was able to see, experience, and learn those three key aspects that make Deutschland uber guten!

Beer

My goal in every country we visit is to eat and drink whatever that country's specialties are. I've always heard that Germans love their beer, so I wanted to try it out for myself. I ordered a Lemke original in one of the German restaurants we went to for lunch. The verdict? Guten! That tall glass of beer went down pretty nice, considering I'd rather have a "girly drink/cocktail" than a beer! It was a pretty tall glass, as you can see below, so I may or may not have had a good buzz while touring Berlin afterwards. Haha, I may or may not be kidding ;) 

Bottoms up!

Cars

As in most of the European cities I've been to where fancy shmancy cars line up the streets, Germany proved to be no different. It is home to BMW and Mercedes Benz, after all. I had the privilege of riding a Mercedes-Benz bus (er, "coach" pala daw ang right term) on the way to Berlin from Hamburg. I didn't notice it at first, actually. I just thought it was a really cozy bus, with free wifi and a lavatory too! So convenient. Then my friend pointed out the Mercedes-Benz sign by the front of the bus. I was like, "duuude, this is legit". 

Mini! This clearly wasn't the bus we rode on haha but I just thought it was cute hehe

Efficiency

In 2008, the BMW in Germany faced a tough business crisis. It was a bad season, and their economy was obviously largely affected as well. When there is trouble in the business world, a lot of companies would usually be forced to layoff employees, causing the rate of unemployment to dramatically rise especially when it's the big companies that do the firing. But when it was BMW that was hit by major sales downfall 5 years ago, the BMW company gods decided not to layoff any of the workers, even when there is barely business to run. Instead, BMW made the working hours of their employees shorter (instead of a 40-hour work week, it was cut to 20), but made them go under specific professional trainings in different fields (marketing, engineering, PR, etc) during the rest of the hours of their typical work day and receive the same salary. The goal was to make sure that once business started booming again, all their workers were up and ready to maximize sales strategies, public relations, etc, in the best way they know how. They took a seemingly bad situation and turned it into an advantage for the future of their business. No time was wasted in the trainings they provided their employees. I personally thought that was a clear example of efficiency in the sense that they achieved maximum productivity to reach maximum prosperity. Now, largely because of BMW, Germany's economy is at its best. 

Germany Highlights

As I've said before, I will try not to blab-blog. So, as much as I want to go on and on (and on and on...) about my Germany adventures, I will just share some bits and pieces!

(1) Hamburg Building Structures

In the city of Hamburg, all the buildings and constructions you will see are either made out of red-brown bricks or glass. The government of Hamburg, in the effort to preserve the historic/vintage feel of the city, issued a construction rule that new buildings and structures must either be made out of bricks, or made of glass (or have large glass window panels). If it's glass, it will show off the reflections of the brick buildings that surround it. I thought that was interesting!

The Unilever building made out of glass

(2) Bike, bike, bike!

I really love how European cities are super bike-friendly! It amuses me whenever I'd see a man in his business attire ride down the street in his bike, or that woman in her power suit, biking while talking to someone on her cellphone via bluetooth. Sometimes, the streets literally are filled with more cyclists than drivers! Nakakatawa kasi instead of being mindful of the cars, sa mga bikers ako nag iingat! Haha. They go so fast, and the bike lane is right by the sidewalk, so if you're not careful, you might actually get hit haha

Rent A Bike 

(3) Discipline

I was so impressed at how the pedestrians here strictly adhere to the traffic light rules. When the pedestrian traffic light turns red signaling the no walking sign, the pedestrians will stop and wait, even if there's no sight of a car coming. From what I've observed, no one tried to jaywalk, or attempted to make a mad dash against a red light across the street, like how you would see often in other cities (The "basta walang kotse, takbo!" mindset). Here, even when the coast is completely clear, everyone won't move until that light turns green. 

Look! They have a heart stoplight! This was in Berlin. I thought it was AWESOME.

(4) Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall and all the art splashed on it = crazy cool. This was my favorite part of Berlin for sure. Not only does the Wall have such a symbolic significance, but it also expresses freedom through creativity. Berlin city, in general, is an art itself. So colorful, so alive, so vibrant! I also got some pieces of the Berlin wall from a souvenir shop, wuhoo! 

Berlin Wall Art

(5) Hitler, Holocaust

Seeing all the memorials and tributes to the Holocaust made me want to read on it more thoroughly. I've always known the story behind it, but being in Berlin really ignited that desire to learn more about Hitler, concentration camps, the Nazi, and the Jews. I'm honestly (and sadly) not a big History person (History classes were never my thing), but this particular piece of history is just too intense and my curiosity has just been fed big time!

A small outdoor exhibit about the Nazi Regime

(6) CHOCOLATES!!!

Seriously, what do they put in European chocolates that make them SO incredibly delicious?! I went crazy the other day when we went to a store filled with all my favorite kinds of chocolates: Milka, Kinder, Ritter Sport, and Lindt. I seriously did not know where to start because I was just too happy. I was in my happy place. I kinda hope that instead of Europe being the fist area of visit in our semester's itinerary, it was the last. That way, baka may chocolate pasalubongs pa left for my family and friends when I finish the voyage and go home.. At this point, all chocolates might be consumed by the time I get to Africa. I'm not even sorry hehehe #sorrynotsorry

Heaven

(7) Ticket Fine

One of the most memorable experiences ever was when my friend and I were fined 40 Euros (2k+ PhP; $53) for not having a valid ticket on the train. We thought our tickets were valid for 24 hours, but turns out it expired at 3 in the morning. My friend was the one who bought the ticket since she owed me money then, so I didn't get to look at the screen when she bought our train tickets. But she insisted that our tickets were good for 24 hours, and refused to pay the fine. I could tell that the German ticket person was getting pissed, so I went ahead and paid right away. After a couple more grumbles, my friend did, too. It was an honest mistake, but definitely an experience to remember, even if it's a sucky one. 40 Euros is a LOT to lose just like that!! (Sorry Papa and Mama, if you're reading this!) I would put a picture of the ticket (lovely souvenir), but I didn't bring it with me right now.

(8) Share A Coke With Laura

Coca-Cola's advertisement gig: Personalized names on Coke bottles and cans! I couldn't find my name when I was in London and Hamburg, but when I was in Berlin, I literally squealed when I finally found a Laura bottle! Teehee. 

The bottle says "Share A Coke With Laura" in German!

And finally..

(9) No Room For Taken 3.. Sketchy sketchy!

When we were having dinner in Berlin last Friday night, a french guy started talking to us and inviting us over to the table he shared with his friends (who were watching him while he was talking to us and laughing). I already had a bad feeling about him/them especially when he mentioned that he had a flat a couple minutes from where we were and that we should come over and "get wasted in Berlin" with them. A couple of the people I was with continued to engage in a conversation with him, but I couldn't shake the bad impression I had with them. I mean, he was really super nice. But honestly, you never really know, you know? And I've seen both Taken movies, and learned a thing or two from Liam Neeson about these sketchy guys!!! Hehe. But thankfully, we were able to shake them off. And yes, I was silently praying for God's protection all that time hehe.

The MV Explorer

Guten tag from Berlin! 

As I have free wifi right now, I shall take advantage of it and post some pics of the ship!

The MV Explorer

The classroom for my "Women's Health in Developing Countries"

My room!

Pool deck

Computer Lab

The Union (assembly room)

Garden Lounge Casual Dining Hall

The view from my bed

Deck 7

Kiel Canal Transit

The MV Explorer is currently passing through the Kiel Canal! It is a 98km long canal in Schleswig-Holstein, a German state. It links the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, and makes getting to Hamburg faster, instead of going all the way around the Jutland Peninsula. We entered this passageway around 8 this morning, and will continue to sail through it until 8 in the evening.

It is so cool. It's a narrow pathway, so we're really close to land on either side of the ship. The scenery is wonderful--lots of green trees, fields, and pretty German houses here and there (along with German people waving to the ship)!

I am beyond excited to get to Hamburg!!! We already had our immigration check this morning, where we had two German immigration officers come aboard to check our passports and visas.

13 hours 'til we dock!

Sweet September

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!!!

We greet the beginning of the most wonderful month of the year by bidding goodbye to Russia, as we sail for Germany tonight! I am so extremely excited since I will finally be able to get off the ship soon! We will be having classes from Monday to Wednesday, then arriving in the Port of Hamburg on Thursday morning, the 5th.

I may not have had the whole Russian experience, but my friends made sure I didn't miss out on everything! Jess brought me back a traditional Russian nesting doll (or what Jaden refers to as "heroes") and it is just so cute! If you don't know what that is, Google it, hehe. Another friend of mine, Kacey, brought me back some Russian cookies, after I mentioned over dinner that I was craving for cookies, while Abylay got me some Russian chocolates! YEAH BUDDY. He also gave me some Russian Roubles as a souvenir, yay!

Hopefully I will have time to just sit in a cafe or a restaurant with wifi once I get to Hamburg so I can put up photos already, since I did find out that it takes a lot of data to embed photos on here. I can't afford to use up the limited data allotted to me, so the pictures would have to wait until I can connect to the internet outside the ship!

P.S. I went to our Wellness Center for the first time yesterday and discovered that it was a legit spa place/salon on the ship. You can get your hair cut, your eyebrows done, you hair dyed, etc. They also offer facials, different kinds of massages, and spa treatments. Way. Too. Cool. #TheShipLife