Well Amsterdam is interesting. I am not sure if it is my kind of place, but it certainly beautiful. I guess the difference here compared to the other places is that I have not seen anything here that I could sit and stare at for hours, where I have seen that everywhere else we have gone. I think Amsterdam has 2 sections, the one for tourists that is full of pot, bars, clubs, etc…. And then there is the Amsterdam that is for locals, one where you do not always get the friendliest looks if you venture into them. Overall cool city but overall London is still my favorite followed by Brussels.
A few observations:
1. As my mother constantly likes to point out, I am an old soul. I do not necessarily enjoy going out with large crowds of people and would rather hang with close friends. I never really looked at this trip as a “party trip.” Instead I really planned and do live for the day, seeing all that I can take in with my two feet.
2. I was telling one of my friends this, but this is truly the first time I have been away and missed hanging out with a group of friends. This is not to say I have not missed particular people, but I miss seeing my group of friends around almost daily. It is nice that I have such a close group of friends but I hope and know that it will never tie me to a place as things will be the same whenever we see each other.
3. Saw my grandparents today in Amsterdam, yes it is a small world. Out of the 365 days in a year, we both happened to be across the world on the same one. We unfortunately do not see each other enough in America however it was wonderful seeing them in Amsterdam.
Today is day 5 (I think) and so far the trip has been epic. In London we pretty much just walked around from place to place seeing various. We went to the National Gallery which was amazing and then that night we met up with a friend from South Africa to go out to the bars, all in all a great day. The next morning I went by myself (as the girls wanted to go to Big Ben) along the Millenium Bridge (it is that cool one in Harry Potter that gets knocked over in the beginning of the 2nd to last movie). As I walked up it i had a really epic moment, as street performers were performing classical music as i began to see the top of St. James (I think). Either way, to my surprise across the river is the Tate and the Globe, two amazing things that I truly enjoyed seeing. Later we all met up at the British Museum, which I will say is the best museum I have ever been to in my entire life. They have an enlightenment room that is essentially a room filled with amazing things that peopled discovered, ranging from mummies to old astrology tools (which I was a huge fan of). Only after going there again did I realize that the museum is essentially the largest art heist in history. They literally have the entire Parthenon and all of Egypt, minus the pyramids in their collection. While it is beautiful it is wrong at the same time. I am too tired to analyze more but that is what I have. Interesting side note: all of the manual labor/low-skill labor here is all from Eastern Europe, something I am not used to seeing. Friday night we took an overnight bus ride to Brussels. We set off at 10:30, were awoken at 12:30 by customs, then awoken at 3:30 to get off the bus to go onto the ferry across the river for 1.5 hours then awoken again to get back on the bus and drive through France and Belgium. Today we explored Belgium and let me tell you it did not disappoint. It is beautiful, quaint, and (fill inn you’re own word). We went to the grand place (http://www.trabel.com/brussel/images/grotemarkt-2.jpg) and ate Belgian waffles, which I will say were the best waffles I have ever eaten in my entire life. We walked around and much to my delight and after some looking I stumbled upon the beer I had been seeking all of this time. It is called Today is day 5 (I think) and so far the trip has been epic. In London we pretty much just walked around from place to place seeing various. WE went to the National Gallery which was amazing and then that night we met up with a friend from South Africa to go out to the bars, all in all a great day. The next morning I went by myself (as the girls wanted to go to Big Ben) along the Millenium Bridge (it is that cool one in Harry Potter that gets knocked over in the beggining of the 2nd to last movie). As I walked up it i had a really epic moment, as street performers were performing classical music as i began to see the top of St. James (I think). Either way, to my suprise across the river is the Tate and the Globe, two amazing things that I truly enjoyed seeing. Later we all met up at the British Museum, which I will say is the best museum I have ever been to in my entire life. They have an enlightenment room that is essentially a room filled with amazing things that peopled discovered, ranging from mummies to old astrology tools (which I was a huge fan of). Only after going there again did I realize that the museum is essentially the largest art heist in history. They literally have the entire parthenon and all of Egypt, minus the pyramids in their collection. While it is beautiful it is wrong at the same time. I am too tired to analyze more but that is what I have. Interesting side note: all of the manual labor/low-skill labor here is all from Eastern Europe, something I am not used to seeing. Friday night we took an overnight bus ride to Brussels. We set off at 10:30, were awoken at 12:30 by customs, then awoken at 3:30 to get off the bus to go onto the ferry across the river for 1.5 hours then awoken again to get back on the bus and drive through France and Belgium. Today we explored Belgium and let me tell you it did not dissappoint. It is beautiful, quaint, and (fill inn your’e own word). We went to the grand place (http://www.trabel.com/brussel/images/grotemarkt-2.jpg) and ate Belgian waffles, which I will say were the best waffles I have ever eaten in my entire life. We walked around and much to my delight and after some looking I stumbled upon the beer I had been seeking all of this time. It is called Today is day 5 (I think) and so far the trip has been epic. In London we pretty much just walked around from place to place seeing various. WE went to the National Gallery which was amazing and then that night we met up with a friend from South Africa to go out to the bars, all in all a great day. The next morning I went by myself (as the girls wanted to go to Big Ben) along the Millenium Bridge (it is that cool one in Harry Potter that gets knocked over in the beggining of the 2nd to last movie). As I walked up it i had a really epic moment, as street performers were performing classical music as i began to see the top of St. James (I think). Either way, to my suprise across the river is the Tate and the Globe, two amazing things that I truly enjoyed seeing. Later we all met up at the British Museum, which I will say is the best museum I have ever been to in my entire life. They have an enlightenment room that is essentially a room filled with amazing things that peopled discovered, ranging from mummies to old astrology tools (which I was a huge fan of). Only after going there again did I realize that the museum is essentially the largest art heist in history. They literally have the entire parthenon and all of Egypt, minus the pyramids in their collection. While it is beautiful it is wrong at the same time. I am too tired to analyze more but that is what I have. Interesting side note: all of the manual labor/low-skill labor here is all from Eastern Europe, something I am not used to seeing. Friday night we took an overnight bus ride to Brussels. We set off at 10:30, were awoken at 12:30 by customs, then awoken at 3:30 to get off the bus to go onto the ferry across the river for 1.5 hours then awoken again to get back on the bus and drive through France and Belgium. Today we explored Belgium and let me tell you it did not dissappoint. It is beautiful, quaint, and (fill inn your’e own word). We went to the grand place (http://www.trabel.com/brussel/images/grotemarkt-2.jpg) and ate Belgian waffles, which I will say were the best waffles I have ever eaten in my entire life. We walked around and much to my delight and after some looking I stumbled upon the beer I had been seeking all of this time. It is called Westvleteren 12, and it by most people (beer advocated) to be considered the best beer in the world. It can only be bought at their abbey and only 60K cases are created a year. And to enjoy this beer I could only do it in the face of another equally amazing structure, so we headed down to the Atomium (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Atomium_20-08-07.jpg) think a massive MIB mixed with science structure. So I enjoyed, what I will say was the best beer I have ever had, underneath the Atomium. It was a glorious day. This trip has turned out to be amazing and I cannot wait to see even more of Europe tomorrow when we are off to Bruges.
Sorry about the poor grammar/spelling the internet is not so great in the hostel.
Quick Update: In London, loving it, its real nice to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it. Off to Brussels tonight on an overnight bus ride through the tunnel. Il have free internet in Brussels so expect more blogging then.
Cape Town has begun to show its colder side (although I was still in shorts all day), but the wind has picked up, I would say there are 8 ft waves out there today. Today we went and did basic manual labor (painting, gutter cleaning, pressure washing) at a school for children. It was good, however it will be much better when the kids are there when we go back to
Yesterday we had our final presentations and all went well with all of the groups. Afterwards we had a party type thing and then all of the NU and Tsiba students went out to the bars together. Everyone was “so relieved to be done” and had such a “sense of accomplishment.” I will admit that I had neither of these and was still in a very thoughtful mood about my future and what it will hold (a thought that has been eating at my brain for the entire trip). A friend came over to me and asked “Jared why do you look so down.” I replied with what I just relayed to you, we talked about it for a few minutes, and then he simply said “you have to celebrate the little things in life to truly enjoy it” patted me on the back and walked away.
While the lesson may seem rudimentary, many of us (including myself) forget to do it. He was right, life must be about both big and small accomplishments. Accomplishments often come less often than failures, and they must be rewarded and remembered in order to live life to the fullest. It is a simple take-away but it is one that I can add to the growing check-list of things that this trip has taught me. Hope all is well back home (wherever that may be) (1 point for connecting blogs together).
Life has been good, most of our time has been spent on the project recently as we have our final presentations on Friday. Today we went to a social enterprise that trains unemployed people in life skills ranging from sewing, graphic design, etc… They then help them get jobs or employ them as contracted employees for certain projects they have with corporations. The model is great but still unsustainable as their income generating activities only account for 30% of their budget while donations make up the remaining amount.
On to the discussion of the day. One of my group members asked me today whether I “missed home?” I must admit that this was a baffling question. I have not been home since Christmas time and have honeslty not thought about it much. This is mainly because I knew that I would not be returning for a long time. After the question I had to sit and ponder exactly what my room looked like and even what the color of certain couches in our house look like. While I know it pains my mother and father, I began referring to Boston as home recently as I spend way more time their than in good ole Longwood.
After thinking about it, yes I do miss the idea of a home. Having my family and cali around. Hanging out together, but I guess I do not miss the physical structure of home. I felt at home when my parents came to the Cape to visit. For me home is not a location but rather a feeling and the people. I also consider my close group of friends at Boston a sense of home. Often mistaken for hostility is our deep caring for each other, and the sense that we really care for each other. In Boston people care about listening and want to hear about the various details of your day. Here many people are eager to tell their story but not as eager to listen to your problems. So my answer would be yes, I do miss home, wherever that may be.
The second interesting question regarding home was posed to me by my professor. After talking about my parents professions, where I grew up etc… he asked me whether I would consider returning home? In the past I immediately answered no, Florida was not the place for me. I still believe that I will not permanently return to Florida (unless I quit at life and move to the Keys). However I feel indebted to the state, much the same way I feel indebted to America, and would highly consider going back to serve a purpose. As most of you know, Florida has a lot of serious problems and one in particular that is dear to my heart is education. I could definitely see myself going back to Florida and trying my best to help fix the broken education system in my home state. This will probably be far in the future, but it can be my way of giving back to the state that helped raise me.
I hope all is well with everyone back home (get it?) and that the heat wave is not effecting you all too much. I care for you all very deeply in one way or the other.
South Africa is a funny place; I just don’t quite get it yet. My belief, from what I have seen, is that South Africa is much like the South after MLK and his crusade. It may be like what it was after the first black governor or mayor was elected in the deep south. Where the people all now that they are equal yet they are completely separated and stuck in a certain mindset. Here there are three races, white, black, and colored (which consist of Arab, Indian, and Malay, basically anyone else). In living conditions for the lower class, they are extremely separated by class. My consulting group consists of all colored students who felt out of place on our tour of Langa (a black township) yesterday. They described the situation as awkward and out of place, and really stated that although they are told everyone is equal when in truth they are not.
When we first arrived we went to a mall with a grocery store and cell phone store in it. I will say that the mall was in equal standing with the Mall at Millennia (think of the nicest mall you have been to and this was it). I got some food for breakfast and dinner and then we headed on our way.
As I said before, yesterday we did a walking tour of Langa, a large black township (200,000 people) yesterday. My pictures of the townships will be sparse, the townships reminded me of my home in Botswana, except larger and with less of a sense of equality and community. In a 10 ft radius you could find an upscale typical lower middle class American home next to a person living in a tin shack. The inequality is visible to everyone. The tour really turned me off as it was really a poverty tourism type of trip. I understand that it was a good tour for people who have never seen “Africa” however I did not enjoy the trip. I did however enjoy the dinner at night which consisted of some of my favorite African food, beef stew, butternut squash, and a grits like substance that is kinda lumpy, it is delicious. I may sound bitter, but I am overall very happy.
Today we had class in the morning which went really well. We had some great discussion about greed and whatnot and I really love the students from Tsiba (see there website). We then headed out to Haut Bay which was real nice however it just did not seem like what I expected from South Africa, it was a lot like San Francisco mixed with Sea World. We had some wonderful discussion with our south african friends about apartheid, robben island, life in general. I had a great time today and cannot wait to go to Robben Island with a living legend, Mr. Kathrata tomorrow.
Hope all is well at home. Love to you all.
Everyone is going home tomorrow but myself and a few other friends are staying on to travel around the Gili Islands WOOOO (more to come). This past week has been a lot of fun. Over the past few days I went on the best dive of my life in Menjagen Island. I saw rockfish, lionfish, trumpetfish, a 40+ grouper, and a bunch of snapper. Nemo also made a few appearances along with some eels. But by far the dive was so amazing because of the vividly colored corals (allitteration). It was honestly the most colorful ocean that I have ever seen. WHile in Pemuteron we saw a few amazing temples and just had some great chill time. For the past two days we have been in Sudaji village taking in the Balinese traditional rural lifestyle. BY far the highligh were the kids who seemed to have endless energy to play. I am ready to relax for the next week and then to come home for some awesome adventures through the deep south, with our vice president, and in Newport for a hopefully amazing music festival. The future looks great. Also while in the Gili’s I am hopefully going to go on a rebreather dive as the biggest expert in the world on rebreathers lives on the gilis. Should be fun.
Pemuteran is a city located in the northwest of Bali. People say that it is the closest thing to what Bali used to be. There is less everything here which just makes for more beauty. Today we had a packed schedule. we began the morning with a 2 hour snorkeling trip right off of the beach.We snorkeled a coral restoration project that is using electrolyzed structures to help facilitate coral growth. The coral was destroyed here a few years ago by poor fishing habits (bombing and cionide (to stun fish to take to aquariums around the world). But this project is really turning things around with the help of the community. The reef was teeming with life and I saw some fish that I had not seen in a long time. I saw a trumpetfish, huge parrotfish, a nemo, a few of nemos friends, some 25+ snapper, and a wide array of small and vividly colored fish. We then had some lunch and a Balian (trad. healer) came to read some peoples fortunes. I opted to snorkel for another 45 minutes which was well worth it. Although the dive shop that runs out of the area we were in was a bit more expensive than the rest I chose to dive with them because part of the profit goes towards protecting the reef. I will be diving Menjagen Island on Tuesday, it is widely considered one of the best dives in all of Bali. This afternoon we visited 3 temples, and each was beautiful in its own way. I really enjoy seeing the different temples. By far though the final temple was the greatest. It was called sunset temple as it sits on the ocean and has beautiful views of the sunset. Tonight we went to a families home for a delicious home cooked Indonesian dinner. Overall it was a packed but exciting day and I cannot wait for tomorrow when we get to go on a sunrise cruise, visit a Buddhist monastery, and go to some hot springs. Hope all is well in Israel family.
Presentations were this morning and we are finally done. Our presentation went very well and we received some great questions from the Balinese audience members, it is clearly an interesting topic. Overall I had a great experience learning about and caring deeply about this issue and I hope to one day come back and help fix the problem. I am very sad to say goodbye to our Balinese counterparts but at the same time excited to see the ocean. Pemuteran is going to be amazing and then once evryone leaves we will be heading up to the gili islands for some fun and relaxing in the sun. Let the fun begin!
Final Presentations are tomorrow which means that yesterday and today have been filled with final prep work. We are typing up our final portfolios and practicing our presentations for tomorrow. But luckily everything is coming together nicely. I am very excited for Saturday though when we had up north to Pemuteron to experience the natural beauty of Bali, it should be a great time and I just keep remembering how nice the beach will be once our presentations are finished. If the blogs begin to taper it is because I may not have access to internet once I head up north but do not fear I will try to get on whenever possible.
