So it has been six days since we left Mauritius. Time has been completely blending together on the ship, even though we have had some pretty intense events. The days immediately after Mauritius were pretty stressful. We found out that evening (through the insane gossip mill on the ship) that we had to leave someone at a hospital there. He had drunk way too much and wasnt functioning, and had to be rushed to emergency care. At that point, we didnt yet know if they were going to let him meet us in India to continue on the voyage or if he was going to be kicked out of the program. We also found out pretty quickly that we were stopping at a tiny island called Diego Garcia to medically evacuate a few participants and a crewmember. The island is home to a US Marine base, and we were told not to be alarmed if we saw armed men on the ship and that we were absolutely not supposed to take pictures. Overall it was a sad day, none of us wanted to see our friends go but were all still thinking about them. I think that the faculty of SAS knew we needed some cheering up, so a few nights ago they turned off all the lights on the bow of the ship and let us stargaze. It was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. Living in the country, I have seen some beautiful stars, but this was extraordinary. Thousands of stars were visible as we lay on our backs, listening to the sound of the waves breaking. Everyone was silent, and without sounding like a goon I can say that it was the most spiritual moment of my life. For once there werent hoards of SAS students snapping pictures of the locals or the amazing sunset. Everyone was staring into the sky, thinking their own thoughts, a completely solid yet separate group. We continued the night with some bonding up on the 7th deck over our 3 glasses of wine and then went to sleep. The past couple days have been a mash up of classes and pre-port meetings about India. SAS always has a range of problems in India, from overactive bowels due to food all the way to rickshaw accidents. From what Ive heard and all of the SAS warnings, Im not quite sure what to anticipate from India. I know that it will be a place that I come away from with a different attitude- whether I love it or I hate it. I think it might be shocking, in a way more so than Ghana did when I was there last summer. That was such a complete culture shock for me, but India will be the opposite environment. Millions of people crammed together in crowded, dirty cities; street children begging for money. The smell is what weve been warned about the most. Today (the day before we arrive in India), theyve even closed to pool bar and all outside dining in anticipation of the black grime that will begin to cling to things as we near port. Im pretty sensitive to smell, so this should be interesting. Updates will come after we leave India on Thursday. P.S. Its currently 1:47 pm in India, and its 2:21 am at home (MO&TX). The time change is huge, so if I dont get back to things quickly thats why ? I love you all! Thanks SO much for people who are still reading. P.P.S. I got a B+ on the 10 page paper that I wrote the day it was due! Yay!
