April 17-18, 2011

Hawaii.

Even though it was nearly 4 days ago since we left Hawaii, I can't wait to go back!  I've visited Hawaii before, about 5 years ago, but this time was far better than the last. 
Transportation via hitchhiking.  So. Much. Fun.  Sarah, Hannah and I hitchhiked in 9 different occasions in the two days we spent in Hilo.  Walking long distances, visiting several markets and hippie shops, eating Mexican food, dodging the rain every once in a while, relaxing by the beach on some rocks at night, visiting Kahena Beach on the east side of the island, Ken's diner at 3 in the morning, hammock between the trees, and endless conversations with locals, who spoke ENGLISH!!! were the things that made Hawaii beautiful for me. 
It was super weird using US Dollars again, I totally forgot that they existed.  But anyways, back in the states.  I love being back, but hate it at the same time.
I feel like coming back to the United States is just another country on our itinerary.  It doesn't feel like home yet. 
Never been to California before.  I'm gonna stay there until early May.  Don't feel like getting home quite yet.  Not ready for the real world, a world of work, stress, traffic, driving, politics, etc. 
Can't wait to see the people from home, but at the same time hate to see the friends I've made over the past 4 months leave.  It's going to be sweet, but tough.  After tonight, one more full day out at see.  The Pacific was just as calm as the Atlantic Ocean, and I hate to see it go.  Exams are over, traveling is close to be, but my life has just begun.  I can't wait for what's to come in the future, and I will go ahead and give my thanks to Semester at Sea for making my future the way it will be. 
Thanks for everyone who made it possible for me to embark on this voyage, and even though my words do not nearly show enough affection, I feel that my actions in the future will.  Thanks everyone. A lot.

Now off to roam around the ship, finish packing my bags, clean out my room, and see some great friends for the last time.  Thanks to all who kept in touch.


Conquered the world,
Eric


PS: Yea that's right, I globe trotted. 

The Pacific Ocean Stretch

We all thought it would take forever.
11 days at sea.
How can we do it?
How will we stay sane for such an extensive amount of time.
All along we've traveled little between countries,
constantly entering new places,
international places,
unfamiliar faces.
The smells, sights, tastes, touch, sounds...
where did it go?
To experience multiple nationalities
and for it to be suddenly gone.
Where did it go?

Now we sail,
among the coast of Honolulu.
Waiting for the next immigration checkpoint.
International, gone.
We have almost completed the voyage,
our future's near is simply filled
with a country of our own.

Hawaii,
second time ever visiting,
first ever to Hilo,
hopefully not to be the last.
We all wait in anticipation,
to step off the ship one last time
before arriving to our mainland destination.

Living it up.
It's all we can do from here on out.
It's a time of reflection of what
we have just witnessed and seen.

For me, it's a time of change.
It's a time of change from the "normality's"
and a time of understanding our place.
I will take what I learn, not make a difference right away,
but eventually I will apply it to solving problems. 
It's take's ambition and understanding to make a difference.
One day, I will make a difference.

       Eric Bouchard

April 4-7, 2011

I think from now on, I'm going to try and not plan things in advance when circumstances permit.  It makes a world of difference in many instances. 

I had planned nothing before docking in Taiwan, and in return gained one of the most self-reflecting experiences I could of ever asked for.  

First of all, my time in Taiwan was primarily spent with Hannah, who happens to be the best traveler ever.  Between a full day of hiking in the rain, which happened to be a mistake which turned out phenomenal, renting a taxi driver for dirt cheap to tour the east coast, and a full day of city sightseeing and shopping, my time was well spent in every aspect of life, even though no plans were thought out prior to embarkation.  Throughout the three days there, I hiked and visited the Yangmingshan National Park’s border of the Taipei Basin, the Jyuansih waterfall there, the Cingtiankang grasslands, the historic Taiwan Gold Company site, the Longdong Geopark, the Pitou Cape, the Longdonwan Cape Trail, and other surrounding areas down the Eastern Coastal Highway of Northern Taiwan.

Besides the daily sightseeing of the countryside, mountainside, city life, and a bountiful amount of modes of transportation, I was able to experience the Keelung night market, which is a whole new venue that I had never even new existed.  Venders side by side with little room to budge, with a variety of selling items which can vary from ginormous crab legs, squid on a stick, food I don't even want to share publicly, to clothes, head scratching devices that I couldn't even handle, and your occasional poor man who would walk around with flowers, and ask you 20 times if you wanted to buy them.  The night market was absolutely incredible, and it was an experience I will never forget. 
With all that said, this trip has gone by way too fast.  You don't realize how short life really is until your put into a situation which you would do anything to stay in for the rest of your life; knowing that there really is an end to this experience, I can't believe it's right around the corner. 

The last international port of call was a success, and luckily for us we didn't end up going to Japan, where the natural disasters continue to torment the everyday lives of the residents who live there.  Hopefully one day I can visit the country, but in the meanwhile I'll continue to keep these unfortunate people in mind and simply hope. Hope for an end to the disasters.  Hope that they can go back to the place they call home, and see that not much has changed. 

Pacific Ocean, you are beautiful.  You make me realize how small we really are, and how incredible this place we take for granted really is.

I'm going to miss the constant rocking of the ship, the plentiful amount of incredible people including the students, faculty, crew, and life long learners whom I've lived with for the past 3 months.  I'm going to miss the every day vibes that comes from sailing the world.  I'm going to miss the access to the front of the ship, where you can simply stand in fresh air that flows across your face, looking out into ocean, nothing but calm and peaceful blue ocean.  I'm going to miss my steward, who cleans my room twice a day completely, and happens to be the happiest person I've ever met.  I'm going to miss unending games of ping-pong on the ship, which feel like your playing on a roller coaster.  I'm going to miss the stairs, which bring me from my room to the rest of the ship.  I'm going to miss the Dean Dan, and the amount of respect each and every person receives from him (I still don't see how the Dean could be as nice as he is with all of his responsibility).  I'm going to miss the best slushy’s in the world, most importantly the Strawberry Banana ones. 

I could go on for days, but I've got too many papers and projects to do before Finals day.  I should get to that.  Yea, I should definitely get started on that. 

But most importantly, I'm not going to miss the things I've learned throughout this entire journey.  I'm going to bring these things with me for the rest of my life, and hopefully teach others my experience, as it might help them with their lives and more importantly, the lives of others who live on this Earth with us. 

Peace World,
Eric

March 26-April 1, 2011

I've learned more than anyone could ever teach me.  I've learned about my self, and about who I am and what means dear to me.  It's more than an education, it's a personal finding, and understanding of what life is all about.

China.
Incredible.
I got to see Hong Kong, Macau, and Shanghai in 7 days, all of which are amazing in their own unique way.  2 days in Hong Kong, a day in Macau, a 20 hour train ride to Shanghai, and four days there.  Wow.  I continue to be impressed by our worlds wonders.  Every new country I visit I realize how much is really out there to be enjoyed by our senses.  Every place is completely different, and I find myself repeating more and more that I like this place better. 

We are currently stopped in the middle of the ocean, at some islands owned by the Japanese.  I guess you can't go directly from China to Taiwan for some Geo-political reasons.  The weather is perfect, I'm sitting outside by the pool, looking off the aft of the ship into the vast blue waters that we have been traveling for nearly three months now.  The vibes are incredible, and I am happier than I could ever be.  My friends on the ship are a prime example of what true friends should be like, and it continues to amaze me how great people really are. 

My name is Eric, I love like, and I wish everyone could experience the world like I have. 

Get away from home, see new things, and realize how free you can really be. 

Tomorrow-->Taiwan

*Pray for the student who was severely injured on the Great Wall of China, we are all waiting anxiously for your return

March 19-23, 2011

Vietnam… nothing like I had expected.
Why do we expect things anyway?  So we can be proven wrong?  So we have a good feeling about what’s to come?  Beside the point…
I started my Vietnam experience with nothing planned at all, and subsequently achieved far more things than I would have if I had planned every minute of it.  Once again, best way to travel is with no plans.  Can’t stress that enough. 
As soon as the ship was cleared for the students to get off, I headed straight for the city without a plan, map, nor idea where in the hell I was going.  The sights were incredible in Ho Chi Minh City and the people were entirely too nice.  Mopeds.  More mopeds and motorcycles than I had ever even thought existed. 
Ho Chi Minh City population: roughly 10 million people
City’s Moped population: upwards of 4.5 million
Population of people divided by the moped population=absurd.
Next, I headed off the next day to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the major site of the Vietnam War.  It was very eye opening to see the war from another perspective rather than the one we are forced to gaze upon.  After seeing the way the Vietnam were far more intelligent in the war, it should interesting to hear about these issues back at home, from the one-sided point of view.  
After the tunnels, I explored the city some more, including shopping through one of the busiest/most stressful marketplaces I’ve ever witnessed. 
The next day I took part in a Semester at Sea led service visit for the majority of the day.  We visited a school for the deaf and an orphanage for the disabled.  Not only was it fun and interesting to see this side of the country, but also it was a great learning experience. 
My next day in Vietnam consisted of a trip to a Buddhist temple and a daylong visit to the Mekong Delta.  Happy Buddha… he was huge.  With the amount of food and fruit we were fed, you’d think they thought that we had an eating disorder.  I’ve never eaten that much food before, but it was all so good. 
My last day in Vietnam was quite a sobering one to say the least.  We visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum, and what a sight to see.  The images and words portrayed many emotions that completely changed my viewpoint on the war.  I’m super glad I got to visit this museum, and I hope that we never have to experience a tragic war like this again. 
Following the museum, I got more shopping done in downtown Saigon and enjoyed a 90 minute hot stone and oil massage… for only 13 dollars.  What a deal. Only if massages back home cost that cheap…
Overall, Vietnam was nothing I had expected, but phenomenal at the same time.  I hope to come back someday and spend more time here. 
Now, I’m sitting in my bed and we are en route to Hong Kong, China.  This might the first time that the seas are really rough.  We had to close the hatch to our cabin window, and secure everything we had out in our room.  It’s going to be hard to sleep tonight.  Waves are huge, and this storm seems like it’s not letting up any time soon.   Wish me luck!

March 17, 2011

It's approximately 11:00 at night here in this calm ocean.  We found out earlier today our new port will be Taiwan.  No more Japan obviously.  Listening to Mumford and Sons.  Relaxing.  Finally.  We gain an our tonight rather than loose one.  Singapore to Viet Nam, time-zone drawer guy didn't know how to draw a straight line I guess... I don't mind it though.  I don't mind it at all.  Tomorrow, class.  Next day Viet Nam.  Sweet.  Excitement.  Great excitement of what to come... only because I have no clue what I'm doing there.  The best way to travel: On the spur of the moment, no plans at all.  Just great experiences.  Stay tuned for post-Viet Nam updates.  Thanks to all, stay lovely people. 

Good Things,
Eric

Update on Japan's Port of Call...

March 14, 2011: The Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE), in consultation with our shipboard administration, has resolved to cancel the Spring 2011 Semester at Sea voyage's call to Kobe and Yokohama, Japan on April 4 and April 7 respectively. This decision follows our careful assessment of the conditions in Japan which raise serious concerns about health and safety as well as concerns that our visit would impede relief efforts currently underway. Our assessment also takes into consideration a recent travel warning for Japan issued by the U.S. State Department. Currently, ISE and senior voyage officials are evaluating alternative ports in consideration of safety, logistics, and maximum value to the academic and field programs. Thank you for your patience during this complex process. A revised voyage itinerary will be announced on the SAS website in the next 48-72 hours. Participants who have signed up for ISE-sponsored field trips in Japan will be reimbursed.

March 14, 2011

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always."
-Mahatma Gandhi

March 12, 2011

As human beings, our greatness lies not so much
in being able to remake the world - that is the myth
of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.
       – Mohandas Gandhi

March 6-11, 2011

Before I begin to empty out my emotions regarding this planet and its inhabitants, I'd like to start this blog entry apologizing for not updating my page lately.  As you can assume, everyday I learn an exponential amount more about myself, others, and this world we live in.  It's hard to write down what I learn day in and day out, given that I don't even know myself what is happening all around me.

With that said, we are currently sailing away from India, and I feel that these past 6 days have been equivalent to approximately 3 months in any other schooling system that I've ever been a part of.  I now have a complete new mindset on everything we are seeing, breathing, smelling, touching, and tasting everywhere around the world.  You don't realize what the world is actually up to, until you are dropped right in the middle of it. 

Day 1: Hung out in Chennai, ate some local food, went to an Indian supermarket, hung out with locals all day.
Day 2: Woke up @ 4a.m. to catch a plane to Delhi, hung out in Parhganj Bazaar all day, met locals, bought some sweet pants, saw a protest parade, went to a wedding, played pool with locals, and walked the streets of Old and New Delhi. 
Day 3: Played some more pool with locals, went to the Lodi Gardens, went to South Delhi and the Deference Colony, hung out on the roof of the hotel.
Day 4: Went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, hung out all day in some temples and monuments, headed back to Delhi at night.
Day 5: Checked out form the hotel, hung out last time with locals we met the first day, walked around Delhi, headed back to the Ship via Jet Lite Airways. 
Day 6: Hung out in Chennai, went and spent the remaining time at a local hookah bar and talked to the owner for a long time, picked up some henna tattoo ink, headed back to the ship. 

Here is the basic itinerary of what I did, but it has no comparison to what I've learned and actually saw in India.  You really grasp the fact that we are living in a fairytale world back home, and it is heart-breaking to see what people will do to make a living all around the world.  But besides the incredible time I had in India over the past couple of days, we all need to open our eyes and ears and notice what is going on around the world.  Libya, Japan, Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, basically the middle-east as a whole, etc.  What is going on?  Riots, assassinations, tsunamis, political uprisings?  If anyone who is reading this can find me a good article to read about everything that is going on, please email it to me.  We just left India, and I am currently watching the world news on our TV's in my room. 

It didn't hit me until I had just left India.
It hit me when I heard that Japan is [right now] experiencing an immense earthquake/tsunami that is literally wiping out the entire coast of Tokyo, and other places, let alone everyone else connected to the Pacific Ocean.
It hit me when I heard the name of some Japanese students over the intercom of the ship, whom I can only imagine are going through a lot of turmoil regarding their families and such. 
It hit me when I was watching a political leader plead to his people, whom couldn't even listen to what he had said to say due to their ridiculous amount of ignorance. 
It hit me when our dean told us that we are not sure if we can stick to our voyage's itinerary.

But what really hits me, is the fact that I'm in the middle of it all and am having the greatest learning experience of my entire life.  We can only do so much, and simply have to ride the storm in when it comes to these worldly issues, no pun intended.  I'd love to write more, but I'm wasting my valuable time that I have left on this ship of exploration.  Thanks for everyone's support and keep in touch.

May the world be a nicer place one day,
Eric

PS: If there are any mistakes with my grammar, language, etc. forgive me, I don't feel like re-reading everything I wrote. 

March 1, 2011

Dear Blog,

Mauritius was fun, and much more beautiful than I could of ever imagined.  But straight to the point, post-college... I'm going to join the Peace Corps. Awesome.

Eric

February 17-22, 2011

Watching South Africa diminish into the night sky made me realize that this country is definitely one I will visit again.  My time in South Africa was to say the least superior, and I can’t wait to do more there sometime in the near future. 

Day 1: Waking up, stumbling to breakfast to realize that we cannot reach the port because the winds are too strong to fit the ship into the small port opening.  All day long we had to stay on the ship in the middle of South African’s rough waters.  Not a good start to a ports stay. 

Day 2: We finally port the ship right around lunchtime, and once we cleared all of the immigration and customs things, we toured the city and planned for the rest of our time in South Africa.  Later on, we headed up to Signal Hill, where we could watch the U2 concert from a far/overhead distance, the full moon, see Table Mountain in the nighttime, and see a aerial view of the entire city of Cape Town.  Afterwards, we headed out onto Long Street that night and seeing the incredibly diverse group of people that inhabit the area.  Great start to our time here. 

Day 3: Went on a wine tour from 8:00 until 6:00 in the afternoon.  I had no clue how many vineyards were in South Africa, but I now know how to taste wine like a pro.  We visited 4 different wineries, got to taste an abundance of wine at each one, had a complete tour of the first one, had a delicious brandy tasting at the second winery, ate an incredible lunch after that, enjoyed an immense cheese tasting at the third, and simply listened to live music while gazing upon the vast mountain ranges at the fourth winery.  Definitely had a great day, followed by a great night of having a South African dinner with some faculty from the ship. 

Day 4: Took a taxi from Cape Point to Camps Bay Beach, where I relaxed on the beautiful, national-geographic-like beach all day long.  We ate lunch at a local Pizza joint, and had a few brews while watching the waves crash onto the massive rocks by the shore.  The water was too cold to surf, which kind of bummed me out, but the day was awesome to say the least. 

Day 5: Started the day off sand boarding in these bright white sand dunes, which were about an hour away from the port.  We boarded for about 4 hours, and then decided to go Kloofing in the Kogelburg Biosphere Reserve, which absolutely blew my mind.  We followed our tour guide, hiking about an hour into the mountain range, to come upon these beautiful gorges, where we swam, mountain climbed barefoot, and jumped from high distances into the gorges.  It was a long day, and very tiring, but definitely worth the incredible scenery and great times. 

Day 6: Woke up at 4:45 in the morning, and headed off the ship to hike Devil’s Peak, which was definitely worth the early rise.  It took us about an hour and a half to hike and climb the rigorous mountainside, but the view was worth the calf burning and quad-stimulating climb.  After descending from the peak, we headed downtown Cape Town and relaxed until we had to board the ship to leave the country. 

All in all, South Africa was incredible, and much different from Ghana.  Now, It’s back to class time and we’re headed off to Mauritius.  Wish me luck!

Here's a couple pictures from my trip so far, it take forever to upload them so everyone will have to wait till I get home to see them all, hope all is well and greetings from the warm South Africa!

Eric

February 15, 2011

Surrendering to the fact that I am nothing, but we are everything.
Enhancing my knowledge to better not my future, but the fate of our world.
Manufacturing ideas to construct an unparalleled reality.
Existing in each moment as its own.
Stimulating my senses, to better my judgments. 
Thinking globally, acting locally.
Extinguishing stereotypes, prejudices, and assumptions.
Realizing that without suffering and hardships of the past and present, there would be no willpower to the future.

Amounting, as a generation, to all that we have the potential to be.
Trailing in no one's footsteps.

Sailing across the seas, finding the better me. 
Expecting nothing but the unexpected.
A is for aardvark. 


Thanks mom and dad for giving me the world.  I know now, what some people never have the opportunity to realize. 

Good Things,
Eric

February 6-10, 2011

Ghana (Gah-nuh): a country in which the majority of people in the entire world: including Americans, Ghanaian themselves, myself, and many important public figures in world... have no clue how corrupt and demeaning the life of the people who live is; and a place in which I've learned to love and respect all at the same time.

Going to to Ghana, and better yet the capital, Accra, has really changed the way I perceive the life of people, and the importance of governmental infrastructure, while at the same time realizing the complete dis-importance of the government and what it does to its own people as a whole.  As sad as it is, the majority of what I've learned in this country, which is far more than my brain can collect in less than a week, has made me realize that I know less about what is going on in the world than I have ever imagined. It truly dug deep into my heart seeing the lives of some of these people, and better yet realizing that the world we live in (back at home), is simply a fairy tale.  I'm going to stop here on this subject, because I could write all day about it and I simply don't have the time...

On another note, Ghana was so much fun, had an incredible time, and it will be a country which I will visit again in the near future, hopefully for a longer period of time.  The two guys that took us around the country, whom names were conveniently both Eric, were a huge aid in our understanding of the country and we could never seen as much as we did and completed as much as we did without their help. 

Some people have emailed me asking me what I've done in Ghana... and besides: visiting castles and slave dungeons, climbing in a canopy in the middle of a forest, eating some of the spiciest/greatest food I've ever witnessed, hanging out with an abundance amount of locals, meeting people from the US not affiliated with Semester at Sea in bar's, walking the streets of the outskirts of Accra, visiting the mountains, seeing the amount of people who struggle to simply survive in their everyday actions, visiting many embassies, working with school children through Freedom in Creation and seeing the way they are being educated, talking to people who simply want to know why you are here(which by the way is evident that I wasn't a local, I always knew that Ghana was mainly dark-skinned, but I did not know I would be the only white person for miles), talking with local business men and women, riding on the intense(to say the least) roads, and simply living like a local for 5 days.......
       I got to learn more about myself and how privileged I am. Everything I do back home I take for granite, and I know more about myself through the lives of other people and this new land that I've laid eyes upon. 

I would really like to share more about Ghana, but I have got so school work to catch up on, and that's pretty important.

Thanks for everyone's emails, I can't explain to you enough how much it means to hear from family and friends from back home. 

Till next time my lovely audience,
Eric

February 6, 2011

Finally, we are off the ship and into a new country!  9 days at see wasn’t too bad, but it’s nice to be on flat land again, even though it took a bit to adjust to the floor beneath me not swaying back and forth any more.  As soon as Jake and I left the ship, we walked to the end of the gate where locals were outside waiting to sell us their goods and offer us rides.  Luckily, we immediately found our personal driver, Eric, and his friend, Eric.  I know it’s confusing but with three Eric’s and one Jake in a car actually makes it easier to communicate.  After getting acquainted with these guys, we set off for a day full of sights and activities in Ghana.  The first place we headed to was the largest castle and slave dungeon off the Ghana coast.  After touring this significantly dreadful place, we headed off to a place to eat, where we not only ate some of the best food in my life, but we also petted a massive alligator, which was directly next to us where we were eating lunch.  Next, we headed off to a national park, where we climbed suspended rope canopies through a beautiful forest.  After the long hike, we started our long journey to Accra, which gave me a different perspective on traffic and the way people drive at home.  The roads here are basically “anything goes”, and I think we passed through more police barricades than I’ve ever even seen in a movie.  Once we reached Accra, we entered the house we are staying at for the next couple days.  The family is so comforting, and their two kids, Michael, 21 and Rachel, 22 and very welcoming and easy to talk to.  For dinner, we ate some of the spiciest food I’ve ever laid my buds on, but it was one of the best home cooked meals I’ve had in a while.  Once we were all done with dinner, and we had a delicious fresh mango desert, Jake, the two Eric’s and I headed off to a bar called Champs, to watch the Super bowl (which  by the way didn’t start until 11:30 here, thank you time change).  For the first time in Ghana, we saw more white people than just Jake and I.  The game was awesome, even though we didn’t stay the whole time, and now we’re headed to sleep… long day ahead of us tomorrow. 

I told some people that I should have Internet where I’m staying, well I don’t.  I’ve got limited access right now, and won’t be able to stay long. I doubt I’ll be able to get on skype to talk to some people, but I’m going to try and make it happen if possible.  Thanks everyone for everything, and until next time.

February 2-5, 2011

I'd like to begin this blog entry by saying that these past couple days have been ordinary, but that would be a complete lie in so many ways.  Thursday we held Sea Olympics on the ship, and my sea one second place overall, which is a huge accomplishment!  The day was full of events including basketball, volleyball, dodge ball, relay's, 3legged race, etc.  Definitely one of the most fun days on the trip so far, but I'm getting anxious about Ghana and can't wait to be in port.  We've been at sea for 8 days now, and the Atlantic Ocean was nothing like I would've imagined.  Not once did the ship violently shake or experience any kind of horrible weather.  It was rather smooth the whole voyage across the sea.  My second point I wanted to make is that there is a sense of unity on this ship that is unparalleled by any other University in the world.  Not only do we live with everyone we take classes with, but we eat, work-out, and do everything with our professors and faculty on board.  It's hard to explain the concept if you've never witnessed first hand, but it is something that resonates a sense of "one" when we are consumed in each others lives each and every day, and the fact that we are traveling the world together sets this new feeling of accomplishment and educational achievement, that is obviously unobtainable any where else at home. 

Last night, I decided to not go to sleep on the ship.  Instead, I stayed outside on the top deck of the ship with some friends and simply watched the waves, looked out into the infinite horizon, saw dolphins leaping into the midst, and felt a sense of completeness that my mind, body and soul has never experienced before.  This is experience has probably been one of the best thus far, and I'm certainly going to do it again.  Watching the sunrise at the bow of the ship is something that everyone's eyes should witness; the array of colors beaming off the Atlantic, when there is nothing else in sight, is something that cannot be explained, which is why I won't try now due to the lack of justice it would entail. 

Today is the last day of class before we arrive in Ghana tomorrow morning, and I am so excited about the new land I'm about to witness and take part in.  Tonight, at our ship's pre-port meeting (where we learn about the country we are about to visit and learn everything we need to know about what not and what to do), I will be leading a drum circle while John Rosenberg and a few singer's perform a native Ghana piece.  It should be interesting, and I am sooo glad I finally found the "music room" on the ship. 

For anyone that has talked to me previously about skyping, this should be the first time on the voyage that I will have internet off the ship... hopefully that is.  For everyone at home, I miss you dearly and I hope that everyone is doing fine, and hope to hear from everyone soon.  Thanks again everyone for the emails, it makes me feel good hearing about what's going on back at home. 

Can't wait to see everyone and I mainly can't wait to come home and share my experiences with everyone! 

Wish me luck,
Eric

Febuary 1, 2011

For the first time in my life, I am sincerely starting to understand that...


"I am, because we are."


Being completely and utterly serious, if you are reading these blogs and most importantly, this blog, re-read this phrase several times, and try to grasp it's full meaning and how it effects your personal life.


"I am, because we are."

__________________________________


"I AM...... because WE are."


When I think about these words, no matter what time of the day it is, or no matter how busy I am, I block out my entire surroundings and reflect upon what it truly means. You don't have to be a scholar to understand it's meaning, but you need to have the self-dignity and commitment to your purpose in life, to truly clench it's importance. 


This concept, which only contains 5 simple words, explains everything we need to know about the world we live in and our inner-connectedness with the space and severely diverse group of people around us.  Derived from the definition of Ubuntu, this phrase has taken up a large portion of my thinking capacity day in and day out, throughout this entire voyage of discovery thus far.  For anyone that doesn't know the meaning of this powerful South African derived dialect, Ubuntu, simply look it up, and think about how it can effect each and every single one of our lives. 


We learn in school what we are taught, we learn from our friends what they have learn, we learn from our parents from their point of view, but most importantly, we learn about ourselves through personal experiences and the tangible relationships that we create amongst the people and places we see with our own eyes. 


Nelson Mandela explains it best...
"A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?"


Thanks for the support everyone.

Keep on reading on (my blog that is),
Eric

January 29-31, 2011

Ship life, once again, is incredible.  These past few days have been so much fun: getting back into the routine of classes, talking about our experiences with our professors, playing music with John Rosenberg, whom I call Uncle J now, getting a mad tan, getting ready for Sea Olympics, etc.  We are in the middle of the Atlantic(to be specific, Latitude: 02º 14.8N, Longitude: 037º 27.6 W, currently traveling at 20 knots).  Everything we do on the ship constantly keeps my mind in a zone of pro-activeness, and with every single day that passes by, I feel more and more accomplished as an individual.  Just found out that I will be obtaining a Ghana Visa when we arrive in port, which is incredible.  I'm so glad everything worked out and I believe that this next country will be one of the greatest.  This blog is going to be kept short, I've got a Biology test tomorrow and drum practice with Rosenberg and a couple guys, for our pre-port Ghana drum group.  I'm super stoked about what's to come, and I'm so fortunate that this dream of traveling the world has actually come true.  Also, I will be starting up a Freedom in Creation chapter with Jake Fitzgerald when we arrive back at USC.  It is going to be awesome, and we are going to change the world. 

Stay classy you people on land,
Eric

January 23-28, 2011

It was the numerous riverboat adventures.  It was the vast waters and colors that portrayed a feeling of unity.  It was the eating with the locals.  It was the giant lily pads.  It was the amount of Cayman/alligators.  It was the structures, monuments, and city sights.  It was the immense amount of poor and underprivileged indigenous people.  It was driving the riverboat, canoe, and kayaks.  It was the bus rides through the most beautiful land I’ve laid eyes on, untouched by Homo sapiens for miles upon miles.  It was the lack of electricity, fresh water, and food among the villages.  It was the children whom had never seen “white people”, or westerners ever in their entire life.  It was the love that everyone showed to people who were obvious not their countries inhabitants.  It was the riverboat, to bus, to ferry, back to bus, to riverboat, to canoes to get to where we stayed in the Amazon Rainforest.  It was the 200 ft. tall tree house we slept in hammocks in for 3 nights while doing community service.  It was the nighttime alligator spotting, boa constrictor catching, and destinations into the unknown, with Jake and our tour guide.  It was the baths we took in the Amazon River every night we got home from work in 114-degree weather.  It was the meeting of the waters.  It was the local businessmen and women whose faces lit up when they say a group full of students coming to support their hardworking businesses.  It was the 20 minute long canoe ride to work every morning through the black river that appealed to all of my senses.  It was the monkey that lived at our village.  It was when this monkey would lie in my hammock with me and acted like a human being.  It was the interactions with the students, tour guides, and faculty (whom included John Rosenberg).  It was the children who were way younger than us, that we played soccer with every single day at work, and interactions with these children who knew no English… not too mention my Portuguese isn’t rather strong either.  It was jumping off of our 2-story riverboat every single day after a long day of work into the Amazon River.  It was the painting of the children school, the building of the bridge, and the incredibly delicious coffee that made my taste buds never want to drink coffee from home ever again.  It was the fish markets that smelled atrocious.  It was the late night Samba street party in the city, which was something that I never even knew, existed.  It was not only these things, but many more, which will be reflected in the pictures and videos we took throughout this entire week.

To say the least, Brazil was absolutely, unbelievably, incredibly, exceptionally extraordinary.  On the way to Ghana, I’ll be at sea for nine days.  Super stoked about taking on the Atlantic waters. 

January 22, 2011

Today was definitely the most chill day yet that we've had on this ship. Semester at Sea had no class today and instead, we had a "reading day".  My reading day consisted of waking up for breakfast, taking a nap, tanning by the pool, eating lunch, hanging out by the pool some more, eating dinner, working out, and hanging out by the pool some more.  I'd say that it has been a successful day, and such a perfect way to end off the week.  Tomorrow morning the ship will stop in the port of Manaus, Brazil, where we'll embark on our South American part of the journey for the next 6 days.  The first day I'll be traveling down the Amazon by river boat, fishing for Parana's all day long, followed by a night out on the town.  The next 4 days I'll be isolated in a remote village 100 miles away from our ship, where 20 other students and I will perform a community service project.  I cannot wait for this leg of the trip, where I will be aiding the natives with repairs to their schoolhouse, construction of a community center, and whatever else they through my way.  Get ready to hear about my amazing experience in a couple days to come!  Hope everyone at home is doing fine, and wish me luck in the rain forest!

January 20, 2011

So, never in my entire life would I ever have thought that class would be enjoyable.  Especially subjects like Biology.  Turns out, one of the coolest classes I’ve ever taken, due to the awesome professor teaching this course.  The only thing that is hard about these classes is the fact that you can look right outside your classroom window and the see the Amazon River and a bunch of random locals in wooden canoes traveling along side the shoreline.  Another cool/key part to this class is instead of just talking about birds in class, any time we see one flying by the ship we stop class to look at the sights and admire our beautiful classroom outside the ship’s interior.  After lunch, had another hard day out by the pool, getting some more mad sun from the equators finest, and playing some intense ping-pong and swimming just a little bit.  Finally it’s time to relax from a long day of school and hard work, and sit back, do a little bit of homework while watching Planet Earth on the ship’s TV system.  Just checked out the ship’s report too, and we are going about 12 knots down the Amazon river, not too fast, but perfect speed to be rocked to sleep.  Night world.

January 19, 2011

Entering the Amazon River.  Kind of a big deal and this is the first year that Semester at Sea has attempted to do it.  Didn't know this little bit of vital information before embarking on this wonderful voyage, but turns out it worked out really well.  It was pretty entertaining listening to all of the crew warn us about standing on the top deck of the ship, and if we were to do so that we needed to hold on tight to the hand rails.  Captain Kingston came on the loud speaker and warned us that "the ship might roll a bit", due to them taking off the stabilizers for the ship so that we could enter the shallow waters of the Amazon River.  So yea, Mr. Captain could we please use another ship term to substitute rolling?  Though it was kind of funny, and it turns out that we had the smoothest sailing yet once we entered the Amazon.  Anyways, that was the night time fun of my day, and during the day was just a regular old two classes a day, lunch, gym, lay out(which I only did for 30 minutes because we are currently directly on the equator), and then dinner.  Ship life = incredible.  Every single day on and off the ship is so fascinating that I have such a hard time choosing what to blog about.  Over-privileged is an understatement.  For anyone back home who can't decided where to study abroad or deciding if it's financially possible, make it possible.  We all live once and this is truly the best gift anyone can receive from their college life.  I'm going to get back to studying for my classes, a.k.a. sitting out by the pool reading a book, so until next time blog readers.

And by the way, for a little fact of the day...the Amazon river is super brown and really wide.

January 18, 2011

Once again, another awesome day at sea.  Started out feeling pretty queezy in my 8:00 Biology class, due to insane waves in the Atlantic.  But soon to be followed by an incredible presentation from this guy who does not-for-profit work in Nepal.  This professor on board started his non-profit quite a few years back, and it is devoted to saving young girls lives from being exploited by men from around the area.  It was so moving to see what the work of one man can do to a small town.  For years, young girls in this village continued to disappear from school, and no one would speak of what happened to them.  With time, this professor came to find out that a group of people would kidnap these girls, and there first day gone from there families, they would be raped at a minimum of 10-15 times a day.  The life expectancy of these 12-13 year old girls would be at most 3 years.  Could you imagine if that happened in our home towns? Every week, a new girl gets kidnapped.  It is so sad and this presentation was way too entirely moving for my comfort. It was sad to see what went on in Nepal, but incredible to see what this one man did for these young girls.  He currently has saved over 75 young school girls and has built a safe school for them to attend to get away from the crime and hate that they have endured all of there lives. 

It seems that every day aboard this ship, I feel more and more educated beyond any education I could receive any where else in the world.  We are currently traveling at 24.5 knots and we're are headed for the Amazon River entrance.  Looking at my live streaming map on the TV in the room, it looks like we are going to be on the Amazon in just a couple hours.  Once on the Amazon, we'll be traveling over 700 miles to a little town called Manaus.  I cannot wait to get there, and it's just a matter of time until I'll be living with the locals in a remote village 100 miles away from Manaus.  Along with 6 other students and this professor I previously spoke of, we will be living and barracks and helping this village repaint there school and aid in construction of there community center.  It's going to be eye-opening, and I'm counting down the days!

For everyone at home, thanks a lot for all of the emails, and to anyone who doesn't have that email adress, its embouchard@semesteratsea.net    Once again, I miss everyone and hit me up when you get a chance!  Peace world.

January 17, 2011

I've thought all day long about how I'm going to start off today's blog, and I can't even express a piece of happiness that has generated in the past 12 hours. It is simply astonishing how loving and caring people are on this beautiful island.  It’s something I could think about all day long, and yet at the end of the day I still wouldn’t have found a way to express this beauty.  Started of the day early, waking up at 7 in the morning, then immediately getting of the ship to make the most out of my last day in Dominica.  Chilled in town for a little bit, then headed with a group of amazing friends out to this little black sand beach called Mero.  Met some of the coolest locals today, including this guy who calls himself the “Rainforest Mushroom Man”.  These people were so incredibly welcoming and had some of the greatest food that I’ve had in a long time.  After spending a couple hours there, we headed back to Roseau where the ship was on port, and we walked around for hours checking out the locals life and the bountiful markets full of people willing to do anything for some money. The only difference here compared to everywhere else I’ve been, they don’t beg for money.  They want everyone to have a good time and it means the world to them to give a second of your time to simply talk and ask them questions.  One man I spoke to today told me, “Happiness is everything, we feel that we have accomplished our deeds of the day when we see you smile.  One of the most loving places I’ve ever visited and definitely a place where I’d like to come back to some day for a longer time period. 

January 16, 2011

Crazy times in Dominica, and it’s not pronounced the way I’ve thought for all of this time.  It’s more like (Dah-men-eek-uh).  Started off the day with nothing planned, ended the day having the best time of life!  We began today by grabbing a local taxi van, and convincing him to drive us around for the whole day for 10 dollars a person, which was the best idea we had ever made.  We headed out into the center of island, starting off at the Titou Gorge, this incredible cave that I wish I could’ve taken pictures of.  We all started swimming in this river, soon to find out that the river got ridiculously deep.  The river started to narrow, and we were soon surrounded by massive cliff walls that were engulfed by the rain forest.  Everything was so green, the smells were intriguing, and the water was incredibly clear.  After a short swim, we found ourselves climbing a waterfall inside of a cave, with the help of the local tour guides.  You know those movies with the absolutely unreal water caves that glisten the reflection of water on the walls, that is completely covered, letting minimal light through, with random water falls all around?  Yea, it was just like that. Absolutely incredible.  After leaving the cave, we went to a high point on the river where we jumped into the unbelievably blue water from about 50 feet.  Next, we headed to a national park, which had two huge, beautiful waterfalls that were only accessible by climbing on rocks.  It was definitely worth the climb, which you’ll see in my pictures when I get a chance to upload them.  After hanging out there for a couple of hours, we headed back towards the shore, and on the way stopped at a sulfur spring, that smelled atrocious.  Next, we went to the highest point above Roseau, to look down at the beautiful city, which had our huge ship in the background.  Our last stop was back where we started, at the port, where we jumped off this dock, and swam for about an hour.  We did soooo much in one day and I still can’t believe I got to see all of these amazing sights.  For dinner, I ate on the ship and it was once again, delicious.  After a shower, I went out with a bunch of friends to a local bar and it was the prefect ending to a long hot Dominican day.  I would say that day 5 was definitely a success.

January 15, 2011

After going to my two classes today and my wonderful two-hour nap, I got to enjoy the ship’s gym and pool.  By the way, it is so hot during the day in the middle of the Caribbean… just to let everyone know at home who is currently freezing, not to rub it in though.  But anyways, ship life is incredible, and I’ve already found something that has moved me more than anything could ever do at home or at my regular campus.  Who would think that on day 3 of this voyage, I would be completely and utterly moved by an opportunity that I’ve been searching for a long time, but just couldn’t find a way to make it actually happen.  There’s this guy on the ship, named Andrew Briggs, who participated on a Semester at Sea trip about 9 years ago.  His story is so moving, and it is what I’ve been searching for a really long time.  He spent a good part of his lifetime after SAS traveling around the world, searching for a calling, or a place that he could help out in.  Finally, he stumbled upon Uganda, which seemed to hit his heart the most.  Long story short, he is the founder of Freedom in Creation, INC (which I hope everyone that reads this blog looks up on the internet to find out more information).  He simply found an area in the world, and implemented a plan to help these people in ways they could not achieve on their own.  He has built multiple schools, helped rebuild water pumps in many towns, which in turn has saved many lives in these remote areas.  I’ve been searching for my calling, and lately I’ve believed that being a part of a non-profit, or not-for-profit foundation would be a great way to start off my post-college life.  Later on today, my roommate, Jake Fitzgerald, interviewed this guy for his job position on the ship, serving as the Communications person onboard the ship.  During this interview, which lasted quite a long time, Andrew listened to what Jake had to say, which consisted of our dream of starting a non-profit foundation somewhere in the world.  His response, which absolutely blew my mind, was an invite to join this guy and his partner in his foundation.  I mean seriously, that would be the coolest job in the entire world, to travel with these guys, raising money for the foundation, and hopefully one day joining them in Uganda to help work and aid these people.  Anyways, sorry about spilling out my thoughts on this blog, but hopefully you enjoy what I’ve got to say!  I can’t believe this is day 3, and I’ve already felt like a changed person.  Peace out world, I’ll be visiting Dominica tomorrow and all day Monday.

January 14, 2011

First day of class, definitely a success.  Woke up late once again, due to not having a clock with the proper time, which I found out should be set in Atlantic time.  First class, Biology, was at 8 o'clock and it was far more interesting than I though it would be.  What I've learned very quickly on the ship is that every single one of these professors are not only ridiculously intelligent, but they are all in the same boat as the students are, no pun intended.  Most of them are so excited about the trip, and many of them have done the program before, which makes me so much more excited to learn about their experiences and how it relates to the subject at hand.  Right after Biology, I had my Global Studies class, which is quite enjoyable as well.  This class however is on the 6th floor of the ship towards the very front, and it's hard to not get a little dizzy when the waves are constantly swaying everyone in the room.  Following class, that ended before noon, I proceeded to lunch.  Lunch was never the less delicious, and directly afterwards I went out on the 7th deck by the pool, where the weather was definitely over 80 degrees and the Caribbean sun was beaming on my skin.  Everybody on the ship is so easy to get along with, and even though it's our second full day at sea, I already feel at home.  Later tonight, we stopped in Puerto Rico for a fill-up on gas, which was totally awesome to watch.  We pulled into the harbor, and a gas vessel came to us and filled up the ship, slowly but surely.  We weren't allowed to get off the ship, but I stayed up to watch ship leave San Juan at 2 in the morning.  Another great day in the Caribbean.  

So it’s the first full day on the ship, and it’s been full of meetings, seminars, and a dumb writing assessment.  It’s been a long day, but in the end, I’ve realized that the food on the ship is pretty dank after all.  Another thing I’ve quickly learned, it is so much easier to stand bad weather in the room, compared to the 6th or 7th deck on the ship, which can sway tremendously.   The mixture of a slight side-to-side motion, the music in my ears, and the slight rumble coming from the ships engine is very soothing while lying bed.  Started off the day right, missing breakfast due to the fact that we lost an hour of sleep, and my phone and laptop decided not to recognize that time change.  It’s nice walking up the stairs of the ship and suddenly realizing that instead of enjoying a nice warm breakfast, you’ve got to sit in a 2-½ long seminar about safety on the ship and about the expectations for the rest of the voyage.  All in all, today has been pretty chill and I’m pretty excited about starting my first day of classes tomorrow and meeting these incredible professors… bright and early, at 8am.

Dates in Ports/Weather

Nassau, Bahamas- Jan 12: 77 degrees
Roseau, Dominica- Jan 16 through 17: 77 degrees
Salvador, Brazil- Jan 25 through 30: 87 degrees
Takoradi, Ghana- Feb 6 through 10: 85 degrees
Cape Town, S. Africa-Feb 17 through 22: 78 degrees
Port Louis, Mauritius- Feb 27: 83 degrees
Chennai, India- Mar 6 through 10: 90 degrees
Singapore- Mar 16(only one day?!?!): 88 degrees
Viet Nam- Mar 19 through 24: 92 degrees
China- Mar 26 through Apr 1: 65-71 degrees
Japan- Apr 4 through 8: 63 degrees
Hilo, Hawaii- Apr 17-18: 80 degrees
San Diego, Cali- Apr 24 68 degrees

Courses on Ship

• History of the World in the 20th Century       HIST 2559
• General Biology                                             BIOL 1559-502
• World Poetry                                                  ENGL 2559-501
• Global Studies                                                PLIR 1558-501

The Route

Map of Spring 2011 Semester at Sea Voyage Destinations 

Pre-Voyage

Unbelievable.  In less than a week I will be on my way to the Bahamas to board the infamous MV EXPLORER.  It seems like just yesterday I was applying to the program, even though it has been almost a year since my application.  My University will be aboard a massive ship, and my classroom will be the world.  Time to start packing for my 104 day long voyage around the world.  Absolutely mind-blowing!  This will serve as my first entry to this blog, which I will continue to update throughout my entire semester.  If you're interested, follow my blog.  It will be life-changing.