From the desk of Clam

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Today was our first day back at sea and it was rough. Last night we came across a storm and the boat was literally projecting us from our beds. Luckily for me, I did not have an early class and was able to sleep in a little bit. I hit the top deck for a bit and then headed to world religion where we began to discuss the Rastafarian religion. Interesting stuff. No one was feeling very well yesterday because of the waves and so we took it easy for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Global Studies today. WOW. Our speaker was a professor here on the boat that spoke on the sex slave trade in Nepal. Nepal is a country that is bordered by China to the north and India to the south. Being landlocked, the country of the Nepal has no natural resources of their own. It is one of the few countries in which the life expectancy for men is greater than women. This is because of the high maternal mortality rate in Nepal. Not as many as ten years ago there were only 6 female physicians for all 30 million people of Nepal. It is one of the bottom 10 nations in the world. Napal is a country that still operates under a caste system. Still in 2011. The lowest caste is referred to as the untouchables. After 3^rd grade children must pay to attend public school. It cost a mere $50 to send a child to school for one year, yet the lowest caste cannot afford to send their daughters to school and are often forced to sell the young girls as sex slaves. 12-year-old girls are sent to Mumbai as sex slaves where they live for the rest of their lives working as sex slaves until they become too sick. Our professor told us that it is a common belief among the HIV-infected men of Mumbai that they can be cured of their AIDS if they sleep with a virgin. This is the most disgusting horrible and scary thing I have ever heard. It makes me sick to my stomach. Every YEAR 12,000 girls are sold in slavery because they cannot afford to pay $50 a year for an education that will literally save their lives. Our professor learned of what was going on and acted. He started by donating $50 to save a girl named Inu from slavery. He has returned to Nepali every year to make sure she is safe. His organization called Empower Nepali Girls is changing the lives of the girls in the remote villages of Nepali. He has developed relationships with the people of Nepali and he has acted where there was a need and he has made a difference. It is incredible. www.empowerneapligirls.org.

In America we really have NO idea what it is like to be oppressed. We have real freedom. Women have freedom. I never once question my safety in the 3^rd grade. When I was in the 3^rd grade I was swimming on the swim team and reading every book I could get my hands on. I dreamed of being a doctor. I am so thankful to live in America. I don’t appreciate it enough. We must never forget to blessings and the opportunities that we have been given. We also must take the blessings and opportunities that we are given and do something to help others. I will not let my life be a waste. I am far too blessed.   

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Tonight around 10:30pm we entered the mouth of the amazon river! The largest river of the worldddddd.

 

Saturday, January 22, 2011

We have been traveling down the Amazon River for a few days now! The Amazon is the largest fresh water river in the world. It is 6700km long and every day 1.5 trillion gallons of freshwater are pumped into the ocean. We entered at the mouth of the Amazon near a city named Macapa. We are right at the equator (actually just crossed it) and so it is real steamy! Tomorrow we will land in Manaus! I am looking forward to getting off the boat again to explore another country. After one day in Manaus I will fly to Rio de Janeiro where I will spend a few days before returning to the port of Manaus. J YAY! Other than preparing for Brazil, I have just been going to classes and meeting more and more new people. There sure are lots of people on the boat. I have taken up the habit of using mnemonic devices to remember people’s names. It has worked fairly well! I just returned form my sea captains meeting (I am captain for my sea- the Mediterranean Sea) during which we began to plan the sea Olympics. My group planned the opening ceremony. It is going to be awesome!  The Mediterranean Sea’s color is green. Go big green. If yall could please wear green on February 3^rd  (the day of Sea Olympics) in support of my team that would be awesome. K thanks.