Questions from Myanmar, Neptune Day, and Mauritius!

Thank you for all your questions! I'll do my best to answer them.

1. In this picture there are pagodas! Pagodas are the type of temple I was talking about. I took that picture while standing on top of another pagoda at sunrise (certain types of pagodas you can climb up). Here's a closer view of one of the pagodas.



2. In Myanmar the money is called 'kyat' (pronounced 'chat'). Approximately 985 kyat equals one US dollar! This is what kyat looks like. The bill I'm holding is 1000 kyat, so just a little more than a dollar or a loonie.



3. We rode all over Bagan with the scooters! We drove on the paved roads which were smooth, but the dirt paths on the plains were dusty and sandy. At one point we even got stuck and had to run alongside our bikes while pushing them through the sand!

4. The monks with the red robes were everywhere in Myanmar! And we were allowed to go basically everywhere they were. Quite often they were just visiting the temple as well.

- - -

1. For the first few hours it felt very, very strange to have my head shaved! Yes, my head feels very cold sometimes! I carry a scarf with me so if I am cold in my classes I can drape it over my head. And yes, because of the sun my skin is rather tan but my head was white! Now that my hair is growing back it looks less strange. Yes, I've still been using shampoo mostly because I don't know what else I would do. When I go out in the sun I am very careful to make sure I am wearing a hat so that it isn't boiling on my head! Here is a picture of what I look like now, a week after shaving it all off- I'm holding up my Semester at Sea ID card to compare how much hair I once had!



2. Yes, it felt strange to kiss the fish. It was cold and slimy. It wasn't that strange to kiss my professor's hand because everyone was doing it! It was just part of the fun. And I knew it wasn't going to be fish guts because we had seen them already dump it on a bunch of people before we went. If you want to see more pictures, here is an article on the Semester at Sea website with pictures of King Neptune and all the crazy stuff that happened that day (if you look closely I'm actually in it- I'm wearing a blue tank top and jumping into the pool)!

3. Hmm, the temperature differs a lot. While we were in the Indian Ocean it was very warm, close to 25-30 degrees. However, now that we are farther away from the equator and getting closer to Africa, it will be about 15-20 degrees. When we sail back up to Ghana I think it will get warmer.

- - -

1. It was a lot of fun to go swimming with my friends on the beach! We didn't go very far out because a lot of boats were moored very close to the beach, and there was a roped off section to show us where it is safe to swim. The water only went just past my waist. Because of the rain, all the sand had made the water very cloudy, so we didn't see any fish. I'm grateful we didn't see any whales or sharks, I might have been scared!

2. I think my favourite country so far has been either Vietnam or Myanmar. Myanmar was very beautiful and unique but I met so many wonderful people in Vietnam so I think it is a tie. I still have a few more countries to go!

3. The rain was very hard at times! We were soaked in seconds. Other times it wasn't as bad.

4. For lunch in Mauritius I had this wonderful traditional Mauritian sandwich! I don't remember its name because it was in French, but it was covered in cheese and onions and tomatoes. It was very tasty.



- - -

I love answering your questions! In two days I will be in South Africa. We are actually sailing very close to the shore, so I have been able to watch South Africa go by from the windows in my classes.

Questions from Myanmar, Neptune Day, and Mauritius!

Thank you for all your questions! I'll do my best to answer them.

1. In this picture there are pagodas! Pagodas are the type of temple I was talking about. I took that picture while standing on top of another pagoda at sunrise (certain types of pagodas you can climb up). Here's a closer view of one of the pagodas.



2. In Myanmar the money is called 'kyat' (pronounced 'chat'). Approximately 985 kyat equals one US dollar! This is what kyat looks like. The bill I'm holding is 1000 kyat, so just a little more than a dollar or a loonie.



3. We rode all over Bagan with the scooters! We drove on the paved roads which were smooth, but the dirt paths on the plains were dusty and sandy. At one point we even got stuck and had to run alongside our bikes while pushing them through the sand!

4. The monks with the red robes were everywhere in Myanmar! And we were allowed to go basically everywhere they were. Quite often they were just visiting the temple as well.

- - -

1. For the first few hours it felt very, very strange to have my head shaved! Yes, my head feels very cold sometimes! I carry a scarf with me so if I am cold in my classes I can drape it over my head. And yes, because of the sun my skin is rather tan but my head was white! Now that my hair is growing back it looks less strange. Yes, I've still been using shampoo mostly because I don't know what else I would do. When I go out in the sun I am very careful to make sure I am wearing a hat so that it isn't boiling on my head! Here is a picture of what I look like now, a week after shaving it all off- I'm holding up my Semester at Sea ID card to compare how much hair I once had!



2. Yes, it felt strange to kiss the fish. It was cold and slimy. It wasn't that strange to kiss my professor's hand because everyone was doing it! It was just part of the fun. And I knew it wasn't going to be fish guts because we had seen them already dump it on a bunch of people before we went. If you want to see more pictures, here is an article on the Semester at Sea website with pictures of King Neptune and all the crazy stuff that happened that day (if you look closely I'm actually in it- I'm wearing a blue tank top and jumping into the pool)!

3. Hmm, the temperature differs a lot. While we were in the Indian Ocean it was very warm, close to 25-30 degrees. However, now that we are farther away from the equator and getting closer to Africa, it will be about 15-20 degrees. When we sail back up to Ghana I think it will get warmer.

- - -

1. It was a lot of fun to go swimming with my friends on the beach! We didn't go very far out because a lot of boats were moored very close to the beach, and there was a roped off section to show us where it is safe to swim. The water only went just past my waist. Because of the rain, all the sand had made the water very cloudy, so we didn't see any fish. I'm grateful we didn't see any whales or sharks, I might have been scared!

2. I think my favourite country so far has been either Vietnam or Myanmar. Myanmar was very beautiful and unique but I met so many wonderful people in Vietnam so I think it is a tie. I still have a few more countries to go!

3. The rain was very hard at times! We were soaked in seconds. Other times it wasn't as bad.

4. For lunch in Mauritius I had this wonderful traditional Mauritian sandwich! I don't remember its name because it was in French, but it was covered in cheese and onions and tomatoes. It was very tasty.



- - -

I love answering your questions! In two days I will be in South Africa. We are actually sailing very close to the shore, so I have been able to watch South Africa go by from the windows in my classes.

Bonjour from Mauritius!

Hello Mrs. Simpson's class!

A couple days ago I spent the day in Mauritius! Do you remember where Mauritius is on the map? It's a very small island east of Madagascar. It is a very beautiful place, but unfortunately when the MV Explorer was there, it was raining! It rained all day but my friends and I didn't let that stop us from having lots of fun. Below is what the island looked like right before it started raining.



To get out of the pouring rain, we visited the Natural History Museum. Something very special about Mauritius is that it is the only place in the world where the dodo bird used to live before they became extinct. Because they had no natural predators on the island, the dodos became a fat, flightless bird! When Europeans landed on the island, they were very hungry from having spent months at sea, and it was very easy for them to hunt these birds.



This is what scientists think the bird looked like. It is actually quite big, about a metre tall. At the museum there was a complete skeleton. There are only a couple other museums around the world that have dodo skeletons.



Unfortunately, by 1700, less than eighty years after Europeans had first seen a dodo bird, it was extinct. This is partially because humans ate them, but also because Europeans brought animals, such as rats and monkeys, to Mauritius that ate the dodo bird eggs. Later, humans would realize that the dodo bird demonstrates how we can destroy the natural world if we're not careful. We have to work hard to preserve nature and it's inhabitants.



After the museum, my friends and I wanted to go swimming, even though it was raining! The Indian Ocean was a turquoise colour and was very warm.

Something interesting about Mauritius is that everyone speaks French! This is because, like Canada, Mauritius was once a French colony. I wish I remembered more French from when I was in school, it would have been very helpful.

Wow, you have so many questions! I'll do my best to answer them soon.

Neptune Day!

Dear Mrs. Simpson's class,

Yesterday was a very special day on the MV Explorer! We passed through the equator, the imaginary line that divides the world in half. This part of the Earth is closest to the Sun, so it has been getting very warm. Crossing the equator on a ship for the first time is an important moment for all sailors, because you turn from a land-dwelling "pollywog" into a "shellback".

This was a fun day to celebrate how far we have traveled. One of my professors dressed up as "King Neptune", the king of the seas. He was painted green!



First, we had "fish guts" poured over our heads- don't worry, it was only coloured water! Then we jumped into the pool, and when we climbed out, we kissed a fish and the ring on King Neptune's hand before being knighted as shellbacks! You didn't have to do anything if you didn't want to, but it was a lot of fun if you did!

Finally, one of the other optional traditions is to shave off all your hair. And guess what? I did that!



So now I am bald, along with many other students on the MV Explorer! Many boys shaved their hair, and about 10 girls did. It feels very strange because I have never had my hair this short before. You can ask Mrs. Isaak what she thinks about her daughter having no hair! We'll see how long my hair grows before I visit you again in June.

Do you think you would kiss a fish? Do you think you would shave off all your hair?

Namaste from India!

Hello Mrs. Simpson's class!

A few days ago the MV Explorer left India. India is the 7th biggest country in the world, and has the second biggest population in the world (with over 1.2 billion people), and it is actually called a subcontinent!

The ship docked in Kochi, which is on the south-west tip of India. However, I flew up north to visit some of the most famous places in India.

Do you recognize this place?



It's the Taj Mahal! It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and was built between 1632 and 1655. It is made of white marble. I think I remember us talking about it when I visited in December. Although it may look like a palace, it is actually a tomb. Inside there are two coffins. A ruler named Shah Jahan built it in memory of his wife, so it is also considered a symbol of love!



This is a picture of me sitting under one of the arches on the outside of the Taj Mahal. It's huge! Also, before you walk on the white marble, you have to put these special coverings on over your shoes! This is to protect the marble from becoming damaged over time.

Something interesting about India is that a large number of people are vegetarian. Many religions in India disapprove of eating meat, especially beef, because cows are considered sacred! So when you are walking around the streets, you will see cows wandering everywhere. People feed them all the time and everyone driving a car is very careful not to hit them. It is a very strange sight.



I have a lot of homework to do so this entry is going to be a little bit shorter. However, something really exciting happened on the MV Explorer today! I'll do my best to tell you about it soon!

More answers!

1. Yes, I got a little bit seasick when the ship was rocking. On the
ship they offer seasickness medication that helps settle your stomach
and I took some of that. I wasn't as sick as some of my friends though
because I didn't throw up.

2. My friend's class in Vietnam was an American history class! The
teacher is American and the class was in English. When I was there they
were learning about World War I and II. The Vietnamese students are
learning English so the teacher spoke very slowly and repeated herself
to make sure everyone understood. I took a couple notes on interesting
things she said, but I had already heard most of it before!

3. I saw a few dolphins while the ship was arriving in Hawaii but I
haven't seen any whales yet! My professor told me that when we get close
to South Africa we will see a lot of whales.

4. Ice coffee tastes like very cold, very sweet coffee. They add a lot
of milk and sugar so it tastes yummy! I normally don't like coffee but
because it was so hot in Vietnam the ice tasted especially wonderful.

5. It is very tricky to pronounce my friend's name! It took me a long
time to get it right. Ngan is pronounced sort of like "nugun", but you
have to try to keep the sound flat and in the back of your mouth.

6. Ngan tried really hard to teach me Vietnamese but I wasn't very good
at it! It is a tricky language. "Xin chao" is pronounced "Sin chow" and
it means hello! "Cam on" is pronounced "Gam un" and it means thank you.
I taught her the word "stupendous" because it is one of my favourite
words in English.

7. My Vietnamese friends taught me how to eat the duck egg. You crack
the top with a spoon and then scoop out the insides. It surprised me
because it tasted a lot like a normal egg! The texture was a lot like a
hard-boiled egg.

8. It is very difficult to decide my favourite food! I liked a lot of
the food I have eaten. Hmm, I think if I had to pick one food it would
be odon in Japan. Odon is warm soup and noodles with fried chicken. It
was perfect when we were walking around in cold Japan.

Thank you for all your questions! I love answering them.

In three days I will arriving in India. Do you remember me showing you
pictures of the Taj Mahal? I am so excited to go see it!

Rebecca

Mingalaba from Myanmar!

Hello Mrs. Simpson's class!

Myanmar/Burma is a very interesting place. An author named Rudyard Kipling once said that it is "unlike any place you know about". From what I saw, this was true!

For many years, Myanmar was a military dictatorship. Do you know what that means? The government was run by the military and no one was allowed to say anything bad about them, even though they were very mean to the people. A famous Burmese woman named Aung San Suu Kyi was not allowed to leave her house for 15 years because she disagreed with the government! Only in the past few years has Myanmar started to become a democracy. We are lucky to be born in a country where we are allowed to say what we think and vote for who we think should be in charge.

You may wonder why sometimes I call the country Myanmar and sometimes I say Burma. Burma was the name of the country for many years, but it was renamed Myanmar in 1989. Some people think it is not right of the government to rename a country, so you will often hear people say both.

The MV Explorer stopped in Yangon, which has a population of about 5 million people and is the biggest city in Myanmar.



This photo was taken at a place called Schwedagon Pagoda. A pagoda is a type of temple for a religion called Buddhism.

Do you see the boys in red robes in the picture? They are Buddhist monks! Approximately eighty percent of the population of Myanmar are Buddhist. It is very common for young men to be a monk for a couple weeks in their life. They shave their heads, wake up very early, must ask other people to give them food, and are not allowed to eat after noon. However, we also saw a lot of monks with smart phones and iPads taking pictures! It felt strange to see someone dressed in a very old fashion with very new technology.

On my third day I traveled with my friends to Bagan. Bagan is an ancient city in Myanmar. During the 11th to 13th century, over 10,000 Buddhist temples were built! Now, only about 2200 remain.



When we climbed to the top of a temple and looked across the plains and all the pagodas at sunrise and sunset, it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.



At sunrise, many tourists pay to be taken above the plains in a hot air balloon.



Because it is very expensive I didn't get to do that, but I did get to see the balloons in the sky every morning!



One of the ways we got around Bagan was horse cart. We would tell a driver where we wanted to go and then bargain for the price of him taking us there. Another way we traveled was electric bikes. It took us a while to learn how to drive them but it was so much fun! They were perfect for zipping around on the little dirt paths between the temples.



Myanmar is going to change a lot in the next few years as more and more tourists arrive to see the beautiful country. I am very glad I got to visit now before it changes too much.

I'll do my best to answer your questions before I arrive in India!

Rebecca

Answering your questions!

Dear Mrs. Simpson's class,

Every day on the ship I wake up at 7 AM. Sometimes we have a Study Day,
when we don't have any class, so I sleep in on those days. However,
breakfast is only served until 8:30 AM, so if I want to eat I have to
get up before then.

A couple of times I've had to get up very early. A few days ago I had to
wake up at 4:30 AM to get on an airplane.

The time changes are awesome because each time we pass through one we
get an extra hour of sleep! Right now we are 11 and a half hours ahead
of Bancroft. As I write this, it is 2 PM my time, but it is 2:30 AM your
time! I hope you are all asleep right now.

At the light show in Singapore the bubbles floated far above my head so
I didn't actually get to touch them. They were very pretty though.

In my next entry I'll tell you about my time in Burma!

Rebecca