All posts in SEA

This is a story about the people you meet when you travel. Their faces etched in photographs vainly attempting to capture one moment forever. A desperate attempt to hold on to people and places that you will likely never see again. They are fleeting moments and encounters — a glimpse when all is set and done.

When we travel, we run into memories that we hope to remember when we’re old and done with life. We hope to remember the people who were kind to us, who loved us despite not knowing why they shouldn’t.

Amidst the poverty, I have seen no despair. I’m afraid to lose the stories about the people I have met. I’m afraid to forget the faces, the words.

Mrs. Margaret was an older lady who worked at the Whim Plantation. Her hair was tightly wrapped in a tall, white scarf. The scalding heat of midday prompted me to walk inside the plantation house after a tour and ask if there was anywhere I could get water — maybe there was a water fountain inside. Free water, because I have been spoiled by first-world conveniences, I suppose.

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Mother Cramer. She speaks to you!

Hello there, still alive and having breakfast in Samana, Dominican Republic.

I’ve been living in another world. Seriously. It´s hard to explain how different life on board a moving ship can be. The rules are all different, from how you eat, to how you speak (it´s another language), to how you sleep, walk, shower, everything is done differently. And it’s easy to constantly feel like a total idiot.

But as you stumble on deck for night watch, and you look up at the starry sky. A sky so full of stars, that you cannot help but to stop for several minutes and wonder how you ever lived without experiencing it.

And then you have bow watch, which is an hour of standing at the very forward part of the boat, by yourself, communing with the wind and maybe God if you choose.

Those are the quiet moments in between taking down sails, often in the middle of the night, with nothing but a net separating you and the deep, black ocean.

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We did a lot today.

We started the day well by hitching a ride with a lovely family of tourists who let us share their cab for free. Then we spent the whole day visiting several forts, such as San Cristobal and El Morro. Since the SEA program is called “Documenting Change in the Caribbean” we have been talking a lot about this region, and it was great to finally put things into perspective by actually being here. San Juan is just full of historical places dating back to the Spanish colonization, and to hear the tour guide mention things we’ve been discussing in class was a slightly fulfilling moment.

We did a lot of walking around Old San Juan. Just gorgeous.

We also saw a lady get run over, although she seemed fine, and were overall tourists. Jamaica Kincaid would be ashamed. But I’m happy to report that we did stay and ate at local places. Well, except when Di and I crashed the Marriott’s pool. Good times.

Landed in Puerto Rico today. Beautiful places and beaches. It’s a stark contrast to the rainy, New England weather of the past six weeks. Tomorrow, hopefully visiting El Morro (not sure that’s how to spell it) and then Old San Juan, capped with sunset at the beach (our little local hotel is right by the Condado Beach).

Sarah Dixon giving us her best Top Model look. Tyra would be so proud.