29 Days!

Holy Crap.

Still a lot to do, and way overwhelmed with everything between work and SAS. Well this is going to be insane but I am so ready and nervous and excited. You think after all the talking I have done with Emily picking her brains to pieces that I would feel like I know what I am getting myself into, I still have no clue what to expect. I've been avoiding doing a day count for the last two weeks because I didn't want to know how close it was getting but I thought it was finally time. So since the last post I have changed and added to my list of what I will be doing. So here is the updated itinerary for myself for each country that I have figured out.

Canada: Explore and go to the club everyone is meeting at.
Spain: Sevilla
Morocco: Marrakech and Camel Trek in the Sahara 4 days / 3 nights
Ghana: still NO IDEA
South Africa: Shark Cage Diving, Skydiving, explore Cape Town (not completely planned yet)
Mauritius: Catamaran, Service Visit, and something else (not completely planned yet)
Vietnam: Hanoi visit, Halong Bay Cruise, Ho Chi Minh shopping day.
India: Dehli, Agra, Varanasi, Kate (hopefully, playing it by ear)
Hong Kong: day of exploration
China: Beijing - Great Wall of China (hike and sleep on), Acrobat show, village visits, Olympic Venues, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, Shaghai.
Japan: homestay one night, and some other stuff that I haven't figured out yet.
Hawaii: surfing, and seeing New Moon in theaters.

So yes, I still haven't set in stone anything in Spain, Ghana, SA, Mauritius, or Japan. So we will see what everyone else on the ship decides to do. I still need to turn in some paper work that I haven't gotten to do, get my yellow fever vaccination, malaria pills, couple of books, another luggage, currency, flight, hotel and I am good. Man...oh and I gotta slang some blades to make some more money. So until either the night before I fly out or the day I move in/on the ship!
A-RAM

70 Days!

-70 days as of Friday, June 19th that we depart from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- 69 days till I get on the ship because of work study
- 68 days till I get to Halifax.
...not that I am counting or anything...

I'm excited, nervous and scared...and waiting with each day making me a little more anxious. haha.

I feel like I need to get some more research done, but I think I am going to be okay.

Planning China has been going nicely, and I am glad so many people are interested in joining this amazing adventure.

I don't know exactly what I want to do or see in each country yet but here are some tenative ideas:

Canada - whatever I can!
Spain - seville / la alhambra / barcelona
Morocco - marrakech / saharra
Ghana - ...no idea... beach town
South Africa - Skydiving / Shark cage diving / cape town / safari
Mauritius - Scuba diving
India - Kate :) / Taj Mahal / Dalit Village
Viet Nam - ...no idea...
China - hong kong, beijing city tour, sleep on great wall of china, shanghai
Japan - disneyland, hiroshima, tokoyo, ice bar
Hawaii - zip lining, surfing, skydiving again, see New Moon (yes, I will go watch a movie cuz it's Hawaii and not a a foreign country), call Matt Sagum!


I need to get my plane ticket, shots and pills, books, and figuring out my packing situation hah! OH man...

95 Days & Counting

Hello,
So a little update on Semester at Sea. I am officially going, a lot of things are finally coming together in terms of funding. For once in my life I received financial aid, I got $4,000 from the program through work study in the Student Life office, two hours a day every day that we are at sea but not in port. Also, my grandma decided to give me my money left by my great grandma early, sine I am not supposed to have it until I am 21, so that was another 5,581 dollars towards Semester at Sea that I was hoping she would give to me early. I am really excited! I love talking to Emily about everything. Right now I am planning the Great Wall of China trip or the entire China Indy Adventure which should be really cool since a lot of past SASers and have used the company and really enjoyed it. I can't figure out when I am going to go fly to Canada cuz I want to see some of Halifax but a lot of people aren't going till the 26th and I have to be on the ship the 27th so I want to go the 25th, hopefully more people will go and I can find some people to room with or something. I need to get working on my visas and stuff, I am being a total slacker, not okay, but I am also just working a lot right now, it's a Vector Summer you know what that means! I am actually having a horrible summer start. Oh well, I'll do better eventually...hopefully

The End is Here

Well, this is my last week here. Just finishing out the internship and packing up and getting ready to go. Can't wait to get to CLU to see all my besties! I land in LAX at 11pm on Thursday

Until Semester at Sea

A-Ram

15 Days & Counting!

So as my time here in DC starts to get a little more awesome, it is only 15 days until I return home to wonderful CLU and prepare for another adventure called Semester at Sea. This past weekend my dad was here again and we did a lot. The weather has been wonderful in DC, the cherry blossoms are blooming and the sun is shining, the paddle boats are out on the Potomac in the Tidal Basin, and the grass is green on the National Mall, finally the weather I've been waiting for! While my dad was here I checked off quite a few things from my list. The best part was staying at the Ritz Carlton and hanging out with the Detroit Pistons haha. We finished the two Smithsonians I hadn't been too and that my dad was interested in, then we had dinner at Tombs in Georgetown that Candice told me about Wednesday night. We also went to this homemade ice cream shop in Georgetown that Candice referred to me it was amazing! We went through GWs campus and got me a shirt and his shot glass, then we also treked through Georgetown's campus looking for their bookstore, which was impossible to find. I didn't want anything by the time we got it because it was so hot from walking everywhere. The Capitals Hockey game was amazing!! Go CAPS they are going to rock the play-offs! Jefferson Memorial and Cherry Blossom Festival were awesome! That's basically what we did in a nutshell! Now n exactly five short hours I will be waking up to prepare on the best adventure to date: a Supreme Court Oral Argument. YAY! A group of us are getting up early to make breakfast for ourselves and the boys (Kevin Bumb, Eric, and Tyler) and the girls (Me, Amanda, Heather). Pancakes are my deal, Eggs are Amanda's and the boys better bring the syrup! lol. Actually we all need to wake up first! Haha. Anyway, then after that, I have a field trip for Violence and Values at the Arlington Detention Center, they told the girls to wear conservative clothing and nothing that sticks to you, uhh jeans stick to you!!! This should be interesting haha. Then our field trip with LCWS is to see Chicago at the theater! It's going to be a long and exciting day! I'm most excited for the Supreme Court hearing of course, it starts at 10am but since so many people try to go we have to get in line by 6:30am-7am. I bought my plane ticket home! I will be flying into LAX on April 16th, at 11:06pm WOOOO! This weekend I am doing all my community service hours working at the Cherry Blossom Parade and then an easter egg hunt thing here at the apartments.

Semester at Sea changed the itinerary on us again, we are no longer going to Croatia, Egypt, and Turkey due to piracy issues that they are unsure will be resolved by the time we go. So now my itinerary looks a little something like this along with my cheaper tuition because I got moved to an Economy cabin! WOO!
Fall 2009 Voyage Ports:
- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Cadiz, Spain
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Accra, Ghana
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- Chennai, India
- Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
- Hong Kong
- Shanghai, China
- Kobe / Yokohama, Japan
- Honolulu / Hilo, Hawaii
- San Diego, CA

Yay! Although I had stuff planned, it's time to restart my planning now that my itinerary got changed. Emily I can't wait to talk to you about South Africa and Mauritius! Our Ghana stop is the first one EVER on Semester at Sea so that's really exciting! I'm a little nervous about the new African countries, but I think I will be okay, I just want to make sure I don't get sick or anything like that, I am really paranoid about that kind of stuff, I also have to get lots of shots before I go.

Anyway, DC is finishing out nicely, just one ten-page paper in my way, the debate and final test for Controversy should be a breeze, I hope I got an A on my presentation with my group last week because then I just need to Ace this paper and hopefuly get an A- but I'll more than likely get a B+ cuz he is not the greatest of professors.

Well I need to go to bed, long Wednesday ahead of me!

A-Ram

P.S - List continued after finishing some of it:
- Bureau of Engraving
- Mt. Vernon
- Resevoir
- Kennedy Center
- Eastern Market
- Army/Navy/Air Force Memorial

25 Days Left!

Only 3.5 weeks left! I really miss California, and I really can't wait to get back home, but I am definitely not ready to leave DC, it's just a wonderful city and beautiful to wake up to every morning and see the Washington Monument, having lunch in front of the White House, sitting on the steps of the Supreme Court, sitting on the steps at the top of the Lincoln Memorial at night peering over the national mall. I've gotten a few things off my list from two posts ago, but developed a few more things to add to that list haha. So here is the new list of things I need to do and I am going to do soon:

- Capitals Hockey Game (3/27)
- Tombs Restaurant (3/25)
- Thomas Sweets (3/25)
- State Department (3/25)
- Bureau of Engraving
- Finish American History and Air & Space
- Kennedy Center
- Eastern Market
- Jefferson Memorial
- Army/Navy Memorial
- Mama Ayesha's
- Caribou Coffee (3/27)
- Dupont Circle
- Adams Morgan (3/28)

Along with all my school work: 1 paper due (3/25), 1 presentation (3/26), 3 case briefs (3/30), 1 debate to prepare for (4/13), one 10 page paper (4/16) ...oh and my 12 hours of community service to finish.

Community Service Line Up: (9 More Hours to Complete)
- Cherry Blossom Festival Parade: 4.5 Hours (4/1)
- Easter Day Celebration @ Riverplace: 2.5 Hours (4/1)
- Serving Dinner at N Street Village: 2 hours (soon)

Oh man, I feel overwhelmed now, anyway, that's what my last few days in the District will consist of...oh I almost forgot.

Dad visits 3/25-3/30
Travis Becker visits 3/28-4/1
Natasha visits 4/9-12

I go home 4/17 and hello Coachella Fest!

Much Love,
A-Ram

One Month Left! :)

And I am home!! Yay! I can't wait, it's becoming overwhelming being here to be quite honest, I can't focus on preparing things for Semester at Sea, Emily I understand why you were stressing so much! We just got e-mails today about the payment deadlines and what not. So I guess this blog will be starting to shift in that direction soon, but before that can happen I have to finish this semester, and do all these applications for scholarships, grants, jobs, and what not for Semester at Sea and working this summer. So this weekend was really low key, just did a little bit of shopping and went to the American Art and National Portrait Galleries. So, check off that list! Tomorrow I am going on a tour of the Supreme Court, and then I also get finish the American History Museum! Check and Check! I ate some Afghan food today during lunch at the Koch Foundation which was really good, I can't wait till next Tuesday! haha! Maybe I will go there just for funzies by myself again soon! Hehe. It's only one stop down! Anyway, I guess I am making the best of things while I am finishing up here. My dad flies in on Monday which is great! And he will be here for a couple of days, so I can see him and it will make it go by fast. Then on Friday Travis Becker will be coming into town for the weekend so we will be havin some fun! Oh and we have our meeting with our advisors back home on the Friday Travis gets in. Natasha gets here the 9th-12th of April and I am good to go with 4 days left and going home! YAY! Anyway! I need to go get my favorite ice cream I discovered, which they don't have in California, Andes Mint Ice Cream Sandwich! :)