#sasfa13

A place full of activity, Hamburg bustles about from one moment to another. A certain combination of new and old mixed with the tang of a harbor city. On the more modern apartments, you would see port-hole designed windows. The culture of the city is abuzz with creativity these September eves. From music in the city centre to buskers on the street to the many graffiti-ed districts which have become the place to find a drink after work or the record you’ve been hankering for.

I was fortunate enough to meet up with yet another Couchsurfer friend in Hamburg, Sven. He brought us out to show us the ‘scene’. We were able to see the different districts and try the local brew. I met a girl from Vermont who is backpacking alone through Europe for the next 3 months. She is making money as she goes by writing poetry on the spot. ‘Donations are appreciated.’ Sven showed us some local music as we went as well. We had Mexicana shots and Avara beer. It was a lovely time.

Sven and Kay, haha — don’t ask.

While watching a cover band sing American songs on the table tops of a German pub in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, Sven showed me the bill for future bands at this same pub. Every band had an English name. I asked Sven, “Why do they have English names? They can’t all just want to be famous. Do they also sing their songs in English?’ Sven went on to tell me that having a German name or writing your songs in German is often seen as nationalism. Just as most Germans won’t fly their flag because they view it as relating to Natzis, they also won’t make their music in their language. All of this is due to the World Wars.

I find this profoundly sad. All of Europe holds Germany an arm-length away even now. Those who are in my generation who never saw the horrors of war hold with them a guilt. They are not allowed to have pride in where they come from. To imagine a time in the world where I couldn’t write my songs in my own language is heartbreaking.

The Germans have a history of rising from the dust and building themselves back up. They have a history of making the best of what they have. I think there is a lot to learn from that cultural attitude. And I know that I don’t hold the wars against my dear German friends.

We also met up with another friend in Hamburg, Yan. He let us bum his Wifi from his apartment being as Wifi in cafés seemed to be almost non-existent. He also fed us a sausage thing called: ….. It’s very traditional in Germany. Funny thing is, I’ve been eating this concoction my entire life. My grandma has always made it. I guess some traditions have stuck with my family in the last 100 years.

My class Sustainable Communities had a field lab in the district HafenCity while in Hamburg. Hamburg is said to be the most sustainable city in Europe and HafenCity is their new all-sustainable district. It’s shining bright right out of the box currently. There is a beautiful new Opera house, loads of modern apartments jutting out over the canals, and cafes for people to meander at. The only problem is that it is filled with mostly tourists, service industry workers, and high-class business people. There isn’t a lot of culture in the district as of yet. But from walking the streets of the rest of Hamburg, I suspect that if the prices ever come down in the district it will flood with music and food and all those wondrous things that build community and culture.

I made my way from Harpenden to Heathrow in a much more convenient way. I found that there was a direct National Express from Luton to Heathrow. I had to wait 4 hours but I had good company. I always, always love the crew of National Express. They are a hoot. One of them, an older man, told me about how he and his late wife road his motorcycle from Hong Kong to London. He suggested motorcycle as the best transport to explore India. He’s going to do the same journey again to raise money for an organization that fights to find a cure for the ailment which took his wife. He had many more amazing stories and even provided me with a hot cup of tea. Another guy regaled us with a list of his top most annoyances including People, Bananas, Pineapples (because the grow upside down; it’s unnatural), and self-serve registrars. I made it to Heathrow in one piece and quite pleasantly even if I did have to sleep at a locked door in the airport for a couple of hours for the trains to run again to the hotel.

We just cast off from Southampton, weaved our way around the Isle of Wight and are headed for the Baltic and St. Petersburg.

I can’t believe I’m here. I never honestly thought that I would be on this ship.

It is full to the brim with yankee college kids but I’m finding that each of them have a pretty cool story and some sort of burning passion under their false pretense. I’m keen to get under their skin in the next 114 days. I have made a couple good friends so far — Carl who is in school for Engineering but dreams of being a farmer in a house he built himself in the mountains of BC and Andrew who is from Oklahoma (small world) and dreams of working for Pencils of Promise which is an organization that builds schools in 3rd world countries.

    I walked in my kip to find that I had a huge space with a rather large square window and a bathroom. I nearly burst into tears with gratitude. I was under the impression that they’d stick me at the bottom of the ship in a closet somewhere with 3 other urchins. I may have liked it better that way as I’m certain I’d have more freedom to crawl about the ship the way I have the urge to. I have two roommates and they seem nice and I think I’ve adequately prepared myself for the lack of privacy.

  The food is amazing. People say it’s always the same but I don’t understand why there is anything wrong with that. In the past two days, I’ve had everything from biscuits and gravy to salmon to veggie melodies and steak. They have horrific taste in tea but I thought as much and brought along some PG. Anyway, It all tastes pretty amazing to me. Plus the most delicious sweets… I’ve got to keep away from those.

What’s amazing is the professors and staff. The Dean of Academics has spent 995 hours in space… she’s walked on the moon! She is in the Astronaut’s Hall of Fame. How amazing is that? 

The ‘Life-Long Learners’ are mostly retired but man, they are cool. Ron from Seattle (my favourite LLL so far) started going on SAS voyages in 1993 when retired and has never stopped. This is his 12th voyage. I can’t wait to get to know more of them. 

I’ve met various other faculty and staff who are extremely intelligent, adventurous, and virtuous people. I am honored to have the opportunity to live in a community with them and learn from them.

I feel like the servant girl who tried on a fancy dress and was suddenly mistaken as posh and thus let into a ship to fool the masses. I am absolutely astounded that God put me here. While listening to the Deans, Faculty, and Staff introduce themselves, I again nearly burst into tears of gratitude.

As excited as I am to see the amazing things ahead of me, I am more excited for the amazing people I know I will have the privilege of learning from and getting to know.

And for my work, I only have one advisor and we get to do whatever we want with the position. That will give my creative side a rise.

My heart may burst from this feeling.

It’s only been two days on this ship but it feels so much longer than that… weeks.

I’m officially in the Baltic Sea again.

Can it be that I was here only a year and a half ago. That is certainly hard to believe. 

  This time is much less adventurous because this ship is very large. I can hardly feel the enormous waves I know are below. And the company, although great, is no Next Wave crew. And I’ve been scolded for walking around the ship with my teacup in hand 3 times now because “the seas may get rough”. I restrain from telling them that this is nowhere near ‘rough’. 

    I have two roommates who I’ve already come to enjoy the presence of. Today, we were offered the opportunity to switch one of us to another room so that we would just be a double again but we denied it. I am so proud of us. We chose to live in a tight-spaced community together. I hope for long friendships to come of it and I have a significant feeling that they will.

  For some reason I was so afraid when the Dean called us in to tell us about the opportunity to switch. He didn’t tell us why we were coming to the office. I just had this dreadful feeling that I had been caught and they were going to throw me overboard at worst and demote me to the brig at least. I just feel like I’m somewhere I don’t deserve to be at all. I am so blessed. 

  The community on-board here is amazing. It’s only day 2 but thus far every one is extremely eager to make friends. There is always a smile and a warm greeting along with some sort of question to start getting to know you. All the children on board get along fabulously even! I hear there has been a gang off 11 year old boys which have become inseparable. Today, one professor threw Jolly Roger decorated Yo-Yo’s into the crowd. One person would catch it and give it to another person who seemed to want it more even though they did not know each other at all… till that moment that is.

  Classes have begun and every one is excited to learn. I’ve never seen so many people excited to read a book. 

  The sunsets and sunrises are gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. 

  I keep wondering which of these ships my Dutch friends Herman may be on or Henrik. And passing the Isle of Wight, I couldn’t help but wonder at what Sam’s life looks like there. 

  We went around Holland on our route this time and just passed under some famous bridge into the Baltic. 

  Captain Jeremy Kingston is the Captain of M/V Explorer. He has the highest degree of Captain’s license where he can operate any ship in any sea. And he gained that within 10 years of sailing. He’s been sailing almost 40 years. Highly impressive and very friendly man. 

  Maj is from Germany and has lived in California since she was 3 years old. She’s gone back every summer to visit her dad and grandparents. I’m very excited to get to know her more. She’s the second person who has told me about Stinging Nettle Soup so I’ve resolved I’ve got to taste this and then learn how to make it because those damned stinging plants are all over my Moma’s land in Oklahoma. It’s about time we put them to good use. 

  And Karla is there girl I plan to find music in ports with. 

  I have a lot more time to think here that I ever had back home. I believe this is a good thing because there is a lot I need to think about. 

  I came across a quote that smacked my pride down a few notches today:

  “I don’t want to hurry it. That itself is a poisonous twentieth-century attitude. When you want to hurry something, that means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things.” – Robert Pirsig

  I am more than guilty of trying to hurry everything in my life lately. I know that I am trying to hurry everything because I am scared of it. It’s like when I’m on a roller coaster… It scares the hell out of me so I just close my eyes and hold my breath till it’s over. I think I’ve been trying to do the same thing with my life. Close my eyes and hold my breath till I’m at what I think will be a ‘good part’. Not that being on a voyage around the Atlantic ISN’t a good part but my looming future and all that it holds or doesn’t hold is scaring me deeply so, I’ve been trying to hurry it. I’ve been more focused on looking at grad schools in the last few months than in looking at the ports I would be visiting in the next few weeks. And the things I care most deeply about, I’ve been hurrying the most instead of enjoying the journey. It’s time to change some things.