I will start with today and work backwards!

I arrive in Chennai, India tomorrow morning! I think India is one of the ports I am most excited about because the more I learn about the country, the more I realize what kind of culture shock I am going to face. Over 1.2 billion people live in India and 76% of their population lives on less than $2 a day.  Tomorrow I will spend the day on a service project at a disabled home housing people from age 3 to 50. Then later in the evening I am going to attend a welcome reception at a local Indian university. Friday morning I will head out at 3:15a.m. for my trip to the Taj Mahal and Varanasi!  These next few days are packed full, but I am sooo excited to explore and experience India!

This morning as my friends and I were sitting at breakfast we noticed a small boat in the distance out the window. This size boat was very unusual for how far out we were.  But what else was unusual was that it kept coming closer to us. As it continued to get closer, we noticed it had black flags flying and three men waving. The men looked like they were waving for help or they were in distress because they never stopped waving.  Before they could get too close, our boat sped up and we lost them in our wake. Of course there was talk it was pirates, but later it was confirmed by the crew that that is most likely what they were. However, our captain didn’t take the time to find out for sure, he played it safe and we got out of there. Pirates have been a subject of conversation throughout the voyage, especially in the last week because we passed through the straights of Mallaca with armed escorts, but seeing that boat today was a scary reality.

Three days ago we had the Sea Olympics. It was by far the best day on the ship yet! The day began with games such as “Sea Fued,” Asian Scramble, and hula hoop. Later I participated in the Pirates Pull(tug-of-war) and Nail the Sailor(dodge ball) for my Sea. Other events included synchronized swimming, limbo, trivia, a relay race, and crab soccer. We had no classes and everyone was outside all day enjoying the weather and fun! But the best surprise of the day was our BBQ on the 7th deck. They grilled out burgers and ribs and had a spread of other food for us while we watched the sun set and listened to music. I am seriously so blessed to be where I am. I cannot believe I am getting the chance to have this experience! Going back to regular school is going to be rough!