The shipboard community


Is this real life? But seriously, is it? People actually want to learn and ask questions in and outside of class. Unlike what I was told almost by the time I was going to come, people did not come to this ship to party, at least not this voyage. We relax and talk about development and the ENT class is a discussion with people that want to listen. Last night I did go to sleep but talked with my roommate Angelique for 2 hours first ;) She is very interested in learning more about how communities are engaged in their own development and was even more interested at what I had to say about intervention and aid. I am so happy she is on board being just a freshman.
This morning I had a lot to read about nuclear power but I also took a bridge tour in which the assistant captain showed us the controls and everything involving the management of the voyage and the ship. Then I finally found one of my partners for the ENT project (present a hypothetical/realistic solution for a problem that you will see in the countries we are visiting) and we chatted for a while. He knew about the MCN and what we have been doing and introduced me to one of the Asian communities onboard (being Turkish himself). I am excited to get to know them better 
In class we talked about nuclear power and then used solar panels to activate a powerhouse and see greenhouse effect. I have it on video! I know I sound like a dork but I don’t care 
During ENT I was concerned with our current view of the provision for appropriate housing. I asked about the environmental considerations about the loss of arable land but it is not being addressed due to costs and security of the builders (regularly volunteers). However, this is an important issue when considering sustainability. After all, in many cases where I have been present the building involves a different construction from the precarious one that is already built (meaning twice as much space utilized for the same people). The old houses are not being destroyed but still used for storage or other purposes. This concerns me and will be addressed at the next Habitat meeting and I am planning to talk to the professor of quality of housing, so will see.
After dinner I went to hip hop! First time that I really try to dance this! Had sooooo much fun and the girl who is teaching us is just another student who felt like it would be fun to share! (see what I mean about this amazing idealistic place?) Anyways, preport (info for Trinidad and Tobago) took a very long time but everything that was said was relevant! (wow). The photographer of the voyage talked about engaging people that you want to take pictures of –people or their pictures are not souvenirs-. IU have officially become a travel photographer. Can’t wait to arrive to Port! Will be reporting after these two days!

En pocas. Estoy en el lugar ideal en el que la gente realmente quiere aprender y esta comprometida con lo que viene a hacer ;)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mycorrhiza

Image
How often I’ve closed my eyes wishing, imagining, willing for the stars to start dancing… It was a Milky Way layered night on the Pyrenees when it finally happened. Casparo was playing the guitar while some of the people in the group chatted, played or meditated. It took me by surprise when I saw that shooting star. I thought I had seen many before but I had been wrong. Perhaps this time I had the right wish to ask.  While some stars moved elliptically, Casparo began telling us the story of this land… Once upon a time there was a war between the anarchists and the fascists in Spain, they fought across the ridge from where we were staying. A family in this area took an anarchist in their home and hid him from the fascists. Their 6 year old daughter brought him food everyday. On an unfortunate day when the fascists came looking for the fugitive, while shooting him, they also shot the little girl. The anarchist didn't make it, the little girl survived; however, the wound left her
Read more

TBS

Image
*Due to be published in July 2016 but had some issues with google accounts/blogger. Here it goes anyways :) Ecstatic bewilderment from squirrel monkeys waiting to be prayed by an eagle announced the beginning of our journey into the depths of the Amazonian rainforest. It was a delight for the trained eye and we were lucky to have many with such training in our boat – a primatologist group, a mammalogist group and community guides accompanied us. I was there with a group of Masters students and undergrads from different universities visiting USFQ, where I currently work. It’s been over a year since I’ve written and undoubtedly, so many remarkable things have happened. Carbocycle won at Columbia ! I have began and been part of development projects in the Andean region  that gave us a UNEP award, larger sustainability projects at USFQ, writing for the Drawdown Fellowship and most importantly, an earthquake shook the coastal area and changed all my plans. A large portion of my wor
Read more

Sankofa

Image
The stars cloaked the night. The trees protected us from the darkness with a moon that shone smiling with full teeth. I wish I had the knowledge to recognize all the noises from the jungle but just listening to them made me feel that I was part of something bigger, that life is one. We spent the night at Kakoum National Park. It was the ending I needed to a day that had kept my throat in a knot. Elmina is the most colorful place I went to during this trip. It is incredible that the energy there is as powerful and unlike any other place where human atrocities have been committed (where I have visited). The people there seem to have fully reclaimed it.  There was sorrow in the halls of the castle though. Feces, tears, urine, sweat and blood all belonged to the floor of the overcrowded cells. Desperation, resilience, hunger and resignation became human essence, where women would have to either choose to gracefully give their bodies to the governors or be beaten, tied to a canno
Read more