Pieces of the future

Slight detour from reflections from Vietnam – since I am in the middle of mid-term examination period. I have been studying and reading a lot these past days.
Even though I don’t have much access to the news – as one of my assignments, for Global Comparative Leadership class, is to read the news and identify styles of leadership associated with China and its leaders. And, our professor provided us with a series of articles from newspapers of the countries we are visiting issued throughout the voyage.

As I  was already talking about, this is the period of my self-discovery – I feel that Semester at Sea is giving me clues and pieces of the puzzle of my life – no joke. Now while doing this assignment, I run into this article below….

 

~ Chinese firm a candidate for Serbian waterway

Zhao Shengnan

531 words

28 January 2013

China Daily

CHNDLY

12

English

Copyright 2013 China Daily Information Company. All rights reserved.

A Chinese company is likely to be among the top candidates to cooperate with Serbia, as the Balkan country

plans to build a landmark navigable canal, a senior Serbian official said on Saturday.

Analysts said that if it materializes, the move would be an important breakthrough in infrastructure cooperation

between China and Europe, especially as several previous ventures have been aborted by a number of countries.

Of the potential candidates, Chinese businesses have voiced the most interest in the waterway and have

"provided a great deal of unconditional support", said Milan Bacevic, Serbia's minister of Natural Resources,

Mining and Spatial Planning.

He made the remarks shortly after concluding a protocol of understanding with a Chinese company, whose name

he refused to disclose, on the project, which has been dubbed the "Belgrade-Thessaloniki navigable canal" by

local media.

The canal would link Belgrade, the capital of landlocked Serbia, with the port of Thessaloniki in Greece via

Macedonia, by connecting the Danube, Morava and Vardar rivers. The proposed waterway would capitalize on

Serbia's strategic location at the crossroads of central and southeastern Europe.

A feasibility study would follow an initial phase of cooperation. Companies from the United States and Germany

have also expressed interest in the project.

Bacevic emphasized the importance of the Sino-Serbian partnership and China's long experience in waterway

projects. However, he maintained that "the final choice of partner will be decided by assessing each candidate's

strengths and previous performance, rather than where they come from".

"Considering the similarities between the river Vardar and China's Yangtze River, we would like to cooperate with

a company that has experience of water control and building hydropower stations on the Yangtze River," said

Bacevic.

It is estimated that the canal would require investment of $15 billion to $17 billion and would cover an area of

around 10,500 square kilometers - equal to the territory of the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija, the

Serbian Tanjug News Agency quoted the minister as saying.

Wei Jinghua, China's former ambassador to Serbia, said the canal would boost Serbia's flagging economy

through job creation and by accelerating its trade via Greece, the country's traditional outlet to the sea.

Economic growth is one of Belgrade's top priorities this year. Serbia's GDP is estimated to have contracted by 2

percent in 2012.

China also has the means to pump capital into Serbia's infrastructure at a time when most countries in

crisis-stricken Europe are unable to do so.

Meanwhile, increasing cooperation with a traditional European partner could provide an opening for Chinese

companies seeking to grow their market share in a continent that has been difficult to access, said Wei.

Jovan Kovacic, president of East-West Bridge, a Belgrade think tank, said China's participation in infrastructure

construction would be a big plus for Serbia. ~

 

Sino-Serbian relations. The future is to be turning tables on us – and such discoveries make me trust my judgments, as well as to prepare for the decisions I am to make in the near future. After discovering Asia, I am not able to refer to the world as a Western dominated realm. This world is still quite huge, even though globalization makes it seem small. Interconnectedness is another very important factor that should be put into consideration…

I don’t think I will ever stop talking about how valuable SAS and the overall comparative education experience has been so far AND will be in the future… It is the best decision I've made, ever, by far !

 

Half way around the world, and about the cross the Equator, again...just normal everyday stuff...

So many times I have sat down and thought about where I am at this very moment – and I was experiencing an incredible, ecstatic feeling every time I realized I am in a different port, in a different place, surrounded with different people. And it is incredible. A worn out adjective to describe it, I know, but still, it is incredible. It is like nothing I’ve ever felt before in my entire life. And those who know me, know how happy and excited I get for things. So I should be good at explaining what it means to feel excited. Well, this case is particularly unique because an unbelievable dream became reality. A year ago, a good friend of mine from ACT suggested a website of a study-abroad program. She said that “it was just like me”. We looked at it right away and, indeed, it was exactly how I would design a perfect study abroad program. It was Semester at Sea – a program that takes students around the world, visits 12 countries in 106 days. We were dreaming away, making up stories of how cool it would be to stand on the top deck and look the endless horizon while the ship sails from one country to another! And now, here I am…… A year later, doing what was deemed impossible – I find every minute and every atom of energy I’ve invested in this project to be the best and most valuable input I gave, so far! There are still so many things to do on the way of ‘making my way’ – I know it, I can feel it! And it will be an adventure, I'm not really a fortune teller; although I am good at foreseeing destinies from tarot cards with weird mythical creatures (exclusive readings) and Greek coffee’s ;)!  

Also, this semester made me realize and appreciate my background – I am a Serbian white girl studying in Greece (I’ll explain the ‘white girl’ adjective later on when I talk about India). Also, my home school – ACT (American College of Thessaloniki) is such a great platform for international and intercultural experience! Most of the students on this voyage have only heard Spanish aside from English in their schools, most of them have never met anyone that is remotely diverse aside from some quarters and halves of their ancestors that moved to the US generations ago. Also, SIZE matters ! : ) In this case, less is more ;)! Tables turn and fortune smiles upon the small (groups)!  Seriously, small groups of students in classes mean the world – and I just realize that when I am one of 80 people in a class and that I am one of 600 students on the ship! If I wasn’t a Serbian studying in Greece, I’d have to come up with a way more creative story than being a Russian mafia scholar. Really, being unique is the way to go, in life, not just here on the ship. I love ACT so much more, and I really appreciate the effort our professors make so we deliver something and learn something over the four years of our undergraduate studies. Visiting all the countries along the way, especially Myanmar/Burma, made me value education so much more. They are hungry for education over there – and we whine about having to sit through a 50 minute lectures every day (that our parents pay for, btw, in most cases). Our peers in Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, etc. find it to be a dream, compared to mine – which was not only simple education, but Semester at Sea. Now, compare those dreams and you’ll be able to draw conclusions about their and our ambitions in life; also, you’ll be able to guess what is happiness for them and what is it for us.

I am figuring out my life right now. It was beyond my wildest dreams that I’ll be face to face with the Archbishop Desmond Tutu talking over dinner about Chinese immigration experiences – but still it happened. And now, I am conceiving a new dream – a dream that will bind all of my previous dreams together and come up with the ultimate dream. So far, I'm at the point where I am convinced people need to experience in order to understand – anything and everything. And since education is actually a rising industry in the East, why not taking advantage of globalization and actually establishing Global Comparative Education as a way to go in schools?
I’ve always been out there with my ambitions, why stop now? : )

A great quote we got today with the Dean’s Memo (type of daily newspaper of the happenings and seminars taking place on the ship), where they quoted Martin Buber saying:
           “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”

Some pics to announce my next post about Vietnam! : )

 

My thinking Hat!

I do this every day now, they say it keeps the youthful spirit from leaving our mind!

 

 

If anyone has any questions, ideas, thoughts (youthful or of other kind) feel free to email me at maja.dimitrijevic.sp13@semesteratsea.org I will tell you everything! : )
I can’t tell your fortune if you send me a pic of coffee cup though,… I know, that’s what strikes you most from this entire post….. ;D  

Greetings from Indian Ocean ppl,

Love,

Maja

 

Deo Mene

Sada sam u toj nekoj fazi ni na nebu ni na zemlji. Dovoljno uzivam u realnosti, ali znam da bih trebala da pocnem da planiram buducnost, sto I nije tako lako – uzimajuci u obzir okean mogucnosti koji tek treba da otkrijem. Stvari se jednostavno nadovezuju jedna na drugu…  Ko sam trenutno I sta bih volela da budem. Sta bi mogla da pisem za diplomski? Da li hocu odmah da radim, ili se pripremam za master studije…? Jedino sto je kristalno jasno u mojoj glavi jeste da hocu jos putovanja …. Cak I na ovom putovanju, pronalazim mesta gde bih stvarno volela da se vratim I provedem vise vremena upijajuci kullturu. Toliko toga moze da se nauci od ljudi na ovom brodu, u svim ovim mestima, gradovima, zemljama…. Koliko smo svi slicni, toliko smo I razliciti. U danasnjim dnevnim aktivnostima (najblize dnevnih vesti na brodu) bio je I citat Maje Angelou (Maya Angelou):

”Mozda putovanja ne mogu da sprece predrasude I stereotipe; ali cinjenica da svi ljudi placu, smeju se, jedu, brinu I umiru moze docarati ideju da ako pokusamo da razumemo I saslusamo jedni druge, mozda cak I postanemo prijatelji.”

Sve ovo vreme na brodu, I svi ovi novi ljudi naveli su me na razmisljanje o tome kako mi uopste gradimo prijateljstva. Kako je na pocetku sve glatko I perspektivno, kako se svi razumemo I podrzavamo, svi smo otvoreni I spremni da pruzimo pomoc u koliko je ista potrebna, svi se povezujemo na toliko razlicitih nivoa. I onda kada pocne ono pravo upoznavanje, ukljucujuci I niz malih, najsitnijih vrlina I mana – onda se naidje na zid. Da li je zid na tvojoj ili mojoj strani, nema veze. Postoji. I smeta. Blokira dalju komunikaciju jednostavno. Tako da cak I da je bilo nade za to prijateljstvo, sad je vise nema, nestane I ljudi se jednostavno udalje I vrate na ono jedva zvucno “Cao” u prolazu; zatim se “Cao” pretvori u mahanje; i krajnja I poslednja faza je onaj klim glavom, tumaceno kao “E”. I toliko… ne kazem da treba svi da budemo BFF’s.. ali do sad mi se toliko puta desilo da na prvu loptu fenomenalno kliknem s nekim ljudima, I toliko. Nikad se vise ne nadjemo u situaciji da razvijemo taj fenomenalni prvi susret. A ko zna sta bi to moglo da bude… Mozda je bas to osoba koja bi mi promenila zivot. Mada, ociglegno nije – cim je “e” uzelo maha, to je to. Ali svejedno, cak I taj jedinstveni razgovor je imao svoj uticaj na mene. Nesto sam naucila, uvidela, skapirala… Na primer, cura kojoj otac gradi naselja po americi se penzionisao – I njegova nova strast su bolesno veliki televizori. Skoro je kupio toliko veliki TV da su morali da razbijaju zid, jer drugacije TV ne bi stao u sirinu. Ona je pomagala da se tv okaci na zid (njih petoro su kacili TV); I cale je hteo da je ubije kad je pocela da sili taj nenormalno veliki TV ka predodredjenom mestu na zidu - zato sto nije bilo dovoljno mesta da se pridje drugacije osim sa prednje strane…. Kakve muke u zivotu…..haos, jel da? Onda, cura koja je toliko bila posvecena plivanju (skokovi u vodu) da nije bila svesna da je polomila grudnu kost! Sve dok se sezona nije zavrsila, kada je I otisla na operaciju, oporavila se I nastavila da skace – nesrecna do bola I od bola jer uprkos svom trudu nije mogla da usavrsi skok. Na kraju je resila da sve otera u pm I dodje na Semester at Sea. Ima I varijanti na temu tipa cura se zabavlja sa momkom od kad su oboje imali 11 godina!!? I veceras je izjavila da ce se osecati uzasno ako ne bude verena do 21. rodjendana (sada ima 19) – danasnja mladez voli da igra na sigurno, ni sekund da izgube? Ha, da, to nije pilo vodu ni kod mene… ili prica wanna be Hju Hefnera, koji seta brodom u svom svilenom kimono-ogrtacu iz Kine, kako on odlucno podrzava sigurni sex i kako se redovno testira na bolesti. Niko nije prokomentarisao Hefnerovu pricu koja je usledila posle price devojke koja se ceo svoj zivot zabavljala samo sa 1 momkom. Suprotnosti privlace, uvek.

Samo mi je interesantno koliko smo svi razliciti, iako delimo strast prema putovanjima I raznolikostima. Jednostavno I definitivno je nemoguce biti sa svakim BFF, iako postoji mogucnost da smo nekad u zivotu imali fenomenalnu konverzaciju. Toliko ljudi dodje I prodje kroz moj zivot, ali samo oni  pravi zaista I ostanu. I bas ti su oni najvredniji, najkvalitetniji I najsjajniji ljudi koje poznajem I koji takodje mogu da kazu da me stvarno poznaju. Jer, ja sam jedna od onih koji imaju Kineski zid ispred sebe kada dodje do dubljih emocionalnih ‘zahvata’. To je jedna lekcija koju sam naucila, tj. Ima ih dve: jedna je da su svi, bas svi ljudi koje sam u zivotu upoznala (prosli ili ostali), znatno uticali na to ko sam ja danas; I druga lekcija je da sam postala svesna razloga zbog kog ne dozvoljavam ljude da mi se priblize I poznaju: tako je mnogo lakse, uzimajuci u obzir moje stalno seljakanje-I razlozi su totalno sebicni, meni je lakse – jer ne moram da se mlatim emocijama u medjuvremenu upravo zato sto je sve dovoljno povrsno da se lako dodje do onog beznacajnog “e” pozdrava. Ali, ovo nikad ne bih ovako dobro skapirala da nisam upoznala ljude koji su u istoj situaciji I koji se bore sa istim stvarima – I ti ljudi, tj ovi ljudi, nemaju nikakve veze sa Sebijom ili Grckom, nego zive na drugim mestima po svetu a poticu iz sasvim trecih – ali znaju o cemu govorim I interesantno je cuti kako svi mi imamo slicne metode ‘resavanja’ tog (nazovi) problema. Iskreno, ja to sada vise ne vidim kao problem, nego naprotiv, kao prednost – jer je moj dozivljaj sveta je daleko flexibilniji upravo zbog svih tih kultura u kojima sam rasla I sazrevala.

Da sam ostala u Srbiji pre 5 godina, velike su sanse da dalje od granice bugarske ne bih videla. I stvarno sam srecna I zadovoljna dosadasnjim tokom mojih avantura. Apetiti su mi se toliko prosirili da sada vise nije interesantno raditi sve sto ostali rade, naprotiv, moj cilj je da ostvarim ono sto niko do sada nije pokusao. Ako je osecaj na mestu, pokusacu, ne vidim razlog za suprotno…bilo da su ljudi ili projekti u pitanju  ;) !

 

 

Literally being a fish in a Sea

Tokyo

23 million people in this city – I never thought I’d say this. But I don’t like just being a number. Yes, it is lit up, fun and exciting; however – it is not a place where I would like to live in. it is perfect for people watching though. So many different people. I just had my camera open, snapping – making videos – so that I absorb that amount of realities surrounding me. It is really an experience to find yourself crossing the street on that main crossroad in Tokyo with lights resembling the Times Square in NY. The people are still directed – all headed somewhere, dressed impeccably. Sharp, toned, and matched together perfectly. It is beyond words to explain all those people compressed in a not so large space, and not feeling stress and rush in the air. The energy of the city was not what I expected. Yes, there were many people, but they’d wait for us lost tourists to pass, they’d listen to our questions and help us find our way – even though they looked like they were coming or going from a meeting. So much business attire – I loveeeee it ! But it was unicolor…..mostly dark colors. Tokyo and Yokohama were like that, but places in South Japan were more colorful and cheerful .. per say.

 

Tokyo main crossing. A sea of people every time. I crossed that street so many times and a rush of excitement hit me every time. SO MANY DIFFERENT people; it is fascinating. Just then I realized how much I actually love people watching.

 

 

 

Just see these pictures and try to imagine. J

 

Day or night – it doesn’t matter. It is one of the best feelings ever.

 

 

Traditions from the orient, in real life!

Is any of you aware of those amazing moments we conjure up in our minds while watching movies or reading? Well, I've done this every single time I'd watch Memoir of A Geisha. And mine came true! I wore a KIMONO and got to talk about Geigi (Geisha).

Konichiwa!

To talk about Japan is like discovering a completely different world. It is beyond anything I imagined – until I actually experienced it, it was hard to explain this nation. I had no idea.

The first day in Yokohama was amazing. But the second day was even more amazing. There is no better way to get to know a culture than spending time with locals.  Japanese home stay, one of the best experiences on this voyage so far. I always have to say 'so far' when I write about new places, because I have no idea what's gonna happen….

Okay, so I woke up – everything scheduled and planned. Breakfast, people going about their plans for the day. I had a 10 am appointment, field trip, a Japanese Home Visit. We were gathering at the terminal, and since it is the only place with wi-fi many people were already there way ahead of time. Wi-fi deprivation can be a huge motivator….to be on time! Anyhow, families were coming to take us and show us Japanese culture for a day. The whole day of exploring – and asking questions to an English speaking Japanese – there are not many of them. This lady was Kozue Tomomatsu. She is one of the nicest people I've met, a volunteer, and used to travel as a marine journalist – taking pictures and writing about whales, that was her job. She was to take us (me and two other girls) to the Komori family house where we are going to learn about Japanese traditions and Kimonos!!!! YES, I got to WEAR a Kimono !!!!! We ate, we chatted, we were dressed by Mrs. Komori who told us stories and stories about Kimono. There is Obi which is the waist belt wrapped around and made into a sort of boa in the back. Kimono is of course a representation of a social standing, but what was the most interesting part is that it is not obvious. Only those who know about Kimonos can figure it out. Also, the silk is different – depending on where it is made. Maiko (19-20 years old girl) is the artist – artist of the floating world. She dances, sings and entertains – the rest is shadows. The back of the neck is one of the most seductive parts of her body. After 25th birthday, Maiko becomes Geigi.  I was getting goose bumps every step of the story. Traditionally, they dance the Cherry blossom dance – Myiako-Odori in April. This is one of the things I want to see in the future. It is still an event taking place in Kyoto. Today, Kimono is rarely worn in public – only for special occasions such are birthdays, weddings, etc. All three of us were not even blinking while Kozue was telling her story. Japanese culture is amazing. They are so polite, patient, kind and subtle. That is their key trait I believe – nothing is obvious, nor it stands out. That is what makes it so mystical and unique.

Kyoto is where all the tradition is – and it is where we are headed to after Tokyo!

 

Things just keep unfolding…. I am so happy and I have no idea how to express myself right now. It was just a perfect day. And what made it even more perfect afterwards was Karaoke with 5 amazing friends, Yuki and Sake…. To be continued…..

 

 

First phase of her dressing me!

 

One of many many ribbons – to make my body flat (good luck with that…)

 

Dream in development…….

 

And here it is….

 

 

Japanese traditional instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uobicajne anegdote sa palube 7

Desava se to i nama malim ljudima iz daleke zemlje na brdovitom Balkanu.

Ne vredi govoriti o tome koliko je tesko I zahtevno bilo ostvariti ovaj cilj – umesto toga, bitno je koliko toga sam naucila uz put.  Koliko sam samo eseja napisala na temu licnog razvoja I multikulturalnosti; o tome cemu se nadam I sta ocekujem od ovog putovanja – a kad u stvari ja nemam pojma sta ocekujem. Znam da sam spremna, da je ovo TO nesto o cemu sam sanjala ceo svoj zivot – ovo je putovanje iz snova, kombinacija lepog I korisnog. Ne znam sta je vece iskustvo – to sto sam pokusala SVE moguce I nemoguce da bih ostvarila ovo putovanje,ovaj semester ILI ono sto me ceka na kraju, kad budem prosla I videla sve ove zemlje, kulture I sve ove razlicite ljude. Zaista ne znam, moracemo svi zajedno da cekamo I saznamo.

Vec sam bila na Havaje, sada sam u sred Pacifika I idem ka Japanu. Posle slede Kina, Vietnam, Sinapur, Rangoon, Indija, Mauricius, Juzna Afrika, Gana, Moroko I poslednja luka je u Spaniji.
Reakcija kad cuju da sam iz Srbije – otvorenih usta I ociju vidim kako pokusavaju uopste da lociraju Srbiju na mapi (uglavnom ne uspevaju) I onda pocinju pitanja “Pa kako si ti cula za ovaj program”, “kako to da mozes da priustis ovaj program”, “kako tako znas da pricas engelski”, “sigurno je mnogo hladno tamo u Sibiru”… Kako mi je vec dosadio standardni spil od stipendijama I tome kako sam (zamisli) ucila engleski u skoli…dosli smo do toga da je moja porodica u stvari clan Ruske mafije I da sam ja kao klinka obucavana da budem Ruski spijun u USA, I da zime u Sibiru su uzasno hladne…pa me zato moje ruske mafioze salju na americki fax u Grckoj - da ‘studiram’, kako bih se sto lakse infliltrirala medju neprijateljske snage   ;) Neki zapravo veruju da Hladni rat jos uvek traje…mozda su u pravu…?

Ja tako, kao zivi primer spijuna, plovim na brodu sa Archbishopom Desmond Tutu – nazalost jos nisam uspela da ukradem fotku…dekica je lukav! Tu su I ljudi iz Microsoft – X-box i Nike. Ali nista manje zanimljivi su ljudi iz bliskog istoka, tipa Lebanon, Jordan, Bangladesh…  Likuša iz Jordana je UPOZNALA Bred Pita I Angelinu Joli I svu njihovu decu dok su bili u Jordanu … UZIVO – jeli sladoled zajedno I pricali o vremenu..ono sto obicno radis sa Bredom I Endzi. Kaze Bred je imao onu ogromnu bradu, ali je Endzi bila ko slika – I na kraju krajeva, sve jedno ---- to su Bred I Endzi ….. najhot par holivuda… Upoznala sam I ljude iz Mexiko City, Kankuna , I slicnih mesta iz spanskih sapunica…..elegantno sam pozvana u Kankun kad sledeci put odem u Mexiko. Vazi mačko, vidimo se za novu godinu! Zakljucili smo mi iz internacionale (Nemacka, Ekvador, Kolumbija, Srbija, Lebanon i Peru) da je svet vrlo mali I da je fiesta, party I zurka ubedljivo najbolji nacin izrazavanja nasih slicnosti u mentalitetu.

Ovo je samo jedan isecak, jedna od situacija na brodu … S obzirom da nema telefona ni interneta, ljud tako sede, druže se, pričaju, igramo karte, pantomime – I sve te socijalne aktivnosti BEZ uredjaja koji primaju bežicne signale… Zamislite samo taj svet…. FENOMENALNO! :D Ali to je tesko razumeti, I cak zamisliti bez iskustva – nikad to ne bih mogla u ‘normalnom’ okruzenju; nema sanse da bih sebe naterala da ustanem u 6 am – vezbam YOGA (JA?! Radim jogu…o,O) – posle dorucak I 8am predavanja do 2. Posle 2 se mlatis, ucis, suncas se da bih u 5 opet vezbala (ko sekta svi zajedno na palubi skacemo uz Insanity videos) I onda uvece imamo kulturno obazovane programe, predavanja na temu Start-ups, Entrepreneurship, Kulturama koje nas cekaju, I slicno …. Apsolutno fenomenalan zivot….tako se osecam na mestu.

Za kraj, citat dana:

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. – Martin Buber
Iliti
Sva putovanja imaju tajna odredista o kojima putnik do tada nije ni sanjao. – Martin Buber

Evo I nekih fotki lepota vidjenih u poslednje 2 nedelje:

San Diego luka, bejbe!

Ovo je prva slika u sobi, onaj ko zna može da zamisli količinu uzbudjenja u meni kad sam slikala ovakvu sliku !

 

Ovo mnogo vise fascinira uzivo… Hawaii zaliv

Poruka budućem: ruže su out, orhideje su in!

 

Slatki vodič I ronjenje u DECEMBRU, ovaj Januaru…razumite grešku..!

Zalazak Sunca u prvoj luci na putu oko sveta !

Pisite mi na maja.dimitrijevic.sp13@semesteratsea.org  - imam 2 sata interneta za 3 meseca – budzet level hiljadu! Ali e-mail je dostupan 24/7 ! Pisacu pisma sve ovo vreme – modifikovana, ova 21^st century style !

It is only the beginning..

I guess the time has come – to begin to tell this wonderful story of mine.

 

See ya Hawaii – hang loose !

Now I am once again in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – 29C both in air and the sea! And I know it would be cooler if it was December; but I guess I’ll deal with tanning in January!

Sailing away from Hawaii.

 

I don’t even know where to begin – everyone knows my manic pursuit of this voyage and the passionate desire that didn’t let me give up. In addition to my dear friends who motivated and I cheered me on, even when I thought it is not going to happen and that Semester at Sea will be a dream I’d have to pack away. But no – I am in reality here, and I have to admit it’s hard to believe that I actually need to go to classes, do readings and assignments… With my personality it’s really hard to actually stay away from that sunny deck and not socialize IN THE SUN with the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean right in front of my nose. I practice though – self control! I am trying to stay focused..most of the time. But I am so happy, and I feel so in place – exactly where I am supposed to be. I imagined that it is going to be magnificent standing on that highest deck – but it is even better than that. The wind, the waves, the changing colors of the ocean, whales and dolphins peaking out to say Hi occasionally and the energy people! Everyone are from around and about eager to experience the world. It is a dream indeed. Now I just need a Prince (haha). I would be okay with a scene adaptation from the little mermaid … J

 

Yes, Hawaii did inspire me, incredibly – it is just a different rhythm of life over here. People make and invent new ways of making jewelry, hair pins, paintings, and food – oh soooo much amazing food! Macadamia nut – butter, something like peanut butter but BETTER! Fruits, blew my mind. Imagine tasting all those fruits people talk about eating while “under a palm tree” somewhere in Bali.  This was Hawaii, and it wasn’t a palm tree but good enough place to eat Mango, Papaya, Avocado, Apple-bananas, White pineapple and drink fresh Coconut just chopped by a Filipino dude. That is also one of the most amazing things which fascinated me in Hawaii – everyone come from somewhere, there is not so many ‘native’ Hawaiians people but everyone together are such a strong community! They express their own culture and traditions in any way they seem fit and they learn from each other, exchange talents and grow both spiritually and mentally. It is just fascinating to me how in such a small place people learned to embrace their similarities and simply enjoy instead of stressing out about deadlines, meetings, racial differences, prejudices and stereotypes. Those do not exist.

 

The Farmers Market fruits – definitely, the local market is the best way to connect with the culture and get a feel of what are their daily lives about.

 

 

To do in Hawaii:

·         Find a firsthand Hula dance performance – its like watching a story, even though I didn’t understand a word they were singing.

·         Hitchhike (Flag) a hot local (amazing smile, professor of agriculture) with a huge black pick-up-truck to drive you and 6 your other friends back to the port.

·         Long live the samples on the market: free home-made, once-in-a-life time fruits, shakes, peppers, honeys, jams, butters… All organic and home grown and with a story behind it.

·         Coffee and ICE CREAM

·         Snorkeling –whales – mama, baby and a pretender, parrot fish, Dori from Nemo, some yellow fishes, prettiest waters and the coral reef, tanning and cute and funny tour guides. I am a sucker for water and sun, it makes my life – and I could not live in a place without it.

·         Go to a Hostel instead a Hotel. Pick: a tent or a room. And socialize with bunch of INTERNATIONALS. 

This is Meike, my roommate for this semester. She’s a German studying in Vancouver.

 

This voyage is not even a quarter in, and I am already full of stories about the stuff world has to offer. It was worth it, all those papers and emails and meetings. The investment like no other. The world is my Campus. It is everything, all these people on board want to do something, change and improve. And everyone are so incredibly creative and passionate about their ideas – I see their faces light up when they try to explain the purpose of their pursuit.

 

 

Next stop Japan.

 

p.s. since very limited internet access – my mean of communication is EMAIL : maja.dimitrijevic.sp13@semesteratsea.org
Send me updates from that hemisphere and I am going to share blogs as often as I can ! Next one will be before Japan: Jan.27^th we dock in Yokohama.

 

Question: What would YOU want to see most in TOKYO or KOBE? …and… What would you say was a stereotype for Tokyo ?