8/31/05

8/31/05

Well, there’s a whole mess of students on this ship now – almost seven hundred of em – so what two days ago were empty corridors are now halls crowded with people – 64% of them female, I’m quite happy to add.

We left Nassau yesterday around 5 pm, and I’ll tell you what – the way a ship feels under your feet while at sea is quite a trip. At one point you feel almost weightless like you’re floating, then the next it’s like you’ve just gained 30 pounds. This can be really weird when climbing stairs. I’m sure once I’ve gotten my “sea legs” as they call them, this effect will become less pronounced, and I’m kinda of sad about that – I’m finding the head rushes that this experience provides to be quite enjoyable.

This ship really moves. I mean, you look out the window and the waves are just tearin’ by. The captain talked to the ship yesterday at a big ship wide assembly, and he said this ship is actually the fastest in its class on the ocean. It’s got 50,000 horsepower and does 29 knots. I think that’s about 33 mph, which of course doesn’t seem that fast unless you’re on such a massive thing moving through the water, and then it seems like you’re really moving.

We had an orientation this morning, after which one could walk around and talk to all the teachers and decide on the classes one wanted to take. I talked to a couple of profs about sitting in on some classes – the music prof (Mitch) and the religion prof (Tanya). We’ll see if I’ll have time with everything else I’ll have goin’ on with global nomads to go to classes but I hope I can. The music prof mentioned some kind of gamelon group he wants to get goin – bangin on weird xylophones or something – that should be cool.

Then we had lunch (taco day – YAYEE-YAYEEEEE) which was great – the food here is great, thank god – and then it was on to everybody’s first class, which was global studies. Everybody has to take this one. The class was really boring at first as I usually find 1st day classes to be – but then it got interesting when Proffessor Murphy started talking about what he called, “American civic religion.” American civic religion consists of qualities that have drivin the creation and continuing existence of the United states, which are mainly equality and economic opportunity. He didn’t get into it much today – but I think he plans to deconstruct & debunk these concepts in his class.

Prof Murphy then went on to describe how we can look at the new cultures & people that we are about to encounter. We can dismiss other cultures as a curiosity to be temporarily appreciated but not explored – photos of strange people for our album at home, so to speak. We can pat strange peoples on the head and think, “gee, if only they were as civilized as us” – they have only perceived part of what matters wheras we have perceived the most. We can take a hands-off approach saying, “yeah, I went to East Africa and saw some messed-up stuff, but what can I do about it – it’s not for me to interfere with another culture.” Or, we can take another approach, which he seemed to recommend – one of taking responsibility which then causes us to sympathetically modify our thinking – coming to terms with the unfamiliar and reconciling the complexity. I think his main point was just to get us to think, but I’m not sure I agree with him. Maybe I’ve just watched too many Star Trek episodes talking about “the prime directive” and non-interference, but I don’t know that it’s our place to meddle in other cultures, even if they do seem brutal, when we have so much wrong with our own. Take guatanamo bay for example, where we’re openly torturing people, and sending others abroad to be tortured even worse. I think we ought to set ourselves straight, primarily as individuals but also as our own nation, before we go worrying about others.

Comments

[Brian Reeder]

In a way, it's almost easier to try to correct someone else's problems rather than your own; both as an individual and as a country.

[Richie Banales]

Byron I was in Caracas in the 8o's and it was very smoggy then. Did you notice that all the houses built on the hillsides were very poorly constructed but they all have tv recption or a dish. Keep senting thoes photos. Sounds like you are having fun and learning alot.