VIVA ESPANA!!!

So, I know it’s been a while since I’ve written but it’s been craaaazy busy here!! We docked in Cadiz, Spain on the 24th of June and everyone got up and watched the sunrise coming over the cathedral. That was amazing! The first day we stayed in Cadiz and a bunch of us went exploring and sightseeing in the city. There was so much to do but we ended up fitting most everything in. We ate lunch in the Plaza by the cathedral and this weird man with an portable piano/acordian thing came up to our table and we told him it was Heather’s birthday (which is kind of true because her birthday was June 20th) and he proceeded to sing her happy birthday with his instrument with a microphone to everyone at the plaza and it was HYSTERICAL! Hahahaha….Heather wanted to kill us all but it’s ok. She got over it. We also ran into a small but somewhat hilarious problem at lunch. We had an inner port lecturer, David Geiss, who told us all about what to order food/drink related when we got to Spain. Well, we all really wanted to get tapas and sangria the first day but when we got to the restaurant we saw that there was a sign for a “tapitas special” for 10 euros…hooray! Well tapas and tapitas are completely different. The five of us receive tiny little bowls of five different foods and we had to share this between all of us…and lunch is supposed to be the biggest meal of the day in Spain. Then when we got the check we saw that our sangria was 12 euros…ridiculous. Lesson learned: always make sure to check prices and exactly WHAT you’re going to order before you sit down (but it was very funny…). After lunch we met up with more people from the ship and explored until 6 when we returned to have a “siesta” on the ship and got ready to go out and watch the US vs. Spain soccer game in the Plaza de Mina. That was a very interesting cultural experience. The Plaza was FILLED with people of every age and size when we got there. All the children were at the front of the crowd yelling at the television and running around. There were families conversing and laughing with each other and friends and I got yelled at a couple times from older men that were sitting behind me because I was in there line of vision. They take soccer very seriously. Then some of the CHILDREN started yelling and getting violent with the game when the US scored the first point, so I decided since I’m not an avid soccer fan, we should get a group to go to another restaurant bar and watch the rest of the game. That was much quieter and safer as an end result. Later that night we decided to out to the nightlife in Cadiz and we ended up getting a group of what was 30 people from Semester at Sea at one point. Well, I HATE groups that big because everyone has a different opinion and wants to do something different so it was impossible to get people together to do anything. We met some really nice girls that went to the University in Cadiz and we walked around the city with them for a bit. Our friend Caroline did the majority of talking for us during our time in Cadiz because she studied abroad in Spain and she was fluent. I tried out my 8th and 9th grade Spanish on them and that was really entertaining on both ends. We ended up having a great time. The next two days we went on a SAS overnight trip to Sevilla and Cordoba which was amazing! We saw the cathedrals, mosques, Jewish quarters, palaces, gardens and the night we stayed in Cordoba a group of us went to an outdoor concert in the botanical gardens there. It was beautiful. The band was Jewish with mostly stringed instruments and a flute. It was great because we were the only Americans there and it was only locals of Cordoba was it was a real cultural experience. The fourth day of Spain we got a group to go independently to Arcos, a town much like Greece with it’s whitewashed houses and hills. We found out the majority of everything closes down on Saturdays and since we went on a Saturday there was not much to do, but we had a fabulous time relaxing and talking with people anyway. It was nice not to be rushed and running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off for a day. ;) After we got back on the boat we have had two days at sea and one more day at sea and then we will be in ITALY!!! So excited!!! I will update you more as soon as I can!! LOVE YOU!!!! MISS YOU!!!!

Angie ☺

HOLA MI AMIGOS Y FAMILIA!!!

Today we’re FINALLY in the home stretch...we’re GOING TO BE IN SPAIN IN T-MINUS 8 HOURS!!!!!!! I could not be more excited about getting off this boat. Don’t get me wrong…I love the boat. I love our new friends and the crew and faculty and our cute little cabin…HOWEVER, I have CRAAAZY “cabin/ship fever”. I am starting to understand what sailors and Navy men go through (Kevin Jack if you’re reading this…I don’t know how you can be on a ship for as long as you Navy guys have to be because a week was kind of torture). I can’t wait to touch land. I can’t wait to have real authentic Spanish food instead of this sketchy college cafeteria-style food that we’ve been having on the ship. I can’t wait to be on “vacation” and not having to be taking three classes a day, every day for seven days in a row (no bueno). Heather and I slept through our Global Studies class today because we are just that exhausted from all the cramming our professors have been having us do since our voyage across the Atlantic Ocean is longest time we’ll be in classes in consecutive days. We’re actually a third of the way done with all our courses at this time…isn’t that crazy!?!?

Tomorrow we will arrive in Cadiz, Spain. After we all watch the sunrise over the beautiful yellow domed cathedral at 7AM, we will dock and explore Cadiz. Tomorrow evening, we are all taking Heather out for her 21st birthday (even though it was on the 20th)!!! We’re going to get tapas at 6PM, have dinner at 10PM (they eat sooo late) and then go to the flamenca clubs/discotecas after dinner!! The next day Heather and I leave for Sevilla and Cordoba (through SAS) for an overnight trip. I’m reeeal excited to see the cathedral in Sevilla!! Then the last day in Spain we’re going to Arcos, which is one of the “white towns” in southern Spain. It’s kind of like the Spain-version of Santorini, Greece (where they filmed Mama Mia and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants…) so that’ll be very picturesque I’m sure.

Also, exciting news!! One of my professors is good friends with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and she has agreed to come to Spain and be a guest lecturer on the ship on our way from Spain to Italy!! She is even coming in to do a special talk to my Social Work in the Global World class and I will get to meet her and everything. I’m super excited about that!!

I hope everyone’s doing well!!! I miss you all soooo much and I wish you could all be here sharing this experience with me. LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Angie ☺

No land in site...

Hi Everyone!!

Things on the MV Explorer are well but I really wish this boat would stop rocking and rolling. I haven't been sick but it makes me really sleepy and Heather and I and all our friends on the ship have been napping A LOT. I love my classes!! They are amazing! My Social Work in the Global World course is really helpful for my possible career in missionary work (Lord willing) and since it's targeted on social work in Africa and third world countries it's absolutely perfect!! There is a lot of reading though, which is hard because Heather and I tried to study with our friends on the deck yesterday, but it was so beautiful out and we ended up talking for three hours instead. Reading in the cabin's hard too because I'll start reading a textbook and the ship will rock me to sleep. Ha ha....our Global Studies class is wonderful and we are learning about the history, geography, flora, fauna, cultures, and traditions of the Mediterranean. A LOT to cover, but I'm loving it so far. Everyone on the ship (including faculty, staff, etc.) has to take Global Studies because they want us to all be on the same page with our international voyage so there are 850 people in the class. Most people can fit in the Student Union but they have monitors/TV's set up in al the classrooms too so we can go in there and hear the Global Studies lecture. It's really cool. I finally talked the bookstore into giving me books, and I'll get a refund of my money for the original textbooks that are still MIA when I get home...kinda frustrating, but I won't let it get me down. I'm really excited to get to Spain in 4 days!! We are having all of these lectures every night from people either from Spain or professors who are experts on Spain and what to do in port, where to eat, etc. I love it! We have made friends with our neighbors on our ship, which is good because Heather and I are on the 2nd floor which reminds us of the immigrant 3rd class people on the Titanic (we are right on the water when we look out our port hole) ha ha...so having friends next door helps with the waves crashing on our window at night and having no wireless in the room since we're so far away from everything. But Jesus reigns everywhere, especially on the scary 2nd floor of the MV Explorer!! :) We already have a million funny stories, and I can't wait to share when I get home!! I am thanking the Lord and thanking my amazing parents for sending me on Semester at Sea. What a blessing this has been so far.

I miss you all sooo much and I love you!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week.
HAPPY EARLY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE WONDERFUL DADS!!!!

Angie Blattner :)

We're in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean!!!

Praise Jesus!!! We're here!!! Yesterday, we finally made it onto the boat and it’s gorgeous!! Just as nice as any cruise ship I’ve ever been on, which is fantastic since we’ll be living on it for the next two and a half months. ☺ Check in started at 8AM and so all of us from the youth hostel woke up and dragged our bags down the hill to the port. It didn’t take too long to get through check-in and security and we made it onto the boat in time to drop our stuff off and go to the grocery store. We had our first meal on the boat and it was surprisingly really good food and then we toured the ship and met even more people. The ship has a working spa where you can get massages and aromatherapy wraps and everything…LEGIT. We are having such a wonderful time and tomorrow we will go through orientation of the SAS program. There was an orientation tonight in the Student Union where we were able to meet even MORE people, hear from all the professors/staff/crew/facu

lty/etc. etc. on board and get assigned our “small groups” for the voyage. We are doing something that’s new for this voyage, which is having every student assigned to a particular small group to discuss the theme of the voyage, Social Justice and Human Rights. I am extremely excited about that.
Today was an orientation day on EVERYTHING...ports of call, trips, classes, meet-and-greet with our professors and lots and lots of people giving Power Points on the "do's and don'ts" of the Voyage. We start classes in the morning!!

If you could all please pray that they find my textbooks I ordered somewhere on the ship ASAP...I would really appreciate it. I have to read an entire book by Spain (in 6 days) and no one on the ship knows where my textbooks are. :( But it'll be ok...

I love you all!! MISS YOU TERRIBLY!!! XOXOXO,

Angie :)

Beautiful Halifax...

So we've been thoroughly enjoying gorgeous Halifax...the people are nicer than anywhere I've ever been before and it's so pretty the scenery looks like it could be fake. We've spent a lot of time relaxing and trying to get some "R and R" until we get on the boat tomorrow at 8AM. We've met soooo many people from SAS and I'm sure we'll be meeting lots of new people everyday from here on out. A group of us staying at the youth hostel went down to see the cruise ship today and it's soooo big! It looks like a Celebrity Cruise ship...very legit. We're all jealous of the students doing Work Study that got to get on the boat a day early. :) Last night Heather and I went out with some SASers and we had dinner at with a live jazz band playing, followed by an awesome pub night at this place called "The Lower Deck" with another live band playing traditional Irish pub music...it was a blast! We met a Mounty, named Derek who was real nice, too. So far it's been an amazing experience and I know it'll just keep getting better and better. :) I hope everyone's having a great summer! Be safe! Love you all!!

We Made It To Halifax!!!

Heather and I have finally arrived in Halifax. We have our bags which is such a blessing because we've met plenty of SASers that have had their luggage lost from the airlines....but there have already been plenty of adventures and mis-adventures and it's only the first day...typical. We got into Halifax too late to be able to check into our youth hostel...they stop check in at 11PM unfortunately. :( HOWEVER...we met a guardian angel from CU Boulder named Renee and she has so graciously allowed us to stay the night in her room at the Sheraton. Hooray for Renee! There have been many Semester at Sea voyagers we've met so far and everyone is really nice. So far so good!! Thank you all for your prayers and loving thoughts!! Love you all!!!

The Night Before SAS!

So I know a lot of kids going on Semester at Sea with me are blogging for friends and family at home to read and keep up with, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon! I am extremely excited to leave for DIA in 7 hours and get on the plane(s) to Halifax. I only hope that we can make it to the youth hostel by 11PM (that's when checkout time ends and the hostel closes) or we'll be sleeping on the street. Pray for us! I'll keep everyone posted as much as I can...promise!! I miss you all already and love you!!! XOXOXO...Angie :)