Grrrrmany

Hamburg was a completely different experience than St. Petersburg. I felt like it had more of a party atmosphere. Hamburg is home to one of the largest red light districts in Europe because it has always been such a big port, and that definitely played a part in the culture of the city.

My first day there, I actually had a field trip for my Global Ethics class that dealt with the Reeperbahn, which is the area where the red light district is located. Our morning started at the offices of a nonprofit organization called Amnesty for Women, which helps migrant women from all around the world when they come to Germany. They provide all kinds of services - German lessons, help with lawyers, finding healthcare - and try to educate migrant women about their rights in Germany. There are only three full time employees and a couple of interns, so it's not a huge organization. But I got the impression that their work has been fairly widespread and influential.

After a debrief session at Amnesty, we had a very German lunch at a very German restaurant before walking to the Reeperbahn. There, our first stop was a block full of strip clubs and the bar where the Beatles first performed. Our tour guide, Eike, explained to us that this culture developed in Hamburg because the men who docked their ships in the port were lonely after being at sea for months, and the women got paid to keep them company. Further along on the tour, we saw a brothel that the city had paid to have built so that the prostitutes weren't in view of the children of the city. Eike told us that because prostitution is legal in Germany, women with that occupation have to pay taxes and have access to all the same government benefits as other German citizens. He also explained that German prostitutes can rent a room themselves so that they don't have to deal with a pimp. We learned that most women in the Reeperbahn stand on certain streets at night, and they are recognizable because they wear fanny packs to hold their money in. But there is one street where it's more like Amsterdam with the women standing in doorways. This street was the only place prostitution was legal during Nazi Germany, and there are blockades still there to keep women and children out.

   

It was a very weird day. The goal of our field trip had been to learn about human trafficking in Germany, but we learned that it actually isn't a huge problem for them. Most of the prostitutes are legal citizens who have chosen this as an occupation and are protected by the laws and regulations in place. But for me that still posed an ethical question. My guess is that prostitution isn't most people's first career path choice, but is most often a last resort. The women make a surprising amount of money so it's understandable that it might seem like an attractive option. But is making money enough of a reason to justify the exploitation and objectification of women? I'll be writing a 4-6 page paper on that for Global Ethics, so I'll let you know what I come up with.

I met up with my friends for dinner on the ship and then we all got dressed up to go out. Per usual, we couldn't find a place and spent an hour walking around before we decided to stop. Hamburg apparently doesn't have many German restaurants, but there a lot of Italian places so we got a pizza and ordered some wine to replenish our energy. Then we spent some time walking around the Reeperbahn - it's definitely more lively at night than during the day. Aileen and I needed to be up early the next morning, so we headed back to the ship around midnight.

Day two started out with an SAS program at the Rathaus, Hamburg's government building. There we met with a member of the Hamburg Parliament, who gave us a tour of the building and then broke down the German electoral process. My political-nerd side was so happy.

   

Afterwards, Aileen and I met up with everyone at Rathaus Square for lunch from some food stands. I had a German sausage and dark chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick and it was DELICIOUS. It was also just a really cool and lively area to be in. The government building was right there, but so was a stage for a music festival, a lake, and lots of shopping (which meant we had to stop at H&M).

After walking around that area for a while, we went to Miniature Wonderland, which is supposedly the largest model train in Europe. Guys...it was awesome. It took up three floors, and we saw the Berlin Wall coming down, a plane land, a UFO come down, Las Vegas at night, and Superman flying through Switzerland. There was even a mini polar bear in Sweden. It sounds kind of lame and childish, but all six of us college students were thoroughly amused for the multiple hours we were there.

         

Later that night we went back to Rathaus Square for a reggae/rock music festival. The food stands from earlier were still there and I got a Kinder crepe. In case you don't already know, Kinder is one of my favorite things in the world (Kate you know what I'm talking about). But then put it in a crepe...I didn't know food could be so fantastic. We were at the square for a couple hours before I decided I was going to walk back to the ship. By myself. I know, I know...that was stupid. But I had been in the area all day and it was super close to the ship! So surely it shouldn't have been an issue to walk the few blocks home. Except it was. After two hours of walking in the dark, past the same buildings, I declared myself officially lost. I managed to find a train station where I got a taxi back to the ship. I can't even describe the relief I felt to finally see the Explorer again. Who knew Hamburg was so confusing?! Don't worry about scolding me...my friends won't let me hear the end of it. They even made me get a key chain that says "You'll never walk alone."

   

The next morning I sat at a cafe people watching and writing postcards for a couple hours. There may or may not have also been ice cream because Germany is really good with that stuff...it's wonderful. Then I made my way to St. Michael's Church, where a service was going on. I got to stand in the back for a while, which was interesting because the service was in German. After being completely confused by the German sermon, I climbed the tower. Which is equivalent to climbing up a 10-story building, so yay for me. From up there I could see all of Hamburg - including the area I had been lost in and my ship. It was gorgeous.

         

I met up with everyone on the ship at midnight that night to go back out to the Reeperbahn. We were told that real night life doesn't start until that time, so we decided to nap and then try it out. We sat in a square for an hour or so, just hanging out. People watching in the Reeperbahn that late at night is a very entertaining thing - there's SO MUCH going on! Eventually someone suggested we actually find a real place to go, and we wound up at a club where we made some German friends. We were on the dance floor until 4:30 am...and the locals said we were weird for leaving so early. But we wanted to witness the opening of the Sunday morning fish market on the pier. Which was totally worth it because I got fresh donuts. We headed back to the ship around 6:30, just in time to see the sunrise. I didn't have my camera with me though so no pictures :(

Our last day in Hamburg was really chill. Most of us had stayed up all night and all of us were coming down with a bad cold, so energy levels were low. We spent the morning walking around the pier and doing some souvenir shopping. Then it was back to the ship to catch up on sleep and homework!

In the Meantime...

So tomorrow we get to Hamburg, and I promise not to post every little detail of my life. But I do have some fun things to share about shipboard life between Russia and Germany.

First: last night we had a nerd-themed Back to School dance. I think my group did a pretty good job.

     

Second: we're currently sailing through the Kiel Canal in Germany! It's awesome. We're so close to the shore I feel like I could touch it.

 

Mother Russia

I'm not sure St. Petersburg would have been in my Top 5 List for places I'm excited about seeing on this trip...but after my time there, it may be in my Top 5 List for favorite cities. But before I explain why I fell in love with the city, let me give you a summary of what I did there.

Day 1: I woke up at 7 and when I looked out my window, there was Russia. After seeing only open ocean and faint hints of a shoreline for a few days, it was pretty cool.

I had breakfast with my friends and went out on Deck 7 to see what was all around us. Because our ship is relatively small, we were able to sail right into the St. Petersburg canals, so we could see the expanse of the city. It was gorgeous. At 9:30 I met my Comparative Politics class in the union so that we could get on a bus and head out for a day filled with Dostoyevsky (who just happens to be one of my favorite authors). First we spent an hour or so on a guided walking tour around the area that Dostoyevsky lived in. During his time in St. Petersburg he lived in over 20 different apartments - and I thought moving out of one apartment was stressful! Our guide also pointed out spots where scenes from Crime and Punishment took place. I've read the novel, but I didn't realize that Dostoyevsky used actual places throughout his own neighborhood. We finished the morning with a visit to the Dostoyevsky museum, which is in the author's last apartment.

We had a nice lunch at a Radisson hotel. My professor sat at my table so I got to bond with her. She ended up inviting my friend John and I to bring our group to help celebrate her daughter's birthday that night. Her husband is another one of my professors, so it's fun to get to know them both outside of the classroom.

After lunch we went to the monastery where Dostoyevsky is buried. There were also some famous Russian composer graves there, including Tchaikovsky. Then all the girls covered our heads with a scarf so we could go inside the Russian Orthodox Church. It's still a working church, and people come to pray to the different saints every day. We saw women come in to bow at the paintings of specific saints, pray, and then kiss the painting. Our tour guide explained that many Russians aren't religious now because it was illegal to practice during the communist era, but many of the women I saw there were older which means communism must not have deterred them too much. I thought that was a pretty powerful tribute to the strength of religion and faith.

We got back from the field lab just in time to meet everyone for dinner and then go back out for the night. We spent almost two hours looking for a bar that everyone had been talking about, only to find out it doesn't actually exist. Oops. So instead we just went to the first local bar we could find because we thought it was kind of imperative that we try Russian vodka. We did one shot together...and we were not disappointed. After talking to some local Russians for a while, we decided it was time to leave. The bridges on the canal go up at 1:30 am in St. Pete, so we wanted to make sure we were back on the right side in time to get back on the ship.

         

Day 2: We left the ship at 9:30 to go find a cafe for breakfast - apparently, St. Pete "is the coffiest city in Russia." However, after 2 hours of breakfast, we realized that meal time is a big event at Russian restaurants. But we were sitting outside so we got some nice people-watching in. Russians love to buy little dogs as pets, and then dress them up in adorable outfits.

After eating, we went in to some Russian stores before heading back to the ship. After lunch, I went on a SAS field program to the Hermitage and Winter Palace. OH MY GOODNESS. Amazing. The Hermitage is in competition with the Louvre for being the biggest art gallery in Europe, so obviously I got to see incredible works of art, including Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Picasso. But on top of that, the building used to be Catherine's palace. So the entire thing is absolutely gorgeous - gilded gold everywhere, special Russian stones, grand staircases. I could definitely live in a place like that. Our tour guide even showed us the room where the 1917 Revolution started. My political-nerd side was uber excited about that.

                   

Later that night, a group us (me, Kelly, Jay, Jordan, Julie, and Bigs) bought some champagne and went on a canal cruise through the Neva River. I'm pretty sure this is the moment I fell in love with St. Pete. The city just lights up at night. But not in a flashy, NYC kind of way. More of a subtle, classy way. Even the people seemed friendlier. And then, just as we were all feeling like we were in total bliss, fireworks erupted over the Hermitage. So there I was: on a canal with some of the best people I know, drinking champagne, and watching fireworks on the Neva River. Is that not just perfection? If not, then I don't know if I can handle perfection.

       

Day 3: We returned to the cafe from Day 2 for some breakfast and wifi. Then most of our group went on an SAS trip, while the rest of explored the city on foot. We eventually ended up at the Church of the Spilled Blood. If I hadn't already been in love with St. Pete, this would have done it. The outside of the church is iconic, with the colorful spires. But the inside was so incredibly impressive. The entire thing is covered in gorgeous mosaics, with a base of Italian marble. The effort must have gone into all the detail...unbelievable. I could have sat there for hours. Someone please take me back?

   

After dinner that night, I got dressed up with Dani to head to the ballet! We got lucky - the performance was Swan Lake. Obviously the entire thing was gorgeous - impeccable dancing, intricate costumes, and a beautiful theater. We had tickets for the seventh row, and I was pretty close to Heaven. A Tchaikovsky ballet in Russia - pretty awesome.

          

Day 4: We started out strong by waking up for a 7:30 breakfast...but then the ship's weak coffee wasn't enough to keep us moving, so we didn't actually leave until 10. Once we were finally out the door, we walked across the city to the Peter and Paul Fortress. On the way there, we found a beach with a view of the city. I wish there were words to describe how great that was. The weather was perfect, and the view even better. I couldn't have asked for a better last day in the city.

After stopping in a bookstore, we got back to the ship around 3:30. Then it was nap time, dinner, and watching the ship maneuver out of the canal before getting back into our routine!

Obviously, St. Pete surprised me. I had imagined an entirely different experience than the one I had. But I think it's kind of a hard city to understand. There's a lot of dirt and grime, but at the same time there's so much green space and beautiful European architecture. The people weren't exactly friendly or happy on the streets, but one-on-one they were so kind and excited about us being there. The government's strict control obviously has an influence on people's daily lives, in a way that is much more obvious than I was expecting. It's a juxtaposition to how beautiful the city is. I know St. Pete is definitely one of the most European cities in Russia, and I wish there had been time for me to explore more cities. But I guess that just means I'll have to come back!!

Life at Sea

So I got on the ship on Saturday! I'm pretty sure there was magic involved because it was incredible. We took a two hour bus ride from London to the port at Southampton, and when we got off the bus...there she was. Everyone was SO excited and the energy was incredible. It only took about an hour to get through security, check in, and get to our rooms. Nice, clean bureaucracy.

My roommate's name is Katrina. She's from Boston and says "wicked" a lot, so it's a lot like living with my roommates from home (what's up Kate and Marriah). She's so nice, and we're definitely going to be good cabin-mates. Our room is actually a lot bigger than I was anticipating...although it could be that I just didn't have enough room to pack as many clothes as I wanted. The walls are magnetic, so I hung up a bunch of pictures of everyone from home and I've started adding city magnets to my collection. So far I have New York, DC, London, and SAS. My cabin is on deck three, and I have a nice big window that I can watch the water through when I'm pretending to do homework.

Our first day here, we spent time exploring the ship, which is super confusing, especially when you keep forgetting which side is port and which is starboard (I've got it down now though so don't worry). Decks 2-4 are all cabins, and then decks 5-7 are where the rest of our lives happen. Deck 5 has the main dining hall and some classrooms, as well as cabins for professors and their families. Deck 6 has the Union (which is the biggest classroom and where we have a lot of ship meetings) the computer lab, library, piano bar, more classrooms, the Garden Lounge dining room, and an entrance to the outside, where there are tables to study. Deck 7 has the wellness center, fitness center, and pool deck. It takes about 5 minutes to get from one end of the ship to the other, which is really good for someone who is constantly running late.

After we looked around for a little bit, we had a lifeboat drill that required us to wear close-toed shoes, a long sleeve shirt, long pants, and a hat. It made me nervous because I know if there's really an emergency there is no way I'm going to remember a hat. But apparently we have to do the drill once a month, so maybe I'll get the hang of it.

At 1700 we left Southampton and headed out into the water! We all had bubbles to blow and everyone was outside cheering - so much community love right then. We were officially off! And stuck together for four months...so let's hope we're all really nice as we initially seem.

The second day on the ship was orientation...6 hours of it. I won't go into detail, but it was boring. Most people fell asleep and didn't show up for the second half. But afterwards we had the activities fair which was fun. I signed up for zumba with Kelly...shocking, I know. Everyone was out on the deck watching the sunset that night, and I think we all felt pretty good about life right about then. How could we not? We were surrounded by incredible people, heading out on an incredible journey.

Day 3 was when our A day classes started. I had Comparative Politics, Public Health, and Global Ethics, all of which I already had friends in (always a bonus). The profs are obviously all smart and talented, but they also all have so much personality. Sitting in class with them is fun. And my comparative politics prof has a special interest in Cuba - she and I will get along just fine!

That evening we passed under the famous bridge that connects Sweden and Denmark. It was an awesome experience, made more so because I've driven across the bridge. Seeing it from a different perspective was cool.

Day 4 we had our B day of classes, of which I only have one - Foreign Policy of the US. I woke up 5 minutes after the 8 am class started (oops...blame all the time changes and jet lag), but I was still only 10 minutes late. Champion. It's a history-based policy course, which is new for me, but I think it will be really good.

Lunch was the best part of that day, though. We got there just as it was starting, and the stewards invited our group to eat with the Captain and the dean. So cool! They both have awesome stories from all over the world, and were so funny.  We definitely felt like the cool kids...everyone else was jealous. And now the Captain knows me by name and says hi to me in the halls, so I'm officially awesome. He's a redhead too...I feel like we have a special connection.

We've kind of developed into a routine now - early breakfast, noon lunch, nap on the deck, dinner at 1800, and then stargazing by the pool. I was starting to think life couldn't get better...but then I remembered we'll be in Russia tomorrow. So life is definitely about to get better. To prepare, we watched Anastasia tonight. Because there really is no better way to get ready for St. Petersburg than to sing along to "Once Upon a December." I'll be in the Motherland for four days, so look for a new post after that!

Foggy London Town

So London was a bit of a whirlwind...which I guess I should get used to for this semester. I left Tuesday afternoon, and got to London around 8:30. I left one bag at Heathrow because goodness knows there was no way I was dragging 150 pounds of my stuff through the Tube. It was hard enough with just one bag and a backpack.

I finally made it to the hostel at 11. I stayed at St. Christopher's Inn at London Bridge, along with 30ish other SASers. After I checked in and dropped off my bags, I met up with a group in Camden Market. Since I got there at lunch time, we immediately went to a pub. Very British right? There were eight of us, and it was definitely a good introduction to my future classmates. Everyone was super nice and inquisitive and SO excited to be traveling. Side note especially for Kate: I found a Laudree directly across the street from a Paul...so we should clearly go to London together.

After lunch, we headed to Green Park, where we briefly saw Buckingham Palace, and then walked around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens for a few hours. It was 80 degrees and sunny, so everything was gorgeous. But eventually our feet started to get angry at us for not giving them a break, so we went to the original Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. We got to see their vault with guitars and clothes from icons like Madonna, The Who, and the Beatles. Pretty awesome for a music lover like myself. After finishing our burgers, we headed back to the hostel, where we hung out with some other SASers on the roof until my eyes refused to stay open any more.

The next day, I decided to get an early start and do some exploring on my own (don't worry mom - I didn't get kidnapped). It was a much more typical rainy British day, so I put on my duck shoes and raincoat and got a hot coffee before walking across the Thames into the business district. It was 8 am, so morning rush hour was in full swing. Seeing that side of London gave me a different perspective on the city - this is where I come to explore and see new things, but for so many people this is just daily life. Eventually, I accidentally came across the Tower Bridge as it was opening for the day. So I bought a student ticket and went inside. Because it was so early, I had the place pretty much to myself, so I could explore the Bloody Tower and Crown Jewels in peace. TWAMP moment: I saw a scepter made for King William and Queen Mary! After about an hour of that, I decided to take the Tube to Westminster. There I saw the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. I think that's when it finally started to hit me that I was actually in London. And I started to get SO EXCITED. I get to spend all semester exploring new cities. It really doesn't get better than that.

                 

But I couldn't dwell on my awesome for too long, because I had to meet a group back at the hostel at noon so that we could go to the Harry Potter studios!! As a nerd, I was uber pumped for this. It got even better when we got there and there were 12 other people just as pumped as I was. I had found my people. We spent over three hours exploring the Great Hall, Gryffindor Common Room, and Potions classroom and took absurd amounts of pictures. Because it was as close to Heaven as we're going to get for a while. We finished up the tour with a taste of butterbeer and a group photo in Mr. Weasley's car. Afterwards, we went back to the hostel for dinner at the pub and more roof time bonding. It was only the second night and already I was sure that I am going to have the time of my life on this trip - SASers are just so much fun.

Our third, and final ( :-( ) day in London my friends and I met up with some other people for breakfast crepes. We could barely fit in the shop, but they were worth it. Those skinny little pancakes will always hold a special place in my heart. After buying some typical London souvenirs, we headed out to the British museum for some culture. It was a really cool museum - plus it was free, so that's a bonus for traveling college students. We saw the Rosetta stone and Greek and Roman statues. And my friend Jordan helped me (forced me?) to face my fear of mummies (but really...if one haunts me I'll never forgive him). A few hours later, we found ourselves back at Buckingham Palace for a quick photo shoot before going to Westminster again. We finally got back to the hostel at 6, at which point we had to drag our bags onto the Tube to get to our new Heathrow hotels. Big shout-out to John for carrying my bag for me! My blistered feet appreciate the pity. I finally got checked into my hotel at 8:30, and headed back out to meet everyone at the Hilton bar for a "last night on land" celebration.

All in all, it was a BUSY couple of days. As we go forward, I'm sure every port will feel like this. But now that I have my taste, and I am so hungry for more. LET'S DO THIS TEAM!

We're on the boat now, but more to come about that after classes begin!

All My Bags Are Packed

TODAY'S THE DAY!! I finally managed to get everything packed last night - two duffel bags, one backpack, and one tote. One duffel weighs 46.8 pounds, and the other 50.0 so I'm a packing champion.



I can't believe after all my prep work I finally get to start enjoying this trip. I am so ready for it to be the experience of a lifetime, and I can't wait to start. I'll be flying from Columbus to Toronto to Heathrow, so I'll be in London at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Then I'll take the Tube to a hostel where I'll meet up with a bunch of other Semester at Sea students. We'll spend three days exploring the city together, and then on Saturday we'll board the ship! After that, it should be smooth sailing (yeah that was a pun).

Thank you all for your love and support! Email me at erin.kellogg.fa13@semesteratsea.org to stay in touch :-)

Love Letter

I was fortunate enough to spend this summer with my two best friends, living in an apartment in Williamsburg. Now that I’m home, my time is spent with my family and besties from high school. Needless to say, it's been pretty great. And after all the dance parties, late night chats, and donut runs, I've realized that the people in my life are the best kind of people. Seriously, I love you guys. So as I’m packing to leave for this semester, I’m getting sad about being away from all of you. Who else is going to watch ridiculous horror movies and memorize One Direction dances with me? And what am I going to do without all the weird Snapchat faces? Basically what I’m trying to say in this brief little love note is that I’m going to miss you all SO MUCH. But don’t worry…I’ll bring back presents and stories.

PS – Happy 18^th birthday to my baby brother‼