Slave Dungeons of Ghana

On Tuesday I went to Cape Coast Castle and the Elmina Castle, both of which were used during the Atlantic slave trade. For lack of words I will simply share a photo with you:

-AJB

First real day in a foreign country

Despite already having been in the Bahamas, Dominica, and Brazil for a day, my second day in Brazil felt like the first day I was really in a foreign country. I attempted to write a thorough explanation of that day but it wasn't going well so here are the highlights:

1. I almost got pick pocketed on a bus

I had just gotten onto my first bus in Manaus. Three guys came on right after me and started pushing me forward. One reached into my pocket (the pocket with my iPhone in it). I immediately grabbed my phone and turned around, making eye contact with they guy. They said something in Portuguese to each other and quickly got off the bus. I though for sure they had taken stuff in my backpack but I checked everything and it was all still there.

2. That bus was the wrong one

A group of friends and I were trying to go to INPA (National Institute for Research in the Amazon). The bus wasn't. It turned the wrong way about 1/4th of the way there.

3. We walked for about 3 hours to INPA (in 34° heat)

We talked to a few people for directions but only one person along the way spoke English. We kept trying to use Spanish with people, but it didn't get us very far.

4. INPA was closed when we got there

My friends upon arriving at INPA

Still, it was a pretty good day.

Also, this soda is great. I drank far too much of this stuff the past 4 days.

-AJB

Manaus, Brazil - Day 1

Don't have time to write anything right now but here are some pictures.

A rubber baron's house. I think.

I wonder where they got the idea for this pattern...

Opera House (yep, in the middle of the jungle)

Dominica

Dominica is unique because of it's mountainous terrain, rain forests, and indigenous people. It's terrain and location protected it from colonization more than most Caribbean Islands as it was not directly on main trade routes and was not flat enough to grow sugar cane.

I've spent the last two days in Dominica mainly in and around Roseau, the capital.

View from the ship

The first day I took a tour on this.

These are poisonous, but only if you eat them.

Roseau

Finally at Sea

I'm actually on the ship now and we're about to reach Dominica. Here's what has happened since my last post:

• I got on the ship

• We left Nassau:

• We came back to Nassau and then left again (more on this soon. Also, I'm in one of the pictures in the link!)

• Classes started

-AJB

Nassau, Bahamas

My first Semester At Sea post!

 So, I'm in The Bahamas with my dad. I'm getting on the ship in a few hours so I figured I should post something before I leave. Here are some pictures from downtown Nassau:

Ok, now we're downtown.

We had lunch at Skans Cafe on Bay Street. Here's some of the calamari we had.

Queen Victoria at Parliament Square

Parliament Square

Androsia batik fabric. Handmade on Andros Island. It was surprisingly hard to find. There were locals wearing it but very few places actually selling it.

I'll try to write more next time.

-AJB

My new documentary: Top Students

I made this! It's about Baldwin-Wallace College being named an A+ school for B students and what that means.