Spring 2015 - Day 69
Today was just not a good day, which was a continuation of yesterday not being a good day. My throat was still killing me all day and I felt really lethargic to the point that I decided to go to the clinic at 4:30. She said that it is probably just viral since I don't have a fever. So I just have to wait it out. It sucks.
But I went to the ship store and bought some cough drops, which helped a lot. I liked the beginning of the voyage when we were constantly in country because it made time go by really fast. Now that we are just sitting on the ship time goes by really slowly.
I also really don't have any motivation to do school work. We are working on a project in mixed media with patterns and I really hate what I am doing. But I don't know what I should change about it and its exhausting to try. I just want to sleep all the time, today especially. But I think that is just because I feel so terrible.
In the evening I decided to go up to the pool bar to get french fries because I never ate anything and had just spent all day in my room.
While I was up there I ran into Stephanie Will. She's from my university too and is in my sorority. I knew her before the voyage but haven't spent much time with her on the voyage. She came up to me and talked to me a little about her struggles and how she was feeling, which ended up being exactly the way I was feeling.
We agreed to meet for dinner the next night.
Tonight was cultural and logistical pre-port for Mauritius. We arrive there tomorrow!
Mauritius is the island where the Dodo bird is from. You can buy stuffed dodo birds on Mauritius, which sounds like the perfect souvenir. But, no one really knows what the dodo bird looked like so the stuffed animals in different places will look completely different.
Mauritius's economy is based mostly in tourism and manufactured goods. They have the highest GDP and highest life expectancy of any African country.
The island is a volcanic island. It is 70 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide, so it's not very big.
We should be docked by 8am, but this the port where we are not allowed to get off unless we are with a field program. This is because, in past years, people have gotten off, spent the whole day drinking, and were a complete shit show.
Pretty much like how we were in the Bahamas last time so I completely understand. My program doesn't leave until noon so I get to have a leisurely morning. I plan to spend it testing my phone. My dad is pretty certain that it will work and I just have every finger crossed.
The currency is the Maurition Rupee. The exchange rate is 1USD to 34.5 Rupees. I really doubt I will even get any money. I will be on a program for such a short amount of time I most likely won't be able to buy anything.
We will be having face to face immigration but Dean Kevin said that we have a really good relationship with the people there so sometimes they will start face to face with us and then decide that we are all set and then just let us go. So we could start and then just suddenly be clear.
Oh, apparently today is St. Patricks day. I didn't know this until Dean Lisa came up with a green wig and yelled about it really loudly.
I went to bed so, so early. I really could not afford to be any sicker than I am now. My plan to cure my illness is to sleep as much as possible.
