Day 101 – My Birthday!

Dec 6th

End of the Semester
I woke up extra early for breakfast with Sara and Becca. We studied for our very last exams over fruit, cereal and lots of coffee. A little while later, I took my Psych of Food and Culture final and was officially on winter break (even if it feels more like summer break). I took my textbooks to the school store to sell them back for $17. Then, Sara and I got Britney out of bed before heading to the seventh deck to sunbathe till lunch. Today we passed just north of Cocos Island, which is the southern most part of Costa Rica! It is a small volcanic island covered with a tropical rainforest and 400 waterfalls. As a National Park and World Heritage Site, its rich coral reefs are home to large ocean animals: manta rays; hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, sailfish and marine turtles. Unfortunately, we couldn’t spot anything from the deck. It was a beautiful day, especially with a nice breeze that kept the deck cool despite the heat. Regardless, I clocked my heat rash at about 35 mins before I needed to get out of the sun. So, we headed to lunch outside on the back deck. From there, I decided to escape the sun and recover from a week of finals and time changes by indulging in a much-needed afternoon siesta.

Afternoon Siesta
To my surprise, Julie had decorated the room with a sign and hand-made ribbons on the mirror and a picture of the two of us right next to my bed. There was even a sign wishing me ‘happy birthday’ from Falyn on the door. While I did get a nice hour sleep or so, I had a number of guests. Becca came by to show me her SAS video called “Which Way?” that she made in Digital Storytelling class. She has recently shown me all these amazing things you can do on iMovie and iPhoto to make video-slideshows. I’m utterly obsessed, and have been working on compiling slideshows for each of the countries out of my favorite pictures. So, I’m now on the unending process of sorting through 5,000+ pictures to select the best ones. (Yes, you’ll thank me later.) My LLC Brooke stopped by to wish me “Happy Birthday” and pass along some candy. Sara and Britney came by to wake me up and drag me off to Britney and Becca’s room to hang out. There room was utter chaos, since they began the intimidating process of packing all the souvenirs, clothes, flags and general crap they had accumulated over the last three months. While we were sitting around chatting, Goldie comes bursting into the room with “presents” and they all started singing to me. I was totally caught off guard, and bewildered that I was even getting anything. They presented me with a blown up group picture we took on the cable car in Hong Kong, a fabulous peace sign bracelet that I had liked in a store in Tokyo and a ying-yang picture of two koi fish that I had liked in the art gallery in Shanghai. I was so overwhelmed at how much they cared to listen to me and buy me gifts in anticipation of my birthday that I started to cry. Luckily, Goldie brought toilet paper as a gag gift, so it came in handy. The picture was the best present I could have received. It perfectly depicts each of our characters, but you will have to see it to understand.

Dinner and Cake
After a few hours of lounging around, goofing off and reminiscing about the trip, we finally headed to dinner to enjoy a traditional Costa Rican themed dinner courtesy of the ship. Basically, the best thing was the rice and beans. But, my good friend Clyde, who is in charge of the dining halls, had let me in on a little secret a few days ago that I had a cake waiting for me. I told him to surprise me with one of my favorite ice cream flavors: cookies and cream. Since the ship doesn’t stock very many flavors, I was pretty sure that I would just end up with chocolate and vanilla. However, to me surprise Clyde “knew a guy that knew a guy” who got me what I wanted! The cake that came out was enormous with white frosting and rainbow sprinkles and read: “Happy Birthday Carolyn! Love, the Dogs.” Bradley and Sidney are getting big hugs when I get home, because the cake was delicious. Becca, being the little mischievous piece of shit that she is, decided to start a cake food fight with me. I ended up covered in it, but I made sure to get her back. After I handed out mammoth sized slices to everyone at the table, I went around and distributed it to anyone I recognized. Even after sharing it with most of the dining hall, there was still a quarter left that I handed off to a table of boys who I felt could handle finishing it.

Logistical Pre-port
Bob “The Voice” detailed the sever ramifications of drinking and neglecting to get back on the ship on time on the last day of Costa Rica. Apparently, without classes or a last port to threaten students with, the administration came up with new ways to punish us if we misbehave. These include, but are not limited to, not receiving academic credit, getting locked in your room without a laptop for the last four days of the trip and having to get off the boat very last in Miami. Seeing as I’m not getting academic credit for the program, I don’t get internet in my room and I am already in the last Sea to get off in Miami, none of these impressed me. Then Garret, the video editor, showed us a pre-view of the SAS video that Greg, the photographer, has been filming. It seems like it will be really great, but I think my narcissistic video-slideshows will be even better. As a way to incorporate “cultural pre-port” into the mix, Cindy gave us some background on Costa Rica. Accordingly, Costa Rica is the post child of eco-tourism with tons of jungles and volcanoes to hike around. Over 23% of the country is protected with conservation regulations, in addition to the 35 National Parks that cover the area. Cindy warned us there are LOTS of birds, so we are supposed to be careful of bird droppings I suppose. She also suggested that we check out the coffee and palm oil plantations, as well as the banana farms. There is so much Sun coffee that it even grows along the highway mediums. In addition there are LOTS of mosquitoes, so we have to be careful to wear a lot of bug spray. She even suggested that we get those mosquitoes coils. She shared that “Yes they are poison, but they are better than mosquitoes.” Great. Finally, Bob came back to explain the dismemberment information. We are tendering to the shore in Port Caldera, which is about 20 mins from Puntarenas where the ship will be moving later in the day. Apparently, there is no town in Caldera, so there is no traffic on the right or left that we need to worry about. But, all Americans are supposed to avoid high concentrations of bar areas where prostitutes and muggers hand out. I’m not sure how this is going to go over with students. There are also more passports stolen in Costa Rica than any other tourist destination in the world. Apparently, an average of four passports are stolen a day, so we have to be extra careful. Finally, the medical staff came out to sing a rendition of “10 parches in a pear tree” about the medical reports from the trip. It covered: 12 pepto girls, 11 muffler burns, 10 constipations, 9 still sleeping, 8 boils bursting, 7 rashes scratching, 6 passed out students, 5 – NO HIV, 4 professor’s puking, 3 condoms failing, 2 coughing and a case of dysentery. In closing, they warned us that “Some like the pat downs more than others” in allusion to the drunk students that made sexual sounds when they were patted down by security in the last port. But, they will be doing them again when we get back in three days.

Movie Night
So, what do most birthday girls do on there 21st birthday when they are stuck on a boat in the ocean with not even a Pub Night to go to? Movie night with the girls! Duh. After logistical pre-port, Sara, Goldie and I settled down to watch December Boys because we heard you could see Harry Potter naked. Unfortunately, it was so totally boring that we turned if off after 40 minutes and decided to watch Sex and The City instead. Later I went back to my room to hang out with Julie before bed.

Goldie’s Birthday Poem:

The trip is nearly over, our finals are finally done
and what a better way to end it, then turning 21

so get your clothes all packed up, give your legs a shave
you'll only need your swim trunks, and a few choice tasty waves

and cause it is your birthday, you get to be the boss
you'll be the cutest on the beach, even hotter than the sauce

make sure you pace you drinks, and watch on what you're sipping
I'd hate to see you pass out, and miss out on skinny dipping

lets make this last port really count, make it worth the boast
cause in 2 weeks we'll be apart, residing on separate coasts

I'm so happy that I met you, you're really quite divine
I've never met another girl, with an ass as nice as mine

I'll be sad to leave you, cause when you're gone life really stinks
but I'll always remember the times we had, and you'll always be my minx

Love Always,
Goldie

Highs and Lows
My “high” was spending the day with the most fabulous people I have found in this world. My “low” was getting my birthday present from OASIS (Vandy online class registration): I was “bumped” from two classes!